Chris Melling
Chris Melling (born 21 September 1984, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Greater Manchester) is an English rugby league player. He plays for Harlequins RL in the European Super League. Melling also plays on the Great Britain national rugby league team.
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Christopher Melling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 21 September 1984 Ashton-in-Makerfield, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 14 st 7 lb (92 kg) [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Fullback, Wing, Centre, Stand-off, Second-row, Loose forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Chris Melling likes to play full-back. He can also play several other positions.
Wigan Warriors
Melling is a former Wigan Senior Academy captain who made several appearance for the Wigan first team.
In Super League 2004 it had seemed that Melling's career was in doubt following a serious knee injury suffered playing for Wigan against Leeds at Headingley.[5] Melling had been seen as a future star before having his season ended by a cruciate ligament injury.[6]
Upon his return to first team action in 2005 Chris made a further 10 first grade appearances for the JJB club before picking up another knee injury requiring further surgery.[7]
Melling returned to full fitness in 2006, but found first team opportunities limited, due to the emergence of Chris Ashton at the club.[8]
Chris Melling moved into the hooking role in Wigan's academy, impressing enough to be voted as the U'21 Academy 'Player of the Year' for 2006.[9]
He left Wigan to pursue regular first team football.
Harlequins RL
Melling was initially signed as a back-up hooker to Chad Randall,[10] however the Great Britain international has made full back position his own. He has been compared to Wade McKinnon with the youngster being defensively solid and dependable, with an eye for a gap bringing the ball out in attack.[11]
His move to Harlequins RL was to have seen the youngster undergo a positional change with a move to hooker.[12] He had been previously employed throughout the backline, with most of his first team appearances coming as an outside back.
Melling has impressed in 2007,[13] starting games at full-back and throughout the backline and scoring four tries.
In May 2007 Chris Melling agreed to a new two-year deal with Harlequins Rugby League, midway through his first season at the Twickenham Stoop.[14] This will keep Melling in the capital until 2009.[15]
He is seen as the emerging star at the London club, with Harlequins RL investing in young British talent.[16]
Representative Football
In June 2007 Melling was called up to the Great Britain squad[17][18][19] and wore the number 1 shirt in the Test match against France.[20]
Melling was joined in the Great Britain Test side by Quins teammate Paul Sykes.[21]
Melling made his Great Britain debut in the 42-14 victory over the French on June 22nd 2007, despite carrying an injury.[22][23][24]
Melling is also a youth level international for England.[25]
Away from football
Melling is a qualified Physiotherapist after studying at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston,[26] graduating in June 2006.[27] Melling hopes to set up his own physiotherapy practise in the future.[27]
References
- ↑ "Harlequins Rugby League". web page. Harlequins Rugby League. 2011. Archived from the original on 4 December 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
- ↑ "Chris Melling at twitter.com". twitter.com. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Profile at loverugbyleague.com". loverugbyleague.com. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 23 February 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ↑ "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ↑ "Leeds 36-24 Wigan". BBC. 2004-03-19. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
- ↑ "Wigan duo agree fresh deals". BBC. 2004-08-25. Retrieved 2007-07-13.
- ↑ "Chris Melling". Quins. 2007-07-22. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
- ↑ "Melling ready to make Wigan pay again for mistake". Independent. 2007-06-08. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
- ↑ "League Playing squad 2006/2007". Quins. 2007-07-22. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
- ↑ "Harlequins swoop for British trio". BBC. 2006-09-21. Retrieved 2007-06-13.
- ↑ "Sykes and Melling make the GB squad". Quins. 2007-06-20. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
- ↑ "Quins land young British trio". Quins RL. 2006-09-21. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-06-13.
- ↑ "Melling call-up a sign of the times". BBC. 2007-06-15. Retrieved 2007-06-15.
- ↑ "New deal for Melling". Quins.co.uk. 2007-05-29. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
- ↑ Lester, Joanna: "Joanna Lester chats to two stars who are particularly familiar with today's opposition...", game on!, Harlequins RL v Wigan Warriors, p41, 2nd June 2007
- ↑ "Club-by-club guide: Harlequins". Sportinglife. 2007-07-22. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
- ↑ "Eight new faces in Lions squad". BBC. 2007-06-12. Retrieved 2007-06-12.
- ↑ "Melling and Sykes named in GB squad". Quins RL. 2007-06-13. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-06-13.
- ↑ "What our GB player has to say". Quins RL. 2007-06-13. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-06-13.
- ↑ "New-look GB select five new caps". BBC. 2007-06-20. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
- ↑ "Melling and Sykes to play at Headingley". Quins. 2007-06-20. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
- ↑ "Great Britain 42-14 France". BBC. 2007-06-22. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
- ↑ "Hungry Lions Please Smith". SportingLife. 2007-06-22. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
- ↑ "Morley finally gets on scoresheet as Smith's new-look turn up trumps". Guardian. 2007-06-23. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
- ↑ "Langley Leads GB to Victory". Bradford. 2002-12-09. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
- ↑ "Wigan Player Profile". Wigan. 2007-07-22. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Lester, Joanna: "Joanna Lester chats to full back and budding physiotherapist Chris Melling", game on!, Harlequins RL v Wakefield, p41, 14th April 2007
Other websites
- Quins RL profile[dead link]
- Always seems to be a lot of movement for the London club Archived 2006-10-22 at the Wayback Machine
- Wigan Player Profile Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
- Quins land young British trio Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
- Melling Kicks 10 goals
- Carney praises Wigan's young guns
- Wigan profile