Darren Lockyer
Darren Lockyer is regarded by many as the world's best rugby league player—and with good reason. He is the former captain of the Brisbane Broncos, Queensland and Australian Kangaroos. Darren has also scored more points for the Brisbane Broncos than any other player in the Club’s history.
Lockyer made his first grade debut with Brisbane in 1995 as a five-eighth but was quickly moved to fullback by Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett.
In 1998, he established himself as the game's pre-eminent fullback, putting a mortgage on the Queensland and Australian No.1 jerseys and helping the Broncos to the NRL premiership.
In 2003, Darren was selected as one of 28 'Greatest Kangaroos' and captained Australia to a series win over Great Britain. He capped it by being awarded the 'Golden Boot' as the world's best player.
In 2004 he was moved to five-eighth on a permanent basis and wasted no time in establishing himself as the game's premier No.6. He again led Australia in the Tri-Nations tournament against Great Britain and New Zealand, a feat he repeated in 2005 and 2006 when he retained the national captaincy.
The 2006 season was arguably one of Darren’s finest, becoming the first person since Allan Langer to captain winning teams in the NRL premiership, the State of Origin series, and the Tri Nations Series. Darren also won the golden award for the second time—one of only two players to have done so at the time.
In 2007, Darren again led the Queensland side to victory over New South Wales and was dominant in his club performances. In February of 2008 he was named in the list of Australia’s 100 Greatest Players which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code’s centenary year in Australia.
In 2009, Darren’s exceptional form saw him break records for Australia during the Four Nations tour as the most capped player for Australia, most games captained for Australia and the all time highest try scorer for the Australian team.
Darren had another high achieving year in 2010. Captaining Queensland to their fifth straight series win and being named Man of the Match in game 2. In round 16 of the competition Darren played his 329th game for the Broncos surpassing Andrew Ettinghausens’s long standing record. A truly determined character Lockyer was keen on remaining a force in the representative sides being selected to play and Captain in the ANZAC Test and Four Nations Tournament.
In 2011, Lockyer bid farewell to the game of rugby league after 17 years. His final season was one that will never be forgotten for both Darren and rugby league fans, a personal success and an emotional ride. Darren’s year was capped off with breaking records in the State of Origin series, record club games played, most NRL games played and being named the Broncos player of the year.
Ending a brilliant career in style this master of the game of rugby league has left all sports fans in awe of his achievements. Darren went on to lead the Australian team to victory in the Four Nations series.
Off the field, Darren and his wife Loren are parents to Sunny and Flynn. In his retirement, Darren has been highly sought as an ambassador and motivational speaker for various brands and the media. He is currently a Channel Nine commentator, a contributor for The Courier-Mail and an ambassador for brands including Origin Energy, One Key Resources, NRL and the Brisbane Broncos to name just a few. Darren has also been involved in a number of charity endeavours including the Life Education awards and visits to Brisbane Children’s Hospital.
A legend of the game, Darren continues to have one of the most recognisable profiles across the sporting arena in Australia and will be forever regarded in the history books as one of the greatest talents to ever play rugby league.