John Skandalis
Encyclopedia
John Skandalis is an Australian professional rugby league
footballer for the Wests Tigers
of the NRL. He played previously for the Western Suburbs Magpies
and Huddersfield Giants
. Skandalis primarily plays at prop forward.
on May 17. He scored the first try for the Wests Tigers in 2000.
Skandalis was known for his workhorse attitude and his never say die approach to rugby league and as the years progressed his performances gradually caught the attention of representative selectors. This was seen in both the 2002 and 2004 seasons where Skandalis was dually awarded with his first representative call up for City team in the annual City v. Country fixture. Skandalis was named the Wests Tigers' player of the year in 2002.
Skandalis was a member of the Wests Tigers
team which won the 2005 NRL Grand Final
against the Cowboys. He was named in the Big League
team of the year for the 2005 NRL season.
Skandalis holds the record for the most first grade games for the Wests Tigers
with 185 appearances. He had previously played 64 games for Wests Magpies
before the club merged.
On 14 June 2006, Skandalis signed a two-year contract to play in Super League
with the Huddersfield Giants
, starting from the 2007 season.
In 2008, Skandalis was made vice-captain of the squad, alongside Ryan Hudson
. He led the team out against Wigan when regular captain Chris Thorman
was injured.
Skandalis returned to Australia at the end of the 2008 season following a knee injury, picked up early in the season, which prevented him from participating further. Skandalis took up a post with Wests Tigers Youth Development.
In 2009, Skandalis was named in the Wests Magpies NSW Cup side, but was recalled to the Wests Tigers team from round 11, after injuries to other players. He remained in the first grade team for the rest of the season.
After the end of the 2009 season, Skandalis announced he would be retiring and taking up the position of strength and conditioning coach with the Wests Tigers NYC team. However, Skandalis returned to play for the Magpies in the middle of the 2010 season, and then, in July, made a shock comeback with the Tigers, coach Tim Sheens
saying, "I can't get rid of the guy." Playing another 5 games, he fell just short of making his 250th NRL appearance. He is the oldest player to have played at the club, being 34 years and 73 days old in his last appearance for the club.
Skandalis has been made a life member of the Western Suburbs club.
Skandalis' Greek heritage made him eligible to represent Greece
, which he did as captain. He played for Greece in the 2009 Australian Mediterranean Shield. Greece won the final 34-14 against Italy.
burnt down when John was six, causing the family to move to Ashfield
, and later Minto
.
Skandalis' mother died when he was in his teens, leaving his father to raise Skandalis and his sisters. He was "taken in" by Josie McGuinness, the mother of Kevin
and Ken McGuinness
, who, he says, "treated him like [a] son."
The inaugural "Philips Sports Dad of the Year" was awarded to Skandalis in late 2009, narrowly defeating Brett Kimmorley
. He donated the money to the Starlight Children's Foundation.
Skandalis has been involved in the Macquarie Fields Finding Jobs, Changing Lives program, helping troubled youth from the Macquarie Fields
area.
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 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...
of the NRL. He played previously for the Western Suburbs Magpies
Western Suburbs Magpies
The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
and Huddersfield Giants
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....
. Skandalis primarily plays at prop forward.
Playing career
Skandalis was the last original Western Suburbs player remaining at the Wests Tigers club after the merger in 2000. He signed on for the Magpies in the early 1990s after playing out his junior years with the Minto Cobras, and attending Sarah Redfern High School. His first grade debut came in round 9 of the 1996 season against the Penrith PanthersPenrith 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...
on May 17. He scored the first try for the Wests Tigers in 2000.
Skandalis was known for his workhorse attitude and his never say die approach to rugby league and as the years progressed his performances gradually caught the attention of representative selectors. This was seen in both the 2002 and 2004 seasons where Skandalis was dually awarded with his first representative call up for City team in the annual City v. Country fixture. Skandalis was named the Wests Tigers' player of the year in 2002.
Skandalis was a member of the 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...
team which won the 2005 NRL Grand Final
2005 NRL Grand Final
The 2005 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2005 National Rugby League season. It was played on the night of Sunday, 2 October at Sydney's Telstra Stadium between 4th-placed Wests Tigers and 5th-placed North Queensland Cowboys, the only two clubs in the...
against the Cowboys. He was named in the Big League
Big League
Big League is the official magazine of the National Rugby League and that of the NRL's forerunners, the New South Wales Rugby League and Australian Rugby League competitions. Its predecessor, The Rugby League News, was first published in 1920; in 1974 it was rebadged as Big League.It also serves as...
team of the year for the 2005 NRL season.
Skandalis holds the record for the most first grade games for the 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...
with 185 appearances. He had previously played 64 games for Wests Magpies
Western Suburbs Magpies
The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
before the club merged.
On 14 June 2006, Skandalis signed a two-year contract to play in 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...
with the Huddersfield Giants
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....
, starting from the 2007 season.
In 2008, Skandalis was made vice-captain of the squad, alongside Ryan Hudson
Ryan Hudson
Ryan Hudson is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Castleford Tigers of Super League. His position is hooker and he is the captain of the Tigers...
. He led the team out against Wigan when regular captain Chris Thorman
Chris Thorman
Christopher Thorman is a professional rugby league player currently playing for York City Knights in the Co-Operative Championship]and previously Hull in the Engage Super League...
was injured.
Skandalis returned to Australia at the end of the 2008 season following a knee injury, picked up early in the season, which prevented him from participating further. Skandalis took up a post with Wests Tigers Youth Development.
In 2009, Skandalis was named in the Wests Magpies NSW Cup side, but was recalled to the Wests Tigers team from round 11, after injuries to other players. He remained in the first grade team for the rest of the season.
After the end of the 2009 season, Skandalis announced he would be retiring and taking up the position of strength and conditioning coach with the Wests Tigers NYC team. However, Skandalis returned to play for the Magpies in the middle of the 2010 season, and then, in July, made a shock comeback with the Tigers, coach Tim Sheens
Tim Sheens
Tim Sheens is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He currently coaches the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League and in 2009 was appointed coach of the Australian national team, the Kangaroos...
saying, "I can't get rid of the guy." Playing another 5 games, he fell just short of making his 250th NRL appearance. He is the oldest player to have played at the club, being 34 years and 73 days old in his last appearance for the club.
Skandalis has been made a life member of the Western Suburbs club.
Skandalis' Greek heritage made him eligible to represent Greece
Greece national rugby league team
The Greece national rugby league team represents Greece in rugby league football. The team has been participating in international competition since 2003, and have since become an affiliate member of the Rugby League International Federation.-History:...
, which he did as captain. He played for Greece in the 2009 Australian Mediterranean Shield. Greece won the final 34-14 against Italy.
Personal life
The Skandalis family home in Lightning RidgeLightning Ridge, New South Wales
Lightning Ridge is a town in north-western New South Wales, Australia, in Walgett Shire, near the southern border of Queensland. The Lightning Ridge area is a world epicentre of the mining of black opals and other opal gemstones. Lightning Ridge has the largest known deposits of black opals in the...
burnt down when John was six, causing the family to move to Ashfield
Ashfield, New South Wales
Ashfield is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Ashfield is about 9 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield.The official name for the...
, and later Minto
Minto, New South Wales
Minto is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Minto is located 48 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur region.-History:...
.
Skandalis' mother died when he was in his teens, leaving his father to raise Skandalis and his sisters. He was "taken in" by Josie McGuinness, the mother of Kevin
Kevin McGuinness
Kevin McGuinness is an Indigenous Australian retired professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He played for Salford City Reds in the UK Super League, the Western Suburbs Magpies, Wests Tigers and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in the Australian National Rugby League competition...
and Ken McGuinness
Ken McGuinness
Ken McGuinness is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He played club football for the Western Suburbs Magpies, Wests Tigers and North Queensland Cowboys...
, who, he says, "treated him like [a] son."
The inaugural "Philips Sports Dad of the Year" was awarded to Skandalis in late 2009, narrowly defeating Brett Kimmorley
Brett Kimmorley
Brett "Noddy" Kimmorley was an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the NRL. He has previously played for five other clubs and has also represented his country and state on several occasions...
. He donated the money to the Starlight Children's Foundation.
Skandalis has been involved in the Macquarie Fields Finding Jobs, Changing Lives program, helping troubled youth from the Macquarie Fields
Macquarie Fields, New South Wales
Macquarie Fields is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Macquarie Fields is located 42 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur region.Macquarie Fields has a mix...
area.