Liam Fulton

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Liam Fulton bigraphy, stories - Australian rugby league player

Liam Fulton : biography

8 August 1984 –

Liam Mark Fulton (born 8 August 1984 in Westmead, New South Wales) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He play for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. Fulton primarily plays at lock.

Fulton is considered to be a jokester, known for making prank phone calls, but is also a noted clubman. Team-mate Benji Marshall describes him as, "not the biggest, he’s not the strongest in the gym, he doesn’t look athletic with his shirt off. He weighs only 96 kilograms. But he puts that body on the line every week, he makes his tackles and I have never played with a second-rower who runs a better line. He is so talented."

Playing career

Fulton started playing junior football for Greystanes Devils under-7s when he was four years old.

While attending Westfields Sports High School, Fulton played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 2002, and captained the S.G. Ball Cup team to victory in the Grand Final in 2002 while playing for the Western Suburbs Magpies.

Fulton again tasted success in 2005 when the Wests Tigers defeated the North Queensland Cowboys in the 2005 NRL grand final to win the club’s first NRL premiership. This early success in his career was tempered by a serious shoulder injury in the opening game of the 2006 season, which sidelined him for the whole season.

Due to salary cap issues Wests Tigers were forced to let Fulton go to Huddersfield Giants for the 2009 season, and was a member of the team that played in the Challenge Cup final. In October 2009, Fulton signed a two year contract to return to the Wests Tigers from 2010.

In 2011, Fulton made his representative debut, playing for first NRL All Stars, and later City Origin.

Midway through 2011, Fulton was given permission to negotiate with other clubs as Wests Tigers struggled to fit incoming forward Adam Blair under the salary cap. Fulton said of the opportunity, "There’s a lot of talk going around signing players and people having to leave but at the end of the day I’ve got another two years here." He ended up remaining with the club, with former team-mate Mark O’Neill describing his end-of-season form as, "career best."

An injury disrupted season for the Wests Tigers saw Fulton playing games at hooker and five-eighth in 2012. He still made 778 tackles, placing him in the top 20 for most tackles in the NRL for the regular season. At the end of the year, he received the club’s Noel Kelly Medal for the best forward.

Career highlights

  • First Grade Debut: 2003 – Round 26, Wests Tigers v New Zealand Warriors, Ericsson Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand, 6 September.
  • Premierships: 2005 – Wests Tigers defeated North Queensland Cowboys 30 – 16 in the Grand Final, Stadium Australia, Sydney, 2 October.
  • NSW City Origin Debut: 2011 – NSW City Origin v NSW Country Origin, Lavington Sports Ground, Albury, New South Wales, 6 May.
  • NSW City Origin Selection: 2011-2012