Wayne Richards
Encyclopedia
Wayne Richards is a retired Australia
n rugby league
player. He won the 1997 ARL premiership with the Newcastle Knights
.
in 1991. He remained with the Knights until the end of the 1994 season when he signed with the Illawarra Steelers
in search of regular first team appearances. However, after the 1995 season he returned to Newcastle for the start of the 1996 season.
and the Super League
, Richards played for Newcastle (an ARL loyal club). Newcastle went on to win the Grand Final against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
22-16. Richards started the game at second row
.
, Robbie O'Davis
). Richards pled guilty, receiving a 22 match suspension. Richards was the only one of the three players to be sacked by the club.
after serving his suspension but retired after the 2000 season.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n 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...
player. He won the 1997 ARL premiership with the Newcastle Knights
Newcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
.
1991-1996
Richards made his first grade debut as a replacement player for the Newcastle KnightsNewcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
in 1991. He remained with the Knights until the end of the 1994 season when he signed with the Illawarra Steelers
Illawarra Steelers
The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level Rugby League competition from 1982, when they, along with the Canberra Raiders, were admitted into the then New South Wales Rugby Football...
in search of regular first team appearances. However, after the 1995 season he returned to Newcastle for the start of the 1996 season.
1997
During the 1997 season split between the ARLARL
ARL may refer to:*Admiralty Research Laboratory, a UK military research laboratory.*Aero Research Limited, a UK company involved in the development of aircraft adhesives....
and 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...
, Richards played for Newcastle (an ARL loyal club). Newcastle went on to win the Grand Final against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia...
22-16. Richards started the game at second row
Rugby league positions
A rugby league football team consists of thirteen players on the field, with four substitutes on the bench. Players are divided into two general categories: "forwards" and "backs"....
.
1998
In 1998 Richards was one of three members of the Newcastle Knights 1997 ARL grand final winning side who tested positive for banned steroids (also Adam MacDougallAdam MacDougall
Adam "Mad Dog" MacDougall is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative centre, he has spent the majority of his career at the Newcastle Knights, with whom he won the 1997 and 2001...
, Robbie O'Davis
Robbie O'Davis
Robbie O'Davis is an Australian retired rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He represented Queensland and Australia, and played his entire club career with the Newcastle Knights, with whom he won two premierships.O'Davis' primarily played at fullback though he also occasionally played...
). Richards pled guilty, receiving a 22 match suspension. Richards was the only one of the three players to be sacked by the club.
1999-2000
Richards made a brief comeback with the South Sydney RabbitohsSouth 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...
after serving his suspension but retired after the 2000 season.