Shaun Timmins

I’warra junior (Kiama) made his first grade debut as a 17-year-old in 1994. A solid defender whose speed was to seen to good effect on the edge of the ruck Shaun Timmins alternated between the centres and the second row before becoming Paul McGregor’s centre partner with the merged St George I’warra club. Following the Dragons’ grand final loss in 1999 Timmins came into the Australian Test team in the second match of the Tri Nations competition (the 42-6 thrashing of Great Britain) and was used as an interchange player in the final against NZ. The early part of season 2000 found Timmins in superlative form; scoring a try in Australia’s 52-0 thrashing of NZ in the ANZac Test and cementing his centre partnership with Penrith’s Ryan Girdler in the opening two matches of the State of Origin series. Then things went horribly wrong – a knee injury suffered in the second State of Origin match ruled him out of the remainder of the season, including the World Cup, while he aggravated the injury in a pre-season trial in 2001 and required a bone graft to rectify a rare knee condition. After missing the entire 2001 season Timmins took the first tentative steps in his return to form, even playing in the Dragons’ forward pack, in 2002. In quick succession he returned to both State of Origin and Test duty (against Great Britain) but after playing against NZ in July 2003 (at five-eighth) he ruled himself out of 2003 Kangaroo Tour because of injury. Timmins kicked the winning field-goal in the opening State of Origin match – the first field goal of his career - but he played in only two matches in Australia’s Tri Nations campaign (one Test, against NZ) at the end of 2004 before announcing his retirement from rep football. Timmins contemplated a season with the G’Coast Titans in 2007 but was overruled by his doctor and retired from the game.