Decades after his retirement, the name 'Gasnier' still inspires memories of one of the greatest players the game has produced. Reg Gasnier was one of those rare players who comes along only once in a generation and his particular role in the champion Dragon sides of the 1960s earned him the title of ‘Puff, the Magic Dragon’.

The St George junior burst onto the representative scene in 1959 when he scored three tries on debut for NSW and another hat-trick in the Second Test against NZ. Johnny Raper had many famous teammates alongside him in that indomitable St George side, but none were as gifted as the ‘Prince of Centres’ Reg Gasnier. Gasnier scored 127 tries over 125 appearances in the famous Red V, which offers a glimpse of his scintillating talent, as did the flood of tributes that poured out after his death, aged 74, in 2014.

Reginald William Gasnier was born in the Southern Sydney suburb of Mortdale on 12 May 1939. At Sutherland Intermediate High School, Gasnier excelled at both rugby and cricket. He went on to play rugby league for junior club Renown United. Gasnier was selected in the NSW schoolboys side aged 13, to play in a curtain raiser to the 1952 Australia and New Zealand Test.

In 1957, Gasnier, aged 18, focused his attention on rugby league, signing with the local St. George Dragons for the 1958 season. After only six games in third grade, he was selected for his first grade debut, and after only five first grade games he was selected for New South Wales. He scored 15 tries in 16 games for his state team. By 1959, Gasnier had become an established member of both the New South Wales state side and the Australian international team. He was an important member of the dominant Dragons team of the late 1950s/early 1960s that won 11 consecutive premiership victories, of which Gasnier was on the team for six.

Both hugely popular and well respected, he had the grace of a thoroughbred in full stride - beautifully balanced with amazing acceleration. He was the season's leading try-scorer in 1960 (25 tries), 1963 (24 tries) and 1964 (18 tries). After scoring another hat-trick of tries in St George’s 1960 grand final win, he eventually played in six premiership-winning sides (1960-65)

In 1959, Gasnier moved up from reserve to Test team, making his international debut for Australia against New Zealand in the 1st Test of 1959 in Sydney. He played in all three Tests of that series, and went on to tour Britain with the Kangaroos. On the tour, he scored a hat trick in the 1st Test 22–14 victory against Great Britain. Gasnier became Australia's youngest ever captain in 1962 when he led Australia against England at 23 years and 28 days. The following season, he toured Europe as a member of the National Team for a second time. In 1967–68, he again toured Europe, this time as coach-captain of the Kangaroos. His career ended prematurely, at age 28, when he broke his leg during the first test at Headingley, Leeds, that saw him sit out the remainder of the English leg.

He finished his international career as Australia's most capped player, with a total of 39 caps (36 Test and 3 World Cup), a record that remained until Mal Meninga broke it in 1992. Gasnier scored 28 tries for Australia and captained the side on eight occasions. After retiring from the playing field in 1967, Gasnier was involved in the media side of rugby league, becoming a sports writer and broadcaster. He provided expert analysis on the ABC's Grandstand television coverage during the 1970s

Gasnier was included on the NRL's list of 100 greatest players and the honorary Team of the Century. He is a member of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia.