Matthew Orford (born 22 April 1978), also known by the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

of "The Ox", is an Australian former professional

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 112 ...

footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played for the Erina Eagles as a junior. A City New South Wales representative , he played the majority of his club football career in Australia for

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

clubs

Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm are a rugby league club based in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia that participates in the National Rugby League. The first fully professional rugby league team based in the state, the Storm entered the competition in 1998. ...

and

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. The team colours are maroon and white, while their namesake and logo is the sea eagle. They compete in Australia's premier rugb ...

, representing the latter when he won 2008's Dally M Medal and NRL premiership. Orford also played for NRL sides

Northern Eagles The Northern Eagles were a rugby league team, that competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) between 2000 and 2002. The club was formed during the rationalisation process of the NRL by the merger of the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the N ...

and

Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...

, as well as in

Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of w ...

for England's

Bradford Bulls The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the Championship. They have won five Challenge Cups, six league championships and three World Club Challenges. The team jersey is predom ...

Playing career

Orford was a

North Sydney Bears The North Sydney Bears is an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. The club competes in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 90 years in t ...

junior and started his career with the

before joining the

. In 2004, he was named the Storm's player of the year. He joined the

for the

2006 NRL season The 2006 NRL season was the 99th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the ninth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of teams remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen clubs competing for the 2006 ...

. He was later appointed captain of the club. Orford was a member of the Manly-Warringah team which lost the

2007 NRL grand final The 2007 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive, premiership-deciding match of the 2007 NRL season. It was played between the first-placed Melbourne Storm and second-placed Manly Warringah Sea Eagles at Telstra Stadium on 30 September, in front of 8 ...

to the

. Orford captained the Manly-Warringah club in the

2008 NRL Grand Final The 2008 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2008 NRL season. It was played between the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the Melbourne Storm on Sunday, 5 October at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The 2008 Grand Final ...

victory over the

. In September 2008, Orford won the prestigious Dally M Medal for being voted the best and fairest player of the

2008 NRL season The 2008 NRL season was the 101st season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia, and the eleventh run by the National Rugby League. For the second year, National Rugby League teams, sixteen teams competed for the 2008 Telstr ...

. He finished on 24 points, two points ahead of

Billy Slater William Slater (born 18 June 1983), is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australian international and one-time captain of the Queensland State of Origin team, he played his entir ...

. Orford was the first player since Peter Sterling to win the Dally M Medal and the premiership in the same year. He signed for the

on a three-year deal, starting in the 2010 season. However, his first season with the struggling Yorkshire club did not go well and was brought to an early finish due to Orford suffering a shoulder injury that would require surgery. He gained a release from the Bradford club in order to return home to Australia. Orford's release was officially granted on 10 January 2011, and he signed with the

on the same day. Affected by a groin injury, Orford played six matches for Canberra in 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 ...

. At the end of the season, he was released from the remainder of his contract.

References

External links

Bradford Bulls profileMatt Orford at ''NRL.com''Matt Orford at ''Manly Sea Eagles''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orford, Matt 1978 births Living people Australian rugby league players Australian expatriate sportspeople in England Bradford Bulls players Canberra Raiders players Manly Warringah Sea Eagles captains Manly Warringah Sea Eagles players Melbourne Storm players New South Wales City Origin rugby league team players Northern Eagles players Prime Minister's XIII players Rugby league halfbacks Rugby league players from Gosford, New South Wales Sportsmen from New South Wales