Jon Wilkin

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Jon Wilkin

Personal information
Date of birth	November 01, 1983
Place of birth	Hull, England
Height	6'1" (1.86m)
Weight	15st 4lbs (97Kg)
Nickname	Willow, Jon Boy, Wilko
Position	Second Row
Club information
Current club	St Helens
Number	12
Youth clubs
	Hull KR Academy
Professional clubs*
Years	Club	Apps (points)
2002 2002-07	Hull Kingston Rovers St Helens	? (?) 68 (128)
Representative teams
2006-07	Great Britain	3 (0)
* Professional club appearances and points counted for domestic first grade only.

Jon Wilkin (born November 1, 1983 in Hull) is a Rugby League player who plays for St. Helens RFC, known as "The Saints".

[edit] Career

Wilkin started his career at Hull KR before being plucked from obscurity by St. Helens. He soon broke into the first team and has been dubbed by some as one of the most promising Back Rowers of the game. At 23 years of age the former Hull man has impressed many and has played in some high octane matches such as the 2006 Challenge Cup Final where he scored a double despite receiving a significant nose injury.

The 2006-7 season was a new high point in Jon’s career, being a key member of the treble-winning team, as Saints won the Challenge Cup and the Super League Leaders’ trophy before clinching the BBCTV Sports Personality of the Year Team of the Year award by beating Hull RLFC 26-4 in the SL Grand Final. The icing on the cake came with Daniel Anderson taking the Best Coach honour.

In 2007 Jon's career took another turn. No doubt influenced by St. Helen's and Rugby League's resultant rising profile, Jon was appointed a regular contributor to the BBC Rugby League website's on 31 Jan 2007, with a more personal and human slant to his column. Possibly one intention, so far achieved with distinction, is to dispel the "cloth-cap" and unintelligent, downmarket perception which still persists about Rugby League. His writing is sharp, humorous and honest, and, as well as describing from first-hand experience the pressures of what has been said to be "the toughest game in the world", is very informative on "the finer points of Rugby League", an expression which has been derided by a sporting snob as "a contradiction in terms". Not any more.

Jon's appointment appeared on the Beeb site on 31 January 07 at http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/6318915.stm

His 23 February 07 column, at http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/6388939.stm (oops! A minor clanger in the clothes shop!) was written just before appearing for Saints in the World Club Challenge triumph against Brisbane Broncos.

[edit] International Honours

Wilkin was called in to the Tri Nations squad in 2005 but did not feature in the competition. However, he was included in the 25-man squad for the 2006 Tri Nations Tour of Australia and New Zealand and made his international debut from the bench at the Aussie Stadium, Sydney on 4 November 2006 against Australia. He played "from the bench" in two further games in that series, the first against New Zealand in Wellington and the second against Australia in Brisbane.