Toni Danieli | |||||||
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OVERALL STATISTICS | |||||||
| BIRTH | AGE | SIGNED ON | FROM | ||||
| DEBUT | LAST MATCH | LEFT | |||||
| CAREER | APPEARANCES (SUBS) | ||||||
| TRIES | GOALS | DGOALS | PTS | ||||
Biography of Toni Danieli | ||||
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 HERITAGE NO : 784 Previously on our site, this rugged front or second row forward was referred to as ‘Toni Rossi’ but this was not his real name. Rossi it was, in matchday programmes and in the media but his real moniker in the players’ registers was Antonio Danieli. To give him his full title, Antonio Marco Gerardo Danieli. Sad to say he passed away on 29th July 2010 in St Austell, Cornwall, aged 77 after a long illness. His story is, indeed, an interesting one. His obituary, in the marvellous Rugby League Journal, by Harry Edgar, dubbed him ‘Rugby League’s favourite Italian.’ Why Toni Rossi? It was a pseudonym bestowed upon him when he came to England to play professionally with Wigan in 1957. Later, another Italian arrived in England and signed for Rochdale Hornets. His name was Ferdi Sarterano, an elusive winger, who scored a famous try for Hornets in a Challenge Cup semi-final in 1958. In the programme, he was ‘Ferdi Corsi.’ What was this all about? Was it to protect their real identities to avoid them being persecuted and subsequently banned from rugby union if their rugby league venture hit the buffers? Or was it simply to give them a more ‘user friendly’ name that the crowds could relate to? Probably better than the ubiquitous AN Other or SO Else. Harry Edgar explains why he ended up at the Wigan club and became the first Italian to make an impact on the English rugby league scene, which gave Toni an immense feeling of pride: “He was an Azzurro as a member of the Italian Rugby Union national team out of the Petrarchino club in the mid-1950s when he discovered the 13-a-side game which was growing with great enthusiasm in his native land at the time. On a tour to England with the Padua club he scored a try at Central Park and did cartwheels of joy and was promptly invited back by the Wigan club to play for them.” On arrival, he was pictured outside Central Park, Tall, dark and handsome, wearing a stylish overcoat and black polo, he would not have been out of place at the Milan Fashion Week. There was previous. Winger Tony Romano [was that his ‘real’ name?] had played one senior game for them. Toni played four matches in Cherry and White, deputising for local legend Brian McTigue during the 1957-58 campaign and never finished on the losing side, including a victory at Halifax’s Thrum Hall ground. He certainly coped with the physical aspects of front-row play. He faced fierce competition from the likes of McTigue, Barton and Frank Collier for a first team spot. No bench players in those days. Toni’s initial foray ended, and he returned to his homeland. His 13-a-side odyssey did not end there, however. He helped to develop the Padua and Mestre [Venice] clubs and got to represent his country at rugby league. This time it was as Toni Danieli when the Azzurri hosted two matches against the Kangaroos at the end of their 1959-60 tour. Ferdi Sarterato also played in the matches at Padua and Treviso. Fast forward to the Liverpool Echo, who reported that the ‘sun-tanned’ Rugby League pioneers from Padua would be embarking at Manchester on a three-match tour against Junior teams from Wigan, Leigh and St Helens, the latter UGB at Knowsley Road. Maybe Toni met with Saints’ officials and organised a trial period? The squad, particularly in the forwards was in a state of flux and Saints obviously took a punt, initially in the short term. The Liverpool Echo reported favourably on Toni’s debut in the Charity match against Liverpool City on 14th August 1961 which Saints won 29-14 with him in the loose forward berth: “New faces to catch the eye were ex-rugby union players Keith Northey and Italian Toni Rossi. Both showed considerable promise…” According to Keith Northey, he was "dark-haired, a pleasant guy quintessentially Italian, you might say.” A full debut followed, a week later against Leeds in a 20-5 victory opener in the league at Knowsley Road – the Challenge Cup holders against the League Champions. This gave Toni the Heritage Number #784. He was in the back row with another ex-rugby union signing, Mike Knowles. Mighty Dick Huddart played loose forward in this match. On 26th August he played at Swinton [Keith Northey’s full debut] with Saints losing 6-15. It was to be his last for the club at senior level. Things seemed to go well initially. At the same time, Ray French had become a Saint. Coach Alan Prescott was quoted in the local press as saying that “he [French] will have to be good to gain preference over Toni Rossi for not only is the Italian a very popular player already but he is settling down into our style very quickly.” Frenchie was good! He took over Toni’s second-row slot in the next match against Wakefield Trinity on 30th August and became a permanent selection in the team. For Toni, a permanent deal was not on the table, although several clubs, including Hunslet had taken note of his potential. In late October a ‘Special Correspondent’ in the Liverpool Daily Post informed its readers that Toni was possibly a target for Blackpool Borough. “The Italian forward was offered trials but Rossi views trials with suspicion. Blackpool were prepared to sign him but felt there was no security and that Rossi could return to Italy any time. As a gesture of goodwill, Rossi is prepared to pay back his signing on fee into the club for a period of four years providing legal arrangements are made and suitable rates of interest paid.” But sign him they did and the next time we him was at Borough Park on 14th April 1961 when Saints won 15-2 in the league with Mick Sullivan [2] and Vollenhoven scoring tries and 3 goals from Austin Rhodes. Toni was in the front row with Ray Hopwood and ex-Saints hooker Eddie Bowden. Other Knowsley Road connections? Full back Arthur Pimblett booted over Borough’s two pointer and at scrum-half was a star of the future in the red vee: Tommy Bishop. Toni played with the ‘Pool for a few games into the following season [1962-63] including another match against the Saints at Borough Park in the first round of the Lancashire Cup. Saints won 14-3 [2 tries apiece from Vollenhoven and Killeen; Coslett with the goal] and the Boro’ front-row of Rossi, Bowden and Albert Clayton faced strong competition from their opposite numbers: John Arkright, Bob Dagnall and Cliff Watson and gave as much as they got! Toni’s professional rugby career ended on 3rd November 1963 at Keighley [a 3-10 defeat] when former Warrington legend Brian Bevan was on one wing; American gridiron player Chuck Wiseman on the other but that’s another story. So, what became of him? Toni went to live in the Luton area and became the catering manager at Luton Airport. He spent over 30 years in Bedfordshire before his retirement in Cornwall. He had married his wife Milena [Maretto] in March 1987 in his adopted county. He remains, as Harry Edgar says: “a real sporting pioneer and still Rugby League’s favourite Italian.” Bravissimo! Alex Service Dave Dooley with special acknowledgement to Harry Edgar. | ||||
PLAYER HONOURS | ||||
SEASON STATISTICS | ||||
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| Season (Official Matches) | Tries | Goals | DGoals | Matches |
| 1961~62 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| TOTALS: | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Season (Other Matches) | Tries | Goals | DGoals | Matches |
| 1961~62 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TOTALS: | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
ALL MATCHES | ||||
| Date | Match | Pos | Opponents | Comp | Venue | FT | FTO | T | G | DG | ||
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| 12th Aug 1961 | -- | W |
13 | Liverpool City* | Fr Charity Cup | H | 29 | 14 | VIEW | |||
| 19th Aug 1961 | 1 | W |
11 | Leeds | L | H | 20 | 5 | VIEW | |||
| 26th Aug 1961 | 2 | L |
11 | Swinton | L | A | 6 | 15 | VIEW |
| *Unofficial Match. **Non Playing Sub. |
| WINS : 2 | LOSSES : 1 | DRAWS : |
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GALLERY |
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