Central Coast junior rugby league ’dream team’ chosen
The Central Coast is a known breeding ground for NRL stars. See who we’ve selected in a “dream team” chosen from decades of greats from our junior rugby league ranks.
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Who would you pick for the ultimate team of Coastie greats?
EIGHT internationals and eight NSW representatives and countless grand final winners feature in our top Central Coast juniors side.
We enlisted the help of Central Coast Junior Rugby League president Ben Spackman, who deliberated with life members and the division board to come up with 13-man run on side and a four-man bench.
And he said it wasn’t an easy task, as they sorted through the dozens of Central Coast juniors who have gone on to play rugby league at the top level.
“Some of them were just so close,” Spackman said.
Here’s the Central Coast dream side.
1. GRAHAM EADIE
Signed by Manly as an 18-year-old from Woy Woy in 1971. He played 236 games for the Sea Eagles, 12 games for NSW and 12 games for Australia. Eadie also played with English club Halifax in the mid-1980s.
2. JONATHON WRIGHT
He played his junior football with Northern Lakes before being signed by the Newcastle Knights. Wright went on to play 121 NRL games from 2009-2018 at Parramatta, Canterbury, Cronulla, the Warriors and Manly.
3. ROBBIE ROSS
The Ourimbah junior played his top grade rugby league with Newcastle, Brisbane, the Hunter Mariners and Melbourne, racking up 137 games. Ross also played for both NSW and Australia.
4. TIM MOLTZEN
The Terrigal junior was named in the Australian Junior Kangaroos side, alongside the likes of Jarryd Hayne and Israel Folau in 2007 — one year after being signed by the Wests Tigers. He played 90 NRL games for the Tigers from 2008-2013 and played a match for NSW Country, before injury ended his career.
5. JOHN CARLAW
An Ourimbah junior, Carlaw started his top grade career in the Super League with the Hunter Mariners in 1997. He went on to play NRL with Melbourne, Balmain, Wests Tigers, Warriors and St George Illawarra through until 2004.
6. JAMES MALONEY
Another Ourimbah junior, Maloney made his NRL debut at Melbourne in 2009, where he played four games, before moving onto the Warriors, Sydney, Cronulla and Penrith. He played for NSW Country, NSW and Australia. He has left the NRL and taken up a contract with English Super League club Catalans Dragons.
7. MATT ORFORD
The Gosford Townies junior got his start in the top grade at the Northern Eagles, playing 11 games in 2000. He then played 120 games for Melbourne in the following five years, 98 games with Manly, then 14 matches for Bradford in the English Super League. He then returned to Australia and finished up with six games for Canberra in 2011. He played three representative matches for City.
8. MARK O’MELEY
The Munmorah junior moved through the ranks with the North Sydney Bears, playing 22 first grade games in 1999. He then played 34 games with the Northern Eagles, 110 games with the Bulldogs and 35 games with Sydney, finishing up in 2009. He then played 90 games for Hull FC in the English Super League from 2010-2013. He also played matches for City, NSW and Australia.
9. RORY KOSTJASYN
The Berkeley Vale junior played 32 NRL matches for Melbourne from 2010-12 and 96 matches with North Queensland from 2013-16, as well as matches for NSW Country and Ireland, before injury ended his playing career.
10. RYAN O’HARA
A junior from The Entrance, he started out in the NRL with Canberra, playing 95 games from 2001-05, before moving to the Wests Tigers where he played 30 matches from 2006-08. He also played for NSW Country and NSW.
11. GLENN MORRISON
The Terrigal junior played 222 games over the course of 11 seasons in the top grade in Australia, from 1996-2006. He played for the Sydney Tigers, Balmain, North Sydney, North Queensland and Parramatta, in addition to representing NSW Country. He then played in the English Super League with Bradford and then Wakefield Trinity, clocking up 102 games.
12. DAVID FAIRLEIGH
An Ourimbah junior, Fairleigh played 193 top grade games with North Sydney from 1989-1999, before playing 26 games with Newcastle in 2000. He then finished with a season in the English Super League with St Helens, playing 31 games. He was a City, NSW and Australian representative.
13. CHRIS HEIGHINGTON
The Umina junior played 201 NRL games with the Wests Tigers from 2003-12, before playing for the Sharks in 116 games over five years, with his final year in the NRL coming at Newcastle in 2018, where he played 21 matches. He represented NSW Country, the NRL All Stars and England.
14. IAN HENDERSON
The Erina junior started out with the Roosters, playing seven games from 2003-04, before playing a game with Parramatta in 2005. He then went to the English Super League, where he played 77 games for Bradford, returned to the NRL for 65 matches with the Warriors and then played 135 matches for Catalans in the English Super League. On his return to Australia he played a further two NRL matches with the Roosters. He also represented Scotland six times.
15. PAUL STRINGER
The Berkeley Vale junior started his top grade career with North Sydney, playing 27 games for the Bears in 1997-98. He then went on to play 36 games for the Northern Eagles, 48 games for South Sydney and 32 games for Parramatta, finishing his NRL career in 2006.
16. STEVE CARTER
The five-eighth/halfback from Wyong played 244 games for Penrith from 1988-2001, before playing 21 games with Widnes. He represented both NSW Country and NSW.
17. DANIEL SAIFITI
The prop played for Toukley, Terrigal and The Entrance in the juniors and has clocked up 85 NRL games for the Knights since making his debut in 2016 and made his NSW debut this year.
COACH: JOHN MONIE
The Woy Woy junior was signed by Cronulla in 1968 and went on to play 50 games for the Sharks. He went on to become a world-class coach, taking over from Jack Gibson at Parramatta and breaking through for a grand final win in 1986. He coached Wigan to the Challenge Cup/League Championship double in 1989-90 and also coached at the Auckland Warriors, as well as the London Broncos.
