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 from an Indigenous Australian background. He played for two main teams: the Eastern Suburbs and the Canterbury-Bankstown.
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Rodney Silva's Rugby League Journey
Rodney Silva started his professional rugby league career with the Eastern Suburbs team. He played for them from 1988 to 1994. His very first game in the top league was in 1988. This game was against the Gold Coast Giants.
Top Player Recognition
In 1993, Rodney Silva was recognized as one of the best players. He won the Dally M Fullback of the Year award. This award goes to the best player in the fullback position.
Moving to the Bulldogs
In 1995, things changed for Silva at Eastern Suburbs. He then joined the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. He quickly became an important player for them. 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
Rodney Silva played a key role in the 1998 NRL season. The Canterbury team finished ninth but made it to the finals. They won four tough elimination games in a row. One of their most famous wins was against the Parramatta team.
The Great Comeback
In that game against Parramatta, Canterbury was losing badly. They were down 2–18 with less than 10 minutes left. But they made an amazing comeback! Canterbury scored three tries, and one of them was by Silva. This sent the game into extra time. They ended up winning 32–20. This comeback is still talked about today.
1998 Grand Final
The week after the big comeback, Silva played as fullback in the 1998 NRL Grand Final. However, Canterbury lost this final game to the Brisbane Broncos.
Retirement from Rugby League
Rodney Silva also helped Canterbury win the Reserve Grade Grand Final in 2000. He stopped playing professional rugby league in 2001. It's interesting to know that he was one of the last NRL players who also worked as a police officer.
