Shannon Hegarty is an Australian 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 for the Jacksonville Axemen

Jacksonville Axemen

-Southeastern Rugby League Championship:In 2011 the Axemen launched a reserve grade competition, the Firehouse Subs Southeastern Rugby League Championship, which acts as a feeder club system for the Axemen to further develop players...

 of the USA Rugby League

USA Rugby League

The USA Rugby League is a semi-professional rugby league football competition based in the United States. The league was founded in 2011 by clubs that had broken with the established American National Rugby League , plus expansion franchises...

. An Australian international and Queensland state of Origin representative three-quarter back, he played club football in 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...

 for 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...

 (with whom he won the 2002 NRL Premiership), South Sydney Rabbitohs

South Sydney Rabbitohs

The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...

 and North Queensland Cowboys

North Queensland Cowboys

The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...

.

Hegarty scored the Roosters' first try in their win over the Warriors in the 2002 NRL grand final

2002 NRL Grand Final

The 2002 NRL season's Grand Final took place on Sunday, 6 October 2002, at Telstra Stadium. 80,130 people saw the Sydney Roosters beat the New Zealand Warriors 30-8. The Clive Churchill Medalist was Craig Fitzgibbon of the Sydney Roosters.- The teams :...

 and went on to victory in England for the resulting 2003 World Club Challenge

2003 World Club Challenge

The 2003 World Club Challenge match was contested on Sunday, 16 February by National Rugby League season 2002 premiers, the Sydney Roosters and Super League VII premiers, St Helens...

. He was then selected to play on the wing for Queensland in every match of the 2003 State of Origin series. Hegarty scored a try whilst playing in the centres for the Roosters in their loss to Penrith in the 2003 NRL grand final

2003 NRL grand final

The 2003 NRL grand final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding match of the 2003 NRL season. In what was a contest of Sydney's east versus west, defending premiers and match favourites, the Sydney Roosters played against minor premiers and underdogs, the Penrith Panthers...

. After that he was selected to go on the 2003 Kangaroo tour

2003 Kangaroo Tour

The 2003 Kangaroo Tour was a six-match tour by the Australia national rugby league team of France, Wales and England. The last three matches were all Tests against Great Britain...

.

He was released from the final year of his playing contract with the Rabbitohs on a mutual agreement. He signed with North Queensland two days later.

External links

• State of Origin Official website Rugby League Player Stats