Alan Clarke was a rugby league player who represented New Zealand in one test match against England in 1932 at lock.

He also played rugby league for the North Island and Auckland representative sides as well as the Newton Rangers, and Marist Old Boys clubs.

Alan Clarke began being named in the Newton Rangers senior side in the Auckland Rugby League competition in June 1922 whilst still aged just 16, 4 months off his 17th birthday.

The 1923 season saw Clarke play 12 matches for Newton, scoring 2 tries and kicking a penalty in a Roope Rooster first round loss to Marist Old Boys, a team he was to eventually join.

The final round of the Auckland first grade competition was being played and so players from Devonport, Marist, Richmond, and Athletic were all unavailable for selection.

Following their round 5 match with Marist the New Zealand Herald stated that “Clarke was easily the best forward on the ground.

[17] The next week he scored 3 tries in a 26–10 win over Grafton Athletic and was said to again be the best forward on the field with “his speed and clever handling enabling him to take part in most of the attacking movements.

[18] On June 19 Newton played City and after the game the Herald wrote of the claims of various players to a place in the Auckland representative side.

It was said that selectors Fox, McClymont and Asher had "no easy task” and that “the form shown by many young players is very encouraging, and it will occasion no surprise to see many of those who usually gain places passed over in favour of younger men.

[21] Following the squads Thursday night training Clarke was named to play in the second row along with Lou Hutt, with Bert Avery at lock.

[28] Clarke was then selected in a New Zealand trial to be played as curtain raiser to the NZ Probables v Possibles match.

[29] He was subsequently named in the Auckland side to take on the New Zealand team prior to their departure for Europe but ultimately did not play in the game.

[30] Clarke then informed the selectors that he was also unavailable for selection for their match with Otago and it was stated in the Auckland Star that the reason was due to injury.

Following a win over City on May 28 the Auckland Star said “much of Newton’s victory must be handed out to Clarke, who towered above his energetic pack as the best forward on the ground.

[37] He was playing in the pack with Henry, Wally Somers, and Trevor Hall and they helped Newton to their 2nd ever first grade title with a 10 win, 1 draw, 2 loss record.

[40] He was selected for Auckland ‘Southern Tour’ where they played matches with Canterbury, West Coast, Otago, and Wellington.

The match was notable for the large number of injuries with 3 Newton players taken to Auckland Hospital with broken bones and Somers spraining his ankle.

His side went down 27 to 24 but he scored a try and kicked a penalty with the Auckland Star saying there was “no denying the fact that… Clarke was the outstanding forward in the trial game”.

However Ponsonby had also lost Frank Delgrosso to injury shortly before and Marist ultimately ran away with the match to claim their second straight Stormont Shield title.

Clarke missed a try in the first half after his teammate “Brady mishandled”, though the two of them later “combined well and an infringement against the visitors saw Gregory kick a nice goal”.

[73] After the North Island had kicked a penalty “Clarke fielded the ball from the kick-off, raced right through the opposition, short-punted, and scored a spectacular try”.

[75] On August 23 Clarke had a chance to play against the New Zealand side after they had returned from their tour where they had performed disappointingly, winning just 5 matches and losing 7.

The Auckland side did not play well aside from “in the loose, [with] Clarke and O’Brien being conspicuous for fast break-aways and raiding with the backs”.

[77] Four days later on August 27 Clarke played in a midweek match in the ‘Wednesday Competition’ for the Private Taxi's side against Trotting Trainers.

[82][83] His final match for the season was for a combined Marist and Devonport side against the touring Eastern Suburbs team.

[93] In a hard-fought match the tourists beat New Zealand by 20 points to 18 before a crowd of 12,000 at Carlaw Park with a try in the final minutes.

New Zealand nearly scored in the second half after a high Clarke kick with Brisbane crossing the line but play was pulled up for a knock on.

[95] He finished the season by playing 4 more matches for Marist including a Roope Rooster final win over City by 28 points to 8 where he scored a try and kicked a conversion.

His final ever appearance was for Marist against the touring Western Suburbs side who had won the New South Wales championship.

He was fairly prominent in many moments in the match and the Auckland Star said that he along with Jim Laird, Keane, and Bakalich held their own in the rucks.