Daniel Fitzhenry (born 8 December 1979) 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 2000s. He played for the
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional Rugby league, rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and South West Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a j ...
in the
NRL
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 ...
and
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club has won five league championships, and one Challeng ...
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 ...
. He primarily played on the .
Playing career
Fitzhenry played
Jersey Flegg
Harry "Jersey" Flegg (6 April 1878 in Bolton, Lancashire23 August 1960 in North Sydney, New South Wales) was an English-Australian rugby league identity. Both a player and administrator, he was a leading figure in the birth of the sport in Aus ...
for the
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian 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 pla ...
and had spent a period playing with Limoux Rugby League in France before being injured in a car accident.
After coming through the joint venture
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional Rugby league, rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and South West Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a j ...
' ranks with
Western Suburbs, Fitzhenry made his début 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 ...
playing at in Round 14 of the
2002 NRL season against 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 ...
at Leichhardt Oval.
Fitzhenry played at for several games in 2002. His versatility has seen him play off the bench, as and once as (2004 against
Canterbury-Bankstown
Canterbury-Bankstown is a customary region of Sydney, Australia, in the south-western suburbs. The area is located around the Bankstown railway line, to the west of the St George region and to the south of the Inner West region. The suburbs ...
. Injuries to the club's first choice player
Benji Marshall
Benjamin Quentin Marshall (born 25 February 1985) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played at or .
He previously played for the Wests Tigers in two separate spells, St. George Illawarra Dragons, Brisbane Bro ...
saw Daniel used as a makeshift 5/8th at times.
Fitzhenry was a member of
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional Rugby league, rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and South West Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a j ...
team that won the
2005 NRL Grand Final, defeating
North Queensland
North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its tropical northern part has been ...
30-16. He scored a try in the 63rd minute to give Wests a 12-point lead. He also scored a try in the
2006 World Club Challenge which the Tigers lost to Bradford.
Fitzhenry held the record for the most tries scored by a player at the Wests Tigers, with 43, before being surpassed by Benji Marshall in 2010.
In 2010, Fitzhenry returned to the Wests Tigers after two seasons playing with
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club has won five league championships, and one Challeng ...
. He played in 18 games during the season, but was often named as a reserve back, getting little time on the field.
At the end of the season, Fitzhenry retired from the NRL, signing a two-year contract to captain-coach Southcity in the
Group 9 Group 9 may refer to:
* Group 9 element
*Group 9 Rugby League
Group 9 is a rugby league competition based in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia, and surrounding areas. The competition is played in five grades, with these being Under 17s, U ...
competition. He won a premiership in his first season with the club.
Career highlights
*''Junior Club:'' Dorrigo & Nambucca Heads
*''First Grade Debut:'' Round 14, Wests Tigers v Penrith at Leichhardt Oval, 15 June 2002
*''Career Highlight:'' Wests Tigers Leading Tryscorer; try in the 2005 NRL Grand Final
*''Premierships:'' 2005 (West Tigers v
North Queensland Cowboys
The North Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, the largest town in North Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL).
Sinc ...
)
External links
Daniel Fitzhenry NRL Profileno longer a valid link)
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzhenry, Daniel
1979 births
Living people
Australian rugby league coaches
Australian rugby league players
Hull Kingston Rovers players
Limoux Grizzlies players
Rugby league centres
Rugby league five-eighths
Rugby league fullbacks
Rugby league halfbacks
Rugby league players from New South Wales
Rugby league wingers
Wests Tigers players