Matt Sing facts for kids
Sing playing for Hull in 2007
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Personal information
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| Full name | Matthew Charles Sing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 13 March 1975 Winton, Queensland, Australia |
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Playing information
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| Height | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 86 kg (13 st 8 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wing, Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Matthew Charles Sing (born March 13, 1975) is a former professional rugby league player from Australia. He played during the 1990s and 2000s. Matt Sing represented both Australia and Queensland in big games. He played for several clubs like the Penrith Panthers, Sydney Roosters, and North Queensland Cowboys in Australia's top league, the National Rugby League (NRL). He also played for Hull FC in the Super League in England.
Matt Sing was an amazing try-scorer! He was one of only a few players in Australian rugby league history to score 150 tries. He is still one of the top try-scorers of all time.
Contents
Early Life and Junior Career
Matt Sing was born in Winton, Queensland. He is from an Indigenous Australian background. He grew up in a town called Dysart. As a young player, he played junior rugby league for the Dysart Bulls. He later went to North Rockhampton State High School. In 1992, when he was 17, Matt was chosen to play for the Queensland under-17 team.
Playing Career
Penrith Panthers (1993-1995)
Matt Sing joined the Penrith Panthers in 1993. He first played as a halfback (halfback). After a tough start in the lower teams, he moved to a local Penrith competition. There, a former coach, Len Stacker, suggested he try playing as a centre (centre). This change really helped his career!
After just one game as a centre, he returned to the Panthers' reserve team. He was also chosen for the Junior Kangaroos (a team for young Australian players). He made his first big game debut in 1993. In 1994, he became a regular starting centre for Penrith. He played 17 games and scored six tries. He was even named the club's Rookie of the Year!
In 1995, Matt played his first State of Origin games for Queensland. He started on the wing in all three games. Queensland won the series 3-0 against New South Wales. In July 1995, he also played his first game for Australia. He started on the wing in their win against New Zealand. Matt left the Panthers at the end of 1995. He decided to stay with the Australian Rugby League when some clubs joined a new competition called Super League. He signed with the Sydney City Roosters. In his last season with the Panthers, he scored 8 tries in 15 games.
Sydney Roosters (1996-2001)
In 1996, Matt Sing joined the Roosters. He scored 12 tries in 21 games in his first year. For his first five years with the club, he scored 10 or more tries every season! He played all three games for Queensland in the 1996 State of Origin series. In October, he played for Australia against Papua New Guinea.
In 1997, he scored 11 tries in 22 games. The Roosters almost made it to the Grand Final. In June 1997, he scored his first try for Queensland. In July 1997, he scored for Australia in a win against the Rest of the World team. In 1998, Matt scored 15 tries in 27 games for the Roosters. He also played all three games for Queensland again, helping them win the series. In 1998, he played his 100th first-grade game.
In 1999, he was called back to play for Australia in the 1999 Anzac Test. In 2000, he received the Australian Sports Medal. This award recognized his important role in Australian rugby league on the world stage. On August 27, 2000, he played on the wing for the Roosters in the Grand Final. They unfortunately lost to the Brisbane Broncos. In 2001, he played his 150th first-grade game.
North Queensland Cowboys (2002-2006)
In 2002, Matt Sing moved to the North Queensland Cowboys. In his first year with the team, he scored 16 tries in 23 games. He won the club's Player of the Year and Players' Player awards. In 2002, he scored his 100th first-grade try.
In 2003, he had an amazing season, scoring 21 tries in 20 games! He won the Players' Player award again. That year, he was called back to play for Queensland and Australia. In the third game of the 2003 State of Origin series, he scored three tries (a hat-trick) in a big win against New South Wales. He was named the best player of that game. In November 2003, he played for Australia in their "Ashes series" win against Great Britain.
In 2004, Matt played fewer games because of jaw and knee injuries. But he came back just in time for the finals! He scored three tries in a win against the Canterbury Bulldogs. This was the Cowboys' first-ever finals game win! In October and November 2004, he played for Australia in their winning Tri-Nations tournament. He played on the wing in all five games. After this, he said he would stop playing for representative teams.
However, in 2005, Matt changed his mind! He played all three games for Queensland in the 2005 State of Origin series. He also played for Australia in the 2005 Anzac Test. In the 2005 NRL season, he played 25 games and scored 16 tries. He played his 250th first-grade game in a big win against the Parramatta Eels. On October 2, 2005, he played on the wing in the Cowboys' Grand Final loss to the Wests Tigers.
In 2006, Matt played his final season for the Cowboys. He played 24 games and was the team's top try-scorer with 13 tries. In 2006, he scored his 150th first-grade try. He was only the sixth player in history to do this! On June 6, 2006, he signed a two-year deal to play for Hull F.C. in England.
Hull F.C. (2007-2008)
In 2007, Matt Sing scored 11 tries in 23 Super League games for Hull F.C.. On August 30, 2008, he played on the wing in Hull's 2008 Challenge Cup Final loss to St Helens. He retired from professional rugby league at the end of the 2008 season. He played 48 games for Hull over two seasons and scored 17 tries.
Achievements and Awards
Matt Sing received several special awards during his career:
- Penrith Panthers Rookie of the Year: 1994
- North Queensland Cowboys Player of the Year: 2002
- North Queensland Cowboys Players' Player: 2002, 2003
Post-Playing Career
After retiring from playing, Matt Sing continued to be involved in rugby league. In 2009, he joined the Central Comets team in the Queensland Cup as an assistant coach. He helped coach the team's backs. In June 2009, he even briefly came out of retirement to play a game for the Comets.
On May 17, 2015, Matt Sing was named on the wing in the Cowboys' "20-year team." This team celebrated the best players from the club's first two decades. Along with Paul Bowman, he was one of the first players to be inducted into the Cowboys' Hall of Fame.
