Matt Ballin
Encyclopedia
Matthew Ballin is a professional rugby league
player who currently plays for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
in the National Rugby League
(NRL). He primarily plays at hooker.
Red Ants. Although graded to the Brisbane Broncos
, he did not play at NRL level.
when Manly played the Wests Tigers
at Leichhardt Oval
.
He played in the 2008 NRL Grand Final victory over the Melbourne Storm
where he was the games first try scorer.
Ballin attended Kingaroy State High School where his father is Principal. A good student, Ballin was well liked by his peers.
Ballin's solid form for Manly continued in 2009-10 despite the Sea Eagles failing to recapture their 2008 form. Before the 2011 NRL season
Manly were not rated among the premiership favourites but stunned experts by finishing the minor round in 2nd place before going on to repeat their 2008 win by defeating the New Zealand Warriors
in the 2011 NRL Grand Final
giving Ballin his second NRL premiership as a player.
match for 2009. However he did not make an appearance.
In 2010, with injury to Cameron Smith
, Ballin was named in the Queensland side and played in match one. He made an impact in the match which Queensland won. Ballin was not considered for Game II with Cameron Smith
returning from injury. He was also involved in Queensland's 3-0 whitewash in the State of Origin series.
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...
player who currently plays for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia...
in the 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). He primarily plays at hooker.
Early years
Ballin played junior football with the KingaroyKingaroy, Queensland
Kingaroy is an agricultural town in Queensland, Australia, approximately or about 2½ hours drive north-west of the state capital Brisbane. The town is situated on the junction of the D'Aguilar and the Bunya Highways...
Red Ants. Although graded to 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...
, he did not play at NRL level.
Playing career
Ballin made his NRL debut in round 2 of the 2007 seasonNational 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...
when Manly played 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...
at Leichhardt Oval
Leichhardt Oval
Leichhardt Oval is a football stadium in Leichhardt, New South Wales, Australia. It is a home ground for the Wests Tigers rugby league team. The stadium has a nominal capacity of 20,000, with recorded highest crowd figures of 23,000 in the 1981 KB Tooth final South Sydney Rabbitohs versus...
.
He played in the 2008 NRL Grand Final victory over the Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
where he was the games first try scorer.
Ballin attended Kingaroy State High School where his father is Principal. A good student, Ballin was well liked by his peers.
Ballin's solid form for Manly continued in 2009-10 despite the Sea Eagles failing to recapture their 2008 form. Before the 2011 NRL season
2011 NRL season
The 2011 NRL season was the 105th season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the fourteenth run by the National Rugby League. The NRL's main championship, called the 2011 Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship from Telstra, was contested by sixteen teams for the...
Manly were not rated among the premiership favourites but stunned experts by finishing the minor round in 2nd place before going on to repeat their 2008 win by defeating the New Zealand Warriors
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...
in the 2011 NRL Grand Final
2011 NRL Grand Final
The 2011 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the NRL's 2011 Telstra Premiership season. It was played between the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the New Zealand Warriors on the afternoon of Sunday, 2 October, and it was the first time the two sides have met in a...
giving Ballin his second NRL premiership as a player.
Representative career
In April 2009, he was named in the preliminary 25 man squad to represent Queensland in the opening State of OriginRugby 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...
match for 2009. However he did not make an appearance.
In 2010, with injury to Cameron Smith
Cameron Smith
Cameron Smith is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who currently captains the Melbourne Storm of the National Rugby League...
, Ballin was named in the Queensland side and played in match one. He made an impact in the match which Queensland won. Ballin was not considered for Game II with Cameron Smith
Cameron Smith
Cameron Smith is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who currently captains the Melbourne Storm of the National Rugby League...
returning from injury. He was also involved in Queensland's 3-0 whitewash in the State of Origin series.