Matt Prior (rugby league)
 | ||||||
| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Prior | |||||
| Born | 25 May 1987 Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia | |||||
| Height | 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) | |||||
| Weight | 106 kg (16 st 10 lb) | |||||
| Playing information | ||||||
| Position | Prop, Lock | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 2008–13 | St. George Illawarra | 120 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| 2014– | Cronulla Sharks | 56 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Total | 176 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 48 | |
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 2011 | NSW Country | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| As of 10 July 2016 | ||||||
| Source: [1] | ||||||
Matthew Prior (born 25 May 1987) is an Australian professional Rugby League footballer who plays for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL competition. He was a member of the St George Illawarra Dragons' 2010 and Sharks' 2016 NRL Premership winning teams. He is a versatile forward who plays primarily Second Row but also has played at Prop and Centre.
Playing career
Prior started at St George Illawarra in 2006, making his NRL debut in round 5 of the 2008 season. In 2010 he was a member of the Dragons' premiership winning side and he played in their 2010 NRL Grand Final victory. That year he signed for a further three years with the club and he played with them till the end of 2013.[2]
On 13 January 2011, Prior was named in the "Blues in waiting" squad. He attended a three-day camp at Homebush January 2013 co-ordinated by coach Ricky Stuart for players deemed to have potential to feature in future New South Wales Origin teams.[3]
In Round 9, 2012 he was sent off for striking Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston with his elbow, with his charge referred directly to the judiciary.[4] He was suspended for five weeks over the incident.[5] After the incident Prior was moved to the interchange bench for the St. George Illawara Dragons.
For the 2014 season Prior moved to the Cronulla Sharks. He was a regular member of their first grade team and in 2016 played a pivotal role in their push as premiership contenders. He gave a man of the match performance in their qualifying semi-final match against the Canberra Raiders and played in their semi-final victory over the North Queensland Cowboys to earn a place in the 2016 NRL Grand Final.
Personal life
Prior was born in Wollongong in New South Wales and went to school at Bulli High School. Priza is a life Member of The Thrirroul Trashers.
Notes
- ↑ Rugby League Project
- ↑ MATT PRIOR RE-SIGNS WITH DRAGONS. dragons.com.au. 22 March 2010
- ↑ "Stuart names Blues in waiting". SMH. 2011-01-13.
- ↑ Prior to face judiciary for Thurston hit – ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- ↑ Prior gets five weeks for Thurston hit – ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)