Damian Gibson

Damian Gibson (born 14 May 1975) is a former Wales international rugby league footballer.[1][2] Primarily a fullback, Gibson was the North Queensland Cowboys first ever try scorer.[3]

Damian Gibson
Personal information
Born (1975-05-14) 14 May 1975
Emerald, Queensland, Australia
Playing information
Height178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight83 kg (13 st 1 lb)
PositionFullback, Centre, Wing
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1995–96 North Qld Cowboys 31 7 1 0 30
1997 Leeds Rhinos 28 6 0 0 24
1998–01 Halifax 113 40 0 0 160
2002 Salford City Reds 29 3 0 0 12
2003–04 Castleford Tigers 46 6 0 0 20
2005–08 Halifax 4 1 0 0 4
2009 Sheffield Eagles 19 13 0 0 52
Total 270 76 1 0 302
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1998–08 Wales 18 8 0 0 32
Source: [1][2]

Early life

Gibson was born and raised in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.

He attended Emmaus College before being signed by the Newcastle Knights.[4]

Playing career

After spending 1994 with the Newcastle Knights, where he represented the NSW City under-19 side, Gibson signed with the newly established North Queensland Cowboys. In Round 1 of the 1995 ARL season, Gibson made his first grade début as a 19-year-old in the North Queensland Cowboys first ever game. He scored the club's first ever try in the 16–32 loss to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, and was named in the Norwich Rising Star Team of 95.[5] He spent two seasons with the Cowboys, scoring 7 tries in 31 games and was the North Queensland Cowboys Top Tryscorer in 1996.

In 1997, Gibson joined the Leeds Rhinos in the Super League, scoring three tries and being named their Player of the Year.[3] He transferred to the Halifax Blue Sox in 1998, where he spent the majority of his career. During his first stint with Halifax, he scored 40 tries in 113 games. In June 1998, he made his international début for Wales, in a 15–12 loss to England.

In 2002, he joined the Salford City Reds, spending one season at the Willows before moving to the Castleford Tigers (Heritage No. 794) in 2003, following the Reds' relegation. He re-joined Halifax in November 2004 after being released by the Castleford Tigers following their relegation from Super League and went on to score 15 tries in 30 appearances in 2005. After four more seasons at Halifax, Gibson joined the Sheffield Eagles in 2009, retiring at the end of the season.

Statistics

ARL
Season Team Matches T G GK % F/G Pts
1995 North Queensland 2031100.0014
1996 North Queensland 1130—016
Career totals 31 7 1 100.0 0 30

Super League
Season Team Matches T G GK % F/G Pts
1997 Leeds -30—012
1998 Halifax 2560—024
1999 Halifax 31110—044
2000 Halifax 28100—040
2001 Halifax 29130—052
2002 Salford 2930—012
2003 Castleford 2330—012
2004 Castleford 2330—012
Career totals 188 52 0 — 0 208

Post-playing career

Following his retirement, Gibson served as an assistant coach for the Exiles rugby league team, Leeds Rhinos, Welsh national team, and the Dewsbury Rams. While at the Rhinos, he coached the club's under-18 and under-20 sides and was on the coaching staff for their 2011 Super League Grand Final winning season.[3]

References
  1. "Profile at loverugbyleague.com". loverugbyleague.com. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  2. "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  3. "Leeds Rhinos | News". Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  4. "Damian Gibson - Warwick & District Junior Rugby League - SportsTG". websites.sportstg.com. Archived from the original on 22 January 2018.
  5. "ARL 1995 - Round 1 - Rugby League Project".
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