Sam Thaiday

Samuel Arthur Thaiday (born 12 June 1985) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League, serving as their captain from 2012 until 2013.

Thaiday was signed in 2002 by the Brisbane Broncos after coach Wayne Bennett watched him brawl with Sonny Bill Williams and Tom Learoyd-Lahrs in an under-17s interstate game.

On 11 July 2003, aged 18, he made his National Rugby League debut for the Broncos against the Bulldogs in round 18 of the 2003 NRL season.

It was to be his only appearance of the season.

He followed it up with 8 appearances off the bench in the 2004 NRL season, before featuring in 14 matches in the 2005 NRL season.

He started for the first time in his career in Round 2 of that season, however, played the other 13 matches off the bench.

Thaiday scored his first career try in Round 26 of 2005 against the Parramatta Eels.

An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative, he could also play and as well as and spent all of his career at the Broncos, with whom he won the 2006 premiership.

Solid form in the first 10 weeks of the Broncos season earned Thaiday a spot on the Queensland bench for game one of the 2006 State of Origin series.

He was also selected on the bench for the following two games for the Maroons, who went on to win the series.

After that, when the Broncos were in the "slump that wasn't a slump", coach Wayne Bennett moved Thaiday from the bench to the starting side.

This, among other changes, saw the Broncos' season turn around, and they ended up winning the 2006 NRL Grand Final.

Thaiday was selected for his international debut for the Australian national team in Game 2 of the 2006 Tri-Nations against New Zealand after concussion ruled Willie Mason out.

He would also feature against Great Britain 2 weeks later, however did not play in Australia's victory in the Final.

As 2006 NRL Premiers, the Brisbane Broncos travelled to England to face 2006 Super League champions, St Helens R.F.C. in the 2007 World Club Challenge.

Thaiday played from the interchange bench in the Broncos' 14-18 loss.

In the 2007 NRL season Thaiday suffered an injury to the bone around his eye socket and missed all three games of the 2007 State of Origin series for the Queensland Maroons while waiting to recover.

In a Round 2 match against the New Zealand Warriors, with regular goal kickers Darren Lockyer and Corey Parker missing from the side, Thaiday stepped up to take 2 conversion attempts, making 1 of them.

Thaiday struggled to find a place in the Broncos side in 2007, bouncing from between the bench and the starting back row while also lining up at lock and five-eighth.

He made his 50th first-grade appearance in the NRL in 2007 and re-signed with the Broncos until the end of 2009.

Due to his indifferent form, he failed to be selected for either of Australia's two test matches in 2007.

In 2008, Australia's centenary of rugby league and Thaiday's sixth year at the top level, he was one of only three current players to be named in the Indigenous Australian rugby league team of the century.

In the 2008 NRL season Thaiday was back in form and started the year with a bang, winning back to back man of the match awards in rounds eight and nine to earn himself a starting spot in the 2008 State of Origin series.

After scoring only 4 tries in his previous 5 seasons, he bagged 8 in 2008, including an impressive haul of 5 in 4 games between Round 18 and Round 21.

It would be the most tries scored in a season across his career.

He was named in the Australia training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, however did not make the final squad.

In April 2009, Thaiday was named in the 25-man Queensland squad before the opening match of the 2009 State of Origin series.

He was named man of the match in the second game of the series.

At club level, Thaiday continued to consistently perform for Brisbane.

On 6 July 2018, Thaiday announced his intention to retire from the NRL at the end of the 2018 season.

He currently plays for the Samford Stags in the Brisbane open men’s division 2 competition.

Thaiday was born in Sydney, New South Wales and moved to Townsville, Queensland at the age of four years.

He is of Torres Strait Islander descent.

He played junior rugby league for the Brothers club in Townsville as well as attending Kirwan State High School.

His cousin Milton Thaiday also became an NRL footballer.

Thaiday then moved to Brisbane to complete a degree in medicine and resided at St Leo's College.

He graduated with a GPA of 6.75 in medicine and was part of the Leo's executive team with the renowned title, 'Shed'.

Thaiday's father, Billy, was born on Yam Island in the Torres Strait and was working on Thursday Island, before becoming part of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

He signed up for RAAF, when needed the RAAF needed men and women from the Torres Strait Islands to serve in mainland Australia.

His mother, Julie Thaiday, grew up in rural Western Australia and also served in the Royal Australian Air Force.