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Ben Harris (rugby league)

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Ben Harris
Personal information
Born (1983-09-24) 24 September 1983 (age 41)
Taree, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight99 kg (15 st 8 lb)
PositionCentre, Second-row
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2002–05 Canterbury Bulldogs 42 16 0 0 64
2005–07 Bradford Bulls 81 25 0 0 100
2008–10 North Qld Cowboys 41 8 0 0 32
Total 164 49 0 0 196
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2008 Country NSW 1 1 0 0 4
Source: [1][2]

Ben Harris (born 24 September 1983) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s. He became the first player in the history of the sport to have won grand finals in each hemisphere in consecutive seasons. Harris played in the National Rugby League (NRL) for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, with whom he won the 2004 premiership, and the North Queensland Cowboys. He also played in England for the Bradford Bulls, with whom he won 2005's Super League X. He played primarily as a centre.

Canterbury-Bankstown

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Of English descent and an Old Bar Pirates junior, Harris made his NRL début for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in 2002 at the age of 18.[3] He played in 42 first-grade matches for the club, including as the starting centre for their 2004 NRL Grand Final victory over cross-city rivals, the Sydney Roosters.

Bradford Bulls

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Harris joined English club the Bradford Bulls in May 2005.[4] The Bradford Bulls won the Super League premiership in his first season there, and he started at centre in the 2005 Super League Grand Final win over the Leeds Rhinos. He thus won premierships in each hemisphere over consecutive seasons, becoming the first player in the history of rugby league to do so.[5] As Super League champions Bradford faced National Rugby League premiers the Wests Tigers in the 2006 World Club Challenge. Harris played on the wing in the Bradford Bulls' 30–10 victory.

North Queensland Cowboys

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Harris returned to the NRL in 2008, signing for the North Queensland Cowboys as a replacement for the retiring Paul Bowman in the centres.[5] In his first season for the Cowboys he was selected for the Country Origin team, his first and only representative football.[6] Over time, he moved into the Cowboys' forward pack, playing in the second row.[7] He retired from professional football after injury plagued seasons in 2009 and 2010.[8][9]

References

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  1. ^ loverugbyleague
  2. ^ Rugby League Project
  3. ^ "Bulls get their man".
  4. ^ Hadfield, Dave (22 May 2005). "Harris' arrival gives Bulls a timely charge". The Independent. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  5. ^ a b "Centre Harris ends Bradford stay". BBC Sport. 17 July 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  6. ^ "Stewart, Cooper, Lyon withdraw from Country". Australia: ABC News. 28 April 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  7. ^ Alston, Josh (12 February 2009). "Cowboy Harris settles into back-row role". Townsville Bulletin. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  8. ^ "2011 NRL preview" (PDF). News.com.au. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  9. ^ Alston, Josh (16 June 2010). "Injuries forced Harris to consider retirement". Townsville Bulletin. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
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