Marcus Bai facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Born | 11 October 1972 Ulamona, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea |
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Playing information
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| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 14 st 5 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Marcus "George" Bai (born October 11, 1972) is a famous former rugby league player from Papua New Guinea. He was known for playing as a winger, which is a position on the side of the field. Marcus played for many teams in England and Australia during the 1990s and 2000s. He also proudly represented his home country, Papua New Guinea, in international games.
Marcus Bai made history by being the first player to win the World Club Challenge with three different clubs. He almost achieved another amazing record in 2005. He was very close to winning all the major rugby league competitions in both Australia and England. This included the NRL Premiership, Super League, World Club Challenge, League Leaders Shield, and Challenge Cup. However, his team, Leeds Rhinos, lost the Challenge Cup final in the last few minutes.
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Marcus Bai's Early Life
Marcus Bai was born in a place called Ulamona in Papua New Guinea. He started playing rugby league for a team called the Port Moresby Vipers. His talent quickly shone through. He was chosen to play for the Papua New Guinea national team. His first big international tournament was the 1995 Rugby League World Cup.
Marcus Bai's Playing Career
Marcus Bai played for several well-known rugby league clubs. He played in both England and Australia. His career was full of exciting moments and big wins.
Playing for English Clubs
Hull FC
Marcus started his professional career in England. He joined the Hull F.C. team in 1997. He played eight games for them during that year.
Playing for Australian Clubs
Gold Coast Chargers
After playing in England, Marcus moved to Australia. He joined the Gold Coast Chargers team. He played 18 games for them in the 1997 ARL season. He scored five tries during his time there. In the same year, he was picked to play for a "Rest of the World" team. This team played against a strong Australian team.
Melbourne Storm
In 1998, Marcus joined the Melbourne Storm. This was their very first season as a new team. He quickly became a star player. In his first year, he was named the Dally M Winger of the Year. This award goes to the best winger in the league.
In 1999, Marcus played in every game for Melbourne. His team won the 1999 NRL Grand Final. He played on the wing in this important championship game. Because they won the 1999 Premiership, Melbourne Storm played in the 2000 World Club Challenge. They played against the English champions, St. Helens. Marcus played on the wing and scored a try in their victory.
Marcus also played for Papua New Guinea again in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. He played in all four of his country's games. He scored three tries in that tournament. He played for Melbourne Storm for six years in total. During this time, he played 144 games and scored 70 tries.
Return to English Clubs
Leeds Rhinos
After his great performances in Australia, Marcus moved back to England. He joined the Super League club, the Leeds Rhinos. His first game for Leeds was a special match on Boxing Day. He scored a try in that game. His official first team debut was in 2004 against the London Broncos. He made a big splash by scoring three tries in that game. This is called a hat-trick. The Leeds fans loved him right away.
Later that year, Marcus scored another hat-trick in a playoff game. This helped Leeds reach the Grand Final. He played on the wing in the 2004 Super League Grand Final. Leeds won the championship against the Bradford Bulls. As champions, the Rhinos then played in the 2005 World Club Challenge. They played against the Australian champions, the Bulldogs. Marcus played on the wing in Leeds' exciting 39-32 win. He also played in the 2005 Challenge Cup Final. He scored a try in that game, but Leeds lost to Hull FC.
Marcus played two full seasons with Leeds. He played 63 games and scored 45 tries. He scored four hat-tricks during this time. He is one of only seven players to win a Grand Final in both the English Super League and the Australian National Rugby League. He played for Leeds in the 2005 Super League Grand Final again. However, they lost to the Bradford Bulls this time.
Bradford Bulls
After two successful years with Leeds, Marcus joined the Bradford Bulls for the 2006 season. He scored two tries in his first game for the Bradford Bulls. This was in the 2006 World Club Challenge against the Wests Tigers. The Bradford Bulls won that game 30–10. Marcus missed two months of the season because of a knee injury. But he still scored 12 tries in 26 games for the club. He was even given the "Best Back of the Year Award" by the club. Marcus signed a new contract with Bradford Bulls in September 2006. However, a few months later, he decided to retire from rugby league in December 2006.
