Wayne Richards is an Australian 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 who played in the 1990s. A Country New South Wales representative forward, he played his club football for the

Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league team based in Newcastle, New South Wales that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, the Knights joined the top-tier competition in New ...

(with whom he won the 1997 ARL premiership), the

Illawarra Steelers The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level rugby league competition from 1982 until 1998. On 13 December 1980, they were the ...

and 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 ...

1991–1996

Richards made his first grade debut as a replacement player for the

in 1991. He remained with the Knights until the end of the 1994 season when he signed with the

in search of regular first team appearances. However, after the 1995 season he returned to Newcastle for the start of the 1996 season.

1997

During the 1997 season split between the

ARL ARL may refer to: Military * A US Navy hull classification symbol: Landing craft repair ship (ARL) * Admiralty Research Laboratory, UK * United States Army Research Laboratory * ARL 44, a WWII French tank Organizations * Aero Research Limited, ...

and 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 ...

, Richards played for Newcastle (an ARL loyal club). Newcastle went on to win the Grand Final 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 ...

22–16. Richards started the game at second row.

1998

In 1998 Richards was one of three members of the Newcastle Knights

1997 ARL grand final The 1997 Australian Rugby League season was the 90th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the third season run by the Australian Rugby League. While several clubs had left the League to compete in the 1997 Super Leagu ...

winning side who tested positive for banned steroids (also Adam MacDougall,

Robbie O'Davis Robbie O'Davis (born 3 September 1972) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative fullback and occasional winger, he ...

). Richards pleaded guilty, receiving a 22 match suspension. Richards was the only one of the three players to be sacked by the club.

1999–2000

Richards made a brief comeback with the

after serving his suspension but retired at the end of the 1999 season after South Sydney was excluded from the competition. Richards played in Souths last ever game before their exclusion, a 34–16 defeat against Parramatta.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Wayne 1970 births Living people Australian rugby league players Australian sportspeople in doping cases Central Charlestown Butcher Boys players Country New South Wales Origin rugby league team players Doping cases in Australian rugby league Doping cases in rugby league Illawarra Steelers players 20th-century Australian sportsmen Newcastle Knights players Rugby league second-rows South Sydney Rabbitohs players Place of birth missing (living people)