Steve Price
Encyclopedia
Steve Price is an Australian former professional rugby league
footballer who played for the New Zealand Warriors
and Canterbury Bulldogs
in the National Rugby League
. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative prop forward, Price won premierships in 1995 and 2004 with the Bulldogs.
, where he attended Harristown State High School
. Price was spotted playing rugby league for the Newtown Lions club in Toowoomba and was immediately fast-tracked to Sydney to play for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the New South Wales Rugby League Premiership
. Price made his debut for the Dogs at Belmore Sports Ground on 3 July 1994
against the Balmain Tigers
. It was a great rookie year for Price as his side finished the regular season as minor premiers on top of the ladder and eventually going on to reach the 1994 Grand Final where they lost to Mal Meninga
's Canberra Raiders
.
The disappointment of losing the Grand Final did not last long for Price, as the following year in the 1995
season the Bulldogs reached their second consecutive Grand Final to come up against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
. Price was named on the starting line-up and as a headgear-wearing second-rower scored the first try of the game which the Bulldogs eventually won 17–4, giving Price his first taste of premiership victory. The experience of finals football so early in his career was a positive for Price as he established a reputation as an effective front rower/prop and second rower with a high work rate.
During the 1998 season
Price made his debut for Queensland in game one of the 1998 State of Origin
series. He would retain his spot for the following two matches of series in which Queensland were victorious two games to one. His performance at representative level was then awarded with the highest honour for an Australian player as he was announced in the 1998 Kangaroos squad. In the same year Steve Price and the Bulldogs made a terrific finals run where, after finishing the season in 9th position, they won four must-win matches to make it all the way through to the 1998 NRL Grand Final
against the Brisbane Broncos
which they lost 38–12.
When Bulldog captain Darren Britt
left the club at the end of 2001, coach Steve Folkes
opted for Price to captain the side for 2002
. He proved to be a great skipper and Bulldogs finished the 2002 season with 20 wins, 1 draw and only 3 losses, although they would not play in the finals due to the salary cap breach. 2003
was another strong year for Price as he was awarded Player of the Year by magazine Rugby League Week
; he also captained the sides to 18 regular season wins and a semi-final berth which they lost to the Sydney Roosters
. In 2004 Price had a stellar performance playing for Queensland and was awarded the Ron McAuliffe Medal for Queensland player of the series.
During the transfer period in 2004 it was announced that it would be his last year with the Bulldogs after 10 years of service, as he was signing with the New Zealand Warriors
for 2005. Price could not have gone out in better style as the Bulldogs finished second on the ladder, missing out on the minor premiership by points difference. Price's fairytale ending was then shattered when he tore his medial ligament the week before the Grand Final. His side played well without their inspirational captain and went on to win 16–13 to send Price out with another Grand Final success, even though he did not compete in the final game.
In 2006 Price again experienced more salary cap drama. The Warriors were found to have committed major breaches of the salary cap due to poor administration decisions. The NRL announced the club would be deducted four competition points and the club would also be assessed a A$430,000 fine. Those four points would cost the team a place in the finals.
Even at the age of 33 and after 13 years playing professional football, the 2007 season
proved to be one of his career bests. In Round 14 Steve Price broke his own record of 'metres gained by a forward' playing against the Cronulla Sharks
. Price's previous record was 272 metres; he eclipsed this by gaining 306 metres from 33 hit ups. Seven weeks later in Round 21 Price broke his own record again, this time against the Sydney Roosters
where he ran for a total of 323m. The Warriors finished the regular season strongly, sitting at the top end of the ladder on 4th position, although they struggled to perform come finals time and dropped out of the competition in the second week of the finals losing to the North Queensland Cowboys
. However, Price's own personal performance throughout the year was duly recognised as he was awarded the Captain of the Year
& Prop of the Year
titles at the 2007 Dally M Awards.
In August 2008, Price was named in the preliminary 46-man Kangaroos squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
, and in October 2008 he was selected in the final 24-man Australia squad. He did not however, play in the World Cup Final due to tearing his calf in the final training session before the Final which Australia lost to the Kiwis.
Price was eligible for England
and New Zealand
however he has stated he will not switch his allegiance from Australia.
In April 2009, he was named in the preliminary 25 man squad to represent Queensland in the opening State of Origin
match for 2009.
On Sunday 3 May 2009 Price confirmed he would extend his NRL career to a 17th season after signing a one-year contract with the New Zealand Warriors. Already the NRL's oldest player this year, Price will be 36 at the start of the 2010 season. He was selected for Australia in the one-off test match against New Zealand
on 8 May 2009. In State of Origin 3, 2009, Steve was involved in a fight with Brett White, in which he was knocked unconcscious by a right hook from White.
Price was replaced as the Warriors club captain for the 2010 season
by Simon Mannering
, in a move described by the club as building for the future.
On the 6 April 2010, Price announced his retirement from Rugby League
at the conclusion of the 2010 NRL season
.
On the 29 June 2010, Price announced his immediate retirement. This was due to a heel injury that he picked up during the off-season. This injury did not heal correctly and resulted in three operations, meaning that he would be unable to take to the field at all during the 2010 NRL season. This meant that although 2010 would be his final season as a professional rugby league player, he would not play a single game.
On the 31 December 2010, it was announced that Price had been honoured in New Zealand's New Years Honours List. He was awarded an MNZM (Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit) for services to Rugby League in New Zealand. The reasons for this award were listed as follows; “He began the role (as captain) following the club’s worst-ever season and helped rebuild it to become one of the league’s best. “He played a mentoring role to less experienced players. In 2006 he led the team with honesty and integrity while it was investigated by the National Rugby League over salary cap breaches, and in 2007 he was awarded Captain of the Year and Prop of the Year at the Dally M Awards. “Mr Price has been described as ‘the most-loved Australian in New Zealand sporting history’.”
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 who played for 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...
and Canterbury Bulldogs
Canterbury Bulldogs
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
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...
. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative prop forward, Price won premierships in 1995 and 2004 with the Bulldogs.
Bulldogs
Price grew up in Toowoomba, QueenslandToowoomba, Queensland
Toowoomba is a city in Southern Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital city, Brisbane. With an estimated district population of 128,600, Toowoomba is Australia's second largest inland city and its largest non-capital inland city...
, where he attended Harristown State High School
Harristown State High School
Harristown State High School is a public High School located in Toowoomba, Queensland. It was officially opened in 1955. The school currently has approximately 1500 students and is the largest on the Darling downs.-Sport:...
. Price was spotted playing rugby league for the Newtown Lions club in Toowoomba and was immediately fast-tracked to Sydney to play for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the New South Wales Rugby League Premiership
New South Wales Rugby League premiership
The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League from 1908 until 1994, the premiership was the state's and later the country's elite rugby league competition...
. Price made his debut for the Dogs at Belmore Sports Ground on 3 July 1994
New South Wales Rugby League season 1994
The 1994 New South Wales Rugby League season was the eighty-seventh season of professional rugby league football in Australia...
against the Balmain Tigers
Balmain Tigers
The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
. It was a great rookie year for Price as his side finished the regular season as minor premiers on top of the ladder and eventually going on to reach the 1994 Grand Final where they lost to Mal Meninga
Mal Meninga
Malcolm Norman Meninga AM is an Australian former rugby league test captain and current coach of Queensland's State of Origin team. As a player he was a legendary goal-kicking centre, counted amongst the finest footballers of the 20th century...
's Canberra Raiders
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
.
The disappointment of losing the Grand Final did not last long for Price, as the following year in the 1995
Australian Rugby League season 1995
The 1995 ARL premiership was the 88th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the first to be run by the Australian Rugby League. For the first time since 1988, the League expanded again, with the addition of four new clubs from North Queensland, Western Australia, South...
season the Bulldogs reached their second consecutive Grand Final to come up against 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...
. Price was named on the starting line-up and as a headgear-wearing second-rower scored the first try of the game which the Bulldogs eventually won 17–4, giving Price his first taste of premiership victory. The experience of finals football so early in his career was a positive for Price as he established a reputation as an effective front rower/prop and second rower with a high work rate.
During the 1998 season
National Rugby League season 1998
The 1998 NRL season was the 91st season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the inaugural season of the newly formed National Rugby League. After the Australian Rugby League and Super League organisations ran separate competitions parallel to each other in 1997, they joined to...
Price made his debut for Queensland in game one of the 1998 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...
series. He would retain his spot for the following two matches of series in which Queensland were victorious two games to one. His performance at representative level was then awarded with the highest honour for an Australian player as he was announced in the 1998 Kangaroos squad. In the same year Steve Price and the Bulldogs made a terrific finals run where, after finishing the season in 9th position, they won four must-win matches to make it all the way through to the 1998 NRL Grand Final
1998 NRL grand final
The 1998 NRL grand final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 1998 NRL season. It was the first grand final since the National Rugby League's formation and featured minor premiers and the previous year's Super League premiers, the Brisbane Broncos against the Canterbury Bulldogs,...
against 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...
which they lost 38–12.
When Bulldog captain Darren Britt
Darren Britt
Darren Britt is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He played for the Western Suburbs Magpies and the Canterbury Bulldogs in the National Rugby League competition....
left the club at the end of 2001, coach Steve Folkes
Steve Folkes
Steve Folkes is a former Australian rugby league test footballer and former coach of the Bulldogs in the National Rugby League...
opted for Price to captain the side for 2002
National Rugby League season 2002
The 2002 NRL season was the 95th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the fifth to be run by the National Rugby League...
. He proved to be a great skipper and Bulldogs finished the 2002 season with 20 wins, 1 draw and only 3 losses, although they would not play in the finals due to the salary cap breach. 2003
National Rugby League season 2003
The 2003 NRL premiership was the 96th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the sixth run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen teams competed, with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles returning in place of their failed joint-venture club, the Northern Eagles...
was another strong year for Price as he was awarded Player of the Year by magazine Rugby League Week
Rugby League Week
Rugby League Week is the second highest selling Australian rugby league magazine, behind major competitor Big League...
; he also captained the sides to 18 regular season wins and a semi-final berth which they lost to 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...
. In 2004 Price had a stellar performance playing for Queensland and was awarded the Ron McAuliffe Medal for Queensland player of the series.
During the transfer period in 2004 it was announced that it would be his last year with the Bulldogs after 10 years of service, as he was signing with 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...
for 2005. Price could not have gone out in better style as the Bulldogs finished second on the ladder, missing out on the minor premiership by points difference. Price's fairytale ending was then shattered when he tore his medial ligament the week before the Grand Final. His side played well without their inspirational captain and went on to win 16–13 to send Price out with another Grand Final success, even though he did not compete in the final game.
New Zealand Warriors
When Price left the Bulldogs, who had appeared in the finals consistently and performed very well, he went to join the Warriors who had experienced their worst ever season in 2004, finishing 14th of 15 teams and winning only 6 games all year. Price was straight-away appointed captain of the squad and he clearly made some sort of impact as the team remained competitive for all of their matches. In the opening match of the 2005 State of Origin series Price was named man-of-the-match. The Warriors had a good chance to make the finals, however a four-match losing streak late in the season removed those chances and they finished the 2005 season 11th, a slight improvement from the previous year.In 2006 Price again experienced more salary cap drama. The Warriors were found to have committed major breaches of the salary cap due to poor administration decisions. The NRL announced the club would be deducted four competition points and the club would also be assessed a A$430,000 fine. Those four points would cost the team a place in the finals.
Even at the age of 33 and after 13 years playing professional football, the 2007 season
National 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...
proved to be one of his career bests. In Round 14 Steve Price broke his own record of 'metres gained by a forward' playing against 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...
. Price's previous record was 272 metres; he eclipsed this by gaining 306 metres from 33 hit ups. Seven weeks later in Round 21 Price broke his own record again, this time against 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...
where he ran for a total of 323m. The Warriors finished the regular season strongly, sitting at the top end of the ladder on 4th position, although they struggled to perform come finals time and dropped out of the competition in the second week of the finals losing to 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...
. However, Price's own personal performance throughout the year was duly recognised as he was awarded the Captain of the Year
Dally M Awards
The Dally M Awards are the official annual player awards for the National Rugby League competition. The most prestigious of these awards is the Dally M Medal which is only ever awarded to Australian born Players...
& Prop of the Year
Dally M Awards
The Dally M Awards are the official annual player awards for the National Rugby League competition. The most prestigious of these awards is the Dally M Medal which is only ever awarded to Australian born Players...
titles at the 2007 Dally M Awards.
In August 2008, Price 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...
, and in October 2008 he was selected in the final 24-man Australia squad. He did not however, play in the World Cup Final due to tearing his calf in the final training session before the Final which Australia lost to the Kiwis.
Price was eligible for England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
and New Zealand
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
however he has stated he will not switch his allegiance from Australia.
In April 2009, he was named in the preliminary 25 man squad to represent Queensland 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 for 2009.
On Sunday 3 May 2009 Price confirmed he would extend his NRL career to a 17th season after signing a one-year contract with the New Zealand Warriors. Already the NRL's oldest player this year, Price will be 36 at the start of the 2010 season. He was selected for Australia in the one-off test match against New Zealand
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
on 8 May 2009. In State of Origin 3, 2009, Steve was involved in a fight with Brett White, in which he was knocked unconcscious by a right hook from White.
Price was replaced as the Warriors club captain for the 2010 season
2010 New Zealand Warriors season
The New Zealand Warriors 2010 season was the New Zealand Warriors 16th first-grade season. The club competed in Australasia's National Rugby League and finished fifth in regular season before being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The coach of the team was Ivan Cleary while Simon...
by Simon Mannering
Simon Mannering
Simon Alexander Mannering is a New Zealand professional rugby league player who currently plays for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League competition...
, in a move described by the club as building for the future.
On the 6 April 2010, Price announced his retirement from Rugby League
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...
at the conclusion of the 2010 NRL season
2010 NRL season
The 2010 NRL season was the 103rd season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the thirteenth run by the National Rugby League. The season commenced on 12 March and ended with the Grand Final, played on 3 October at ANZ Stadium...
.
On the 29 June 2010, Price announced his immediate retirement. This was due to a heel injury that he picked up during the off-season. This injury did not heal correctly and resulted in three operations, meaning that he would be unable to take to the field at all during the 2010 NRL season. This meant that although 2010 would be his final season as a professional rugby league player, he would not play a single game.
On the 31 December 2010, it was announced that Price had been honoured in New Zealand's New Years Honours List. He was awarded an MNZM (Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit) for services to Rugby League in New Zealand. The reasons for this award were listed as follows; “He began the role (as captain) following the club’s worst-ever season and helped rebuild it to become one of the league’s best. “He played a mentoring role to less experienced players. In 2006 he led the team with honesty and integrity while it was investigated by the National Rugby League over salary cap breaches, and in 2007 he was awarded Captain of the Year and Prop of the Year at the Dally M Awards. “Mr Price has been described as ‘the most-loved Australian in New Zealand sporting history’.”
Individual
- 2010New Zealand Order of MeritThe New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...
: Awarded MNZM [Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit] for services to NZ Rugby League - 2002National Rugby League season 2002The 2002 NRL season was the 95th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the fifth to be run by the National Rugby League...
: Dally M Captain of the Year - 2004National Rugby League season 2004The year 2004 NRL season was the 97th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the seventh run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen clubs competed for the Telstra Premiership...
: Ron McAuliffe Medal – Queensland State of Origin player of the series - 2004National Rugby League season 2004The year 2004 NRL season was the 97th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the seventh run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen clubs competed for the Telstra Premiership...
: Dally M Captain of the Year - 2006National Rugby League season 2006The 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...
: NZ Warriors Lion Red Player of Year - 2007National Rugby League season 2007The 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...
: Dally M Captain of the Year - 2007National Rugby League season 2007The 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...
: Dally M Prop of the Year - 2007National Rugby League season 2007The 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...
: NZ Warriors Lion Red Player of Year - NRL Records: Most meters gained by a forward (410m vs. Sydney Roosters. Round 21, 2007)
Team
- 1994New South Wales Rugby League season 1994The 1994 New South Wales Rugby League season was the eighty-seventh season of professional rugby league football in Australia...
: Minor Premiers (Canterbury Bulldogs) - 1995Australian Rugby League season 1995The 1995 ARL premiership was the 88th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the first to be run by the Australian Rugby League. For the first time since 1988, the League expanded again, with the addition of four new clubs from North Queensland, Western Australia, South...
: Premiers (Canterbury Bulldogs) - 1998: Grand Finalists (Canterbury Bulldogs)
- 2004National Rugby League season 2004The year 2004 NRL season was the 97th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the seventh run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen clubs competed for the Telstra Premiership...
: Premiers (Canterbury Bulldogs) (did not actually play in the grand final due to injury) - 2010 Southern Cross University Young Alumni of the Year