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Ben Hannant

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Ben Hannant
Personal information
Full nameBenjamin Hannant
Born (1984-12-31) 31 December 1984 (age 39)
Burleigh Heads, Queensland, Australia
Playing information
Height184 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight106 kg (16 st 10 lb)
PositionProp
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2005 Sydney Roosters 8 0 0 0 0
2006–08 Brisbane Broncos 70 5 0 0 20
2009–10 Canterbury Bulldogs 37 3 0 0 12
2011–14 Brisbane Broncos 78 7 0 0 28
2015–16 North Qld Cowboys 52 0 0 0 0
Total 245 15 0 0 60
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2008–12 Queensland 12 2 0 0 8
2009–12 Australia 6 0 0 0 0
2014 Prime Minister's XIII 1 0 0 0 0
Source: [1]
Boxing career
Statistics
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Boxing record[2]
Total fights2
Wins0
Wins by KO0
Losses2
Draws0

Benjamin Hannant (born 31 December 1984), also known by the nickname of "Polar Bear",[3] is a former Australian rugby league footballer and boxer.

A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative prop-forward, he played in the National Rugby League for the North Queensland Cowboys, Brisbane Broncos, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters.

Hannant is a two-time premiership winner and the only player to have won NRL titles with two Queensland teams (Broncos in 2006 and the Cowboys in 2015).[4]

Background

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Born and raised on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Hannant played his junior rugby league for the Burleigh Bears. In 2002, while attending Palm Beach Currumbin State High School, he represented the Australian Schoolboys team.[5] As of November 2016, Hannant co-hosts Gold Coast's SEA FM Breakfast show.

Playing career

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Sydney Roosters

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Hannant made his NRL debut with the Sydney Roosters in 2005, playing a handful of games for the club. He played in the Roosters' Premier League grand final winning side in 2004 before being signed by the Brisbane Broncos for the 2006 season.

Brisbane Broncos

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In late 2005, Hannant moved to the Broncos for the 2006 season. He went on to play from the interchange bench in Brisbane's victory in the 2006 NRL Grand Final. The retirement of Shane Webcke following the grand final left some large shoes to be filled in the Broncos' front row. 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. Hannant played from the interchange bench in the Broncos' 14–18 loss.

Hannant was selected for the Queensland Maroons in 2008 and scored his first try in Game 2 at Suncorp Stadium, which Queensland won 30–0. In May 2008, Hannant signed a three-year deal with Sydney-based club, the Bulldogs, commencing in 2009.[6][7]

Hannant at training for the Bulldogs in 2009

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

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On 8 June 2009 it was announced that Hannant had contracted the H1N1 virus,[8] the first case in professional sports[9] Hannant represented Australia on 25 October 2009 in Australia's opening 2009 Four Nations match against New Zealand in which Hannant played as the starting Prop. He also played in the tournament final on 13 November 2009 as the starting prop against England. It was a 46–16 win to Australia. Hannant's 2009 form drew praise from critics with New Zealand Warriors captain and representative prop Steve Price nominating Hannant as the best prop currently playing.[10] On 25 May 2010 it was announced Hannant would re-join the Broncos on a four-year deal starting in 2011 after he was granted an early release by the Canterbury club.

Return to the Broncos

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Hannant missed the start of the 2011 Brisbane Broncos season with a calf injury but returned in round 3 against the Gold Coast Titans.[11] Hannant returned to form after a man of the match display against his former club and was selected in the Australia and Queensland representative teams where he played off the bench. The latter half of the season saw a drop in form for Hannant, resulting in exclusion from the Four Nations series. In 2012, Hannant opened the season strong with a man of the match performance against Parramatta.

North Queensland Cowboys

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On 7 October 2014, Hannant signed with the North Queensland Cowboys on a one-year deal for the 2015 season.[12][13]

In round 7 of the 2015 NRL season, Hannant played his 200th NRL game in North Queensland's 28–24 victory over the New Zealand Warriors.

Hannant came off the bench for North Queensland in the 2015 NRL Grand Final against the Brisbane Broncos, and played 38 minutes in the Cowboys' 17-16 Premiership win.[14]

On 21 February 2016, Hannant was a member of the Cowboys' World Club Challenge winning side, coming off the bench in the side's 38–4 victory over the Leeds Rhinos at Headingley Stadium.

In November 2016, it was announced Hannant had re-signed with North Queensland on a one-year-contract extension. Two weeks later, on 17 November, he was forced to retire due to a chronic knee injury. Despite the injury and forced retirement, Hannant was quite durable for the Cowboys in his two seasons with the club. Out of a possible 55 games, Hannant played 52 – including the 17–16 win against the Brisbane Broncos in the 2015 NRL Grand Final.

Coming Out of Retirement

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A year after retiring, it was announced he would come out of retirement and play for the Burleigh Bears in the Intrust Super Cup.[15]

Achievements and accolades

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Individual

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Team

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Statistics

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NRL

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Statistics are correct to the end of the 2015 season[16]
† Denotes seasons in which Hannant won an NRL Premiership
Season Team Matches T G GK % F/G Pts
2005 Sydney Roosters 8 0 0 — 0 0
2006† Brisbane Broncos 23 0 0 — 0 0
2007 23 2 0 — 0 8
2008 23 3 0 — 0 12
2009 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 18 3 0 — 0 12
2010 19 0 0 — 0 0
2011 Brisbane Broncos 20 2 0 — 0 8
2012 22 2 0 — 0 8
2013 16 1 0 — 0 4
2014 21 2 0 — 0 8
2015† North Queensland Cowboys 28 0 0 — 0 0
2016 24 0 0 — 0 0
Career totals 245 15 0 — 0 60

State of Origin

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Season Team Matches T G GK % F/G Pts
2008 Queensland 3 1 0 — 0 4
2009 Queensland 2 0 0 — 0 0
2010 Queensland 1 0 0 — 0 0
2011 Queensland 3 0 0 — 0 0
2012 Queensland 3 1 0 — 0 4
Career totals 12 2 0 — 0 8

International

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Season Team Matches T G GK % F/G Pts
2009 Australia 4 0 0 — 0 0
2011 Australia 1 0 0 — 0 0
2012 Australia 1 0 0 — 0 0
Career totals 6 0 0 — 0 0

Radio career

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It was announced on 21 November 2016 that Hannant would be embarking on a radio career in 2017.

Southern Cross Austereo revealed that Hannant would co-present a new breakfast program on Sea FM on the Gold Coast called Get Up with Heather, Dan & Ben.

Hannant will be co-hosting the show with experienced radio announcer Dan Anstey and former The Bachelor contestant Heather Maltman.

Hannant stated that he is likely to be comfortable in a radio show environment, comparing it to a locker room situation where people sit around having a yarn.[17]

Personal life

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Hannant is one of 11 children and is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[18] Hannant and his wife Emma have eight children, four sons and four daughters. Their eighth child was born in December 2019 named Pippa Elizabeth[19]

References

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  1. ^ RLP
  2. ^ "Boxing record for Ben Hannant". BoxRec.
  3. ^ Thompson, Michael (12 November 2014). "Polar Bear ready to swelter at Cowboys". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Bloke in a Bar on Instagram: "The omelette with a bitta pub ammo for ya 🏆 // #blokeinabar"".
  5. ^ "SportingPulse Homepage for Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League". SportingPulse. Archived from the original on 21 August 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  6. ^ "Hannant signs NRL deal with Bulldogs". Brisbane Times. Australian Associated Press. 6 July 2011. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Hannant joins Dogs, with Ennis next target". LeagueHQ. 28 May 2008. Archived from the original on 30 May 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2008.
  8. ^ (in German) Schweinegrippe: 1. Fall im Profi-Sport. Bild.de (10 December 2007). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
  9. ^ Forward Ben Hannant has swine flu
  10. ^ "Maroons hardmen give their vote to Hannant". Brisbane Times. Australian Associated Press. 22 June 2009. Archived from the original on 28 June 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  11. ^ Margie McDonald (25 May 2010). "Ben Hannant returning home to Brisbane Broncos". The Australian. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  12. ^ "Ben Hannant joins Cowboys for 2015". 7 October 2014.
  13. ^ Badel, Peter (7 October 2014). "Ben Hannant signs with North Queensland Cowboys, Josh Hoffman dumped by Kiwis". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  14. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20151021225936/http://matchcentre.nrl.com/match/2015/111/20151113010/#player-stats 2015 NRL Grand Final – Match Centre
  15. ^ https://www.qrl.com.au/news/20182/03/17/hannant-signs-with-burleigh-bears/ Hannant comes out of retirement
  16. ^ Ben Hannant's player profile at Rugby League Project
  17. ^ Sea FM serves up a fresh breakfast on the Gold Coast, Southern Cross Austereo website, 21 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  18. ^ Lutton, Phil (18 May 2011). "The spiritual road less travelled". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  19. ^ Thompson, Michael (15 January 2015). "Ben Hannant ready for new lease of rugby league career following the arrival of his family to Townsville". Townsville Bulletin. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
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