Rhys Wesser
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Rhys Wesser (born March 31, 1979 in Rockhampton, Queensland) is an Australian rugby league player for the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League competition and has also represented Queensland in the State of Origin. His position of choice is Fullback though he has also played on the Wing.
Wesser is considered one of the most spectacular rugby league players in the game today. In the 2003 season he attained the title of the most prolific try scoring fullback for a season in the history of the Rugby League.
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[edit] Pre-1998
Wesser began his Rugby League career early on in life back in Rockhampton with his junior club the Rockhampton Brothers. At 16 Rhys was selected for the Queensland Under 17s representative side which helped him catch the eye of several NRL clubs but none more than the Penrith Panthers.
Before making the move down south Rhys finished off his schooling at Emmaus College and also helped his School side take out the Mal Meninga Under 19s Cup.
[edit] 1998-2002
Debuting in 1998 Rhys moved from his hometown of Rockhampton to the foot of the mountains to play for the Penrith Panthers but he found trouble in pushing for a first grade spot with the electrifying Peter "the Aeroplane" Jorgensen currently holding that title. Three years later Rhys was given the opportunity to play first grade with the departure of Peter Jorgensen and Rhys did not disappoint scoring 10 tries in his debut season despite Penrith finishing last on the premiership table. In 2002 Rhys made a name for himself scoring 19 tries including three hatricks and now found himself a more senior player in the Penrith Panthers line-up. He has played 588 games in his career
[edit] 2003-2006
Led at the back by week to week scintillating performances the Panthers lifted in 2003. Scoring a record breaking 25 tries Rhys was dubbed "Rhys-Lightning" and soon became the crowd favourite with his extreme acceleration and amazing line-breaking ability. The year 2003 was a fairytale year for the Panthers winning their second premiership title narrowly edging out the Sydney Roosters. The grand final was pronounced to be the greatest of all time and was the year of the unforgettable Scott Sattler tackle that inspired a nation.
Rhys saw a decline in try scoring in 2004 with the addition of Amos Roberts to the Penrith Panthers squad but still managed 13 tries. In 2004 Rhys was selected to play of the Queensland State of Origin team, considered to be one of the highest honours in Australian Rugby League. After representing his state and proving his talent to the rugby league community Rhys was destined for greatness in 2005.
A poor start by the Penrith Panthers in the 2005 did not reflect Rhys Wesser who scored 11 tries from the first 12 games. Two of which came in a dazzling performance against the other form fullback of the competition Billy Slater. The game was declared to be one of the most incomparable performances by a fullback in the history of rugby league and Rhys was declared as a legend of Penrith. The two try-scoring and three try-saving performance made Rhys almost a shoo-in to retain the Queensland Origin number 1 jersey but controversy saw the title stripped from him and given to Billy Slater.
Rhys 'Lightning' caused some fans to think of him as an out of form player when he bombed a simple try in the opening stages of the first half of the 2006 season. However, even though Wesser had virtually no chance of making the Origin side for 2006, he was able to win a few games for the Penrith fans. A promising start to the season for Penrith after 3 wins out of 5 games was brought to a horrifying end when the in-form Melbourne Storm team smashed the Panthers. This was disappointing for Rhys as he set up two out of their four tries for Lee Hookey. After winning 3 of their first 9 games in 2006, Rhys Wesser lifted his side against the Rabbitohs to seal a 12 point win and to end their losing streak. After winning three games in a row, the Panthers were challenged by the Melbourne Storm yet again and were heartbroken from a 17-16 loss. By the end of this game, Rhys Lightning had 8 tries from 11 games and was desperately looking to lift his side in hopes of reaching the finals. After 3 losses in a row, Wesser was a chance to be selected in Origin game 2 but was turned down when Origin game 1 star, Justin Hodges, was proved fit for the must-win game. Wesser's chances were slimmed after Queensland won 30-6 to make a decider in Melbourne. The Panthers looked promising for some form after they defeated the Tigers on the back of a bye but were extremely disappointed after losing to New Zealand in the following week. Wesser's confidence grew immensely when he was picked to replace Hodges in the Origin decider as a winger. This confidence helped the Maroons to an Origin series and the Panthers to a much needed win against the Raiders. After Round 18, Wesser had an impressive strike rate as 10 tries from 15 games after just 1 try in his last 4 games. With the Panthers just outside the Top 8 at 10th spot, Wesser and his teammate Campbell had to step up against the Cowboys with their Origin halfback injured and a rookie replacing him. After beating the Cowboys by 9 points, the Penrith Panthers were closing in on the Knights and the Cowboys in the Ladder ahead of their must-win clash with the dynamic Sea Eagles. Wesser tried his hardest to hold off the Sea Eagles with a try and two set-ups but his efforts were wasted as the Sea Eagles stole a 32-30 win the dying moments of the game. By now, Wesser had 10 tries from 17 games and was looking to lift his side against the Warriors. As of the 3rd of September 2006, Wesser is the Panther's highest try-scorer, reaching 102 tries in the Round 26 loss to the Bulldogs, one try higher than joint record holders Greg Alexander and Ryan Girdler.
