Michael De Vere

Michael De Vere

Personal information
Born	December 11, 1976 (1976-12-11) (age 34) Caringbah, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Position	Wing / Centre
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1997–04	Brisbane Broncos	162	64	403	0	1062
2005–06	Huddersfield Giants	36	6	74	0	172
2009	Brisbane Broncos	1	0	0	0	0
	Total	199	70	477	0	1234
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2001–04	New South Wales	5	0	2	0	4
2003–04	Australia	4	2	4	0	16
Source: Rugby League Project and Yesterday's Hero

Michael De Vere (born 11 December 1976 in Caringbah, New South Wales) is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He represented Australia in four tests and New South Wales in five State of Origin matches. A winger and skillful goal-kicker, De Vere played club football for the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL, with whom he won three premierships, and then later played with the Huddersfield Giants in the European Super League, with whom he reached the 2006 Challenge Cup final. In 2009, he instigated a comeback with his former club, the Brisbane Broncos, but only lasted one game.

Playing career

Brisbane

A product of Campbelltown, De Vere spent a year playing with Appin in the Group 6 competition before being graded with St. George in 1995.

The following year he wrote to Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett requesting a trial. Bennett went one better, offering the young winger/centre an incentive contract.

De Vere won the Broncos rookie of the year award in 1997 and also played in their Super League grand final win. In 1998 De Vere, a last-minute inclusion to the side due to a finger injury to Michael Hancock, scored the opening try in Brisbane’s 38–12 1998 NRL grand final win against the Canterbury Bulldogs.^[1] The club’s top point-scorer in 2000, De Vere made it two premierships in four seasons with the club when he landed three goals in the 14–6 grand final win against the Sydney Roosters in 2000.

The following year he joined the ranks of other Brisbane players (Terry Matterson, Glenn Lazarus, Luke Priddis, Chris Johns) to have represented New South Wales against his Queensland teammates in a State of Origin match. He was again top point-scorer for the Broncos in 2001, 2002 and 2003. After the 2003 NRL season he went on the 2003 Kangaroo tour.

In 2004 he was dropped from the New South Wales team after the Blues’ narrow 9–8 win in the first match of the series. De Vere then left the Broncos at the end of the season after again being the club's top-point scorer, to take up a contract with English club Huddersfield Giants, becoming the club's first Australian international player since Pat Devery in the 1950s. At the time Michael was the Broncos highest ever point scorer with 1,062 points as well as record-holder of most goals in a match (9).

Huddersfield

De Vere played with Huddersfield in 2005 and 2006, scoring four points in the 2006 Challenge Cup final. On November 20, 2006, he announced that he would retire from professional football and return to Brisbane.

The following season at the Broncos' 20-year anniversary celebration, the club announced a list of the 20 best players to play for them to date which included De Vere.^[2]

He was set to join the Carina Leagues club as a Development/Coaching Officer in 2007. On January 23, 2009 it was announced that Michael De Vere will return to the Brisbane Broncos for the 2009 season, more than two years after retiring.

Officially, the National Rugby League has approved De Vere's comeback following concerns over salary cap concessions, given he also works as a Development Officer.^[3] It will be De Vere's final playing year in first grade Rugby League, and the 10th for the Broncos.

De Vere's NRL comeback was short-lived only playing one game in 2009, He announced his retirement on 7 April 2009, only playing one game for the Brisbane Broncos.^[4]

Career playing statistics

Point scoring summary

Games	Tries	Goals	F/G	Points
197	70	477	–	1234

Matches played

Team	Matches	Years
Brisbane Broncos	161	1996–2009
Huddersfield Giants	36	2005–2006
New South Wales	5	2001–2004
Australia	4	2003–2004

References

1. ^ Tobin, Glenn (28 September 1998). "No fairytale ... just Broncos on a title rampage". Illawarra Mercury (Australia: Fairfax): p. 24. http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?docID=news980929_0575_9074. Retrieved 13 February 2011. 
2. ^ Dekroo, Karl (2007-05-09). "Still the king". The Courier-Mail (Australia: Queensland Newspapers). http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21701434-10389,00.html. Retrieved 2009-12-08. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ leaguehq.com.au
4. ^ foxsports.com.au

External links

• Michael De Vere at the State of Origin official website.
• Rleague.com player profile

Persondata
Name	De Vere, Michael
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1976-12-11
Place of birth	Caringbah, New South Wales
Date of death
Place of death