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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (2001-09-16) 16 September 2001 (age 23) Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 174 cm (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 80 kg (12 st 8 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Five-eighth, Halfback, Hooker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: As of 7 June 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jayden “Bud” Sullivan (born 16 September 2001) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a halfback, five-eighth or hooker for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Background
Sullivan was born in Skopje, Macedonia, of Macedonian and Lebanese .
Career
Early career
Sullivan played his junior rugby league at Western Suburbs Red Devils in Illawarra Rugby League.
In 2019, he was selected for the New South Wales Under-18's team after an impressive year where he won the 2019 S. G. Ball Cup with the Illawarra Steelers as captain.
2020
Sullivan made his debut for St. George Illawarra against Melbourne in round 20 of the 2020 NRL season.
2021
Sullivan made five appearances for St. George Illawarra in the 2021 NRL season as the club missed out on the finals by finishing 11th on the table.
2022
Sullivan played nine games for St. George Illawarra in the 2022 NRL season as the club finished 10th on the table and missed the finals.
2023
In round 10 of the 2023 NRL season, Sullivan scored two tries for St. George Illawarra in their 16-18 loss against the bottom placed Wests Tigers.
In July 2023, Sullivan toured the Wests Tigers facilities after he was given permission to speak to other teams.
On 17 August 2023, Sullivan was released from the final years of his contract to sign with the Wests Tigers on a four-year deal.
2024
Sullivan played nine games for the Wests Tigers throughout the 2024 NRL season as the club finished with the Wooden Spoon for a third consecutive year. On 20 December, Sullivan was released by the Wests Tigers. The clubs CEO Shane Richardson said to the media “The only reason we’ve let Jayden go is because you can’t have him on that money when we’ve signed Jarome Luai". On the same day, Sullivan signed a contract to join South Sydney ahead of the 2025 NRL season.
Statistics
| Season | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 |  St. George Illawarra Dragons |
1 | - | - | - | 0 |
| 2021 | 5 | 2 | - | - | 8 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 2 | - | - | 8 | |
| 2023 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 18 | |
| 2024 |  Wests Tigers
|
8 | 1 | 3 | 10 | |
| Totals | 35 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 44 |
*denotes season still competing
References
- "Jayden Sullivan - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- "Round 20 NRL squad announcements". National Rugby League. 22 September 2020. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- Brunsdon, Simon (28 August 2021). "Luckless Cowboy ends 14-game losing streak; Dragons find their new No.6: 3 Big Hits". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- "NRL 2022: St George Illawarra Dragons season review". www.sportingnews.com.
- "Magic Round: Gold Coast Titans beat Parramatta 26-24, Nth Queensland Cowboys down Sydney Roosters 20-6, Wests Tigers beat St George illawarra 18-16". www.abc.net.au.
- "The not-so-secret meeting that could solve the Tigers' halves dilemma". SMH. 27 July 2023.
- "Livewire half joins Wests Tigers on long-term deal". Wests Tigers. 17 August 2023.
- "'Either the best or worst game all year': NRL world 'can't look away' from Spoon Bowl". www.foxsports.com.au.
- "Storm young gun's bumper deal; real reason for playmaker's switch to rival: NRL Transfer Centre". www.foxsports.com.au.
- "Jayden Sullivan". St George Illawarra Dragons. 26 March 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.