Ben Walker

Last updated

Ben Walker
Personal information
Born (1976-09-13) 13 September 1976 (age 47)
Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
Playing information
Height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight89 kg (14 st 0 lb)
Position Five-eighth, Halfback
Club
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
1995 Brisbane Broncos 20000
1995–96 London Broncos 1665337
1996–00 Brisbane Broncos 7013950242
2001 Northern Eagles 26181031279
2002 Leeds Rhinos 28121190286
2003 Manly Sea Eagles 165590138
2005–06 South Sydney 215433109
Total1795942471091
Source: [1]

Ben Walker (born 13 September 1976) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A five-eighth or halfback, he played in Australia's National Rugby League for the Brisbane Broncos, Northern Eagles, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the South Sydney Rabbitohs, as well as in the Super League for the London Broncos [2] and Leeds Rhinos.

Contents

Background

Walker was born in Toowoomba in Southern Queensland on 13 September 1976, and is the eldest of a trio of brothers who would all become rugby league footballers. While attending St Mary's High School in Toowoomba in 1993, Walker was selected in the Australian Schoolboys team. [3]

Playing career

Walker, along with his brothers, Shane Walker and Chris Walker, all began their careers with the Brisbane Broncos. His premiership début was in round 13 of the 1995 ARL season against the Parramatta Eels at Parramatta Stadium on 25 June 1995. Walker was selected to play for the Brisbane Broncos in the 1997 Super League Grand Final from the interchange bench.

In the 1998 NRL season, Walker made 23 appearances for Brisbane and played in the club's preliminary final victory over the Sydney City Roosters but missed out on selection for the grand final team which defeated Canterbury-Bankstown at the Sydney Football Stadium.

In the 2000 NRL season, Walker was limited to only 11 games for Brisbane and missed out on playing in the club's premiership victory over the Sydney Roosters at Stadium Australia.

Playing for the Northern Eagles in the 2001 National Rugby League season, Walker was the equal competition leading point scorer (along with Newcastle's Andrew Johns) with 279 points (17 tries, 102 goals, 1 field goal) in 26 games, [4] receiving the Dally M Award for Top Points Scorer. Walker had kicked 102 of his 125 shots on goal, a percentage of 82.40 for the season. This stands as the most ever points scored by a five-eighth in a single National Rugby League season. Walker's 279 points is also the most points ever scored for the short lived Northern Eagles (2000–02) and the most points in a season by an Eagles player. Even though he only played for the Eagles in 2001, Walker's 279 points for the season remains the club record (The Northern Eagles played from 2000 to 2002). The next highest scorer for the club is Brendon Reeves who scored 130 points (30 tries, 5/10 goals) in 66 games from 2000 to 2002.

Walker was the first player in the NRL to score during golden point (extra-time). He kicked a penalty goal for Manly against Parramatta at Brookvale Oval on 18 May 2003. [5]

Walker later joined his brother Shane at South Sydney. [6]

Walker spent two years at Souths and his last in the 2006 NRL season saw the club finish last on the table and claim the wooden spoon. [7]

Post playing

He resides in Toowoomba and is a real estate agent. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Eagles</span> Defunct Australian rugby league club, based in Gosford, NSW

The Northern Eagles were a rugby league team that competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) between 2000 and 2002. The club was formed during the rationalisation process of the NRL by the merger of the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the North Sydney Bears in 2000. The team shared home games between Brookvale Oval and Central Coast Stadium, Gosford, New South Wales.

The 2000 NRL season was the 93rd season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the third to be run by the National Rugby League. Fourteen teams competed from February till August for the NRL Premiership, culminating in the 2000 NRL Grand final between the Brisbane Broncos and the Sydney Roosters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Walker (rugby league)</span> Australian rugby league footballer

Chris Walker is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played mostly in the 2000s. A Queensland State of Origin representative winger, he played his club football in the National Rugby League for the Brisbane Broncos, South Sydney, Sydney Roosters, Melbourne Storm, Gold Coast Titans and Parramatta. Walker also had a stint in the Super League for French club Catalans Dragons. He is the younger brother of fellow professional NRL players Shane Walker and Ben Walker. At one point in the late 1990s, all three brothers were playing together for the Brisbane Broncos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 NRL season</span> Rugby league competition

The 2007 NRL season was the one hundredth season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the tenth run by the National Rugby League. Sixteen teams contested the NRL's 2007 Telstra Premiership, and with the inclusion of a new team, the Gold Coast Titans, the competition was the largest run since the 1999 NRL season.

The history of the National Rugby League (NRL), the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia, goes back to December 1997, when it was formed in the aftermath of the Super League war of the mid-1990s. The NRL has, in its relatively brief history, enjoyed growth and record attendance figures.

The 2008 National Rugby League season consisted of 26 weekly regular season rounds, starting on 14 March, followed by four weeks of play-offs, culminating in a Grand Final on 5 October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reece Robinson</span> Lebanon international rugby league footballer

Reece Robinson is a Lebanon international rugby league footballer who most recently played for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Seibold</span> Germany international rugby league footballer and coach

Anthony Seibold is an Australian rugby union and rugby league coach, and former rugby league player. He is currently defence coach with the England national rugby union team, and head coach for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles of the National Rugby League (NRL).

This is a list of rivalries in the National Rugby League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Reynolds</span> Australian rugby league footballer

Adam Reynolds, is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays as a halfback for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League (NRL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dylan Walker</span> Australia international rugby league footballer

Dylan Walker is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a utility for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL), and has played for Australia and the New Zealand Maori at international level. After primarily playing at centre or five-eighth for the first 8 seasons of his career, Walker has developed into a specialist utility off the bench in recent years coming on as a lock forward or even hooker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Johnston (rugby league)</span> Australia & PNG international rugby league footballer

Alex Johnston is a professional rugby league footballer who primarily plays on the wing for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL. He has played for both Australia and Papua New Guinea at international level.

The 2016 South Sydney Rabbitohs season is the 107th in the club's history. Coached by Michael Maguire and captained by Greg Inglis, they are competing in the National Rugby League's 2016 Telstra Premiership.

The 2016 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season was the 67th in the club's history. The year also represented the 70th anniversary of the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles since their entry into the then New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership in 1947.

The 2017 NRL season was the 110th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 20th season run by the National Rugby League. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, and was followed by the All Stars Match, which was played at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, and the World Club Series. It marked the last time that the Anzac Test and City vs. Country representative matches were played.

The 2017 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season was the 68th in the club's history since their entry into the then New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership in 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Flanagan (rugby league)</span> Australian professional rugby league footballer

Kyle Flanagan is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a halfback for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League (NRL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reuben Garrick</span> Australian rugby league footballer

Reuben Garrick is an Australian rugby league footballer who plays as a winger or fullback for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League (NRL).

The 2021 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Season was the 72nd in the club's history since their entry into the then New South Wales Rugby League premiership in 1947. Des Hasler coached the team for the third consecutive year and eleventh overall at the club. Daly Cherry-Evans captained the club for the fifth consecutive year.

References

  1. ↑ "Ben Walker – Career Stats & Summary – Rugby League Project". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  2. ↑ Ben Walker profile Archived 18 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine at leedsrugby
  3. ↑ "Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League". Sporting Pulse. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  4. ↑ "Factbox on Northern Eagles five-eight Ben Walker". AAP Sports News (Australia). 29 August 2001. Archived from the original (fee required) on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2007.
  5. ↑ "Broncos farewell QEII in style, Manly win golden point thriller". Australia: ABC News. 18 May 2003. Retrieved 24 November 2007.
  6. ↑ "Rabbitohs sign Ben Walker". Australia: ABC News. 18 April 2005. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 24 November 2007.
  7. ↑ "The worst teams in NRL history". Sporting News. 28 June 2016.
  8. ↑ Round 1 Queensland Intrust Super Cup Preview Archived 3 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine rleague.com, 18 March 2011
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.