Wade Graham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Wade Graham

Personal information
Born	(1990-10-25) 25 October 1990 (age 34) Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Height	186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	106 kg (16 st 10 lb)
Position	Second-row, Five-eighth
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2008–10 Penrith Panthers 42 9 0 0 36 2011–23 Cronulla Sharks 255 41 0 2 166 Total 297 50 0 2 202 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2012–19 Prime Minister's XIII 2 0 0 0 0 2013–15 NSW City Origin 2 0 0 0 0 2016–20 Indigenous All Stars 3 0 0 0 0 2016–19 New South Wales 6 0 0 0 0 2017–19 Australia 8 4 0 0 16 2019 Australia 9s 4 0 0 0 0

Wade Graham (born 25 October 1990) is a former professional rugby league player from Australia. He played as a forward and was the captain for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the National Rugby League (NRL). Wade also represented his country, Australia, in international games.

Before joining the Sharks, Graham played for the Penrith Panthers from 2008 to 2010. He also played for several representative teams, including the Prime Minister's XIII, City Origin, Indigenous All Stars, and New South Wales in the famous State of Origin series.

Early Life and Rugby Beginnings

Wade Graham was born in Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia. He has Indigenous Australian heritage, specifically from the Bundjalung people.

He started playing junior rugby league for the Blacktown City team. He also went to The Hills Sports High School, which is known for its sports programs. The Penrith Panthers team noticed his talent and signed him.

Wade played for the New South Wales under-16 and under-18 teams. He also played for the Panthers' junior teams, the Harold Matthews and SG Ball squads. In 2008, when he was still only 17 and in high school, he joined the Penrith Panthers' top team.

Wade Graham's NRL Journey

Starting with Penrith Panthers (2008-2010)

Wade Graham made his first appearance in the NRL in 2008. He played for the Penrith Panthers against the St George Illawarra Dragons. In his first year, he played 8 matches for the Panthers.

In 2009, Wade scored his first NRL try in a game against the Wests Tigers. He played 22 matches that season and scored five tries. In 2010, he played 12 matches and scored 4 tries for Penrith. He decided to move to another team to get more regular playing time.

Joining the Cronulla Sharks (2011-2023)

In 2011, Wade Graham joined the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. He played his first game for the Sharks against the Canberra Raiders. In his first season with Cronulla, he played in all 24 of their matches, scoring six tries.

Graham lining up for the Prime Ministers XIII in 2012

In 2012, Wade signed a new contract to stay with the Sharks. He played 15 matches and scored six tries that year.

In 2013, Wade was chosen to play for the NSW City team in the City vs Country Origin match. He also played his 100th NRL career game, scoring a try in the match.

In 2014, Wade continued to play well for the Sharks. He signed another contract to stay with the team until the end of the 2017 season. He played 19 matches and scored five tries that year.

Captaincy and Premiership Win (2015-2017)

In 2015, Wade Graham became a captain for the Sharks in some games, especially when the regular captain, Paul Gallen, was injured. He played in all 26 of the Sharks' matches that season and scored four tries. He was also selected to play for the Indigenous All Stars team.

In 2016, Wade played for the Indigenous All Stars again. He also made his debut for New South Wales in the 2016 State of Origin series. This was a big moment in his career.

On 2 October 2016, Wade Graham was part of the Cronulla Sharks team that won the 2016 NRL Grand Final. This was a historic win, as it was the club's very first premiership!

In 2017, Wade was again selected for the 2017 State of Origin series. The Sharks finished 5th in the season but were unfortunately knocked out in the first round of the finals.

Injuries and Return to Form (2018-2020)

In 2018, Wade faced some challenges with injuries. He was out for most of the first half of the season and was not selected for the State of Origin series. Later in the year, he suffered a serious knee injury (torn ACL) which ended his season early.

Wade made a strong return in 2019. He was selected for Game 2 of the 2019 State of Origin series and played a key role in New South Wales' big win. New South Wales went on to win the series, their first back-to-back series win since 2005. Despite injuries limiting him to 10 games for the Sharks, he was named captain of the Australia PM XIII team and selected for the Australian team for the 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s.

In 2020, Wade played 19 games for Cronulla. The team made it to the finals but lost in the elimination round.

Later Career and Retirement (2021-2023)

In 2021, Wade played only 11 games for the Sharks. He decided to end his season early because of several head concussions.

In 2022, Wade played 18 games for Cronulla. The team finished second in the regular season, which was a great achievement. For his work helping other players, Wade received the prestigious Rugby League Players Association Dennis Tutty Award.

On 8 August 2023, Wade Graham announced that he would retire from professional rugby league at the end of the 2023 NRL season. In round 24, he played his 250th game for Cronulla and scored a try. His final game was a close loss in the elimination final against the Sydney Roosters.

Images for kids

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  Graham lining up for the Prime Ministers XIII in 2012