Andrew Walker (rugby) facts for kids
![]() Walker in 2004
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Personal information
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Born | Shoalhaven, New South Wales, Australia |
22 November 1973 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information
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Height | 177 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 87 kg (13 st 10 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union
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Position | Wing / Fullback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby league
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Position | Five-eighth / Fullback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Andrew Walker, born on November 22, 1973, is a famous Indigenous Australian athlete. He played professional rugby, representing his country in both rugby league and rugby union. This makes him a "dual code international." He was the first player to represent Australia in rugby league before playing for the national rugby union team.
Contents
Early Life
Andrew Walker was born in Shoalhaven, New South Wales, Australia. He grew up in Nowra.
Andrew Walker's Rugby Journey
Starting in Rugby Union
Andrew started playing rugby union as a junior. He played for the Shoalhaven Rugby club. Later, he joined the Randwick DRUFC team. In 1991, he played with famous coach Eddie Jones. Their team won the premiership that year.
Switching to Rugby League
After playing rugby union, Andrew decided to try rugby league. He joined the St. George Dragons club. This was a big change for him. He then played for other NRL clubs. These included the Sydney Roosters and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. In 1996, he played one game for the Kangaroos. This was against a team from Papua New Guinea.
Andrew Walker was the first player to switch from rugby league to rugby union. He did this two years before other famous players like Wendell Sailor.
Playing for the Brumbies
Andrew played provincial rugby for the ACT Brumbies. Fans remember him for scoring many tries. He scored thirteen tries in the 2000 season. This included two games where he scored three tries each.
Representing Australia in Rugby Union
In July 2000, Andrew Walker made his debut for the Australian national rugby union team. This made him Australia's 40th dual code international. He came off the bench in a game against New Zealand.
Return to Rugby Union in France and Australia
In 2006, Andrew started playing rugby again. He signed with a French rugby union club, UA Gaillac. In December 2006, he talked with Queensland Reds coach Eddie Jones. Jones had coached him before with the Brumbies.
In early March 2007, Walker was named on the bench for the Queensland Reds. He played the last 15 minutes in a game against the Lions. This happened shortly after he left Gaillac and signed with the Reds. He played for the Queensland Reds until his retirement in 2008.
Retirement and Later Play
On July 26, 2008, Andrew Walker announced his retirement. He was playing for the Easts Tigers Rugby Union at the time. He won the Hospital Cup and the Australian Club Championship with them. Andrew was 35 years old when he retired. He said he was tired and wanted to spend more time with his family.
However, in January 2010, Andrew Walker signed a small contract. He joined the Goodna Eagles rugby league club. This was a big signing for the Ipswich Rugby League. In 2019, he played one game for Randwick DRUFC. This was against the Argentina national team.