Don Saunders Explained

Don Saunders
Club1:Gold Coast Seagulls
Year1start:1994
Appearances1:1
Tries1:0
Goals1:0
Fieldgoals1:0
Points1:0
Club2:South Queensland
Year2start:1997
Appearances2:13
Tries2:0
Goals2:0
Fieldgoals2:0
Points2:0
Source:RLP
Updated:16 December 2020

Don Saunders is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s.

Primarily a, Saunders played for the Gold Coast Seagulls and South Queensland Crushers in the Australian Rugby League.

Background

Saunders played his junior rugby league for the Toowoomba All Whites.[1] His nephew, Tom Dearden, is a professional rugby league player for the Brisbane Broncos.[2] [3]

Playing career

In Round 10 of the 1994 NSWRL season, Saunders made his first grade debut for the Gold Coast Seagulls, coming off the bench in their 12–30 loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs at the Sydney Football Stadium.[4] It was his only appearance for the club.

In 1996, Saunders played for the Toowoomba Clydesdales in the inaugural season of the Queensland Cup. On 31 August 1996, he captained the Clydesdales in their 8–6 Grand Final win over the Redcliffe Dolphins.[5]

In 1997, Saunders joined the South Queensland Crushers, playing 13 games for the club that season.[6]

In 1998, he returned to the Clydesdales, playing three more seasons at the club. In 2004, he played for the Central Comets.[7] In 2006, he was named at in the Queensland Cup Team of the Decade.[8]

Post-playing career

Following his retirement, Saunders taught and coached at Mackay State High School and Palm Beach Currumbin State High School.[9] [10] In 2010, he was on the coaching staff for the Gold Coast Titans NRL Under-20s team.[11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Brothers and Beyond. Toowoomba Brothers.
  2. Web site: Rising teenage star Dearden putting heat on Brisbane halves. 1 April 2019. NRL.
  3. Web site: Diary Update: Week 17, 2019. 28 March 2020. Steve Ricketts.
  4. Web site: NSWRL 1994 – Round 10 – South Sydney v Gold Coast. Rugby League Project.
  5. Web site: Cowboy takes reins of the Cutters. 24 August 2007. The Daily Mercury.
  6. Web site: Old boys doing Brothers proud. 17 May 2018. Whitsunday Times.
  7. Web site: Clermont teach a league legend. 19 September 2005. The Morning Bulletin.
  8. Web site: Team of the Decade Honours for Dolphins. League Unlimited.
  9. Web site: Last hurrah for coach. 10 June 2009. The Daily Examiner.
  10. Web site: State of Origin 2016: Johnathan Thurston keen to revisit Aurukun after inspiring message. 8 July 2016. Sydney Morning Herald.
  11. Web site: Gill, Saunders keen on reunion. 15 May 2010. The Daily Mercury.