Marcus Bai
Encyclopedia
Marcus Bai is a Papua New Guinea
n former rugby league
footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. Primarily a winger, he played his final season in 2006 for English
Super League
team Bradford Bulls
. He is the only man to win the World Club Challenge
with three different clubs. In 2005 he was minutes away from being the first person to win all of the major domestic competitions in both Australia and England (NRL, Super League, World Club Championship, League Leaders Shield & Challenge Cup) however Hull struck with minutes to go in the Challenge Cup final to deny Leeds the cup and him a place in the history books. It was his mistake that ultimately gifted Hull the cup.
as a schoolboy in West New Britain
. A Papua New Guinea international, he has represented his country on numerous occasions including at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup
. He began his career playing for the Port Moresby Vipers
in Australia.
in Australia. He played the final 18 games of the season scoring 5 tries. That year he was selected to play for the Rest of the World side to play a match against an ARL
test side. Although his spell for the Gold Coast was a brief one, it allowed Bai to make a name for himself, while in the process prompting Melbourne Storm
to sign him in 1998 in their inaugural season.
winning side in which he played in every game. In 2000 Marcus Bai again represented his country this time at the 2000 Rugby League World Cup
playing in all four of his countries games and scoring three tries. That year for the Storm, Bai was hampered by injuries, including being cut on his right arm by the steel advertising boards. In all he spent six years playing for the Melbourne Storm, playing 144 first grade games and scoring a total of 70 tries.
club the Leeds Rhinos
. His debut for the club was against Castleford Tigers
on the Boxing Day Festive Challenge during which he scored a try after coming off the bench. His full first team debut came against the London Broncos on the opening day of the 2004 Super League season. He announced his arrival at the club in the best possible fashion, by scoring a hat-trick on his full debut in front of the Leeds Rhinos home crowd. Marcus Bai had become an instant hit with the Leeds fans. Later that year in his first full season for Leeds, Marcus Bai scored a hat-trick in the grand final eliminator which helped Leeds on their way to booking their place at Old Trafford
.
In 2005, Bai was again impressive making 32 appearances and scoring 19 tries in all competitions. In all he spent two full seasons with Leeds making 63 appearances and scoring 45 tries including four hat-tricks. He is currently just one of seven players to win a Grand Final in the premier Rugby League competitions in both European Super League
and Australian National Rugby League
. He helped Leeds to their 2004 Grand Final success against the Bradford Bulls and was also in the Leeds side that lost a year later in the Grand Final ironically to the Bradford Bulls.
Bai left the Leeds Rhinos after spending two successful years with them. He penned a contract with the Bradford Bulls for the 2006 Super League
season.
career off to a good start by scoring two tries on his debut in the 2006 World Club Challenge
match against the Wests Tigers
in which Bradford won 30-10. At the end of his first season with the Bulls, Marcus was awarded the Best Back of the Year Award by the club. Marcus signed a one-year extension to his contract at Bradford in 2006 which would have kept him at Grattan Stadium until the end of 2007, however in December Marcus announced his retirement from the sport with immediate effect.
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...
n former rugby league
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 of the 1990s and 2000s. Primarily a winger, he played his final season in 2006 for English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
team Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
. He is the only man to win the World Club Challenge
World Club Challenge
The World Club Challenge is an annual rugby league football match held between the champions of the Australasian National Rugby League and the European Super League competitions to determine the world's best rugby league club...
with three different clubs. In 2005 he was minutes away from being the first person to win all of the major domestic competitions in both Australia and England (NRL, Super League, World Club Championship, League Leaders Shield & Challenge Cup) however Hull struck with minutes to go in the Challenge Cup final to deny Leeds the cup and him a place in the history books. It was his mistake that ultimately gifted Hull the cup.
Playing career
Astonishingly Marcus Bai never played junior rugby league at any level, although he did play Australian rules footballAustralian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
as a schoolboy in West New Britain
West New Britain
West New Britain is a province of Papua New Guinea on the islands of New Britain. The provincial capital is Kimbe. The area of the province in 21,000 km², and there are 184,508 inhabitants . West New Britain produces palm oil for export...
. A Papua New Guinea international, he has represented his country on numerous occasions including at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup
1995 Rugby League World Cup
The 1995 Rugby League World Cup was held during October in the United Kingdom. It was the eleventh staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was marketed as the Halifax Centenary World Cup, reflecting the tournament's sponsorship and the fact that 1995 marked the 100th birthday of the sport...
. He began his career playing for the Port Moresby Vipers
Port Moresby Vipers
The Port Moresby Vipers are a Papua New Guinean rugby league team from Port Moresby. They competed in the Panasonic Cup in 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989 and the Queensland Cup competition in 1996 and 1997. Due to the cost of transportation to and from Australia they were not invited to compete in the...
in Australia.
Hull
He began his professional career playing for Hull in England where he made eight appearances for them in 1997.Gold Coast Chargers
Then moved to the Gold Coast ChargersGold Coast Chargers
Gold Coast were a professional Rugby league football club which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from 1988 to 1994, the Australian Rugby League premiership from 1995 to 1997, and the National Rugby League premiership in 1998...
in Australia. He played the final 18 games of the season scoring 5 tries. That year he was selected to play for the Rest of the World side to play a match against an ARL
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
test side. Although his spell for the Gold Coast was a brief one, it allowed Bai to make a name for himself, while in the process prompting Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
to sign him in 1998 in their inaugural season.
Melbourne Storm
He was named Dally M Winger of the Year in his first year at the Melbourne Storm. In his second season for Melbourne, he was part of the 1999 National Rugby LeagueNational 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...
winning side in which he played in every game. In 2000 Marcus Bai again represented his country this time at the 2000 Rugby League World Cup
2000 Rugby League World Cup
The 2000 Rugby League World Cup was the twelfth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was held during October and November of that year in Great Britain, Ireland and France...
playing in all four of his countries games and scoring three tries. That year for the Storm, Bai was hampered by injuries, including being cut on his right arm by the steel advertising boards. In all he spent six years playing for the Melbourne Storm, playing 144 first grade games and scoring a total of 70 tries.
Leeds Rhinos
After displaying his ability with some impressive performances for Melbourne Storm, Bai transferred to English Super LeagueSuper League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
club the Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
. His debut for the club was against Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
on the Boxing Day Festive Challenge during which he scored a try after coming off the bench. His full first team debut came against the London Broncos on the opening day of the 2004 Super League season. He announced his arrival at the club in the best possible fashion, by scoring a hat-trick on his full debut in front of the Leeds Rhinos home crowd. Marcus Bai had become an instant hit with the Leeds fans. Later that year in his first full season for Leeds, Marcus Bai scored a hat-trick in the grand final eliminator which helped Leeds on their way to booking their place at Old Trafford
Old Trafford (football)
Old Trafford is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 75,811, Old Trafford is the second-largest football stadium in England after Wembley, the third-largest in the United Kingdom and the eleventh-largest in Europe...
.
In 2005, Bai was again impressive making 32 appearances and scoring 19 tries in all competitions. In all he spent two full seasons with Leeds making 63 appearances and scoring 45 tries including four hat-tricks. He is currently just one of seven players to win a Grand Final in the premier Rugby League competitions in both European Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
and Australian 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...
. He helped Leeds to their 2004 Grand Final success against the Bradford Bulls and was also in the Leeds side that lost a year later in the Grand Final ironically to the Bradford Bulls.
Bai left the Leeds Rhinos after spending two successful years with them. He penned a contract with the Bradford Bulls for the 2006 Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
season.
Bradford Bulls
Bai got his Bradford BullsBradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
career off to a good start by scoring two tries on his debut in the 2006 World Club Challenge
2006 World Club Challenge
The 2006 World Club Challenge was a Rugby League match held on Friday, 3 February, 2006, at Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield, UK. The game was contested by Bradford Bulls and Wests Tigers.-Bradford Bulls:...
match against 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...
in which Bradford won 30-10. At the end of his first season with the Bulls, Marcus was awarded the Best Back of the Year Award by the club. Marcus signed a one-year extension to his contract at Bradford in 2006 which would have kept him at Grattan Stadium until the end of 2007, however in December Marcus announced his retirement from the sport with immediate effect.