Name Rob Parker Role Rugby player | Height 1.83 m Weight 109 kg | |
Profiles | ||
Rob Parker (born 5 September 1981) is an English professional rugby league footballer for Leigh, signing from Super League neighbours Salford in time for the 2012 season. An England international representative forward, he previously played for super League clubs Bradford, London and Warrington.
Playing career
Parker played his junior rugby with Leigh East. Debuting in 2000 Parker marked his case for a regular position in Super League during a ten-game loan spell with London Broncos in 2001. He then rose out of the Bradford Bulls Academy to establish himself as an integral part of the powerful Bradford pack, collected Super League medals in 2003 and 2005 and played in a winning Challenge Cup Final (2003) and World Club Challenge (2004). A near ever present in the all conquering Bradford team which won the league and cup double in 2003, he missed out on a spot in the 2003 Super League Grand Final. Having won Super League VIII, Bradford played against 2003 NRL Premiers, the Penrith Panthers in the 2004 World Club Challenge. Parker played from the interchange bench in Bradford's 22-4 victory. At the end of that year he played for Bradford from the interchange bench in their 2004 Super League Grand Final loss against Leeds. An accomplished performer in both front and second row. Whilst at Bradford, Parker was loaned out to Wakefield RFC where he made seven Rugby Union appearances over two seasons. He was appointed England captain in 2004 and led his country to the European Nations Cup. Parker won caps for England while at Bradford in 2004 against Russia, France and Ireland.
Signed by Warrington for the 2006 season, released from his contract at the end of the 2008 season. After joining Salford he was announced as their new club captain on 10 February after long-serving skipper Malcolm Alker was stripped of the captaincy during pre-season. During the 2009 Murrayfield Magic, the crowd chanted his name for the first twenty minutes of his game against Harlequins as a sign of respect for what he has done for the game of rugby league.
In July 2011, he went on loan to Castleford, to help ease their injury crisis in the prop department. Parker joined hometown club Leigh in time for the 2012 Co-Operative Championship season.
Until the end of 2016 Rob was the Commercial Manager at Bradford. Whilst there he saw the commercial income at the club dramatically raised.
However, from the start of 2017, he is now the General Manager & Head of Commercial Dept at Swinton.
Rob is also close friends with Tom Hardy, Ben Amos and Chris Smalling from "Team Sophie".