| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robbie Ross | |
| Date of birth | 24 January 1975 | |
| Place of birth | Swansea, New South Wales, Australia | |
| Height | 182cm | |
| Weight | 84kg | |
| Senior clubs* | ||
| Years | Club | Apps (points) |
| 1994-95 1996 1997 1998-03 |
Newcastle Brisbane Hunter Melbourne |
21 (12) 12 (32) 16 (20) 89 (212) 138 (276) |
| Representative teams | ||
| 1997 1999 1999 |
New South Wales (SL) New South Wales Australia |
2 (0) 3 (4) 1 (0) |
|
* Professional club appearances and points |
||
Robbie Ross (born 24 January 1975) is an Australian former rugby league player.
Career
Newcastle junior and Australian Schoolboy rep in 1992, forced clubmate Robbie O'Davis onto the wing during the 1995 season. Ross, who signed a Super League contract that year, joined Brisbane while News Ltd. fought a battle through the courts to stage it's rebel competition. The potent attacking fullback was a revelation with the Broncos, safe under pressure with a striking ability to run the ball back and attack, but honoured his contract with the newly formed Hunter Mariners in 1997. Ross represented New South Wales in the Super League Tri-series competition, but following the demise of the Mariners and the re-unification of the game, quickly secured a contract with the Melbourne Storm. A great start to the 1999 season saw Ross chosen for NSW in the State of Origin series. In the second match of the 1999 series, Ross scored the fastest try in Origin history when Ryan Girdler sent him over in the corner from the second tackle of the match. Later that year, Melbourne’s historic grand final win catapulted Ross into the Australian Test team. After making his debut in the first match of the Tri-series competition, a 24-22 loss to New Zealand, he was replaced by the more experienced Darren Lockyer for the remainder of the series. Ross started the 2000 season in superlative form, scoring 12 tries in 13 matches and retaining his position as New South Wales fullback, but was ruled out with a knee injury that was more serious than first thought. He was also awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to Australia's international standing in rugby league. After being sidelined for the season, Ross returned in 2001 only to be hampered by chronic hamstring trouble.
