View source for Rod Wishart

{{Short description|Australia international rugby league footballer}}
{{BLP sources|date=June 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox rugby league biography
|name           = Rod Wishart
|fullname       = 
|image          =  
|caption        =  
|country        =  
|position       = {{rlp|WG}}
|currentclub    =  
|retired        = yes
|birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1968|10|15|df=yes}}
|birth_place    = [[Gerringong, New South Wales]], Australia
|height         = {{convert|178|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}
|weight         = {{convert|88|kg|stlb|abbr=on}}
|club1          = [[Illawarra Steelers]]
|year1start     = 1989
|year1end       = 98
|appearances1   = 154
|tries1         = 68
|goals1         = 386
|fieldgoals1    = 0
|points1        = 1044
|club2          = {{nowrap|[[St. George Illawarra Dragons|St George Illawarra]]}}
|year2start     = 1999
|year2end       = 
|appearances2   = 23
|tries2         = 10
|goals2         = 4
|fieldgoals2    = 0
|points2        = 48
|teamA          = [[New South Wales state rugby league team|New South Wales]]
|yearAstart     = 1990
|yearAend       = 98
|appearancesA   = 22
|triesA         = 5
|goalsA         = 23
|fieldgoalsA    = 0
|pointsA        = 66
|teamB          = [[Australian Kangaroos|Australia]]
|yearBstart     = 1991
|yearBend       = 96
|appearancesB   = 17
|triesB         = 13
|goalsB         = 43
|fieldgoalsB    = 0
|pointsB        = 138
|updated        = 02:09, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
|source         = <ref>[http://203.166.101.37/NRL08/playercareer.asp?lplayer=11339 NRL Stats]</ref><ref>[http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/rod-wishart/summary.html Rugby League Project]</ref>
| module       = {{infobox person
| embed        = yes
| father       = 
| mother       = 
| spouse       = 
| education    = 
| alma_mater   = 
| relatives    = [[Tyran Wishart]] (son)
}}
}}

'''Rod Wishart''' (born 15 October 1968) is an [[Australians|Australian]] former professional [[rugby league]] footballer who played the 1980s and 1990s. A [[New South Wales state rugby league team|New South Wales]] [[State of Origin series|State of Origin]] and [[Australian Kangaroos|Australian]] international representative goal-kicking winger, he played club football with the [[Illawarra Steelers]] and the [[St. George Illawarra Dragons]] in the [[National Rugby League]].

==Background==
Wishart was born in [[Gerringong, New South Wales|Gerringong]], [[New South Wales]], Australia.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}

==Playing career==
Wishart, who played both centre and wing in his junior years, grew up in his home town of [[Gerringong]]. There he was coached by former international centre [[Mick Cronin (rugby league)|Mick Cronin]]. He first came to attention in 1988 when he played for Country Firsts. Later in the year he played against [[Papua New Guinea Kumuls|Papua New Guinea]] for both Southern Division and [[Country New South Wales rugby league team|NSW Country]], kicking goals in both victories.<ref>{{cite book| author=David Middleton|title=Rugby League 1988-89|year=1989 
|publisher=Lester-Townsend Publishing|location=Paddington, New South Wales|isbn=0-949853-19-4|page=77}}</ref>

===Illawarra Steelers===
Wishart played his first match for the [[Illawarra Steelers]] in [[1989 NSWRL season|1989]], finished his rookie season as the club's top point-scorer with 84 from 2 tries and 37 goals from his 19 games. {{Citation needed|date=March 2017}} During the season he scored a try in the Steelers 18–20 loss to the [[Brisbane Broncos]] in the [[1989 Panasonic Cup (rugby league)|1989 Panasonic Cup Final]] at [[Parramatta Stadium]].

He made his State of Origin debut on the wing for New South Wales in [[1990 State of Origin series|1990]] and was considered a certain selection {{by whom|date=May 2016}} for the [[1990 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France|1990 Kangaroo tour]] though he was ultimately ruled out through injury. {{Citation needed|date=March 2017}} In the second test of the [[1991 Trans-Tasman Test series]] against [[New Zealand national rugby league team|New Zealand]] at the [[Sydney Football Stadium (1988)|Sydney Football Stadium]].
 
Wishart became the second Steelers player after [[Alan McIndoe]] to be selected to play for Australia and the first Steelers junior to do so. {{Citation needed|date=March 2017}}  injury was not enough to keep him out of Australia's 40–12 win in the deciding third test at [[Brisbane]]'s [[Lang Park]], where he scored his second of an eventual 10 test career tries.

Wishart made 22 appearances for New South Wales between 1990 and 1998 in the [[State of Origin series|State of Origin]], scoring 66 points from 5 tries and 23 goals. {{Citation needed|date=March 2017}} He was NSW first choice goal kicker between 1992 and 1995.

During the [[1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand]], he helped Australia retain [[The Ashes (rugby league)|The Ashes]], playing in the first two tests before missing the third through injury. {{Citation needed|date=March 2017}} Injury would also keep him out of Australia's victorious [[1992 Rugby League World Cup final]] team at the end of the [[1992 NSWRL season|1992 season]], the first year in their history in which Illawarra had qualified for the NSWRL finals.

Wishart failed to regain his test place in 1993, despite good performances for the Steelers and NSW, who won their second Origin series in a row with selectors preferring the Brisbane Broncos pair of [[Willie Carne]] (who made his test debut in the same game as Wishart in 1991) and [[Michael Hancock (rugby league)|Michael Hancock]]. He was again the Steelers leading point and try scorer for the [[1993 NSWRL season|1993 season]], scoring 118 points from 11 tries and 37 goals.

His goal kicking improved dramatically in the [[1994 NSWRL season]], and his continued good form at club and state level saw him selected on the wing for NSW in their [[1994 State of Origin series|State of Origin series]] win over [[Queensland Maroons|Queensland]], while at the end of the season he was selected to go on the [[1994 Kangaroo tour]]. Wishart and teammate [[Paul McGregor (rugby league)|Paul McGregor]] became the first two, and only, Illawarra Steelers players to be selected for a [[Kangaroo Tour]]. Rod Wishart went on to be the top point scorer on the tour, scoring a Kangaroo Tour points record of 174 points from 8 tries and 71 goals in 11 games played, beating the record of [[Michael O'Connor (rugby)|Michael O'Connor]] who scored 170 points in [[1986 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France|1986]]. He also played in three of the four tests on tour, coming into the side for the second test against [[Great Britain Lions|Great Britain]] at [[Old Trafford]]. Two weeks later Wishart was a try scorer in Australia's 23–4 win in the deciding third test at [[Elland Road]] two weeks later. He then played on the wing in Australia's 74-0 demolition of [[France national rugby league team|France]], scoring a personal best of 26 points from a try and 11 goals from 13 attempts. {{Citation needed|date=April 2017}} During the 1994 Kangaroo tour, Wishart also played in a non-test international, scoring a try and kicking 7/9 goals as the Kangaroos demolished [[Wales national rugby league team|Wales]] 46–4 in [[Cardiff]].

In [[1995 ARL season|1995]] and [[1996 ARL season|1996]], Wishart was awarded the BHP Medal as the Steelers' player of the year. During this time, Wishart remained loyal to the [[Australian Rugby League]] during the [[Super League War]]. He played in NSW's surprise 3–0 loss to Queensland in the [[1995 State of Origin series]], though he retained his place on the wing for Australia in all three tests of the [[1995 Trans-Tasman Test series|1995 Trans-Tasman series]] against New Zealand, won 3-0 by the ARL only Australian's (the ARL had ruled that [[Super League (Australia)|Super League]] aligned players were not eligible for selection). He top scored for Australia during the series with one try in the third test, and 17 goals, including kicking 5/5 in both the first and second tests. {{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}

At the end of 1995, Rod Wishart scored a try in Australia's 16–8 win over [[England national rugby league team|England]] in front of 66,540 at [[London]]'s [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] in the [[1995 Rugby League World Cup final]].

A serious shoulder injury restricted Wishart to just 5 games in [[1997 ARL season|1997]]. Injury also restricted him to just 15 games in [[1998 NRL season|1998]]. {{Citation needed|date=May 2016}}

By the end of the Illawarra Steelers final season in 1998, Rod Wishart had set a number of club point scoring records.

* Most career tries – 68
* Most career goals – 386
* Most points in a season – 176 (11 tries, 66 goals) in 1995
* Most career points – 1,044

===St. George Illawarra Dragons===
When the Steelers formed the [[St George Illawarra Dragons]] in 1999 with [[St George Dragons|St George]], Wishart was a part of the new 25-man squad, however he mostly played from the Interchange bench, with former St George wingers [[Jamie Ainscough]] and [[Nathan Blacklock]] being selected ahead of him. Following the Dragons' [[1999 NRL Grand Final]] loss, in which Wishart played from the bench, he retired from the NRL.

==Post playing==
In 2005, Wishart was named one of the 25 greatest ever [[New South Wales rugby league team]] players.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

He appeared in the 2006 film, ''[[Footy Legends]]''.

Wishart's son [[Tyran Wishart]] played for the [[Illawarra Cutters]] {{Citation needed|date=June 2017}} and currently plays for [[Melbourne Storm]].

His daughter Riley is engaged to [[Manly Sea Eagles]] goal-kicking outside back and another Gerringong junior, [[Reuben Garrick]].<ref>[https://www.nine.com.au/sport/nrl/news-2024-australia-prime-ministers-xiii-vs-papua-new-guinea-tyran-wishart-reuben-garrick-family-brothers-in-law-relationship-20241011-p5khqj.html PM's XIII Showdown a family affair for Wishart and Garrick]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book| author=Alan Whiticker & Glen Hudson|title=The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players|year=2007
|publisher=Gary Allen Pty Ltd|location=[[Wetherill Park, New South Wales]]|isbn=978-1-877082-93-1|pages=596–597 }}
* ''Big League's 25 Years of Origin Collectors' Edition'', News Magazines, Surry Hills, Sydney

==External links==
*[http://www.yesterdayshero.com.au/PlayerProfile.aspx?fname=PlayerProfile.aspx&QStr=11339 Rod Wishart at ''yesterdayshero.com.au'']

{{1991 Kangaroo Tour of Papua New Guinea squad}}
{{1994 Kangaroo Tour squad}}
{{Australia 1995 Rugby League World Cup Squad}}
{{Illawarra Rugby League Team of the Century}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wishart, Rod}}
[[Category:1968 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Australia national rugby league team players]]
[[Category:Australian people of Scottish descent]]
[[Category:Australian rugby league players]]
[[Category:Country New South Wales Origin rugby league team players]]
[[Category:Illawarra Steelers players]]
[[Category:New South Wales Rugby League State of Origin players]]
[[Category:People from the Illawarra]]
[[Category:Rugby league players from Nowra, New South Wales]]
[[Category:Rugby league wingers]]
[[Category:St. George Illawarra Dragons players]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen]]