Mark Riddell
Encyclopedia
Mark Robert Riddell is an Australian former professional rugby league
footballer of the 2000s and 2010s. A NSW City representative goal-kicking hooker, he played in Australasia's National Rugby League
(NRL) for the St George Illawarra Dragons
, Parramatta Eels
and Sydney Roosters
and in Europe's Super League
with the Wigan Warriors
.
While in his last season at the St George Illawarra club, Riddell was called up for his first representative
honour playing for the City team in the annual City vs Country Origin
clash and also set the club record for highest-ever point scorer. After moving to the Eels the following year he was again called up to the City side. Riddell moved to Wigan in 2009 and went on to win the 2010 Super League Grand Final
with them.
competition where his talent was noticed by several rugby league scouts but eventually the Sydney Roosters won the race for his signature. Played for several years in the lower grades at the Roosters but ultimately was unable to make his way into the first grade team and left the club looking for opportunities elsewhere eventually signing with the St George Illawarra Dragons.
for the club where he developed a distinctive 'raised arm' motion before he would take the kick. Fans in the crowd would mimic this action. Riddell had an impressive debut season in first grade with the Dragons finishing the season as top scorer with 130 points and cemented his position in the side as hooker.
During his second season with the Dragons Riddell would again have a good season not only impressing club staff and fans with his quickly evolving running game from dummy-half, goal kicking and strength close to the try line ultimately earning himself a call up to the 2002 international
Australian Kangaroos 'train-on' squad but was not selected in the final touring side. He finished the season again as the top scorer with 129 points to his name even though he was sidelined during several games in the season through suspension
after being sent off twice during the regular season.
At the start of the 2003 season, Riddell was criticised amongst some media circles for being slow, out of shape and overweight along with negative talk about discipline problems, however nothing eventuated and he went on to play all twenty-four games of the regular season again finishing as the top point scorer with an individual record high of 166 points. In the final round, the injury-ravaged Dragons upset the finals-bound Brisbane Broncos
26-25 with Riddell scoring 18 points of his own, including a last-minute pressure penalty goal 41 metres out from the try line and 10 metres in from touch. This was the two points that won the Dragons the game after having fallen behind through a Darren Lockyer
field goal five minutes beforehand.
2004 was again another season of consistent performances for Riddell and several media pundits began speculating on his chances of representing New South Wales
in the annual State of Origin
, however he was left out of the side but still tasted his first representative experience playing for the City origin side in the annual City vs Country Origin
fixture. Salary cap
restraints on the club at the conclusion of the season along with several lucrative offers eventuated in a move from the Dragons. Riddell signed with the Parramatta Eels for the 2005 season.
He left the Dragons as the club's highest ever point scorer.
with the Eels in his regular role of hooker and becoming a vital part of the Parramatta Eels
offensive tactics for the season often crossing the try
line with his strength and elusiveness from dummy half. He had his worst season in regards to point scoring after having to share the goal kicking duties with team mate Luke Burt
, finishing the season with only 50 points but ultimately helping his side to the minor premiership
.
On 17 May 2006, Riddell was dropped from the Eels first grade side and fined a total of $5,000 for failing to show up to a recovery session on a Monday morning following a regular season fixture, he later admitted the reason he had failed to show up to the session was because he was intoxicated
. His axing, along with that of Tim Smith's, was the first piece of action taken by Jason Taylor who just moments earlier was appointed caretaker coach following long-serving coach Brian Smith's dismissal.
Riddell stayed with at Parramatta through the 2008 season, playing a total of 86 games for the Eels.
starting from 2009.
Riddell played for Wigan for two years of his three-year contract. In 2010, Riddell was part of the Warriors side that won both the League Leaders' Shield and the Grand Final
, adding his name to the Grand Final score sheet by successfully kicking a penalty goal.
After the 2010 season, Riddell was released from the last year of his contract so that he could return to Australia to tend to his ill mother.
. Riddell was poised to sign with the Wests Tigers
, however Tigers coach Tim Sheens
made it clear that Riddell was unlikely to get much game time with the first grade side, barring injury, rep duties or suspension of star hooker Robbie Farah
. Linking to the Roosters ensured Riddell would reunite with Brian Smith, whom he played under at the Eels for one and a half seasons.
Also in 2011, Riddell was recruited by the Sydney Morning Herald to write a weekly column.
Announced his retirement in June 2011
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 of the 2000s and 2010s. A NSW City representative goal-kicking hooker, he played in Australasia's National Rugby League
National 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...
(NRL) for the St George Illawarra Dragons
St George Illawarra Dragons
The St George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing the St. George and Illawarra regions. They have competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 as a joint venture between Sydney's historic St. George Dragons club and 1982 expansion club, the...
, 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...
and 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...
and in Europe's 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 Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
.
While in his last season at the St George Illawarra club, Riddell was called up for his first representative
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
honour playing for the City team in the annual City vs Country Origin
City vs Country Origin
City vs Country is an annual Australian rugby league football match that takes place in New South Wales between City and Country representative sides. The City side represents the Sydney metropolitan area...
clash and also set the club record for highest-ever point scorer. After moving to the Eels the following year he was again called up to the City side. Riddell moved to Wigan in 2009 and went on to win the 2010 Super League Grand Final
2010 Super League Grand Final
The 2010 Super League Grand Final was the conclusive and championship-deciding game of Super League XV. Held on Saturday 2 October 2010, at Manchester's Old Trafford stadium, the match was contested by English clubs St Helens and Wigan Warriors...
with them.
Childhood and early career
Riddell began playing rugby league at the age of four for his local Panania side St Christopher’s in the CanterburyCanterbury, New South Wales
-Commercial area:Canterbury has a mixture of residential, commercial and industrial developments. Commercial developments are mostly situated on Canterbury Road and surrounding streets...
competition where his talent was noticed by several rugby league scouts but eventually the Sydney Roosters won the race for his signature. Played for several years in the lower grades at the Roosters but ultimately was unable to make his way into the first grade team and left the club looking for opportunities elsewhere eventually signing with the St George Illawarra Dragons.
St George Illawarra Dragons
Riddell eventually made the transition into first grade while playing with his new club side at the Dragons, making his debut against local rivals the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks during round one of the 2001 season. Riddell became an immediate fan favourite at his new club after several displays showcasing a good running game particularly out of dummy-half along with good hands and agility for a man of his size and build. During the season he became a regular goal-kickerGoal (sport)
Goal refers to a method of scoring in many sports. It can also refer to the physical structure or area of the playing surface where scoring occurs....
for the club where he developed a distinctive 'raised arm' motion before he would take the kick. Fans in the crowd would mimic this action. Riddell had an impressive debut season in first grade with the Dragons finishing the season as top scorer with 130 points and cemented his position in the side as hooker.
During his second season with the Dragons Riddell would again have a good season not only impressing club staff and fans with his quickly evolving running game from dummy-half, goal kicking and strength close to the try line ultimately earning himself a call up to the 2002 international
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
Australian Kangaroos 'train-on' squad but was not selected in the final touring side. He finished the season again as the top scorer with 129 points to his name even though he was sidelined during several games in the season through suspension
Suspension (punishment)
Suspension is a form of punishment that people receive for violating rules and regulations.- Workplace :Suspension is a common practice in the workplace for being in violation of an organization's policy...
after being sent off twice during the regular season.
At the start of the 2003 season, Riddell was criticised amongst some media circles for being slow, out of shape and overweight along with negative talk about discipline problems, however nothing eventuated and he went on to play all twenty-four games of the regular season again finishing as the top point scorer with an individual record high of 166 points. In the final round, the injury-ravaged Dragons upset the finals-bound 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...
26-25 with Riddell scoring 18 points of his own, including a last-minute pressure penalty goal 41 metres out from the try line and 10 metres in from touch. This was the two points that won the Dragons the game after having fallen behind through a Darren Lockyer
Darren Lockyer
Darren Lockyer is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He was the captain of the Australian national team, the Queensland State of Origin team and his National Rugby League club, the Brisbane Broncos. His professional career spanned between 1995 and 2011...
field goal five minutes beforehand.
2004 was again another season of consistent performances for Riddell and several media pundits began speculating on his chances of representing New South Wales
New South Wales Rugby League team
The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
in the annual 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...
, however he was left out of the side but still tasted his first representative experience playing for the City origin side in the annual City vs Country Origin
City vs Country Origin
City vs Country is an annual Australian rugby league football match that takes place in New South Wales between City and Country representative sides. The City side represents the Sydney metropolitan area...
fixture. Salary cap
Salary cap
In professional sports, a salary cap is a cartel agreement between teams that places a limit on the amount of money that can be spent on player salaries. The limit exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both...
restraints on the club at the conclusion of the season along with several lucrative offers eventuated in a move from the Dragons. Riddell signed with the Parramatta Eels for the 2005 season.
He left the Dragons as the club's highest ever point scorer.
Parramatta Eels
Riddell began the 2005 NRL seasonNational 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...
with the Eels in his regular role of hooker and becoming a vital part of the 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...
offensive tactics for the season often crossing the try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
line with his strength and elusiveness from dummy half. He had his worst season in regards to point scoring after having to share the goal kicking duties with team mate Luke Burt
Luke Burt
Luke Kevin Burt is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League competition...
, finishing the season with only 50 points but ultimately helping his side to the minor premiership
Minor premiership
A minor premiership is the name of the title given to the team which finishes a sporting competition first in the league standings after the regular season but prior to commencement of the playoffs....
.
On 17 May 2006, Riddell was dropped from the Eels first grade side and fined a total of $5,000 for failing to show up to a recovery session on a Monday morning following a regular season fixture, he later admitted the reason he had failed to show up to the session was because he was intoxicated
Drunkenness
Alcohol intoxication is a physiological state that occurs when a person has a high level of ethanol in his or her blood....
. His axing, along with that of Tim Smith's, was the first piece of action taken by Jason Taylor who just moments earlier was appointed caretaker coach following long-serving coach Brian Smith's dismissal.
Riddell stayed with at Parramatta through the 2008 season, playing a total of 86 games for the Eels.
Wigan Warriors
Riddell signed a three-year deal with the Wigan WarriorsWigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
starting from 2009.
Riddell played for Wigan for two years of his three-year contract. In 2010, Riddell was part of the Warriors side that won both the League Leaders' Shield and the Grand Final
2010 Super League Grand Final
The 2010 Super League Grand Final was the conclusive and championship-deciding game of Super League XV. Held on Saturday 2 October 2010, at Manchester's Old Trafford stadium, the match was contested by English clubs St Helens and Wigan Warriors...
, adding his name to the Grand Final score sheet by successfully kicking a penalty goal.
After the 2010 season, Riddell was released from the last year of his contract so that he could return to Australia to tend to his ill mother.
Sydney Roosters
After his release from Wigan in 2010, Riddell made his return to NRL for the 2011 season, this time with the Sydney RoostersSydney 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...
. Riddell was poised to sign with 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...
, however 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...
made it clear that Riddell was unlikely to get much game time with the first grade side, barring injury, rep duties or suspension of star hooker Robbie Farah
Robbie Farah
Robert Peter "Robbie" Farah is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers club in the National Rugby League competition. He primarily plays at hooker and can operate as a half-back...
. Linking to the Roosters ensured Riddell would reunite with Brian Smith, whom he played under at the Eels for one and a half seasons.
Also in 2011, Riddell was recruited by the Sydney Morning Herald to write a weekly column.
Announced his retirement in June 2011
External links
- Mark Riddell FootySocial Profile
- Mark Riddell Scoring summary
- Mark Riddell Wigan Career Page on the Wigan RL Fansite.