Mat Croker
New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 191 cm (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Weight | 108 kg (17 st 0 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Prop, Lock | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [2] As of 11 April 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Mat Croker (born 11 September 1999) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop and lock for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL.
Background
Croker was born in Nabiac, New South Wales, Australia. He is of Chilean descent.[3]
He played his junior rugby league for
Playing career
Early years
Croker rose through the ranks for the Newcastle Knights, playing with their
2021
In 2021, Croker started the year without a contract but played with Newcastle's NSW Cup squad as captain of the side.[10] Ahead of round 13 of the 2021 NRL season, Croker signed an NRL contract with the Newcastle Knights after they lost three forwards from the last round in Tyson Frizell (injury), David Klemmer (suspension) and Daniel Saifiti (State of Origin selection).[11] This allowed Croker to make his NRL debut for the Newcastle club against the Parramatta Eels which ended in a 40-4 defeat.[10][12]
2023
Croker played a total of 24 games for Newcastle in the 2023 NRL season as the club finished 5th on the table. Croker played in both finals games as Newcastle were eliminated in the second week of the finals by the New Zealand Warriors.[13]
Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Tries | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 |  Newcastle Knights
|
2 | ||
| 2022 | 16 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2023 | 24 | 3 | 12 | |
| 2024 | ||||
| Totals | 42 | 4 | 16 |
Personal life
Croker is currently the lead host and face of the 257 Collective podcast with fellow NRL players Kalyn Ponga and Connor Watson. [14]
References
- ^ Callinan, Josh (9 May 2017). "Croker caps off stellar season". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "Matt Croker - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
- ^ Whitelock, Adam (3 March 2022). "Chile looking to regain momentum this weekend".
- ^ "Matt Croker named in NSW under 20s side to play Queensland". Manning River Times. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "Croker scoops junior double". Newcastle Knights. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Mathew Croker". 1 May 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "Young Knights building pathways". Newcastle Knights. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "Full 2020 squad list and development players". Newcastle Knights. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "TEAM LISTS | Canterbury Cup NSW Rd 1". New South Wales Rugby League. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ a b "'It means everything': Croker set to make dream debut". Newcastle Knights. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "Knights v Eels Round 13 NRL team list". Newcastle Knights. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "Milestone men Gutho and Sivo shine; Over-keen Knights 'panic' on old boys day: 3 Big Hits". www.foxsports.com.au.
- ^ "NRL 2023: Newcastle Knights season review". www.sportingnews.com.
- ^ "257.collective". www.instagram.com.