Leon Bott
Encyclopedia
Leon Bott is an Australian rugby league
and union
player.
in the 2005 season
playing for the Brisbane Broncos
, the club he followed as a boy. He signed with the Brisbane Broncos
for a reported A$20,000 a year and reportedly turned down a contract from the Sydney Roosters
worth around A$350,000 a year. It proved to be worthwhile for Bott who played in 24 games and scored 13 tries for the Broncos including a hat-trick against the St George Dragons in Round 6. At the end of the 2005 season Leon Bott won the Brisbane Broncos 2005
Rookie of the Year Award. He was also nominated for the Dally M Rookie of the Year the same year but missed out to Parramatta Eels
half-back Tim Smith.
The 2006 season would not be as bright for Bott as his rookie season proved to be as he injured his shoulder and struggled to hold down a wing slot at the Broncos due to eventual Brisbane Broncos 2006
Rookie of the Year award winner Darius Boyd
playing very strongly. After such a strong rookie season in 2005 in the NRL he only played once for the Broncos in 2006 and became frusturated being stuck playing with the Broncos feeder club side Toowoomba Clydesdales
in the Queensland Cup
and eventually asked for a release from the Broncos and signed mid-season with the Cronulla Sharks
.
he again asked for a release at the end of the year.
.
, the code he grew up playing at school, to play for Manly RUFC
in the 2009 Shute Shield
season.
Bott played season 2010 for Penrith Emus in the Shute Shield.
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...
and 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...
player.
Early years
Bott attended Lurnea Public School, Lurnea High School and Westfield Sports High School, making the Australian Schoolboys Rugby Union Team in 2003 & 2004.Brisbane Broncos
Leon Bott made his debut in the National Rugby LeagueNational Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
in the 2005 season
National Rugby League season 2005
The 2005 NRL season was the 98th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the eighth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of clubs remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen clubs contesting the 2005 Telstra Premiership, which culminated in a grand final...
playing for the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
, the club he followed as a boy. He signed with the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
for a reported A$20,000 a year and reportedly turned down a contract from the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
worth around A$350,000 a year. It proved to be worthwhile for Bott who played in 24 games and scored 13 tries for the Broncos including a hat-trick against the St George Dragons in Round 6. At the end of the 2005 season Leon Bott won the Brisbane Broncos 2005
Brisbane Broncos 2005
The 2005 Brisbane Broncos season was the eighteenth in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2005 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season 3rd despite ending the year with another long losing streak which continued into the play-offs and saw them knocked out once again.-Season...
Rookie of the Year Award. He was also nominated for the Dally M Rookie of the Year the same year but missed out to Parramatta Eels
Parramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
half-back Tim Smith.
The 2006 season would not be as bright for Bott as his rookie season proved to be as he injured his shoulder and struggled to hold down a wing slot at the Broncos due to eventual Brisbane Broncos 2006
Brisbane Broncos 2006
The 2006 Brisbane Broncos season was the nineteenth in the club's history. Coached by Wayne Bennett and captained by Darren Lockyer, they won the NRL's 2006 Telstra Premiership, finishing the regular season in 3rd place before going on to win the 2006 NRL Grand Final against minor premiers the...
Rookie of the Year award winner Darius Boyd
Darius Boyd
Darius Boyd is an Australian professional rugby league footballer currently playing for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL. Boyd plays at fullback, however he is also very capable as a three-quarter back, as proven by his selection for Australia and Queensland as a winger...
playing very strongly. After such a strong rookie season in 2005 in the NRL he only played once for the Broncos in 2006 and became frusturated being stuck playing with the Broncos feeder club side Toowoomba Clydesdales
Toowoomba Clydesdales
The Toowoomba Clydesdales are a rugby league football club based in Toowoomba, Queensland, named after the Scottish horse breed. They played in the Queensland Wizard Cup since the competition began in 1996 but no longer play in this competition....
in the Queensland Cup
Queensland Cup
The Queensland Cup is the premier rugby league football competition in the State of Queensland, Australia.It is a statewide competition with the majority of teams based in South East Queensland but also including sides based in Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton.The competition began in 1996 as a...
and eventually asked for a release from the Broncos and signed mid-season with 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...
.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Again Bott never had a concrete role in the first grade squad at the Sharks and after only one appearance in the NRL 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...
he again asked for a release at the end of the year.
Bulldogs
Bott joined his home-town team the Canterbury Bulldogs during the 2007 pre-season on a train-and-trial basis but medical staff discovered his shoulder was not stable and he required reconstructive surgery. After going through extensive rehabilitation and one-on-one fitness sessions with Bulldogs trainers, he was signed with the Bulldogs until the end of the 2008 seasonNational Rugby League season 2008
The 2008 NRL season was the 101st season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia, and the eleventh run by the National Rugby League. For the second year, sixteen teams competed for the 2008 Telstra Premiership title. The season commenced with the first matches played on 14 March...
.
Rugby Union
Bott switched back to rugby unionRugby 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...
, the code he grew up playing at school, to play for Manly RUFC
Manly RUFC
Manly Rugby Union Football Club are a rugby union club based in Manly, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. The club was formed in 1906 and competes in the New South Wales Rugby Union competitions, the Shute Shield and Tooheys New Cup. Manly, known as the Marlins, play their home games at Manly...
in the 2009 Shute Shield
Shute Shield
The Shute Shield is a rugby union competition in Sydney, New South Wales. It is the premier grade rugby trophy in NSW rugby. The Shute Shield is awarded at the end of the Sydney Club Rugby season to the team that wins the Grand Final...
season.
Bott played season 2010 for Penrith Emus in the Shute Shield.