Phoenix Crossland (born 7 July 2000) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker, halfback or five-eighth for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League.
Background
Crossland was born in Wellington, New Zealand, and moved to Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia with his family as a child.[2]
He played his junior rugby league for the Erina Eagles, before being signed by the Newcastle Knights.
Playing career
Early years
In 2018, Crossland captained the Newcastle S. G. Ball Cup team[4] and played 9 games for their Jersey Flegg Cup team.[5] In November 2018, he re-signed with the Newcastle outfit on a three-year contract until the end of 2021.[4]
2019
In 2019, Crossland played most of his football for the Knights' Canterbury Cup NSW side.[6] On 1 July, he was named 20th man for the New South Wales under-20s side.[7] In round 16 of the 2019 NRL season, he made his NRL debut for the Newcastle club, in a loss to the New Zealand Warriors, becoming the first person to play for Newcastle born in the 2000s.[8]
2020
Crossland made six appearances for Newcastle in the 2020 NRL season as the club reached the finals for the first time since 2013.[9]
2021
Crossland made nine appearances for Newcastle in the 2021 NRL season as the club reached the finals for a second consecutive year. Crossland did not feature in the club's elimination final loss to Parramatta.[10]
2022
Crossland made a total of 19 appearances for Newcastle in the 2022 NRL season scoring one try as the club finished 14th on the table.[11]
2023
Crossland played a total of 25 games for Newcastle in the 2023 NRL season as the club finished 5th on the table. Crossland played in both finals games as Newcastle were eliminated in the second week of the finals by the New Zealand Warriors.[12]
2024
Crossland played every game for Newcastle in the 2024 NRL season as the club finished 8th and qualified for the finals. Crossland played in the clubs elimination final loss against North Queensland.[13]
At the end of the season, Crossland was selected to make his test debut for New Zealand. He scored his first try in his second game whilst also being picked as New Zealand’s MVP in the same game.
Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Tries | Goals | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |  Newcastle Knights
|
1 | |||
| 2020 | 6 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2021 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 2022 | 19 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2023 | 25 | 6 | 24 | ||
| 2024 | 24 | 1 | 4 | ||
| Totals | 84 | 10 | 1 | 42 |
*denotes season competing
References
- ^ Blyth, Jack (13 April 2020). "Blythy's Lockout Lowdown: Phoenix Crossland".
- ^ a b "How mid-season NRL signings will affect your club". outline.com.
- ^ "Phoenix Crossland - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
- ^ a b "Knights re-sign three bright prospects". Newcastle Knights. 2 November 2018.
- ^ "Players". 7 September 2018.
- ^ "Canterbury Cup NSW Team Lists | Round One". New South Wales Rugby League. 12 March 2019.
- ^ "NSWRL announces CABE Under-20 squad". New South Wales Rugby League. 1 July 2019.
- ^ "Brown confirms Knights will debut young half Phoenix". Newcastle Knights. 5 July 2019.
- ^ "2020 season by the numbers". www.nrl.com. 28 November 2020.
- ^ "Parramatta Eels defeat Newcastle Knights 28-20 in NRL elimination final". ABC News. 12 September 2021.
- ^ "NRL 2022: Newcastle Knights season review". www.sportingnews.com.
- ^ "NRL 2023: Newcastle Knights season review". www.sportingnews.com.
- ^ "Brutal reality Newcastle must accept before solving confidence-killing 'riddle'". www.nine.com.au.
