The Hunter region in NSW has had a long tradition as a breeding ground for talented rugby league players. From Clive Churchill to John Sattler and the Johns brothers, the Hunter has produced some of the finest players Australia has ever seen.

Added on to that production line is a skinny fullback from Maitland who has spent most of his playing days in the UK. Journeyman Luke Dorn might not have reached the astronomical heights of icons like Churchill or Andrew Johns, few have, but the Morpeth Bulls junior has carved out a prolific and unlikely career in the Super League.

Dorn has scored 167 tries in England, at roughly a rate of just over one in every two games. He’s crossed for 13 in the Challenge Cup and a whopping 154 in Super League, which ranks him among the competition’s top 10 for all-time try-scorers. Dorn sits in eighth position, which means he has scored more than any other Australian or overseas-born player in Super League history. He also owns the club record for scoring the most tries for the London Broncos. It’s a special feat for the 33-year old, who arrived in England a decade ago and never left.

His journey began in East Maitland where he grew up idolising Brad Fittler and Matthew Johns. “I must have won thousands and thousands of grand finals and Origins and Australian Tests with a chip and chase on the bell, or a Freddy Fittler left-foot step, out the front of my house,” he tells the Guardian.

At 14 he joined the Hunter Mariners’ juniors and then ended up in the North Sydney Bears system. In 2000 he was picked for the Australian Schoolboys and two years later he made his NRL debut at just 19 for the Northern Eagles.

Bob Devetak was on North Sydney’s coaching staff and remembers Dorn as a lightly-built kid who worked hard. “Not much has changed today but back then he always had the ability to throw that miracle ball that led to another try. ‘Dorny’ loved his footy and was an exceptionally dedicated trainer, one that always worked on his skills and kicking long before others turned up.”

His NRL chance came at five-eighth at Brookvale Oval and the Eagles upset the Roosters 28-22. In his first two seasons Dorn would go on make 37 appearances and score five tries, as he developed under the wing of stars such as Steve Menzies. But towards the end of 2003, with coach Peter Sharp ousted, there was a change of the guard and he was out. “It sort of left a bit of a bitter pill for me to swallow,” he says. “It was a bit of a mad scramble the timing, having to find a club with a couple of weeks to spare.”



Dorn chose the Roosters over Newcastle and although he only made one NRL appearance, given the Roosters claimed the minor premiership and reached the grand final, he learned plenty. “I went there and I’ve never trained previously, or to this day, as hard as I had to that season under that Ricky Stuart and Ronnie Palmer regime. Even as a young kid it probably made me the player that I was.”

Now aged 22, the playmaker found himself at a crossroads. He could stay comfortably with the Roosters but with game-time limited, or he could try Super League. “I had a few close school friends who got their two-year working visas to go to London so it just seemed like a good fit for a young bloke.” Dorn signed for the Broncos on a two-year deal and expected to return to the NRL in 2007. “I just thought I would go over there, have a couple of years and then come home.”

The speedy half quickly took a liking to English footy. In a competition less structured and defensively focused than the NRL, where free-flowing play and off-the-cuff attacking is the norm, Dorn thrived. He bagged 24 tries in his first season and then 18 in his second. Switching from the halves to fullback at times, Dorn helped London to sixth and seventh placed finishes. But in 2007 he was surprisingly pushed out and joined Salford.

Dorn managed 11 tries in 29 games but he was club-less at the end of the year as Salford were relegated. An offer to join promoted Castleford was made and accepted, and he claimed another 19 tries in 26 appearances. But after just one season Dorn was on the move again, this time back to London.

Continually switching between fullback and the halves, Dorn would spend the next five years in the capital. The four-pointers continued to flow – 13 in 2009, 18 in 2010, 15 in 2011, 16 in 2012 and six in 2013. Dorn was content in Super League, travelling through Europe and Africa in his time off, exploring different cultures, and during that period never harboured a strong desire to return to the NRL.

“There was little bits of interest here and there but we never really made much of it… London felt like, strangely enough, like going home. It wasn’t something that drove me, I was perfectly playing happy at London and playing in Super League.”

Scoring tries in rugby league is a skill that can be put down to many things and often it can become somewhat of an art form. For some players it is down to pure speed, others because of sheer size and power or through support play, their ball-playing ability, quick thinking or fancy footwork. Luke Dorn has a rare combination of most of these traits, fused together to create an uncanny knack of getting over the line. At 5 foot 9 inches and 86 kilograms, he has never bulldozed opponents like a Manu Vatuvei or Greg Inglis, or even stepped defenders like a Shaun Johnson or Matt Bowen. For Dorn it has always been about seeing the game, about anticipation and smarts.

“A lot of it is instinct,” Castleford coach Daryl Powell believes. “Luke sees things quickly, he gets himself in good positions. Obviously he’s an intelligent footballer and then it’s pure speed then. Once he gets clear he takes some reeling in, he’s very, very quick.”

Dorn has always classed himself as a student of the game, someone who studies and analyses the opposition. “I’m a big thinker of how we can play and how we can do things different, and how I can help other players as well. I think that’s made me a better player, my anticipation’s something that’s made me ahead of some other players and that’s why I’ve been able to score tries. Be aware that someone’s about to do something somewhere and turn up at the right spot.”

Playing fullback in an age where the fullback’s role in the attacking line is now vital, has helped. But Dorn has also had remarkable longevity at time when players are getting bigger and stronger each year, and the collision is king.” His injury count over the years is relatively small, excluding one ugly cut.

“I’ve had some cartilage repairs in shoulders, I’ve had my elbow fixed, I’ve had a scope on my knee. A few broken ribs and things like that but touch wood I’ve never needed any reco’s or anything like that. I’ve been very lucky... I suppose it comes down to knowing your body.”

In the past two seasons with Castleford Dorn has enjoyed a resurgence. In 2014 the Tigers shocked Super League by almost winning the League Leader’s Shield and reaching the Challenge Cup final at Wembley. Dorn was a key component as the team’s No1, running in 19 tries in just 24 games. “We initially brought Luke in as a half but as it evolved he just played so well at fullback, his speed and ability in an opportunity in space was just outstanding,” Powell explains. “He’s been a pretty big part of what we’ve done over the last couple of years, the improvement that we’ve shown.”

Silverware eluded the Tigers but Dorn’s electric form won him another year contract extension. The 2015 season hasn’t been as kind to the veteran, as he has battled a hamstring injury, but he is back to full fitness as the semi-finals unfold.

Dorn’s career has almost come full circle. Next year will be the articulate and intelligent Australian’s 12th in Super League and potentially his last. He turns 34 in July but isn’t necessarily ready to pull the pin. Dorn already sees a future in rugby league, having coached London’s Under-19s and dabbled in media. “I want to be involved whether that’s coaching or in some off-field role. We’ll stay for a little bit after I hang the boots up and you never know where you can end up.”

From Morpeth Oval to the Stoop, the Willows, Wheldon Road and Wembley, it’s been a hell of a ride for Luke Dorn. Many great Australians have graced the British game but only a few have matched the modest Maitland utility’s impact or try-scoring accomplishments. He may not have set the NRL alight but he’s carved his name in the English sporting record books.

“It sort of gives you a sense of achievement that you came here, did something and it’s sort of going to last for a while,” he says. “It’s something I can show my kids that I wasn’t too bad for a certain amount of time.”