Sugerman McLean Awards

The Best Team man for each team at the Australian Championships.

This award was instituted in 1986 to honour Dr Syd Sugerman who died suddenly and unexpectedly the year before. The late Syd Sugerman was for many years medical officer for the Wallabies, the ASRU and NSW Schools Rugby Union teams. Dr Syd Sugerman was Honorary Doctor to the senior Australian team on its tour to Argentina in 1979 and was joint Medical Advisor to the ARU and team Honorary Doctor in 1983 and 1984. In 1984 he was with the team in Fiji and later that year in the UK and Ireland when they won the Grand Slam. He was also Honorary Medical Adviser to the Australian Schools Rugby Union from 1980 – 1984. He was particularly well known as a supporter and medical specialist to various groups and teams of schoolboys in the Sydney area. He died on 12/1/1985. After his death the Committee of the ASRU unanimously agreed to honour Doctor Syd Sugerman’s contribution to schoolboy rugby by making this award to a member of each team at the Championships.

In 2016 the award was renamed to recognize Dr Michael McLean who passed away unexpectedly in 2015. Michael McLean was the Australian Schools Medical Officer 2007 – 2012 touring to Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand and to the United Kingdom in 2009. He also acted as the Championships Medical Officer during the same period. Michael was a great team man in his own right – always willing to assist the team in things well beyond his area of responsibility. In addition to his work with the ASRU he was the Under 20’s team doctor in 2008, the NRL Indigenous All Stars doctor, Medical Offiicer for the Queensland SLSA, as well working with several other professional sporting teams. Michael also shared a similar medical background to Syd Sugerman – both being physiotherapists as well as doctors. Michael was presented with the Merv & Iris Allen Award in 2013 for his Contribution to Schools Rugby.