Playing career
White was a key member of the Dragon's Jersey Flegg Cup team, but leg and ankle injuries halted his progress in 2003 and 2004. With props such as Luke Bailey and Jason Ryles ahead of him, White was unable to make his way into first-grade and he relocated to the Melbourne Storm.
White made his first-grade debut in Round one, 2005, scoring a try against the Newcastle Knights at Olympic Park. At the end of the season he was named the Storm's Rookie of the Year after becoming Robbie Kearns' starting front-row partner. [1] He was a member of the Melbourne Storm team to face the Brisbane Broncos in the 2006 NRL Grand Final, losing 15–8. The next year, he was a member of the winning grand final against Manly.
White played in the 2008 NRL Grand Final, in which his team was defeated by the Manly Sea Eagles. [2]
He played in the 2009 premiership against Parramatta. [3] In 2010, both premierships that White won with Melbourne were stripped by the NRL for major and deliberate breaches of the salary cap. [4] [5]
In August 2014, White officially announced he would be retiring from the NRL at the end of the season. [6]
Controversies
White's first grade career have involved some controversial incidents. In round 14, 2006, White lodged a biting complaint against Parramatta's Fuifui Moimoi for which Moimoi was later exonerated after a lengthy judiciary hearing. He was also again in the act against Parramatta in 2007, accused of a chicken wing tackle on their captain Nathan Cayless in that year's preliminary final. In round 2, 2008, White was sent off for retaliating to a Ben Ross elbow to team-mate Cooper Cronk which also saw Ross sent off. Cronk's kick found Israel Folau who scored the match-leveling try. He was given a four match ban. [7] [8]
In 2009, White was involved in an infamous Origin scuffle with Steve Price in Game 3 of the State of Origin series.
Representative career
In 2006, White made his representative debut in the Country Origin team, defeating City by 12–10.
White was selected to represent New South Wales as a front-rower for game I and on the bench for game II of the 2007 State of Origin series.
In 2008, White made himself available for Ireland's 2008 Rugby League World Cup campaign and in August he was named in the Ireland training squad. [9] [10] [11] Although White was named in the Irish squad, he was forced to withdraw following the NRL grand final, when he was scheduled for foot surgery. [12] [13]
White was also named in the 46-man Australian preliminary squad for the World Cup. [14]
White played in the opening two State of Origin matches for New South Wales in 2010, scoring a try in the second match, but was dropped for the third game.
Steve Price incident
Game 3 of the 2009 series also saw White return to State of Origin (replacing the injured Michael Weyman), playing a leading role in a controversial NSW victory. In the closing stages of the contest, White was involved in a scuffle with Queensland prop Steve Price, which left Price unconscious. [15]
The Melbourne Storm are a rugby league club based in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia that participates in the National Rugby League (NRL). The first fully professional rugby league team based in the state, the Storm entered the competition in 1998. The Storm were originally a Super League initiative, created in 1997 during the Super League war, however, following the Super League collapse, the team became a part of the newly formed, united competition. The club play their home games at AAMI Park. The Storm have won four premierships since their inception, in 1999, 2012, 2017 and 2020, and have contested several more grand finals, but were stripped of the 2007 and 2009 premierships following salary cap breaches.
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 (NRL).
Fuifui Moimoi is a rugby league footballer who plays as a prop.
Craig Bellamy is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who is the head coach of the Melbourne Storm in the NRL, and a former professional rugby league footballer. He is known as one of the greatest coaches in NRL history.
Brett John Finch is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A New South Wales State of Origin representative half back, he played in the National Rugby League for Australian clubs the Canberra Raiders, Sydney Roosters, Parramatta Eels and Melbourne Storm. Finch also played in the Super League for English club the Wigan Warriors.
Cooper Patrick Cronk is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative halfback, he played most of his club career for the Melbourne Storm, though finished his career with the Sydney Roosters, both in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Sam Tagataese pronounced is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who last played as a prop forward for the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL.
Josh Perry is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative prop, he played in the NRL for the Newcastle Knights, with whom he won the 2001 NRL Premiership and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, with whom he won the 2008 NRL Premiership, and played in the Super League for St Helens.
Brent Kite is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. A Tonga and Australia international, and New South Wales State of Origin representative front-row forward, he played club football for the St. George Illawarra Dragons, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and Penrith Panthers. Kite was named the Clive Churchill Medallist for his performance in the 2008 NRL Grand Final, in which he helped steer Manly-Warringah to a 40–0 thumping of the Melbourne Storm, scoring a try.
The 2006 Melbourne Storm season was the 9th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2006 Telstra Premiership, winning a record 20 out of 24 regular season games to finish in first place and win the minor premiership, eight points clear of the second-placed Bulldogs. The team backed up their stellar defensive effort the previous year to concede just 404 points in 2006. The retirement of Robbie Kearns saw a rotating captaincy introduced between David Kidwell, Scott Hill, Cameron Smith, Matt Geyer and Michael Crocker. Cooper Cronk also assumed the halfback duties following the departure of Matt Orford. Storm won 13 of their last 14 games of the season to take a great run of form into the finals where they progressed to reach their first Grand Final since 1999 after wins over the Eels and Dragons. This broke a run of three straight semi-final exits for Craig Bellamy’s team.
Jeff Lima is a former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL. A New Zealand international representative prop, he previously played for the Wests Tigers, Melbourne Storm, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Wigan Warriors and the Catalans Dragons in the Super League, as well as France's Elite One Championship for the Saint-Gaudens Bears.
Rory Kostjasyn is a former Ireland international rugby league footballer. He played in the National Rugby League for the Melbourne Storm and North Queensland Cowboys, with whom he was a member of their 2015 NRL premiership and 2016 World Club Challenge winning sides. An Ireland international and New South Wales Country representative, he played at hooker, but could also fill in at lock, and five-eighth. Kostjasyn currently works in the Newcastle Knights coaching department and previously coached their Canterbury Cup NSW team.
The 2008 Melbourne Storm season was the 11th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2008 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season as minor premiers before reaching the grand final in which they were beaten by the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 40–0, the largest margin in grand final history. The minor premiership won by the Storm in 2008 was later stripped by the NRL in 2010 when it was revealed the club had been in breach of salary cap rules.
Reece Robinson is a Lebanon international rugby league footballer who most recently played for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL.
The 2009 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the NRL's 2009 Telstra Premiership season. Played on 4 October 2009 at Sydney's ANZ Stadium was contested between the Parramatta Eels and the Melbourne Storm, the latter competing in their 4th grand final in a row. That was later stripped from them for breaking the salary cap rule. It was also the first Grand Final to feature the two referee system, with Shayne Hayne and Tony Archer being the first referees to jointly officiate in an NRL Grand Final.
Josh Papali'i is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has played for both Australia and Samoa at international level.
Dale Finucane, is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a lock or prop for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL. Finucane is a dual premiership winner 2017 and 2020 with the Melbourne Storm.
Junior Paulo is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Jordan McLean is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL) and Australia at international level.
The 2019 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2019 National Rugby League season and was played at Sydney's ANZ Stadium. The match was contested between defending premiers the Sydney Roosters and the Canberra Raiders. The match was won by the Sydney Roosters 14–8 in a tight contest to claim their 15th premiership title, making them the first club in 26 years to win consecutive premierships in a unified competition since the Brisbane Broncos in 1993, and the first Sydney Roosters side to win consecutive titles since 1975. The Clive Churchill Medal was awarded to Raiders five-eighth Jack Wighton as the game's man of the match.
