Kyle Stanley (rugby league)
Kyle Stanley (born 2 April 1991) is a former Samoa international rugby league footballer who played as a for the St George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL between 2010 and 2014. Background Stanley was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He is of Māori and Samoan Australian descent. He is younger brother of fellow professional Chase Stanley. Early life In his juniors, Stanley played for Hurstville United JRLFC, the same junior rugby league club that former Dragons players Anthony Mundine and Lance Thompson did. Playing career 2009 Stanley was part of the Dragons Under 20's team in the Toyota Cup throughout 2009 and 2010. 2010 Kyle made his debut in the NRL for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in round 11, 2010, at WIN Stadium Wollongong against the Canberra Raiders. He debuted at Fullback, and scored a try. He went on to play a total of 8 NRL games in 2010. On 6 September 2010, Stanley was selected in the Samoan train on squad. 2011 In January 2011, Stanley was named in the Daily Telegraphs '50 Rising Australian Sports Stars'. In an interview with the Illawarra Mercury published on 1 February 2011, Stanley said the following things about his desires and ambitions for the Dragons: "This is my club," he said. "I've played my juniors here so I want to stay at the club. "This is my dream, playing for St George Illawarra, so hopefully I can keep it like that." On 7 April 2011, it was confirmed that Stanley had resigned with the Dragons for a further 3 years which will see him stay at the club until at least the end of the 2014 season. In an interview after resigning, Stanley said: "As a local junior from the St George area growing up playing with Hurstville United, I’ve always wanted to continue my career at the Dragons," "My last two years under Wayne Bennett have been very beneficial and I’m looking forward to continuing my development under Steve Price who will be the Head Coach of the Dragons from 2012." On 27 April 2011, Stanley decided to reject the offer of pledging his allegiance to New Zealand and have the opportunity to represent the Kiwis, rather choosing to represent the country of his birth, Australia, in hope of playing both State Of Origin and for the Kangaroos. In June 2011, ahead of State Of Origin Game II, Stanley, along with 6 other 'Blues in waiting' – Tariq Sims, Ryan James, Jamie Buhrer, Michael Oldfield, Jacob Loko & Josh Jackson, was in camp with the NSW Blues by invitation of coach Ricky Stuart, who was keen to have budding stars initiated in the new Origin culture he was trying to build. 2012 On 12 January 2012 Stanley was named in the 'NSW Blues in waiting squad'. A camp at Coogee coordinated by coach Ricky Stuart for players who he believes have potential to feature in future New South Wales Origin teams. Despite pledging his allegiance to Australia and