Information AboutAdam Dykes |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ADAM DYKES | |
| australian rugby league players | |
| dykes, adam | |
| 1977 births | |
| living people | |
| cronulla sharks rugby league players | |
| parramatta eels rugby league players | |
|
Adam Dykes (born February 5 1977 in Sydney, NSW ) is an Australia n Rugby League player for the Cronulla Sharks in the National Rugby League competition. He also previously played for the Parramatta Eels between 2002-2004. His position of choice is Five-Eighth , though he has also been shuffled around the backs during his career, playing minor parts of it at both Lock and in the Half-Back role. PLAYING CAREER Dykes began playing rugby league at an early age after being heavily involved and influenced into the game by his father John Dykes whom was a professional player himself for one season in 1976 for the Cronulla Sharks , along with also being their reserve grade coach between 1993-1994. With Adam possessing copious amounts of talent for the game along with his fathers heavy influence within the Cronulla Sharks many believed that it would only be a matter of time before Adam would don the Sharks jersey. Cronulla Sharks (1995-2001) Adam Dykes made his first grade debut for the Cronulla Sharks as an 18 year old in the 1995 season (March 11 Round 1) against the Newcastle Knights . With several impressive performances for the club he quickly cemented his position in John Lang 's outfit as the key five eighth. He remained a key player for the club in the number six for several seasons, until 2001 when he rose to represent City in the annual City Vs Country Origin match and was later rewarded with the prestigious Dally M Five Eighth of the year for his continual spectacular performances. Parramatta Eels Dykes was controversially signed by Parramatta Eels head coach Brian Smith for the start of the 2002 NRL season (on a four year deal), angering many Sharks fans as they had seen him as one of the central members of the team along with the fact that he was a born and bred Cronulla junior. With this in mind many fans began speculating that Dykes had clashed with new Cronulla coach Chris Anderson and that this had led to his departure, though none of these claims were ever proven to be factual. His three year Parramatta career though proved to be at best disappointing for Dykes as for much of it he was often plagued with several injuries which vastly hampered both his progress and time available as a player to the Eels. Though when Dykes was able to take the field for them he often looked spectacular often shining as the best player on the field and a true match winner. After three troublesome years at Parramatta, Dykes approached the club asking them for a termination on his final year with the club, citing wanting to return home to the Sharks as the reason for his request. Several days later his contract termination was duly granted by the Parramatta board and he was free to return to the Cronulla side. Cronulla Sharks (2005) Upon his return back to the Sharks for the beginning of the 2005 campaign many were eagerly awaiting to see what kind of effect the returning Dykes would have on the Sharks. People were beginning to get particularly excited in relation to the dream halves pairing with Australian international Brett Kimmorley and what sort of effect this could have on the stuggling Sharks side. 2005 began in spectacular fashion for Dykes and the Sharks with the team scoring good wins over what many rated as stronger teams. With early season victories over previous premiers the Penrith Panthers and Canterbury Bulldogs , as well as convincing wins over premiership favourites the Parramatta Eels and Melbourne Storm people began to believe that the club may have finally obtained a premiership winning halves combination. Hope though soon began to wane after Kimmorley quickly lost form after somewhat of a poor performance in the annual State Of Origin fixture for New South Wales along with Dykes having further injury troubles late in the season. The Sharks though eventually finished seventh on the NRL table which many came to see as a disappointment but it meant they had qualified for the finals regardless. The Sharks were drawn against long time rivals the St George Illawarra Dragons in week one of the NRL finals and were forced to play away as they had finished lower on the table than their opposition. When the team line-ups were announced for the fixture consistent season starter Dykes was placed on the bench by coach Raper whom opted for New Zealand International Nigel Vagana instead. Dykes did not play a substantial role in the game and they subsequently lost 28-22 effectively ending their season and any hopes of winning an inaugural NRL premiership for the Sharks. At the completion of the 2005 season rumors began to spread within the Media that Dykes was unhappy at the Sharks and would effectively ask for a release from the club. A few days later Dykes told Cronulla that he wanted out of the final two years of his NRL contract with the club and that he would be looking to play elsewhere for the 2006 season. For months he negotiated with several clubs both in Australia and abroad before yet again changing his mind and deciding to remain at the Cronulla club. Representative games
CAREER PLAYING STATISTICS Point scoring summary EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|