Apr 6th, 2017

Reagan Campbell-Gillard Penrith Panthers

Apr 6th, 2017

Trivia buffs will be thrilled to learn that the Penrith team that will take the field against South Sydney at Pepper Stadium tonight will contain the most hyphenated names in NRL premiership history.

The Panthers will field four players with double-barrelled surnames, eclipsing the previous record of three that the club shared with the Sydney Roosters. There have been five hyphenated names in a game before but never four on the one team.

Penrith's line-up will include two Watene-Zelezniaks (Dallin and older brother Malakai), Reagan Campbell-Gillard and rookie back-rower Corey Harawira-Naera. It could have been five if not for an injury to rugged forward James Fisher-Harris.

The incidence of hyphenated surnames has skyrocketed in recent seasons. When Daly Cherry-Evans arrived on the scene at Manly in 2011, he was one of only five double-barrelled names in the NRL. And it is not that long ago that Canterbury’s Craig Polla-Mounter was the only player in the competition whose named carried a hyphen.

This year there are 15, and that represents 60 per cent of the total number of hyphenated names in the history of the competition.

(AAP)

In years gone by the use of a double-barrelled name was often an affectation of the upper classes. The first to appear in the premiership competition was Jack Gray-Spence, a centre who played as an amateur with Easts, University and St George in the 1930s before being allowed to join the rugby union.

It was half a century before another 'hyphenate' appeared in first grade. The elevation of Chris Macklin-Shaw at the Illawarra Steelers raised some eyebrows in 1986 and for most years since at least one player with a double surname has taken his place in a first grade team each weekend in winter.

With 25 hyphens coming and going over the years, there are enough to make up a quality line-up.



The Hyphens XIII



Fullback: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Sydney Roosters, Warriors)

Wingers: Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (Penrith), Josh Addo-Carr (Wests Tigers and Melbourne)

Centres: Shaun Kenny-Dowall (Sydney Roosters), Nick Bradley-Qalilawa (Wests Tigers and Manly)

Five-eighth: Tyrrone Roberts-Davis (ironically, the only hyphenated position that has had next to no double-barrelled players. We think the Titans’ talented utility back Tyronne Roberts-Davis could handle the role)

Halfback: Daly Cherry-Evans (Manly)

Props: Reagan Campbell-Gillard (Penrith), Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (Manly and Sydney Roosters)

Hooker: Craig Polla-Mounter (Canterbury) – played in the halves but occasionally filled in at hooker

Second Rowers: Tom Learoyd-Lahrs (Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne), James Fisher-Harris (Penrith)

Lock: Ben Murdoch-Masila (Wests Tigers and Penrith)

Interchange: Nelson Asofa-Solomona (Melbourne), Raymond Faitala-Mariner (Warriors and Canterbury), Addin Fonua-Blake (Manly), Jesse Sene-Lefao (Manly and Cronulla)

Coach: David Tangata-Toa (Penrith Holden Cup) – there have been no double-barrelled coaching figures at the top level, so Penrith's Holden Cup coach got the nod

David Middleton is Channel Nine's chief NRL statistician