In 1903 he was captain of that club and made his state representative debut for New South Wales against Queensland and then the touring New Zealand national rugby team before being selected for Australia in the first Test of 1903 in Sydney in the August, against those same All Blacks.

After the financial failure of the 1908–09 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and claims of mismanagement by the league's founding fathers James Joseph Giltinan, cricketer Victor Trumper and Labor politician Henry Hoyle, the pioneer code looked to be in jeopardy before it had barely begun.

He was an excellent organizer and had success in promoting the new game evidenced by the crowd of 42,000 who filled the Agricultural Oval in June 1910 to see the Australia v Great Britain Test.

During his administration which lasted till 1913, he convinced the Catholic education hierarchy and the Marist Brothers in particular, to adopt rugby league as their winter sporting game.

He was appointed as the government representative on the board of the Royal North Shore Hospital and was vocal in his support for proposal to build a bridge across Sydney Harbour[6] Larkin was the member for Willoughby in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from December 1913 until his death.

Larkin's brother Martin also embarked on the Transport A19 Afric for Egypt where Ted, a sergeant was active in promoting games of rugby league amongst the troops.

[6][9][10] Heads and Middleton quote from the war memoir Imperishable Anzacs by Harold Cavill: "Wounded and dying he lay, yet when the stretcher-bearers came to carry him in, he waved them on, saying 'There's plenty worse than me out there'.

Confirmation of Larkin's death didn't reach Australia until June,[11] whereupon a requiem mass was celebrated at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney attended by many distinguished citizens including the Premier and the Governor of New South Wales.

The 1915 Sydney rugby league City Cup Grand Final was held as a testimonial for Ted Larkin's widow and sons and raised £171.