Name Adam Dykes Height 1.75 m Career start 1995 | Role Rugby Player Weight 86 kg Career end 2008 | |
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Awards Dally M Award Best Five-eight | ||
Adam Dykes Spraying the Hull FC Crowd with Champagne
Adam Dykes (born 5 February 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He played in the National Rugby League for Sydney clubs, the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and Parramatta Eels, and in Super League for English club Hull. Dykes' usual position was five-eighth, though he has also been shuffled around the backs during his career, playing minor parts of it at both Lock and in the half back role.
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Cronulla sharks vs newcastle knights adam dykes try
Early career
Dykes began playing rugby league at an early age after being heavily involved and influenced into the game by his father John Dykes who was a professional player himself for one season in 1976 for the Cronulla Sharks, along with also being their reserve grade coach between 1993-1994.
With Adam possessing copious amounts of talent at a young age rising into grade as a 16-year-old,the Sharks knew they had a special talent on their hands.Dykes was selected in the Australian under 15's and 17's squads and is seen as one of the Sharks most talented juniors ever to rise through the ranks. Dykes was the five eighth in the famous 1994 Presidents Cup winning team that former ARL head Ken Arthurson labelled the best U/21 team he'd ever seen.
1995
Adam Dykes made his first grade debut for the Cronulla Sharks as an 18-year-old in the 1995 season (11 March Round 1) against the Newcastle Knights. With several impressive performances for the club he quickly cemented his position in John Lang's outfit as a key impact player off the interchange bench.
1996-2001
After spending 1996 as a utility player off the bench, Dykes was given the chance to prove himself as a regular starter in the halves.In 1997, Dykes played a prominent role in the Sharks season, ending in the Sharks Super League grand final loss to the Brisbane Broncos. In 2001 he rose to represent City in the annual City vs Country Origin match,was selected for the Australian train on squad, crowned the Daily M five eighth of the year and named in the NRL team of the year.
2002-2004
Dykes was controversially signed by Parramatta Eels head coach Brian Smith for the start of the 2002 NRL season (on a four-year deal), angering many Sharks fans as they had seen him as one of the central members of the team along with the fact that he was a born and bred Cronulla junior. With this in mind many fans began speculating that Dykes had clashed with new Cronulla coach Chris Anderson and that this had led to his departure, though none of these claims were ever proven to be factual.
After three injury plagued years at Parramatta, Dykes approached the club asking them for a termination on his final year with the club, citing wanting to return home to the Sharks.
2005-2007
Dykes returned to the Cronulla Sharks in 2005 under the influence of coach Stuart Raper.
2008
Dykes had a disappointing year in England featuring only 17 times for Hull missing the Challenge Cup final in a season wrecked by injury.Dykes was instrumental for the black and whites when he was on the pitch winning every man of the match award in the Challenge Cup run to the final.
Representative games
Rumours
Many sides have been linked with Dykes's services since his retirement at the end of 2008.He has been linked with the West Tigers,Gold Coast Titans and Sydney Roostersl. No rumours came to fruition and Dykes retired from first grade rugby league after his stint at Hull.