Colin Best (born 22 November 1978) 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, 2000s and 2010s. He played primarily in the National Rugby League as a or for Australian clubs, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks,

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 ...

, Canberra Raiders and South Sydney Rabbitohs. Best also played in the

Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...

for English club,

Hull FC Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and wer ...

Background

Before his rugby league career, Best had also represented Australia at a junior level in indoor soccer.

Career

Best made his first grade debut for Cronulla in round 12 1998 against North Sydney, scoring a try in a 16–12 victory at Shark Park. In 1999, Best made 14 appearances and scored 12 tries as Cronulla won the minor premiership but lost in the preliminary final against rivals St. George at Stadium Australia. The following year, Best scored 13 tries from 26 games as Cronulla reached the finals but were eliminated by the Brisbane Broncos in the first week. In 2001, Best played in Cronulla's preliminary final defeat against eventual premiers Newcastle. At the end of 2002, Best signed with Hull in the

and spent two years in England before returning to Australia and signing with St. George. In the

2005 NRL season The 2005 NRL season was the 98th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the eighth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of clubs remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen teams contesting the 2005 Telst ...

, Best finished as the club's top try scorer with 20 tries. Best played in the club's preliminary final loss against eventual premiers Wests Tigers at the

Sydney Football Stadium The Sydney Football Stadium, commercially known as Allianz Stadium and previously Aussie Stadium, was a football stadium in Moore Park, Sydney, Australia. Built in 1988 next to the Sydney Cricket Ground, the stadium was Sydney's premier rect ...

. In 2006, Best scored 6 tries in 19 games as St. George reached another preliminary final, however Best missed the match through injury. In 2007, Best signed for Canberra. In 2008, while playing for Canberra he was awarded the Dally M Winger of the Year Award. During the

2008 NRL season The 2008 NRL season was the 101st season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia, and the eleventh run by the National Rugby League. For the second year, National Rugby League teams, sixteen teams competed for the 2008 Telstr ...

, Best signed a two-year contract with South Sydney commencing in the 2009. Best scored a try on debut for South Sydney's round 1 victory over rivals the Sydney Roosters which finished 52–12. In the

2009 State of Origin series The 2009 State of Origin series was the 28th time that the State of Origin series, annual three-game series between the Queensland rugby league team, Queensland and New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales representative rugby league foo ...

Best was named in the 40 man

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 ...

preliminary squad but ultimately was not selected for any of the games. He signed for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks for two seasons starting in 2011. At the end of the two seasons, Best announced his retirement, after a 15-year career, playing his final game in a finals lost against former club Canberra. Following his retirement, he was one of seventeen Cronulla players found guilty of using illegal substances under the club's 2011 supplements program, having a twelve-month suspension (which had already expired due to backdating) recorded against his name.

Career highlights

*''Junior Club:'' Engadine Dragons *''First Grade Debut:'' Round 12, Cronulla v North Sydney, Toyota Park, 30 May 1998 *''First Grade Record:'' 170 appearances scoring 87 tries

References

External links

Canberra Raiders profileColin Best NRL.com
* (archived by web.archive.org
Stats → PastPlayers → B at hullfc.com
* (archived by web.archive.org
Statistics at hullfc.com
1978 births Australian rugby league players Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks players Hull F.C. players St. George Illawarra Dragons players Canberra Raiders players South Sydney Rabbitohs players New South Wales City Origin rugby league team players Rugby league centres Rugby league wingers Rugby league players from Sydney Living people {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-1970s-stub