Simon Dwyer

Simon Dwyer (born 12 January 1989) is an Australian former professional Rugby league footballer, he played for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League (NRL). He primarily played in the back-row. He was described as, " one of the brightest prospects in the game"[2] before a career-ending injury in 2011.

Simon Dwyer
Simon Dwyer playing for the Wests Tigers U20s
Personal information
Full nameSimon Dwyer
Born (1989-01-12) 12 January 1989
Sydney, Australia
Height192 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight91 kg (14 st 5 lb)
Playing information
PositionSecond-row
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2009–11 Wests Tigers 35 6 0 0 24
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2011 NSW City 1 1 0 0 4
As of 30 January 2019
Source: [1]

Playing career

Hailing from Macquarie Fields,[3] Dwyer played junior football with the Ingleburn Bulldogs and Western Suburbs.

Before his debut Royce Simmons described him as, "a big, strong back-rower, who plays on the right edge and hits a good line, has a good offload..."[4]

Impressing coach Tim Sheens with his two appearances in 2009, Dwyer was named in the first-grade squad for 2010.[5] He was a regular in the first grade team in the second half of 2010, mostly starting on the bench. He was named the club's rookie of the year at the end of the season,[6] and noted as "one of the most improved players in the NRL in 2010."[7] Before the end of the year, he signed a contract extension to remain with the Wests Tigers until the end of 2012.[7]

Dwyer received some recognition in the press for a tackle he made on Jared Waerea-Hargreaves in the 2010 qualifying final against the Sydney Roosters. It was described as "the best hit in a century",[8] and received praise from noted defender David Gillespie.[3]

In 2011, Dwyer made his representative debut, playing for City Origin and scoring a try.[9] He was also chosen to participate in a NSW developmental squad.[10] Unfortunately, halfway through the season, Dwyer suffered a brachial plexus injury in a match against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, which saw him unable to play for the rest of the season.[11] Some months later, full feeling had not returned to his right hand, and there was serious doubt as to whether he would be able to play again.[12] Dwyer was de-registered by Wests Tigers and there was hope he would re-sign with them if he made a full recovery.[13]

Dwyer underwent surgery at the Royal North Shore Hospital, with nerves redirected from his diaphragm and scapula into his right shoulder and arm. As of 2012, the operation was deemed a success, and Dwyer hoped to return to rugby league in the future.[14] Since the nerve redirection surgery and subsequent rehabilitation, it had become apparent that Dwyer will not regain functionality in his right arm. While he will not return to the football field, Dwyer does not allow his ailment to stop his positivity and drive to succeed in other areas of his life.

Post playing

In 2012, Dwyer was named as the assistant coach for the City Origin side, under head-coach Brad Fittler.[15]

As of 2018, Dwyer works with the Wests Tigers as a Performance Analyst.

Career highlights
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References
  1. "Simon Dwyer – Career Stats & Summary – Rugby League Project". Rugbyleagueproject.org.
  2. Adam Lucius (29 June 2011). "Dwyer career doubt". Sportal. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  3. Phil Rothfield (14 September 2010). "Simon Dwyer earns Cement Gillespie's praise". Daily Telegraph (Sydney). Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  4. "Wests Tigers rookie Simon Dwyer to debut against Cowboys". foxsports.com.au. 14 July 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
  5. Steve Gee (2 October 2009). ".Tiger cubs out to earn stripes in Toyota Cup Grand Final". Courier Mail. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  6. "GARETH ELLIS NAMED WESTS TIGERS PLAYER OF THE YEAR". Weststigers.com.au. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  7. Tyson Otto (18 December 2010). "Hit-man Dwyer to stay a Tiger". Daily Telegraph (Sydney). Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  8. Glenn Jackson (23 September 2010). "I don't want to be a one-hit wonder". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  9. David Beniuk (6 May 2011). "Soward limps off as Uate bags winner". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  10. "Stuart names 'Blues in waiting'". ABC. 13 January 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  11. Christian Nicolussi (30 June 2011). "Wests Tigers forward Simon Dwyer out for the season with nerve damage". Daily Telegraph (Sydney). Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  12. Glenn Jackson (4 August 2011). "Dwyer to get new advice on career-ending nerve injury". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  13. "wests tigers simon dwyers nrl career in severe doubt after club de-registers injured forward". foxsports.com.au. 27 November 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  14. James Hooper (5 February 2012). "Simon Dwyer starts his recovery with a message for Tigers fans". Herald Sun. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  15. "GIO City Origin team announced". nswrl.com.au. 15 April 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  16. Chris Karas (22 July 2009). "Sports News". weeklytimes.com.au. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
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