Brett Howland (born 13 June 1976 in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

) is an Australian former professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played for the

Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrith ...

in the

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

competition. He previously played for the

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugby league ...

but was forced out due to the salary cap. His position of choice was at , although he was also known to play at .

Playing career

Nicknamed “The

Whippet The Whippet is a dog breed of medium size. It is a sighthound breed that originated in England, descended from the Greyhound. Whippets today still strongly resemble a smaller Greyhound. Part of the hound group, Whippets have relatively few ...

” due to his long, wiry frame, Howland was a Cronulla junior and made his first-grade debut for Cronulla-Sutherland in the 1997 Super League competition. In 1999, Howland enjoyed his best season as a player, scoring 18 tries in 26 games. The season was also the best on record for Cronulla at the time, as they won the minor premiership for the first time since 1988, and were favorites to win their first premiership since being admitted into the premiership in 1967. Cronulla backed up this claim by defeating the

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite com ...

42–20 in the qualifying final. In the preliminary final against the

St. George Illawarra Dragons The St. George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 after a joint-ve ...

, Cronulla led at half-time, but ended up losing the match 24–8 with Howland playing on the wing. In 2000, Cronulla finished eighth on the table and were eliminated in the first week of the finals by Brisbane, with Howland again playing on the wing. In 2001, Howland joined the

Bulldogs The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrith ...

but was not included in the 2003 premiership-winning line-up. As 2003 NRL premiers, Penrith traveled to England to face

Super League VIII Tetley's Super League VIII was the official name for the year 2003's Super League championship season, the 109th season of top-level professional rugby league held in Britain, and the eighth championship run by Super League. The season culminat ...

champions, the

Bradford Bulls The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the Championship. They have won five Challenge Cups, six league championships and three World Club Challenges. The team jersey is predom ...

in the

2004 World Club Challenge The 2004 World Club Challenge was held on Friday, 13 February 2004, at the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield, England. The game was contested by Bradford Bulls and the Penrith Panthers. Background Bradford Bulls Penrith Panthers Match ...

. Howland played on the wing in Penrith's 22–4 loss. Howland played two further seasons for Penrith and retired at the end of the 2005 season.

Career highlights

*''Junior Club:'' Gymea Gorillas *''Career Stats:'' 110 career game, scoring 49 tries

References

External links

Bulldogs profileNRL profile
1976 births Living people Australian rugby league players Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs players Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks players Penrith Panthers players Rugby league wingers Rugby league players from Sydney {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-1970s-stub