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.jpg) Walker in 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1973-11-22)22 November 1973 (age 51) Shoalhaven,New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 177 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 87 kg (13 st 10 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wing /Fullback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby league | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Five-eighth / Fullback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Andrew Walker (born 22 November 1973) is an indigenous Australian former professional rugby footballer who represented his country in bothrugby league andrugby union - a dual code international. Walker was the first dual code international to represent his country atrugby league before representingrugby union.
Walker was born inShoalhaven,New South Wales, Australia.
Hailing fromNowra, Walker began his career as arugby union footballer for Shoalhaven Rugby club as a junior, before moving toRandwick DRUFC,[2] where he played alongsideEddie Jones in their 1991 premiership-winning season. He changedrugby football codes fromrugby union torugby league he transferred toNSWRL Premiership clubSt. George Dragons the following season.
Walker played for several NRL clubs including theSt George Dragons,Sydney Roosters and theManly-Warringah Sea Eagles. In 1996, he played in one match for the Kangaroos against a Papua New Guinean side. He is known as the first dual-international to switch codes from league to union; 2 years before the more publicised exodus of Wendell Sailor and Mat Rogers.
"One of my all-time favourite players was Andrew Walker. Andrew was a tremendously talented individual who could do almost anything on a football field; except stick to a structure."
Walker's provincial rugby was with theACT Brumbies. He is remembered among Brumbies fans for scoring thirteen tries in the 2000 season, which included two hat-tricks. Walker became Australia's 40th dual code international when he made hisAustralia début against New Zealand during July 2000 followingScott Gourley and precedingWendell Sailor andMat Rogers. However his debut was not a memorable one as he came off the bench for the last 10 minutes of the game at Stadium Australia in front of a world-record crowd and proceeded to miss a conversion, kick straight down the throat ofChristian Cullen and then, after the resulting New Zealand try toJonah Lomu to win them the game 39–35, he failed to send the kick-off 10 metres and New Zealand received the ball.[4]
Walker changedrugby football codes fromrugby union torugby league after hisAustralia career ended following disciplinary difficulties, but he was subsequently banned for two years in 2004 followingcocaine use when playing for theManly-Warringah Sea Eagles.[5]
In 2006 he resurrected his career by signing to play with French rugby union clubUA Gaillac. During December 2006 Walker began renegotiations withQueensland Reds' coachEddie Jones (who had previouslycoached him with the Brumbies) to play in the 2007 Super fourteen season .[6] In early March, Walker was named on the bench of the Queensland Reds team and played the last 15 minutes in their Week 5 defeat by theLions. This came just hours after he was released from UA Gaillac and signed by the Queensland Reds until his retirement on 26 July 2008.
On 26 July 2008, Andrew Walker announced his retirement from representative rugby union. At the time he was playing for theEasts Tigers Rugby Union in theQueensland Premier Rugby competition, where he won the Hospital Cup and the Australian Club Championship.[7] 35 Years old at the time, Walker retired, stating fatigue and a need to spend more time with his family who supported him through his successful but troubled career.
However, in early January 2010, Andrew Walker signed a minor contract with theGoodna Eagles rugby league football club, who are based inIpswich, Queensland, becoming the biggest signing inIpswich Rugby League history.[citation needed]
In 2019, he played one game for Randwick DRUFC againstArgentina.