Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full name | Jake Ngapera Webster [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | 29 October 1983|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.82 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 14 st 13 lb (95 kg) [2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Centre, Wing, Second-row | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coaching information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: [3] As of 6 Oct 2024 |
Jake Ngapera Webster (born 29 October 1983) is a former New Zealand international rugby league footballer who last played as a centre for the Keighley Cougars in Betfred League 1, and is interim head-coach of Keighley Cougars following the sacking of Australian Matt Foster. [4]
He previously played as a centre and winger for the Melbourne Storm and Gold Coast Titans in the NRL, and as a centre and second-row forward for the Castleford Tigers and Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League. Webster also played for the Bradford Bulls in the Championship. [3]
Webster was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is the son of a New Zealand Māori father, Steven and Greek mother, Madeline, [5] spent the early years of his life in Moonee Ponds before moving to Brisbane, Queensland with his father. When in Brisbane, Webster was educated at Wavell State High School.[ citation needed ]
He began his rugby league career as an eight-year-old with the Valleys rugby league club and remained with the club through to under-18s. In 2001, Webster was selected in the Queensland under-19s side and was offered a Storm contract soon after.[ citation needed ]
Webster was the first Melbourne-born player to play with the Melbourne Storm, making his debut for the club in round 2 of the 2003 NRL season. [6] It would be Webster's only appearance in the NRL that year after he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament the following week playing for Norths Devils in the Queensland Cup. [7]
Returning to the field in 2004, Webster would score a hat-trick in his third NRL appearance in a 50–4 win for Melbourne against South Sydney. [8] [9] Webster had limited opportunities in the 2004 season, mostly playing for Melbourne's feeder club Norths Devils.
In 2005, Webster was a regular member of the Storm squad, [10] making 24 appearances and scoring 10 tries, including the first try in the qualifying final against the Brisbane Broncos. [11]
At the end of the 2005 NRL season, Webster made his international debut for New Zealand in the 2005 Tri-Nations tournament. He would finish level on top of the scoring table with five tries in five appearances for the Kiwis, [3] playing on the wing as New Zealand won the final 24–0 against Australia. [12]
In round 16 of the 2006 NRL season, he scored a memorable last minute try against Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in what was called one of the greatest games of that season. [13] [14] A few weeks later, Webster would score four tries against the Wests Tigers to equal the club's then record for individual tries in a match. [15]
Webster wasn't able to maintain his spot in the Storm squad as the season progressed, not making the Melbourne team that would play in the 2006 NRL Grand Final. [16] He would make 49 appearances for the Storm, scoring 28 tries. [3] Due to surgery on a shoulder injury, Webster was forced to withdraw for selection for New Zealand ahead of the 2006 Tri-Nations. [16]
Offered a contract by the expansion Gold Coast Titans, [17] [18] Webster signed in 2006 to become a part of the club's inaugural 2007 season, scoring a try in the club's first match in round 1. He was selected to play for the New Zealand national team on the wing in the 2007 ANZAC Test loss against Australia. [19]
Webster agreed a deal to join English Super League side Hull Kingston Rovers on 30 August 2007 [20] for a reported three year £100,000 per year contract after being released by the Titans. [21] He had made 18 appearances for the Titans in their first season, scoring four tries. [3]
Webster made his Super League début in a 20–12 defeat by Leeds Rhinos in which he scored a brace and Hull Kingston Rovers' only tries. He would make a good start to the 2010 season filling in for Paul Cooke at stand off and scoring a try in the opening fixture against Salford City Reds.
On 26 June, Webster signed for Castleford Tigers on a three-year deal, starting in 2013. [22]
In March 2014, after missing rugby league action for nearly 12 months out with injury, Webster was given game time to play for the York City Knights in the League 1 competition. [23] Later in 2014, Webster helped Castleford reach their first Challenge Cup Final since 1992. He was a key player in the squad that achieved this, and scored a try against Widnes in the Semi-Final. [24] He played in the 2014 Challenge Cup Final defeat by the Leeds Rhinos at Wembley Stadium. [25]
Webster scored four tries against Wakefield Trinity in August 2017 to seal Castleford's place at the top of Super League, helping the club achieve their first ever top-flight league title. [26] He also played for the Tigers in the Grand Final in the same season. [27] [28] [29] [30]
Webster's departure from Castleford was announced in August 2018. [31] Throughout his time with the club, Webster was regarded as a fans' favourite, stating "The biggest memory from my time here at Castleford will be the fans in the stands." [31]
In August 2018, Webster signed for Bradford Bulls on a two-year deal. [32] At the end of the 2019 season and having scored 11 tries in 25 appearances for the Bulls, Webster left the club part way through his contract to join League 1 neighbours Keighley Cougars on a two-year deal. [33]
Webster signed a new contract with Keighley in September 2022 which came after his appointment as a commercial executive of the club. The contract saw him remain as a member of the playing squad while also transitioning to a coaching role. [34] He would announce his effective retirement from playing at the end of the 2023 season due to troublesome knee injuries. [35]
12 months after a cancelled testimonial match, Webster made one final appearance for Keighley in a preseason testimonial match against Castleford in January 2024. Webster retired from rugby league to focus on his off-field role as director of rugby at the club. [35] [36] [37]
Marcus "George" Bai is a Papua New Guinean former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. An international representative winger, he represented Papua New Guinea on numerous occasions including at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup. Bai played club football for English clubs the Hull FC, Leeds Rhinos and the Bradford Bulls, as well as Australian clubs the Gold Coast Chargers and Melbourne Storm. He became the first player to have won the World Club Challenge with three clubs. In 2005 he was minutes away from being the first person to win all of the major domestic competitions in both Australia and England however Hull F.C. struck with minutes to go in the Challenge Cup final to deny Leeds Rhinos the Challenge Cup and him a place in the history books.
Semi Tadulala is a Fijian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a winger for Australian Queensland Cup club Northern Pride. A Fiji international representative at rugby league and rugby union, he previously played in the National Rugby League for Australia's Melbourne Storm club, in the Super League for England's the Bradford Bulls and the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, and in the Co-operative Championship for the Keighley Cougars. He has also played for Gloucester Rugby and Leeds Carnegie at rugby union.
Benjamin Tapuloa Roberts is a former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a fullback, stand-off or scrum-half for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League. He is a former New Zealand and Samoan international.
Scott Murrell is an English rugby league coach and former professional rugby league footballer who is assistant coach for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League.
The 2007 Melbourne Storm season was the 10th in the club's history. They competed for NRL's 2007 Telstra Premiership, finishing the season in 1st place to claim the minor premiership before going on to reach the 2007 NRL grand final, their third. In the grand final the Storm defeated the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles to claim their second premiership. However two years after the event Melbourne were stripped of their 2007 titles after being found guilty of long-term salary cap breaches.
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.
The 2004 Melbourne Storm season was the 7th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2004 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season 6th out of 15 teams.
Jason Critchley is an English former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. At club level for the Castleford Tigers, Keighley Cougars, Salford City Reds, Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, Whitehaven and the Widnes Vikings as a wing or centre, and top level club level rugby union for Newport RFC, Leicester Tigers, Manchester (loan), US Dax and De La Salle Palmerston.
Junior Moors is a former Samoa international rugby league footballer who last played as a prop, second-row, loose forward for Featherstone Rovers in the RFL Championship.
Luke Gale is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as scrum-half or stand-off for Wakefield Trinity in the RFL Championship. Gale has played for the England Knights and England at international level.
Gareth Edward Widdop is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a stand-off or fullback for the Halifax Panthers in the RFL Championship.
John Bateman is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays second-row or lock forward for Warrington Wolves in the Super League, on season-long loan from the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League, and England and Great Britain at international level.
Nathan Massey is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played as a prop or loose forward in the Super League and the RFL Championship in the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.
The 2012 Melbourne Storm season was the club's 15th NRL season. Coached by Craig Bellamy and captained by Cameron Smith, they competed in and won the NRL's 2012 Telstra Premiership. The first nine weeks of the season were very successful, with the club winning all games for what was at the time their best start to a season. From round 10 to round 21 they won only three games and lost seven, including a five-game losing streak between rounds 16 and 21, their second worst ever. From round 22 onward they recovered their winning form and finished the regular season with five straight wins, finishing in second place. The Storm then went on to defeat South Sydney and Manly in the finals series before going on to face minor premiers, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the 2012 NRL Grand Final, winning 14–4 to claim the Premiership.
Mahe Fonua is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a centre or winger for Mackay Cutters in the Queensland Cup.
Ben Crooks is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre or winger for the Halifax Panthers in the Betfred Championship.
The 2003 Melbourne Storm season was the 6th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2003 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season 5th out of 15 teams, before reaching the semi-final where they were knocked out by Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. It was Craig Bellamy's first season as head coach of the club.
Brodie Croft is an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He plays for Leeds Rhinos in the Super League. He previously played for Salford Red Devils in the Super League and both Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos as a scrum-half in the NRL.
Craig Lingard is an English rugby league coach and former professional rugby league footballer.
Will Tate is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre, winger or fullback for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League.