Shannon Hegarty

Shannon Hegarty was born in Brisbane, but grew up in Mackay, and it was from there he was scouted by the Sydney Roosters.

Hegarty made his NRL debut for the club in 1999, playing three top grade games in his rookie season.

In 2000, he played centre in the grand final loss to the Broncos, scoring 18 tries in 25 appearances across the season.

He played centre and scored a try in the 30-8 victory over New Zealand Warriors in the 2002 grand final and the following year was selected to make his State of Origin debut for Queensland, playing on the wing in all three games.

He was then chosen on the wing for a Test against New Zealand in Sydney, and scored a try on debut in the Kangaroos' 48-6 win.

I remember somebody asking me when I was five what I wanted to be when I grew up and I just said, ‘I want to be a footballer.

Shannon Hegarty FOG #135

The Roosters made the grand final again, but this time lost to Penrith, with Hegarty in the centres.

It was at centre where he was chosen for a Test against the Kiwis at North Harbour Stadium in New Zealand, with the Kangaroos losing 30-16.

Hegarty then toured France and Britain with the Australian side, playing centre against a French selection in Carcassonne and against an English Selection in London before moving to the wing for the match against Wales in Bridgend.

He also played on the wing in the First Test against Great Britain in Wigan, but missed out on selection for the Second and Third Tests.

In 2004, he played in his third straight grand final, with the Roosters losing 16-13 to the Bulldogs.

After 110 NRL appearances for the Roosters, Hegarty signed with South Sydney in 2005, playing 59 games for the Rabbitohs over four seasons, before signing with North Queensland.

Hegarty played five games for the Cowboys before announcing his retirement at the end of the 2009 NRL season.

In recent times, he has been the owner and trainer of a gym in the United States.