Reece Robinson (born 13 June 1987) is a

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

international

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 most recently played for 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 the

NRL 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 ...

. He previously played for the

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...

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 ...

and

Parramatta Eels The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, and ...

in the

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 ...

and the Indigenous All Stars at representative level. He has previously played

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

for the

New South Wales Waratahs The New South Wales Waratahs ( or ;), often referred to as the Waratahs, are an Australian professional rugby union team based in Sydney that represents the majority of New South Wales in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. The Waratahs play t ...

Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It has previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Super Rugby started as the S ...

Early life

Born in

Sydney, New South Wales Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Robinson is of

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 ...

and Lebanese descent. Robinson played his junior football for the Alexandria Rovers as well playing in the

South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club, also known as the South Sydney Rabbitohs, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Maroubra, New South Wales, Maroubra that competes in the Nat ...

SG Ball The S. G. Ball Cup is a junior rugby league football competition played predominantly in New South Wales, between teams made up of male players aged under 19. Teams from Canberra and Melbourne, and Auckland also participate. Prior to the COVID ...

team before joining the Brisbane Broncos. Robinson was educated at

Randwick Boys High School Randwick Boys' High School (RBHS) was a boys' high school located in Randwick, Randwick, Sydney, Australia, between Rainbow Street and Avoca Street. Operated by the New South Wales Department of Education with students from years 7 to 12, the sc ...

. He also played

Rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

as a schoolboy.

Rugby league club career

Brisbane Broncos (2008)

In round 1 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, sixteen teams competed for the 2008 Telstra Premiership title. The sea ...

, Robinson made his

debut for the Brisbane Broncos against 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 ...

on the in the Broncos 48–12 win at

Suncorp Stadium Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), currently known as Suncorp Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Milton, Queensland, Milton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Nicknamed The Cauldron, it is a three-tiered rect ...

. In round 3 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 ...

, Robinson scored his first NRL career try in the Broncos 36–2 win at Suncorp Stadium. Robinson finished his debut year in the NRL with him playing in 13 matches and scoring four tries. Robinson's contract with the Brisbane Broncos was not renewed for the 2009 season.

North Sydney Bears (2009)

Robinson was picked up by the

North Sydney Bears The North Sydney Bears are an Australian rugby league football club based in Cammeray on Sydney's North Shore (Sydney), North Shore. The club currently competes in the NSW Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL s ...

, the feeder club for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, in the

New South Wales Cup The NSW Cup, currently known as the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league competition for clubs in New South Wales. The competition has a history dating back to the NSWRFL's origins in 1908, starting off as a reserve ...

in 2009. On 12 December, Robinson was signed by the

after recommendation from Wayne Bennett starting from 2010. Robinson made 22 appearances for Norths and scored 22 tries. Reece Robinson at an Raiders autograph session at Bolton Park

Reece Robinson at an Raiders autograph session at Bolton Park

Canberra Raiders (2010–2014)

In round 1 of the

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 (NRL). The season commenced on 12 March and ended with the grand final, played on 3 ...

, Robinson made his club debut for the Canberra Raiders against the Penrith Panthers on the wing in Canberra's 34–16 loss at

Penrith Stadium Penrith Stadium, currently known as BlueBet Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league and association football stadium located in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. The 22,500 capacity venue is the home ground for the Penrith Panthe ...

. In Round 25 against the

, Robinson scored an impressive 4 tries in the 48–4 win at

Canberra Stadium Canberra Stadium, commercially known as GIO Stadium Canberra, 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 sp ...

. Robinson played in five matches and scored five tries for his first season with the club. Robinson played in 14 matches and scored five tries for Canberra in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

. Robinson finished

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

as Canberra's top tryscorer with 17 tries in 24 matches. After incumbent fullback

Josh Dugan Joshua Dugan (born 10 May 1990) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a and for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the National Rugby League, NRL and Australia national rugby league team, Australia at ...

was sacked from Canberra in March 2013, Robinson replaced him at with some success until he was himself replaced by

Anthony Milford Anthony Milford (born 11 July 1994) is a Samoan international rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Souths Logan Magpies in the Intrust Super Cup. Milford has previously played for the Newcastle Knights, the Brisbane Broncos and the ...

. Robinson played in 22 matches, scored seven tries and kicked a goal for Canberra in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

. In February, Robinson was selected in the Canberra Raiders 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 2013 ...

squad. Robinson played in 18 matches, scored 10 tries and kicked 2 goals for the Raiders in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

. On 15 October 2014, Robinson signed a one-year deal with the

to be a candidate to replace the departed Eels fullback

Jarryd Hayne Jarryd Lee Hayne (born 1988) is an Australian semi-professional rugby league footballer who plays for Wentworthville Magpies in the Ron Massey Cup. He briefly moved to the US to play the running back position for San Francisco 49ers in the 2 ...

Parramatta Eels (2015)

In January, Robinson played for the

in the

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 20 ...

. In round 1, Robinson made his club debut for Parramatta 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 ...

on the , kicking seven goals in their 42–12 win at

Parramatta Stadium Parramatta Stadium was a sports stadium in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia, west of Sydney CBD. The stadium was the home ground of several western Sydney-based sports teams, at the time of closure the most notable were the Parramatta E ...

. In round 3 against the

New Zealand 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 ...

, Robinson scored his first club try for Parramatta in the 29–16 loss at

Mt Smart Stadium Mount Smart Stadium, currently known as Go Media Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Penrose, Auckland, New Zealand. It is the main home ground of the New Zealand Warriors of the National Rugby League a ...

Sydney Roosters

On 7 December 2017, it was revealed that Robinson had signed a one-year deal to join the

. In round 5 of the

2018 NRL season The 2018 NRL season was the 111th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 21st season run by the National Rugby League. The main competition, known as the 2018 Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship from Telstra, featured 16 team ...

, Robinson scored his first club try just 13 seconds left before full-time siren for the Sydney Roosters in a 28-10 win at Southern Cross Group Stadium. The Sydney Roosters went on to win the

Minor Premiership A minor premiership is the title given to the team which finishes a sporting competition first in the league standings after the regular season but prior to commencement of the finals in several Australian sports leagues. Origins The etymolo ...

and

Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Synonymous with a championship game in North Ameri ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

. On 31 October 2018, Robinson was announced as one of the players that was released by the club after not being offered a new contract.

Queanbeyan Kangaroos

In 2019, Robinson played for the Queanbeyan Kangaroos in the Canberra Raiders Cup competition.

Rugby league representative career

Robinson played for the

Lebanon national rugby league team The Lebanon national rugby league team (, ) represents Lebanon in rugby league football. Nicknamed "the Cedars" after the Cedrus libani, Lebanese cedar tree, the team was formed by Lebanese Australians in 1997 and have been administered by the L ...

in the

2009 European Cup The 2009 Rugby League European Cup, known as the rugbyleague.com European Cup due to sponsorship, was a rugby league football tournament. The revamped Rugby League European Cup 2009 involved six teams competing in two groups of three. Participati ...

, scoring a hat-trick of tries in an 86–0 thrashing of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Robinson played in three matches, scored five tries and kicked four goals in the tournament. On 9 February 2013, Robinson starred on the wing for the Indigenous All Stars scoring a second half hat trick in the 32–6 win against the NRL All Stars at

. Robinson was chosen to represent Lebanon again in 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 ...

but withdrew due to injury. Robinson represented Lebanon at 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 � ...

playing in all four games and scoring two tries.

Rugby union career

On 15 October 2015, Robinson switched codes to Rugby union, signing a 2-year contract with

side

. He played in the 2016 National Rugby Championship for

New South Wales Country Eagles The New South Wales Country Eagles is an Australian rugby union football team competes in the National Rugby Championship (NRC). The team was founded by a group of patrons associated with country rugby in New South Wales. The Eagles team plays ...

, winning the Minor Championship and runners up in the Grand Final.

Personal life

Robinson has a twin brother, Travis Robinson, who was contracted to the

Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm is a rugby league football club based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia that participates in the National Rugby League (NRL). The club plays its home games at AAMI Park, and wears a purple and navy blu ...

and a member of the

. Robinson is also a relative of Australian boxer

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 ...

, former professional

footballer

Nathan Merritt Nathan Merritt (born 26 May 1983) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales State of Origin series, State of Origin representative rugby ...

and is step brothers with ex- South Sydney player Beau Champion.Phelps, James. (9 September 2012
Reece is the word for a boxing world champion and the supercoach
News.com.au. Retrieved on 2016-09-21.

References

External links

Sydney Roosters profileWaratahs profileBrisbane Broncos profile2017 RLWC profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Reece 1987 births Living people Australian people of Lebanese descent Australian rugby league players Australian rugby union players Australian twins Brisbane Broncos players Canberra Raiders players Footballers who switched code Indigenous All Stars players Lebanon national rugby league team players Mount Pritchard Mounties players New South Wales Waratahs players Newcastle Yowies players North Sydney Bears NSW Cup players Parramatta Eels players People educated at Randwick Boys High School Queanbeyan Kangaroos players Randwick DRUFC players Rugby league fullbacks Rugby league players from Sydney Rugby league wingers Rugby union players from Sydney Rugby union wings Souths Logan Magpies players Sydney Roosters players 21st-century Australian sportsmen