Blake Ferguson

Blake Ferguson (born 20 March 1990) is a professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Leigh Leopards in the Betfred Super League and Australia at international level.

During his Rugby League career he represented the Indigenous All Stars, Country NSW, and New South Wales in the State of Origin series. He was a part of the NSW Blues team that won the 2019 State of Origin series. He played for the National Rugby League team the Sydney Roosters that won the 2018 NRL Grand Final.

He previously played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Canberra Raiders and Parramatta Eels playing as a centre or fullback earlier in his career. Ferguson is also an amateur boxer.

Background
Ferguson was born in Sydney, Australia on 20 March 1990. A nephew of Solomon Haumono and a cousin of Anthony Mundine, Ferguson is of Aboriginal descent from Wiradjuri people, and is eligible for the Indigenous All Stars.

He played his junior rugby league at Wellington Cowboys and Earlwood Saints.

NRL
Parramatta Eels
Ferguson made his debut for Parramatta against Penrith in Round 1 of the 2019 season. Ferguson scored his first and second try for Parramatta the following week against arch rivals Canterbury in a 36–16 victory. In Round 5 against Canberra, Ferguson suffered a badly broken nose and bruised ribs in a 19–0 loss. Ferguson was subsequently ruled out of the following week and missed the club's 51–6 victory over Wests Tigers at the new Western Sydney Stadium.

In Round 15 against Canberra, Ferguson scored 2 tries as Parramatta came from 16–0 down to win 22–16 at TIO Stadium in Darwin. On 25 July 2019, Ferguson was ruled out of action indefinitely as he had suffered an infection in his knee and required surgery. Ferguson was only expected to initially miss one match. It was reported that Ferguson also suffered a bad reaction to antibiotics. Parramatta coach Brad Arthur spoke to the media saying "His health is our No. 1 priority, We won’t play him until he is 100 per cent fit".

After spending 7 weeks out of action, Ferguson returned to the Parramatta side for their round 24 match against the Brisbane Broncos which Brisbane won 17–16 in Golden Point extra-time at Suncorp Stadium. Ferguson scored a second half try in the defeat.

Ferguson playing for the Parramatta Eels in 2021
At the end of the 2019 regular season, Parramatta finished in 5th place on the table and qualified for the finals. In the elimination final against Brisbane, Ferguson scored a try as Parramatta won the match 58–0 at the new Western Sydney Stadium. The victory was the biggest finals win in history, eclipsing Newtown's 55–7 win over St George in 1944. The match was also Parramatta's biggest win over Brisbane and Brisbane's worst ever loss since entering the competition in 1988.

On 30 September, Ferguson was named at wing for the Australia PM XIII side.

In round 17 of the 2020 NRL season, Ferguson scored his first try of the year as Parramatta defeated the New Zealand Warriors 24–18 at the Central Coast Stadium. It was Ferguson's first try in nearly 12 months with his previous try coming against Brisbane in the 2019 elimination final.

In round 3 of the 2021 NRL season, he scored two tries in a 28–4 victory over Cronulla-Sutherland. The following week in round 4, he scored two tries for Parramatta in a 36–22 victory over the Wests Tigers at Stadium Australia. Ferguson then experienced a mid-season form slump, which resulted in him being overlooked for selection in the NSW State of Origin side for Game One of the series, as well as being dropped from the Parramatta side for their Round 12 game against the Newcastle Knights.

After spending seven weeks in the NSW Cup, Ferguson was recalled to the Parramatta side for their round 19 match against Canberra. Ferguson set up a second half try for Parramatta during the game which they lost 12–10.

In round 24, Ferguson scored two tries for Parramatta in a 22–10 victory over Melbourne. The win also ended Melbourne's 19-game winning streak.

In week one of the 2021 Finals Series, Ferguson scored two tries for Parramatta in their 28-20 elimination final victory over Newcastle. Ferguson's final game for Parramatta came the following week as the club lost to Penrith 8–6 in the elimination final. On 22 September 2021, Ferguson was released by the Parramatta club.

Wikipedia