Richard Whiting (born 20 December 1984), also known by the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

"Superman", is an English 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 last played for the

Toronto Wolfpack The Toronto Wolfpack are a Canadian professional rugby league club based in Toronto, Ontario, who compete in the North American Rugby League. The club originally competed in the British rugby league system but withdrew in the 2020 Super Leagu ...

in the

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

. Able to play in a variety of positions, he was considered a

utility As a topic of economics, utility is used to model worth or value. Its usage has evolved significantly over time. The term was introduced initially as a measure of pleasure or happiness as part of the theory of utilitarianism by moral philosopher ...

player. Previously playing in the

for the

Featherstone Rovers Featherstone Rovers are a professional rugby league club in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England, who play in the Championship (rugby league), Championship. Featherstone is a former coal mining town with a population of around 16,000 and Rover ...

and the

Leigh Centurions The Leigh Leopards are a professional rugby league club based in Leigh, Greater Manchester, England, who compete in the Betfred Super League. The club was founded in 1878, and is one of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern R ...

, he spent most of his professional career 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 ...

with

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 ...

, with whom he won the

2005 Challenge Cup The 2005 Powergen Rugby League Challenge Cup was played by teams from across Europe during the 2005 rugby league season. Hull F.C. won the cup defeating Leeds Rhinos in the final. Qualifying Round First Round Second Round Third Round Four ...

, and was named Super League's Young Player of the Year in 2005.

Early life

Whiting was born in

Featherstone Featherstone is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, two miles south-west of Pontefract. Historic counties of England, Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, in 2011 ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, England, and he was a promising

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player as a youngster and was signed to a scholarship with

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...

as a 16-year-old before deciding to pursue a career in rugby league.

Playing career

Featherstone Rovers

Whiting began his career with

in National League One, being named the league's Young Player of the Year in 2003, before moving to

club Hull.

Hull

Whiting joined Hull in November 2003 for an undisclosed fee. In 2005 he made 24 appearances during the season and also won the league's Young Player of the Year. Whiting played for Hull at centre in the

final, scoring a try in the victory over

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

. Hull reached the 2006 Super League Grand final against St. Helens, and Whiting played from the substitutes' bench in his side's 4–26 loss. Whiting also represented

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in three matches between 2004 and 2006. Whiting continued to be a regular in the Hull FC team, filling in a multitude of roles and positions and earning a reputation as one of the most reliable players in the league. In 2014, he was awarded a testimonial to mark 10 years with the club.Hull FC's gentle giant Richard Whiting on ten grand years as a reluctant Superman
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Leigh

In 2016, Richard moved to

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staf ...

on a 2-month loan after falling down the pecking order. He made his début for Leigh in the 24–20 win over

London Broncos The London Broncos are a professional rugby league club in London, England. The club competes in the RFL Championship. It was a member of Super League from its inaugural season in 1996 until the end of the 2014 season, when they were relegat ...

. In April 2016 Whiting signed for Leigh on a permanent basis, ending his 12-year stint at Hull.

Toronto

Whiting joined the

ahead of their inaugural season.

References

External links

Toronto Wolfpack profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whiting, Richard 1984 births Living people Doncaster R.L.F.C. players England national rugby league team players English rugby league players Featherstone Rovers players Hull F.C. players Leigh Leopards players Rugby league centres Rugby league five-eighths Rugby league fullbacks Rugby league halfbacks Rugby league locks Rugby league players from Featherstone Rugby league props Rugby league second-rows Rugby league utility players Rugby league wingers Toronto Wolfpack players English expatriate rugby league players English expatriate sportspeople in Canada Expatriate rugby league players in Canada