Brad Fittler is a former professional player who was named among the finest rugby league footballers of the first century of rugby league in Australia.
38 Facts About Brad Fittler
2.
Brad Fittler retired as the most-capped New South Wales State of Origin player, inducted into the NSWRL Hall of Fame and third-most-capped Australian international player.
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Brad Fittler won two Rugby League World Cups as a team captain; he captained the Kangaroos to victory in both the 1995 and 2000 finals, and was a member of the victorious 1992 team.
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Brad Fittler coached in the NRL for the Sydney Roosters between 2007 and 2009 and for the City New South Wales team in the City vs Country clash from 2012 to 2017.
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Brad Fittler has coached at international level with the Lebanon national rugby league team at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
6.
Brad Fittler grew up with his 2 siblings, Nathan and Kathleen Fittler.
7.
Brad Fittler played junior rugby league for a number of clubs in the Parramatta JRL District including, Sadleir Bulldogs, Dayments, Ashcroft Stallions and Mt.
8.
Brad Fittler did not play in a test on the tour, but played in 8 tour games and scored 8 tries.
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Brad Fittler played in the centres as Penrith, under the coaching of Phil Gould won their first ever premiership.
10.
Brad Fittler played in all five games during the two-week tour and scored 4 tries.
11.
Brad Fittler played in 12 games on tour, scoring two tries.
12.
Brad Fittler was named as Man of the Match playing at lock in Australia's non-test international played against Wales in Cardiff, scoring one of his tours two tries in the wet conditions.
13.
However, despite this, Brad Fittler was given the Australian captaincy for the 3-test Trans-Tasman series against New Zealand making him Australia's youngest captain since Reg Gasnier had first captained Australia in 1962.
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Brad Fittler retired as the second most experienced first grader, behind Terry Lamb, having played 336 games.
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Brad Fittler was selected for Kangaroo Tours in 1990,1994 and 2001 and played in the World Cups of 1992,1995 and 2000.
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Brad Fittler was selected for the Australian team to compete in the end of season 1999 Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament.
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Early in his career Brad Fittler struggled with discipline problems, but he matured into a fine leader.
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Brad Fittler captained Australia in 20 Tests, winning 17 and losing 3, and in a further 5 victories in the 2000 World Cup.
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Brad Fittler captained NSW in 14 State of Origin matches, winning 8 and losing 6.
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In club competition, Brad Fittler captained the Sydney Roosters to the 2000 NRL Grand Final, their first in twenty seasons, a Premiership in 2002 and successive grand final appearances in 2003 and 2004, before retiring at the end of 2004.
21.
FC Brad Fittler captained at five-eighth, scoring a try in Sydney's victory.
22.
Two years after Brad Fittler announced his retirement from representative football, NSW coach Phil Gould brought him back to State of Origin for the second and third game.
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Brad Fittler remains the youngest NSW State of Origin player and was once the youngest Kangaroo representative until Israel Folau made his debut in late 2007.
24.
In February 2014, at 42 years of age, Brad Fittler came out of retirement for a one-off showing at the NRL Auckland Nines.
25.
Brad Fittler took over the coaching from Round 18, in what was initially for a short term until the end of the 2007 season.
26.
On 27 July 2007, Brad Fittler's coaching career took a massive leap.
27.
On 20 June 2009, it was reported in the Townsville Bulletin that, a day earlier, a drunken Brad Fittler had tried to gain access to the wrong hotel room while wearing only shorts.
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Brad Fittler consequently fined himself and apologised for his behaviour at a televised press conference.
29.
In 2010 Brad Fittler was linked with a move to the London-based Super League side Harlequins, but this ultimately did not eventuate.
30.
On 24 November 2017, Brad Fittler was announced as the new coach of the New South Wales rugby league team as the replacement for Laurie Daley.
31.
On 24 June 2020, Brad Fittler had his contract as New South Wales coach extended until the 2021 State of Origin series.
32.
Brad Fittler began his media career by co-hosting NRL Deluxe, a streaming video show that aired on Mondays and Thursdays available via Bigpond TV.
33.
Brad Fittler has starred in two Telstra Next G TV advertisements.
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In 2000, Brad Fittler was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to Australia's international standing in rugby league.
35.
In February 2008, Brad Fittler was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia.
36.
Brad Fittler fathered an illegitimate son after a one-night stand in 1995.
37.
Brad Fittler has never met the child and only pays child support, deliberately having chosen not to have seen the boy since 1996.
38.
In 1999, Brad Fittler was dropped onto the front lawn of a Sydney police station by a taxi driver after a night out.