He played first grade in his first year at North Sydney, at the age of 17.

Born in 1951, Johnny Miller, played junior rugby league at McMahons Point and representative football with the North Sydney Bears.

After playing Jersey Flegg in 1968, Miller was graded by North Sydney. He quickly moved up the ranks and debuted in the first grade side that year, just after turning seventeen. He scored two tries in first grade that year.

Miller went on to play nine seasons for Norths, in both first and reserve grade sides, scoring tries in first grade in his first and last seasons. When he finished in 1976 after deciding to resettle on the Central Coast, he was the then-longest serving North Sydney player.

During his lengthy time at the Bears he played with a very large contingent of players including Bruce Walker, John Gray, Dave Wood, John Long, Peter Mullins, Rex Murphy, John Payne, Jim Schroder, Ross Warner, Barry Wood, Mick Bellew, Ken Irvine, Roger Lavis, Neville Makin, Brian "Chicka" Norton, Bruce Foye, Mick Healey, George Ambrum, Gordon West, Frank Collins, Peter Inskip, Warren Thompson, Graham Williams, Dave Burnett, John Fairns, Bob Lang, John McDonell, Leo Toohey, Dave Cooper, Steve Colman, Derek Moritz, Bruce Warwick, Noel Cavanagh, Eddie Heatley, Gary Banks, John Sneddon, Warren Chatfield, Kerry Collien, John Sullivan, John Booby, Brian Anderson, Peter Craig, Dick Harris, Peter Harris, Bill Hamilton, George Varela, Tim Pickup, Glen Whitney, Ron Harre, Geoff Murphy, Keith Outten, John Rawlins, Warren Evans, Trevor Richards, Bryan Long, Jim Fiddler, Keith Harris, Graeme Smith, Merv Hicks, Garry Pretti, Eric Pitt, John Aloe, Brendon Lindsay, Mal McLachlan, Mick Maher, Jim Mills, Steve Hanson, Tim Murphy, Paul Hope, Mark Scobie, and Terry Adams.

He was coached by the likes of Noel Kelly, Col Greenwood, Roy Francis, and Merv Hicks.

John Miller died last Saturday, June 21 at the age of 63. Several hundred people gathered with wife Wendy, sons Neil, Glen and Billy, and their extended families, for his funeral on the Central Coast on Thursday to bid him farewell.