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| Full name | Matthew Ballin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1984-01-05)5 January 1984 (age 41) Nanango, Queensland, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 179 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 88 kg (13 st 12 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Hooker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Matthew Ballin (born 5 January 1984) is an Australian former professionalrugby league footballer who last played for theWests Tigers in theNational Rugby League (NRL) and also theManly Warringah Sea Eagles. Ballin is the current head coach for theBlacktown Workers Sea Eagles which is the feeder team playing in theNSW Cup Competition, prior to that he was the Under 20s Head Coach. Ballin is also the assistant coach for the Queensland Maroons He has played one game forQueensland inState of Origin. He played athooker and previously played for theManly Warringah Sea Eagles, with whom he won the 2008 and 2011 Premierships.
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Although he was born inNanango, Queensland, Australia, Ballin grew up inKingaroy and attended Kingaroy State High School where his father was the school principal.
Ballin played his junior football with theKingaroy Red Ants, and although he played in the lower grades with theBrisbane Broncos, he did not play first grade for the club.
Ballin signed withSydney based club Manly-Warringah and made his NRL debut in Round 2 of the2007 NRL season when the Sea Eagles defeated theWests Tigers 19–8 atLeichhardt Oval, scoring a try in his first grade debut.
Ballin played in Manly's record breaking 40–0 victory over theMelbourne Storm in the2008 NRL Grand Final where he was the game's first try scorer.[3]
Ballin played in the2011 NRL Grand Final giving Ballin his second NRL premiership as a player.
Coming off contract at the end of season 2012, rumours were rampant that Ballin would be a casualty of Manly's post-premiership(s) salary cap pressures, with theCanberra Raiders the front runners to secure his signature.[4] However, after the departure of testback rowerTony Williams to theCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Manly were able to re-sign Ballin, andFullbackBrett Stewart, to new long-term contracts keeping them at the club until the end of the 2015 and 2016 seasons[citation needed] respectively, effectively ensuring both remain one-club players.
Ballin played every game for Manly in 2012 and finished the season as the league's leading tackler.
In mid-2015, Ballin signed a two-year extension of his contract that would see him remain at Manly until the end of 2017. However, just a couple of months later he was one of 14 players who were reportedly told that he would not be required at the club beyond 2015. Additionally, Manly had signed South Sydney's 2014 premiership hookerApi Koroisau from Penrith as well asBrisbane Broncos hookerMatt Parcell. Ballin vowed to stay where he was and fight for his spot, even going so far as to say that he was prepared to play in Manly'sNew South Wales Cup team if it meant staying with the club. However, in Manly's shock 20–16 home loss toParramatta in Round 24 of the 2015 season, Ballin suffered his second season-ending injury in consecutive years when he tore theanterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee.[5] On 3 November, despite earlier stating he would fight for his spot at the Sea Eagles,[6] Ballin signed a 2-year contract with theWests Tigers starting in 2016.[7][8]
Returning from injury, Ballin did not make his debut for Wests Tigers until round 11. Soon after he suffered another season-ending ACL knee injury. "I played two NRL games and once in reserve grade – and I felt I contributed in those games – but obviously it wasn't enough footy. I want to be a bigger part of the team this year and play a lot more games. It's been an empty feeling sitting on the sidelines and not being able to help my teammates. When these things happen I suppose you learn to help them in different ways," he said.[9]
Ballin made only one appearance for the Wests Tigers during the 2017 season. On 26 June 2017, Ballin announced his immediate retirement from the NRL due to chronic injuries.[10]
In April 2009, he was named in the preliminary 25-man squad to representQueensland in the openingState of Origin match for2009.[11] However he did not make an appearance.
In2010, with injury to Melbourne'sCameron Smith, Ballin was named in the Queensland side and played in Game 1 of the series at theANZ Stadium inSydney, won 28-24 by the Maroons. With Smith returning from injury, Ballin wasn't considered for the rest of the series, though he was on standby for the team should Smith's injury re-occur.
In 2019 Ballin returned to theManly Warringah Sea Eagles as part of the NRL team's education and wellbeing department, he also served as the U20s coach and coach of the NSW Cup Blacktown Workers.[12][13] In 2021, Ballin joined the Brisbane Broncos as part of the development squad.[14] In 2024, Ballin joined the coaching staff of the Queensland Maroons after Cameron Smith stepped down as assistant coach..[15][16]
| Year | Team | Games | Tries | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 |  Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 13 | 2 | 8 |
| 2008 | 27 | 5 | 20 | |
| 2009 | 25 | 3 | 12 | |
| 2010 | 25 | 3 | 12 | |
| 2011 | 27 | 3 | 12 | |
| 2012 | 27 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2013 | 28 | 3 | 12 | |
| 2014 | 23 | |||
| 2015 | 22 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2016 |  Wests Tigers | 2 | ||
| 2017 | 1 | |||
| Totals | 220 | 22 | 88 |
Ballin also works as a personal fitness trainer specialising in fitness and weight loss.[17]
Ballin is an Australian Apprenticeships Ambassador for the Australian Government.[18]