Brad Fittler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Brad Fittler

Fittler in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Bradley Scott Fittler
Born	(1972-02-05) 5 February 1972 (age 53) Auburn, New South Wales, Australia
Height	186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	96 kg (212 lb; 15 st 2 lb)
Playing information
Position	Five-eighth, Lock, Centre
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1989–95 Penrith Panthers 119 31 5 2 136 1996–04 Sydney Roosters 217 91 9 8 390 Total 336 122 14 10 526 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1990–04 New South Wales 31 8 0 2 34 1990–01 Australia 38 17 1 1 71 1991–97 NSW City 7 1 0 0 4
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 2007–09 Sydney Roosters 58 25 1 32 43 Representative Years Team Gms W D L W% 2012–17 NSW City 7 3 1 3 43 2017–20 Lebanon 5 2 0 3 40 2018–23 New South Wales 18 9 0 9 50 2024– Prime Minister's XIII 1 1 0 0 100
As of 13 October 2024

Bradley Scott Fittler (born 5 February 1972), often called "Freddy", is a famous Australian rugby league player, coach, and commentator.

He was a great leader, captaining both the New South Wales Blues and the Australian national team. In 2000, he won the prestigious Golden Boot award. When he stopped playing, he was the player with the most games for New South Wales in the State of Origin. He also played in three Rugby League World Cup wins for Australia, captaining the team in 1995 and 2000. In 2008, he was named one of Australia's best rugby league players ever. He is also in the NSWRL Hall of Fame.

After his playing career, Fittler became a coach. He coached the Sydney Roosters in the NRL and later the New South Wales State of Origin team. He led New South Wales to three State of Origin series victories.

Early Life and Rugby Beginnings

Brad Fittler was born in Auburn, New South Wales, Australia. He started playing junior rugby league for several clubs in the Parramatta area. Later, he moved to the Penrith area.

While in high school, Fittler played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 1988 and 1989. This showed he was a rising star in rugby league.

Playing Career Highlights

Brad Fittler's professional career began in 1989. He joined the Penrith Panthers while still in high school.

Playing for Penrith Panthers

In 1990, Fittler played in the Grand Final for Penrith, but they lost to the Canberra Raiders. After that season, he was chosen to play for Australia. He went on a tour to Great Britain and France, playing in 8 games.

In 1991, Fittler helped the Panthers win their first ever championship. He played in the centres under coach Phil Gould. Later that year, he made his first international test match appearance for Australia. He scored two tries in his debut game against Papua New Guinea.

In 1992, Fittler helped Australia win The Ashes against Great Britain. At the end of 1992, he played in the World Cup final at Wembley Stadium. Australia won 10–6, and Fittler played on even after getting a fractured cheekbone.

The 1993 NSWRL season was tough for Penrith, but Fittler played well for New South Wales. He helped them win the Origin series against Queensland. He also played in all three test matches against New Zealand.

In 1994, Penrith improved, and Fittler was selected for his second Kangaroo Tour. He played in all four test matches against Great Britain and France. He was named "Man of the Match" in a big win against Great Britain.

By 1995, Fittler was one of the highest-paid rugby league players. This was during the Super League war, which caused player salaries to increase a lot. Fittler chose to stay with the Australian Rugby League.

Because some players joined the rival Super League, Fittler became captain of the NSW Origin team in 1995. Even though Queensland won the series, Fittler was then chosen to captain Australia. At 23, he became Australia's youngest captain since 1962. He led the Kangaroos to a 3–0 win over New Zealand.

At the end of the 1995 ARL season, Fittler captained Australia in the 1995 Rugby League World Cup. Despite an early loss, he led Australia to win their 8th World Cup title. They beat England 18–8 in the final at Wembley.

Joining the Sydney Roosters

In 1996, Brad Fittler moved to the Sydney City Roosters. He played there for nine seasons. He led the Roosters to win the 2002 NRL Grand Final.

In 1997, Fittler won the Rothmans Medal for the best player in the ARL Premiership. He was chosen for the Kangaroo Tours in 1990, 1994, and 2001. He also played in the World Cups of 1992, 1995, and 2000.

Fittler captained the Australian team in 20 Test matches, winning 17 of them. He also captained NSW in 14 State of Origin matches.

He led the Sydney Roosters to the 2000 NRL Grand Final and then to a championship in 2002. After winning the 2002 NRL Premiership, the Roosters played in the 2003 World Club Challenge. Fittler captained the team and scored a try in their victory.

Two years after he said he would retire from representative games, NSW coach Phil Gould asked him to play again. Fittler returned for the second and third games of the State of Origin series. He scored the winning try in his final game, which was a special farewell for him and coach Gould.

Fittler is still the youngest player to represent NSW in State of Origin. The Brad Fittler Medal is named after him. It is given to the best NSW player after each series win.

Return to Play: Auckland Nines

Brad Fittler playing in the NRL Nines 2014

In February 2014, at 42 years old, Fittler played in the NRL Auckland Nines. He represented the Sydney Roosters. He even scored a 75-meter try, his first in 10 years!

Coaching Career

On 9 July 2007, Fittler became the coach of the Sydney Roosters. This happened after the previous coach left. The Roosters were struggling, but Fittler helped them improve. His first game as coach was a win against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.

His coaching career took a big step forward when the Roosters beat the Melbourne Storm. The Storm were one of the best teams at the time. After this success, the Sydney Roosters signed Fittler as their full-time Head Coach until 2010.

However, the 2009 season was tough for the Roosters. They finished last, and Fittler was replaced as coach by Brian Smith.

On 24 November 2017, Fittler was announced as the new coach of the New South Wales rugby league team. He made many changes to the team. He led the team to their first series win since 2014 in his first year. The next year, the Blues won consecutive series for the first time in a long time.

In the 2020 State of Origin series, Fittler's New South Wales team lost to Queensland. Many people had expected NSW to win easily. But in the 2021 State of Origin series, New South Wales bounced back. They won the series 2-1 with big wins in the first two games.

New South Wales lost the 2022 State of Origin series in a deciding game. Before the 2023 State of Origin series, Fittler faced criticism for his team choices. New South Wales lost the series to Queensland again.

On 28 September 2023, Fittler decided to step down as the New South Wales head coach. He was offered a new contract but chose not to accept it.

Media Career and Recognition

After retiring from playing, Fittler started a career in media. He co-hosted a streaming video show called NRL Deluxe. In 2005, he released his book, Freddy: The Brad Fittler Story.

In 2010, Fittler joined the Nine Network. He was a co-host on The NRL Footy Show and The Sunday Footy Show. He also appeared in The NRL Rookie.

In 2000, Fittler received the Australian Sports Medal. This award recognized his important contributions to Australian rugby league. In February 2008, he was named one of Australia's 100 Greatest Players. This was part of the celebration for 100 years of rugby league in Australia.

In 2022, Brad Fittler was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Images for kids

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  Fittler in 2013

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  Brad Fittler playing in the NRL Nines 2014