John Simon (rugby league) facts for kids
|
Personal information
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 29 May 1972 Port Kembla, New South Wales, Australia |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 177 cm (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 85 kg (13 st 5 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Playing information
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Halfback | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
As of 8 November 2019
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John "Jack" Simon (born May 29, 1972) is a former professional rugby league player from Australia. He played during the 1990s and early 2000s. John Simon played for several teams, including the Illawarra Steelers, Easts, Parramatta, Auckland, and Wests Tigers.
John Simon is of Indigenous Australian heritage. He also had the honor of representing his country, Australia, and his state, New South Wales, in the famous State of Origin series. His brother, Craig Simon, also played rugby league professionally.
Playing Rugby League
John Simon grew up in Port Kembla and played junior rugby league for Dapto. He started his top-level career with the Illawarra Steelers when he was just 17 years old. Between 1990 and 1995, he played 120 games for the Steelers. In 1994, he was recognized as the Illawarra Steelers' best player, winning the BHP Medal.
In 1996, Simon joined the Sydney City Roosters. However, he found it hard to get a regular spot as a halfback because Adrian Lam was already playing there. So, from 1997 to 1999, he moved to the Parramatta Eels.
During the 1998 preliminary final, a very important game, Parramatta was playing against Canterbury. Parramatta was leading 18-2 with less than 10 minutes left. Canterbury scored a try, making the score 18-6. John Simon had two chances to kick a field goal, which would have secured the win for Parramatta. He missed both attempts. Canterbury then won the game 32-20 in extra time.
In the middle of 1999, John Simon left Parramatta and joined the Auckland Warriors. He was even named captain in only his second game with the team.
After playing two seasons with the Warriors, Simon moved to the Wests Tigers. He played some good games for the Tigers. However, before the end of the 2001 season, he decided to retire from the sport. In 2003, John Simon was named in the special Illawarra "Team of Steel." This team celebrated the best players from the club's 25-year history.
Representing His State and Country
John Simon was chosen to play for City Firsts in 1991 and 1992. In 1992, he was selected to start at halfback for New South Wales in Game I of the State of Origin series. This happened because Ricky Stuart was injured. New South Wales won that game. However, Stuart returned for Game II, and Simon did not play.
It was five years before Simon played for the Blues again. In 1997, there was a big change in rugby league called the Super League war. This meant there were two different competitions. During this time, Simon played in all three State of Origin games for New South Wales. He played once as a halfback and twice coming off the bench. In Game II, Simon was a hero for the Blues. He kicked a 26-meter field goal in the 67th minute, which helped New South Wales win by just one point.
In 1997, John Simon also played his only game for the Australian national team. He was selected for a special Test match against a Rest-of-the-World team. This game took place at Suncorp Stadium.
Life After Rugby League
After retiring from playing rugby league, John Simon started working in Aboriginal Education. Later, in 1997, he bought a Subway restaurant in Kiama. He also coached local rugby league teams, including the Illawarra Titans in a Koori knockout competition.
