Chris Anderson (rugby league footballer)
Encyclopedia
Chris Anderson is an Australian former rugby league
footballer of the 1970s and 80s and coach of the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian Kangaroos and New South Wales Blues
representative , he featured in Canterbury-Bankstown's third grand final win and captained Halifax
to a Challenge Cup
victory.
As a coach, Anderson took Australia to World Cup victory and coached both the Canterbury Bulldogs and Melbourne Storm
to premiership wins. He is also a member of the Halifax Hall of Fame.
from Forbes, New South Wales
. He played 232 first grade games for the Canterbury Bulldogs
between 1971–84 and was also a member of the Widnes
Rugby League Challenge Cup
winning side in 1974–75.
Anderson represented Australia in 8 Tests, the 1975 World Cup
and two Kangaroos Tours in 1978 and 1982. He also represented New South Wales
, selected at wing in the experimental 1980 State of Origin game, and became the first ever player to score a hat-trick of tries in a State of Origin
match.
Anderson was also captain-coach of Halifax
between 1985–88 where he enjoyed great success, including the 1985-86 Rugby Football League Championship and the 1986–87 Rugby League Challenge Cup
victory against St Helens.
in Halifax
’s 19–18 victory over St Helens in the 1987 Challenge Cup
final at Wembley Stadium on 2 May 1987.
and England
. He is also one of the few people to coach two different clubs to NRL
/NSWRL
Premiership success.
Anderson returned to Australia after playing/coaching in the British 1987–88 season and was appointed coach of the Canterbury Bulldogs
Under 21's team for the 1989 season. He was quickly appointed first grade coach for 1990
and enjoyed eight fruitful seasons at Canterbury, including the 1995
Premiership triumph over the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
.
The formation of the Melbourne Storm
saw Anderson become their first coach and he guided the team to Premiership success in 1999
when they defeated the St George Illawarra Dragons
.
Anderson was appointed coach of the Australian national team in March 1999, replacing Wayne Bennett. He enjoyed five successful seasons before his tenure came to a halt after the successful 2003 whitewash of Great Britain
.
He quit as Melbourne Storm coach after seven rounds (and only two wins) of the 2001 NRL season.
On the 2001 Kangaroo Tour
when coaching Australia, Anderson, was taken to a Wigan
hospital after complaining of chest pains during the first half of the deciding third test match against Great Britain
at the JJB Stadium
. He had suffered a non-fatal myocardial infarction
and thankfully made a full recovery.
Anderson was also coach of the Cronulla Sharks
for two controversial seasons in 2002
and 2003
getting them one game short of the Grand Final in 2002. Anderson was sacked in dramatic circumstances over disagreements with the club's management on the future direction of the team, largely centred around his decision to replace the existing /, Preston Campbell
with new signing Brett Kimmorley
in the starting side. He also continually picked his son, Jared, at the expense of Matt King, who ended up moving to the Melbourne Storm
where his career blossomed.
In July 2004 Anderson was appointed coach of the Newport Gwent Dragons
– a Welsh Rugby Union team. Despite finishing fourth in the Celtic League that season, his one year contract was not renewed. Anderson was overlooked for the signing of Canberra
Rugby League football club and many have linked it with his choosing to coach a Rugby Union side.
Anderson had accept a 2 year contract with the Sydney Roosters
as their first grade coach for the 2007–08 NRL seasons. However late in the season after just five wins from sixteen matches, including a horrific 56–0 loss to Manly Sea Eagles, Anderson stepped down from the job. Former Roosters five eighth Brad Fittler
was his replacement.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer of the 1970s and 80s and coach of the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian Kangaroos and New South Wales Blues
New South Wales rugby league team
The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
representative , he featured in Canterbury-Bankstown's third grand final win and captained Halifax
Halifax RLFC
Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town...
to a Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
victory.
As a coach, Anderson took Australia to World Cup victory and coached both the Canterbury Bulldogs and Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
to premiership wins. He is also a member of the Halifax Hall of Fame.
Playing career
Anderson was a who was recruited by Peter MoorePeter Bullfrog Moore
Peter "Bullfrog" Moore OAM was an Australian rugby league administrator, particularly associated with the Canterbury Bulldogs, where he was Chief Executive from 1969-1995, serving a record 26 years at the helm...
from Forbes, New South Wales
Forbes, New South Wales
-Notable residents:*Carolyn Simpson - Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales; Member of the first all-female bench to sit in an Australian court*NSW Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt was born and raised in Forbes....
. He played 232 first grade games for the Canterbury Bulldogs
Canterbury 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 National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
between 1971–84 and was also a member of the Widnes
Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...
Rugby League Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
winning side in 1974–75.
Anderson represented Australia in 8 Tests, the 1975 World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
and two Kangaroos Tours in 1978 and 1982. He also represented New South Wales
New South Wales rugby league team
The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
, selected at wing in the experimental 1980 State of Origin game, and became the first ever player to score a hat-trick of tries in a State of Origin
State of Origin
State of Origin is the name used in Australia for one existing sporting event which involves domestic representative teams. The term, when used in isolation, usually refers to rugby league football, and occassionally Australian Football matches, in which players are selected for the Australian...
match.
Anderson was also captain-coach of Halifax
Halifax RLFC
Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town...
between 1985–88 where he enjoyed great success, including the 1985-86 Rugby Football League Championship and the 1986–87 Rugby League Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
victory against St Helens.
Challenge Cup final appearances
Chris Anderson played /, i.e. number 6, and was captainCaptain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
in Halifax
Halifax RLFC
Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town...
’s 19–18 victory over St Helens in the 1987 Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final at Wembley Stadium on 2 May 1987.
Coaching career
Chris Anderson is one of the few people to play and coach competition winning sides in both AustraliaRugby league in Australia
Rugby league football is one of the most popular sports in Australia. It is the dominant winter sport on the eastern seaboard of Australia, including the states of New South Wales and Queensland as well as the Australian Capital Territory, which together comprise around half of the country's...
and England
Rugby league in England
Rugby league football is a team sport in England. The sport receives funding from Sport England as an "English priority" sport. The top-level competition in England—called Super League—is not an entirely all-English affair, as it includes a team from France, and also featured a team from Wales from...
. He is also one of the few people to coach two different clubs to NRL
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
/NSWRL
New South Wales Rugby League
The New South Wales Rugby League is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby League. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League until 1984 when forward thinking marketing managers decided...
Premiership success.
Anderson returned to Australia after playing/coaching in the British 1987–88 season and was appointed coach of the Canterbury Bulldogs
Canterbury 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 National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
Under 21's team for the 1989 season. He was quickly appointed first grade coach for 1990
New South Wales Rugby League season 1990
The 1990 New South Wales Rugby League season was the eighty-third season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Sixteen clubs competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup during the premiership season, which culminated in a grand final between the previous season's premiers,...
and enjoyed eight fruitful seasons at Canterbury, including the 1995
Australian Rugby League season 1995
The 1995 ARL premiership was the 88th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the first to be run by the Australian Rugby League. For the first time since 1988, the League expanded again, with the addition of four new clubs from North Queensland, Western Australia, South...
Premiership triumph over the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia...
.
The formation of the Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
saw Anderson become their first coach and he guided the team to Premiership success in 1999
National Rugby League season 1999
The 1999 NRL season was the 92nd season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the second to be run by the National Rugby League. Seventeen teams competed for the NRL Premiership during the season which culminated in a grand final between the first grand final played at Stadium...
when they defeated the St George Illawarra Dragons
St George Illawarra Dragons
The St George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing the St. George and Illawarra regions. They have competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 as a joint venture between Sydney's historic St. George Dragons club and 1982 expansion club, the...
.
Anderson was appointed coach of the Australian national team in March 1999, replacing Wayne Bennett. He enjoyed five successful seasons before his tenure came to a halt after the successful 2003 whitewash of Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
.
He quit as Melbourne Storm coach after seven rounds (and only two wins) of the 2001 NRL season.
On the 2001 Kangaroo Tour
2001 Kangaroo Tour
The 2001 Kangaroo Tour was almost abandoned due to the events of September 11, 2001. The tour was initially cancelled by the ARL but after strong public opinion in both Great Britain and Australia, it went ahead, though the only games played were the three tests, marking the first Kangaroo Tour to...
when coaching Australia, Anderson, was taken to a Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
hospital after complaining of chest pains during the first half of the deciding third test match against Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
at the JJB Stadium
JJB Stadium
The DW Stadium is a sports stadium in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, that is home to Wigan Athletic football club and Wigan Warriors rugby league club....
. He had suffered a non-fatal myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
and thankfully made a full recovery.
Anderson was also coach of the Cronulla Sharks
Cronulla Sharks
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
for two controversial seasons in 2002
National Rugby League season 2002
The 2002 NRL season was the 95th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the fifth to be run by the National Rugby League...
and 2003
National Rugby League season 2003
The 2003 NRL premiership was the 96th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the sixth run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen teams competed, with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles returning in place of their failed joint-venture club, the Northern Eagles...
getting them one game short of the Grand Final in 2002. Anderson was sacked in dramatic circumstances over disagreements with the club's management on the future direction of the team, largely centred around his decision to replace the existing /, Preston Campbell
Preston Campbell
Preston Campbell, is an Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Gold Coast Titans of the National Rugby League...
with new signing Brett Kimmorley
Brett Kimmorley
Brett "Noddy" Kimmorley was an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the NRL. He has previously played for five other clubs and has also represented his country and state on several occasions...
in the starting side. He also continually picked his son, Jared, at the expense of Matt King, who ended up moving to the Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
where his career blossomed.
In July 2004 Anderson was appointed coach of the Newport Gwent Dragons
Newport Gwent Dragons
Newport Gwent Dragons are one of the four professional Rugby Union regional teams in Wales. They are jointly owned by Newport RFC and the Welsh Rugby Union and play all their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12, the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the Heineken Cup...
– a Welsh Rugby Union team. Despite finishing fourth in the Celtic League that season, his one year contract was not renewed. Anderson was overlooked for the signing of Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
Rugby League football club and many have linked it with his choosing to coach a Rugby Union side.
Anderson had accept a 2 year contract with the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
as their first grade coach for the 2007–08 NRL seasons. However late in the season after just five wins from sixteen matches, including a horrific 56–0 loss to Manly Sea Eagles, Anderson stepped down from the job. Former Roosters five eighth Brad Fittler
Brad Fittler
Bradley Scott "Freddie" Fittler AM is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. The current coach of NSW City team in the City vs. Country clash, he coached in the NRL for the Sydney Roosters between 2007 and 2009. As a player, Fittler captained both New South Wales...
was his replacement.