Jason Nightingale (born 20 September 1986) is a former

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

international

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

footballer who played as a er and for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL. He primarily played on the wing and as a fullback, but off the bench he's played as a centre, lock, second row and even prop. Nightingale spent his entire career with the Dragons, with whom he won the

2010 NRL Premiership The 2010 NRL season was the 103rd season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the thirteenth run by the National Rugby League. The season commenced on 12 March and ended with the Grand Final, played on 3 Octobe ...

. Nightingale was also a member of the

New Zealand national rugby league team The New Zealand national rugby league team ( Māori: Tīma rīki motu Aotearoa) has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of ...

that beat Australia in the

2008 Rugby League World Cup The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since its inauguration in 1954, and the first since the 2000 tournament. The tournament was held in Australia from 26 October, culminating in the final ...

Final.

Background

Born in the Sydney suburb of

Paddington, New South Wales Paddington is an upscale inner-city area of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Located east of the Sydney central business district, Paddington lies across two local government areas. The portion south of Oxford Street lie ...

, Australia to New Zealand parents, Nightingale is of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

descent (specifically the

Waikato Tainui Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori ''iwi'' based in Waikato Region, in the western central region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the larger Tainui confederation of Polynesian settlers who arrived to New Zealand ...

Iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, ...

). He moved to

Mount Maunganui Mount Maunganui (, ) is a major residential, commercial and industrial suburb of the Tauranga metropolitan area, located on a peninsula to the north-east of Tauranga's city centre. It was an independent town from Tauranga until the completio ...

in New Zealand at the age of six months, returned to Australia, then moved back to New Zealand to

Morrinsville Morrinsville is a provincial town in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island, with an estimated population of as of The town is located at the northern base of the Pakaroa Range, and on the south-western fringe of the Hauraki Plains ...

for two years, before settling in Australia at age 13. In Sydney, he played his junior rugby league for Renown United. Nightingale played for the

St George Illawarra Dragons The St. George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George, Sydney, St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League since NR ...

Jersey Flegg Cup The Jersey Flegg Cup is a junior rugby league competition played in New South Wales, contested among teams made up of players aged 21 or under. The competition is administered by the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL), and is named for Easte ...

team.

Playing career

2007

In round 8, Nightingale made his NRL debut for St. George Illawarra against the

Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrit ...

, playing on the wing and scoring a try on debut in the 28–16 win at

Jubilee Oval Jubilee Stadium, also known as Kogarah Oval or by its Naming rights, sponsored name Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, is a multipurpose stadium in Carlton, New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. The stadium is mainly used for rugby league and the A-Leagu ...

. He finished his debut season with 7 tries from 16 matches.

2008

Nightingale was selected for New Zealand for the 2008 Centenary Test against Australia, making his international debut for New Zealand on the wing in the Kiwis 28–12 loss at the SCG. Nightingale finished the 2008 NRL season playing in 24 matches and scoring 13 tries for St. George Illawarra. In August 2008, Nightingale was chosen for the New Zealand training squad for the

. Nightingale originally missed out of the final 24-man Kiwis squad for the World Cup, but was chosen as a replacement for the injured

Brent Webb Brent Douglas Webb (born 9 November 1979) is a former New Zealand international rugby league footballer who played as a . He previously played for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL, before moving the Leeds Rhinos and the Catalans Dragons i ...

. Nightingale only played in one match in the World Cup, playing against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and scored a try in the Kiwis 36–24 win at

Hunter Stadium Newcastle International Sports Centre, known as McDonald Jones Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose sports stadium located in Newcastle, Australia. The ground is home to the Newcastle Knights (National Rugby League) and Newcast ...

2009

In 2009, Nightingale was selected for St. George Illawarra's feeder side Shellharbour Dragons for some matches during the season after being stuck behind

Brett Morris Brett Morris (born 23 August 1986) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played on the and as a for the St George Illawarra Dragons, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Sydney Roosters in the NRL and Australia a ...

and

Wendell Sailor Wendell Jermaine Sailor (born 16 July 1974) is an Australian former professional rugby footballer who represented his country in both rugby league and rugby union – a dual code international. In rugby league Sailor was a member of the succes ...

on the wing. Nightingale was selected on the interchange bench for the Kiwis 2008 Anzac Test in the 38–10 loss against Australia at

Suncorp Stadium Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...

. Nightingale played in 18 matches and scored three tries for St. George Illawarra in the 2009 NRL season.

2010

In 2010, after the retirement of Wendell Sailor, Nightingale returned to the starting lineup on the wing. For the 2010 Anzac Test, Nightingale was selected to play for New Zealand on the wing, scoring a try in their 12–8 loss against Australia at AAMI Park. On 3 October 2010, in St. George Illawarra's

2010 NRL Grand Final The 2010 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2010 NRL season. Played on Sunday, 3 October at Sydney's ANZ Stadium, the match was contested by the St. George Illawarra Dragons and the Sydney Roosters. It was t ...

against the

Sydney Roosters The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won fifteen Ne ...

, Nightingale played on the wing and scored two second-half tries to help the club to achieve the 32–8 victory. Nightingale played in 26 matches and scored 16 tries in St. George Illawarra's successful

2010 NRL season The 2010 NRL season was the 103rd season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the thirteenth run by the National Rugby League. The season commenced on 12 March and ended with the Grand Final, played on 3 Octobe ...

. Nightingale was chosen in the New Zealand Kiwis 2010 Rugby League Four Nations squad, scoring three tries in four games, including a 71st minute try in the final at Suncorp Stadium. Nightingale's fine late season form saw him earning a place in

Rugby League World ''Rugby League World'' is a dedicated rugby league magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. Other rugby league titles published by League Publications Ltd include the weekly newspaper ''Rugby Leaguer & League Express'' and the annual ''G ...

's team of the year on the wing.

2011

On 9 March 2011, Nightingale extended his contract with St. George Illawarra for a further four years until the end of the 2015 season. Nightingale was selected for the Kiwis for the 2011 Anzac Test against Australia on the wing in the Kiwis 20–10 loss at

Cbus Super Stadium Robina Stadium, also known by its sponsored name Cbus Super Stadium, is a rectangular football stadium in the Gold Coast suburb of Robina, Queensland. The main usage is as the home ground to the National Rugby League's Gold Coast Titans; t ...

. In round 19, against the

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugby leag ...

, Nightingale played his 100th National Rugby League career match in St. George Illawarra's 38–8 win at

. Nightingale was named the Dragons 'Player of the Year' for the

2011 NRL season The 2011 NRL season was the 104th season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the fourteenth and last run by the National Rugby League's partnership committee of the Australian Rugby League and News Ltd. The N ...

, playing in 25 matches and scoring 10 tries for the Dragons. Nightingale was selected for the

2011 Rugby League Four Nations The 2011 Rugby League Four Nations tournament (also known as the 2011 Gillette Rugby League Four Nations due to sponsorship by Gillette) was the third staging of the Rugby League Four Nations tournament and was played in England and Wales during O ...

squad, playing in 4 matches and scoring three tries.

2012

On 4 February 2012, Nightingale was selected for the

NRL All Stars team The NRL All Stars team was a rugby league football team made up of professional players in the National Rugby League. These players were selected by fan vote. However, fans were only allowed to select one player from each NRL team to join the Au ...

against the Indigenous All Stars playing on the wing in the 36–28 win at Cbus Super Stadium. Nightingale was selected for the Kiwis for the 2012 Anzac Test against Australia on the wing in the Kiwis 20–12 loss at Eden Park. Nightingale played in all of St. George's 24 matches and scored seven tries in the

2012 NRL season The 2012 NRL season was the 105th season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia, and the first run by the newly formed Australian Rugby League Commission. The main competition, called the 2012 NRL Telstra Premiership due to spon ...

2013

Nightingale was selected for the Kiwis for the

2013 Anzac Test The 2013 ANZAC test (also known as the VB Test due to sponsorship by Victoria Bitter) was the 14th annual Anzac test, and was not only the first time the Australian Kangaroos played at Canberra Stadium, but the first time they had played in the ...

against Australia on the wing in the Kiwis 32–12 loss at

Canberra Stadium Canberra Stadium (GIO Stadium for commercial reasons) is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sports ven ...

. In round 20, against the Canberra Raiders, Nightingale played his 150th NRL career match in St. George's 22–18 loss at Canberra Stadium. Nightingale played in all of St. George Illawarra's 24 matches and scored nine tries in the

2013 NRL season The 2013 NRL season was the 106th season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia. The National Rugby League's main competition, named the 2013 Telstra Premiership after major sponsors Telstra Corporation, was contested by sixte ...

. Nightingale played for the Kiwis in the

2013 Rugby League World Cup The 2013 Rugby League World Cup was the fourteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and took place in England, Wales, France and Ireland. between 26 October and 30 November 2013. It was the main event of the year's Festival of World ...

. Nightingale was selected in the New Zealand 2013 World Cup squad, playing in 2 matches.

2014

In February 2014, Nightingale was selected for St. George Illawarra's inaugural

2014 Auckland Nines The 2014 NRL Auckland Nines (known as the Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines due to sponsorship) was the first NRL Auckland Nines tournament, contested between all sixteen teams of the National Rugby League. The draw was released on 30 October 2014. ...

squad. On 2 May 2014, Nightingale was selected for the Kiwis for the Anzac test against Australia on the wing in the Kiwis 30–18 loss at the SFS. Nightingale finished off the

2014 NRL season The 2014 NRL season was the 107th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 17th season of the National Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand. The season started in New Zealand, for the Auckland Nines, replacing the Rugby Lea ...

as St. George Illawarra's highest tryscorer with 16 tries in 22 matches. On 7 October 2014, Nightingale was selected in the New Zealand Kiwis final 24-man squad for the 2014 Four Nations series. Nightingale played on the wing and scored a try in the Kiwis 22-18 Four Nations final win over Australia at

Westpac Stadium Wellington Regional Stadium (known commercially as Sky Stadium through naming rights) is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. The stadium's bowl site size is . The stadium was built in 1999 by Fletcher Construction and is situ ...

. Nightingale finished as the tournament's top try scorer with five tries after 4 games.

2015

On 21 January 2015, Nightingale was named in St. George Illawarra's

2015 NRL Auckland Nines The 2015 NRL Auckland Nines (known as the Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines due to sponsorship) was the second NRL Auckland Nines tournament, contested between all sixteen teams of the National Rugby League. The draw was released on 16 September 201 ...

squad. On 3 May 2015, Nightingale was selected for the Kiwis for the 2015 Anzac Test against Australia on the wing in the Kiwis 26–12 win at Suncorp Stadium. On 19 June 2015, Nightingale re-signed with St. George Illawarra on a two-year contract until the end of the 2017 season after attracting offers from the

New Zealand Warriors The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...

and the

. Nightingale finished the

2015 NRL season The 2015 NRL season was the 108th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 18th season of the National Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, which was followed ...

playing in 17 matches and scoring 5 tries for the Dragons. On 8 October 2015, Nightingale was selected in the 23-man New Zealand squad to tour

. Nightingale played in all 3 matches against

on the wing and scored a try in the Kiwis' 2-1

Baskerville Shield The Baskerville Shield is a trophy awarded to the winner of rugby league test series between England and New Zealand. It named in honour of Albert Henry Baskerville, who organised the first ever tour by New Zealand of Great Britain in 1907. Th ...

series loss.

2016

In round 3, against the

South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league club based in Redfern, a suburb of inner-southern Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and are one of nine existing tea ...

, Nightingale played his 200th NRL career match, scoring a try in St. George Illawarra's 8–6 win at the Sydney Cricket Ground. On 6 May 2016, Nightingale played for the New Zealand Kiwis against Australia, playing on the wing in the 16–0 loss at

2017

Nightingale was one of five players to have played all 24 games for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in 2017 and for the third season, was the club's top tryscorer (with 16). Overall, Nightingale finished equal sixth for tries scored in the

2017 NRL season The 2017 NRL season was the 110th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 20th season run by the National Rugby League. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, and was followed by the All Stars Match, w ...

. In Round 16 against

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

, Nightingale scored his 100th try in a winning effort of 32–28 in a second-half comeback.

2018

On 9 August 2018, it was reported that Nightingale had announced his retirement from rugby league, effective at the end of 2018.

References

External links

St. George Illawarra Dragons profile2017 RLWC profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nightingale, Jason 1986 births Living people Australian people of Māori descent Australian rugby league players New Zealand Māori rugby league players New Zealand national rugby league team players NRL All Stars players Rugby league fullbacks Rugby league players from Sydney Rugby league wingers Shellharbour City Dragons players St. George Illawarra Dragons players