Reece Simmonds
Encyclopedia
Reece Simmonds is a retired Australia
n rugby league
player, who played in the National Rugby League
(NRL) for the St George Illawarra Dragons
(2002–2006; 2011) and the South Sydney Rabbitohs
(2007).
2004 was Simmonds best year. Switching to winger he made 23 appearances and scored 14 tries. However, the next two seasons with the Dragons were less successful.
In 2007, Simmonds joined the South Sydney Rabbitohs
in the National Rugby League
competition, but played in just 7 games that season.
From 2008 to 2010, Simmonds worked as a coal-miner and played in the lower-tier based rugby league competitions, with Collegians in Wollongong and Wests Illawarra. He retired in 2010 after breaking his leg for a second time, but was persuaded to return to playing, winning a local premiership for Wests. He was also captain of Illawarra Division in the NSW CRL Championships.
In 2011, Simmonds was called into the Dragons' NRL team to help compensate for nine players out due to injuries and origin commitments. He returned to retirement at the end of the season to coach the Wests Red Devils in the Illawarra League.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n rugby league
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...
player, who played in the National Rugby League
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...
(NRL) for 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...
(2002–2006; 2011) and the South Sydney Rabbitohs
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
(2007).
Career
An Eagle Vale St Andrews junior, Simmonds worked as a greyhound handler before he made his debut with St George Illawarra in the opening round of the 2002 season. He played 14 games at fullback in 2002 and 2003.2004 was Simmonds best year. Switching to winger he made 23 appearances and scored 14 tries. However, the next two seasons with the Dragons were less successful.
In 2007, Simmonds joined the South Sydney Rabbitohs
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
in the National Rugby League
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...
competition, but played in just 7 games that season.
From 2008 to 2010, Simmonds worked as a coal-miner and played in the lower-tier based rugby league competitions, with Collegians in Wollongong and Wests Illawarra. He retired in 2010 after breaking his leg for a second time, but was persuaded to return to playing, winning a local premiership for Wests. He was also captain of Illawarra Division in the NSW CRL Championships.
In 2011, Simmonds was called into the Dragons' NRL team to help compensate for nine players out due to injuries and origin commitments. He returned to retirement at the end of the season to coach the Wests Red Devils in the Illawarra League.