Toby Couchman (born 16 September 2003) is an Australian 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 for 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 ...

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 ...

(NRL).

Background

Couchman was born in

Wollongong Wollongong ( ; Dharawal: ''Woolyungah'') is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near water' or 'sound ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. He has three siblings, Ryan (twin brother), Harvy and Fletcher. He was educated at Bulli High School. He played junior rugby league for

Thirroul Butchers The Thirroul Butchers are an Australian rugby league football team based in Thirroul, a coastal town and suburb of Wollongong. The club was formed in 1913 and entered the Illawarra Rugby League, where it still competes today. History The Thirrou ...

Playing career

Early career

Couchman was contracted to the

as a junior coming through the ranks through the academy system alongside his twin brother

Ryan Couchman Ryan Couchman (born 16 September 2003) is an Australian professional Rugby league footballer who plays as a forward for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL. Background Couchman was born in Wollongong, New South Wales. He has 3 sibl ...

. In June 2022, while playing in the

Jersey Flegg Cup The Jersey Flegg Cup is a junior rugby league competition played in New South Wales, Australia, 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 the Dragons, Couchman was selected to represent New South Wales in the Under 19's State of Origin match against Queensland.

St. George Illawarra Dragons

In round 2 of 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 ...

, Couchman made his first grade debut for the

in place of the injured

Jack de Belin Jack de Belin (born 17 March 1991) is a Papua New Guinea international rugby league player who plays as a and for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League (NRL). De Belin also played for Country NSW, and New South Wal ...

in his side's 32−18 victory over the

Gold Coast Titans The Gold Coast Titans are a professional rugby league football club, based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership, Australia's elite rugby league competition. Since 2008, the ...

Jubilee Oval Jubilee Stadium (also known as Kogarah Oval) is a multi-purpose stadium in Carlton, a suburb in Sydney, Australia. The stadium is mainly used for rugby league and the A-League, and is one of the home grounds of the National Rugby League (NRL) ...

. Following this, Couchman had his contract extended through the 2025 season. Couchman would play a total of 15 games for the club in the

as they finished 16th on the table. Couchman played eleven matches for St. George Illawarra in 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 ...

as the club finished 11th on the table. On 13 November the Dragons announced that the Couchman brothers had re-signed with the club on a three year deal.

References

External links

Dragons profile
2003 births Living people Australian rugby league players Australian twins St. George Illawarra Dragons players Rugby league locks Rugby league props Rugby league players from Wollongong 21st-century Australian sportsmen {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-stub