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| Born | 13 October 1980 Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 87 kg (13 st 10 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Lock, Hooker, Second-row | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Alan Tongue (born 13 October 1980) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A Country New South Wales representative forward, he captained the Canberra Raiders for several seasons in the NRL.
Tongue was born in Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia.
While attending Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School in 1998, Tongue was selected to play for his country in the Australian Schoolboys team. [2] While attending Farrer, Tongue was on a scholarship contract with the Brisbane Broncos from grades 10 to 12. [3]
Tongue is a 10-year veteran at Canberra, making his debut in 2000 and winning the Raiders' Rookie of the Year award after joining the club in 1998. He spent the majority of his early years moving between the backrow and the interchange bench. He established his position within the side in 2005, and in 2006 Tongue broke the record for most tackles in the regular season with 1,087. [4] The next highest ranking player was Nathan Hindmarsh with 911. Tongue was also voted the Raider's Player of the Year in 2006. [5]
At the end of the 2008 NRL regular season, Tongue was awarded Dally M recognition for Lock of the Year and Captain of the Year after leading the Raiders to 6th on the competition ladder. Tongue was also named in the Prime Minister's XIII at the end of 2008. [6]
Tongue was selected in the City vs Country match on 8 May 2009. [7] In this game he scored a rare try in a 40–18 defeat.
In his 200th game for Canberra, on 28 August 2010, a Tongue supporter commented on the opposition (North Queensland Cowboys, through its player Willie Mason) in a sexually suggestive crowd poster shown prominently at the stadium and in TV coverage: "Who needs a Big Willie when you have a great Tongue?". In this game, Tongue returned to the side, and suffered another injury, in a 48-4 high scoring win over the Cowboys at Canberra Stadium [8] that had the Raiders join the top 8 teams in the competition and join the finals rounds for the 2010 competition.
Tongue announced his retirement on 17 August 2011.
Tongue is an Australian Apprenticeships Ambassador for the Australian Government and an Apprentice Mentor in the NRL's Trading Up program. [9] As an NRL Ambassador, since 2017 he has conducted workshops as part of the NRL's Voice Against Violence program. [10]
Tongue was named ACT Australian of the Year in 2017. [11]
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership since 1982. Over this period the club has won three premierships out of six Grand Finals, the last one played being the 2019 NRL Grand Final, resulting in a 14-8 controversial loss to the Sydney Roosters. Canberra currently have the second longest active premiership drought in the NRL totalling 30 years. The Raiders' current home ground is Canberra Stadium in Bruce, Australian Capital Territory. Previously, the team played home matches at Seiffert Oval in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, with the move to the AIS Stadium in Bruce taking place in 1990. The official symbol for the Canberra Raiders is the Viking. The Viking, also a mascot at Raiders' games, is known as Victor the Viking.
Timothy Sheens is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. Head Coach of the Australia national team between 2009 and 2015, he has also been the head coach of National Rugby League (NRL) clubs, the Penrith Panthers, the Canberra Raiders, the North Queensland Cowboys and the Wests Tigers. As a player, Sheens was a prop forward with Sydney's Penrith club in the 1970s and 1980s before he retired and became their coach.
Terry Campese is a former professional rugby league footballer. A former Australia, Italy and New South Wales State of Origin representative five-eighth, he is also the nephew of rugby union player David Campese. He previously played for the Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League and Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League.
Paul Gallen is an Australian retired professional boxer and former professional rugby league footballer who played as a lock, prop and second-row forward and captained the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL to their maiden NRL Premiership in 2016.
Bronson Harrison is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played as a second-row forward in the 2000s and 2010s. He played for the Wests Tigers, Canberra Raiders and the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL and represented the New Zealand Kiwis at international level, being a part of the 2008 World Cup winning squad.
David Shillington is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Gold Coast Titans in the National Rugby League. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative prop forward, he previously played for the Sydney Roosters and Canberra Raiders. Shillington also works as a columnist for The Canberra Times.
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Reece Robinson is a Lebanon international rugby league footballer who most recently played for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL.
Jarrod Croker is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a goal-kicking centre and captained the Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Shaun Fensom is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a lock and second-row forward in the 2000s and 2010s.
The 2010 All Stars Match was the first time the event was held. The match was a pre season game between representative teams, Indigenous Australians versus the best in the National Rugby League and took place at the Gold Coast's Skilled Park on 13 February 2010. The Indigenous team featured 20 players of aboriginal descent chosen by public votes. Preston Campbell was selected automatically as Indigenous captain. The NRL All Stars featured one player from each of the 16 NRL teams as well as the Australian and New Zealand captains and deputy captains. Along with other rule changes exclusive to the match, the game trialled a new "Double Try" rule where a team can choose to swap a conversion attempt for a second try attempt.
James Stuart, is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played as a centre or on the wing.
James Segeyaro, also known by the nickname of "Chicko" is a Papua New Guinean-Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker for the Western Suburbs Red Devils in the Illawarra Rugby League.
Sam Williams is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a halfback or five-eighth for the Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Kurt Baptiste is a Papua New Guinea international rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker for the Sunshine Coast Falcons in the Queensland Cup.
Josh Papali'i is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has played for both Australia and Samoa at international level.
Mark Nicholls is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Jordan McLean is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL) and Australia at international level.
Jake Trbojevic also known as “Jurbo” is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a lock and prop for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League (NRL) and Australia at international level.
Nikola Cotric is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger for the Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League (NRL), and Australia at international level
