{{Short description|Australian rugby league player (1941–2016)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Infobox rugby league biography | name = Brian Fitzsimmons | image = | fullname = Brian William Fitzsimmons | birth_date = {{birth date|1941|09|28|df=yes}} | birth_place = Georgetown, QLD, Australia | death_date = {{death date and age|2016|06|22|1941|09|28|df=yes}} | death_place = Thuringowa Central, QLD, Australia | position = {{Rlp|HK}} | club1 = ? (Innisfail) | year1start = 19?? | year1end = ?? | appearances1 = | tries1 = | goals1 = | fieldgoals1 = | points1 = |club2 = Brothers (Brisbane) |year2start = 19?? |year2end = ?? |appearances2 = |tries2 = |goals2 = |fieldgoals2 = |points2 = |club3 = |year3start = |year3end = |appearances3 = |tries3 = |goals3 = |fieldgoals3 = |points3 = |teamA = Queensland |yearAstart = 1965 |yearAend = 71 |appearancesA = 20 |triesA = 0 |goalsA = 0 |fieldgoalsA = 0 |pointsA = 0 |teamB = Australia |yearBstart = 1967 |yearBend = 71 |appearancesB = 4 |triesB = 0 |goalsB = 0 |fieldgoalsB = 0 |pointsB = 0 }} '''Brian William Fitzsimmons''' (28 September 1941 – 22 June 2016) was an Australian rugby league footballer of the 1960s and '70s. A Queensland state and Australia national representative hooker, Fitzsimmons played his club football in North Queensland as well as in the Brisbane Rugby League for the Brothers club.
Originallly from Mareeba in Far North Queensland Fitzsimmons played for Babinda Colts.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mareeba rugby league part of one of footy's big scandals |url=https://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/tableland/mareeba-rugby-league-part-of-one-of-footys-big-scandals/news-story/6872e8ab2a5e02d80078996df00f5f0b |work=The Cairns Post |date=6 July 2018 |language=en}}</ref> He was a regular Queensland representative player from 1965 to 1971 and also made sporadic international appearances during this period, which included a match against France at the 1968 Rugby League World Cup.<ref>{{cite news |title=Legends of league named |url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/gladstone/legends-of-league-named/news-story/0f5ed31d4d4e3cd85108fdcfcf4e0bc5 |work=The Courier-Mail |date=20 September 2008}}</ref> An Innisfail premiership player, Fitzsimmons was selected to go on the 1969 Kangaroo tour of New Zealand but did not play in any Test matches. He was again selected for the 1971 Kangaroo tour of New Zealand, playing in the sole Test.
He later made a Brisbane Rugby League grand final with Brothers in 1974.<ref name="QRL"/> For the 1975 Brisbane Rugby League season Fitzsimmons stayed on as coach of the Wayne Bennett-captained Brothers club.
A hotelier by profession, Fitzsimmons also coached rugby league in Townsville and served on the North Queensland Cowboys steering committee prior to their admission into the league.<ref name="QRL">{{cite web |title=Vale Brian Fitzsimmons |url=https://www.qrl.com.au/news/2016/06/23/vale-brian-fitzsimmons/ |website=Queensland Rugby League |language=en |date=23 June 2016}}</ref>
Fitzsimmons is a member of the North Queensland Team of the Century.<ref>{{cite news |title=Babinda Colts celebrates town's 100th anniversary of rugby league |url=https://cairnspost.com.au/sport/babinda-colts-celebrates-towns-100th-anniversary-of-rugby-league/news-story/c46f68592e0ec7ef75acd7f4534c4341 |work=The Cairns Post |date=5 May 2018}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/brian-fitzsimmons/summary.html Brian Fitzsimmons] at Rugby League Project
{{North Queensland Team of the Century}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzsimmons, Brian}} Category:1941 births Category:2016 deaths Category:Australian rugby league players Category:Rugby league hookers Category:Rugby league players from Queensland Category:People from Mareeba Category:Queensland rugby league team players Category:Australia national rugby league team players Category:Past Brothers players Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen