Paul Carige
| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Freight Train | |||||
| Born | 5 August 1973 | |||||
| Playing information | ||||||
| Position | Fullback, Centre, Wing | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1996 | Illawarra Steelers | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 1997–98 | Parramatta Eels | 45 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 52 |
| 1999 | Salford Red Devils | 27 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| Total | 88 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 84 | |
| Source: [1] | ||||||
Paul Carige (born 5 August 1973) is an Australian former rugby league player who played in the 1990s. He played for the Illawarra Steelers, Parramatta Eels, and the Salford Red Devils. He mostly played at centre, but occasionally he played the odd game at fullback or wing.
Playing career
Carige mage his first grade debut for the Illawarra Steelers in round 2 of the 1996 season in his sides' 18-10 loss against the Auckland Warriors at Ericsson Stadium. He played 16 games and scored 1 try in his debut season.[2]
In 1997, Carige joined the Parramatta Eels. The 1997 season also saw the recruitment of a new coach, former St. George Dragons coach Brian Smith. Smith's appointment saw a reversal in the club's fortunes. They went from being easybeats (not having made a finals appearance since their premiership win in 1986) to title contenders. The Eels lost both of their finals matches that year to the Newcastle Knights and the North Sydney Bears in week 1 and week 2 respectively.[3] In 1998, the Eels went within one game of making their first Grand Final appearance since 1986.
Carige is probably best remembered for his meltdown in the Eels 32-20 extra-time loss to the Bulldogs in the 1998 preliminary final at the Sydney Football Stadium.[4] With just 11 minutes left, the Eels had an 18-2 lead, but three quick tries to Craig Polla-Mounter, Rod Silva, and Willie Talau saw the Bulldogs draw level at 18-all. With only seconds remaining in regular time, Carige kicked the ball on the first tackle straight to the Bulldogs' Five-eighth Craig Polla-Mounter. Polla-Mounter almost stole the match in regular time when his attempt at field goal narrowly missed. In extra-time, Carige made another blunder when he caught a ball from a kick return, deep in his own territory, and ran over the sideline further hampering his sides' chances.[5] The Bulldogs went on to win the match 32-20. Carige's stint with the Eels ended after this match. In his two seasons with the Eels, he played 45 games and scored 13 tries.
In 1999, Carige fled Australia to join English Super League side the Salford Red Devils. After playing 27 games and scoring 7 tries for the Red Devils, Carige retired at the end of the 1999 Super League season.
References
- ↑ Paul Carige rugbyleagueproject.org
- ↑ Middleton, David; Rugby League 1997; p. 314. ISBN 0-7322-5787-5
- ↑ Middleton, David; Rugby League 1998: p. 300. ISBN 0-7322-6424-3
- ↑ Worst Rugby League Error of All Time?
- ↑ Horror game still dogs Carige | Herald Sun
