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John Skandalis
John Skandalis (born 16 June 1976) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a prop in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
He played for the Western Suburbs Magpies and for the Wests Tigers in two separate spells in the National Rugby League (NRL). Skandalis also played for the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League and City Origin between 2002 and 2006.
Skandalis was born in Sydney, New South Wales. The Skandalis family home in Lightning Ridge burnt down when John was six, causing the family to move to Ashfield, and later Minto. Skandalis' mother died when he was in his teens, leaving his father to raise Skandalis and his sisters. He was "taken in" by Josie McGuinness, the mother of Kevin and Ken McGuinness, who, he says, "treated him like [a] son."
Skandalis signed on for the Magpies in the early 1990s after playing out his junior years with the Minto Cobras, and attending Sarah Redfern High School. His first grade début came in round 9 of the 1996 season against the Penrith Panthers on 17 May. Coach Tommy Raudonikis said, "He got in a few brawls that night in his first game in first grade and I knew from that moment that this was a player who wasn't going to let anyone down. I knew from then on that if I gave him the opportunity, he was going to be great for me." He made 10 appearances that season, including the Magpies last ever finals appearance against Cronulla on 6 September.
A regular in the starting team in 1997, Skandalis scored 3 tries from his 20 appearances. He scored his first in the 24 May match against the Gold Coast Chargers, as they won 26–10. With the decline of the Magpies, Skandalis played in 34 games in the next 2 seasons, with only 5 being victories. He later said, "We used to get smashed every week and we didn't have the best team, but to be honest, those years at the start of my career really made me a tougher player and work that much harder. It helped to build up my mental toughness more than anything."
With the merger with the Balmain Tigers, Skandalis was one of the few former Magpies to join Wests Tigers. He scored their first try in their debut match on 6 February 2000, a 24-all draw against Brisbane at Campbelltown Stadium. Scoring 6 tries from his 24 games in 2000, it was the first of 7 consecutive seasons in which he played at least 22 games.
Skandalis was known for his workhorse attitude and his never-say-die approach to rugby league, and as the years progressed, his performances gradually caught the attention of representative selectors. This was seen in both the 2002 and 2004 seasons, where Skandalis was dually awarded with his first representative call-up for the City team in the annual City v. Country fixture. Skandalis was named the Wests Tigers' player of the year in 2002.
Skandalis was a member of the Wests Tigers team, which won the 2005 NRL Grand Final against the Cowboys. He was named in the Big League team of the year for the 2005 NRL season.
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John Skandalis
John Skandalis (born 16 June 1976) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a prop in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
He played for the Western Suburbs Magpies and for the Wests Tigers in two separate spells in the National Rugby League (NRL). Skandalis also played for the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League and City Origin between 2002 and 2006.
Skandalis was born in Sydney, New South Wales. The Skandalis family home in Lightning Ridge burnt down when John was six, causing the family to move to Ashfield, and later Minto. Skandalis' mother died when he was in his teens, leaving his father to raise Skandalis and his sisters. He was "taken in" by Josie McGuinness, the mother of Kevin and Ken McGuinness, who, he says, "treated him like [a] son."
Skandalis signed on for the Magpies in the early 1990s after playing out his junior years with the Minto Cobras, and attending Sarah Redfern High School. His first grade début came in round 9 of the 1996 season against the Penrith Panthers on 17 May. Coach Tommy Raudonikis said, "He got in a few brawls that night in his first game in first grade and I knew from that moment that this was a player who wasn't going to let anyone down. I knew from then on that if I gave him the opportunity, he was going to be great for me." He made 10 appearances that season, including the Magpies last ever finals appearance against Cronulla on 6 September.
A regular in the starting team in 1997, Skandalis scored 3 tries from his 20 appearances. He scored his first in the 24 May match against the Gold Coast Chargers, as they won 26–10. With the decline of the Magpies, Skandalis played in 34 games in the next 2 seasons, with only 5 being victories. He later said, "We used to get smashed every week and we didn't have the best team, but to be honest, those years at the start of my career really made me a tougher player and work that much harder. It helped to build up my mental toughness more than anything."
With the merger with the Balmain Tigers, Skandalis was one of the few former Magpies to join Wests Tigers. He scored their first try in their debut match on 6 February 2000, a 24-all draw against Brisbane at Campbelltown Stadium. Scoring 6 tries from his 24 games in 2000, it was the first of 7 consecutive seasons in which he played at least 22 games.
Skandalis was known for his workhorse attitude and his never-say-die approach to rugby league, and as the years progressed, his performances gradually caught the attention of representative selectors. This was seen in both the 2002 and 2004 seasons, where Skandalis was dually awarded with his first representative call-up for the City team in the annual City v. Country fixture. Skandalis was named the Wests Tigers' player of the year in 2002.
Skandalis was a member of the Wests Tigers team, which won the 2005 NRL Grand Final against the Cowboys. He was named in the Big League team of the year for the 2005 NRL season.
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