Newtown and Penrith to Contest the Wilson-Blacklock Cup

The Newtown Rugby League Football Club and Penrith Panthers are pleased to announce the establishment of the Wilson-Blacklock Cup to commemorate the contribution of both Ken Wilson and Ray Blacklock to the Newtown and Panthers clubs.

The proposed series will be contested when the two clubs play each other in the competition rounds of the NSW Rugby League (NSWRL) Knock-On Effect NSW Cup. The cup will be awarded on the basis of wins and points for against over the two rounds; that is, if each club wins one of the two games played in a given year, the cumulative points for and against will determine the winner.

The late Ken Wilson played with Newtown from 1970 to 1974 and again from 1979 to 1983. He is very much a favourite son of the foundation club of the NSW Rugby League and he joined the Newtown RLFC after playing for several seasons in the Newtown junior rugby league. Ken is the all-time record points scorer for the Newtown club; he kicked the field goal in Newtown’s famous 1-0 victory against St George in 1973; he was a key figure in Newtown’s march into the NSWRL First Grade grand final in 1981; and he was the club’s First Grade captain in 1982 and 1983, Newtown’s final years in the NSWRL First Grade competition.

Following stints with Newtown and Port Kembla, Wilson joined the Panthers and was an integral member and respected leader of the squad from 1976-1978. Over the three seasons, the Panther No. 121 scored seven tries and kicked 117 goals and five field goals – tallying a total of 260 points. Ken Wilson passed away on the 22nd December 2022.

The late Ray Blacklock played with the Newtown Jets in 1981 and 1982 after previously playing five seasons with the Penrith Panthers. Ray’s dashing wing play made him a cult figure at Henson Park, along with his fellow winger the great John “Chicka” Ferguson. Ray transferred to the Canberra Raiders after playing with Newtown.

A Penrith junior, Blacklock captained the Panthers to the club’s first Under-23s premiership title in 1978. A speedy backline player, the Panther No. 127 played 32 first grade appearances for the Panthers across five seasons (1976-1980) before joining the Jets.

Ray Blacklock passed away on the 28th October 2020.

The Newtown and Penrith clubs look forward to the Wilson-Blacklock Cup being an ongoing contest and source of friendly rivalry between the two clubs.