Ryan Cross
Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Ryan Cross |
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Weight | 96 kg (212 lb; 15 st 2 lb) |
| Position | Outside Centre |
Ryan 'Noughts' Cross (born October 6, 1979) was a rugby league footballer who played for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition before switching codes to join the rugby union Super 14 side the Western Force in 2007.
Early career
Cross, a product of Waverley College, was a member of the Australian Rugby Union Schoolboys side in both 1996 and 1997, some of his team mates being Matt Dunning, Adam Freier, David Lyons, George Smith, Phil Waugh, Sam Harris and Craig Wing. At 17 years he joined the Sydney Roosters rugby league club.
Rugby league career
Cross made his 1st grade debut on the 17 April, 1998, a match in which he scored 2 tries against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. After a promising start to his league career, including a Grand Final appearance in 2000, the Roosters first in 20 yars, he was plagued by serious leg injuries. A broken leg saw him miss much of the 2001 season at a time when he was touted as being in line to make his state debut. Just a few matches into the 2002 season he suffered a major knee injury that kept him out for the remainder of that year. That season, Sydney Roosters won the premiership, their first in 27 years. Cross returned in 2003, finishing as the clubs leading try scorer. In 2004 and 2005 he was chosen to represent City Origin.
Cross is the 5th highest try scorer in the clubs history with 85 tries from his 143 matches. The centre played in 3 Grand finals for the club, finishing runner-up on each occasion. His greatest attributes were his acceleration, his ability to 'explode' from a near standing start, and he possessed good upperbody strength.
Ryan's father, Paul Cross, was an Eastern suburbs junior who played on the wing for the club in the 1964 and '65 seasons. His brother Clay Cross is a notable shot put athlete.
Rugby union career
In June, 2006, after a period of speculation and rumour, Cross signed with the Perth rugby union Super 14 side, the Western Force. He made his debut with the club on February 2, 2007, against the Highlanders.