A fullback, Les started his career with the South Newcastle Lions in 1961. Les was a member of South Newcastle’s 1962 Grand Final side. Les played 2 seasons for South Newcastle. In 1963, Les joined the Canterbury Bulldogs. Les was a member of Canterbury’s 1967 Grand Final side. Les played 103 games for Canterbury over 9 seasons (14 tries, 233 goals, 19 field goals).
Les represented Country Firsts in 1961. Les played 4 games for Sydney from 1963-1968 (17 goals). Les played 2 games for Sydney in 19363 (10 goals). Les played 16 games for New South Wales from 1962-69 (3 tries, 74 goals, 3 field goals). Les played 14 test matches for Australia from 1963-69 (2 tries, 30 goals).
In 2008, Les was selected on the Newcastle team of the Century bench. Also, in 2008, Les was selected as one of Australia’s 100 Greatest Players. In 2010, Les was selected as the fullback in the South Newcastle Team of the Century. In 2018, Les was inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame.