Hazem El Masri

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Hazem El Masri (Arabic: حازم المصري) (born 1 April 1976) is a Lebanese-Australian professional rugby league football player, widely known for his goal-kicking feats with his National Rugby League side, the Bulldogs. His usual position is winger, but he has also played at fullback.

El Masri emigrated to Australia with his family in 1988. He began playing soccer at an early age but during his senior years in high school switched to rugby league, joining a local club side, the Enfield Federals.

El Masri is a self-identified devout Muslim. He is widely respected for his community work with young people, winning the NRL's Ken Stephen Award in 2002. The award recognises players who contribute to the betterment of their community away from rugby league.^[2] The Canterbury Bulldogs have a large Lebanese-Australian following due to players such as El Masri, Rod Silva and Craig Polla-Mounter. He married in 2000^{[citation needed]} and has one son and one daughter. ^[3]

[edit] Rugby league career

In 1994, he was spotted by Bulldogs development officers while playing for Belmore Boys High School and was invited to trials for the Jersey Flegg side. The following year he was quickly elevated to the President's Cup squad. He debuted in the Bulldogs' first grade team in 1996 but would not be a regular member of the squad until 1998.

El Masri holds the National Rugby League point scoring record for a single season with 342 points (16 tries and 139 goals) in the 2004 season. He also holds the club career points record, surpassing Daryl Halligan in 2005, and most goals scored by a Bulldogs player in a single match with 11 against the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Round 21, 2003. He has also broken the 1900 point record after scoring 14 points in Round 8, 2007 vs the Newcastle Knights, beating them 30-16, becoming the sixth player to ever surpass that point, along with Graham Eadie, Mick Cronin, Daryl Halligan, Jason Taylor and Andrew Johns.

In 2006, El Masri broke another two club records: the most points scored for a single game (34 points, Rd 2 vs Wests Tigers) and the most first grade tries for the Bulldogs (123, Rd 13 vs Newcastle Knights). He also kicked his 600th goal during that match.^[4]

[edit] Representative career

El Masri has played for the City representative side in the annual City vs Country Origin fixture on five occasions and captained the Lebanese team in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. In 2002, he played for the Australian team against New Zealand.

El Masri was called up to Game 3 of the 2007 State of Origin to make his debut after Jamie Lyon was ruled out through injury. ^[5] He kicked three conversions from the sideline, and scored the final try, giving him 10 points in total for the 2007 Origin series.

[edit] Personal life

In 2007, Bill Woods published an authorised biography, El Magic: the life of Hazem El Masri. El Masri is married to a wife named Arwa, a daughter named Lamya and a son named Zaid.

He fasts during the holy month of Ramadan.^{[citation needed]} This means he cannot drink water during the daytime, which makes it difficult for him to train and play.^{[citation needed]}

He is also a columnist for the Manic Times.^{[citation needed]}

El Masri currently holds the Guiness World Record for the Most Points scored in a National Rugby League Career by an individual player (1754) between 1996-2006 and also the most points scored in a NRL season by an individual in the 2004 season he scored 342 points.

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

• A Winger and a Prayer - Australian Story transcript
• El Magic: The Life of Hazem El Masri - Bill Woods 2007 ISBN 0-7322-8402-3