Ben Hannant

Ben Hannant

Personal information
Full name	Benjamin Hannant
Nickname	Polar Bear[1]
Born	(1984-12-31) 31 December 1984 Burleigh Heads, Queensland, Australia
Playing information
Height	184 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	106 kg (16 st 10 lb)
Position	Prop
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2005	Sydney Roosters	8	0	0	0	0
2006–08	Brisbane Broncos	70	5	0	0	20
2009–10	Canterbury Bulldogs	37	3	0	0	12
2011–14	Brisbane Broncos	78	7	0	0	28
2015–16	North Queensland	52	0	0	0	0
	Total	245	15	0	0	60
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2008–12	Queensland	12	2	0	0	8
2009–12	Australia	6	0	0	0	0
Source: RLP

Benjamin Hannant (born 31 December 1984) is a retired Australian professional rugby league footballer. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative prop-forward, he previously played for the North Queensland Cowboys, Brisbane Broncos, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters in the NRL. Hannant is a two-time premiership winner, with the Broncos in 2006 and the Cowboys in 2015.

Background

Born and raised on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Hannan played his junior rugby league for the Burleigh Bears. In 2002, while attending Palm Beach Currumbin State High School, he represented the Australian Schoolboys team.^[2] As of November 2016, Hannant co-hosts Gold Coast's SEA FM Breakfast show.

Playing career

Roosters

Hannant made his NRL debut with the Roosters in 2005, playing a handful of games for the club. He played in the Roosters' Premier League grand final winning side in 2004 before being signed by the Brisbane Broncos for the 2006 season.

Broncos

Benny Hannant in action for the Broncos against the Knights in 2008

In late 2005, Hannant moved to the Broncos for the 2006 season. He went on to play from the interchange bench in Brisbane's victory in the 2006 NRL Grand Final. The retirement of Shane Webcke following the grand final left some large shoes to be filled in the Broncos' front row. As 2006 NRL Premiers, the Brisbane Broncos travelled to England to face 2006 Super League champions, St Helens RLFC in the 2007 World Club Challenge. Hannant played from the interchange bench in the Broncos' 14-18 loss.

Hannant was selected for the Queensland Maroons in 2008 and scored his first try in Game 2 at Suncorp Stadium, which Queensland won 30–0. In May 2008, Hannant signed a three-year deal with Sydney-based club, the Bulldogs, commencing in 2009.^[3][4]

Bulldogs

On 8 June 2009 it was announced that Hannant had contracted the H1N1 virus,^[5] the first case in professional sports^[6] Hannant represented Australia on 25 October 2009 in Australia's opening 2009 Four Nations match against New Zealand in which Hannant played as the starting Prop. He also played in the tournament final on 13 November 2009 as the starting prop against England. It was a 46–16 win to Australia. Hannant's 2009 form drew praise from critics with New Zealand Warriors captain and representative prop Steve Price nominating Hannant as the best prop currently playing.^[7] On 25 May 2010 it was announced Hannant would re-join the Broncos on a 4-year deal starting in 2011 after he was granted an early release by the Bulldogs.

Return to Broncos

Hannant missed the start of the 2011 Brisbane Broncos season with a calf injury but returned in Round 3 against the Titans.^[8] Hannant returned to form after a man of the match display against his former club and was selected in the Australia and Queensland representative teams where he played off the bench. The latter half of the season saw a drop in form for Hannant, resulting in exclusion from the Four Nations series. In 2012, Hannant opened the season strong with a man of the match performance against Parramatta.

Cowboys

On 7 October 2014, Hannant signed with the North Queensland Cowboys on a one-year deal for the 2015 season.^[9][10]

In Round 7 of the 2015 NRL season, Hannant played his 200th NRL game in the Cowboys 28-24 victory over the Warriors.

Hannant came off the bench for the Cowboys in the 2015 NRL Grand Final against the Brisbane Broncos, and played 38 minutes in the Cowboys' 17-16 Premiership win.^[11]

On 21 February 2016, Hannant was a member of the Cowboys' World Club Challenge winning side, coming off the bench in the side's 38-4 victory over the Leeds Rhinos at Headingley Stadium.

In November 2016, it was announced Hannant had re-signed with North Queensland on a one-year-contract extension. Two weeks later, on the 17th of November, he was forced to retire due to a chronic knee injury. Despite the injury and forced retirement, Hannant was quite durable for the Cowboys in his two seasons with the club. Out of a possible 55 games, Hannant played 52 - including the 17-16 win against the Brisbane Broncos in the 2015 NRL Grand Final.

Achievements and accolades

Individual

• Dally M Prop of the Year: 2009
• Brisbane Broncos Most Improved:2007

Team

• 2004 NSWRL Premier League Grand Final: Sydney Roosters - Winner
• 2006 NRL Grand Final:Brisbane Broncos – Winner
• 2015 NRL Grand Final:North Queensland Cowboys – Winner
• 2016 World Club Challenge: North Queensland Cowboys – Winners

Statistics

NRL

Statistics are correct to the end of the 2015 season ^[12]

State of Origin

International

Radio Career

It was announced on 21 November 2016 that Hannant would be embarking on a radio career in 2017.

Southern Cross Austereo revealed that Hannant would co-present a new breakfast program on Sea FM on the Gold Coast called Get Up with Heather, Dan & Ben.

Hannant will be co-hosting the show with experienced radio announcer Dan Anstey and former The Bachelor contestant Heather Maltman.

Hannant stated that he is likely to be comfortable in a radio show environment, comparing it to a locker room situation where people sit around having a yarn.^[13]

Personal life

Hannant is one of 11 children and is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.^[14] Hannant and his wife Emma have six children, three sons and three daughters.^[15]

References

External links

• North Queensland Cowboys profile