Laurie William Daley OA, (born 20 October 1969 in Junee, New South Wales) is an Australian rugby league football commentator and former player of Indigenous Australian[1] descent. He represented Australia on several occasions and has since been named as one of the nation's finest players of the 20th century. Daley played primarily as a centre and then five-eighth for the Canberra Raiders during their most successful period in the 1990s.
Playing career
Spotted playing first grade for the Junee Diesels in 1986 at the age of sixteen, and after being signed by the Raiders, he developed as a centre and was playing first grade for Canberra by 1987. Daley was playing representative rugby league before his 19th birthday in 1988. He was the second highest try-scorer the following year with sixteen tries. He tasted premiership success with the raiders the following year and in the ensuing celebrations dropped the Winfield Cup from a moving car.[2] Daley disappointed in his first State of Origin games for New South Wales that year, but in 1990 he made his Australian début against France. That year, Daley also won the Raiders' player of the year award as well as selection for the Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France, playing centre for the last four tests on tour (two against Great Britain and two against France). He missed Australia's opening loss to Great Britain at Wembley Stadium due to a broken hand suffered in a previous tour match.
During 1991, Daley was shifted from centre to five-eighth. Affected severely by injury in 1992, Daley captained Australia in the absence of Mal Meninga in the first Test against New Zealand in 1993, kicking the match-saving field goal. 1994 was again plagued by injury, but he returned in time to win the title with the Raiders, contributing a vital try. He was selected, along with six of his Canberra team-mates, to the 1994 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France.
Controversy raged in 1995 when Ricky Stuart was preferred for the Canberra captaincy, even though Daley had captained both New South Wales and Australia ahead of Stuart. Furthermore, the outbreak of Super League and Daley's subsequent support for the rival organisation saw him barred from representative games in 1995. Nonetheless, Daley was awarded Rugby League Week's Player of the Year award in 1995citation needed and the Raiders' player of the year award in 1995, 1996 and 1997.
In 1996, Super League players were once again allowed to compete in representative fixtures sanctioned by the Australian Rugby League, allowing Daley to compete in State of Origin. Even though Daley was the incumbent New South Wales captain prior to 1995, Brad Fittler was preferred to the captaincy. The following year, the Super League competition was launched, and Daley was appointed to captain the Super League representative teams of both New South Wales and Australia.
In 1998, Super League and the Australian Rugby League agreed to combine to launch the National Rugby League competition. Daley took over the Canberra captaincy on a full-time basis after Stuart signed with Canterbury in 1999 and was once again named the Raiders' player of the year. Although Daley continued to make representative appearances, injuries began to limit his appearances; and he was forced into retirement in 2000. In September of that year, his book, Laurie: Always a Winner was published.
Post-playing
Laurie Daley statue at Canberra Stadium
Daley is now assistant coach of the New South Wales Blues and coach of the Country Origin team.
In September, 2007, Daley left his commentary position with Fox Sports and signed a contract with the Nine Network to co-present much of their rugby league coverage, from appearing on the weekly rugby league topic show The Footy Show, to commentating on Nine's weekend league coverage.
Accolades
In February 2008, Daley was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908-2007) which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. [1]
In August, 2008, Daley was named at five-eight in the Indigenous Team of the Century.[2]
References
External links
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