Robbie Farah
Encyclopedia
Robert Peter "Robbie" Farah (Arabic روبرت فرح ) (born 23 January 1984) is an Australian professional rugby league
player for the Wests Tigers
club in the National Rugby League
(NRL) competition. He primarily plays at hooker
and can operate as a half-back. Farah is of Lebanese descent.
, De La Salle College Ashfield
, and the University of Sydney, graduating with a Bachelor of Economics in 2010
Farah played at hooker in the Wests Tigers 2005 NRL grand final
-winning team against the North Queensland Cowboys
. He was named the Wests Tigers player of the year in both 2006 and 2007.
In late 2008, Farah was offered a contract with the Gold Coast Titans
commencing from the 2010 season. On 13 January 2009, it was announced that Farah had chosen to re-sign with the Wests Tigers until the end of the 2013 season. At the same time, the club appointed Farah as team captain.
At the 2010 Dally M Award Farah came second behind Todd Carney by 1 point. He was also named Hooker of the Year.
in Tripoli
and scoring two tries.
Between 2006 and 2011, Farah represented City Origin 5 times, captaining the team from 2009 onwards.
In August, 2008, Farah was named in the preliminary 46-man Kangaroos squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
.
In May 2009, Farah was named at hooker in the 17 man squad to represent New South Wales in the opening State of Origin
match on 3 June 2009, in Melbourne. He played in the first two games of the series. Later that year he was named in the Prime Minister's XIII to play Papua New Guinea and Australia's Four-Nations squad.
Farah played in two matches in the 2009 Four Nations. He made his debut for Australia from the bench in the match against England, relieving starting hooker Cameron Smith
just before halftime. A week later he played in the starting line-up in the team that beat France 42–4.
In 2010, Farah captained the City Origin side and was named in the Australian squad for the 2010 Four Nations
. With first-choice hooker Cameron Smith
playing in all matches, Farah made just one appearance, coming off the bench in the "dead-rubber" match against New Zealand. He was again named as second-string hooker in the 2011 Four Nations
, but withdrew from the tournament for family reasons before he could make an appearance.
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 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...
club 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) competition. He primarily plays at hooker
Rugby league positions
A rugby league football team consists of thirteen players on the field, with four substitutes on the bench. Players are divided into two general categories: "forwards" and "backs"....
and can operate as a half-back. Farah is of Lebanese descent.
Biography
Farah was educated at St Mel's Primary, CampsieCampsie, New South Wales
Campsie is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campsie is located 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, on the southern bank of the Cooks River. Campsie is the commercial and administrative centre of the City of...
, De La Salle College Ashfield
De La Salle College Ashfield
This article is about De La Salle College Ashfield, Sydney. For Ashfield College in Dublin, Ireland, see Ashfield College.De La Salle College is a Catholic systemic, secondary, day school for boys', located in Ashfield, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.Established in...
, and the University of Sydney, graduating with a Bachelor of Economics in 2010
Playing career
Farah made his first-grade debut in 2003, playing four games from the bench. In 2004, his season was marred by a knee re-construction and his first-grade playing time was restricted to three games.Farah played at hooker in the Wests Tigers 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...
-winning team against the North Queensland Cowboys
North Queensland Cowboys
The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
. He was named the Wests Tigers player of the year in both 2006 and 2007.
In late 2008, Farah was offered a contract with the Gold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional rugby league football club, based in the Gold Coast, Queensland. The club competes in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership. It is the newest of the sixteen clubs in the league, having commenced its...
commencing from the 2010 season. On 13 January 2009, it was announced that Farah had chosen to re-sign with the Wests Tigers until the end of the 2013 season. At the same time, the club appointed Farah as team captain.
At the 2010 Dally M Award Farah came second behind Todd Carney by 1 point. He was also named Hooker of the Year.
Representative career
As an 18 year-old in 2002, he toured with an Australian Lebanese team, playing FranceFrance national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
in Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
and scoring two tries.
Between 2006 and 2011, Farah represented City Origin 5 times, captaining the team from 2009 onwards.
In August, 2008, Farah was named in the preliminary 46-man Kangaroos squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
.
In May 2009, Farah was named at hooker in the 17 man squad to represent New South Wales in the opening 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...
match on 3 June 2009, in Melbourne. He played in the first two games of the series. Later that year he was named in the Prime Minister's XIII to play Papua New Guinea and Australia's Four-Nations squad.
Farah played in two matches in the 2009 Four Nations. He made his debut for Australia from the bench in the match against England, relieving starting hooker Cameron Smith
Cameron Smith
Cameron Smith is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who currently captains the Melbourne Storm of the National Rugby League...
just before halftime. A week later he played in the starting line-up in the team that beat France 42–4.
In 2010, Farah captained the City Origin side and was named in the Australian squad for the 2010 Four Nations
2010 Rugby League Four Nations
The 2010 Rugby League Four Nations tournament was played in Australia and New Zealand in October and November 2010. The tournament was the second time the Four Nations had been held, following on from the 2009 edition held in England and France....
. With first-choice hooker Cameron Smith
Cameron Smith
Cameron Smith is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who currently captains the Melbourne Storm of the National Rugby League...
playing in all matches, Farah made just one appearance, coming off the bench in the "dead-rubber" match against New Zealand. He was again named as second-string hooker in the 2011 Four Nations
2011 Rugby League Four Nations
The 2011 Rugby League Four Nations tournament was the third staging of the Rugby League Four Nations tournament and was played in England and Wales during October and November of 2011...
, but withdrew from the tournament for family reasons before he could make an appearance.
Career highlights
- First Grade Debut: 2003 – Round 13, Wests Tigers v Manly-Warringah Sea EaglesManly-Warringah Sea EaglesThe 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...
, Leichhardt OvalLeichhardt OvalLeichhardt 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...
, 8 June. - Premierships: 2005 – Wests Tigers defeated North Queensland Cowboys.
- Representative Selection: 2002 - LebanonLebanon national rugby league teamThe Lebanon national rugby league team is the representative side of Lebanon in rugby league football. They are nicknamed "The Cedars" after the Lebanon Cedar tree, which is also on the Lebanese flag. The team has been participating in international competition since 1998 and has quickly became one...
- Representative Selection: 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 – City Origin v Country Origin at Dubbo, New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, scoring one try. - Representative Selection: 2006, 2008, 2009 - Prime Minister's XIIIPrime Minister's XIIIPrime Minister's XIII or the PM's XIII is the name of a representative rugby league team selected on an annual basis by the Prime Minister of Australia that consists of mainly young Australian players drawn from the National Rugby League competition to take on the Papua New Guinea national rugby...
- Representative Selection: 2009 – NSW State of OriginRugby League State of OriginState 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...
. - Representative Selection: 2009, 2010, 2011 – Australia
- Representative Selection: 2010 - NRL All StarsAll Stars MatchThe National Rugby League All Stars Game is an annual Australian rugby league football match, contested between representative teams, namely the Indigenous All Stars versus the NRL All Stars...
- Captain: 2009, 2010, 2011 - Wests TigersWests TigersThe 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...
- Captain: 2009, 2010, 2011 - NSW City Origin
Honours
- 2010 RLIF Team of the YearRLIF AwardsThe Rugby League International Federation currently oversees and awards the major international sporting award for rugby league on an annual basis and has done so since its inception in 2004....
- 2010 Dally M Player of the Year2010 Dally M AwardsThe 2010 Dally M Awards were presented on Tuesday 7 September 2010 at the State Theatre in Sydney and broadcast on Fox Sports.-Dally M Medal:The Dally M Medallion was presented by former Australian rugby league player, Robert Laurie....
runner-up - 2010 Dally M Hooker of the Year2010 Dally M AwardsThe 2010 Dally M Awards were presented on Tuesday 7 September 2010 at the State Theatre in Sydney and broadcast on Fox Sports.-Dally M Medal:The Dally M Medallion was presented by former Australian rugby league player, Robert Laurie....
- 2007 Dally M Player of the Year runner-up
- 2007 Dally M Hooker of the Year