Danny Wicks

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Danny Wicks
Danny Wicks.jpg
Personal information
Born (1985-12-05) 5 December 1985 (age 38)
Grafton, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Height189 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight106 kg (16 st 10 lb)
Position Prop
Club
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
2006–07 St. George Illawarra 292008
2008–09 Newcastle Knights 4040016
2015–16 Parramatta Eels 3530012
Total10490036
Source: [1]

Danny Wicks (born 5 December 1985) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He played as a prop in the NRL for the St. George Illawarra Dragons, Newcastle Knights and the Parramatta Eels. From September 2011 to March 2013, Wicks served an eighteen-month prison sentence for trafficking drugs.

Contents

Background

Born in Grafton, New South Wales, Wicks played his junior football for the Grafton Ghosts, before being signed by the St. George Illawarra Dragons.

Playing career

Early career

In 2006, Wicks played for the St. George Illawarra Dragons NSW Cup team. [2]

2006

In round 10 of the 2006 NRL season, Wicks made his NRL debut for St. George Illawarra against the New Zealand Warriors. Wicks made 17 appearances in his debut season including the preliminary final defeat against Melbourne. [3] He scored a try on debut.

2007

Wicks playing for the Newcastle Knights DANNY WICKS.jpg
Wicks playing for the Newcastle Knights

In 2007, Wicks signed a three-year contract with the Newcastle Knights starting in 2008, following Brian Smith's clean out of the club. [4] In a 2008 interview, Smith referred to Wicks as "Wicksy". [5]

2009

In December 2009, Wicks was arrested for supplying prohibited drugs and possession of prohibited drugs. After being released on bail, he quit the Knights "so the club can move forward". [6]

2010

In 2010, Wicks played for the Grafton Ghosts while his matter was in the courts, [7] eventually being sentenced to eighteen months in prison.

2014

In May 2014, Wicks' agent started approaching clubs about the possibility of signing him to a contract for 2015, with his four-year WADA suspension for drugs ending in September 2014. During his stay in prison, Wicks lost 20 kilograms to get back to his old playing weight of 106 kilograms. [8] On 30 October 2014, he signed a 1-year contract with the Parramatta Eels starting in 2015. [9] [10] He made his return to the NRL in round 2 of the 2015 NRL season against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. [11] On 11 April 2015, he re-signed with the Eels on a one-year contract. [12]

2016

In November 2016, Wicks announced his immediate retirement from professional rugby league despite signing a two-year contract extension with the Parramatta Eels earlier that year. [13]

2017

On 13 July 2017 it was revealed that Wicks had resumed playing on the NSW Mid North Coast with Group 2 side the Grafton Ghosts. [14] He captain-coached the team to win both a premiership and the NSW Country Rugby League's Clayton Cup. [15] [16]

Drug conviction

On 16 December 2009, Wicks was arrested and charged with eight drug related offences, including six counts of supplying a prohibited drug and two counts of possessing a prohibited drug. Police said that Strike Force Welham had been set up to investigate the supply of amphetamine, cocaine and ecstasy in the Clarence Valley region. Wicks was arrested as he drove his car along Brunker Road, Adamstown at around 6:30am, as part of coordinated police raids in four locations. [17] In September 2011, he was sentenced to a maximum of three years in jail after being found guilty of trafficking drugs. [18] He was released on 29 March 2013 after serving eighteen months of a three-year sentence at Glen Innes Correctional Centre. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle Knights</span> Australian rugby league football club

The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league team based in Newcastle, New South Wales that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, the Knights joined the top tier competition in 1988, 79 years after the previous Newcastle based team, the Newcastle Rebels had departed the Sydney competition with the formation of a separate league competition based in the Newcastle region.

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

Beau Scott is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s in the National Rugby League (NRL). An Australia international and New South Wales State of Origin representative second-row, he could also play centre and lock. He played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, St. George Illawarra Dragons, the Newcastle Knights and the Parramatta Eels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Faʻaoso</span> Tonga international rugby league footballer

Richard Fa'aoso, also known by the nicknames of "Richie", and "Fuss", is a former Tonga international rugby league footballer. He played as a prop and played for the Penrith Panthers, Sydney Roosters, Parramatta Eels, Newcastle Knights, Melbourne Storm and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League, and the Castleford Tigers in the Super League.

Brian Smith is an Australian rugby league coach and former player. He was also the Football Manager for the New Zealand Warriors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timana Tahu</span> Australia dual-code rugby international footballer

Timana James Aporo Tahu is an Australian former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer. He last played for Denver Stampede in the US PRO Rugby competition. A dual-code international representative three-quarter back for Australia's Kangaroos and then the Wallabies, he could also play second-row and played for New South Wales in State of Origin. Tahu started his career in the National Rugby League for the Newcastle Knights, with whom he won the 2001 NRL Premiership before moving to the Parramatta Eels. He then played for the New South Wales Waratahs in the Super Rugby competition. Tahu returned to the NRL with the Eels and then the Penrith Panthers before finishing his NRL career where it started with the Newcastle Knights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blake Ferguson (rugby league)</span> Australia international rugby league footballer

Blake Ferguson is a former professional rugby league footballer.

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

Jeremy Latimore is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a prop.

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

David Neil Gower is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop, second-row and lock for the Hills District Bulls in the Ron Massey Cup competition.

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

Cameron King is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a hooker in the 2010s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaysa Pritchard</span> Samoa international rugby league footballer

Kaysa Pritchard is a former Samoa international rugby league footballer who played as a hooker for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brayden Wiliame</span> Fiji international rugby league footballer

Brayden Wiliame is a former rugby league footballer who last played as a centre, winger and second-row forward for New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Edwards (rugby league)</span> New Zealand rugby league footballer

Kenny Edwards is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played as a second-row.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Brown (rugby league, born 1993)</span> Italy international rugby league footballer

Nathan Brown is an Italian international rugby league footballer who plays as a lock for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.

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

Clinton Gutherson is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays fullback for the Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League (NRL).

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

Kurt Mann is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League. A utility player, he has started games in the positions of centre, five-eighth, wing, lock, fullback, hooker and halfback.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tepai Moeroa</span> Cook Islands international rugby league & union footballer

Tepai Moeroa is a Cook Islands professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League (NRL) and the Cook Islands at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waqa Blake</span> Fiji international rugby league footballer

Waqa Blake is a Fijian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre and wing for St Helens in the Betfred Super League and Fiji at international level.

The Grafton Ghosts are an Australian rugby league football team based in Grafton, New South Wales. The club was founded in 1963 as a joint venture of the Grafton All Blacks and Grafton United teams.

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

Nathan Davis is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League. He played as a centre, wing and fullback. He has previously played for the Gold Coast Titans.

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

Kurt Dillon is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Lézignan Sangliers in the Elite One Championship.

References

  1. "Danny Wicks - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  2. "Danny Wicks Player". rleague.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013.
  3. "NRL 2006 – Round 10". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  4. Coomber, John (6 September 2007). "Running aground in the Hunter" (fee required). AAP Sports News. Retrieved 2 January 2008.[ dead link ]
  5. Dillon, Robert (21 August 2008). "Brian Smith props up beleaguered Danny Wicks". Newcastle Herald. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  6. Keeble, Brett (24 December 2009). "Wicks walked away without a cent: manager". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  7. "Danny Wicks Makes Bush Footy Return for 50". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  8. "Danny Wicks Pleads for NRL CLubs to Resurrect his League Career". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  9. "Eels Announce Five Signings For 2015 – Eels". Parraeels.com.au. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  10. "FOX SPORTS News on Twitter: ".@TheParraEels coach Brad Arthur confirms club has signed former Newcastle Prop Danny Wicks #NRL"". 9 September 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2015 via Twitter.
  11. "Late Mail: NRL Round Two – Eels". Parraeels.com.au. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  12. "Eels Extend Wicks Contract – Eels". National Rugby League. 11 April 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  13. "Wicks walks out on Eels and rugby league". Courier Mail. 7 November 2016. Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  14. Daily Telegraph (subscription required)
  15. Potter, Jarrard (3 September 2017). "GRAND FINAL: Grafton Ghosts score spirited grand final win". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  16. Potter, Jarrard (3 October 2017). "Ghosts claim CRL's Clayton Cup". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  17. "Newcastle Knights star Danny Wicks charged by police". The Sydney Morning Herald . 16 December 2009.
  18. "Wicks has devastated family: father". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 September 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  19. Rothfield, Phil (29 March 2013). "EXCLUSIVE: Former NRL star Danny Wicks has been released from jail and opens up on life behind bars". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 29 March 2013.