Cardiff Bay Rugby Codebreakers

Born into a rugby playing family of Italian immigrants in July, 1894, Joe lived in Adam Street and Sandon Street, in Adamsdown. He became a big hit in rugby league as a try scoring wing, playing for Rochdale and then Oldham. He played with his brother, Louis, in the 1922 Challenge Cup win by Rochdale against Hull. At Oldham he played 150 games and played in three successive Challenge Cup finals – 1924, 1925 and 1926 – winning in 1925. He won his one and only Welsh RL cap against England in 1923. In his first four seasons at Oldham he was leading try scorer with 30 in 1923-4, 27 in 1924-5, 23 in 1925-6 and 23 again in 1926-7. He missed the 1928 Cup final, but is included in the Oldham RL Hall of Fame.