Ray Stone (rugby league)

Ray Stone (born 6 June 1997) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a lock for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL). He previously played for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL.

Ray Stone
Stone in 2023
Personal information
Full nameRaymond Stone
Born (1997-06-06) 6 June 1997
Moss Vale, New South Wales, Australia
Height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight95 kg (14 st 13 lb)
Playing information
PositionLock, Hooker
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2018–22 Parramatta Eels 31 4 0 0 16
2023– Dolphins 17 1 0 0 4
Total 48 5 0 0 20
Source: [1]
As of 3 September 2023

Background

Stone was born and raised in Moss Vale, New South Wales, Australia.

Playing career

Early career

Stone played junior rugby league football for Moss Vale Dragons in the CRL competition and was selected in the 2015 Australian schoolboy team. He then played for the Wests Tigers in the SG Ball and Holden Cup until the end of the 2016 season.

The Parramatta Eels signed Stone for their 2017 under 20s team. He played lock for the majority of the season including in the Holden Cup Grand Final, Simultaneously, he played off the bench and at lock in nine games for Wentworthville in the Intrust Super Premiership. Stone was picked for the 20s Junior Kangaroos team and New South Wales under 20s State of Origin team.

Stone was re-signed to Parramatta's 30-man squad for the 2018 season, playing as a consistent starter for Wentworthville, appearing in 14 games with 2 tries.

Parramatta Eels (2018-2022)

In round 22 of the 2018 NRL season, Stone made his NRL debut for Parramatta against the Melbourne Storm in a 20-4 defeat.

In round 6 of the 2019 NRL season, Stone played in the opening game of the new Western Sydney Stadium in a 51-6 win against the Wests Tigers. Stone re-signed with Parramatta until the end of the 2020 NRL season.[2]

Stone made a total of 6 appearances for Parramatta in the 2019 NRL season. Stone played for Parramatta in their 58-0 victory over the Brisbane Broncos in the elimination final. Stone then played for the club's feeder side the Wentworthville Magpies in their Canterbury Cup NSW grand final defeat against Newtown at Bankwest Stadium.[3][4]

On 4 November 2019, Stone signed a one-year contract extension with Parramatta for the 2020 season.[5]

In round 7 of the 2020 NRL season, Stone scored his first try in the top grade as Parramatta defeated Canberra 25-24 in golden point extra-time at Western Sydney Stadium.[6]

Stone played nine games for Parramatta in the 2021 NRL season as the club finished sixth on the table and qualified for the finals. Stone played in both finals matches for Parramatta including their 8-6 loss to Penrith in week two. In the semi-final against Penrith, Stone made a number of crucial errors in the game as the replacement hooker for the injured Reed Mahoney.[7][8][9]

On 7 December 2021, Dolphins announced that Stone will be joining their team for their inaugural 2023 season.[10]

In round 3 of the 2022 NRL season, Stone scored two tries for Parramatta including the winning try in golden point extra-time when the club defeated Melbourne 28-24 at AAMI Park.[11] While scoring the match winning try, Stone tore his ACL, ending his season. "Ray Stone has today been ruled out for the 2022 season following confirmation that he has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) during Saturday nights game against Melbourne" a club statement said. "He will undergo surgery in the coming days and then begin his rehabilitation for the 2023 season."[12]

Dolphins (2023-)

Stone made his club debut for the inaugural Dolphins team in round 1 of the 2023 NRL season coming off the bench as they pulled off a big upset defeating the Sydney Roosters 28-18 at Suncorp Stadium.[13]

References
  1. Rugby League Project
  2. "Eels vs Wests Tigers - NRL match centre". Wide World of Sports. 30 April 2019.
  3. "Newtown reign supreme in epic decider". NSWRL. 29 September 2019.
  4. "Parramatta Eels eliminate Brisbane Broncos from the NRL Finals with a thumping 58-0 win". ABC News. 15 September 2019.
  5. "Parramatta Eels re-sign five players as rumours of Ryan Matterson joining grow louder". Sporting News.
  6. McMurtry, Andrew (27 June 2020). "Parramatta Eels Skipper Clint Gutherson kicks stunning field goal". News.com.au.
  7. "Penrith Panthers hold on to beat Parramatta Eels 8-6 in NRL semi-final". ABC News. 18 September 2021.
  8. "Semi-final player ratings: Parramatta Eels". www.nrl.com. 18 September 2021.
  9. "Penrith win arm-wrestle with Eels but deadly Storm is on the radar". www.smh.com.au.
  10. "2022 signings tracker: Kaufusi to switch from Eels to Sharks; Isaako makes Dolphins switch". 23 December 2021.
  11. "'Can't believe it': Ray Stone's miracle try in golden point thriller". www.news.com.au.
  12. Gould, Russell (28 March 2022). "Parramatta's Ray Stone will miss 12 months after injuring his knee in matchwinning moment". news.com.au. News Corporation Australia. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  13. "'I don't want to take the gloss off... but': Kenty's warning for Dolphins after historic first-up win". www.foxsports.com.au.
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