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Steele Retchless

Personal information
Date of birth	June 16, 1971
Place of birth	Brisbane, Australia
Height	5'10" (1.78m)
Weight	15st 9lbs (100Kg)
Nickname	Steelo
Position	Second Row
Club information
Current club	Easts Tigers
Youth clubs
1991–92 1993–94	Fortitude Valley Diehards Wests Panthers
Professional clubs*
Years	Club	Apps (points)
1995–96 1997 1998-2004 2005 2006	Brisbane Broncos South Queensland London Broncos Ipswich Jets Easts Tigers	11 (4) 22 (12) 202 (64) 16 (8) 17 (4)
Representative teams**
2000-2005	USA	4 (16)
* Professional club appearances and points counted for domestic first grade only and correct as of 19:47, 25 August 2006 (UTC). ** Representative team caps and points correct as of 19:47, 25 August 2006 (UTC).

Steele Retchless (born June 16, 1971 in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian former rugby league player. A former player for the Brisbane Broncos and London Broncos, his position of choice was Second Row. Steele played his last game for Easts Tigers in a Queensland Wizard Cup preliminary final defeat to Redcliffe Dolphins on September 9, 2006.

Contents 1 Playing Career 1.1 Early Years 1.2 London Broncos 1.3 Post-Broncos Career and Retirement 2 Career highlights 3 Representative games 4 External links

Son of Brisbane Rugby League legend Mick Retchless, Steele played his junior football for Fortitude Valley Diehards and made his senior debut for the club in 1991. In 1993, Steele switched to Wests Panthers contesting successive finals and winning the Brisbane Rugby League premiership in his first year at the club.

Steele joined first grade Australian Rugby League premiership side the Brisbane Broncos in 1995. During a two-year contract he made just 11 appearances. In 1997, Steele was ever present, making 22 appearances for the South Queensland Crushers. Unfortunately, the Crushers picked up a second successive wooden spoon and folded at the end of the season.

The collapse of the Crushers presented an opportunity to play in Super League (Europe) for the London Broncos where Steele was to become a legend. During seven seasons at the club Steele was a virtual ever-present and set a club record number of appearances. In 1998 against Bradford Bulls he made a Super League (Europe) record of 66 tackles in a game. In 1999, in his finest moment at the club, Steele scored a memorable last minute try in the Challenge Cup semi-final to earn the Broncos a place in their first ever final. Steele was a huge favorite with the London fans who appreciated his incredible commitment to the cause and general appetite for the game. In 2004, in his final season at the club, Steele was awarded player of the year.

After his time in London, Steele returned to Australia to play in the Queensland Wizard Cup for Ipswich Jets in 2005. After finishing that season as a leading contender for the QANTAS Player of the Year, Steele played one more season for Easts Tigers in 2006. Easts made the finals but were subsequently beaten by Redcliffe in the major Semi-Final, with Redcliffe going on to win the premiership. Steele won the coveted player of the year award for Easts Tigers and also best forward in his final season.

• Junior Clubs: Fortitude Valley Diehards, Wests Panthers
• First Grade Stats: 235 career games scoring 21 tries, including a club record 202 games for London Broncos.
• Most tackles made in any Super League Match: 66 by Steele Retchless (against Bradford in 1998. This is an all-time Super League record).

Steele qualfied to play for the USA Tomahawks through his grandfather Stuart Beck who was raised in Iowa, and his mother who was born in Washington DC. Beck arrived in Australia from the USA in the middle of last century, captaining his adopted homeland in the sport of baseball.

• Steele Retchless - A Life Less Ordinary