In 1960, Ackland won the inaugural Rothville Trophy for player of the year, a feat he repeated in 1961.
Ackland also played for the Mount Albert Lions and captained the City Newton Dragons in 1961.
[5] Ackland, along with Neville Denton and Gary Phillips, withdrew from the 1961 tour of Great Britain due to a dispute over allowances.
In 1976, he won the Hyland Memorial Cup as the Auckland Rugby League's coach of the year.
[9] Ackland died following complications from heart surgery on 25 October 2013, aged 78, in his hometown of Auckland.