Brad Fittler

Brad Fittler

Fittler in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Bradley Scott Fittler
Born	(1972-02-05) 5 February 1972 Auburn, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Height	184 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	96 kg (15 st 2 lb)
Position	Five-eighth, Centre, Lock
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1989–95 Penrith Panthers 119 31 5 2 136 1996–04 Sydney Roosters 217 91 9 8 390 Total 336 122 14 10 526 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1991–97 City NSW 7 1 0 0 4 1990–04 New South Wales 31 8 0 2 34 1990–01 Australia 40 17 1 1 71
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 2007–09 Sydney Roosters 58 25 1 32 43 Representative Years Team Gms W D L W% 2010–13 City Origin 5 1 1 3 20
Source: NRL Stats

Bradley Scott "Freddy" Fittler (born 5 February 1972) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and commentator, and former player. The current coach of the City New South Wales team in the City vs. Country clash, he coached in the NRL for the Sydney Roosters between 2007 and 2009. He also works as a television presenter.

As a player, Fittler captained both New South Wales and Australia, and in 2000 was awarded the Golden Boot award. He retired as the most-capped New South Wales State of Origin player and third-most-capped Australian international player. Fittler has been named among the finest rugby league footballers of the first century of rugby league in Australia.

Early life

Fittler was born in Auburn, New South Wales, Australia. Fittler began playing junior rugby league for the Ashcroft Stallions and Mounties before moving to Cambridge Park. While attending Ashcroft High School, St Dominic's College then later, McCarthy Catholic Senior High School Emu Plains, Fittler played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 1988 and 1989.

Playing career

Penrith Panthers

Fittler's first grade career started in 1989 at the Penrith Panthers while he was still attending McCarthy Catholic Senior High School in the western suburbs of Sydney. Fittler earned a top 15 percent ranking in the NSW HSC in his final year of high school. He played in Penrith's 1990 Grand Final loss. At the end of the 1990 NSWRL season, he was selected for Australia and went on the 1990 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France. The following year he was in the Panthers' premiership winning-side of 1991.

During the 1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand, he helped Australia retain The Ashes.

At the end of the 1994 NSWRL season, he went on the 1994 Kangaroo tour.

By 1995 Fittler was the world's highest-paid rugby league player, reportedly earning $1.05 million for the season.

Sydney Roosters

In 1996, he joined the Sydney Roosters where he played nine seasons, captaining them to the 2002 NRL Grand Final victory. Fittler retired as the second most experienced first grader, behind Terry Lamb (349), having played 336 games.

The Rothmans Medal for player of the 1997 ARL Premiership was awarded to Sydney City Roosters captain and five-eighth, Fittler.

He was selected for Kangaroo Tours in 1990, 1994 and 2001 and played in the World Cups of 1992, 1995 and 2000. Fittler was selected for the Australian team to compete in the end of season 1999 Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament. In the final against New Zealand he captained the Kangaroos at lock forward in their 22-20 victory. Early in his career Fittler struggled with discipline problems, but he matured into a fine leader. He captained Australia in 20 Tests, winning 17 and losing 3, and in a further 5 victories in the 2000 World Cup. He also captained NSW in 14 State of Origin matches, winning 8 and losing 6.

In club competition, Fittler captained the Roosters to the 2000 NRL Grand Final, their first in twenty seasons, a Premiership in 2002 and successive grand final appearances in 2003 and 2004, before retiring at the end of 2004. Having won the 2002 NRL Premiership, the Roosters traveled to England to play the 2003 World Club Challenge against Super League champions, St Helens RLFC. Fittler captained at five-eighth, scoring a in Sydney's victory.

Two years after Fittler announced his retirement from representative football, NSW coach Phil Gould brought him back to State of Origin for the second and third game. Both he and Gould were farewelled in the last game at Telstra Stadium after he scored the winning try that sealed the NSW victory.

Fittler remains the youngest NSW State of Origin player (18 years 114 days) and was once the youngest Kangaroo representative (18 years 247 days) until Israel Folau made his debut in late 2007. Fittler played more total matches (409 combining club and representative games) than any other player.

As a tribute to Fittler's contribution to the NSW team, the Brad Fittler Medal is named in his honour, awarded to the best NSW player after each series victory by NSW. However, it is only awarded after NSW have won a series, and so has not been awarded since 2005, with Queensland having won the last eight series (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013).

Auckland Nines

In February 2014, at 42 years of age, Fittler came out of retirement for a one-off showing at the NRL Auckland Nines. Representing the Sydney Roosters, he put his body on the line tackling a rampaging Fui Fui Moi Moi in the loss to the Parramatta Eels, before clipping Ben Barba high in a tackle, and also scoring a 75 metre intercept try off a David Stagg pass in their win over the Brisbane Broncos; he first try in 10 years.

Coaching career

On 9 July 2007, Roosters' coach Chris Anderson quit the club, just 48 hours after the team lost 56–0 to the Manly Sea Eagles, their second worst ever loss. Fittler took over the coaching from Round 18, in what was initially for a short term until the end of the 2007 season. The Roosters, who were sitting near the bottom of the competition and struggling with form, turned a corner with Fittler as coach as they went on to post some impressive wins. His first match was against his former mentor, Ricky Stuart coaching the Cronulla Sharks. The Roosters won the match 23–12. His second match was against the Newcastle Knights and again the team was successful 20–17.

On 27 July 2007, Fittler's coaching career took a massive leap. The Roosters side defeated the Melbourne Storm (front runners of the Premiership) 26–16, with the two late consolation tries to the Storm. Former Roosters coach, Phil Gould remarked after the Melbourne game "I've always had great confidence that "Freddie" would be successful at anything he turned his mind to. If he truly wants to be a coach, he'll be a bloody good one... I think in the end he was drawn to it and, to me, that's a coach. You don't wake up one day and say, 'I want to be a coach'. You are drawn to it. It compels you. I see and hear this in Freddie these days." Melbourne ultimately went on to win the title, which was later stripped due to salary cap breaches.

Following the win over the Melbourne Storm, the Roosters went up against the New Zealand Warriors with the match resulting in the first draw since 2005 after a hard fought golden point period which ended with the score 31–31. The result was good enough to keep Fittler undefeated as coach.

That run was extended against the Wests Tigers on 10 August, with the second golden point game in a row for the club after a late field goal attempt from Braith Anasta hit the cross bar with 15 seconds to go. The game ended in a 26–22 win after Anasta broke the line and passed to Amos Roberts who then set up Joel Monaghan for the winning try.

Unfortunately, Fittler's winning streak as a coach was broken on 19 August 2007 when the Roosters played the Gold Coast Titans, losing 22–18. The following week, in the penulitmate round of the regular season, the Roosters lost to the eventual 2007 wooden spooners, the Penrith Panthers, 28–22.

On 21 August 2007, the Sydney Roosters signed Brad Fittler as their full-time Head Coach until the 2010 season.

On 20 June 2009, it was reported in the Townsville Bulletin that, a day earlier, a drunken Fittler had tried to gain access to the wrong hotel room while wearing only shorts. The incident occurred at the Holiday Inn in Townsville at 3am. Fittler consequently fined himself A$$10,000 and apologised for his behaviour at a televised press conference.

On 18 July 2009, following an ongoing season of unrelenting disappointment at the Roosters, the media was informed that in 2010 Brad Fittler would not be part of the coaching staff at the Sydney Roosters, reportedly before he was. Indeed, the Roosters took out the 2009 wooden spoon and a clean-out of the club began. He was replaced by Brian Smith, who took the Roosters to within a match of the premiership the following year, losing against the St. George Illawarra Dragons.

In 2010 Fittler was linked with a move to the London-based Super League side Harlequins, but this has not eventuated.

Brad Fittler – NRL Coaching Results by Season
NRL Team	Year	Games	Wins	Losses	Draws	Win %
Sydney Roosters	2007	8	5	2	1	63%
	2008	26	15	11	0	58%
	2009	24	5	19	0	21%
Career		58	25	32	1	43%

Media career

Fittler co-hosts NRL Deluxe, a streaming video show on Mondays and Thursdays available via Bigpond TV. A year after his retirement, in 2005, Fittler released his book, Freddy: The Brad Fittler Story. Brad has since starred in two Telstra Next G TV advertisements. In 2010, Fittler joined the Nine Network commentary team.

Outside rugby league

In 2000 Fittler was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to Australia's international standing in rugby league. He was named a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia in the 2006 Queen's Birthday Honours List.

In February 2008, Fittler was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia.

Fittler has a longtime partner, Marie Liarris. They have two children together: a daughter, Demi, and a son, Zach. He also has an illegitimate son whom he fathered via a one-night stand in 1995, but Fittler has no plans to meet him.

Further reading

• Fittler, Brad; Richard Sleeman (2005). Freddy: the Brad Fittler story. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-7322-8151-2. ISBN 9780732281519.

External links

• 2001 Ashes profile
• penrithcity.nsw.gov.au