Rhys Wesser facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Full name | Rhys Joseph Wesser | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 31 March 1979 Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia |
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Playing information
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| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 86 kg (13 st 8 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Fullback, Wing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rhys Joseph Wesser (born 31 March 1979) is a former professional rugby league player from Australia. He played as a fullback during his 14 seasons in the NRL. Rhys played for the Penrith Panthers, where he helped them win the 2003 NRL Premiership. He also played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Rhys Wesser holds a club record for the Penrith Panthers with 113 tries. He also represented the Queensland State of Origin team and the Indigenous Dreamtime team.
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Rhys Wesser's Early Life
Rhys Wesser was born in Rockhampton, Queensland. His family background includes Aboriginal and South Sea Islander heritage. As a young boy, he started playing junior rugby league in his hometown. He played for the Rockhampton Brothers club.
When Rhys was 16, he was chosen to play for the Queensland under-17s team. He finished his schooling at Emmaus College in Rockhampton. He also helped his school team win the Mal Meninga Under 19s Cup. Rhys was known for his incredible speed, running 100 metres in about 11 seconds.
Rhys Wesser's Professional Career
Playing for the Penrith Panthers
Rhys Wesser started his professional career in 1998. He moved from Rockhampton to the Blue Mountains area in New South Wales. He joined the Penrith Panthers team. At first, it was hard for him to get a spot in the main team. Another player, Peter Jorgensen, was playing in his position.
Three years later, Rhys got his chance to play in the top team. This happened when Jorgensen left the club. In his first season playing regularly, Rhys scored ten tries. Even though Penrith finished last that year, Rhys showed his talent.
In 2002, Rhys set a new record for the Penrith club. He scored nineteen tries in one season. This included three games where he scored three tries (called hat-tricks). Fans started calling him "Rhys-Lightning" because of his amazing speed. He was great at breaking through the opposing team's defence.
The next season, 2003, Rhys did even better. He scored 25 tries, breaking his own record. This made him the player who scored the most tries as a fullback in Australian rugby league history for a single season. The Panthers had a fantastic year. They won their second premiership title, beating the Sydney Roosters in the 2003 NRL grand final. Rhys played as the fullback in this big game.
After winning the 2003 NRL Premiership, the Penrith team travelled to England. They played against the Bradford Bulls, who were the champions of the Super League. This game was called the 2004 World Club Challenge. Rhys played as fullback in this match, but the Panthers lost 22–4.
In 2004, Rhys's try-scoring numbers went down a bit. This was partly because Amos Roberts joined the team. However, Rhys still managed to score thirteen tries that season.
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Rhys was chosen to play for Queensland in the 2004 State of Origin series. This is a very important series of games between Queensland and New South Wales.
In 2008, Rhys Wesser was selected for the Aboriginal team. They played an exhibition game against the New Zealand Māori team. This game was part of the official opening for the 2008 World Cup.
Later in 2008, Rhys announced he would be leaving the Panthers. He signed a two-year deal to join the South Sydney Rabbitohs for the 2009 season. Rhys's 113 tries for Penrith is still the most tries scored by any player for the club.
Playing for the South Sydney Rabbitohs
Rhys's time with the South Sydney Rabbitohs started with some bad luck. In only his second game with the team in 2009, he injured his knee. This kept him off the field for a while.
He made his return to playing in the 2010 NRL season. Rhys continued to play for the Rabbitohs.
On 12 August 2011, Rhys Wesser announced that he would retire from rugby league. He planned to finish playing at the end of that season. Unfortunately, he couldn't complete his final season. He got another knee injury late in the year, which ended his career.
Images for kids
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Rhys Wesser, a talented rugby league fullback.
