Shane Millard
Encyclopedia
Shane Millard is an Australian retired professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s.
During his career he played for Super League
sides London Broncos, Widnes Vikings
, Leeds Rhinos
& Wigan Warriors
as well as gaining recognition in the NRL with Sydney Roosters
, Souths
and St George Illawarra. His career was largely played at hooker.
, Leeds Rhinos
and has also played for NRL
teams, including the St George Illawarra Dragons
.
He played for Widnes Vikings for three years before the club was relegated in 2004 after which he joined Leeds Rhinos to provide back up for Matt Diskin
. At the end of 2006 Shane was released from his contract with Leeds and in December 2006 it was announced he had signed a contract with Wigan Warriors on a 2 year deal.
The signing of Millard by Wigan was met with mixed reaction by the Wigan fans, some believed that Millards experience would benefit the Wigan side while other believed that signing a 30 year old Australia
n was not benefiting English talent and was not a suitable replacement for Wayne Godwin
Millard has played much of his football as a second row. Though not the tallest or biggest for a back-rower he more than made up for this fact with superb agility and ferocious defence. The hard-working forward was also versatile enough to play as a front rower for the London Broncos
After a shoulder problem in the 2007 season Shane decided to retire from rugby league after helping Wigan to the semi finals of the Super League play offs.
Shane is currently playing for the Thirroul Butchers in the 2009 Illawarra rugby league competition. As of 2010 Shane resides in Wollongong, NSW Australia with his wife and three daughters.
He played representative football for the USA Tomahawks
.
During his career he played for 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...
sides London Broncos, Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...
, Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
& 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....
as well as gaining recognition in the NRL with 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...
, Souths
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
and St George Illawarra. His career was largely played at hooker.
Career
Millard, who grew up on the Mid North Coast of NSW in Port Macquarie and attended Westport High School, was one of the most experienced players currently playing in the Super League. He has Super League experience with London Broncos, Widnes VikingsWidnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...
, Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
and has also played for NRL
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...
teams, including 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...
.
He played for Widnes Vikings for three years before the club was relegated in 2004 after which he joined Leeds Rhinos to provide back up for Matt Diskin
Matt Diskin
Matt Diskin is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Bradford Bulls of Super League. A Great Britain and England international representative hooker, he played ten years with Leeds Rhinos, having won four Super League championships with the club, before moving to the Bulls for the...
. At the end of 2006 Shane was released from his contract with Leeds and in December 2006 it was announced he had signed a contract with Wigan Warriors on a 2 year deal.
The signing of Millard by Wigan was met with mixed reaction by the Wigan fans, some believed that Millards experience would benefit the Wigan side while other believed that signing a 30 year old Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n was not benefiting English talent and was not a suitable replacement for Wayne Godwin
Wayne Godwin
Wayne Godwin, born 13 March 1982 in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England is an English rugby league player.Wayne Godwin plays for Salford City Reds in the Super League.Godwins's position of choice is at hooker...
Millard has played much of his football as a second row. Though not the tallest or biggest for a back-rower he more than made up for this fact with superb agility and ferocious defence. The hard-working forward was also versatile enough to play as a front rower for the London Broncos
After a shoulder problem in the 2007 season Shane decided to retire from rugby league after helping Wigan to the semi finals of the Super League play offs.
Shane is currently playing for the Thirroul Butchers in the 2009 Illawarra rugby league competition. As of 2010 Shane resides in Wollongong, NSW Australia with his wife and three daughters.
He played representative football for the USA Tomahawks
United States national rugby league team
-2008 & 2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying:In October 2006, The Tomahawks were to participate in a four team Atlantic qualifying pool for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but South Africa and the West Indies withdrew. As a result, The Atlantic qualifying pool was reduced to a single game...
.