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Chris Lawrence (rugby league)
Encyclopedia
Chris Lawrence is an Australian professional rugby league
footballer for the Wests Tigers
of the National Rugby League
(NRL). An Australian international representative centre, he has played his entire career to date with the Tigers and has also represented City New South Wales.
, he played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 2006.
In Round 21 of the 2006 season
he made his debut for the Wests Tigers
against the Brisbane Broncos
up at Suncorp Stadium
. He is the youngest player to have debuted for the Tigers, at 17 years and 283 days old. He scored a try in that match and played in every match for the remainder of the year, picking up two tries in five matches of his rookie season. The following year Lawrence played in eighteen of the Tigers' twenty-five matches as he went on to score sixteen first grade tries.
Lawrence is currently studying Exercise and Sports Science at Sydney University
.
In 2007, Lawrence was selected to tour Papua New Guinea
as a member of the Prime Minister's XIII
.
Lawrence backed up his two try performance in 2007 with another double in 2008 for the PM'S XIII.
Lawrence celebrated his 50th NRL match with two tries in the round 3 game against the Sydney Roosters
on 27 March 2009.
He was selected for City in the City vs Country
match on 8 May 2009, but was unable to play due to injuring his ankle the week before. In 2009
Lawrence was named in the 40 man New South Wales preliminary squad for State of Origin
, but was not selected for any games. The following year he made his debut for City.
Aged just 21, Lawrence scored his 50th try towards the end of the 2010 season. He was named in the Australian squad for the Four Nations
, and scored a try in his international debut against New Zealand in November.
At the start of 2011, Lawrence signed a contract to remain with Wests Tigers until the end of 2015. He started the season with 4 tries from the first 3 matches, but then suffered a dislocated hip that kept him sidelined for over 3 months. A further injury to his hamstring saw Lawrence play in just 9 games for the season, but he was still selected in Australia's Four Nations
squad.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer for the Wests Tigers
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
of the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
(NRL). An Australian international representative centre, he has played his entire career to date with the Tigers and has also represented City New South Wales.
Career
Lawrence played junior football with Eaglevale St Andrews. While attending St Gregory's College, CampbelltownSt Gregory's College, Campbelltown
St Gregory's College is a Catholic, secondary, day and boarding school for boys, located in Campbelltown, a south-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
, he played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 2006.
In Round 21 of the 2006 season
National Rugby League season 2006
The 2006 NRL season was the 99th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the ninth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of teams remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen clubs competing for the 2006 Telstra Premiership...
he made his debut for the Wests Tigers
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
against the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
up at Suncorp Stadium
Suncorp Stadium
Lang Park is the original name of the site located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia, now occupied by the major sports facility known by its sponsorship name, Suncorp Stadium...
. He is the youngest player to have debuted for the Tigers, at 17 years and 283 days old. He scored a try in that match and played in every match for the remainder of the year, picking up two tries in five matches of his rookie season. The following year Lawrence played in eighteen of the Tigers' twenty-five matches as he went on to score sixteen first grade tries.
Lawrence is currently studying Exercise and Sports Science at Sydney University
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
.
In 2007, Lawrence was selected to tour Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
as a member of the Prime Minister's XIII
Prime Minister's XIII
Prime Minister's XIII or the PM's XIII is the name of a representative rugby league team selected on an annual basis by the Prime Minister of Australia that consists of mainly young Australian players drawn from the National Rugby League competition to take on the Papua New Guinea national rugby...
.
Lawrence backed up his two try performance in 2007 with another double in 2008 for the PM'S XIII.
Lawrence celebrated his 50th NRL match with two tries in the round 3 game against the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
on 27 March 2009.
He was selected for City in the City vs Country
City vs Country Origin
City vs Country is an annual Australian rugby league football match that takes place in New South Wales between City and Country representative sides. The City side represents the Sydney metropolitan area...
match on 8 May 2009, but was unable to play due to injuring his ankle the week before. In 2009
2009 Rugby League State of Origin series
The 2009 State of Origin series was the 28th time that the annual three-match series of interstate rugby league football matches between the Queensland and New South Wales representative teams was played under 'State of Origin' selection rules...
Lawrence was named in the 40 man New South Wales preliminary squad for State of Origin
Rugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
, but was not selected for any games. The following year he made his debut for City.
Aged just 21, Lawrence scored his 50th try towards the end of the 2010 season. He was named in the Australian squad for the Four Nations
2010 Rugby League Four Nations
The 2010 Rugby League Four Nations tournament was played in Australia and New Zealand in October and November 2010. The tournament was the second time the Four Nations had been held, following on from the 2009 edition held in England and France....
, and scored a try in his international debut against New Zealand in November.
At the start of 2011, Lawrence signed a contract to remain with Wests Tigers until the end of 2015. He started the season with 4 tries from the first 3 matches, but then suffered a dislocated hip that kept him sidelined for over 3 months. A further injury to his hamstring saw Lawrence play in just 9 games for the season, but he was still selected in Australia's Four Nations
2011 Rugby League Four Nations
The 2011 Rugby League Four Nations tournament was the third staging of the Rugby League Four Nations tournament and was played in England and Wales during October and November of 2011...
squad.