Nathan Cayless

Nathan Cayless

Personal information
Full name	Nathan Frederick Cayless
Born	(1978-03-28)28 March 1978 Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
Playing information
Height	185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	106 kg (16 st 10 lb)
Position	Prop,Second-row
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1997–10 Parramatta Eels 259 28 0 1 113 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1998–08 New Zealand 39 3 0 0 12
Source:

Nathan Frederick Cayless(born 28 March 1978) is an Australian former professionalrugby leaguefootballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, and hascoachedin the 2010s. He played at representative level forNew Zealand(captain), and at club level in theNational Rugby League(NRL) for theParramatta Eels,for whom he was a long-timecaptain,as aprop.HecaptainedtheNew Zealand national teamto aRugby League World Cupvictory over Australia in the2008 Rugby League World Cup,and coached at club level in theIntrust Super Premiershipfor theWentworthville Magpiesfrom 2016 to 2018.

Background

Cayless was born inSydney,New South Wales,Australia, he hasMaoriheritage, and eligible to play forNew Zealanddue to thegrandparent rule,and he is the older brother of the rugby league footballer,Jason Cayless.

While attendingParramatta Marist High School,Nathan played for theAustralian Schoolboysteam in 1995 and 1996.However, he later chose to represent New Zealand at senior level.

Playing career

Cayless representing Parramatta

Parramatta Eels

Cayless made his first grade debut for Parramatta in round 13 of the1997 ARL seasonagainst theSouth Queensland Crusherswhich ended in a 52–10 victory atParramatta Stadium.In the1998 NRL season,Cayless made 19 appearances as Parramatta reached the preliminary final but were defeated 32-20 by rivalsCanterbury-Bankstownin extra-time after leading the game 18–2 with less than 10 minutes to play.

The following year, Cayless played in the club's 18–16 loss against eventual premiersMelbournein the preliminary final after leading 16–0 at half time. In the2000 NRL season,Parramatta again reached the preliminary final but were defeated by theBrisbane Broncos16–10 atStadium Australia.

In the2001 NRL season,Cayless captained the Parramatta side to theMinor Premiershipwhere they set numerous records throughout the year. Cayless captained Parramatta in the2001 NRL Grand FinalagainstNewcastlewhere the club were favorites to take out their first premiership since 1986 but suffered a 30–24 loss with Newcastle racing out to a 24–0 lead at half time.

In the2005 NRL season,Cayless captained Parramatta to their second minor premiership in five years and were favorites along with St. George to take out the title but suffered a 29–0 loss toNorth Queenslandin the preliminary final atTelstra Stadium.

In the2009 NRL season,Cayless played nearly every game as Parramatta went on a remarkable run to reach the2009 NRL Grand Finalagainst Melbourne. Parramatta lost the final 23–16 atTelstra Stadiumbut Melbourne's premiership win was stripped the following year due to multiple and deliberate breaches of the salary cap.

With Parramatta, he holds the record for the most games as captain of any team in theNRL.Cayless was never a prolific try-scorer; the most he ever scored in a season was 5. He also endured a scoring drought spanning over 80 games in his last several NRL seasons. In the final game of his career, Cayless finally brought the drought to an end, touching down in front of his home crowd. He also kicked a Field Goal in 2008 against theNewcastle Knightsto send the match into extra time.Luke Burtthen kicked the winning Field Goal. In 2014, Cayless was inducted into theParramatta Eelshall of fame.

New Zealand

Cayless was selected for theNew Zealand teamto compete in the end of season1999 Rugby League Tri-Nationstournament. In the final againstAustraliahe played from the interchange bench in the Kiwis' 22–20 loss. Cayless was part of the Kiwis squad for the2000 Rugby League World Cup,in which they reached the final.

Cayless was selected to play for theNew Zealand national teamas a prop forward in the 2007ANZAC Testloss againstAustralia.

Cayless captained New Zealand to victory in the2008 Rugby League World Cup.Cayless became one of theNew Zealand national rugby league team' most-capped players, having appeared on 38 occasions by April 2009 when he retired from international rugby league, stating that he wanted to focus the rest of his football career on the Eels.

Coaching career

In 2016, Cayless became the head coach ofIntrust Super Premiership NSWside theWentworthville Magpies.Cayless spent two years at the club but failed to make the finals on both occasions. On 1 October 2018, Cayless signed a two-year deal to become the new head coach of theNew Zealand Warriorsreserve grade side.

Highlights

• Junior Club:Wentworthville Magpies
• Career Stats:259 career games to date scoring 28 tries, 1 Field Goal
• National:38 tests for New Zealand.World Cupwinning captain 2008.
• Most capped Captain in theNRL:217 Games captained.
• Minor Premiershipwinner with Parramatta in 2001 and 2005.