Personal information
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Nickname | Albert | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born |
Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia |
25 June 1956 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information
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Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 103.4 kg (16 st 4 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Prop | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Coaching information
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Source: RLP RL stats |
Craig Young (born 25 June 1956 in Wollongong, New South Wales) is an Australian former representative rugby league footballer for the Australia national rugby league team, the New South Wales Blues and a stalwart player over 11 seasons from 1977 to 1988 with the St. George Dragons in the NSWRL premiership competition. He played at prop-forward.
Young had a strong grounding in the sport of soccer as a youngster and might have followed in his father's footsteps and turned professional (his father Bob Young represented Australia). His brother Warwick was a goalkeeper who played state league soccer for the Wollongong Wolves and for St George. At the age of 16, Craig was playing for Bellambi in the Illawarra soccer competition while he was also competing for Corrimal Cougars in rugby league. League eventually won the battle and Young was selected to tour Great Britain as an Australian schoolboy in 1972.
Young's signature was chased by several clubs but the St. George Dragons eventually secured his services, and went on to become one of their greatest players. In his 1977 debut season coach Harry Bath claimed Young was destined for a great future and in that same year Young was instrumental in helping the Dragons take the premiership title, beating the Parramatta Eels in the grand final.
In 1979, Young was awarded captaincy of the Dragons' side and at 22 years of age led the side to its 15th title. He captained the side through tougher times up till 1988 including the 1985 Grand Final loss to the Canterbury Bulldogs.