Rodney Griffin (born 5 January 1987) is a Papua New Guinean 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 plays as a and forward for the
Northern Pride in the
Queensland Cup
The Queensland Cup, currently known as the Hostplus Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level regional rugby league football competition in Queensland, Australia. It is run by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) and is contested by four ...
. He is a
Papua New Guinean
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
international.
Background
Born in
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
, Griffin moved to Australia at the age of 3
and played his junior rugby league for the
Atherton Roosters
The Cairns District Rugby League was formed on 5 August 1918 and is the administrative body for the game of rugby league football in Cairns, Queensland. The CDRL runs senior, junior and women's club competitions and has its headquarters at Barlow ...
, before going into the
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 ...
' academy system.
Playing career
Early career
In 2005, Griffin played for the
Wynnum Manly Seagulls
The Wynnum-Manly Seagulls are an Australian rugby league football club based at Kougari Oval, in Brisbane's bayside suburb of Manly West, which neighbours the suburb of Wynnum. They competed in the Brisbane Rugby League from 1951 to 1997. Since ...
in the
Queensland Cup
The Queensland Cup, currently known as the Hostplus Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level regional rugby league football competition in Queensland, Australia. It is run by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) and is contested by four ...
.
In 2006, he moved down to
Sydney, New South Wales
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 Mountains ...
to play in 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 ...
' junior grades.
2007
In October and November, Griffin played 3 games for
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
against Wales, and France twice.
2008
In 2008, Griffin returned to the Queensland Cup to play for the
Northern Pride RLFC
Northern Pride Rugby League Football Club is a Queensland rugby league club founded in 2007. Based in Cairns, Queensland they compete in the QRL State competition, the Hostplus Cup, formerly the Wizard Queensland Cup. The club represents Fa ...
. In October and November, he played 3 games for Papua New Guinea at the
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since its inauguration in 1954, and the first since the 2000 tournament. The tournament was held in Australia from 26 October, culminating in the final b ...
against England, New Zealand and Australia.
2009
In 2009, Griffin had hopes of gaining a contract with the North Queensland Cowboys.
2010
On 19 September, Griffin played in the Pride's
2010 Queensland Cup Grand Final victory over the
Norths Devils
The Northern Suburbs Devils, or North Brisbane Devils, or often simply referred to as Norths for short, are a rugby league club representing the northern suburbs of Brisbane, Australia. The team colours are sky blue, navy blue and gold. They pl ...
. In October and November, he played 3 games for Papua New Guinea at the
2010 Rugby League Four Nations
The 2010 Rugby League Four Nations tournament was played in Australia and New Zealand in October and November 2010. The tournament was the second time the Four Nations had been held, following on from the 2009 edition held in England and France.
...
against Australia, New Zealand and England.
2011
In 2011, Griffin joined the
Tweed Heads Seagulls
The Tweed Heads Seagulls, often referred to simply as Tweed or Seagulls or Tweed Seagulls, is a rugby league club based in Tweed Heads, New South Wales. It is one of only two non-Queensland teams to play in the Queensland Cup, along with the ...
. On 25 September, he played in the Seagulls'
2011 Queensland Cup Grand Final defeat by the Wynnum Manly Seagulls. This was his third Queensland Cup grand final in a row, after losing with the Pride in 2009 and winning with the Pride in 2010.
2013
After spotting him in the Papua New Guinea camp while assistant coaching the side in 2010,
Ipswich Jets
The Ipswich Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Ipswich, Queensland. Their name comes from nearby RAAF Base Amberley, one of the largest airbases in Australia. The Jets compete in the Queensland Cup competition. Originall ...
co-coaches
Ben
Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right.
Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( he, × ...
and
Shane Walker signed Griffin to the Ipswich side, after initially missing out on him in 2010.
The Walkers stripped 10 kilograms from his frame and moulded him into an 80-minute middle forward
capable of performances like 309 metres in 66 minutes in Queensland Cup.
2015
In 2015, Griffin did a pre-season with 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 ...
,
but failed to gain a contract. On 27 September, he played in the Jets' 2015 Queensland Cup Grand Final victory over the
Townsville Blackhawks
The Townsville & Districts Blackhawks are an Australian semi-professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Queensland's top rugby league competition, the Queensland Cup. The club was admitted to the Que ...
. On 4 October, he played in the Jets'
2015 NRL State Championship victory over the
Newcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, th ...
, scoring a try and setting up a try for winger Marmin Barba. On 13 October, he signed a 1-year contract to return to the Wests Tigers starting in 2016.
2016
On 7 May, Griffin played for Papua New Guinea against
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
in the
2016 Melanesian Cup. Despite not being able to break into the Tigers' NRL team for 2016, he re-signed with them for 2017.
2017
On 8 February, Griffin was granted a release for his Tigers' contract to join the
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilita ...
, spending the entire season in the
New South Wales Cup
The NSW Cup, currently known as the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league competition for clubs in New South Wales. The competition has a history dating back to the NSWRFL's origins in 1908, starting off as a reserve ...
. At the end of the season, he represented
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
at the
2017 Rugby League World Cup
The 2017 Rugby League World Cup was the fifteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup tournament and took place in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea between 27 October and 2 December 2017. The tournament featured the national teams ...
and was named in the NSW Cup Team of the Year.
2018
After two seasons in Sydney without making his NRL debut, Griffin returned to
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 ...
, joining the
Townsville Blackhawks
The Townsville & Districts Blackhawks are an Australian semi-professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Queensland's top rugby league competition, the Queensland Cup. The club was admitted to the Que ...
in the
Queensland Cup
The Queensland Cup, currently known as the Hostplus Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level regional rugby league football competition in Queensland, Australia. It is run by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) and is contested by four ...
.
References
External links
Canterbury Bulldogs profileIpswich Jets profile2017 RLWC profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, Rod
1987 births
Living people
Ipswich Jets players
Northern Pride RLFC players
Papua New Guinea national rugby league team captains
Papua New Guinea national rugby league team players
Papua New Guinean emigrants to Australia
Papua New Guinean rugby league players
Rugby league locks
Rugby league props
Rugby league second-rows
Tweed Heads Seagulls players
Wests Tigers NSW Cup players
Wynnum Manly Seagulls players