Sam Thaiday
Thaiday while playing for the Broncos in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Samuel H. Thaiday
Nickname	Slammin Sam
Born	12 June 1985 (1985-06-12) (age 24)
	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Height	181 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	108 kg (17 st 0 in)
Playing information
Position	Second row
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2003–	Brisbane Broncos	104	15	1	0	62
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2005–07	Prime Minister's XIII
2006–09	Queensland	9	0	0	0	0
2006–09	Australia	2	0	0	0	0
Source: Rugby League Project

Sam Thaiday (born 12 June 1985 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer of Torres Strait Islander background who currently plays for the Brisbane Broncos of the NRL. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative forward, he has played his entire NRL career to date at the Broncos, with whom he won the 2006 premiership.

[edit] Career

Sam Thiaday was born in Sydney, but later moved to Queensland. He made his debut for the Brisbane Broncos against the Bulldogs in Round 18 of the 2003 NRL season, at the age of 18. He had played just 10 games before 2005, and in 2005 he still only played 14 games.

It was not until 2006 that Thiaday's career, still at a young age of 20, started to lift. Solid form in the first 10 weeks of the Broncos season earned him a spot on the Queensland bench for Game I of the 2006 Origin series. He was also selected on the bench for the following 2 games for the Maroons, who went on to win the series. After that, when the Broncos were in the "slump that wasn't a slump", coach Wayne Bennett moved Thiaday from the bench to the starting side. This, among other changes, saw the Broncos' season turn around, and they ended up winning the premiership.

Thiaday was selected for the Australian Tri-Nations team in 2006 and made his international debut in Game 2 against New Zealand after concussion ruled Willie Mason out.

In the 2007 NRL season Thaiday suffered an injury to the bone around his eye socket and missed all three games of the State of Origin series for the Queensland Maroons while waiting to recover. Thiaday made his 50th First Grade Appearance in the NRL in 2007 and re-signed with the Brisbane Broncos until the end of 2009.

In the 2008 NRL season Sam was back in form and started the year on a bang winning back to back man of the match awards in round 8 and 9 to earn himself a starting spot in the 2008 State of Origin series.

He has been named in the Australia training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.^[1]

On 15 September 2008, a 24 year old woman lodged a formal complaint about a sexual assault two days earlier. The people alleged to be at the centre of the incident were thiaday and Brisbane Broncos team mates Darius Boyd and Karmichael Hunt. The alleged players are co-operating with police and the outcome is likely to be known by the end of October. It is unknown what consequences Thiaday will face in terms of his future at the Broncos who have had a strict policy on off-field behavior.^[2][3] The trio were later cleared of all charges due to a lack of evidence.

In April 2009, he was named in the preliminary 25 man squad to represent Queensland in the opening State of Origin match for 2009.^[4] In game two of the 2009 series Thaiday was named man-of-the-match.

[edit] Career highlights

• 3 state of origin for Queensland
• Junior Club: Brothers (Townsville)
• Schoolboys: Kirwan State High School
• First Grade Debut: Round 18, Brisbane v. Bulldogs at Suncorp, 11 July 2003
• First Grade Record: 44 appearances scoring 3 tries
• Australia selection Tri-Nations 2006
• Australian debut, Game 2 Tri-Nations

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Sam Thaiday at the Brisbane Broncos official website.
• Sam Thaiday at the State of Origin official website.
• Sam Thaiday at the Former Origin Greats website.