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Full name | Ben Aaron Galea | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia | 16 August 1978||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 95 kg (14 st 13 lb) [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Second-row, Lock, Hooker, Five-eighth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ben Galea (born 16 August 1978) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. A City New South Wales representative forward, he previously played in Australasia's National Rugby League for the Balmain Tigers and the Wests Tigers (with whom he won the 2005 NRL Premiership) and also for English club the Hull Kingston Rovers and Hull F.C. of Super League.
Galea was born in Parramatta, New South Wales, and is of Maltese descent. [5] While attending Marayong John Paul II, he played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 1996. [6]
After struggling to make an impact in the lower grades at the Parramatta Eels, Galea signed with the newly merged Wests Tigers.
In 2000 Galea in made a handful of NRL appearances for the Tigers from the bench. In 2001, Galea became a regular member of the Tigers' team. [7] He represented City and was named the club's player of the year. [8] After missing the first 2 games of the season, he played in every other game.
In 2003, Galea played 14 games before his season ended when he needed a shoulder reconstruction. [9]
Galea played at second-row forward in the 2005 NRL grand final victory over the North Queensland Cowboys. In the moments after the grand final victory, Galea was interviewed by Channel 9 sideline commentator Matthew Johns and was asked how it felt to be a premiership winner. Galea replied, "This is unbelievable, fucking all the boys have stuck together all year, we won the comp, we’re number one, fucking ..." In the following days, the Wests Tigers club issued an apology for the inappropriate language used by some of their players. [10] [11]
As NRL Premiers, Wests travelled to England to play against Super League champions Bradford Bulls in the 2006 World Club Challenge. Galea played at lock forward in the Tigers' 30–10 loss.
When Galea moved from the Wests Tigers at the end of the 2007 NRL season, he was the joint venture's second most capped player with 150 games, and second highest try scorer, with 32 tries. In 2017, Galea was made a Wests Tiger Life Member. [12]
From 2008 to 2012 Galea played in the Super League for Hull Kingston Rovers. On 13 September 2012, Galea confirmed that he had reversed his decision to retire in order to sign a one-year deal for former West Tigers assistant Peter Gentle at Hull FC.
As of the 2014 NRL season, Galea works regularly as a video referee in the Australian competition. [13]
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.
Mark O'Neill is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played in Australia for the Balmain Tigers, then the Wests Tigers following the joint venture of Balmain and the Western Suburbs Magpies, and in England for the Leeds Rhinos and the Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League. O'Neill usually played as a second-row. O'Neill currently holds the NSWRL/NRL record for the most first grade games played before competing in a finals match which stands at 219 games.
Clint Newton is an American former international rugby league footballer who played as a second-row and lock. He played for the Newcastle Knights, Melbourne Storm and Penrith Panthers in the NRL, Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League, New South Wales Country and the United States at representative level as well as also having a stint in rugby union for Avoca Beach Rugby Club on the Central Coast, NSW.
Michael Vella is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative forward, he played his club football in the NRL for the Parramatta Eels, and in the Super League for Hull Kingston Rovers, who he also captained. In addition to representing Australia internationally, he has played for the Malta Knights as he is of Maltese descent.
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Matthew Ryan is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a second-row or centre for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL, Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in the Super League and the Bradford Bulls in the Kingstone Press Championship. Ryan spent time on loan from the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats at Featherstone Rovers in the Championship. Ryan currently plays for the Guildford Owls in the Ron Massey Cup.
Ben Crooks is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre or winger for the Halifax Panthers in the Betfred Championship.
Kelepi Tanginoa. Tanginoa is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop, second-row forward and loose forward for Hull KR in the Super League.
Joshua Drinkwater is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a scrum-half or stand-off for the Warrington Wolves in the Betfred Super League.
Sauaso "Jesse" Sue is a Samoan international rugby league footballer who plays as a prop, lock and second-row forward for the Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League.
Tom Opacic is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre for the Hull Kingston Rovers in the Betfred Super League.
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Rhys Kennedy is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop forward for the London Broncos in the Betfred Super League.
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