Gorden Tallis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Gorden Tallis

Tallis in 2003
Personal information
Full name	Gorden James Tallis
Born	(1973-07-27) 27 July 1973 (age 51) Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Playing information
Height	189 cm (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in)
Weight	107 kg (16 st 12 lb; 236 lb)
Position	Second-row
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1992–95 St. George Dragons 54 17 1 0 70 1997–04 Brisbane Broncos 160 49 0 0 196 Total 214 66 1 0 266 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1994–03 Queensland 20 4 0 0 16 1998–03 Australia 18 9 0 0 36 1997 Queensland (SL) 3 0 0 0 0 1997 Australia (SL) 3 0 0 0 0

Gorden James Tallis (born 27 July 1973) is a famous former Australian rugby league player. People often called him the "Raging Bull" because of how strong and aggressive he was on the field. After playing, he became a sports commentator for the Fox Sports network.

Tallis was a top player for Queensland in the State of Origin series and for Australia internationally. He even captained both these teams! He also led the Brisbane Broncos, winning three Grand Finals with them in 1997, 1998, and 2000. He started his career with the St. George Dragons in Sydney. Many people thought Tallis was the best second-row forward in the world during his career.

Early Life and Background

Gorden Tallis was born in Townsville, North Queensland, Australia, on 27 July 1973. When he was young, he played for the Centrals Tigers club in Townsville. His father, Wally, also played rugby league for a short time in the 1960s.

Tallis has shared that his great-grandfather came from Vanuatu and his great-grandmother was from Loh Island. He has always said that he is proud to be Australian, as his father and grandfather were both born in Australia.

Professional Playing Career

Starting with St. George

Tallis moved to Sydney to begin his professional career with the St. George Dragons. He played his first top-level game on 29 August 1992, when he was 19 years old. In 1993, he was a reserve player when St. George lost the Grand Final to Brisbane.

In 1994, Tallis played his first games for the Queensland Maroons in the State of Origin series. He was also chosen for the Tongan team for the 1995 Rugby League World Cup, but he couldn't play due to an injury.

In 1995, Tallis wanted to join the Brisbane Broncos. He even offered to pay to end his contract with St. George early, but the club said no. Because he had already signed a contract with Brisbane, he decided not to play for St. George in the 1996 season. After playing 54 games for St. George, he left Sydney.

Success with Brisbane Broncos

Gorden Tallis about to receive the ball during a Brisbane Broncos match in 2004.

Tallis returned to rugby league in 1997 with the Brisbane Broncos. He was a very strong player in the competition that year. The Broncos won the Grand Final against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks with a score of 26–8. Tallis also played for Queensland in the Super League Tri-series and made his international debut for Australia against Great Britain.

In 1998, Tallis played against his old team, St. George, for the first time. Fans booed him loudly, but he scored a try that helped Brisbane win. The Broncos won another premiership that year, beating the Canterbury Bulldogs 38–12 in the Grand Final. Tallis played so well in that game that he won the Clive Churchill Medal, which is given to the best player on the field. He also played his first Test match for the Australian Kangaroos.

In 1999, Tallis continued his great form and helped Queensland in the State of Origin series. In 2000, he scored a try for Australia against New Zealand. He was sent off the field in an early State of Origin match for arguing with the referee. However, he later scored four tries for Australia against Papua New Guinea and was chosen as the Australian captain for a game against Russia, which Australia won by a huge score. In 2000, Tallis also received the Australian Sports Medal.

Captaining His Teams

After winning the 2000 NRL Premiership, the Broncos played against St Helens R.F.C. in England for the 2001 World Club Challenge. Tallis was the new captain for Brisbane in that game. He also captained a new Queensland team to a big win over New South Wales in the first match of the 2001 State of Origin series. He was named the best player of that match.

Later in 2001, Tallis suffered a serious neck injury that needed surgery. This meant his season was over. He made a strong return in 2002. In a deciding State of Origin match, Tallis made a famous tackle where he dragged a player several metres off the field. He later made a gesture to the crowd, which was controversial, but it was revealed he was reacting to an offensive sign about his mother.

At the end of 2003, Tallis decided to retire from playing for Queensland and Australia, but he continued to play for the Broncos. In 2004, his neck injury started to bother him more. He played his last official game for the Brisbane Broncos in a semi-final match against the North Queensland Cowboys in his hometown of Townsville. The Broncos lost that game. When he retired, he held the Broncos' record for the most tries scored by a forward.

In 2007, the Broncos celebrated their 20-year anniversary and named Tallis as one of their 20 best players ever. In 2010, he was inducted into the Broncos' official Hall of Fame.

Career Statistics

NSWRL/ARL/Super League/NRL

Representative

Awards and Honours

• Clive Churchill Medal: 1998
• Dally M Second Rower of the Year: 1999
• Indigenous Team of the Century: 2008
• NRL Team of the 1990s: 2003
• Australian Sports Medal: 2000
• Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame: 2018

After Football

After retiring from playing, Gorden Tallis stayed involved in rugby league. In 2005, he became a member of the NRL board, which helps run the sport. He later became a director for the North Queensland Cowboys and a forwards coach for the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Tallis now works as a commentator for Fox Sports, sharing his thoughts on games. He also writes columns for newspapers. He co-hosts a sports segment on Triple M Radio Brisbane. In 2016, a special emoji keyboard called "Gord-e-moji" was created in his honour.

In 2019, Tallis shared his opinion that some Sydney rugby league teams should move to other cities. He felt that the crowds at Sydney games were sometimes "embarrassing" and that teams should play where more fans would come to watch.