125-709: Jack Bird (born 20 March 1995) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre , five-eighth and second-row forward for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League (NRL). Bird previously played for the Brisbane Broncos , St. George Illawarra Dragons and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks where he won the 2016 NRL Grand Final . He is a New South Wales State of Origin , Country Origin , Prime Minister's XIII and Indigenous All Stars representative. Bird
250-720: A National Football League ( American football ) exhibition game called the American Bowl was played between the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers , bringing home former Australian Football League player Darren Bennett , the Chargers' punter . The Broncos won the game 20–17 in front of 73,811 spectators. This was Australia's first, and currently only, American Bowl game. The 1999 National Rugby League grand final , played on 26 September between
375-617: A breakaway faction of England's Rugby Football Union (RFU). Both organisations played the game under the same rules at first, although the Northern Union began to modify rules almost immediately, thus creating a new simpler game that was intended to be a faster-paced form of rugby football. Similar breakaway factions split from RFU-affiliated unions in Australia and New Zealand in 1907 and 1908, renaming themselves "rugby football league s" and introducing Northern Union rules. In 1922,
500-551: A crowd of 104,098, which remains the highest-ever for an association football game in Australia. Sydney FC have played a number of one-off exhibition matches at the stadium. Sydney FC defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS 5–3 in front of a crowd of 80,295 in 2007. The game was notable for including Galaxy legend and US international Landon Donovan and former England captain David Beckham , who had joined
625-669: A crowd of 59,569 which remains the largest crowd ever for a cricket match in New South Wales . 30 September 2012 saw the largest ever NRL Grand Final crowd since reconfiguration up until 2014 when 82,976 attended the 2012 NRL Grand Final to see the Melbourne Storm defeat the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 14–4. This number was nearly reached in the 2009 NRL Grand Final between the Storm and
750-580: A decree by the RFU banning the playing of rugby at grounds where entrance fees were charged led to twenty-two clubs (including Stockport, who negotiated by telephone) meeting at the George Hotel, Huddersfield , on 29 August 1895 and forming the "Northern Rugby Football Union". Within fifteen years of that first meeting in Huddersfield, more than 200 RFU clubs had left to join the rugby league. In 1897,
875-627: A famous 21–6 victory over his former club and at the same time denying the Storm back to back premierships. On 6 October 2019, another notable NRL Grand Final was held with 82,922 people witnessing the Sydney Roosters become the first back to back premiers in the NRL since the Brisbane Broncos of 1992 and 1993 , defeating the Canberra Raiders who were in their first Grand Final since 1994 in controversial circumstances. During
1000-405: A four-yearly cycle in the 2010s; as of 2023 , the holders are Australia . A short-sided version of the sport, rugby league nines , using modified rugby league rules also exists, and is comparable to rugby sevens . Wheelchair rugby league is a mixed-gender sport using heavily modified rugby league rules for disabled and able-bodied players. Unlike wheelchair rugby which adopted its name after
1125-533: A little bit but I'm feeling healthy." In round 10 against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles , Bird succumbed to the sternum injury that has plagued him for nine months and end his season early during Brisbane's 38–24 loss at Suncorp Stadium . Bird would have a horror 2018 NRL season , only playing in 8 matches for the Broncos because of his shoulder and sternum injuries were still ongoing during
1250-437: A mix of the two sports' rules. Much more so than rugby union, rugby league shares significant similarities with North American gridiron codes. Although described as evolving from both rugby and association football , the basic structures of American and Canadian football are remarkably similar to rugby league through a process of parallel evolution: a try-and-goal based scoring system, a set number of plays before handover of
1375-644: A new post-reconfiguration attendance record of 83,833 saw South Sydney defeat Canterbury-Bankstown 30–6 in the 2014 NRL Grand Final . It was the Rabbitohs first grand final appearance and premiership win since 1971 . On 27 December 2014, a new domestic cricket record crowd for NSW was set with 32,823 attending the Sydney Derby between the Sydney Thunder and the Sydney Sixers . The crowd was
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#17327805328721500-633: A professional level. 45 national teams are ranked by the RLIF and a further 32 are officially recognized and unranked. The strongest rugby league nations are Australia , England , New Zealand , Samoa and Tonga . The Rugby League World Cup is the highest form of representative rugby league. Countries that have contested are Australia , Cook Islands , England , Fiji , France , Ireland , Italy , Jamaica , Lebanon , New Zealand , Papua New Guinea , Russia , Samoa , Scotland , South Africa , Tonga , US and Wales . The 2021 Rugby League World Cup, which
1625-453: A result play stops much less frequently in rugby league, with the ball typically in play for 50 out of the 80 minutes compared to around 35 minutes for professional rugby union. Other differences include that there are fewer players in rugby league (13 compared to 15) and different rules for tackling . Rugby union has more detailed rules than rugby league and has changed less since the 1895 schism. Since rugby union turned professional in
1750-417: A season-ending anterior cruciate ligament knee injury during the Broncos 26–10 win at Suncorp Stadium . Bird's 2019 NRL season was cut short, finishing with 9 matches and scoring 2 tries for Brisbane. On 11 March, Bird was ruled out for the entire 2020 NRL season after suffering an ACL injury at pre-season training. Bird took to Instagram saying "People who know me know how hard I have worked to get to
1875-835: A serious ankle injury in the clubs 44-12 loss against Canterbury. On 9 September, Bird signed a two-year deal to join the Wests Tigers starting in the 2025 NRL season. *denotes season still competing On 5 July 2021, Bird was fined $ 25,000 by the NRL and suspended for one game after breaching the game's Covid-19 biosecurity protocols when he attended a party along with 12 other St. George Illawarra players at Paul Vaughan's property. Rugby league Rugby league football , commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby XIII in non- Anglophone Europe and South America, and referred to colloquially as football , footy , rugby , or league in its heartlands,
2000-415: A team's creative unit or 'playmakers'. During the interactions between a team's 'key' players (five-eighth, half-back, fullback, lock forward, and hooker), the five-eighth and half-back will usually be involved in most passing moves. These two positions are commonly called the "halves". The forwards' two responsibilities can be broken into "normal play" and "scrum play". For information on a forward's role in
2125-495: A try in the 34–8 win at Hunter Stadium . On 13 April 2017, it was announced that Bird signed a lucrative four-year deal, worth $ 4 million with the Brisbane Broncos starting in 2018. For the 2017 State of Origin series , Bird played in all 3 matches off the interchange bench for the Blues in their 2–1 series loss. Bird finished his last year with Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks with him playing in 17 matches and scoring 3 tries in
2250-401: A value of 2 points when kicked from beyond the 40 metre line. Field position is crucial in rugby league, achieved by running with or kicking the ball. Passing in rugby league may only be in a backward or sideways direction. Teammates, therefore, have to remain on-side by not moving ahead of the player with the ball. The ball may be kicked ahead, but if teammates are in front of the kicker when
2375-401: A victory which granted Australia FIFA World Cup qualification for only the second time in the country's history. The event attracted a virtual capacity crowd of 82,698. The 1999 Bledisloe Cup rugby union match between Australia and New Zealand attracted a then-world record rugby union crowd of 107,042. In 2000, this was bettered when a near-capacity crowd of 109,874 (capacity at the time
2500-557: Is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 m (74 yd) wide and 112–122 m (122–133 yd) long with H-shaped posts at both ends. It is one of the two major codes of rugby football , the other being rugby union . It originated in 1895 in Huddersfield , Yorkshire , England, as the result of a split from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) over
2625-609: Is a multi-purpose stadium located in the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia. The stadium, which is sometimes referred to as Sydney Olympic Stadium , Homebush Stadium or simply the Olympic Stadium , was completed in March 1999 at a cost of A$ 690 million to host the 2000 Summer Olympics . The Stadium was leased by a private company, the Stadium Australia Group, until
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#17327805328722750-474: Is conducted under the direction of the Federation of International Touch (FIT). Though it shares similarities and history with rugby league , it is recognised as a sport in its own right due to its differences which have been developed over the sport's lifetime. Touch is a variation of rugby league with the tackling of opposing players replaced by a touch. As touches must be made with minimal force, touch
2875-437: Is on public display at the stadium. On 1 October 2006, the stadium hosted the 2006 NRL Grand Final between the Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne Storm. It was the first time since the competition began in 1908 that two teams from outside of Sydney had contested the grand final. 79,609 fans saw the Broncos defeat the Storm 15–8. As of the 2018 NRL Grand Final , this is one of three times that no Sydney based team has contested
3000-432: Is the dominant winter sport in the eastern Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland . The game is also among the predominant sports of Tonga and is played in other Pacific nations such as Samoa and Fiji . Researchers have found that rugby league has been able to help with improving development in the islands. In Australia, and indeed the rest of the region, the annual State of Origin series ranks among
3125-555: Is therefore considered a limited-contact sport. The original basic rules of touch were established in the 1960s by members of the South Sydney Junior Rugby League Club in Sydney, Australia . OzTag is a non-contact form of rugby league, and can be seen as a variation of British tag rugby. Cronulla Sharks and St George Dragons halfback Perry Haddock introduced the sport in Australia while coaching
3250-413: Is worth. One of the main differences is the rules of possession. When the ball goes into touch , possession in rugby union is contested through a line-out , while in rugby league a scrum restarts play. The lesser focus on contesting possession means that play focuses more on powerful running, hard tackling, forward progression and the contest for field position (commonly compared to an "arm wrestle"); as
3375-602: The 1953–54 Challenge Cup Final replay at Odsal Stadium , Bradford , England, setting a new record for attendance at a rugby football match of either code. Also in 1954, the Rugby League World Cup, the first for either code of rugby, was formed at the instigation of the French. In 1966, the International Board introduced a rule that a team in possession was allowed three play-the-balls and on
3500-615: The 1975 Grand Final played at the Sydney Cricket Ground . 2008 was the centenary year of the competition. It was also the first time a team had been held scoreless in a grand final since Manly had defeated Cronulla-Sutherland 16–0 in the 1978 Grand Final Replay at the SCG (the original Grand Final that year had been drawn 11-11). In February 2009, the stadium replaced its existing two television screens with new Panasonic HD LED video screens that measure 23x10m – 70% larger than
3625-1039: The 1999 NRL season . Figure shown is the total attendance which is officially counted for both games. ** The official attendance of the 1954 Challenge Cup Final replay was 102,569. Unofficial estimates put the attendance as high as 150,000, Bradford Police confirming 120,000. ANZ Stadium New South Wales Blues ( State of Origin ; 1999–present) Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs ( NRL ; 1999–present) South Sydney Rabbitohs ( NRL ; 2006–present) St George Illawarra Dragons ( NRL ; 2008, 2014–2017) Wests Tigers ( NRL ; 2005–2008, 2014–2018) Parramatta Eels ( NRL ; 2017–2019) Australia national rugby union team (selected matches) Western Sydney Wanderers ( A-League ; 2016–2019) Australia men's national soccer team (selected matches) Australia women's national soccer team (selected matches) Sydney FC (selected matches) New South Wales cricket team Sydney Thunder ( BBL ; 2012–2015) Stadium Australia , currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship reasons,
3750-465: The 2013 State of Origin series . Queensland defeated NSW 12–10 to win their 8th straight Origin series. With 80,380 attending Game 1 at the stadium, the attendances also broke the Origin attendance records for the first and third game of a series. With the second game of the series attracting 51,690 to Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium , 2013 also broke the Origin series attendance record with 215,883 attending
3875-461: The 2015 AFC Asian Cup Final , which marked the Socceroos' first Asian Cup victory, also came at the stadium. Stadium Australia was also the venue for Australia's 3–1 victory against Honduras in the 2018 FIFA World Cup CONCACAF-AFC intercontinental play-off . The venue hosted the 2000 Olympics football gold medal match , with Cameroon defeating Spain 5–3 on penalties. The match attracted
Jack Bird - Misplaced Pages Continue
4000-647: The 2015 NRL Auckland Nines . In round 4 of the 2015 NRL season , Bird made his NRL debut for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks against the Gold Coast Titans , playing off the interchange bench in Cronulla's 24–22 loss at Shark Park . In his next match in round 5 against the Sydney Roosters , Bird played at five-eighth for Cronulla-Sutherland in the absence of regular five-eighth Ben Barba . Bird scored two tries and set up another in
4125-467: The 2016 State of Origin series , where played he filled the void on the interchange bench for Dylan Walker who shifted to centre in the 26–16 loss at Suncorp Stadium . Bird also played in Game 3, where he again played off interchange bench in the Blues 18–14 win at ANZ Stadium . On 2 October 2016, in Cronulla's 2016 NRL Grand Final against the Melbourne Storm , Bird played at centre and bravely played
4250-579: The 2017 NRL season . On 23 September 2017, Bird played for Prime Minister's XIII against Papua New Guinea , starting at five-eighth in the 48–8 win in Port Moresby . When Bird arrived in Brisbane he had an existing shoulder injury that he suffered at the end of the 2017 season and Broncos coach Wayne Bennett claimed that the Sharks did not disclose the full extent of his injury before his move,
4375-403: The 2022 NRL season as the club finished 10th on the table and missed the finals. On 10 May, Bird came under criticism for comments he made at fans during an interview regarding the club's poor form and planned protests from St. George Illawarra supporters with Bird saying “They’ve got a lot to say about people on the field. I don’t think they’ve ever played a game of footy, they don't much about
4500-454: The ARL and NZRL . Since rugby league was introduced to Australia in 1908, it has become the largest television sport and 3rd most attended sport in Australia. Neighbouring Papua New Guinea is one of two countries to have rugby league as its national sport (with Cook Islands ). Australia's elite club competition also features a team from Auckland , New Zealand's biggest city. Rugby league
4625-634: The International Rugby League . Rugby league is the national sport of Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands and is a popular sport in countries such as England , Australia , New Zealand , France , Tonga , Fiji , Samoa , Lebanon , Jamaica , and Malta . The first Rugby League World Cup was held in France in 1954, the first World Cup of either rugby code, and has been held sporadically ever since, settling into
4750-480: The Melbourne Cricket Ground which held more than 120,000 before its re-design in the early 2000s. In 2003, reconfiguration work was completed to shorten the north and south wings, and install movable seating . These changes reduced the capacity to 80,000, with the capacity to add seating depending on the venue configuration. Awnings were also added over the north and south stands, allowing most of
4875-623: The Melbourne Storm and the St George Illawarra Dragons , broke the rugby league world-record crowd previously set earlier in the season when 107,999 came to watch the Storm defeat the Dragons 20–18 to win their first NRL premiership. During the 2000 Olympics , the evening athletics sessions on day 11 attracted 112,524 spectators on the night that Australia's Cathy Freeman won the Olympic Gold Medal for
5000-640: The New South Wales Rugby Football League was founded at Bateman's Hotel in George Street. Unlike in England, where both codes maintained their own geographic areas of dominance, in Australia rugby league went on to displace rugby union entirely as the primary football code in New South Wales and Queensland , while Australian rules football dominated the rest of Australia. On 5 May 1954, 102,569 spectators watched
5125-754: The North Queensland Cowboys 30–16. 16 November 2005 saw 82,698 attend the second leg of the Oceania-South America Qualification Playoff game for qualification to the 2006 FIFA World Cup . Australia defeated Uruguay 1–0, which led to a penalty shootout as Uruguay had won the first leg of the playoff 1–0. Australia won the shootout 4–2 and secured a spot in the World Cup for the first time since 1974 . The penalty spot where John Aloisi 's spot kick secured victory has been permanently preserved and
Jack Bird - Misplaced Pages Continue
5250-749: The Ottawa Aces were scheduled to join the English league pyramid, becoming the only Canadian team in the system after the Wolfpack were denied re-entry. The club subsequently relocated to Penryn, Cornwall , and are now known as Cornwall R.L.F.C. In 2021, the North American Rugby League announced an attempt to be North America's professional championship, with Canadian club Toronto Wolfpack joining several USA Rugby League clubs, New York Freedom and Cleveland Rugby League to form
5375-631: The Parramatta Eels defeat the Bulldogs RLFC 22–12 in the preliminary final of the 2009 NRL season . This beat the previous finals record of 57,973 set at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the preliminary final of the 1963 NSWRFL season which St George defeat Parramatta 12–7. It hosted its first International Cricket match when Australia took on India in a Twenty20 night game on 1 February 2012. The match attracted
5500-601: The Queensland under-20s team, playing at lock in the 30–8 win at Penrith Stadium . On 18 September 2014 Bird signed a two-year contract with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks starting in 2015. On 18 October 2014, Bird played for the Junior Kangaroos against the Junior Kiwis , playing at centre in the 15–14 loss at Mt Smart Stadium . On 31 January and 1 February 2015, Bird played for Cronulla-Sutherland in
5625-598: The Rugby League European Federation and Asia-Pacific Rugby League Confederation expanding the game to new areas such as Chile , Canada , Ghana , Philippines , Czech Republic , Germany , The Netherlands , Sweden , Norway , Spain , Sri Lanka , Hungary , Turkey , Thailand and Brazil to name a few. The two most prominent full-time professional leagues are the Australian National Rugby League and
5750-727: The Women's 400 metres . As of 2014, this remains the world record attendance for any athletics event. Also during the Olympics, the soccer final attracted 104,098 to witness Cameroon defeat Spain for its first-ever Olympic gold medal. This was an Olympic Games football attendance record, breaking the record of 101,799 set at the Rose Bowl during the Gold medal game of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles . The opening ceremony for
5875-556: The line-out was abolished and in 1898 professionalism introduced. In 1906, the Northern Union changed its rules, reducing teams from 15 to 13 a side and replacing the ruck formed after tackles with the play-the-ball . By this point, rule changes meant the game organised by the RFL was distinct as a sport from its union cousin. A similar schism to that which occurred in England took place in Sydney , Australia. There, on 8 August 1907
6000-558: The naming rights , resulting in the stadium being known as Telstra Stadium . On 12 December 2007 it was announced by the Stadium Australia Group (SAG) that the stadium's name was to be changed to ANZ Stadium after concluding a deal with ANZ Bank worth around A$ 31.5 million over seven years. This change took effect on 1 January 2008. In 2014, ANZ renewed the deal through to the end of 2017 and again until its closure for rebuilding in October 2019. In December 2020, ANZ's naming rights to
6125-526: The 1990s, when News Corporation paid for worldwide broadcasting rights. The media giant's "Super League" movement created changes for the traditional administrators of the game. In Europe, it resulted in a move from Rugby League being a winter sport to a summer one, as the new Super League competition tried to expand its market. In Australasia, the Super League war resulted in long and costly legal battles and changing loyalties, causing significant damage to
6250-518: The 1992 St George Jersey Flegg side. Together with Chris Parkes, the two took the sport to fields across Australia. Today, it is played by over 200,000 players in organised leagues across the country. League Tag replaces tackling with the removal of one of two tags carried on an opponent's hips, attached directly to specific League Tag shorts with Velcro patches, but otherwise retains almost all other rules of traditional rugby league (such as kicking). A number of additional rules are also added relating to
6375-541: The 2000 Summer Olympics at the stadium completely sold out all 110,000 seats, while the highest attendance for any event in modern Olympic Games history was recorded with 114,714 at the stadium for the closing ceremony of the same Games. Musical acts for the closing ceremony were a "who's who" of Australian music including Kylie Minogue , John Williamson , John Paul Young , Jimmy Barnes , Midnight Oil , INXS (with Jon Stevens ), Men at Work , and Slim Dusty who sang Waltzing Matilda . Also in attendance on stage during
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#17327805328726500-515: The 2017 Kingstone Press League 1 in their inaugural season and earned promotion to the 2018 Rugby League Championship. In 2019 The Wolfpack won promotion to the Super League, lasting only a few months before having to withdraw due to the ongoing worldwide COVID-19 pandemic . New ownership is currently trying to revive the club with matches against amateur clubs in the US and Canada. Beginning in 2022,
6625-518: The 2nd half with 10 minutes to go with scores locked at 8 all, referee Ben Cummins initially gave Canberra a new set of six tackles after he thought a Roosters player touched the ball, but then retracted the call as Canberra's Jack Wighton was tackled with the ball and ordered a handover to the Roosters with James Tedesco scoring the winning try for the Roosters shortly after the handover to win 14–8. In October 2001, major reconfiguration work on
6750-773: The ANZ Stadium in Brisbane (now known as the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre ) on 27 August 1993 when St George defeated Brisbane 16–10 in Round 22 of the 1993 NSWRL season in front of 58,593 fans. On 18 June 2014, 83,421 fans saw NSW defeat Qld 6–4 in Game 2 of the 2014 State of Origin series . After having won Game 1 at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, the home side's win saw Queensland's eight year domination of Origin come to an end as New South Wales won their first series since 2005 . On 5 October 2014,
6875-674: The British Super League (with teams from New Zealand and France respectively). Other professional and semi professional leagues include Australia's Queensland Cup (which includes a team from Papua New Guinea ) and NSW Cup , the British RFL Championship and RFL League 1 , the French Super XIII and Elite 2 . The Papua New Guinea National Rugby League operates as a semi-professional competition and enjoys nationwide media coverage, being
7000-651: The Broncos were only aware of his injury by Bird himself and that he needed surgery that would’ve ruled him out for till at least Round 4. In round 3 of the 2018 NRL season , Bird made his club debut for Brisbane earlier than expected against the Wests Tigers , playing at centre in the gritty 9–7 win at Campbelltown Stadium . After the match Bird was heavily criticised by NRL fans for looking overweight, Bird commenting, "I don't really care what they think to be honest", "I'm happy with my weight, I feel good, "I do have to lose some body fat but it comes with time, being injured doesn't help, "Give me time and hopefully I can slim down
7125-585: The Closing ceremony were other famous Australian's including golfer Greg Norman and comedian-actor Paul Hogan .The venue also hosted the same events during the 2000 Summer Paralympics . The Sydney Swans v Collingwood Australian Football League (AFL) match at the Stadium on Saturday, 23 August 2003 set an attendance record for the largest crowd to watch an Australian rules football match outside Victoria with 72,393 spectators (87.7% capacity) attending and
7250-461: The National Rugby League, this was reduced to ten prior to the 2008 season and further reduced to eight prior to the 2016 season. If a team has to interchange a player due to the blood bin rule or due to injury, and this was the result of misconduct from the opposing team, the compromised team does not have to use one of its allocated interchanges to take the player in question off the field. The backs are generally smaller, faster and more agile than
7375-495: The New South Wales Government revealed that Stadium Australia would be knocked down and completely re-built, with a new 75,000 seat rectangular stadium built in its place. The announcement was made in conjunction with the unveiling of rebuilding plans for the Sydney Football Stadium in Moore Park . The original plan for Stadium Australia was for the demolition to start in 2019 and the new stadium to be completed by 2021. On 29 March 2018 NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian backflipped on
7500-423: The Northern Union also changed its name to the Rugby Football League and thus over time the sport itself became known as "rugby league" football. In 1895, a schism in Rugby football resulted in the formation of the Northern Rugby Football Union (NRFU). The success of working class northern teams led to some compensating players who otherwise would be on their job and earning income on Saturdays. This led to
7625-476: The Parramatta Eels, with 82,538 in attendance. On 13 and 14 December 2010, a U2 concert, one of the biggest in history, was held at the ANZ Stadium. On 6 July 2013 a new rectangle configuration record attendance of 83,702 watched the British & Irish Lions defeat Australia 41–16 to win the Tom Richards Cup series by 2–1. The record set by the Wallabies test was broken just 10 days later on 17 July when 83,813 (only 187 short of capacity) attended Game 3 of
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#17327805328727750-411: The RFU reacting to enforce the amateur principle of the sport, preventing "broken time payments" to players who had taken time off work to play rugby. Northern teams typically had more working class players (coal miners, mill workers etc.) who could not afford to play without this compensation, in contrast to affluent southern teams who had other sources of income to sustain the amateur principle. In 1895,
7875-424: The Sharks' 20–12 upset win over the 2013 premiers, causing him to be selected again at five-eighth the next week ahead of Barba who was named on the interchange bench. On 3 May 2015, Bird played for New South Wales Country against New South Wales City in the 2015 City vs Country Origin match, playing at halfback in Country's 34–22 win at Wagga Wagga . On 28 September 2015, at the 2015 Dally M Awards night, Bird
8000-419: The Stadium was sold back to the NSW Government on 1 June 2016 after NSW Premier Michael Baird announced the Stadium was to be redeveloped as a world-class rectangular stadium. The Stadium is owned by Venues NSW on behalf of the NSW Government. The stadium was originally built to hold circa 115,000 spectators, making it the largest Olympic Stadium ever built and the second largest stadium in Australia after
8125-456: The all-time great grand finals when the game went into golden point time courtesy of a Kyle Feldt try in the dying moments to level the scores at 16 all. But the game would be remembered for Ben Hunt 's dropped ball from the kick-off to extra time which led to Johnathan Thurston 's field goal that gave North Queensland their first premiership in the NRL since being admitted into the competition in 1995. Apart from games involving national teams,
8250-447: The ball comes into contact with the ground. An attacking team gets a maximum of six tackles to progress up the field before possession is changed over. Once the tackle is completed, the ball-carrier must be allowed to get to his feet to ' play-the-ball '. Ball control is also important in rugby league, as a fumble of the ball on the ground forces a handover, unless the ball is fumbled backwards. The ball can also be turned over by going over
8375-421: The ball is kicked, they are deemed off-side. Tackling is a key component of rugby league play. Only the player holding the ball may be tackled. A tackle is complete, for example, when the player is held by one or more opposing players in such a manner that he can make no further progress and cannot part with the ball, or when the player is held by one or more opposing players and the ball or the hand or arm holding
8500-464: The club lose 32–18 against rivals the Cronulla Sharks . Bird played a total of 22 matches for St. George Illawarra as the club finished 11th on the table and missed out on the finals. In round 23 of the 2022 NRL season , Bird scored two tries for St. George Illawarra in a 46–26 victory over the Gold Coast . In round 24, Bird was sin binned for dissent in the clubs 24–22 victory over the Wests Tigers . Bird played 23 games for St. George Illawarra in
8625-469: The code in an extremely competitive sporting market. In 1997 two competitions were run alongside each other in Australia, after which a peace deal in the form of the National Rugby League was formed. The NRL has since become recognised as the sport's flagship competition and since that time has set record TV ratings and crowd figures. The objective in rugby league is to score more points through tries , goals and field goals (also known as drop goals) than
8750-403: The crowd is the largest ever in NSW not to involve a team based in the state. On 30 September 2018, the Grand Final between the Sydney Roosters and the Melbourne Storm featured one of the most courageous performances in Australian sporting history when Cooper Cronk , despite carrying a severe shoulder injury from the week before, played for nearly the entire match, inspiring his Roosters to
8875-443: The first half, Bird was hit hard by Storm winger Suliasi Vunivalu and coughed up the ball for Curtis Scott to race away and score for Melbourne. In Round 3 against the St George Illawarra Dragons , Bird scored his first club try for the Broncos in the heartbreaking last second 25–24 loss at Suncorp Stadium . During the early rounds, Bird would slowly recapture his good form that he showed at Cronulla but in round 9, Bird suffered
9000-681: The five years prior to the Second World War , the sport's popularity increased as Frenchmen became disenchanted with the state of French rugby union in the 1930s. However, after the Allied Forces were defeated by Germany in June 1940, the Vichy regime in the south seized assets belonging to rugby league authorities and clubs and banned the sport for its association with the left-wing Popular Front government that had governed France before
9125-547: The football, each play restarting from a set piece position and ended by a tackle. Although the Canadian Football League in particular maintained the word 'rugby' in its name for many years, alluding to that shared past, the introduction of the forward pass and unlimited substitution in North American games created a fundamentally different species of game from either original rugby code. Although
9250-407: The forwards. They are often the most creative and evasive players on the field, relying on running, kicking and handling skills, as well as tactics and set plays, to break the defensive line, instead of brute force. Generally forwards play a more collision oriented game, making ground by pure strength, and tackling near the play-the-ball. Usually, the stand-off/five-eighth and scrum-half/half-back are
9375-406: The fourth tackle a scrum was to be formed. This was increased to six tackles in 1972 and in 1983 the scrum was replaced by a handover. 1967 saw the first professional Sunday matches of rugby league played. The first sponsors, Joshua Tetley and John Player , entered the game for the 1971–72 Northern Rugby Football League season . Television had an enormous impact on the sport of rugby league in
9500-422: The game, I’m speaking from first-hand stuff that I’ve copped. I feel sorry for ‘Hook’ (Griffin). It’s us out there playing so we should be the ones to blame, Fans are good for the game and stuff like that, but it comes to a point where you can’t cop so much criticism over the players and coaching staff". The following day, Bird was forced to apologise for his comments. In Round 13, Bird was awarded an illegal try on
9625-513: The ground, with the ball usually set in a kicking tee , and the opposing team not allowed to directly challenge the kicker. The Super League in Europe and the National Rugby League (NRL) in Australasia are the world's premier club competitions. Globally, rugby league is played internationally , predominantly by European , Australasian , and Pacific Island countries, and is governed by
9750-566: The ground. ANZ Stadium hosts the following: As the largest capacity stadium in Australia that can be configured for rectangular field sports, high-profile Australia national soccer team (Socceroos) fixtures are often staged at the stadium. The stadium hosted Australia's 2005 shootout victory over Uruguay in the OFC-CONMEBOL intercontinental play-off , which qualified the Socceroos for the 2006 FIFA World Cup , their first appearance since 1974. Australia's extra time victory over South Korea in
9875-540: The highest domestic cricket crowd in NSW history, only to be knocked off a few weeks later at the Sydney Cricket Ground involving the same two teams. History was repeated on 4 October 2015 when for only the second time in the NRL's history, no NSW team was in the grand final and for the first time ever, it was a Queensland derby in the final between Brisbane and North Queensland . 82,758 people, many of whom had travelled down from various parts of Queensland, witnessed one of
10000-411: The historic link between the codes continues to be acknowledged, neither Canadian or American football is commonly considered a rugby code today except in the broadest sense, and are more commonly referred to collectively as gridiron codes, or simply as 'football' within their respective countries. Players on the pitch are divided into forwards and backs , although the game's rules apply to all players
10125-440: The invention of the sport previously called murderball and is not directly linked to rugby union, wheelchair rugby league has grown out of the parent sport, and retains key aspects of that sport such as an egg shaped ball, the forward-pass rule and conversions. While not a Paralympic sport, the sport has its own Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup . A further variation for ambulatory disabled players, physical disability rugby league ,
10250-412: The issue of payments to players. The rules of the game governed by the new Northern Rugby Football Union progressively changed from those of the RFU with the specific aim of producing a faster and more entertaining game to appeal to spectators, on whose income the new organisation and its members depended. In rugby league, points are scored by carrying an oval ball and touching it to the ground beyond
10375-511: The league's inaugural season. Several brand new clubs from Western USA were scheduled to join in 2022 but never played. The new competition is sanctioned by Canada Rugby League , but not yet by the United States governing body. Unfortunately, while some exhibition matches were played in 2021 and 2022, NARL was defunct by 2023 The early 21st century has seen other countries take up the game and compete in international rugby league with
10500-576: The majority of the match with an elbow injury in the historic 14–12 victory. Bird finished his successful 2016 NRL season with him playing in 26 matches and scoring 6 tries for Cronulla-Sutherland. In February 2017, Bird was selected in the Sharks 2017 NRL Auckland Nines squad. On 10 February 2017, Bird played for the Indigenous All Stars against the World All Stars in the 2017 All Stars match , starting at centre and scoring
10625-506: The match day change rooms and media facilities were completed at a cost of $ 81.4 million ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup and were first used for a NRL game between South Sydney and Manly Warringah on 25 March 2023. In September 2015, the New South Wales Government announced it intended to upgrade the stadium within the next decade, and install a retractable roof over the stadium. On 23 November 2017,
10750-453: The mid-1990s, it has increasingly borrowed techniques, tactics and even laws from rugby league, while high-profile players and coaches from the league game have increasingly gone on to success in the union code in those countries where both codes are popular (e.g. Andy Farrell , Jason Robinson and Henry Paul ). The inherent similarities between rugby league and rugby union have at times led to experimental hybrid games being played that use
10875-537: The most popular sporting events. The Rugby League European Federation are responsible for developing rugby league in Europe . In England, rugby league has traditionally been associated with the historic northern counties of Yorkshire , Lancashire , and Cumberland , where the game originated, especially in towns and cities along the M62 corridor . Its popularity has also increased elsewhere. As of 2024 , only two of
11000-413: The national sport of the country. Five main variant sports of rugby league exist worldwide; Touch , OzTag , League tag , Nines , and Sevens . Touch, OzTag, and League Tag are all non-contact versions of the sport, where as Nines and Sevens are both reduced form (shorter match times and smaller teams) of the sport. Touch (also known as touch football or touch rugby) is a variant of rugby league that
11125-506: The new Super League, although the club was dissolved in 1997. In 2006, the Super League admitted the Catalans Dragons, a team from Perpignan in the southern Languedoc-Roussillon region. They have subsequently reached the 2007 Challenge Cup Final and made the playoffs of the 2008 Super League XIII season. The success of the Dragons in Super League has initiated a renaissance in French rugby league, with new-found enthusiasm for
11250-460: The north of England there have been complaints about its lack of profile in the British media. On the eve of the 2017 Rugby League World Cup final where England would face Australia, English amateur rugby league coach Ben Dawson stated, "we're in the final of a World Cup. First time in more than 30 years and there's no coverage anywhere". France first played rugby league as late as 1934, where in
11375-656: The old record of 102,569 set at the Odsal Stadium in Bradford , England for the Challenge Cup Final replay between Warrington and Halifax held on 5 May 1954. The first musical act held at the newly built stadium was the Bee Gees , consisting of Barry , Robin and Maurice Gibb , on 27 March 1999. The band had embarked on what would be their final world tour as a group before the death of Maurice,
11500-436: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic . The decision meant the stadium remained capable of hosting oval-shaped sports such as cricket and Australian rules football , and retain its capacity to 83,500. Various sporting codes have used this ground on a regular basis. The National Rugby League is the most regular tenant of the ground, while rugby union internationals, soccer internationals and Australian rules football are all played at
11625-404: The opposing team's goal line; this is called a try , and is the primary method of scoring, worth four points. The opposing team attempts to stop the attacking side scoring points by tackling the player carrying the ball and denying forward progress. On occasion, where a clear try scoring opportunity has been thwarted by foul play, a penalty try may be awarded without the ball being grounded over
11750-475: The opposition within the 80 minutes of play. If after two-halves of play, each consisting of forty minutes, the two teams are drawing , a draw may be declared, or the game may enter extra time under the golden point rule, depending on the relevant competition's format. The try is the most common form of scoring, and a team will usually attempt to score one by running and kicking the ball further upfield or passing from player-to-player in order to manoeuvre around
11875-400: The opposition's defence. A try involves touching the ball to the ground on or beyond the defending team's goal-line and is worth four points. A goal is worth two points and may be gained from a conversion or a penalty . A field goal, or drop goal, is only worth one point and is gained by dropping and then kicking the ball on the half volley between the uprights in open play. A field goal has
12000-479: The original screens, and 50% larger than the screens in the Beijing National Stadium , whilst consuming less power than the old screens. Additionally, an LED perimeter screen showcasing ANZ advertising has been installed on the second level from the 30m line to the 30m line. 25 September 2009 saw the largest ever NRL finals attendance (non-grand final) in competition history when 74,549 fans saw
12125-542: The position they play, similarly to association football . Substitutes (generally referred to as "the bench") are allowed in the sport, and are typically used when a player gets tired or injured , although they can also be used tactically. Each team is currently allowed four substitutes, and in Australia and New Zealand, these players occupy shirt numbers 14 to 22. There are no limitations on which players must occupy these interchangeable slots. Generally, twelve interchanges are allowed in any game from each team, although in
12250-620: The premiership decider and also the only time an NRL grand final at the Olympic Stadium has failed to attract at least 80,000 fans. On 5 October 2008, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles defeated the Melbourne Storm 40–0 in the 2008 NRL Grand Final in front of 80,388 fans. This is the record winning margin for a grand final, breaking the previous record of 38-0 when Eastern Suburbs defeated St George in
12375-400: The rebuilding plan, and revealed the government would instead refurbish Stadium Australia and reconfigure the pitch dimensions to a permanently rectangular shape. This would come at a cost of $ 800 million, compared to the knock-down and rebuild cost of $ 1.3 billion. On 31 May 2020, the renovation plans were cancelled by the government, who pointed to a shift in budget priorities as a result of
12500-483: The rectangular field and 82,500 for the oval field at a total cost of $ 80 million. The construction work was carried out by Multiplex . The reconfiguration work was completed in October 2003 in time for the 2003 Rugby World Cup where the then Telstra Stadium hosted the opening game, two other groups games, both semi-finals, the third-place play-off and final matches of the competition. In the first semi-final on 15 November 2003, Australia beat New Zealand 22–10 and then in
12625-501: The same way. Each position has a designated number to identify himself from other players. These numbers help to identify which position a person is playing. The system of numbering players is different depending on which country the match is played in. In Australia and New Zealand, each player is usually given a number corresponding to their playing position on the field. However, since 1996 European teams have been able to grant players specific squad numbers, which they keep without regard to
12750-496: The scrum see rugby league scrummage . Forward positions are traditionally named after the player's position in the scrum yet are equal with respect to "normal play" with the exception of the hooker. Forward positions are traditionally assigned as follows: Rugby league is played in over 70 nations throughout the world. Papua New Guinea is the only country to have rugby league as its national sport . Four countries – Australia, England, France, and New Zealand – have teams that play at
12875-498: The seating to be under cover. The stadium was engineered along sustainable lines, e.g., utilising less steel in the roof structure than the Olympic stadiums of Athens and Beijing . The stadium lacked a naming rights sponsor in its formative years, bearing the name Sydney Olympic Stadium between its opening in 1999 and 2001, it is then knows as Stadium Australia in 2001 and 2002. In 2002, telecommunications company Telstra acquired
13000-470: The second semi-final the following day England beat France 24–7. In the final, on 22 November, England beat Australia 20–17 in extra time. In 2022, a new scoreboard was installed at the southern end of the stadium, measuring 120 metres wide. Also in 2022, the stadium lighting was replaced with new LED sports lights and were first used in Game One of the 2022 State of Origin series . In 2023, upgrades of
13125-570: The seventh tackle of a set in the St. George Illawarra Dragons 12-26 loss to the Dolphins at Kayo Stadium ; the decision would not have been overturned even if the Dolphins had lost the game. Bird would play a total of 14 games for the club in the 2023 NRL season as they finished 16th on the table. In round 12 of the 2024 NRL season , Bird was taken from the field on a stretcher in what appeared to be
13250-524: The sideline. Rugby league and rugby union are distinct sports with many similarities and a shared origin. Both have the same fundamental rules, are played for 80 minutes and feature an oval-shaped ball and H-shaped goalposts. Both have rules that the ball cannot be passed forward, and dropping it forwards leads to a scrum. Both use tries as the central scoring method and conversion kicks , penalty goals and drop goals as additional scoring methods. However, there are differences in how many points each method
13375-526: The specific issues associated with a tag based game. Rugby League played with nine players per team with nine minutes per half, in addition to slight rule modifications to aid the game. Rugby League played with seven players per team with seven minutes per half, in addition to slight rule modifications to aid the game. The top five attendances for rugby league test matches (International) are: The top five attendances for domestic based rugby league matches are: * NRL double header played to open Round 1 of
13500-663: The sport in the south of the country where most of the Super XIII teams are based. In other parts of Europe, the game is played at semi-professional and amateur level. As of 2023, there is no professional rugby league in North America. From 2017 to 2020, the Toronto Wolfpack were North America 's only active professional Rugby League team, competing in the English Rugby League system. They won
13625-472: The stadium expired and it reverted to being Stadium Australia . In November 2021, multinational hospitality company Accor acquired the rights, with the venue to be known as Accor Stadium . The first sporting event held at the stadium was on 6 March 1999 when a then-record rugby league football crowd of 104,583 watched the NRL first round double-header, featuring Newcastle v Manly and Parramatta v St George Illawarra Dragons . The attendance broke
13750-460: The stadium hosted its first State of Origin series game between New South Wales and Queensland . The match, Game 2 of the three-game series , saw the record Origin attendance in Sydney when 88,336 saw the Blues christen their new home with a 12–8 win. The attendance broke the Origin attendance record of 87,161 set at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for Game 2 of the 1994 series . On 7 August 1999,
13875-415: The stadium was commenced to allow for sports that require an oval field, such as cricket and Australian rules football , to be played at the ground. The two wing stands and the athletics track were removed; they were replaced with a movable seating section. New roofs were built over the two ends and seats that had a poor view of the field were removed. The reconfiguration reduced the capacity to 84,000 for
14000-412: The stage I was at leading into this season, and with that, I’m truly heartbroken that I have to start this process all over again". On 6 November, St. George Illawarra confirmed that Bird had signed a two-year contract with the club after he was permitted by Brisbane to negotiate with rival clubs. Bird made his debut for his junior club St. George Illawarra in round 1 of the 2021 NRL season which saw
14125-407: The three games. On 6 September 2013, the largest ever NRL minor round attendance for a single game at the stadium was set when 59,708 saw eventual 2013 Premiers the Sydney Roosters defeat South Sydney 24–12 in the final round of the 2013 NRL season . This was also the largest single game minor round crowd in the history of the premiership dating back to 1908, breaking the previous record set at
14250-604: The tour ending in the newly built Olympic Stadium. The show was sold out with an attendance of 66,285. The stadium was not officially opened until 12 June 1999 when the Australian National Soccer team played the FIFA All Stars . Australia won the match 3–2 in front of a crowd of 88,101. Stadium Australia also played host to the national side's historic playoff win over Uruguay in November 2005,
14375-482: The try line. In addition to tries, points can be scored by kicking goals. Drop goals (or field goals) can be attempted from the hand at any time for a single point. Following a successful try, the scoring team gains a free kick to try at goal with a conversion worth a further two points. Penalty kicks at goal, known simply as penalties, may also be awarded for general foul play, and are also worth two points. Unlike drop goals, penalty kicks and conversions are taken from
14500-571: The twelve Super League teams are based outside of these traditional counties: Catalans Dragons and London Broncos . One other team from outside the United Kingdom, Toulouse Olympique , competes in the British rugby league system , although not at the highest tier Super League level, but rather in the second tier Championship . Super League average attendances are in the 8,000 to 9,500 range. The average Super League match attendance in 2014
14625-580: The war. The sport was unbanned after the Liberation of Paris in August 1944 and the collapse of the Vichy regime, although it was still actively marginalised by the French authorities until the 1990s. Despite this, the national side appeared in the finals of the 1954 and 1968 World Cups, and the country hosted the 1954 event. In 1996, a French team, Paris Saint-Germain was one of eleven teams which formed
14750-490: The year. Bird made his return for Brisbane in the 2019 season opening round 1 match against the Melbourne Storm , playing at centre in the 22–12 loss at AAMI Park . Following the match, Bird was receiving negative feedback on social media about his performance despite it was his first match back since round 10 of the previous season, fans were quick to judge his performance based on an early error, and he finished with 127 running metres, three tackle-breaks and 11 tackles. During
14875-565: Was 110,000) witnessed the "greatest ever rugby match" when a Jonah Lomu try sealed an All Blacks win over the Wallabies 39–35. The All Blacks had led 24-0 after 11 minutes only to see Australia draw level at 24–24 by halftime. An exhibition soccer match between the Australia national team and English club Manchester United was played on 18 July 1999. Manchester United defeated Australia 1–0 in front of 78,000 spectators. On 9 June 1999,
15000-472: Was 8,365. In 2018 average Super League match attendance was 8,547. Ranked the eighth most popular sport in the UK overall, rugby league is the 27th most popular participation sport in England according to figures released by Sport England ; the total number of rugby league participants in England aged 16 and over was 44,900 in 2017. This is a 39% drop from 10 years ago. While the sport is largely concentrated in
15125-603: Was born in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia , and is of Indigenous Australian descent. Bird played his junior rugby league for the Berkeley Eagles , before being signed by the St George Illawarra Dragons . In 2013 and 2014, Bird played for the St. George Illawarra Dragons ' NYC team playing 37 games and scoring 15 tries for 60 points. On 3 May 2014, Bird played for the New South Wales under-20s team against
15250-635: Was created and had its first world cup in 2022 to coincide with the rescheduled 2021 Rugby League World Cup competitions. Rugby league football takes its name from the bodies that split to create a new form of rugby, distinct from that run by the Rugby Football Unions, in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand between 1895 and 1908. The first of these, the Northern Rugby Football Union , was established in 1895 as
15375-479: Was hosted by England during October and November 2022, staged the Men's , Women's and Wheelchair competitions together for the first time. The competition formerly featured 16 teams, but has been cut down to 10 for the upcoming 2026 Rugby League World Cup . The Asia-Pacific Rugby League Confederation 's purpose is to spread the sport of rugby league throughout their region along with other governing bodies such as
15500-643: Was named the Dally M Rookie of the Year after playing in 23 matches and scoring 8 tries for Cronulla. On 15 January 2016, Bird re-signed with Cronulla-Sutherland on a one-year contract. In February 2016, Bird played for the Sharks in the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines . On 8 May 2016, Bird played for Country Origin against City Origin, where he played at halfback in the 44–30 loss in Tamworth . On 22 June 2016, Bird made his representative debut for New South Wales in Game 2 of
15625-621: Was the largest home-and-away AFL crowd at any Australian stadium for 2003. The attendance broke the record of 66,897 set at Football Park in Adelaide , South Australia on 28 September 1976 for the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) grand final between the Sturt and Port Adelaide Football Clubs . 2 October 2005 saw 82,453 attend the NRL grand final in which the Wests Tigers defeated
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