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| Full name | Clinton Schifcofske | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1975-11-10)10 November 1975 (age 49) Moranbah, Queensland, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 93 kg (14 st 9 lb)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby league | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Fullback, Wing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Fullback,Wing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Clinton Schifcofske (born 10 November 1975), also known by the nickname of "Choka", is an Australian former professionalrugby league andrugby union footballer. During his career, he played for theCrusaders in theSuper League.[5][6] as well as theSouth Queensland Crushers, theParramatta Eels and theCanberra Raiders in Australia, as afullback. In the sport of rugby union, he played for Irish clubUlster in theCeltic League competition and also he spent a year withQueensland Reds inSuper Rugby. .
Schifcofske was born inMoranbah,Queensland, he is ofPolish descent, his parents were both born in Australia to Polish parents.[7]
Schifcofske made his first grade debut for the now defunct South Queensland side in Round 5 1996 against theNorth Sydney Bears atNorth Sydney Oval.[8] However his rookie season was marred by a five match suspension after testing positive for a banned testosterone-based supplement.[9]
The following year, Schifcofske made 17 appearances for the club as they finished last on the table for the second consecutive year. Schifcofske played in South Queensland's last ever game as a club which was against Western Suburbs which South Queensland won 39–18 with Schifcofske scoring a try and kicking 7 goals.[10]
In 1998, Schifcofske joined Parramatta and played every game of the 1998 season as the club finished 4th on the table.
Schifcofske scored a try in the first half of the match as Parramatta took a 10–2 lead going into half time. With Parramatta leading 18–2 with less than 10 minutes to play, Canterbury staged a comeback scoring 3 tries in 8 minutes with Canterbury playerDaryl Halligan kicking 2 goals from the sideline to tie the game at 18-18. Parramatta playerPaul Carige then made a series of personal errors which cost Parramatta dearly in extra time with Canterbury going on to win 32–20.[citation needed]
In 1999, Parramatta finished 2nd on the ladder and qualified for the finals with Schifcofske playing every match. Parramatta went on to reach the preliminary final against Melbourne. Parramatta lead the match 16–0 at halftime before a second half capitulation similar to what happened a year earlier occurred with Melbourne winning 18–16.
In 2000, Parramatta finished 7th and qualified for the finals with the media dubbing the team "The Baby Eels" due to the age of the squad. Parramatta and Schifcofske would reach their third consecutive preliminary final with the opponents being favorites Brisbane. Brisbane went on to win the match 16–10. This would be the last game Schifcofske would play for the club and he was released at the end of 2000. Schifcofske then signed with Canberra.[11][12][13]
In 2001 and 2004 Schifcofske was named theCanberra Raiders' player of the year. In 2006 he was made captain of the club. In the same year, due to an injury incurred byKarmichael Hunt, Schifcofske was chosen in theQueensland Maroons side for the2006 State of Origin series decider. He was the Maroons' third fullback for the series afterMatt Bowen was dropped after Game One.
During the middle of the 2006 season he made the decision to switch codes from Rugby League to Rugby Union signing a two-year deal with theQueensland Reds for the2007 season. During the 2006 season, one of Schifcofske's penalty goal attempts in a match against theWests Tigers was the subject ofRay Warren's commentary; as he was taking the shot, Warren called the words: "Eddie Jones (who was at the time the coach of theQueensland Reds), if you're watching..." and Schifcofske nailed the shot. In the same match, he nailed a field goal in golden point to win Canberra the match. He had the best goal kicking success rate in theNRL ahead of bothAndrew Johns andHazem El Masri. His final NRL match was played at Telstra Stadium on 9 September 2006 against the Canterbury Bulldogs where the Raiders were knocked out of the finals race. He finished the2006 NRL season as the Raiders' top point-scorer. Schifcofske ran 3,741 metres with the ball in 2006, more than any other player in the competition.[14]
Schifcofske's 1,604 points in first grade placed him 9th in Australian rugby league's all-time top point scoring list.
Schifcofske's Rugby Union career started when theQueensland Reds took on Japan in November 2006[15] with Schifcofske having a sound performance in his first game and then playing for an invitationalWorld XV side againstThe Springboks. After being planned to be used as a goal-kicking winger byEddie Jones the season-ending injury to Reds andWallabies FullbackChris Latham, Schifcofske was selected to play in his preferred position of Fullback. In 2007, he representedAustralia A in thePacific Nations Cup in all 5 games. Australia finished runners up to theJunior All Blacks.
Schifcofske is weighing up a two-year offer from the Reds as well as interest from five other clubs, including a large deal fromUlster Rugby. It's understood two are fromleague, an unnamedNRL club andPerpignan-basedSuper League franchiseCatalans Dragons, while other interest comes fromrugby union clubs in England and Japan.[16]
It has since been confirmed that he will be leaving the Reds at the end of the 2008 Super 14 season, and joining the Irish provinceUlster for three seasons.[citation needed]
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Midway through 2010'sSuper League XV, Schifcofske signed with the Crusaders, returning to rugby league. AfterMichael Witt suffered a season-ending knee injury, Schifcofske became the team's primary goal kicker. In 20 appearances for the Crusaders in 2010, he scored a team-high 120 points.[citation needed]
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| Preceded by | Canberra Raiders captain 2006 | Succeeded by |