Trevor Gillmeister

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Trevor Gillmeister
Personal information
Full name Trevor Gillmeister
Date of birth March 13, 1964 (1964-03-13) (age 44)
Place of birth Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Nickname(s) The Axe
Youth clubs
Years Club
Brisbane Norths
Senior clubs*
Years Club Apps (points)
1986 - 90
1991 - 93
1994
1995 - 96
Eastern Suburbs
Brisbane Broncos
Penrith Panthers
South Queensland
98 (36)
72 (32)
22 (4)
?? (12)
Representative teams**
1987 - 96
1995
Queensland
Australia
22 (0)
3 (0)

* Professional club appearances and points
counted for domestic first grade only and
correct as of 26 August 2006.
** Representative team caps and points correct
as of 26 August 2006.

Trevor Gillmeister (born 13 March, 1964 in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian former rugby league player who is now currently signed on as an assistant coach at the Gold Coast Titans. During his playing days Gillmeister played for the Sydney Roosters, Brisbane Broncos, Penrith Panthers and the South Queensland Crushers as well as representing Queensland and Australia. He played at Second Row and was known as The Axe because of his punishing tackles.

Contents

[edit] Early life and childhood

Growing up, Gillmeister played with the Gladstone club in Queensland and made his first grade debut playing for North Brisbane at eighteen years of age. His rugby league childhood heroes were Arthur Beetson and Rod Reddy.

[edit] Playing career

[edit] Sydney Roosters

In 1986, Gillmeister moved to Sydney, joining the Arthur Beetson-coached, Sydney Roosters. Early on in his career, he forged a reputation for being a fearless and tough tackler, earning him the nickname 'The Axe'.

[edit] Brisbane Broncos

After spending 5 years at the Roosters, Gillmeister switched clubs, signing with his hometown club, the Brisbane Broncos. In 1991 he won the Broncos' player of the year award. Gillmeister put in an impressive defensive display in the club's 28 points to 8 Grand Final victory over the St. George Dragons in 1992. After their premiership victory, the club was involved in the World Club Championship match, in which 'The Axe' again put in a magnificent display in his side's victory.

In 1993, Gillmeister again helped the Broncos to another Grand Final win against, ironically, the same opponents from the previous year, the St. George Dragons. Prior to the 1993 Grand Final victory, the club announced that they couldn't re-sign Gillmeister due to salary cap restrictions. He moved on to the Penrith Panthers after playing 72 games for the club and scoring 8 tries which is a total of 32 points.

[edit] Penrith Panthers

Penrith signed Gillmeister after he was not re-signed by the Broncos. His stay however was a brief one, only making 22 appearances for the club and scoring 1 try in his time at the club. He was released from the second year of his contract and he signed for the South Queensland Crushers.

[edit] South Queensland Crushers

Gillmeister had the honour of scoring the club's first ever try in the 24-8 season opening loss at Suncorp Stadium against the Canberra Raiders. In 1995, he became the first and only ever South Queensland Crushers player to be selected for Australia. At the end of 1996, Gillmeister decided to retire from playing rugby league. In his time as a player, Gillmeister named his most respected opponents as David Gillespie and Les Davidson

[edit] Representative career

[edit] Queensland

Gillmeister made his Queensland State of Origin debut in 1987. He made 22 State of Origin appearances for Queensland between 1987 and 1996. Gillmeister captained the Queensland team to a 3-0 series victory in 1995 under the guidance of friend and coach Paul Vautin. Gillmeister battled against a blood disorder prior to the third and final match of the series in Melbourne. After Queensland's victory Gillmeister was rushed back to hospital to be treated again. In 1996 he captained Queensland in the first State of Origin match but he did not play at all in the remainder of the two games.

At the State of Origin level Gillmeister defied his stature by hurting the Blues with stinging defence. He is remembered for his ongoing fiery attacking and defensive clashes with NSW hardman Paul Harragon.

[edit] Australia

Australia rugby league payer
Australia rugby league payer

In 1995, Gillmeister made his Australian debut when he was selected as a reserve for the first test match against New Zealand. At 31 years of age, he became the oldest ever forward to make his international debut at Test level.

In 2000 Gillmeister was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to Australia's international standing in the sport of rugby league.

[edit] Coaching career

Gillmeister has worked as assistant coach for the Queensland State of Origin team. In 2006 it was announced that he had been signed as an assistant coach by the newly formed Gold Coast Titans, who were to enter the NRL competition at the start of the 2007 season. Upon his signing at the club, Gillmeister commented, "It's a thrill and honour to be part of a brand new organisation. It's also a huge challenge but something I'm looking forward to."

[edit] External links