Melbourne Tierney (3 December 1923 – 27 November 2014) was a Welsh professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s. Starting with his home village club Tumble RFC after the second world war, Tierney turned professional after the 1946 West Wales Cup final against Amman United RFC at Stradey Park, Llanelli. He played at representative level for Wales, and at club level for Belle Vue Rangers and Rochdale Hornets, as a , i.e. number 11 or 12, during the era of contested scrums.
Playing career
International honours
Tierney won a cap for Wales while at Belle Vue Rangers in 1953.
County Cup Final appearances
He played left-, i.e. number 3, in Belle Vue Rangers' 7-10 defeat by Wigan in the 1947 Lancashire County Cup Final during the 1947–48 season at Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington on Saturday 1 November 1947.
Club records
Tierney holds Belle Vue Rangers' most consecutive appearances record, with 137-appearances from Saturday 23 September 1950 to Saturday 5 December 1953.
Personal life and death
Tierney was born in Tumble, Carmarthenshire, Wales on 3 December 1923. He married Eiry Bowen in 1947, in Llanelli district. They had two children; Eiriona (born 1949 in Carmarthen), and Linda (born 1953 in Manchester). Tierney later worked as an engineer. He was predeceased by his wife, and died from dementia in Stockport, Greater Manchester on 27 November 2014, at the age of 90.