Matt Bickerstaff (born 27 April 1976) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played in the National Rugby League competition for the South Queensland Crushers, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, St George Illawarra Dragons and the Canberra Raiders primarily as a second-row.[2]
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Matt Bickerstaff | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 27 April 1976 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 184 cm (6 ft 1⁄2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 101 kg (15 st 13 lb; 223 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second-row, Lock | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing career
editBickerstaff was born in Sydney. He signed with the South Queensland Crushers and his first grade debut was in Round 4 of the 1996 ARL season against local rivals, the Brisbane Broncos. Both of Bickerstaff's seasons at South Queensland ended with wooden spoons.
In 2002, Bickerstaff joined Cronulla-Sutherland and in his first season made 20 appearances for the club as they reached the preliminary final before losing to New Zealand. Bickerstaff left Cronulla at the end of 2004. He then went on to have spells with St George and Canberra.[3]
Bickerstaff retired having played 103 first grade games, and scoring 13 tries. When he played his last game with the Raiders, Bickerstaff was the last former South Queensland Crushers player still playing in the NRL.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Matt Bickerstaff - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". Rugbyleagueproject.org.
- ^ Ferguson, Shawn Dollin and Andrew. "Matt Bickerstaff - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
- ^ "A history of heartbreak: Cronulla Sharks' tale of woe in NRL finals". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ Campton, Nick; ’The last NRL players from the Bears, Magpies and Jets: Rugby league’s final survivors’; The Daily Telegraph, 16 October 2015
Sources
edit- Whiticker, Alan & Hudson, Glen (2006) The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players, Gavin Allen Publishing, Sydney