Elliott Whitehead (born 4 September 1989) is an English 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 who plays as a forward for the

Catalans Dragons The Catalans Dragons (French language, French: ''Dragons Catalans'', Catalan language, Catalan: ''Dracs Catalans'') are a professional rugby league club from Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales department, France. Despite being based in France the ...

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 ...

, and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

at international level. He previously played for the

Bradford Bulls The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, and compete in the Championship, the second tier of British rugby league. The club have won the League Championship six times, the Challenge Cup f ...

and the

in the

Background

Whitehead was born in

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

West Yorkshire, England West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and Derbyshire to the south, Greater Manchester to the south-west, and L ...

Club career

Bradford

Whitehead played junior

for

West Bowling West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

before being signed by his hometown professional club

in 2005. Whitehead made his

début in June 2009 against

Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The club play their home fixtures at the DIY Kitchen Stadium, Belle Vue (Wakefield), Belle Vue and currently compete in the Super League, the top tier o ...

, and went on to make seven appearances in the final ten games of the season. He scored his first try for Bradford in July 2009 against

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

, and was rewarded with an improved contract with the club. Elliott Whitehead

In the 2010 season, Whitehead featured in 26 consecutive games from Round 2 ( St. Helens) to Round 27 (

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

). He also played in the

Challenge Cup The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...

games against

Dewsbury Dewsbury is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder, West Yorkshire, River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, ...

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staffor ...

and

Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...

. Whitehead scored against

Castleford Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield district, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the t ...

(2 tries),

Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers (often abbreviated to Hull KR) are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England. The club play home games at Craven Park, Hull, Craven Park and compete in Super League, the top tier of B ...

(1 try),

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

(1 try),

(1 try), Harlequins RL (1 try),

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

(1 try),

(1 try) and

(1 try). In the 2011 season, Whitehead featured in 24 consecutive games from Round 1 (

) to Round 24 (

). He has also featured in the

games against Halifax and

. He scored tries against

(3 tries),

(2 tries),

(1 try), Harlequins RL (1 try) and Halifax (1 try). In August 2011, Whitehead received a five-game suspension after being charged with biting

forward Jordan Cox. In the 2012 season, Whitehead missed Round 1 due to suspension. Whitehead featured in 26 consecutive games from Round 2 (

) to Round 27 (

). He also featured in the

against

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

and

. Whitehead scored tries against

(4 tries), St. Helens (1 try),

(1 try),

(3 tries),

(2 tries),

(1 try),

London Broncos The London Broncos are a professional rugby league club based in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, England. They play their home games at Plough Lane and currently compete in the RFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of British rugby le ...

(1 try),

(1 try) and

(1 try). In March 2012, Whitehead signed a new five-year contract with the club. In the 2013 season, Whitehead featured in 17 consecutive games from Round 1 (

) to Round 17 (

). Whitehead featured in the

against

Rochdale Hornets The Rochdale Hornets are a professional rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, competing in the League 1, the third tier of European rugby league. The Rochdale Hornets are one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs tha ...

and

. Elliott scored against

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses, 2021 census had a population of 62,400. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, ...

(1 try),

(2 tries) and

(3 tries). In June 2013, Whitehead handed in a transfer request, and was placed on indefinite leave by head coach

Francis Cummins Francis Cummins (born 12 October 1976) is the former Head Coach of the Widnes Vikings in the Super League and an English professional rugby league coach and former player. He was the head coach of Super League team the Bradford Bulls from Septe ...

. After turning down an offer from

, he was signed by

for an undisclosed fee.

Catalans Dragons

Whitehead signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Catalans, and he made his début for the club in July 2013 against

. He played eight games for the club during the season, and featured in the playoffs against

Hull FC Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Hull play their home games at the MKM Stadium and compete in Super League, the t ...

. He scored his first try for the club against Salford. Elliott Whitehead 2

In the 2014 season, Whitehead featured in Round 1 (

Hull F.C. Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Hull play their home games at the MKM Stadium and compete in Super League, the ...

) to Round 6 (

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confl ...

). Elliot featured in Round 8 (

) to Round 10 (

) and then in Round 13 (

) to Round 25 (

). Elliott next played in Round 27 (

). He played in the Elimination Playoff (

). Whitehead also featured in Round 5 (

) of the

. He scored against

(1 try),

(5 tries),

(1 try),

(3 tries),

(2 tries),

(1 try) and

(1 try). In the 2015 season, Whitehead featured in Round 1 ( St. Helens) to Super Eight 7 (

). Elliott played in the

in Round 6 (

Featherstone Rovers Featherstone Rovers are a professional rugby league club in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England. The club play home games at Post Office Road and currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of British rugby league. Featherstone ...

) and the Quarter Final (

). He scored against

(1 try),

(3 tries),

(1 try),

(2 tries),

(1 try),

(2 tries) and

(1 try).

Canberra Raiders

On 8 April 2015, Whitehead signed a two-year contract with

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 ...

side

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 Rugb ...

starting in 2016. He made his début against

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 went on to play 27 games and score 6 tries in his first season in the NRL. In August 2016, he was given a contract extension until the end of 2018. Whitehead credits his ability to adapt to the Australian style of play on personal fitness guru Chris Anderson. At the end of the 2017 season, Whitehead extended his contract with Canberra until the end of the 2020 season. Whitehead made 27 appearances for Canberra in the

2019 NRL season The 2019 NRL season was the 112th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 22nd season run by the National Rugby League. The Sydney Roosters became the first team to win back-to-back Premierships since the Brisbane Broncos in 1992 ...

as the club qualified for their first grand final in 25 years. Elliott Whitehead Canberra

Whitehead played in the

2019 NRL Grand Final The 2019 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2019 National Rugby League season and was played at Sydney's ANZ Stadium. The match was contested between defending premiers the Sydney Roosters and the Canberra ...

at second-row as they were defeated 14-8 by 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 ...

ANZ Stadium Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium, which is sometimes referred to as Sydney Ol ...

. Whitehead played 22 games for Canberra in the

2020 NRL season The 2020 NRL season was the 113th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 23rd season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 14th consecutive year. ; Notes : : : Pre-season ...

as the club fell one game short of another grand final appearance. Whitehead played 21 games for Canberra in the

2021 NRL season The 2021 NRL season was the 114th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 24th season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 15th consecutive year. Regular season Ladd ...

which saw the club finish 10th on the table. Whitehead played a total of 22 games for Canberra in the

2022 NRL season The 2022 NRL season was the 115th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 25th season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 16th consecutive year. This became the second longest ...

as the club finished 8th on the table and qualified for the finals. Whitehead played in both finals matches as Canberra were eliminated in the second week by

Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...

. Whitehead played a total of 23 matches for Canberra in the

2023 NRL season The 2023 NRL season was the 116th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 26th season run by the National Rugby League. The season consisted of 27 competition rounds, the longest in league history, followed by a finals series ...

as the club finished 8th on the table and qualified for the finals. Whitehead played in the clubs elimination finals loss against

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

. In round 9 of the

2024 NRL season The 2024 NRL season was the 117th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 27th season run by the National Rugby League (NRL). The season consisted of 27 competition rounds, followed by a finals series contested by the top eight ...

, Whitehead came back into the Canberra team after a lengthy injury and scored two tries for the club in their comeback victory over Manly. Whitehead played a total of 16 matches for Canberra in his last season at the club as they finished 9th on the table.

Catalans Dragons (re-join)

On 11 Jul 2024 it was reported he had re-joined

on a 1-year deal

International career

In 2014, Whitehead was selected in

's 2014 Four Nations squad. He was selected in the 3rd game against New Zealand. In 2015, Whitehead was selected in the England team again for the end-of-year test series against New Zealand. Before the series, Whitehead was part of the England team that took on

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in a test match held in Leigh. In 2016, Whitehead was selected in the 24-man England squad for the 2016 Four Nations. Before the tournament began, he featured in a test match against France. Elliott Whitehead England

In October 2017 he was selected in the England squad for the

2017 Rugby League World Cup The 2017 Rugby League World Cup was the fifteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup tournament and took place in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea between 27 October and 2 December 2017. The tournament featured the national teams ...

. In 2018 he was selected for

against

at the

Leigh Sports Village Leigh Sports Village is a multi-use sports, retail and housing development in Leigh, Greater Manchester, England. The centrepiece of the development is a 12,000-capacity stadium which is home to professional rugby league team Leigh Leopards, th ...

. He was selected in

England 9s The 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s was an international rugby league tournament played in the rugby league nines format, to be held in Australia on 18 and 19 October 2019. Twelve national teams competed, with four of those also fielding women's team ...

squad for the

2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s The 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s was the first staging of the Rugby League World Cup 9s tournament and took place on 18 and 19 October 2019 at Sydney's Bankwest Stadium. The tournament featured teams from 12 International Rugby League membe ...

. He was selected in squad for the

2019 Great Britain Lions tour The 2019 Great Britain Lions tour was a tour by the Great Britain national rugby league team to the New Zealand and Papua New Guinea in 2019. Background This tour was the first matches played by the Lions since 2007 when they defeated New Zeal ...

of the Southern Hemisphere. He made his

test debut in the defeat by Tonga. In October 2022 Whitehead was named in the England squad for the

2021 Rugby League World Cup The 2021 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC2021) was a collection of world cups in the sport of rugby league, held in England from 15 October to 19 November 2022. England won hosting rights for the competition on 27 October 2016. The bid received � ...

. On 15 October 2022 he scored two tries for England in their opening match of the

against Samoa as England won the game 60-6.

Statistics

*denotes season still competing

References

External links

Canberra Raiders profile
*(archived by web.archive.org
Bradford Bulls profileStatistics at rlwc2017.comEngland profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitehead, Elliott 1989 births Living people Bradford Bulls players Canberra Raiders captains Canberra Raiders players Catalans Dragons players England national rugby league team players English rugby league players Great Britain national rugby league team players Rugby league players from Bradford Rugby league second-rows