Heath L'Estrange (born 21 May 1985), also known by the

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

of "Stranger", is an Australian former professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

footballer. He played for the

Sydney Roosters Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club, known as the Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs. The club competes in the National Rugby Lea ...

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL). The Manly club debuted in the 1947 New South Wales Rugby Football League seaso ...

and the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...

, and the

Bradford Bulls The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, and compete in the Championship, the second tier of British rugby league. The club have won the League Championship six times, the Challenge Cup f ...

in the

Super League Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...

. In his rugby league career, he won the 2008 NRL Grand Final with the Sea Eagles. He played as .

Background

L'Estrange was born in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. While attending Terra Sancta College, L'Estrange played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 2002 and 2003.

Playing career

Sydney Roosters: 2004-2007

L'Estrange signed for the club in late 2003. He made his first grade début on 9 April 2004 against the

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...

during round 5 at

Sydney Football Stadium Sydney Football Stadium may refer to: * Sydney Football Stadium (1988), the original stadium which was demolished in 2019. * Sydney Football Stadium (2022) Sydney Football Stadium, currently known as Allianz Stadium for sponsorship reasons, i ...

where he scored two tries. L'Estrange played in the 2006

NSW 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 ...

grand final for Newtown who were the

feeder club at the time against

Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...

. Newtown would lose the grand final 20-19 at

Stadium Australia Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium, which is sometimes referred to as Sydney Ol ...

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles: 2008-09

L'Estrange played in the 2008 NRL Grand Final victory over the

Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm is a rugby league football club based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia that participates in the National Rugby League (NRL). The club plays its home games at AAMI Park, and wears a purple and navy blu ...

. Manly won the match 40-0 which as of the 2024 season is the biggest winning margin in a grand final.

Bradford Bulls: 2010-13

L'Estrange signed a two-year contract with

club

for 2010; he was seen as a replacement for Terry Newton. L'Estrange re-signed with Bradford for a three-year deal midway through the 2011 season. After the 2013 season he was released from his contract on compassionate grounds where he would later sign a one-year contract with the

Sydney Roosters: 2014

The

signed L'Estrange after he was released by Bradford. On 29 October, L'Estrange signed a one- year deal with the St. George Illawarra Dragons for the

2015 NRL season The 2015 NRL season was the 108th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 18th season of the National Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, which was followe ...

St George Illawarra Dragons: 2015

On 2 October, L'Estrange announced his retirement from first grade rugby league.

Hills District Bulls

On 28 August 2017, L'Estrange was named in the 2017 Ron Massey Cup team of the year.

Representative

France

He was named in the

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

squad for the Rugby League World Cup 2008.

Exiles

L'Estrange played two games for the Exiles.

References

External links

2015 St. George Illawarra Dragons profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:L'Estrange, Heath 1985 births Living people Australian people of French descent Australian expatriate rugby league players in England Australian rugby league players Bradford Bulls captains Bradford Bulls players Exiles rugby league team players Illawarra Cutters players Manly Warringah Sea Eagles players Prime Minister's XIII players Rugby league hookers Rugby league players from Sydney St. George Illawarra Dragons players Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles players Sydney Roosters players 21st-century Australian sportsmen