Chris Smith (rugby league, born 1994) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Chris Smith

Personal information
Full name	Christopher Smith
Born	(1994-01-16) 16 January 1994 (age 31) Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Height	185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	104 kg (16 st 5 lb)
Playing information
Position	Second-row, Lock
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2015 Penrith Panthers 1 0 0 0 0 2016–17 Sydney Roosters 2 0 0 0 0 2018–21 Canterbury Bulldogs 30 2 0 0 8 2022–23 Penrith Panthers 6 1 0 0 4 Total 39 3 0 0 12 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2017– Indigenous All Stars 4 0 0 0 0
As of 3 June 2022

Chris Smith (born 16 January 1994) is an Australian professional rugby league player. He is known for playing as a forward for several teams in the NRL, Australia's top rugby league competition.

Throughout his career, Smith played for the Penrith Panthers, the Sydney Roosters, and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. He also had the honor of playing for the Indigenous All Stars team.

Early Life and Junior Career

Chris Smith was born in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. He started his rugby league journey playing for a local team called the Nightcliff Dragons.

His talent was noticed early. When he was just 15, the North Queensland Cowboys signed him to a contract. Two years later, at age 17, he moved to Sydney after signing with the Penrith Panthers. While in Sydney, he attended Patrician Brothers' College, Blacktown and continued to develop his skills.

From 2012 to 2014, Smith played for the Penrith Panthers' team in the National Youth Competition (NYC). This is a league for younger players. His performance was so impressive that in 2012, he was chosen to play for the Australian Schoolboys team, which is a big achievement for a young player.

Professional NRL Career

After his time in the youth league, Smith was ready for the big leagues. His professional career saw him play for several famous NRL clubs.

Penrith Panthers and NRL Debut

In 2015, Smith moved up to Penrith's New South Wales Cup team, which is a step just below the NRL.

Smith playing for the Panthers in 2015

Later that year, he made his official NRL debut. He played his first top-level game for the Penrith Panthers against the Newcastle Knights in Round 26 of the 2015 NRL season.

Sydney Roosters

In April 2016, Smith joined the Sydney Roosters on a contract that lasted until the end of 2017. During his time with the Roosters, he played in two first-grade games. One of these was in the 2017 NRL season against the Canberra Raiders.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

At the end of 2017, Smith signed with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. In 2018, he played one NRL game for the team, a victory against the Brisbane Broncos. He spent most of that year playing for Canterbury's reserve grade team in the Intrust Super Premiership NSW. He helped them win the grand final against Newtown. A week later, he also helped the team win the NRL State Championship against Redcliffe.

The 2019 NRL season was a breakout year for Smith. He played in 20 games for Canterbury and became a regular member of the first-grade team. The club recognized his hard work and gave him a two-year contract extension.

Return to the Penrith Panthers

In November 2021, Smith signed a contract to return to the Penrith Panthers for the 2022 season. During the 2022 NRL season, he played in six games for the main NRL team.

He also played a key role for Penrith's NSW Cup team. On 25 September 2022, he helped them win the NSW Cup Grand Final against Canterbury. Just a week later, on 2 October, he was part of the team that won the NRL State Championship final, beating the Norths Devils 44-10.

Representative Career

Besides playing for his clubs, Smith was also selected to play for the Indigenous All Stars. This team is made up of talented Indigenous Australian players. He played for the All Stars team four times, starting in 2017.