The ‘honest toiler’ is a term synonymous with rugby league. They’re the players who were perhaps not blessed with the skills of future immortal Johnathan Thurston but none-the-less tried their guts out and made the grade.
Each Friday I will be taking you on a trip down memory lane to relive the careers of some of Australian rugby league’s lesser lights.
It’s appropriate that the first flashback is a player who was gone in a flash both when on the field and when looking at his professional career.
Speedy winger Leon Bott debuted for the Brisbane Broncos in 2005 as an 18-year-old and made a bright start to his NRL career. He played in 24 matches that season, scoring 13 tries and picking up the Broncos’ Rookie of the Year award. To top it off he was nominated for Dally M Rookie of the Year but lost out to Eels halfback Tim Smith, who led Parramatta to the minor premiership.
While Bott made a bright start to his career he also made a number of decisions that weren’t so bright.
In signing with the Broncos Bott received the poultry sum of $20,000. The Sydney Roosters had offered him a contract in the vicinity of $350,000 a season.
Some injuries early in 2006 shifted Bott down the pecking order, and he decided to jump ship mid-season to the Cronulla Sharks. It was a less than stellar decision given the established wing and three-quarter players the club possessed, including the likes of Darren Albert, Luke Covell, Nigel Vagana, Ben Pomeroy, Phil Bailey and David Simmons.
Bott was released at season’s end having played just one game for the Sharks in a Round 19 loss. He trialled with the Bulldogs in 2007 but spent the majority of the season working with the club’s personal trainers in an attempt to rehabilitate an injured shoulder. He was eventually offered a second-tier contract for 2008 by the Bulldogs and ignoring the interest of several other clubs he decided to accept the deal despite the presence of Hazem El Masri, Darryl Millard, Matt Utai and Willie Tonga and failed to feature in a single match during the season. His contract was not renewed.
Although Bott’s star had now faded drastically – he would appear in major news outlets again in 2009.
Playing rugby union for Manly RUFC, Bott made headlines after a sickening early hit on the grandson of former prime minister Bob Hawke. The tackle in the Shute Shield hospitalised 26-year-old David Dillon with a ruptured spleen.
Manly RUFC didn’t hold on to Bott, and he played the 2010 season with the Penrith Emus in the Shute Shield.
Bott’s current playing and personal status are unknown, but he still holds a place in the hearts of Broncos fans as their former fastest man – damn you, James Roberts!
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