John Buttigieg (rugby league)

John Buttigieg (born 9 January 1977) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A Queensland State of Origin representative prop, he spent his entire club career with the North Queensland Cowboys.

John Buttigieg

Personal information
Born	(1977-01-09) 9 January 1977 (age 45) Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Playing information
Height	185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	114 kg (17 st 13 lb)
Position	Prop
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1995–03 North Queensland 101 5 0 0 20 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1999 Aborigines 2 0 0 0 0 2001–02 Queensland 3 1 0 0 4
Source: ^[1]^[2]

Background

Born in Townsville, Queensland, Buttigieg is of Indigenous Australian and Maltese descent. He played his junior rugby league for Souths Townsville and attended Pimlico State High School before being signed by the North Queensland Cowboys.

Playing career

In 1994, Buttigieg represented the Queensland under-17 team, starting at prop in a loss to New South Wales.^[3] In 1995, he was a member of the Cowboys' youth development squad.^[4]

In Round 13 of the 1996 ARL season, Buttigieg made his first grade debut against the Sydney Tigers, starting at prop. He played nine games during his rookie season. In 1999, after just 13 games the previous two seasons, Buttigieg became a regular in the Cowboys starting side, playing 17 games and winning the club's Players' Player award. In Round 6 of the 1999 season, he knocked out Penrith Panthers prop Craig Greenhill at Dairy Farmers Stadium during an off the ball incident.^[5] In October 1999, he represented the Arthur Beetson-coached Aborigines side, who defeated Papua New Guinea in a two-game series.

In 2001, Buttigieg made his State of Origin debut for Queensland, scoring a try in a 34–16 win over New South Wales at Lang Park. He missed Game II due to injury, but was recalled for the Game III decider, in which Queensland won the series.^[6]

In 2002, Buttiegied played 16 games for the Cowboys and again represented Queensland, playing in Game I of the series. In Round 13 of the 2003 NRL season, he played his 100th first grade game in a 24–28 loss to Penrith. On 25 August 2003, Buttigieg announced his retirement, due to an ongoing knee injury. Buttigiegs' right knee was operating bone on bone due to lack of cartilage, resulting in swelling.^[7][8]

Achievements and accolades

Individual

• North Queensland Cowboys Players' Player: 1999

Statistics

ARL/Super League/NRL

Season	Team	Matches	T	G	GK %	F/G	Pts
1996	North Queensland	9	0	0	—	0	0
1997	North Queensland	5	0	0	—	0	0
1998	North Queensland	9	0	0	—	0	0
1999	North Queensland	17	1	0	—	0	4
2000	North Queensland	22	0	0	—	0	0
2001	North Queensland	15	4	0	—	0	16
2002	North Queensland	16	0	0	—	0	0
2003	North Queensland	8	0	0	—	0	0
Career totals		101	5	0	–	0	20

State of Origin

†	Denotes seasons in which Buttigieg won a State of Origin Series

Season	Team	Matches	T	G	GK %	F/G	Pts
2001†	Queensland	2	1	0	—	0	4
2002	Queensland	1	0	0	—	0	0
Career totals		3	1	0	—	0	4

Post-playing career

Following his retirement, Buttigieg moved to Mount Isa, where he coached the Mount Isa Bulls for a year before the club folded.^[9]

References

1. Rugby League Project
2. Yesterday's Hero 10 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine
3. "1994". 18th Man.
4. Cadigan, Neil (2015). 25 Years in the Saddle. Playright Publishing. p. 99. ISBN 9780994237316.
5. "Mad Cows - booze and mayhem lead posse up north". SMH.
6. "Alfie's odyssey the difference". The Daily Telegraph. 19 May 2010.
7. "Buttigieg retires". ABC. 25 August 2003.
8. "Cowboys stalwart to retire". League Unlimited. 25 August 2003.
9. Blaschke, Ben. "Where Are They Now? John Buttigieg: Maroons hard-head". NRL. Retrieved 7 July 2011.

External links

• John Buttigieg at the Former Origin Greats website.