Amos Roberts (born 2 November 1980) is an
Indigenous Australian
Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...
former professional
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
footballer. A
Country New South Wales representative prolific try-scoring back, he played in Australia's
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
for the
St. George Illawarra Dragons,
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Greater Western Sydney suburb of Penrith, New South Wales, Penrith that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The team is based west of the cen ...
and
Sydney Roosters
Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club, known as the Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs. The club competes in the National Rugby Lea ...
clubs and in the
Super League
Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...
for the
Wigan Warriors
The Wigan Warriors is an English professional rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester.
The club competes in the Super League, the top tier of the British rugby league system. Formed in 1872, the club is a founding member of the Ru ...
.
Rugby league career
NRL career
Roberts made his NRL début in 2000 with the
St George Illawarra Dragons
The St. George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since 1999 after a j ...
, scoring 22 points in that match. In 2004 he signed with the
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Greater Western Sydney suburb of Penrith, New South Wales, Penrith that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The team is based west of the cen ...
and scored 23 tries in 23 games that year to become the competition's top try scorer that year. He signed with the
Sydney Roosters
Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club, known as the Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs. The club competes in the National Rugby Lea ...
in 2005. He scored 17 tries in 2005 and 18 tries in 2006.
Roberts injured his knee at the start of the 2007 season and made his return in Round 3 against the
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL). The Manly club debuted in the 1947 New South Wales Rugby Football League sea ...
. He scored his first try of 07 in Round 13 against the
North Queensland Cowboys
The North Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, the largest city in North Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL).
Sinc ...
.
Roberts was set and ready to join close friend and fellow winger/fullback
Nathan Merritt at the South Sydney Rabbitohs before the deal fell through due to the club announcing the signing of Panthers star
Luke Lewis, however, this deal also fell through.
In October 2008, Roberts was released from the final year of his contract with the Roosters to take up a four-year deal with English
Super League
Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...
club
Wigan Warriors
The Wigan Warriors is an English professional rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester.
The club competes in the Super League, the top tier of the British rugby league system. Formed in 1872, the club is a founding member of the Ru ...
.
Wigan Warriors
In 2010 Roberts has been in scintillating form scoring in all but 3 of his 10 appearances for Wigan including a hat-trick away at
Castleford Tigers
The Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England. They play their home games at Wheldon Road (currently known as the Mend-A-Hose Jungle for sponsorship reasons) and compete in the Super League, t ...
. His performances have helped put Wigan at the top of Super League and have potentially put him forward for the end-of-season Man of Steel award.
During the Easter Monday game against
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats at the
DW Stadium
The Brick Community Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Robin Park in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. It is used by Wigan Warriors rugby league club and Wigan Athletic F.C., Wigan Athletic association football, football club. The stadium is ...
, Amos suffered an injury to his knee ligaments after colliding with the post in the process of scoring his 12th try of the season.
He recovered to play the Leeds Rhinos on 29 May 2010 but struggled to get back into form.
In 2011 season Roberts made only 6 appearances for the club, spending much of it in the reserves unable to force his way into the squad.
On 12 May 2012 Roberts announced his retirement after several failed comebacks from the injury and complications that arose.
His last appearance had been against
Castleford Tigers
The Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England. They play their home games at Wheldon Road (currently known as the Mend-A-Hose Jungle for sponsorship reasons) and compete in the Super League, t ...
almost a year prior.
Career highlights
Roberts scored 22 points on début (1 try and 9 goals) with the
St. George-Illawarra Dragons on 6 May 2000 against the
Auckland Warriors
The 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 the Aucklan ...
. This is the standing
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
premiership record for points scored on a first grade debut. He was selected as the
Dally M ''Winger of the Year'' in 2004.
He has represented four times for Country vs City since 2004 and twice been selected to play in a Prime Minister's XIII (2005 and 2006).
Personal life
Roberts is an
Indigenous Australian
Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...
of
Bundjalung people
The Bundjalung people, also spelled Bunjalung, Badjalang and Bandjalang, are Aboriginal Australians who are the original custodians of a region from around Grafton, New South Wales, Grafton in northern coastal New South Wales to Beaudesert, Que ...
. He is the uncle of the rugby league footballer
James Roberts.
Awards
In 2004, Roberts won
the Deadly award for Outstanding Achievement in Rugby League. Roberts received the award for his "stellar start to the season, consistent all-round form and the fact he finished the season as the league's leading try-scorer."
Music
In 2007, Roberts, along with
South Sydney's
Nathan Merritt, appeared in the music video for
Anthony Mundine
Anthony Steven Mundine (born 21 May 1975) is an Australian former professional boxer and rugby league footballer. In boxing he competed from 2000 to 2021, and held the World Boxing Association (WBA) super-middleweight title twice between 2003 a ...
's ''Platinum Ryder'' single. Mundine is Roberts' cousin.
NRL point scoring summary
References
External links
*
Amos Robertson the Wigan RL Fansite''.
Koori Kids Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Amos
1980 births
Living people
Australian expatriate rugby league players in England
Australian rugby league players
Bundjalung people
Country New South Wales Origin rugby league team players
Indigenous Australian rugby league players
21st-century Indigenous Australian people
Penrith Panthers players
Prime Minister's XIII players
Rugby league fullbacks
Rugby league wingers
Rugby league players from Kempsey, New South Wales
St. George Illawarra Dragons players
Sydney Roosters players
Wigan Warriors players
21st-century Australian sportsmen