Reece Simmonds

Reece Simmonds (born 7 January 1980) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He was born in Sydney, and played in the National Rugby League (NRL) for the St George Illawarra Dragons (2002–2006; 2011) and the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Playing career An Eagle Vale St Andrews junior, Simmonds worked as a greyhound handler before he made his debut with St George Illawarra in the opening round of the 2002 season. He played 14 games at fullback in 2002 and 2003.

2004 was Simmonds best year. Switching to the he made 23 appearances and scored 14 tries.

From 2008 to 2010, Simmonds worked as a coal-miner and played in the lower-tier based rugby league competitions, with Collegians in Wollongong and Wests Illawarra. He retired in 2010 after breaking his leg for a second time, but was persuaded to return to playing, winning a local premiership for Wests. He was also captain of Illawarra Division in the NSW CRL Championships.

In 2011, Simmonds was called into the Dragons' NRL team to help compensate for nine players out due to injuries and origin commitments. He returned to retirement at the end of the season to coach the Wests Red Devils in the Illawarra League.