Dane Nielsen facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Born | 10 June 1985 Mackay, Queensland, Australia |
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Playing information
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| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 96 kg (15 st 2 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre, Wing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dane Nielsen, born on June 10, 1985, is a former professional rugby league player from Australia. He was known for playing as a centre or winger. Nielsen also represented Queensland in the famous State of Origin series. He played for several teams in the NRL, including the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Melbourne Storm, New Zealand Warriors, St. George Illawarra, and South Sydney. He also played for the Bradford Bulls in the Super League in England. A big highlight of his career was winning the 2012 NRL Premiership with the Melbourne Storm.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Dane Nielsen grew up in Mackay, a town in North Queensland, Australia. He has a background that includes both Indigenous Australian and Solomon Island heritage.
Before becoming a professional player, Nielsen played junior rugby league for the Norths Devils club.
Professional Playing Career
Nielsen began his professional rugby league journey in the NRL. He played for several teams throughout his career, showing his skills as a strong centre and winger.
Starting with Cronulla Sharks
Dane Nielsen made his first appearance in the NRL with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. His debut game was on July 20, 2007, when the Sharks played against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.
Time with Melbourne Storm
In 2008, Nielsen joined the Melbourne Storm. He quickly became a regular player, often playing in the centre position.
In 2009, he played as a winger for Melbourne in their 2009 NRL Grand Final victory against the Parramatta Eels. This win was later affected by a team rule issue. Nielsen then helped Melbourne win the 2010 World Club Challenge against the English champions, the Leeds Rhinos.
Nielsen was chosen to play for the Queensland in the 2011 State of Origin series. He filled in at centre for an injured teammate in the first two games.
In May 2012, Nielsen signed a three-year contract to join the New Zealand Warriors starting in 2013. Later that year, he played in the third and final game of the 2012 State of Origin series, which Queensland won. At the end of the 2012 season, Nielsen played a key role for the Melbourne Storm in their 2012 NRL Grand final win over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
Moving to New Zealand Warriors
Nielsen moved to Auckland for the 2013 New Zealand Warriors season. This was also the first season for the Warriors' new Australian coach, Matthew Elliott.
Playing for St George Illawarra
On November 19, 2014, Nielsen signed a two-year contract with the St George Illawarra Dragons. He began playing for them in the 2015 season.
After a short time with the Dragons, Nielsen left the club in May 2015.
Experience with Bradford Bulls
After playing a few games in the Mackay & District Rugby League, Nielsen signed a contract with the Bradford Bulls in England on July 28, 2015.
Nielsen played in several important games for the Bulls. He also played in the £1 Million Game against Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.
Return to Australia with South Sydney
On January 25, 2016, Nielsen returned to Australia and signed a two-year contract with the South Sydney. He also played for the Rabbitohs' feeder club, the North Sydney Bears, in the NSW Cup. Nielsen made his debut for South Sydney in round 8.
In January 2017, he continued to play for the North Sydney Bears for much of the first half of the season.
Later Career and Retirement
On July 21, 2017, an English team, Featherstone Rovers, offered Nielsen a contract. However, the deal did not go through due to visa issues. On July 23, 2017, Nielsen decided to play for the Mackay Magpies, returning to a club he had played with before in 2015.
In March 2018, Nielsen left the Group 9 team Junee Diesels without playing a game for them. The club president stated that they had to make a difficult decision for the future of the club.
