Craig Polla Mounter

Background

Polla-Mounter was born in Melbourne but moved to Ipswich, Queensland at a young age. While attending Ipswich Grammar School, he went on two tours with the Australian Schoolboys rugby union team.

Playing career

Polla-Mounter switched to rugby league in 1991, joining the Canterbury Bulldogs and playing in their premiership winning Presidents Cup side. He played at halfback in three grand finals for the Bulldogs, for two losses in 1994 and 1998, and one win 1995. In 2001, he captained the Bulldogs six times.

In 2001, his final year in the NRL, Polla-Mounter was embroiled in a State of Origin eligibility tug-of-war. Despite being born in Victoria, Polla-Mounter grew up in Queensland, making him eligible for Queensland. Due to playing his first game of senior rugby league in Sydney for the Bulldogs, he was also eligible for New South Wales. In 1993, under the advice of then-Bulldogs boss, Peter Moore, Polla-Mounter played one game for City Origin. Although a push was made by Queensland to select Polla-Mounter in the 2001 series, he was never selected, with the NSWRL blocking the move Polla-Mounter later admitted he regretted playing for the City Origin side.

After his retirement from the NRL, Polla-Mounter returned to Queensland to play on the Sunshine Coast. Rumours of him re-joining the Bulldogs in 2004 were removed after an injury forced him to remain in retirement.