But as Barry Perry said, the turnout did the man proud.

He was arguably one of the best fullbacks Dubbo has produced.

In 1959 Macquarie not only beat Wellington at Wellington to win the premiership, they were also judged the best team in Country Rugby League, winning both the Clayton and Campbell cups.

Barry Perry was joined by Ross Bartier and Athol Currey at the funeral when the congregation was made up of many other rugby league mates of Tom.

Leo Nosworthy was captain-coach of the 1959 side and related at the time that Tom Rutherford was one of the best country players he had ever seen and that he would have been good enough to play in any Sydney side.

Nosworthy’s wealth of rugby league knowledge later took him to Balmain when he played reserve grade and later coached the Tigers to a first grade premiership in 1969.

Perry agreed with Nosworthy.

“Tom was just a bush kid who didn’t want to go to Sydney, as simple as that,” he said.

“But like Leo, I think he would have made it. He was very good.

“We played juniors together and played in the Macquarie sides from 1959 to 1961 and part of 1958.

“Macquarie won three premierships in that time and that’s the only time the club has done that.

“There were some very good players around Western Division at that time. Players like Tony Paskins, Ron Lynch, George Smith, Don Parish and Darcy Henry were all top players.”

Perry also revealed that one of the tragedies of Group 11 was that Tom Rutherford never played rep football.

“There was a fair bit of controversy over that and I guess he probably took that to his grave,” Perry said.

“He was at his prime when we had a lot of good backs. Tom just didn’t get the chance.

“But for us at Macquarie he was the perfect fullback. He was brilliant in attack and his defence was even better. Time and time again he would break the hearts of attacking sides that tested him out.”

In recent times Tom Rutherford has been in hospital at Lourdes and Barry Perry praised people like Bob Pearce, who was a regular visitor to his bedside.

“He was 77 when he died, it was very sad and I like a lot of his mates were sorry to see him go,” Perry said.

“From our 1959 side Don Teale, Claude Rich, Len Delaney, Bob Pack, Brian Pilon, John George and Ron Lane are all deceased. Of the others we are a lot older and most live away and couldn’t be here.

“But still we heard from most of them.

“Tommy Rutherford may be gone but his football talents will remain with Macquarie forever.”