William Zillman
Encyclopedia
William Gary Zillman is an Australian professional rugby league
footballer who played for the Canberra Raiders
and is contracted with the Gold Coast Titans
for the 2009 season.
in South Brisbane he played five years of rugby union
, captaining the 1st XV side in his final year at college. Playing at outside-center in union, Zillman was selected in the 2003 Queensland Schoolboys Squad and from the national tournament was selected to represent his country in the 2003 Australian Schoolboys Tour.
The following year after his high school success, Zillman returned to rugby league to play with the Canberra Raiders
Queensland-based feeder club the Souths Logan Magpies. Zillman's strong performances with the magpies saw him offered a junior contract with the Canberra Raiders to play in the Jersey Flegg Cup
& Premier League with an opportunity to move up into the National Rugby League. Zillman performed well playing down in Canberra and was rewarded with the significant starting role of five-eight in the Queensland Under-19s Squad in a 2005 State of Origin
curtain-raiser. More representative honours came Zillman's way as he was a vital member of Canberra’s finals campaign in Premier League, earning him selection in the 2005 Junior Kangaroos and the Australian Invitational XIII as a fullback.
. His first grade debut in the National Rugby League was against the Newcastle Knights
in Round 2 of 2006 at Canberra Stadium. At 19 years of age Zillman was named in the starting squad at Fullback and although scoring two tries on debut the Raiders went down 70-32 in a record-breaking thrashing at the hands of Newcastle. Coach at the time Matthew Elliott named Zillman on the bench for Round 4 & Round 5 of the 2006 season, but Zillman played the remainder of the season back in Premier League as he was stuck behind Canberra's first-choice full-back Clinton Schifcofske
, who was the current captain at the time and a Queensland State of Origin
representative. In credit to Zillman, Schifcofske had a stellar year winning the Dally M Fullback of the Year which didn't help Zillman break into first grade. The young Queenslander didn't let this set-back get in the way of his rugby as he shone as a stand-out player in the Premier League amassing 17 tries in the season and securing another Australian jersey through selection in the 2006 Junior Kangaroos. When Shifcofske announced during the middle of the 2006 season he had made the decision to switch codes to sign with rugby union club the Queensland Reds
for the 2007 season, the opportunity to once-again play in the NRL arose.
After Schifcofskes' departure, Zillman was set to cement his place in the Raiders starting line-up during the 2007 season
. In his second match of the year in Round 3, Zillman scored a hat-trick
of tries in the Raiders 48-18 win over the Newcastle Knights, ironically the team that served a thrashing to Zillman in his NRL debut the previous year. Zillman continued to impress with his solid and consistent form, starting in 17 matches, scoring 9 tries for a total of 36 points. Then injury woes struck as he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament
against the North Queensland Cowboys
which would require reconstructive surgery and side-line Zillman for the remainder of the season.
The following year would prove catastrophic for the young Queenslander as Zillman re-injured his knee against the Penrith Panthers
in only Round 2 of the 2008 season. At only 21 years of age it was confirmed he would undergo his second knee re-construction in as many seasons and would be ruled out for the entire season. Zillman signed for the Gold Coast Titans
soon after this injury. He played just 24 games for Canberra before leaving even though they spent years developing him and nursing him through his knee injuries.
at the start of the 2009 NRL season on a four year contract worth close to one-million dollars (AUS), he played his first full game for the club in a trial match against the Cronulla Sharks
filling in at fullback for the injured Preston Campbell
. In 2009 he was suspended for four weeks by the NRL judiciary for biting.
and Dane Tilse
for the Naked For A Cause 2008-09 calendar for the McGrath Foundation charity.
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 who played for the Canberra Raiders
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
and is contracted with the Gold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional rugby league football club, based in the Gold Coast, Queensland. The club competes in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership. It is the newest of the sixteen clubs in the league, having commenced its...
for the 2009 season.
Before the NRL
William Zillman played rugby league during his junior years but while studying at St Laurence's CollegeSt Laurence's College
St Laurence's College is an independent, Roman Catholic school for boys located in South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was founded by the Christian Brothers in 1915...
in South Brisbane he played five years of rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, captaining the 1st XV side in his final year at college. Playing at outside-center in union, Zillman was selected in the 2003 Queensland Schoolboys Squad and from the national tournament was selected to represent his country in the 2003 Australian Schoolboys Tour.
The following year after his high school success, Zillman returned to rugby league to play with the Canberra Raiders
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
Queensland-based feeder club the Souths Logan Magpies. Zillman's strong performances with the magpies saw him offered a junior contract with the Canberra Raiders to play in the Jersey Flegg Cup
Jersey Flegg Cup
The Jersey Flegg Cup was a junior rugby league competition played in New South Wales, contested among teams made up of players aged under 20. The competition was administered by the New South Wales Rugby League and run concurrently with the National Rugby League...
& Premier League with an opportunity to move up into the National Rugby League. Zillman performed well playing down in Canberra and was rewarded with the significant starting role of five-eight in the Queensland Under-19s Squad in a 2005 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...
curtain-raiser. More representative honours came Zillman's way as he was a vital member of Canberra’s finals campaign in Premier League, earning him selection in the 2005 Junior Kangaroos and the Australian Invitational XIII as a fullback.
Canberra Raiders
After proving himself with the Raiders Premier League squad and with strong appearances for the junior Queensland & Australian sides, Zillman was rewarded with his first NRL appearance early in the 2006 SeasonNational 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...
. His first grade debut in the National Rugby League was against 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...
in Round 2 of 2006 at Canberra Stadium. At 19 years of age Zillman was named in the starting squad at Fullback and although scoring two tries on debut the Raiders went down 70-32 in a record-breaking thrashing at the hands of Newcastle. Coach at the time Matthew Elliott named Zillman on the bench for Round 4 & Round 5 of the 2006 season, but Zillman played the remainder of the season back in Premier League as he was stuck behind Canberra's first-choice full-back Clinton Schifcofske
Clinton Schifcofske
Clinton Schifcofske is an Australian rugby league footballer for the Crusaders in the European Super League. He has previously played for Irish rugby union club Ulster in the Magners League competition and also he spent a year with Queensland Reds in the Super 14...
, who was the current captain at the time and a Queensland 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...
representative. In credit to Zillman, Schifcofske had a stellar year winning the Dally M Fullback of the Year which didn't help Zillman break into first grade. The young Queenslander didn't let this set-back get in the way of his rugby as he shone as a stand-out player in the Premier League amassing 17 tries in the season and securing another Australian jersey through selection in the 2006 Junior Kangaroos. When Shifcofske announced during the middle of the 2006 season he had made the decision to switch codes to sign with rugby union club the Queensland Reds
Queensland Reds
The Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
for the 2007 season, the opportunity to once-again play in the NRL arose.
After Schifcofskes' departure, Zillman was set to cement his place in the Raiders starting line-up during the 2007 season
National Rugby League season 2007
The 2007 NRL season was the one hundredth season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the tenth run by the National Rugby League...
. In his second match of the year in Round 3, Zillman scored a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
of tries in the Raiders 48-18 win over the Newcastle Knights, ironically the team that served a thrashing to Zillman in his NRL debut the previous year. Zillman continued to impress with his solid and consistent form, starting in 17 matches, scoring 9 tries for a total of 36 points. Then injury woes struck as he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
against the 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...
which would require reconstructive surgery and side-line Zillman for the remainder of the season.
The following year would prove catastrophic for the young Queenslander as Zillman re-injured his knee against the Penrith Panthers
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
in only Round 2 of the 2008 season. At only 21 years of age it was confirmed he would undergo his second knee re-construction in as many seasons and would be ruled out for the entire season. Zillman signed for the Gold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional rugby league football club, based in the Gold Coast, Queensland. The club competes in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership. It is the newest of the sixteen clubs in the league, having commenced its...
soon after this injury. He played just 24 games for Canberra before leaving even though they spent years developing him and nursing him through his knee injuries.
Gold Coast Titans
Zillman joined the Gold Coast TitansGold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional rugby league football club, based in the Gold Coast, Queensland. The club competes in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership. It is the newest of the sixteen clubs in the league, having commenced its...
at the start of the 2009 NRL season on a four year contract worth close to one-million dollars (AUS), he played his first full game for the club in a trial match against the Cronulla Sharks
Cronulla Sharks
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
filling in at fullback for the injured Preston Campbell
Preston Campbell
Preston Campbell, is an Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Gold Coast Titans of the National Rugby League...
. In 2009 he was suspended for four weeks by the NRL judiciary for biting.
Charity Work
Zillman posed with teammates Todd CarneyTodd Carney
Todd Carney is an Australian professional rugby league football player. Carney has represented Australia, Country New South Wales and, in the National Rugby League, the Canberra Raiders between 2003 and 2008, and the Sydney Roosters between 2010 and 2011...
and Dane Tilse
Dane Tilse
Dane Tilse is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Canberra Raiders club, in the National Rugby League . His position of choice is at prop...
for the Naked For A Cause 2008-09 calendar for the McGrath Foundation charity.