Brett Howland (born 13 June 1976 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played for the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League competition. He previously played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks but was forced out due to the salary cap. His position of choice was at wing, although he was also known to play at fullback.

Brett Howland
Personal information
Full nameBrett Howland
Born (1976-06-13) 13 June 1976 (age 47)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Height189 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight97 kg (15 st 4 lb)
Playing information
PositionWing, Fullback
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1997–00 Cronulla-Sutherland 68 38 0 0 152
2001 Bulldogs 12 3 0 0 12
2003–05 Penrith Panthers 30 8 0 0 32
Total 110 49 0 0 196
Source: [1]

Playing career edit

Nicknamed "The Whippet” due to his long, wiry frame, Howland was a Cronulla junior and made his first-grade debut for Cronulla-Sutherland in the 1997 Super League competition. In 1999, Howland enjoyed his best season as a player, scoring 18 tries in 26 games. The season was also the best on record for Cronulla at the time, as they won the minor premiership for the first time since 1988, and were favorites to win their first premiership since being admitted into the premiership in 1967. Cronulla backed up this claim by defeating the Brisbane Broncos 42–20 in the qualifying final. In the preliminary final against the St. George Illawarra Dragons, Cronulla led at half-time, but ended up losing the match 24–8 with Howland playing on the wing.[2]

In 2000, Cronulla finished eighth on the table and were eliminated in the first week of the finals by Brisbane, with Howland again playing on the wing.

In 2001, Howland joined the Bulldogs and played 12 games for the club in his first season. In 2002, Howland didn't feature in any first-grade games for the Bulldogs, but did play in the premiership-winning reserve-grade team.

In 2003, Howland joined the Penrith Panthers but was not included in the 2003 premiership-winning line-up. As 2003 NRL premiers, Penrith traveled to England to face Super League VIII champions, the Bradford Bulls in the 2004 World Club Challenge. Howland played on the wing in Penrith's 22–4 loss. Howland played two further seasons for Penrith and retired at the end of the 2005 season.[3]

Career highlights edit

  • Junior Club: Gymea Gorillas
  • Career Stats: 110 career game, scoring 49 tries

References edit

  1. ^ "Brett Howland – Career Stats & Summary – Rugby League Project". Rugby League Project.
  2. ^ "A history of heartbreak: Cronulla Sharks' tale of woe in NRL finals". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  3. ^ "BULLDOGS RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB – OFFICIAL WEBSITE". thebulldogs.com.au. Archived from the original on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2019.

External links edit



Son is Marley Howland born in 2006