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| Born | 29 June 1981 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Five-eighth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 4 January 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Luke Branighan (born 29 June 1981) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s. He played in the National Rugby League for the St George Illawarra Dragons and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, primarily as a five-eighth.
He is the nephew of both Ray Branighan and Arthur Branighan.
Branighan made his debut with St George Illawarra halfway through 2000. He remained in the first-grade team for the rest of the season, playing in the halves with Trent Barrett. [3] He joined the Sharks in 2001, but made only one further NRL appearance.
While playing for NSW Cup side Balmain Tigers in 2005, Branighan was selected to tour with the Malta Knights. [4] [5] In 2009 he played for the Gateshead Thunder and in 2010 he played for Halifax in the Co-operative Championship. [6]
Returning to Australia, Branighan played for Mounties in the Bundaberg Red Cup in 2011. In 2012, he became captain-coach of the Young Cherrypickers in the Group 9 competition. [7]
The Newcastle Thunder is a professional rugby league club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Founded in 1999 as Gateshead Thunder after the merger of the original Gateshead Thunder with Hull F.C. the club played in the Championship and League 1 competitions, the second and third tier of rugby league in the United Kingdom. In 2015 the club changed its name to Newcastle Thunder. They played their home matches at Kingston Park, also home to rugby union side Newcastle Falcons.
NRL Western Australia is responsible for administering the game of rugby league football in the state of Western Australia.
Nick Youngquest is an Australian model and former professional rugby league footballer. He played in the National Rugby League for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, St. George Illawarra Dragons, Penrith Panthers and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, and in the UK for the Gateshead Thunder, Celtic Crusaders and the Castleford Tigers, mainly as a winger.
Mathew Head is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s as a halfback for the St. George Illawarra Dragons, Wests Tigers and Hull F.C.
Luke Bailey is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australia national and New South Wales State of Origin representative front row forward, he played his club football in the National Rugby League for the St. George Illawarra Dragons before signing with the Gold Coast Titans for their debut season in the NRL in 2007.
Paul Franze is a former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer. He played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Penrith Panthers in the NRL, and for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League, Gateshead Thunder in the Championship and Pia Donkeys in the Elite One Championship as well as a stint as a rugby union player for the London Irish in the Guinness Premiership. In both codes, Franze primarily played as a centre.
Russell Aitken is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. Aitken is currently the head coach of St. George Illawarra Dragons NSW Cup Side. Aitken formerly coached the Helensburgh Tigers who competed in the Sydney Shield Competition, in the 2020 season. Aitken most recently played professionally with the AS Carcassonne rugby league club in France.
Craig Fitzgibbon is an Australian professional rugby league coach and a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s and is the current head coach of Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.
Michael Lett is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played in the NRL for the Sydney Roosters, St. George Illawarra Dragons and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs usually in the centres.
Matt Cooper is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australia international representative centre, he played his entire National Rugby League career for the St. George Illawarra Dragons, with whom he won the 2010 NRL grand final.
Jon Green is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer.
Issac Luke is a former New Zealand professional rugby league footballer
Jeremy Smith is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A New Zealand international representative, he played as a second-row and lock. He played for the Melbourne Storm, the St. George Illawarra Dragons, with whom he won the 2010 NRL Grand Final with, the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Newcastle Knights, who he co-captained, in the NRL.
Matthew Prior is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as prop and loose forward for the Leeds Rhinos in the Super League.
Trent Merrin is a former Australian professional rugby league footballer who played as a lock, prop and second-row forward for the St George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL and Australia at international level.
Shane Flanagan is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and commentator, and is the head coach of the St George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League. He was the head coach of the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks and was appointed assistant coach of the Sharks in 2006 and was subsequently appointed to the top position when former coach Ricky Stuart resigned on 20 July 2010. Flanagan was previously the assistant coach at the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and Coaching Director of the PNG Kumuls. He is the father of Dragons player Kyle Flanagan.
Cameron King is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a hooker in the 2010s.
The Shellharbour City Sharks are a Country Rugby League club founded in 1920 located on the South Coast of NSW that compete in the South Coast Group 7 competition.
Tyson Lomano David Frizell is a professional rugby league footballer who usually plays as a second-rower for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL. Frizell has the distinction of appearing for three different national teams. He represented Wales in the 2011 Four Nations and 2013 World Cup, then Australia between 2016 and 2019, including the 2017 World Cup, and most recently Tonga.
Luke Felsch is a former professional Australian rugby league footballer.