Jordan Meads

Greece international rugby league footballer

Jordan Meads
Personal information
Born (1992-02-16) 16 February 1992 (age 32)
Wellington City, New Zealand
Height178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight94 kg (14 st 11 lb)
Playing information
Rugby league
PositionHalfback, Fullback
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2014–15 Gateshead Thunder 22 15 3 0 66
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2014– Greece 10 16 34 0 132
Rugby union
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2019– Sunshine Coast
Source: [1][2][3]
As of 30 October 2022

Jordan Meads (born 16 February 1992) is a Greek international rugby league player who currently plays club football with rugby union club University of the Sunshine Barbarians. Primarily playing as a halfback or fullback, Meads previously played professionally and has represented the Greece national team.

Early life

Meads grew up in Wellington, New Zealand, and is of Greek descent on his mother's side.[4][5] He lived on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia for a period during his teenage years, attending Mountain Creek State High School and Sunshine Coast Grammar School.[6]

Career

After a stint with the Melbourne Storm, Meads joined the New Zealand Warriors.[6] He is well remembered[6][7] for his man of the match performance in the 2011 NYC (under 20s) Grand Final against the North Queensland Cowboys, where he kicked the match-winning field goal during golden point extra-time.[8][9]

Meads left the Warriors in August 2012 to join Sporting Olympique Avignon in the Elite One Championship. He signed with the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles in the Queensland Cup in January 2013,[6] spending one season there before moving to the Kawana Dolphins in 2014.[10] He joined the League 1 side Gateshead Thunder mid-season in June 2014,[11][12] scoring 15 tries in 23 matches before leaving the club in July 2015, citing family reasons.[13] Meads subsequently returned to Australia and re-joined Kawana in the Caloundra RSL Cup.[14][15]

As captain-coach, Meads lead the Beerwah Bulldogs to the 2020 division 1 premiership, the club's first in 41 years.[16][5]

In 2021 he transferred to rugby union side University of the Sunshine Coast Barbarians with the side going on to win the Sunshine Coast Rugby Union Grand Final.[17]

International career

Meads writes to his maternal grandparents prior to every game he plays for Greece.[4][5] He made his international debut in October 2014, scoring 6 tries in their 2014 European Championship C match against the Czech Republic.[18] Meads captained the team during the 2018 European Championship C, and was named in the Greek squad for the 2018 Emerging Nations World Championship,[19] but did not take the field during the tournament. The following year, he captained the team as they qualified for their first ever Rugby League World Cup.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Jordan Meads". Rugby League Project. Archived from the original on 22 September 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  2. ^ "Jordan Meads profile". warriors.co.nz. Archived from the original on 10 October 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Player Summary: Jordan Meads". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  4. ^ a b McCarty-O'Kane, Roxanne (11 April 2019). "Beerwah's best". My Weekly Preview. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b c McLennan, Stuart (23 October 2020). "Greece skipper says 'nothing comes close to a World Cup'". Everything Rugby League. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d "Sea Eagles woo 'field goal man' to Coast". Queensland Times. 22 January 2013. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  7. ^ a b Thomas, Jackson (13 November 2019). "Rugby League World Cup: Former junior Warrior Jordan Meads helps banned Greece side qualify". stuff. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Warriors snatch thrilling Toyota Cup decider". NRL.com. 2 October 2011. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Next Gen: Warriors' golden victory". NRL.com. 4 October 2011. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Intrust Super Cup gains & losses". qrl.com.au. 24 January 2014. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Jordan Meads: Gateshead Thunder sign Kiwi full-back". BBC. 10 June 2014. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  12. ^ Newsum, Matt (8 August 2014). "Jordan Meads: Ex-NRL talent hopes Thunder can fulfil promise". BBC. Archived from the original on 21 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  13. ^ Smith, Mark (2 July 2015). "Family reasons force early departure for Newcastle Thunder's Jordan Meads". Chronicle Live. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  14. ^ "What happened to the best under 20s side the NRL has ever seen?". sportingnews.com. 9 March 2018. Archived from the original on 21 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  15. ^ Brand, Anthony (4 September 2015). "Meads magic could prove Kawana has the superior squad". Queensland Times. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  16. ^ Simpson, Mike (12 October 2020). "Beerwah unleash dominance over Redlands". qrl.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  17. ^ "2021 Sunshine Coast Rugby Union A grade Grand Final Post match presentation". YouTube. PattmanSport. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  18. ^ "Greece crowned 2014 European Champions". NRL.com. 13 October 2014. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  19. ^ Walter, Brad (19 September 2018). "Coaching rivals to team up for Greece". NRL.com. Archived from the original on 19 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.

External links

  • Greece profile
  • Greek profile
  • v
  • t
  • e
Greece squad – 2021 Rugby League World Cup
  • v
  • t
  • e
New Zealand Warriors squad – 2011 NYC Premiers (2nd title)
  • Coach: John Ackland