Stuart Fielden
Encyclopedia
Stuart Fielden is an English professional rugby league
footballer for Wigan
of Super League
. A Great Britain international representative , or , he previously played club football for Bradford
with whom he won the 2001, 2003 and 2005 Super League Championships before he moved to Wigan in 2006, winning the 2010 Super League Championship with them.
near Hebden Bridge
. It was not until he was in his teens that he started playing rugby league with Halifax amateur side Illingworth
. It was during his time with Illingworth that Bradford signed him.
debut against his hometown club Halifax
in May 1998. He made rapid progress alongside experienced props Joe Vagana
, Brian McDermott
and Paul Anderson and was named Super League
's young player of the year in 2000
in 2005 Fielden narrowly escaped the 2004 Inidan Ocean tsunami
while holidaying in Thailand.
Fielden won numerous honours and trophies while at Bradford, with a trademark aggressive style that saw him establish a reputation as one of the best and most feared frontrowers in the world. In February 2006 he was won his last trophy with Bradford, being named Man of the Match and scoring two tries in the World Club Challenge
match against Wests Tigers
. Many claimed following this match that Stuart was indeed the best prop in the world. He did not miss a game for the club in his last two seasons at Bradford and was an automatic choice for the Great Britain national rugby league team
for the majority of his Bradford career.
In August 2007 he was named in Bradford's team of the Century.
at Wigan
. Wigan and Bradford agreed a transfer fee of £450,000 making it the most expensive cash only transfer of the Super League
era. Stuart made his Wigan debut against Warrington
on 23 June 2006 at the JJB Stadium. He was instrumental in helping his new club to avoid relegation in the remainder of the 2006 season, and he featured in the Tri-Nations
tournament at the end of the season. During this tournament, in a match against Australia, he was involved in an altercation with Australian forward Willie Mason
in which Mason punched Fielden, knocking him out. Since then, Fielden has experienced a considerable drop in form. He has been under pressure from Wigan fans for lack of fire and determination that made him one of the best prop forwards in the world. Many cite burnout as a reason for this - Fielden would regularly play 80 minutes in his younger days, which is unusual for prop forwards who are generally exposed to many tough physical collisions during a game.
In the 2010 season however his form improved with the rest of the team that topped the league for most of the season. His performances have been outstanding in a Wigan team that is again performing well. An iconic moment in the rival of Stuart Fielden happened on Sunday 15 August in a match against Huddersfield
involving a bust up between Fielden and Huddersfield prop Keith Mason
. Mason stamped on Fielden's ankle sparking a brawl which involved 'nearly all 26 players'. Mason seemed to want nothing to do with the incensed Fielden and Darrell Griffin
took the fall for it. Subsequently both men were sin binned. Fielden went onto to have a fantastic game, playing like in his iconic aggressive style whilst at Bradford.
Fielden took part in a boxing match, The Rumble By The Humber, against fellow rugby league player, Lee Radford
which raised in excess of £60,000 for former team-mate Steve Prescott
. He lost the fight after being stopped in the second round.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/6326943.stm
Fielden's 2011 season
began with a slow start. He was ruled out of Wigan's opening fixture against St Helens following a knee operation, but recovered in time for Wigan's next match against Bradford. He did not feature in the World Club Challenge
squad that faced St George Illawarra Dragons
, and on 9 March was confirmed as needing another knee operation which would keep him sidelined for four months.
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 Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
of 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...
. A Great Britain international representative , or , he previously played club football for Bradford
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....
with whom he won the 2001, 2003 and 2005 Super League Championships before he moved to Wigan in 2006, winning the 2010 Super League Championship with them.
Early life
Stuart grew up in the village of Old TownOld Town, West Yorkshire
Old Town is a village in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. Situated on a hilltop above Hebden Bridge and across the Hebden valley from Heptonstall. Both Old Town and nearby Pecket Well are served by Wadsworth Parish Council...
near Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and lies 8 miles west of Halifax and 14 miles north east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the River Hebden .A 2004 profile of...
. It was not until he was in his teens that he started playing rugby league with Halifax amateur side Illingworth
Illingworth
-People:*Frederick Illingworth, Australian politician.*John Illingworth, English footballer*Nigel Illingworth, English cricketer*Ray Illingworth, English cricketer.*Richard Illingworth, English cricketer.*Simon Illingworth, Australian anti-corruption spokesman....
. It was during his time with Illingworth that Bradford signed him.
Bradford Bulls (1998–2006)
Stuart made his BradfordBradford 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....
debut against his hometown club Halifax
Halifax RLFC
Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town...
in May 1998. He made rapid progress alongside experienced props Joe Vagana
Joe Vagana
Joe Vagana is a former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. During his career Vagana played for the Auckland Warriors and the Bradford Bulls and also represented both Samoa and New Zealand in international competition...
, Brian McDermott
Brian McDermott
Brian G. McDermott is an English professional rugby league football coach and former player. He started as Head Coach of Harlequins RL of Super League on 8 July 2006 and departs on 4 September 2010.-Biography:...
and Paul Anderson and was named 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...
's young player of the year in 2000
in 2005 Fielden narrowly escaped the 2004 Inidan Ocean tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
while holidaying in Thailand.
Fielden won numerous honours and trophies while at Bradford, with a trademark aggressive style that saw him establish a reputation as one of the best and most feared frontrowers in the world. In February 2006 he was won his last trophy with Bradford, being named Man of the Match and scoring two tries in 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...
match against 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...
. Many claimed following this match that Stuart was indeed the best prop in the world. He did not miss a game for the club in his last two seasons at Bradford and was an automatic choice for the Great Britain national rugby league team
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
for the majority of his Bradford career.
In August 2007 he was named in Bradford's team of the Century.
Wigan Warriors (2006–present)
On 22 June 2006 Stuart make a shock switch from Bradford to join his old coach Brian NobleBrian Noble (rugby league)
Brian 'Nobby' D. Noble is an English former rugby league footballer. Noble is also the former coach of the Great Britain National Rugby League team. He was also the captain of the 1984 Great Britain touring team to Australia...
at Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
. Wigan and Bradford agreed a transfer fee of £450,000 making it the most expensive cash only transfer of the 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...
era. Stuart made his Wigan debut against Warrington
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
on 23 June 2006 at the JJB Stadium. He was instrumental in helping his new club to avoid relegation in the remainder of the 2006 season, and he featured in the Tri-Nations
Rugby League Tri-Nations
The Rugby League Tri-Nations was a rugby league tournament involving the top three nations in the sport: Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand...
tournament at the end of the season. During this tournament, in a match against Australia, he was involved in an altercation with Australian forward Willie Mason
Willie Mason
William Marshall "Willie" Mason is an Australian professional rugby union footballer for Toulon in the Top 14 competition, having previously being a rugby league footballer for Hull KR in the European Super League.Mason signed a 3-year contract with Hull KR in September 2010, pending a successful...
in which Mason punched Fielden, knocking him out. Since then, Fielden has experienced a considerable drop in form. He has been under pressure from Wigan fans for lack of fire and determination that made him one of the best prop forwards in the world. Many cite burnout as a reason for this - Fielden would regularly play 80 minutes in his younger days, which is unusual for prop forwards who are generally exposed to many tough physical collisions during a game.
In the 2010 season however his form improved with the rest of the team that topped the league for most of the season. His performances have been outstanding in a Wigan team that is again performing well. An iconic moment in the rival of Stuart Fielden happened on Sunday 15 August in a match against Huddersfield
Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....
involving a bust up between Fielden and Huddersfield prop Keith Mason
Keith Mason
Keith Mason may refer to:* Keith Mason , judge in New South Wales, Australia* Keith Mason , English born professional rugby league footballer...
. Mason stamped on Fielden's ankle sparking a brawl which involved 'nearly all 26 players'. Mason seemed to want nothing to do with the incensed Fielden and Darrell Griffin
Darrell Griffin
Darrell Griffin is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Leeds Rhinos of Super League. An England international representative prop forward, his former clubs include Oxford Cavaliers, London Broncos, Wakefield Trinity Wildcats and Huddersfield Giants.He is notable as being a top...
took the fall for it. Subsequently both men were sin binned. Fielden went onto to have a fantastic game, playing like in his iconic aggressive style whilst at Bradford.
Fielden took part in a boxing match, The Rumble By The Humber, against fellow rugby league player, Lee Radford
Lee Radford
Lee Radford is an English professional rugby league footballer with Hull of Super League. An England representative second-row forward, he previously played for the Bradford Bulls....
which raised in excess of £60,000 for former team-mate Steve Prescott
Steve Prescott
Stephen Prescott MBE , is an English former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s.Son of Eric Prescott, a formidable forward with St Helens in the 1970s, Steve Prescott played for St. Helens in the Rugby League Premiership and the Super League, and for Hull and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats...
. He lost the fight after being stopped in the second round.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/6326943.stm
Fielden's 2011 season
2011 Wigan Warriors season
The 2011 Wigan Warriors season is the club's 16th season in the Super League, since its launch in 1996.Michael Maguire carried on as head coach in what would be his last season, and Ian Lenagan continued as the club's chairman and owner. Wigan reverted to using a solo captain in Sean O'Loughlin,...
began with a slow start. He was ruled out of Wigan's opening fixture against St Helens following a knee operation, but recovered in time for Wigan's next match against Bradford. He did not feature in the World Club Challenge
2011 World Club Challenge
The 2011 World Club Challenge was contested by Super League XV champions, Wigan Warriors, and 2010 NRL Premiers, the St. George Illawarra Dragons...
squad that faced St George Illawarra Dragons
St George Illawarra Dragons
The St George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing the St. George and Illawarra regions. They have competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 as a joint venture between Sydney's historic St. George Dragons club and 1982 expansion club, the...
, and on 9 March was confirmed as needing another knee operation which would keep him sidelined for four months.