Oldest player in the NRL by year.

[Ojlovednicole]

Does anyone have these stats?
Ive always been interested in this.
35 is quite common, 36 is a rare delicate gem and 37 is almost unheard of.
It always seems that every year there is at least 1 person at least 35 (this year we have three. Mason, Jeremy 'Renner' Smith and Willie Manu) however I cant recall a year that 34 was the highest age, perhaps sometime in the early 00's.

Who has information to fill in the blanks?
I found this mad article which in fact coughs up a few names

http://www.nrl.com/golden-oldies-wh...the-nrl/tabid/10874/newsid/64165/default.aspx

2015- Willie Manu (35)
2014- Lote Tuqiri (35)
2013- Danny Buderus (35)
2012- Petero Civoneceva (36)
2011- Adam Macdougall (36)
2010- Steven Price (36)*
2009- Steven Price (35)
2008- Ruben Wiki (35)
2007- Jason Smith (35) (Never heard of this f*cker though)
2006-
2005-Darren Smith (36)
2004-
2003-
2002-
2001-
2000-
1999- Cliff Lyons (37)
1998- Les Davidson (36)
1997- Des Hasler (36)
1996-
1995-

 

[Ojlovednicole]

I also like to make mention that at 31 Steve price penned a 4 year deal which made him off contract at 35. Thats very rare in itself too.

 

[TheDalek079]

How old was Beaver in '07/'08?

 

[Ojlovednicole]

Not that old actually.
He showed his immortality in england where he pushed on a good 5/6 years after the NRL. He retired at 39.

England is a bit different in that respect.

Im not including th amatuer age of Rugby league so have confined this to the last twenty years (happy to extend this through to the 80s if the information flows) but what i do find interesting is the consistency of this. Its always 35/36 with rare exception.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Cronin was 35 at the Eels in 1986.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

And Michael Weyman always looked about 40, even in the U20's.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

Tuqiri wasn't 36 last year, he only turned 35 in September

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

Steve Price was 35 in 2009. He was a contracted player at 36 throughout 2010 but never actually got on the field.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

Civoniceva was 36 in 2012

 

[DiegoNT]

Wasn't Jason smith the oldest player in the comp in about 06 with the cowboys? Remember the commentators at the time saying he stilled smoked a durry during half time. What a legend, surprised some people have never heard of him

 

[Ojlovednicole]

Wasn't Jason smith the oldest player in the comp in about 06 with the cowboys? Remember the commentators at the time saying he stilled smoked a durry during half time. What a legend, surprised some people have never heard of him

Never heard of the f*cker

but you are correct, unless it was 07.

 

[DiegoNT]

Never heard of the f*cker

but you are correct, unless it was 07.

May have been, I remember he also had a stint with raiders after returning from the UK

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

Smith was 35 in 2007 playing his final season for the Cowboys

 

[TheFrog]

2012- Petero Civinoceva (36)

 

[Ojlovednicole]

Updated.
Jason may have been the oldest in '06 as well.
That being a year that england still had ravaged NRL Talent.

Mat Rogers was 35 when he made a comeback so that qualifies as playing that year, would be splitting hairs but.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Price hasn't played since the end of '09?!?!

I thought you had to be wrong but I looked him up.

SIX seasons ago!!! Far out time flies!

 

[Ojlovednicole]

lol from Wikipedia

2005 saw Jason Smith back in Australia playing with the Canberra Raiders. He also turned down a request to make a State of Origin comeback for Queensland.

What a legend.
'Jason you have been selected to play for Maroons in the State of origin"
'Nah fugg dat'

 

[Ojlovednicole]

Price hasn't played since the end of '09?!?!

I thought you had to be wrong but I looked him up.

SIX seasons ago!!! Far out time flies!

Yes but he was on the books just injured as someone said.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

From a 2011 article about Mad Dog

Rugby League’s Oldest Players
Player Club Year Age
Billy Wilson North Sydney 1967 40 years and 5 days
Tedda Courtney Western Suburbs 1924 39 and 311 days
Roy Kirkaldy Canterbury 1948 38 years and 149 days
Henry Porter Canterbury 1948 38 years and 28 days
Sandy Pearce Eastern Suburbs 1921 38 years and 25 days
Robert Craig Balmain 1919 37 years and 364 days
Cliff Lyons Manly 1999 37 years and 313 days
Ken Kearney St George 1961 37 years and 59 days
Les Davidson Cronulla 1998 36 and 304 days
Darren Smith Brisbane 2005 36 and 284 days
Des Hasler Wests 1997 36 and 196 days
Vic Hey Parramatta 1949 36 and 170 days
Ron Willey Parramatta 1964 36 and 137 days
Jack Rayner Souths 1957 36 and 93 days
Adam MacDougall Newcastle 2011 36 and 91 days


*** EDIT - you had 'em all anyway.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

The oldest rugby league player is Dennis Gleeson (Australia, b.17 August 1936), who was 70 years and 9 days old when he played for the State Rail Apprentice RLFC in the NSW Tertiary Student Rugby League Competition, at the Peter Hislop Oval, Auburn, Australia, on 26 August 2006. Dennis wore the number 12 jersey and played as a forward. He has been playing for the State Rail Apprentice tertiary team since the 1998 season. Dennis was registered for the whole 2006 season and played on a weekly basis.