Dean Widders

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Dean Widders

Dean Richard Widders (born October 25, 1979 in Armidale, New South Wales) is an Aboriginal Australian rugby league player in the Australian National Rugby League (NRL).

1 Biography
2 Literature Program
3 Playing Career
4 Career highlights
5 External links

[edit] Biography

Childhood Dean Widders played his first game of rugby league at the age of six. He tried many other sports, excelling in League. He was also a reader during his childhood, something that he still supports now.

Teen When Mercurial Widders was a teenager, he honed his skills and became famous in his local area as a lock playing for the Narrabeen Sharks. This was the start of his career in the NRL. A Sydney Roosters selector flew out to see what all the fuss was about. When Dean was 14, in 1993 he was invited to a selection trial. He was one of the best. In 1996, at the age of 17, he moved to Sydney, playing for the Roosters. That very year he captained an Australian Aboriginal side.

Adult Life Dean played NRL Premier League for the Roosters. He occasionally played in NRL matches. In 2002 he signed with the Parramatta Eels finishing with the club at the end of 2006.

Dean is very well respected in his hometown of Armidale. In 2004 he was awarded the NRL's Ken Stephen's Medal for his positive work with youth in the community. Recently, he was appointed to the Federal Government's National Indigenous Council. [1].

[edit] Literature Program

When Dean Widders was a child he had access to Literature. Sadly, not many Aboriginal children do. Mercurial Widders travels around Australia, distributing books to Aboriginal children, and various Aboriginal communities. He also helps the children with their writing, via e-mail.

[edit] Playing Career

He was involved in a racial vilification incident in July 2005 when South Sydney Rabbitohs captain Bryan Fletcher allegedly racially abused him [2]. In 2006 he signed a 3 year contract to play for the South Sydney Rabbitohs starting in 2007, where he hopes to cement a starting position and move on to higher representative achievement.