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Darren Albert

OVERALL STATISTICS

BIRTHAGESIGNED ONFROM
28-02-1976
N/A
03-08-2001
Newcastle Knights- Aus
DEBUTLAST MATCHLEFT
10-02-2002 v Oldham
Wigan Warriors
2005- Cronulla Sharks, Aus
CAREERAPPEARANCES (SUBS)
2002- 200
124 (0)
TRIESGOALSDGOALSPTS
88
0
0
352

Biography of Darren Albert



HERITAGE NO : 1113
Darren Albert by Dave Dooley:

Darren Albert was born in Auburn, Sydney, Australia on the 28th. of February, 1976. This `Blond Bomber` joined Saints for 2002 in a two-year deal after flying in for 65 tries in 89 games for Newcastle Knights. The NSW State of Origin winger grabbed the winning try for Newcastle, coached by Mal Reilly, in their 1997 Grand Final win over Manly. In his last season down under he notched 16 tries in 23 games for the Knights in 2001.

Regarded as one of the fastest wingers in the game Darren was a lethal finisher who also specialised in long range tries. At the Saints he ably stepped in for Paul Wellens in the full back role and displayed more than useful defensive capabilities under the `high bomb`, returning an attacking kick or in `one on one` tackle situations.

Darren`s first season in the UK was outstanding. He made his debut for the Club in the driving rain against Oldham on the 10th. of February 2002. His first points for the Club came when he scored a neat try against Salford as part of the 34 points to 2 home victory on March 8th., 2002. In a mid-season purple patch Darren raced in for three hat-tricks in his first season. The first of these was in the 42 points to 16 Challenge Cup semi-final demolition of Leeds (14/4/02) when Darren`s safe hands were available on the touchline to finish off two slick passing moves across the paddock. His third try that day demonstrated his speed off the mark and timing as he collected a perfectly executed Sean Long grubber kick - the big TV replay only served to verify that the move was in no way an optical illusion.

Two other triples against Halifax (3/5/02) and Warrington (3/8/02) both included long-range efforts that demonstrated the futility of chasing Darren once he has broken the defence. The final hat trick was part of a 72 points to 2 victory over Warrington that was a significant contribution in sealing the top spot over Bradford Bulls on points difference. Darren ended the 2002 with two personal accolades. He was top of the club try charts with 25 tries and made a total of 37 appearances for the Saints. Darren started every game for the club in his first season! Albert played 26 times on the right wing, 8 occasions as full back and three times in the centres. However, these notional playing positions often belied Ian Millward?s tactics of constantly switching positions to maximise opportunities in attacking positions. Darren Albert`s spatial awareness in the match situation made him a perfect candidate to execute the orders of the master coach. The super league champions winners` ring was a just reward for this man from down under.

The flexibility of Darren Albert was further evidenced during the 2003 campaign. One of the highlights of the first half of the season was the defensive display of Darren particularly in cover defence. Match after match Albert defended the Saints line with brilliant last ditch tackles. The hard, dry summer of 2003 witnessed the attacking prowess of Darren as he raced in for 16 tries in his first 23 matches maintaining his reputation as a regular match attendee and clinical finisher. This haul included braces of touchdowns against Wigan (away), Huddersfield (home) and Wakefield (away) in league matches.

Darren was rampant during the start of the season 2004 as Saints embarked on a `Mission Impossible` to lift the Challenge Cup by defeating the then top sides. In the Cardiff sunshine Darren was thrice just touchline millimetres from sparkling tries. Nevertheless, his contributions were rewarded with a Challenge Cup Final victory over the old enemy. Off the field disruption cutailed Saints` drive for another Super League title in 2004. Darren ended the campaign having a Saints` career ties total of 60 tries from 96 matches. The last campaign in Saints` colours saw Darren net 28 tries from 28 matches as Saints finished the season on top of the league. However, an injury crisis at the wrong end of the season witnessed Saints out of the Grand Final contention following defeatas to Bradford and Leeds. Albert was magnificent throughout the campaign forming an almost telepathic deadly partnership with fellow countryman Jamie Lyon. His career haul of 88 tries in in 124 matches and complete collection of British RL domestic honours brought down the curtain on a great career at Knowsley Road. Darren moved to Cronulla in 2006 to continue his try scoring exploits.

How did he score those tries? The following tribute to Darren could be found in the Saints’ 100 Greats publication

Born in Auburn, Australia on 28 February 1976, Darren Albert has won Grand Finals in both hemispheres. He was a member of the 1997 Newcastle Knights team that defeated Manly, with Albert himself scoring the winning try in the last seconds of the match. He has also achieved Grand Final glory with St. Helens (2002), together with a Challenge Cup Winner’s medal in 2004. The secret of Albert’s success was pace. He was officially the Fastest Man in Super League and used this as a basis for scoring tries from anywhere on the field.

Although tending to be a straight runner, relying on his speed along the touchline, rather than sidestep or swerve, Darren had excellent hands, exemplified by his diving catch from a Sean Long chip to score a brilliant try in the wet at Widnes Vikings in 2005. Seemingly unflappable, Darren was an extremely durable footballer, rarely missing a match in his four seasons at Knowsley Road and became a real crowd favourite. Another vital ingredient of his success was his defensive ability. His tackling technique was superb and he could bring down the likes of Bradford’s ‘Man Mountain’ Lesley Vainikolo with regularity. His speed enabled him to cover any opposition breaks in other areas of the field. One cover tackle, against London’s Dennis Moran, at Brentford in 2003 simply defied logic, just as the scrum-half looked odds on to score!

Darren was versatile and could play with equal effectiveness in the centres, or at full-back, where he was able to make the most of his ability in ‘broken field’ situations. He won a Grand Final ring in his first season as St. Helens beat Bradford Bulls 19-18 in a tense battle at Old Trafford. Darren led the scorers with 25 touchdowns from 37 appearances, a feat he was able to do once more in 2003, although he was joint leading scorer with fellow Australian Darren Smith on 19, from 28 starts. Albert was unlucky not to get on the score-sheet at the Millennium Stadium during the Saints’ 32-16 defeat of rivals Wigan in the 2004 Challenge Cup Final, but yet again, he made the most appearances during the season, scoring 16 tries, four behind Jason Hooper.

The arrival of centre Jamie Lyon proved to be sensational for Darren. The pair seemed to gel immediately and became the most potent attacking partnership in the British game, contributing 52 tries between them in League and Cup! It was such a pity that Albert shattered his cheekbone late in the campaign against Wigan – one of a series of injuries that wrecked the Saints’ Grand Final hopes. At the end of the season, Darren moved to Cronulla Sharks to finish off his career back home in the NRL. His try-scoring feats for St. Helens, in particular are the stuff of legends!

These days, Darren is living in Burleigh, Queensland, with his wife and family and works as an electrician at Gold Coast Airport.

PLAYER HONOURS

SEASON STATISTICS

Season (Official Matches)TriesGoalsDGoalsMatches
2002 25 0 0 37
200319 0 0 28
200416 0 0 31
200528 0 0 28
TOTALS:88 0 0 124
Season (Other Matches)TriesGoalsDGoalsMatches
20022001
20040001
20050002
TOTALS:2004

ALL MATCHES

DateMatchPosOpponentsCompVenueFTFTOTGDG
28th Jan 2002 --
W
 2 Widnes Vikings* Fr H 24 10 2 VIEW
10th Feb 2002 1
W
 2 Oldham KNGCC4 A 40 6 VIEW
23rd Feb 2002 2
W
 2 Warrington Wolves KNGCC5 A 36 14 VIEW
2nd Mar 2002 3
W
 2 Widnes Vikings SL A 15 14 VIEW
8th Mar 2002 4
W
 2 Salford Reds SL H 34 2 1 VIEW
17th Mar 2002 5
W
 2 Halifax Blue Sox KNGCC6 A 26 20 1 VIEW
22nd Mar 2002 6
W
 2 Hull SL H 33 14 1 VIEW
28th Mar 2002 7
L
 2 London Broncos SL A 6 40 VIEW
1st Apr 2002 8
W
 2 Wigan Warriors SL H 19 0 VIEW
6th Apr 2002 9
W
 2 Leeds Rhinos SL H 30 26 VIEW
14th Apr 2002 10
W
 2 Leeds Rhinos KNGCCSF N 42 16 3 VIEW
20th Apr 2002 11
L
 2 Bradford Bulls SL A 22 54 1 VIEW
27th Apr 2002 12
L
 2 Wigan Warriors KNGCCF N 12 21 1 VIEW
3rd May 2002 13
W
 1 Halifax Blue Sox SL H 38 6 3 VIEW
7th May 2002 14
L
 2 Castleford Tigers SL A 22 36 VIEW
12th May 2002 15
W
 1 Warrington Wolves SL A 44 36 2 VIEW
19th May 2002 16
W
 1 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats SL A 48 6 VIEW
24th May 2002 17
W
 5 Widnes Vikings SL H 56 6 VIEW
1st Jun 2002 18
W
 2 Salford Reds SL A 28 24 VIEW
7th Jun 2002 19
W
 2 Leeds Rhinos SL A 41 14 VIEW
21st Jun 2002 20
W
 1 Castleford Tigers SL H 26 16 1 VIEW
28th Jun 2002 21
W
 1 Bradford Bulls SL H 34 26 1 VIEW
4th Jul 2002 22
W
 2 Hull SL A 32 30 VIEW
19th Jul 2002 23
W
 2 London Broncos SL H 22 14 1 VIEW
26th Jul 2002 24
W
 2 Halifax Blue Sox SL A 21 18 VIEW
30th Jul 2002 25
L
 2 Wigan Warriors SL A 8 22 VIEW
3rd Aug 2002 26
W
 2 Warrington Wolves SL H 72 2 3 VIEW
9th Aug 2002 27
W
 3 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats SL H 34 2 VIEW
16th Aug 2002 28
W
 2 Bradford Bulls SL A 50 22 2 VIEW
23rd Aug 2002 29
W
 1 Halifax Blue Sox SL H 64 0 1 VIEW
30th Aug 2002 30
W
 1 Leeds Rhinos SL H 38 18 1 VIEW
8th Sep 2002 31
L
 1 Wigan Warriors SL A 8 48 VIEW
13th Sep 2002 32
W
 2 Hull SL H 64 10 1 VIEW
22nd Sep 2002 33
W
 2 London Broncos SL A 18 16 VIEW
5th Oct 2002 34
L
 2 Bradford Bulls SLQSF H 26 28 VIEW
11th Oct 2002 35
W
 2 Wigan Warriors SLEF H 24 8 VIEW
19th Oct 2002 36
W
 2 Bradford Bulls SLGF N 19 18 VIEW
25th Oct 2002 37
L
 3 New Zealand Tour H 26 38 1 VIEW
8th Feb 2003 38
W
 1 Union Treiziste Catalane PCC4 A 70 6 1 VIEW
14th Feb 2003 39
L
 1 Sydney City Roosters WCC N 0 38 VIEW
8th Mar 2003 40
W
 2 Widnes Vikings SL A 22 4 1 VIEW
16th Mar 2003 41
W
 2 Salford City Reds PCC6 A 54 6 1 VIEW
21st Mar 2003 42
W
 2 Castleford Tigers SL H 54 12 1 VIEW
30th Mar 2003 43
L
 2 Huddersfield Giants SL A 22 36 1 VIEW
5th Apr 2003 44
L
 2 Leeds Rhinos SL H 16 24 VIEW
12th Apr 2003 45
L
 5 Leeds Rhinos PCCSF ** N 26 33 VIEW
18th Apr 2003 46
L
 2 Wigan Warriors SL A 22 24 2 VIEW
2nd May 2003 47
W
 2 Halifax SL A 38 0 VIEW
9th May 2003 48
L
 2 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats SL H 10 16 1 VIEW
16th May 2003 49
W
 2 London Broncos SL H 62 16 VIEW
26th May 2003 50
L
 2 Hull FC SL A 6 30 VIEW
1st Jun 2003 51
D
 2 Warrington Wolves SL A 30 30 VIEW
13th Jun 2003 52
L
 4 Leeds Rhinos SL A 14 20 VIEW
20th Jun 2003 53
W
 4 Halifax SL H 58 2 1 VIEW
27th Jun 2003 54
W
 2 Bradford Bulls SL A 35 0 1 VIEW
4th Jul 2003 55
W
 4 Widnes Vikings SL H 32 18 VIEW
11th Jul 2003 56
W
 2 Castleford Tigers SL A 46 32 1 VIEW
18th Jul 2003 57
W
 2 Huddersfield Giants SL H 22 18 2 VIEW
27th Jul 2003 58
W
 1 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats SL A 36 15 2 VIEW
3rd Aug 2003 59
W
 1 London Broncos SL A 30 18 1 VIEW
9th Aug 2003 60
W
 1 Hull FC SL H 28 18 VIEW
31st Aug 2003 61
W
 2 Widnes Vikings SL A 40 4 2 VIEW
5th Sep 2003 62
L
 2 Wigan Warriors SL H 4 28 VIEW
12th Sep 2003 63
L
 2 Leeds Rhinos SL A 20 30 VIEW
19th Sep 2003 64
L
 2 Bradford Bulls SL H 18 22 1 VIEW
26th Sep 2003 65
W
 2 London Broncos SLEPO H 24 6 VIEW
12th Feb 2004 --
W
 2 Widnes Vikings* Fr H 36 14 VIEW
20th Feb 2004 66
W
 5 Hull FC SL H 30 16 VIEW
29th Feb 2004 67
W
 2 Bradford Bulls PCC4 A 30 10 VIEW
6th Mar 2004 68
W
 3 London Broncos SL A 26 12 VIEW
13th Mar 2004 69
W
 5 Leeds Rhinos PCC5 H 24 14 VIEW
19th Mar 2004 70
W
 3 Widnes Vikings SL H 38 20 1 VIEW
28th Mar 2004 71
W
 5 Hull FC PCC6 H 31 26 VIEW
2nd Apr 2004 72
W
 3 Castleford Tigers SL A 22 14 VIEW
9th Apr 2004 73
D
 2 Wigan Warriors SL H 21 21 VIEW
16th Apr 2004 74
W
 3 Salford City Reds SL H 40 4 2 VIEW
25th Apr 2004 75
W
 2 Huddersfield Giants PCCSF N 46 6 VIEW
30th Apr 2004 76
W
 2 Leeds Rhinos SL H 56 10 1 VIEW
7th May 2004 77
W
 2 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats SL H 26 20 1 VIEW
15th May 2004 78
W
 5 Wigan Warriors PCCF N 32 16 VIEW
22nd May 2004 79
W
 2 Warrington Wolves SL A 50 20 3 VIEW
29th May 2004 80
W
 2 Bradford Bulls SL H 35 30 VIEW
4th Jun 2004 81
L
 5 Wigan Warriors SL A 14 30 VIEW
11th Jun 2004 82
W
 2 Castleford Tigers SL H 52 8 2 VIEW
18th Jun 2004 83
W
 1 Widnes Vikings SL A 40 12 1 VIEW
26th Jun 2004 84
W
 3 Warrington Wolves SL H 28 8 1 VIEW
2nd Jul 2004 85
L
 1 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats SL A 22 41 VIEW
7th Jul 2004 86
W
 2 Huddersfield Giants SL A 50 8 1 VIEW
10th Jul 2004 87
W
 3 London Broncos SL H 30 10 VIEW
17th Jul 2004 88
L
 2 Hull FC SL A 6 34 VIEW
23rd Jul 2004 89
L
 3 Leeds Rhinos SL A 0 70 VIEW
30th Jul 2004 90
W
 1 Huddersfield Giants SL H 50 10 1 VIEW
8th Aug 2004 91
L
 3 Salford City Reds SL A 20 30 1 VIEW
13th Aug 2004 92
L
 5 London Broncos SL H 22 28 1 VIEW
20th Aug 2004 93
L
 5 Wigan Warriors SL A 18 27 VIEW
5th Sep 2004 94
W
 5 Warrington Wolves SL A 26 24 VIEW
10th Sep 2004 95
L
 5 Leeds Rhinos SL H 19 25 VIEW
25th Sep 2004 96
L
 3 Wigan Warriors SLEPO A 12 18 VIEW
20th Jan 2005 --
W
 2 Widnes Vikings* Fr A 22 16 VIEW
2nd Feb 2005 --
W
 4 Hull FC* Fr H 28 18 VIEW
11th Feb 2005 97
W
 2 Widnes Vikings SL H 40 18 1 VIEW
18th Feb 2005 98
L
 2 Leeds Rhinos SL A 18 30 1 VIEW
25th Feb 2005 99
W
 2 Huddersfield Giants SL H 34 24 2 VIEW
4th Mar 2005 100
W
 3 Warrington Wolves SL A 18 16 1 VIEW
11th Mar 2005 101
W
 2 Salford City Reds SL H 46 12 1 VIEW
19th Mar 2005 102
W
 2 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats SL H 64 16 2 VIEW
25th Mar 2005 103
L
 2 Wigan Warriors SL A 20 22 VIEW
28th Mar 2005 104
W
 4 Bradford Bulls SL H 34 27 1 VIEW
3rd Apr 2005 105
W
 2 Huddersfield Giants PCC4 A 26 22 2 VIEW
8th Apr 2005 106
W
 4 Leigh Centurions SL H 60 16 VIEW
16th Apr 2005 107
W
 2 London Broncos SL A 30 20 1 VIEW
24th Apr 2005 108
W
 2 Huddersfield Giants SL A 36 22 2 VIEW
29th Apr 2005 109
W
 2 Warrington Wolves SL H 31 30 1 VIEW
6th May 2005 110
W
 3 York City Knights PCC5 H 62 0 1 VIEW
13th May 2005 111
L
 2 Hull FC SL A 6 44 VIEW
21st May 2005 112
W
 2 Widnes Vikings SL A 29 22 2 VIEW
27th May 2005 113
W
 2 Leeds Rhinos SL H 38 24 1 VIEW
4th Jun 2005 114
W
 2 Bradford Bulls SL A 66 4 VIEW
26th Jun 2005 115
W
 2 Wigan Warriors PCC6 H 75 0 VIEW
8th Jul 2005 116
W
 2 Hull FC SL H 18 10 VIEW
15th Jul 2005 117
W
 2 Wigan Warriors SL H 40 18 1 VIEW
22nd Jul 2005 118
W
 2 Leigh Centurions SL A 27 20 2 VIEW
30th Jul 2005 119
L
 2 Hull FC PCCSF N 8 34 VIEW
5th Aug 2005 120
W
 2 Warrington Wolves SL A 30 10 VIEW
12th Aug 2005 121
W
 2 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats SL H 60 4 3 VIEW
20th Aug 2005 122
W
 2 London Broncos SL H 50 4 2 VIEW
4th Sep 2005 123
W
 2 Leigh Centurions SL A 78 4 1 VIEW
9th Sep 2005 124
W
 2 Wigan Warriors SL A 38 12 VIEW
*Unofficial Match. **Non Playing Sub.
WINS : 94 | LOSSES : 32 | DRAWS : 2

GALLERY





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