Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Craig Polla-Mounter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 March 1972 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 12 st 9 lb (177 lb; 80 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Halfback, Five-eighth, Hooker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Craig Polla-Mounter (born 7 March 1972) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. He primarily played at halfback.
 | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(May 2023) |
Polla-Mounter was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, but he moved to Ipswich, Queensland at a young age. While attending Ipswich Grammar School, he went on two tours with the Australian Schoolboys rugby union team.
Polla-Mounter switched to rugby league in 1991, joining the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and playing in their premiership winning Presidents Cup side. Polla-Mounter made his first grade debut for the club in round 3 1992 against South Sydney at Belmore Oval.
He played at halfback in three grand finals for Canterbury-Bankstown, for two losses in 1994 and 1998 against the Canberra Raiders and the Brisbane Broncos, and one win in 1995 against Manly-Warringah. [2]
In the 1998 NRL season, Polla-Mounter played 25 games as Canterbury finished 9th on the table and qualified for the finals. Canterbury proceeded to make the 1998 NRL Grand Final after winning 4 sudden death elimination matches in a row including the club's famous preliminary final victory over rivals Parramatta which is considered to be the greatest rugby league comeback of all time.
After being 18-2 down with less than 10 minutes remaining, Canterbury scored 3 tries to take the game into extra-time before winning the match 32–20. Also during the match was an infamous moment when Parramatta player Paul Carige elected to kick the ball back into the field of play with the siren sounding and the scores locked at 18-18. Polla-Mounter gathered the ball and attempted a field goal from the halfway line which just skimmed the under side of the crossbar. [3] [4]
In 2001, his final year in the NRL, Polla-Mounter was embroiled in a State of Origin eligibility tug-of-war. Despite being born in Victoria, Polla-Mounter grew up in Queensland, making him eligible for Queensland. Due to playing his first game of senior rugby league in Sydney for Canterbury, he was also eligible for New South Wales. In 1993, under the advice of then-Bulldogs boss, Peter Moore, Polla-Mounter played one game for City Origin. Although a push was made by Queensland to select Polla-Mounter in the 2001 series, he was never selected, with the NSWRL blocking the move [5] Polla-Mounter later admitted he regretted playing for the City Origin side. [6]
After his retirement from the NRL, Polla-Mounter returned to Queensland to play on the Sunshine Coast. In 2004, Polla-Mounter briefly returned to the Bulldogs, playing for their Premier League side before injury forced him to again retire. [7]
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilitated by the New South Wales Rugby League, including the Canterbury Cup NSW, the Jersey Flegg Cup, Harvey Norman Women's Premiership, Tarsha Gale Cup, S. G. Ball Cup and the Harold Matthews Cup.
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League.
Steven John Price is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian international representative, he retired as Queensland's most capped State of Origin forward. Price captained Sydney club, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs as well as New Zealand NRL club, the Warriors.
Peter Maxwell John Sterling nicknamed Sterlo, is an Australian former rugby league commentator, television personality and player. He was one of the all-time great halfbacks and a major contributor to Parramatta Eels' dominance of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership in the 1980s. Sterling played eighteen Tests for the Australian national team between 1982 and 1988. He also played in thirteen State of Origins for New South Wales, winning man of the match on four occasions. Sterling played in four premiership-winning sides with Parramatta in 1981–1983 and 1986 and has been inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame. His time spent playing for English club Hull F.C. also earned him membership in their hall of fame.
David Stagg is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He made one appearance for the Queensland State of Origin side and played for the Brisbane Broncos, with whom he won the 2006 NRL Premiership, and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. He was known for his high workload and played as a lock and second-row, but could also fill in at centre.
Stephen Charles Mortimer, also nicknamed "Turvey", is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played as a halfback. Mortimer played a Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs club record 272 first-grade games between 1976–88, winning four premierships with the club during the 1980s. Mortimer's two younger brothers, Peter and Chris, also played for the club.
Travis Norton is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A Queensland State of Origin representative lock forward, he played his club football with the South Queensland Crushers, Canterbury-Bankstown and the North Queensland Cowboys, whom he captained to the 2005 NRL Grand Final.
Villiami Sione "Willie" Tonga, also known by the nickname of ”Willie", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Leigh Centurions in the Super League. An Australia international and Queensland State of Origin representative centre, he previously played for the Parramatta Eels, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, with whom he won the 2004 NRL Premiership, and the North Queensland Cowboys. He joined French club the Catalans Dragons in 2015 and signed a contract with the Centurions for 2016.
Michael Ennis is an Australian sports commentator for Fox League and former professional rugby league footballer of Irish descent. A New South Wales State of Origin representative hooker, he played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Brisbane Broncos, St George Illawarra Dragons, Newcastle Knights and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, with whom he won the 2016 NRL premiership.
Luke "The General" Patten is a former professional rugby league footballer and NRL match official. A Junior Kanaroo and Country New South Wales representative fullback he played for the Illawarra Steelers, St George Illawarra Dragons and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in Australia and the Salford City Reds in the Super League. Patten won the 2004 NRL Premiership with the Bulldogs.
Andrew Ryan is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative forward, he played his club football in the National Rugby League for the Parramatta Eels and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, winning the 2004 NRL premiership with the club and becoming their captain.
Jason Hetherington is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. Hetherington played club football for the Gold Coast Seagulls and Canterbury-Bankstown in Australia and for the London Broncos in the Super League.
Dean Pay is a former Australian professional rugby league footballer and former head coach of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL, a professional player who played in the late 1980s and 1990s.
Desmond John Hasler is an Australian professional rugby league coach, and a former professional rugby league footballer who played as halfback, lock and hooker.
The history of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs stretches from the 1930s to the present day. Based in Belmore, a suburb of Sydney, the Bulldogs in 1935 were admitted to the New South Wales Rugby Football League (NSWRFL) competition, a predecessor of the current NRL competition.
Trent Hodkinson is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a halfback in the NRL.
David Thompson is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, North Queensland Cowboys and the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Paul Carige is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s. He played for the Illawarra Steelers, Parramatta Eels, and the Salford City Reds. He mostly played at centre, but occasionally he played the odd game at fullback or wing.
Reed Mahoney is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as hooker for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL. He is the on-field Co-Captain of the club alongside Matt Burton.
Corey Allan is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a fullback, centre and winger for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL.