A FORWARD who finished a long professional rugby league career in Wire colours has died, aged 89.

Maurice Gallagher hung up his boots after 20 months at Wilderspool Stadium, 11 years after starting out with hometown club Leigh.

His spell with Warrington, following stints with Barrow on loan, Belle Vue Rangers and Rochdale Hornets, was a fine one, scoring three tries in 44 games.

Although early on at 6ft 1in and 13st 2lbs he plied his trade as an athletically built second-rower, he featured more regularly in the front row later in his career.

On February 16, 1957, he made his Wire debut at prop in a hard fought 9-5 home win over Featherstone Rovers.

World record try scorer Brian Bevan scored a hat-trick that day, as the winger also did on Gallagher's final professional game in a Wire side beaten 21-20 at Blackpool Borough in a shock result.

The previous week Maurice had featured in a fine 47-17 win at Leeds, a reminder of the highs and lows of professional rugby league.

Leigh Centurions life president Brian Bowman recalls Gallagher's playing days.

"Maurice was a very good player who enjoyed a long professional career," he said.

"Like many locally born players at the time he didn't get too many opportunities at Leigh and he had to move elsewhere in order to play regular first-team football as there was so much competition for places.

"In those days, of course, there were only 13 players for first-team duty with no substitutes so it was a far different game than it is today, especially for the forwards, who had to play 80 minutes week in, week out.

"He must have been one of the last surviving players to play for Belle Vue Rangers, who sadly folded in 1955 and he went on to play a lot of games for both Rochdale Hornets and Warrington.

"I knew Maurice for many years and he was a very nice man and a gentleman who retained his interest in the game long after he retired as a player."

Gallagher turned pro with Leigh in December, 1947, after impressing in the junior ranks with Leigh St Joseph’s.

He made his first-team debut at Workington Town in April, 1948, and made a further six appearances before the end of the 1948-49 campaign before drifting out of first-team contention.

After a loan spell at Barrow he moved to Belle Vue Rangers, making his debut at Warrington in January, 1953, and by the following season, when he played in 35 games, he was a pack regular.

In the summer of 1954 he moved to Rochdale Hornets, making his debut in a 17-15 home win against Barrow and going on to make 35 appearances in his debut season at the Athletic Grounds.

Gallagher played 80 games for them before he was transferred to Warrington.