Nathan Blacklock facts for kids

Nathan Blacklock (born 4 April 1976) is a famous Australian former professional rugby league player. He also played rugby union for a short time. He was known for being a very fast player, especially on the wing.

Nathan played for big teams like the Sydney Roosters and the St. George Dragons. He later joined the St. George Illawarra Dragons. He was amazing at scoring tries, leading the National Rugby League in tries for three years in a row! He even played for the Australian national team. Later in his career, he played in England for Hull F.C. and won a big trophy called the 2005 Challenge Cup.

Nathan Blacklock's Early Life

Nathan Blacklock was born in a town called Tingha, New South Wales. Because of this, he earned the cool nickname, Tingha Tornado. This name showed how fast and powerful he was on the field.

Nathan's Rugby League Journey

Starting His Professional Career

Nathan began his professional rugby league journey in 1995. His first team was the Sydney City Roosters. After that, he moved to the St. George Dragons in 1997. He played there until 1998. In 1998, he scored 20 tries in 22 games, which was a huge achievement!

Becoming a Try-Scoring Star

In 1999, the St. George Dragons joined with another team to form the St. George Illawarra Dragons. Nathan continued to play for this new team. He played on the wing in the 1999 NRL Grand Final, which is a very important championship game.

From 1999 to 2001, Nathan Blacklock was the top try-scorer in the National Rugby League. This means he scored more tries than anyone else for three years in a row! This was a very rare achievement in Australian rugby league. He was also the first player ever to score 20 or more tries in four seasons in a row.

• In 1999, he scored 24 tries in 24 games.
• In 2000, he scored 25 tries in 26 games.
• In 2001, he scored an incredible 27 tries in 28 games.

Playing for Australia

Because of his amazing try-scoring, Nathan was chosen to play for the Australian team in 2001. This is a huge honor for any player. He scored two tries in his first game for Australia against Papua New Guinea. He also played another international game against Great Britain.

A Short Switch to Rugby Union

In 2002, Nathan decided to try playing rugby union for a short time. He joined the New South Wales Waratahs team. However, he soon returned to the St. George Illawarra Dragons in 2003. He quickly showed his skill again, scoring 14 tries in just 12 games!

In 2004, injuries kept him off the field for some time. But he still helped the Dragons, scoring important tries in key games.

Nathan's Impressive NRL Stats

From 1997 to 2004, Nathan Blacklock played 137 games for the St. George clubs. He scored 120 tries and kicked 14 goals, adding up to 508 points. This shows he had one of the best try-scoring rates in rugby league history. In his entire career from 1995 to 2004, he played 142 first-grade games, scoring 121 tries and 14 goals for a total of 512 points.

Playing in England

At the end of 2004, Nathan Blacklock moved to England. He joined the Super League team Hull F.C.. In his first season with Hull F.C., he scored 22 tries. He even scored three tries in one game twice!

He played a key role for Hull F.C. in their 2005 Challenge Cup Final victory. This was a big win against the Leeds Rhinos.

Retirement from Football

In August 2006, Nathan had to retire from all forms of football. This was because of a serious knee injury. He had planned to retire at the end of the season anyway, but his injury meant he had to stop sooner.

Nathan said he was sad to stop playing. He felt he couldn't give 100% anymore because of his injuries. He thanked everyone at Hull F.C. and wished them well. His coach, Peter Sharp, praised Nathan's amazing career and all his achievements.

After retiring from professional rugby, Nathan still played a few games for local teams. In 2009, he played two games for the Tuggeranong Vikings. He also played for the Muswellbrook Rams.