Chris Close
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Christopher Close | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 5 February 1959 Cunnamulla, Queensland, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre, Wing, Prop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Christopher "Choppy" Close (born 5 February 1959) is an Australian former professional
State of Origin
, and played club football in Queensland and New South Wales. Close has the distinction of being one of a handful of players to be named man-of-the-match in State of Origin more than once. In fact the first two State of Origin man-of-the-match awards went to him.
Playing career
Queensland Rugby League
Hailing from
Brisbane Rugby League grand final victory over Souths
.
In 1980, while playing for
1981's State of Origin match
testifies.
New South Wales Rugby League
Close signed with
1983
, which were both lost to Parramatta. Close continued to be a regular visitor to the State of Origin arena during the 1980s, becoming one of a handful of players to be man-of-the-match in State of Origin football more than once.
Surprisingly, after starring for Queensland, having toured New Zealand with the
1982 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France
.
Close appeared in three Tests on the 1985 tour of New Zealand but failed to tour with the Kangaroos the following year.
After playing in Manly's reserve grade grand final loss in
1987, he linked with the newly formed Gold Coast
club where his experience was used to good effect in the forwards.
Post-playing
After his retirement as a player, Close filled the role of
Queensland State of Origin team manager under Paul Vautin (1995–97), Wayne Bennett (1998 & 2001–4) and Mark Murray (1999-00). In 2005, he famously stuck the middle finger up at former NSW coach Phil Gould at the end of an origin match. When asked about the incident in 2015, Close said "That was basically directed at one person not the whole bench, I got a great deal of enjoyment out of that, he used to call The Queensland spirit a myth and claimed we were always lucky, that was just euphoria coming out in that moment.[2] In 2000 Close was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to Australia's international standing in rugby league. He is currently working for QGC
in Queensland as a Land Performance Adviser.
Close also lived in
Rockhampton, Queensland for several years where he owned the Lionleigh Tavern in the suburb of Wandal, which became known for award-winning steaks under Close's ownership.[3] During the time he lived in Rockhampton, he and his wife spent 18 months restoring a five-bedroom, four-bathroom Queenslander in the city's upper class suburb of The Range, which was expected to set a $2 million sale record when it was placed on the market in 2011.[4]
Sources
- ^ RLP
- ^ Craddock, Robert (23 May 2015). "Why Choppy will be watching Origin alone". The Courier-Mail.
- ^ Lionleigh serves up winner, The Morning Bulletin, 7 April 2006. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ Home could be sold for $2 million, Amy Formosa, The Morning Bulletin, 25 March 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2017.