David Mead (rugby league)

David Mead (born David Moore on 4 November 1988) is a Papua New Guinean professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger, centre or fullback for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League and Papua New Guinea at international level.

David Mead
Personal information
Full nameDavid Mead
BornDavid Moore
(1988-11-04) 4 November 1988
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Height183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight94 kg (14 st 11 lb)
Playing information
PositionWing, Fullback, Centre
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2009–16 Gold Coast Titans 147 67 0 0 268
2017 Brisbane Broncos 12 3 0 0 12
2018–20 Catalans Dragons 58 28 0 0 112
2021– Brisbane Broncos 0 0 0 0 0
Total 217 98 0 0 392
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2008–19 Papua New Guinea 14 9 0 0 36
2014–15 Country NSW 2 3 0 0 12
As of 23 December 2020
Source: [1][2]

Mead previously played in the NRL for the Gold Coast Titans and the Catalans Dragons. He is a New South Wales Country Origin and World All Stars representative, he represented Papua New Guinea at the 2008, 2013 World Cups and was the PNG Kumuls' captain for the 2017 World Cup.[3]

Background

He was born in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea as David Moore on 4 November 1988, and moved to Australia as a 12-year-old where he attended Kadina High School and Trinity Catholic College in Lismore, New South Wales.[4]

As a junior rugby league footballer, he played for Lismore Marist Brothers before being signed by the Gold Coast Titans,[5] and playing in their NYC team in 2008. He later changed his surname to Mead to honour his aunt's family who had raised him when he moved to Australia.[4][6]

Mead as David Moore in 2008

Playing career

2008

He was named in the Papua New Guinea squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup [7] and between the 2008 World Cup and the 2009 NRL season he changed his surname from Moore to Mead.[4]

2009

On 30 January 2009, Mead signed a contract extension with the Gold Coast after turning down an offer from the Sydney Roosters.[8] In round 13 of the 2009 NRL season, Mead made his NRL debut for the Gold Coast against the St. George Illawarra Dragons off the interchange bench in a 28-24 win at Skilled Park.[9] In his next appearance in round 16 against the New Zealand Warriors, Mead made his first appearance in the starting line-up, scoring his first and second NRL career tries in the 28-12 win at Skilled Park.[10] Mead finished his debut year in the NRL with 14 matches and 8 tries. He was part of the Papua New Guinea squad for the 2009 Pacific Cup,[11][12] and was named their player of the year by the Rugby League International Federation.[13]

2010

A regular on the wing in 2010, Mead was one of the club's leaders in many statistics before a foot injury saw him miss the rest of the season from round 16 onwards. Mead said, "It is pretty frustrating because I have worked so hard and to get halfway through the year now and it is all just gone, just like that."[14] In Round 12 against the Sydney Roosters, Mead scored a hat trick of tries in the Titans 30-16 loss.[15] Mead played in 15 matches and scored 6 tries during 2010.

Mead playing for the Gold Coast Titans in 2011

2011

Despite the Titans poor record in 2011, Mead played in every match and was the club's top tryscorer with 16 tries from 24 appearances. In round 22 against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Mead scored what some considered the best try of the year when he collected a Scott Prince cross-over kick on the fly behind his back one handed to score in the 20-16 win at Toyota Stadium. Assistant coach Steve Murphy said, "I can't believe he caught that ball. It was just one of those freak things, those amazing things. He's got those in him, Dave."[16]

2012

Mead played in 20 matches and scored 10 tries for the Titans in the 2012 NRL season. On 6 December 2012, Mead extended his contract with the Gold Coast for 4 years till the end of the 2016 season.[17]

2013

In round 23 against the North Queensland Cowboys, Mead became the first Gold Coast Titans player to score 50 tries for the club during their 22-10 loss at 1300SMILES Stadium.[18] Mead played in 16 matches and scored 11 tries in 2013. In October, Mead represented Papua New Guinea in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, playing in all 3 matches at fullback.

2014

In January, Mead was selected for the Titans inaugural 2014 Auckland Nines squad.[19] Mead was selected for the Country Origin team in the annual City vs Country Origin match after sorting out his eligibility for New South Wales.[20] Mead played at fullback and scored 2 tries in the 26-26 all draw in Dubbo.[21] In round 11 against the New Zealand Warriors, Mead played his 100th NRL career match in the 24-16 loss at Cbus Super Stadium.[22] Mead finished the 2014 NRL season with him playing 18 matches and scoring 4 tries, his worst try-scoring effort to date.

2015

Mead was again a member of the Titans' Auckland Nines squad.[23] He also returned for New South Wales Country, playing at fullback and scoring a try in their 34-22 win at Wagga Wagga.[24][25] In round 25 against the St. George Illawarra Dragons, Mead eclipsed Kevin Gordon's record as the Gold Coast Titans all-time highest try-scorer with 60 tries, overtaking Gordon's 58 tries for the club by scoring 2 tries in the Gold Coast's 28-26 win at Cbus Super Stadium.[26][27] He scored 5 tries from 22 matches for the 2015 NRL season.

2016

On 29 January 2016, Mead was named in the Titans 2016 Auckland Nines squad.[28] On 7 May 2015, Mead captained Papua New Guinea in the 2016 Melanesian Cup Test against Fiji, where he played at fullback in the 24-22 win at Parramatta Stadium.[29] On 10 September 2016, it was announced that Mead would sign with the Brisbane Broncos from 2017 on a one-year deal.[30][31] Mead finished his last year with the Gold Coast Titans with him playing in 18 matches and scoring 7 tries in the 2016 NRL season. On 14 December 2016, Mead was named in the World All Stars team on the wing to play against the Indigenous All Stars on 10 February 2017.[32]

2017

On 10 February 2017, Mead played for the World All Stars against the Indigenous All Stars in the 2017 All Stars match, playing at fullback and scoring a try in the 34-8 loss at Hunter Stadium.[33] On 18 February 2017, Mead made his Broncos debut in the 2017 World Club Series match against the Warrington Wolves where he started on the wing and scored a try in the 27-18 loss at Halliwell Jones Stadium.[34][35][36] At the start of the 2017 season, Mead was languishing in the Queensland Cup playing for the Wynnum-Manly Seagulls after coach Wayne Bennett opted to shift Jordan Kahu to the wing and put Broncos new recruit Tautau Moga at centre leaving Mead out of the starting backline.[37] In Round 6 of the 2017 NRL season, Mead made his first appearance in the NRL for the Brisbane Broncos against the Sydney Roosters, filling in for an injured Corey Oates on the wing and scoring a try in the 32-8 win at Suncorp Stadium.[38] On 21 April 2017, Mead extended his contract with Brisbane to the end of the 2018 season and also on the same day in round 8 against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Mead played his 150th NRL career match in Brisbane's 25-24 win at ANZ Stadium.[39] Mead finished his year stint at the Brisbane Broncos with him playing in 12 matches and scoring 3 tries in the 2017 NRL season. On 4 October 2017, Mead was named as the Captain of the Papua New Guinea 24-man squad for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.[40] Mead played in all 4 matches at fullback and scoring 4 tries for the Kumuls, having a great tournament by starting with scoring a hattrick of tries in the 50-6 demolishing victory over Wales in Port Moresby.[41][42] On 12 December 2017, Mead announced that he had signed a 3-year deal with the Catalans Dragons in the Super League, starting in 2018.[43]

2018

He played in the 2018 Challenge Cup Final victory over the Warrington Wolves at Wembley Stadium.[44]

2019

Mead played a total of 17 games for Les Catalans in the Super League XXIV season as the club finished 7th on the table and missed out on the finals.[45]

2020

Mead played 7 games for the Catalans Dragons in the 2020 Super League season including the club's 48-2 semi-final defeat against St Helens.[46]

2021

On 13 January, Mead signed for the Brisbane Broncos.[47]

Statistics
SeasonTeamPldTGFGPts
2009 Gold Coast Titans1480032
20101560024
201124160064
201220100040
201316110044
20141840016
20152250020
20161870028
2017[1] Brisbane Broncos1340016
2018[1] Catalans Dragons31150060
Totals1918600344

(* denotes season still competing)

Honours
Debut
Papua New Guinea Kumuls
PNG Test Debut – 25 October 2008
Gold Coast Titans
First Grade Debut – 8 June 2009
Awards
Preceded by
Award Introduced		 Gold Coast Titans
"The Preston"
2012		 Succeeded by
William Zillman
Records
Gold Coast Titans
Most Tries (60)
Gold Coast Titans
Most Tries in a Season (16)

References
  1. "Players - Love Rugby League". Loverugbyleague.com. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  2. "David Mead - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  3. http://www.looppng.com/sport/mead-commends-forwards-68695
  4. Mascord, Steve (3 May 2013). "MEN OF THE WORLD Two: DAVID MEAD (Papua New Guinea & Australia)". Stevemascord.com. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  5. Blomberg, Matt (4 June 2010). "Mead on Raider alert". Northern Star.
  6. Marshall, Matt (30 January 2009). "David Mead, Esi Tonga, Kevin Gordon stay at Coast". Courier Mail.
  7. "Wilshere handed Kumuls captaincy". BBC News. 14 October 2008.
  8. "Titans Youngsters Stay Loyal". Daily Telegraph. 30 January 2009.
  9. Clark, Laine (8 June 2009). "Titans Defeat Illawarra 28-24". Fox Sports.
  10. Herning, Wayne (27 June 2009). "Young Guns Inspire Depleted Gold Coast Titans to Big Win over Warriors". Fox Sports.
  11. mlipen (11 October 2009). "Kumuls Named". The National.
  12. "PNG and Fiji finalise squads for Pacific Cup". NRL.com. 19 October 2009. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  13. Webster, Andrew (10 November 2009). "Hayne Named Player of the Year". Daily Telegraph.
  15. Nicolussi, Christian (1 June 2010). "Sydney Roosters beat Gold Coast Titans 30-16 in NRL round 12 match". Courier Mail.
  16. Rayner, Tristan (7 August 2011). "David Mead scores incredible NRL try". The Roar.
  17. titans.com.au (6 December 2012). "Mead re-signs with Titans until 2016". Zero Tackle.
  18. Badel, Peter (18 August 2013). "North Queensland Cowboys beat Gold Coast Titans 22-10 in NRL round 23". Daily Telegraph.
  19. Meyn, Travis (22 January 2014). "Gold Coast Titans to unleash their best team against the Auckland Nines". Gold Coast Bulletin.
  20. Badel, Peter; Meyn, Travis (30 April 2014). "David Mead a Kumul chameleon after the Papua New Guinea international changes eligibility". Courier Mail.
  21. Toohey, Barry (4 May 2014). "Hulking Centre Jamal Idris Stars in Thrilling City/Country Draw". Daily Telegraph.
  22. Balym, Todd (24 May 2014). "Dave Taylor shines as Gold Coast Titans keep sinking following loss to Warriors". Courier Mail.
  23. Luca, Rocco (20 January 2015). "Titans name 2015 nines squad". Rugby League Week. Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  24. "Representative Round team lists". NRL.com. 3 May 2015.
  25. Brady, Jack (3 May 2015). "Country overcome City in seesawing affair". NRL.com.
  26. Meyn, Travis (24 July 2015). "Gold Coast Titans duo Kevin Gordon and David Mead want to avoid another wooden spoon". Gold Coast Bulletin.
  27. Lutton, Phil (30 August 2015). "Dave Taylor enigma continues as Gold Coast Titans upset St George Illawarra Dragons". Sydney Morning Herald.
  28. Luca, Rocco (29 January 2016). "Titans unveil 2016 nines squad". Rugby League Week. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  29. Campton, Nick (7 May 2016). "Papua New Guinea hold on to upset Fiji in Pacific Test thriller". Daily Telegraph.
  30. "Home | Live Scores & Latest News". Fox Sports. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  31. "David Mead: Why I chose the Broncos". NRL.com. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  32. "NRL All Stars squads: World All Stars line up, Indigenous All Stars line up". Fox Sports. 14 December 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  33. "Rough start for Nine's new footy host". News.com.au. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  34. "Broncos' loss to Wolves creates history". Couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  35. "Warrington 27-18 Brisbane: Wolves' first-half blitz stuns Broncos". Sky Sports. 19 February 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  36. "World Club Series: Warrington Wolves 27-18 Brisbane Broncos". BBC. 18 February 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  38. "Broncos Defeat Roosters 32-8; Five Things We Learned". Couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  39. "Mead re-signs with Broncos". M.nrl.com. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  40. https://www.nrl.com/news/2017/10/04/png-kumuls-name-world-cup-squad/
  41. https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/png-thrash-wales-506-in-rugby-league-world-cup-clash/news-story/b7cd7b486e3914982ad9e81a959d096d
  42. https://www.nrl.com/news/2017/10/24/meads-emotional-png-homecoming/
  43. https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-league/42323094
  44. "Catalans Dragons beat Warrington in Challenge Cup final to make history". Guardian. 25 August 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  45. "2019 clubs season graded". Super League.
  46. "St Helens demolish Catalans Dragons to set up Grand Final clash with Wigan". www.theguardian.com.
  47. "David Mead joins Brisbane". Love Rugby League. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
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