Liam Gill

Openside Flanker

Profile
Height:	184cm
Weight:	96kg
Date Of Birth:	08/06/1992
Place of Birth:	Melbourne

Rugby Career
Senior Club:	Sunnybank

Stats
Provincial Rugby Caps:	36
Provincial Rugby Points:	25 (5t)
Provincial Rugby Debut:	Mar 2011 v Brumbies, Canberra
Super Rugby Caps:	36
Super Rugby Points:	25 (5t)
Super Rugby Debut:	Mar 2011 v Brumbies, Canberra
Test Rugby Caps:	8
Test Rugby Debut:	2012 v All Blacks, Auckland

St.George Queensland Reds flanker Liam Gill enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2012, playing in all but one match during the Reds’ Australian Conference winning Super Rugby campaign and also debuting for the Wallabies at just 20 years of age.

Liam was a standout performer for the Reds in just his second Super Rugby season as he worked in tandem with fellow fetcher Beau Robinson to be a constant menace at the breakdown for opposition teams.

Despite only turning 20 in June, Liam flourished as Queensland’s best breakdown scavenger, finishing the Super Rugby year with a competition-high 33 turnovers, including 26 breakdown or tackle steals. Liam was the only Australian to average more than 2 breakdown or tackle steals per game (2.4).

Liam also demonstrated enormous leadership qualities for a player of his age and was given the honour of captaining the Australian Under 20s at the 2012 Junior World Championships in South Africa, in his third campaign.

After missing the Wallabies June Test window due to the Australia Under 20 selection, Liam became Australia’s 861st Test representative later in the year when he made his national debut against the All Blacks in Auckland. The match didn’t go the way of the Wallabies but Liam flashed enough of his brilliance to remain a permanent fixture within the matchday squad throughout the remainder of the Rugby Championship.

Liam first earned a fulltime Reds contract in 2011 while still just 17 years of age and in the nine appearances he made during his debut season of Super Rugby in 2011, the young flanker always impressed.

The mobile No.7 made his Super Rugby debut from the bench in round three against the Brumbies and later scored his first run-on appearance when he was selected to go head-to-head with Australia’s premier openside David Pocock and the Force in round 17.

Liam showed flashes of his talent during that match against the toughest of opponents, although it was a week later against the Chiefs where he flourished, producing one of the best individual performances of any Reds player during the 2011 season. His tireless efforts at the breakdown and in defence were enough to earn the teenager the Man of the Match Award, while he also scored his maiden Super Rugby try in that encounter, a pick-and-go effort metres from the line.

Liam capped off his breakthrough season with cameos from the bench during the Reds Super Rugby semi-final against the Blues and in the final against the Crusaders, icing his memorable debut year in Super Rugby by winning the title.

He also collected the Premier Rugby Colt of the Year award for the second season running for his dominant performances with 2011 Premiers Sunnybank.

Liam, along with fellow youngster Dominic Shipperley, were originally drafted into the 2011 Australian Under 20s squad for the Junior World Championships in Italy in May, but were later released as injury cover for the Reds in their roll towards the Super Rugby Championship.

Before joining the Reds senior squad, the talented backrower was a standout member of the QAS Reds Academy and was one of the more consistent performers in the 2010 Australian Sevens squad.

After making his debut on the Sevens World Series circuit in Las Vegas as a 17-year-old, Liam went on to represent the Australian Under 20s later that year before winning a silver medal at the Delhi Commonwealth Games where Australia lost to New Zealand in the Rugby Sevens gold medal match.

Liam also enjoyed a prolific schoolboy career. He was named tour captain for the Australian Schoolboys tour of the United Kingdom in 2009 and he was also the winner of the prestigious Bronze Boot Award for Best on Ground in the Australian Schoolboys contest against New Zealand that year.

Other major honours include captaining Queensland U15 and U16s, along with representing Queensland Schoolboys at Under 19 level.

Liam was born in Melbourne and lived in the United States for several years before playing junior rugby in Adelaide and later relocating to Brisbane.

DID YOU KNOW?
Liam finished the 2012 Super Rugby season with a competition-high 33 breakdown or tackle turnovers. By comparison, his Wallabies teammate David Pocock ended the season with 21 breakdown or tackle steals in an extra 245 minutes of rugby, while Michael Hooper secured 17 breakdown or tackle steals in almost 190 minutes of additional game time.


***Updated 14/05/2013***