Lumsden moved from Kurri Kurri in 1955 to play with Sydney's
Manly-Warringah club. After four games he was ruled ineligible on the grounds he didn't reside in the area. In 1956 Lumsden represented Country seconds and while playing for Country he was seen by the
St. George Dragons. He was offered
£300 and a job with the
MWS&DB. In his debut Sydney season with the
St. George Dragons in 1957, he represented both Sydney firsts and
New South Wales. He was the competition's leading try scorer in 1958 (18 tries) and 1962 (21 tries). He was the second post-war player after
Ian Moir to score a century of tries. He gained selection in the
Australia national team, becoming Kangaroo No. 346. On the 1959–60
Kangaroo tour he played in all six Tests and 21 minor tour matches scoring 25 tries in total, topping both the try-scoring list and tally for most matches played by an Australian on the tour. Becoming a regular selection for Australia, he played international matches against
France's national team in 1961; Great Britain in the 1962
Ashes series;
New Zealand's national team in 1963; with his last Test appearance against South Africa in 1963. He reached this milestone in his 100th game during the 1963 season. He retired from the game after the Dragons' eleventh consecutive premiership in 1966. Eddie Lumsden won nine premierships with the
St. George Dragons during his 10-year career at the club and is remembered as one of the greatest wingers of his era. He played 158 games with the club and scored 136 tries. ==Post-playing==