Summary
Terry Newton (7 November 1978 – 26 September 2010) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s.[2] He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Lancashire, and at club level for the Leeds Rhinos (Heritage No. 1278),[3][6] the Wigan Warriors (Heritage No. 931),[7] Bradford Bulls (Heritage No. ) and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats (Heritage No. 1275), and was one of a handful of players to feature in each of the first 15 seasons of Super League.[3] In February 2010, he was given a two-year ban after being one of the first sportsmen to have tested positive for human growth hormone. He was found hanged in his home seven months later.
 Newton playing for Bradford in 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Terry Anthony Newton[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 November 1978 Wigan, Greater Manchester, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 26 September 2010 (aged 31)[2] Wigan, Greater Manchester, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 15 st 10 lb (100 kg)[citation needed] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Hooker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing career edit
Leeds Rhinos edit
Newton joined the Leeds Rhinos after a protracted transfer from amateur team Wigan St Judes, after Warrington had claimed they had also signed the young Newton. Terry missed his first year of Academy rugby due to the problem however when he finally joined in March 1996 he made an immediate impact. He made his début for the Leeds Rhinos against the Sheffield Eagles at Headingley in April 1996 and by 1997's Super League II, he was a regular in the team making 26 appearances in 1997 and scoring 2-tries. His progression continued in 1998, despite going on loan to Bramley for a month, he still played in the Grand Final team at Old Trafford before playing arguably his best season at the club in 1999. The Leeds Rhinos had signed Great Britain hooker Lee Jackson, and Newton's opportunities looked limited, however coach Graham Murray came up with a game plan that used both to their maximum potential. Newton, with his no nonsense direct play would start games with Jackson coming on off the bench to carve teams open. He played for Leeds Rhinos at hooker in their 1998 Super League Grand Final defeat by Wigan Warriors. Newton gained two caps in the 1998 Great Britain v New Zealand test series whilst at Leeds Rhinos. Newton won international honours with two caps for England against France in October 1999.[4] He played 83 times for Leeds Rhinos and scored 6-tries.
Wigan Warriors edit
Newton joined the Wigan Warriors, and he made his début on Boxing Day 1999 against St. Helens. He was a prolific try scorer for the Wigan Warriors, scoring over a dozen tries in each of his first two seasons. Newton played for the Wigan Warriors at hooker in their 2000 Super League Grand Final loss against St. Helens. He played for England in 2001 against Wales. He also played for the Wigan Warriors at hooker in their 2001 Super League Grand Final loss to the Bradford Bulls. Terry would surely have represented Great Britain in the 2001 Ashes series had it not been for a broken arm suffered in the Wigan Grand Final defeat by Bradford Bulls at Old Trafford. Newton signed a 4-year extension to his Wigan Warriors contract during August 2002. Newton won caps for Great Britain while at the Wigan Warriors in 2002 against Australia (sub), in 2003 against Australia (3 matches), in 2004 against Australia (3 matches), and New Zealand. He played much of the 2003's Super League VIII despite needing a knee operation. He decided to put the operation back to the end of the year because the club was suffering an injury crisis at the time. He was rewarded for his efforts when he was included in the 2003 Super League 'Dream Team'. Newton played for the Wigan Warriors at hooker in the 2003 Super League Grand Final which was lost to the Bradford Bulls. He made his return to the Great Britain squad for the 2003 Ashes series, despite needing a knee operation. Newton was selected in the Great Britain team to compete in the end of season 2004 Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament. In the final against Australia he played at hooker in the Lions' 44–4 loss. At the Wigan Warriors, Newton featured in three Super League Grand Finals, and was on the losing side on each occasion.
Bradford Bulls edit
Newton moved to the Bradford Bulls for the start of the 2006 season as part of a swap deal involving Mickey Higham. While at the Bradford Bulls he played for Great Britain in 2006 against New Zealand (2 matches), New Zealand (sub), and Australia (2 matches), and in 2007 against New Zealand.[5] He was a consistent performer for the Bradford Bulls, but the club did not feature in a major final during his time there. He was allowed to leave the club following the expiry of his contract at the end of the 2009 season. Newton signed for Wakefield Trinity Wildcats following the expiry of his contract at the Bradford Bulls.[8]
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats edit
On 22 February 2010 Newton was banned for two years by the UK Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) after failing a drug test on 24 November 2009.[9] He was just two games into a 2-year deal that he had signed with Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, but the contract was cancelled.[2] The father of two young girls became a pub licensee following his ban.[10]
Death edit
On 26 September 2010, Newton was found hanged in a house on Harswell Close[11] in the Orrell district of Wigan.[2] A later post mortem found traces of cocaine, amphetamines and the steroid nandrolone within his system, prescription anti-depressants, and consumption of alcohol, all of which could have impaired his judgement. Newton had left several notes stating he wanted to die. Coroner Jennifer Leeming recorded an open verdict.[10]
Statistics edit
Club career edit
| Year | Club | Apps | Pts | T | G | FG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 |  Leeds Rhinos |
14 | 4 | 1 | – | – |
| 1999 | Leeds Rhinos |
25 | 8 | 2 | – | – |
| 2000 |  Wigan Warriors |
28 | 48 | 12 | – | – |
| 2001 | Wigan Warriors |
31 | 60 | 15 | – | – |
| 2002 | Wigan Warriors |
30 | 32 | 8 | – | – |
| 2003 | Wigan Warriors |
27 | 16 | 4 | – | – |
| 2004 | Wigan Warriors |
24 | 56 | 14 | – | – |
| 2005 | Wigan Warriors |
26 | 36 | 9 | – | – |
| 2006 |  Bradford Bulls |
20 | 20 | 5 | – | – |
| 2007 | Bradford Bulls |
23 | 36 | 9 | – | – |
| 2008 | Bradford Bulls |
10 | 12 | 3 | – | – |
Representative career edit
| Year | Team | Matches | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 |  England |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2001 | England |
3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2002 |  Great Britain |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2003 | Great Britain |
3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2004 | Great Britain |
4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2006 | Great Britain |
4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2007 | Great Britain |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
References edit
- ^ Companies House
- ^ a b c d "Former GB rugby league star Terry Newton found dead". BBC Online. 26 September 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ^ a b c "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ a b "England Statistics at englandrl.co.uk". englandrl.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b "Great Britain Statistics at englandrl.co.uk". englandrl.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Biography at therhinos.co.uk". therhinos.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "Heritage Numbers - In Debut Order". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ Wildcats close on Newton signing
- ^ Wakefield cancel Terry Newton's contract after drug ban
- ^ a b "Hanged rugby league player Terry Newton had taken drugs". BBC News. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
- ^ "Former Great Britain hooker Terry Newton found dead". The Guardian. 26 September 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
External links edit
- Stats at Rugby League Record Keepers' Club
- Statistics at wigan.rlfans.com
- (archived by web.archive.org) Bradford profile
- (archived by web.archive.org) 2001 Ashes profile
- Newton looking to hit Hull early