View source for David Fairleigh

{{short description|Professional RL coach and former Australia international rugby league footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox rugby league biography
|name               = David Fairleigh
|fullname           = 
|image              = 
|birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1970|09|01|df=yes}}
|birth_place        = [[Wyoming, New South Wales|Wyoming]], [[New South Wales]]
|height             = {{convert|190|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}
|weight             = {{convert|107|kg|stlb|abbr=on}}
|retired            = yes
|position           = {{Rlp|SR|PR}}
|club1              = {{nowrap|[[North Sydney Bears]]}}
|year1start         = 1989
|year1end           = 99
|appearances1       = 193
|tries1             = 36
|goals1             = 0
|fieldgoals1        = 0
|points1            = 144
|club2              = [[Newcastle Knights]]
|year2start         = 2000
|year2end           = 
|appearances2       = 26
|tries2             = 1
|goals2             = 0
|fieldgoals2        = 0
|points2            = 4
|club3              = [[St Helens R.F.C.|St Helens]]
|year3start         = 2001
|year3end           =  
|appearances3       = 32
|tries3             = 8
|goals3             = 0
|fieldgoals3        = 0
|points3            = 32
|teamA              = [[City New South Wales rugby league team|NSW City]]
|yearAstart         = 1992
|yearAend           = 96
|appearancesA       = 5
|triesA             = 0
|goalsA             = 0
|fieldgoalsA        = 0
|pointsA            = 0
|teamB              = [[New South Wales rugby league team|New South Wales]]
|yearBstart         = 1991
|yearBend           = 97
|appearancesB       = 10
|triesB             = 0
|goalsB             = 0
|fieldgoalsB        = 0
|pointsB            = 0
|teamC              = [[Australia national rugby league team|Australia]]
|yearCstart         = 1994
|yearCend           = 96
|appearancesC       = 15
|triesC             = 2
|goalsC             = 0
|fieldgoalsC        = 0
|pointsC            = 8
|coachteam1         = 
|coachyear1start    = 
|coachyear1end      = 
|coachgames1        = 
|coachwins1         = 
|coachdraws1        = 
|coachlosses1       = 
|coachwin%1         = 
|coachpremierships1 = 
|coachteamA         = [[Cook Islands national rugby league team|Cook Islands]]
|coachyearAstart    = 2009
|coachyearAend      = 14
|coachgamesA        = 7
|coachwinsA         = 4
|coachdrawsA        = 0
|coachlossesA       = 3
|coachwin%A         = 
|coachpremiershipsA =  
|source             =<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/david-fairleigh/summary.html|title=David Fairleigh – Career Stats & Summary – Rugby League Project|publisher=Rugby League Project}}</ref>
|updated            = 4 February 2021
}}

'''David Fairleigh''' (born 1 September 1970 in [[Wyoming, New South Wales]]) is an Australian former professional [[rugby league]] footballer and current assistant coach for the [[North Queensland Cowboys]] in the [[National Rugby League]] (NRL). An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative forward,<ref>{{cite web|title=State of Origin player details|url=http://www.stateoforigin.com.au/soogame/PlayerDetails.aspx?Pid=126|access-date=2007-08-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024201306/http://www.stateoforigin.com.au/soogame/PlayerDetails.aspx?Pid=126|archive-date=24 October 2007|url-status=dead }}</ref> he played the majority of his club football in Australia for the [[North Sydney Bears]], winning 1994's [[Rothmans Medal]]. This was followed by a season at the [[Newcastle Knights]], and another in England at [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]], with whom he won the 2001 [[Challenge Cup]] Final before retiring. Since retiring in 2001 he has spent the last 19 years coaching in the NRL mainly as an Assistant Coach. Teams he has worked at include the Newcastle Knights, Parramatta Eels, New Zealand Warriors, Penrith Panthers and the Nth Queensland Cowboys.

==Playing career==
While attending Gosford High School, Fairleigh played for the [[Australia national schoolboys rugby league team|Australian Schoolboys team]] in 1988.<ref>{{cite web|title=SportingPulse Homepage for Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League|url=http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=7-2130-0-0-0&sID=26424|access-date=2008-10-10|publisher=SportingPulse|archive-date=31 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131030043/http://websites.sportstg.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=7-2130-0-0-0&sID=26424|url-status=dead}}</ref> He made his first grade début for the [[North Sydney Bears|Bears]] in round 17 of 1989 and for ten seasons from 1990 was a permanent first grade player and North Sydney stalwart. During this period he was consistently one of the dominant forwards in the NRL. He made his [[Rugby League State of Origin|State of Origin]] début in game III of 1991. He was not selected in 1992 but appeared again in 1993 playing in all 3 games for NSW and winning the series.

He played State of Origin from 1991 to 1997, playing in 10 games. Although not selected for Origin in 1994, Fairleigh won the [[Dally M Medal|Rothman's Medal]] in 1994 for the best and fairest player in the NRL with a record tally of 33 votes. Fairleigh made his Test début for [[Australia national rugby league team|Australian]] in a [[1994 French rugby league Oceania tour|one-off test]] against [[France national rugby league team|France]]. At the end of the [[1994 NSWRL season]], he was one of the first forwards selected for the [[1994 Kangaroo Tour]].  He appeared in twelve minor tour matches and two Tests, scoring five tries on tour. He had been selected for the second Test but withdrew on the morning of the match with a virus. He played in the third Test against Great Britain and in the sole test against France, scoring a try in the 74-0 drubbing. His NSW Origin career spanned from 1991 – 1997. He played in all three games of 1993, 1995, 1997 Origin series and the 3rd game of the 1991 series for a career total of ten appearances for the [[New South Wales Rugby League team|Blues]]. He was also selected in the Australian team to play against Fiji and Papua New Guinea in 1996. In 1996 he was named in the World Team and was named Dally M Second Row of the Year. He was second in the Rothmans Medal in 1996 behind teammate [[Jason Taylor (rugby league)|Jason Taylor]].

Fairleigh played a total of 193 games for Norths and played in 3 of their 4 preliminary final losses during the 1990s as the club fell agonizingly short of a grand final appearance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nrl.com/news/2015/09/24/top-10-preliminary-final-heartbreaks/|title=Top 10 preliminary final heartbreaks|date=23 September 2015 |publisher=National Rugby League}}</ref>

Following North's merger with [[Manly Warringah Sea Eagles]] at the end of 1999, Fairleigh moved to Newcastle and was in 2000 named the club's Player of the Year, Players' Player and Coach's Player of the Year. 2001 saw him finish his club career with a season for [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]] in England where he was named in the Super League Dream Team as well being chosen as one of St Helens 100 greatest players. The same year he played in the winning St Helens team in the 100th Challenge Cup Final against Bradford Bulls at [[Twickenham Stadium|Twickenham]]. As [[Super League V]] champions, [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]] played against [[2000 NRL season|2000 NRL]] Premiers, the [[Brisbane Broncos]] in the [[2001 World Club Challenge]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/18688360.celebrating-former-saints-world-champion-david-fairleigh/|title=Celebrating former Saints World Champion David Fairleigh|website=St Helens Star|date=September 2020 |access-date=8 September 2020}}</ref> Fairleigh played as a prop forward in Saints' victory.

==Post playing==
In 2006 an expert panel of judges selected a North Sydney team of the century in which Fairleigh was selected in the starting thirteen in the second-row.<ref>{{cite web|title = Norths Team of the Century|url = http://www.northsydneybears.com.au/Bears%20Club/promotions/totc.htm|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070903065353/http://www.northsydneybears.com.au/Bears%20Club/promotions/totc.htm|archive-date = 3 September 2007}}</ref>

==Coaching career==
'''NRL Coaching History'''
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Year
!Role
|-
|align=right|2002
|align=left |North Sydney Bears First Division
|-
|align=right|2003 – 2004
|align=left |Newcastle Knights Premier League
|-
|align=right|2005 – 2006
|align=left |Newcastle Knights NRL Assistant Coach /Premier League Coach
|-
|align=right|2007 – 2008
|align=left |Parramatta Eels NRL Assistant Coach
|-
|align=right|2009
|align=left |Parramatta Eels NRL Assistant Coach /NYC Coach
|-
|align=right|2009 – 2014
|align=left |Cook Islands Head Coach
|-
|align=right|2010 – 2011
|align=left |New Zealand Warriors NRL Assistant Coach
|-
|align=right|2012 – 2015
|align=left |Penrith Panthers NRL Assistant Coach
|-
|align=right|2016 – 2019
|align=left |North Queensland Cowboys Assistant Coach
|-
|align=right|2020–present
|align=left |Current NRL Officiating Coach
|-
|}

'''Finals Appearances''' 
* Newcastle 2003, 2004, 2006
* Parramatta 2007, 2009 Grand Final
* Warriors 2010, 2011 Grand Final
* Penrith 2014
* Nth Queensland 2017 Grand Final

Fairleigh went on to develop a comprehensive reviewing platform for games which has been used across Newcastle, Parramatta, New Zealand and Penrith, where he was employed as an assistant coach; all four clubs have reached Grand Finals across all 3 grades whilst he was there.

Fairleigh coached the [[Cook Islands national rugby league team]] in the [[2013 Rugby League World Cup]]. He spent 5 years developing Rugby League in the Cook Islands with a special focus on developing a competitive International programme. 'The Kukis' going into the 2013 World Cup Tournament had never won a World Cup match. The team lost to the [[United States national rugby league team|USA]] and [[Tonga national rugby league team|Tonga]], but they won their last match against the Tournament co-hosts [[Wales national rugby league team|Wales]] creating history for the sport of [[rugby league]] in the [[Cook Islands]]. As part of the World Cup qualification process the Cook Islands beat Samoa in a play-off to enter the Pacific Cup in 2009. The Cook Islands then went on to beat Fiji 24–22 in the Semi Final and were then beaten by Papua New Guinea in the Final. In 2016 Fairleigh took time off from coaching NRL football to give back to grassroots football. In October 2016 he was announced and unveiled as the North Queensland Cowboys new assistant coach.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* [[Alan Whiticker|Whiticker, Alan]] & Hudson, Glen (2006) ''The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players'', Gavin Allen Publishing, Sydney
* ''Big League's 25 Years of Origin Collectors' Edition'', News Magazines, Surry Hills, Sydney

==External links==
*[http://www.saints.org.uk/saints.org.uk/home/viewpage.php?page_id=10&num=15290 Saints Heritage Society profile]

{{St Helens - 2001 World Club Challenge winners}}
{{St. Helens - 2001 Challenge Cup Final winners}}
{{1994 Kangaroo Tour squad}}
{{Cook Islands squad 2013 Rugby League World Cup}}
{{Rothmans Medallists}}
{{2001 Super League Dream Team}}
{{North Sydney Bears Team of the 21st Century}}
{{Cook Islands national rugby league team coaches}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairleigh, David}}
[[Category:1970 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Australia national rugby league team players]]
[[Category:Australian rugby league coaches]]
[[Category:Australian rugby league players]]
[[Category:Cook Islands national rugby league team coaches]]
[[Category:New South Wales City Origin rugby league team players]]
[[Category:New South Wales Rugby League State of Origin players]]
[[Category:New Zealand Warriors coaches]]
[[Category:Newcastle Knights players]]
[[Category:North Sydney Bears players]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen]]
[[Category:Rugby league props]]
[[Category:Rugby league second-rows]]
[[Category:St Helens R.F.C. players]]
[[Category:Australian expatriate rugby league players in England]]
[[Category:Expatriate sportspeople in the Cook Islands]]
[[Category:Expatriate rugby league coaches]]
[[Category:People from the Central Coast (New South Wales)]]
[[Category:Australian expatriate sportspeople in New Zealand]]