Rod Silva facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Full name | Rodney Silva | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 10 December 1967 Penrith, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 84 kg (13 st 3 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing information
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| Position | Fullback | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 23 October 2019
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| Relatives | Braidon Burns (nephew) Anthony Mundine (nephew) |
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Rodney "Rocket" Silva is a famous Australian former professional rugby league player. He played in the 1980s and 1990s. Rodney is known for playing with the Eastern Suburbs and Canterbury-Bankstown teams. He is also of Indigenous Australian background.
Contents
Playing Rugby League
Early Career with Eastern Suburbs
Rodney Silva started his rugby league journey with the Eastern Suburbs team. He played for them from 1988 to 1994. His very first top-level game was in 1988. This game was against the Gold Coast Giants at Seagulls Stadium.
In 1993, Rodney was recognized as the best fullback in the league. He won the Dally M Fullback of the Year award. However, things changed in 1995. A new coach, Phil Gould, joined Eastern Suburbs. He moved Rodney to a lower team. Eventually, Rodney left the club.
Joining the Canterbury Bulldogs
In the middle of the 1995 season, Rodney Silva joined the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. He quickly became their main fullback. That same year, he helped the Bulldogs win the Grand Final. He even scored the final try in their big win against Manly-Warringah.
Grand Final Moments
In the 1998 NRL season, Rodney played 13 games for Canterbury. The team finished ninth but still made it to the finals. They had to win four tough elimination games in a row. One of their most famous wins was against their rivals, Parramatta.
This game is remembered as one of the greatest comebacks ever. Canterbury was losing 2—18 with less than 10 minutes left. But they scored three quick tries, including one by Rodney Silva. This sent the game into extra time. Canterbury then won the match 32—20.
The next week, Rodney played fullback in the 1998 NRL Grand Final. However, Canterbury lost that game to the Brisbane Broncos. Rodney also played a key role in Canterbury's Reserve Grade Grand Final win in 2000. This was against the Penrith Panthers.
Retirement from Rugby
Rodney Silva stopped playing professional rugby league in 2001. He is known as one of the last NRL players who also worked as a police officer.
Notes
