1. Russell Packer was born on 9 October 1989 and is a former New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who played as a prop for the Wests Tigers, St George Illawarra Dragons and the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL, and the New Zealand Maori and New Zealand at international level.
Russell Packer played in the Foxton Rugby League Under 14s side at the age of nine years in a curtain raiser between the Manawatu Mustangs and Auckland Warriors reserve-grade side in 1998.
In 2005, Russell Packer was named in the New Zealand under-16 side.
Russell Packer again achieved national selection in 2006 when he was named both the captain of the Junior Kiwis and as a member of the New Zealand 'A' squad.
In 2007, Russell Packer signed with the New Zealand Warriors but spent most of the season playing for the Auckland Lions in the NSWRL Premier League.
Russell Packer played for the Central Falcons in the final season of the Bartercard Cup.
Russell Packer made his NRL debut in Round 10 on 4 May 2008 against the Canberra Raiders.
Russell Packer played in four other NRL games in 2008 and played twenty games for the Junior Warriors in the new Toyota Cup competition.
Russell Packer finished his Toyota Cup career at the end of 2009 with twenty three appearances and five tries.
In 2010, Russell Packer played for the New Zealand Maori against England.
Russell Packer was selected to play for the Warriors in the 2011 NRL Grand final against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles as a starting prop forward.
At the 2011 Four Nations tournament held shortly after, Russell Packer played one match for New Zealand against England.
In June 2013, Russell Packer was caught on camera urinating in his shorts on field prior to kick off.
Russell Packer then played out the match for the Warriors against the Brisbane Broncos.
On 2 October 2013, Russell Packer signed a 4-year contract with the Newcastle Knights starting in 2014.
In January 2014, Russell Packer's contract was terminated before he could play for the Knights due to a serious assault committed by Russell Packer at the end of November 2013 and impending criminal proceedings.
On 29 November 2013, Russell Packer appeared before court in Sydney, New South Wales, charged with assaulting a 22-year-old man, fracturing his eye socket.
Russell Packer punched the man in the face, causing him to fall and hit his head on the ground.
Russell Packer then punched the man several times as he lay on the ground and stomped on his head, leaving the victim with two fractured facial bones.
On 6 January 2014, Russell Packer was sentenced to two years in jail after pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
In May 2015, Russell Packer returned to rugby league with the Dragons' second-tier team the Illawarra Cutters in the New South Wales Cup.
Russell Packer played 41 games during his two-year stay at Dragons, scoring 1 try, almost always as starting prop.
At the start of the 2019 NRL season, Russell Packer remained as one of the club's first choice props and featured in the first six games of the season.
In February 2020, it was revealed that Russell Packer could be forced to medically retire from rugby league after struggling to recover from an ongoing foot injury.
In round 5 of the 2020 NRL season, Russell Packer played his first game in the top grade since April 2019 as Wests played against the Canberra Raiders.
On 2 September, Russell Packer announced his retirement from rugby league following the conclusion of the 2021 NRL season.
Russell Packer has 2 children Marley Packer and Madison Packer.