Edrick Lee

Edrick Lee

Personal information
Full name	Edrick Lee
Born	(1992-09-18) 18 September 1992 (age 32) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Height	196 cm (6 ft 5 in)
Weight	103 kg (16 st 3 lb)
Playing information
Position	Wing
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2012–16 Canberra Raiders 67 33 0 0 132 2017–18 Cronulla Sharks 24 14 1 0 58 2019–22 Newcastle Knights 41 26 0 0 104 2023 Dolphins 1 0 0 0 0 Total 133 73 1 0 294 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2016 Indigenous All Stars 1 0 0 0 0 2020 Queensland 1 1 0 0 4
Source: [1] As of 6 December 2023
Relatives	Brenko Lee (cousin) Patty Mills (cousin) Nathan Jawai (cousin) Danny Morseu (uncle) Eddie Mabo (great uncle)

Edrick Lee (born 18 September 1992) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who last played in the National Rugby League (NRL) as a winger for the Dolphins.

Lee previously played for the Newcastle Knights, the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Canberra Raiders in the NRL. He has also represented the Indigenous All Stars and Queensland in the State of Origin series.

Background

Lee was born and raised in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. He is of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent. ^[2]

Lee is the cousin of NBA basketball player Patty Mills, ^[3] NBL basketball player Nathan Jawai and Dolphins rugby league player Brenko Lee. ^[4] Edrick's uncle is former Olympian basketballer Danny Morseu, the second Indigenous Australian to represent Australia at the Olympics in basketball. ^[5] Edrick's great uncle is Indigenous land rights activist Eddie Mabo. ^[6]

Lee began playing rugby league at age 12 for Easts Mount Gravatt. A keen basketball player in his youth, Lee was part of the Brisbane Bullets development squad in 2006 and 2007. ^[7]

Playing career

Early career (2010-2011)

In 2010, Lee was playing rugby league in Brisbane's second division competition for Mt Gravatt, situated in the Brisbane Broncos official catchment area, when he was spotted by Souths Logan Magpies scout Brian Edwards. Edwards recruited Lee to the Magpies under 20s squad. After 8 games, Edwards contacted Canberra Raiders development officer David Hamilton, who signed Lee to play for Canberra's Toyota Cup (Under-20s) team for 2011. ^[8] Lee's thirty-two appearances with the Raiders NYC side from 2011-2013 started with him playing in the centres, backrow and on the wing. ^[9]

2012

In 2012, Lee was included in the Canberra first grade trial against the Melbourne Storm in which he scored a try. On 9 March 2012, Lee re-signed with Canberra for a further two years, until the end of the 2014 NRL season. ^[10] Lee cemented his spot in the centres for the Raiders under 20s in 2012, scoring 11 tries in their first 10 games.

Lee playing for the 2012 Under 20s Queensland team

One of the form players to start the year, Lee was called up to represent Queensland in the inaugural Under 20s State of Origin. Lee scored two tries in the 18–14 loss to New South Wales at Penrith Stadium. ^[11]

In round 12 of the 2012 NRL season, Lee made his NRL debut on the wing for the Canberra side against the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Canberra's 18–36 loss at ANZ Stadium. ^{[12] [13]} In his third first grade game, in round 14, against the Newcastle Knights, Lee scored his first and second NRL career tries in Canberra's 32–16 win at Hunter Stadium. ^[14] Lee finished his debut year in the NRL with playing in 7 matches and scoring 6 tries. Lee was listed on 23 September in Lifestyle Uncuts' Top Ten Youngsters in the NRL, alongside players such as Nathan Green and Paul Carter. ^[15]

2013

In round 13, against the Brisbane Broncos, Lee broke his arm with 15 minutes remaining. He remained on the field in Canberra's 30–18 win, resulting in Lee being praised for the toughness he showed. Lee also scored a try in the match. ^[16] The fracture ended Lee's season. He had played in nine matches and scored seven tries. On 23 October, Lee re-signed with the Canberra Raiders until the end of the 2017 season. ^[17]

2014

In round 3, against the Gold Coast Titans, Lee was originally ruled out for the rest of the season after tearing ligaments in his foot during Canberra's 12–24 loss. ^[18] He made a return in round 22 and finished the year with two tries from eight appearances. ^[19]

2015

In June, Lee was named as 18th man for Queensland leading up to game 3 of the 2015 State of Origin series. ^[20] He finished the 2015 season having played in 23 matches and scored 12 tries. ^[21] He was named in the Prime Minister's XIII train-on squad but was ruled out due to injury. ^{[22] [23]}

2016

At the start of the year, Lee was selected in the QAS Emerging Maroons squad. ^[24] On 5 February, Lee was one of eight players from the Maroons emerging camp who was banned from representing Queensland for 12-months after breaking curfew in Brisbane. ^[25] On 13 February, Lee played on the wing for the Indigenous All Stars against the World All Stars in the 8–12 loss at Suncorp Stadium. ^[26] In the Canberra sides Preliminary Final match against the Melbourne Storm, Lee made two crucial knock-ons as Canberra lost 12–14 at AAMI Park. ^{[27] [28]} Lee finished the 2016 NRL season with him playing in 23 matches and scoring seven tries for the Raiders.

2017

On 23 February 2017, Lee signed a two-year deal the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks after being released by the Raiders. Lee commented that he was "really excited to be joining the club, I can't wait for this year and I'm grateful for the opportunity." ^{[29] [30]} In round 1 of the 2017 NRL season, Lee made his club debut for Cronulla-Sutherland against the Brisbane Broncos, playing on the wing in the 18–26 loss at Shark Park. ^[31] In round 3, against the St. George Illawarra Dragons, Lee scored his first club try for Cronulla in the 10–16 loss at Shark Park. ^[32]

Lee playing for the Newtown Jets in 2017

Lee spent the majority of The 2017 season with Cronulla's feeder club team The Newtown Jets in The Intrust Super Premiership NSW. On 26 June 2017, Lee was held up over the line with less than four minutes to play when playing for Newtown against Wests Tigers in what some media outlets described as the bombed try of the year. If Lee was to have scored the try it would have leveled the game for Newtown and possibly had won them the match. ^{[33] [34] [35]}

2018

After spending the majority of the 2017 season in reserve grade playing for Newtown, Lee was recalled to the Cronulla team for their round 4 game against Melbourne. He scored a try on his return in Cronulla's 14–4 victory. ^[36] In June, he signed a 3-year contract with the Newcastle Knights starting in 2019. ^[37]

Lee made a total of 19 appearances for Cronulla in 2018 and scored 12 tries. Lee was part of the Cronulla team which made it all the way to the preliminary final but fell short of another grand final appearance losing to Melbourne 22–6. ^[38]

Newcastle Knights (2019-2022)

Lee playing for Newcastle in 2022

In the 2019 NRL season, Lee played fourteen games and scored six tries for the Newcastle Knights. ^[39]

In 2020, he played eleven games and scored six tries for Newcastle. ^[39]

Lee made his State of Origin debut for Queensland in Game 3 of the 2020 State of Origin series after Xavier Coates was ruled out with an injury he suffered in the pre-game captain's run, debuting alongside his cousin Brenko Lee. Edrick scored a try in the Maroons’ series-winning victory. ^[40] This would be Lee's last game for over a year after he succumbed to multiple injuries. ^[41]

Lee was out injured for all of the 2021 NRL season.

Over five-hundred days since his last professional game, Lee returned to the Newcastle side against the St. George Illawarra Dragons in round 6 of the 2022 NRL season. ^[41] In round 16, he became the first Newcastle player to score five tries in one game, as they defeated the Gold Coast 38-12. ^{[42] [43]} In round 23, Lee scored two tries in a 22-28 loss against Canberra. ^[44] Lee played a total of sixteen games and scored fourteen tries for Newcastle in 2022. ^[39]

Dolphins (2023-24)

Edrick Lee in 2024

In 2023, Lee commenced a two-year contract with new NRL franchise the Dolphins and made his debut for the club in round 6 against the North Queensland Cowboys at Queensland Country Bank Stadium. ^[45] Due to injury, he did not play again that year for the Dolphins.

On 6 October, Lee was one of many retiring players who were given a farewell during the NRL Grand Final. ^{[46] [47]}

Further information: List of Dolphins (NRL) players

References

1. "Edrick Lee - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. 18 September 1992. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
2. "Canberra Raiders Fan Favourtie Edrick Lee Could Have Been a Basketball Star". The Daily Telegraph. Australia. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
3. "Former Brisbane Bullets Basketball Player Edrick Lee Signs Two Year Contract". Foxpsorts.com.au. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
4. Jon Tuxworth. "Canberra Raiders' Brenko Lee puts aside homesick blues". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
5. Davis, Sam (27 July 2012). "Former Boomer remembers Moscow Olympics". ABC.net.au. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
6. Jawai,Nate (31 July 2020). "The Better I Got in Sports, the Worse the Racism Got". The New York Times . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
7. "Lee's basketball background helps him stand out on-field". couriermail. 16 April 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
8. "Canberra Raiders talent spotter David Hamilton poached by Gold Coast Titans". 12 September 2015.
9. "Raiders Greatest NYC Team: Wingers". 13 February 2018.
10. "Raiders re-sign rising star Edrick Lee". SportsAustralia.com. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
11. Jon Tuxworth (22 April 2012). "Lee earns big rap from Meninga". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
12. Jon Tuxworth (23 May 2012). "Homesick Lee rockets into his Raiders debut". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
13. "Rabbitohs v Raiders". The Daily Telegraph. Australia. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
14. "Canberra Raiders Add to Wayne Bennett's Misery". The Australian. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
15. "The Top 10 Youngsters From The NRL You'd Like To See in Super League by Chris Taylor of Lifestyle Uncut". Lifestyleuncut.com. 23 September 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
16. Jon Tuxworth (12 June 2013). "Edrick Lee |". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
17. Lee Gaskin (23 October 2013). "Edrick Lee re-signs with Canberra Raiders until 2017". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
18. Chris Wilson (25 March 2014). "Canberra Raiders winger Edrick Lee out for NRL season". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
19. Jon Tuxworth (9 August 2014). "What we learned: Parramatta Eels v Canberra Raiders". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
20. Jon Tuxworth (29 June 2015). "Shock Queensland inclusion Edrick Lee 'could do a job' if called up: Sailor". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
21. "Custom Match List". Rugby League Project. 19 August 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
22. "Prime Minister's XIII train-on squad". NRL.com. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
23. Lee Gaskin (13 September 2015). "Kangaroos forward Josh Papalii one of four Raiders players ruled out of PM's XIII squad". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
24. "Maroons name Emerging Origin squad". NRL.com. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
25. Dan Walsh; Pamela Whaley (5 February 2016). "Queensland Origin bans: Replacements for suspended Maroons Ben Hunt, Anthony Milford, Dylan Napa". Fox Sports . Retrieved 21 March 2017.
26. Chris Garry (13 February 2016). "World All Stars defeat Indigenous All Stars 12-8 at Suncorp Stadium". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
27. "NRL Finals: Six magic moments from the Melbourne Storm v Canberra Raiders". The Sydney Morning Herald. 24 September 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
28. John Dean (24 September 2016). "Video: Canberra Raiders Edrick Lee bombs try in Storm NRL preliminary final win". Fox Sports . Retrieved 21 March 2017.
29. "Sharks sign Edrick Lee". NRL.com. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
30. "The Cronulla Sharks have signed Edrick Lee until end of season 2018". The Daily Telegraph. Australia. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
31. "NRL season 2017: Brisbane Broncos to come under concussion scrutiny in win over Cronulla Sharks". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
32. "Dragons edge Sharks in derby". NRL.com. 18 December 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
33. "Edrick Lee produces bombed try of the year". 26 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
34. "Jets fail to tame Tigers". 25 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
35. "Littlejohn-inspired Tigers Pip Jets". 24 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
36. Pengilly, Adam (30 March 2018). "Smith loses cool as referees rage in Sharks upset win". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
37. "Knights add Lee - Zero Tackle". 25 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
38. Parkin, Richard (21 September 2018). "NRL preliminary final: Storm sink Sharks - as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
39. "Edrick Lee".
40. "State of Origin 2020 live scores: Game 3 updates, Queensland wins, result, NSW" . Retrieved 14 May 2023.
41. "Ready 'Eddie' go: Lee prepares for emotional return". National Rugby League. 13 April 2022.
42. "Lee scores five tries as Knights too good for Titans". National Rugby League. 1 July 2022.
43. "'You can't give that': Knights star scores FIVE tries... but should this one have counted?". www.foxsports.com.au. July 2022.
44. "Canberra Raiders beat Newcastle Knights to keep alive NRL finals hopes, Dragons thump Titans". ABC News. 21 August 2022.
45. "Lee signs off with the Knights". Newcastle Knights. 16 May 2022.
46. Writer, Staff (6 October 2024). "NRL to honour retiring players". National Rugby League. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
47. Chalk, Ethan Lee (8 October 2024). "Ex-Origin outside back announces retirement". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 8 October 2024.

External links

• Dolphins profile
• Canberra Raiders profile