Dean Schifilliti

Dean Schifilliti (born 30 March 1968) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.[2] Primarily a hooker, Schifilliti played for the Illawarra Steelers, South Sydney Rabbitohs, North Queensland Cowboys, Adelaide Rams and Parramatta Eels throughout his career.

Dean Schifilliti

Personal information
Born	30 March 1968 Ingham, Queensland, Australia
Playing information
Height	177 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	90 kg (14 st 2 lb)
Position	Hooker
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1989–93 Illawarra Steelers 102 16 0 0 64 1994 South Sydney 6 0 0 0 0 1995–96 North Queensland 11 0 0 0 0 1997–98 Adelaide Rams 35 6 0 0 24 1999–00 Parramatta Eels 30 1 0 0 4 Total 184 23 0 0 92
Source: [1][2]

Background

Born and raised in Ingham, Queensland, Schifilliti is of Italian descent and played his junior rugby league for Herbert River. While playing for Herbert River's Foley Shield side, he was signed by the Illawarra Steelers.

Playing career

Illawarra Steelers

In Round 1 of the 1989 NSWRL season, Schifilliti made his first grade debut in Illawarra's 18–22 loss to the St George Dragons, scoring two tries. In his rookie season for the Steelers, he played 21 games, starting 14 at hooker, scoring five tries.[2] In 1990, he started all 22 of Illawarra's games at hooker, scoring six tries, and in 1991, took over as captain of the club. In 1992, he captained the Steelers' to their first finals appearances, with the club coming within one game of the Grand Final.

In 1993, Schifilliti signed with the North Queensland Cowboys, who were set to enter the competition in 1995, becoming the club's first major signing. He played 16 games for the Steelers that year but after signing with the Cowboys, would lose the captaincy and finish the season in reserve grade.

South Sydney Rabbitohs

In 1994, Schifilliti joined the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the interim and achieved success early, captaining the side in their pre-season Tooheys Challenge Cup final win over the Brisbane Broncos.[3][4] Schifilliti played just six games for the Rabbitohs after suffering a knee injury.

North Queensland Cowboys

In 1995, Schifilliti recovered from his knee injury, passing a late fitness test to start at hooker in the Cowboys inaugural game against the Sydney Bulldogs. Unfortunately, 24 minutes into the game, he re-injured his knee and would be ruled out for the rest of the 1995 season. In January 1996, Schifilliti represented Italy at the Super League World Nines in Suva, Fiji. Later that year, he returned to first grade for the Cowboys, playing 10 games, mostly at lock.

Adelaide Rams

In 1997, Schifilliti joined the Adelaide Rams after being granted a release by the Cowboys.[2] After two injury riddled seasons, he played two full seasons with the Rams, playing 35 games for the club. In 1998, he played 21 games, playing mostly at lock, and scoring a try in the club's final game, a 20–34 loss to the Newcastle Knights.

Parramatta Eels

In 1999, Schifilliti's return to form saw him sign with the Parramatta Eels after the Rams had folded. He played 20 games for the Eels that season, starting all at hooker, including their two finals games. In 2000, he played 10 games before retiring at the end of the season.[5][6]

Achievements and accolades

Individual

• Illawarra Steelers 25th Anniversary Team of Steel

Statistics

NSWRL/ARL/Super League/NRL

Season	Team	Matches	T	G	GK %	F/G	Pts
1989	Illawarra	21	5	0	—	0	20
1990	Illawarra	22	5	0	—	0	20
1991	Illawarra	20	4	0	—	0	16
1992	Illawarra	23	1	0	—	0	4
1993	Illawarra	16	1	0	—	0	4
1994	South Sydney	6	0	0	—	0	0
1995	North Queensland	1	0	0	—	0	0
1996	North Queensland	10	0	0	—	0	0
1997	Adelaide	14	0	0	—	0	0
1998	Adelaide	21	6	0	—	0	24
1999	Parramatta	20	1	0	—	0	4
1992	Parramatta	10	0	0	—	0	0
Career totals		184	23	0	—	0	92

Post-playing career

In 2006, Schifilliti was named at lock in the Illawarra Steelers 25th Anniversary Team of Steel.[7] Since 2018, the Dean Schifilliti Shield has been played in Ingham, featuring under-8's sides from around north Queensland.[8]

References

1. Rugby League Project
2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
3. "South Sydney Rabbitohs Rugby League Player Report - Dean Schifilliti". www.ssralmanac.com.
4. "The Giant Killers". South Sydney Rabbitohs. 24 April 2018.
5. "Official Player Numbers". Parramatta Eels.
6. "Finals Footy Flashback: 1999 Preliminary Final Eels v Storm". Nrl.com.
7. "Star-studded Team of Steel announced". League Unlimited. 22 June 2006.
8. "Junior NQ league competition sets entry record". Townsville Bulletin. 17 September 2019.