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Arthur Henry Beetson OAM (born January 22, 1945 in Roma, Queensland) was a leading rugby league player for Queensland and Australia from 1964 to 1981. His position was a prop.

Beetson's career began with Redcliffe in the Brisbane competition between 1964 and 1965. He then moved to Sydney to play with the Balmain Tigers from 1966 to 1970, and later joined the Eastern Suburbs club from 1972 to 1978, where he captained the side to the 1974 and '75 premierships. This Easts team would go down as one of the greatest club sides in Rugby League history. During this period he also played with distinction for Australia. He possessed great strength and toughness, a surprising turn of speed for a big man and was unequalled as a ball player.

As Australia's greatest ever forward, Beetson was peerless. His giant frame, pure speed and brilliant ball skills won countless games for all his teams. His off-loading and attacking workrate broke the mould for front rowers and changed the way they played the game.

After two years with Parramatta in 1979 and 1980, he returned to Queensland for one final year with his old Redcliffe team in 1981.

His skill as a footballer was matched only by his skill as an eater, earning nikcnames such as 'Meat Pie Artie'. He is known and immortalised by his performance of eating 11 hot dogs before a gala dinner for the Australian team in 1973.

Beetson achieved immortality as captain of Queensland in the inaugural State of Origin game, won 20-10 by Queensland on 8 July 1980. He has since coached the Queensland side and is currently a selector for the squad.

He is Australia's best ever foward, and was inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2004 he became the seventh selected post-war “Immortal” of the Australian game with Churchill, Raper, Gasnier, Fulton, Langlands and Wally Lewis.

Beetson is the first Aboriginal to captain his country in any sport.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Immortals_%28rugby_league%29"

• Arthur Beetson with Ian Heads, Big Artie The Autobiography ABC Books 2004. ISBN 0-7333-1299-3
• Player Details at stateoforigin.com.au
• Arthur Beetson at eraofthebiff.com

Preceded by Jack Gibson 1974-76	Coach Eastern Suburbs Roosters 1977-1978	Succeeded by Bob Fulton 1979-1982
Preceded by Laurie Freier 1983-84	Coach Eastern Suburbs Roosters 1985-1988	Succeeded by Russell Fairfax 1989-1990
Preceded by Allan Fitzgibbon 1988-91	Coach Cronulla Sharks 1992-1993	Succeeded by John Lang 1994-2001
Preceded by Mark Murray 1991-94	Coach Eastern Suburbs Roosters 1994	Succeeded by Phil Gould 1995-1999

Preceded by John McDonald 1980	Coach Queensland State of Origin 1981-1984	Succeeded by Des Morris 1985
Preceded by Wayne Bennett 1986-1988	Coach Queensland State of Origin 1989-1990	Succeeded by Graham Lowe 1991-1992

• State of Origin Offical website Rugby League Player Stats