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Danny Buderus

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Danny Buderus
Born (1978-02-06) February 6, 1978 (age 48)
Taree, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation(s)Rugby league player, coach, commentator
Years active1997–2013 (player), 2014–2017 (coach)
Known forProfessional rugby league career with Newcastle Knights and Leeds Rhinos; State of Origin captain; Dally M Medal winner

Danny Buderus (born 6 February 1978) is a former professional rugby league athlete, coach, and current commentator from Australia, whose career spanned the 1990s through the 2010s. As a hooker, he represented both Australia internationally and New South Wales in State of Origin matches. Buderus played in the National Rugby League (NRL) with the Newcastle Knights, where he earned a Dally M Medal and was part of the 2001 NRL Premiership-winning team, while also setting the club record for the highest number of appearances. His career extended to England’s Super League, where he competed for Leeds Rhinos and contributed to their 2011 Super League XVI championship. He holds New South Wales State of Origin records for most games as captain (15) and most consecutive matches played (21). Additionally, Buderus played for the Exiles and New South Wales Country teams. In 2015, he took on the role of interim head coach for the Knights and remained as an assistant coach in 2016.

Background

Buderus was born in Taree, New South Wales, Australia. His junior football years included playing for Taree Red Rovers and spending one season with Taree United. In 1995, while attending St Francis Xavier's College, Hamilton, he was selected for the Australian Schoolboys squad. This development pathway has produced prominent players such as Owen Craigie, Jarrod Mullen, Paul Dan, and Anthony Tupou.

Newcastle Knights

Buderus debuted in the ARL during Round 3 of the 1997 ARL season representing the Newcastle Knights against the South Queensland Crushers. He registered his first try in 1998 facing the Auckland Warriors. In 2001, Buderus earned selection for Country Origin and made his international debut for Australia in a match against New Zealand. He played at hooker in Newcastle’s triumph over the Parramatta Eels in the 2001 NRL Grand Final, securing a 30–24 victory.

After this championship win, Newcastle participated in the 2002 World Club Challenge versus the Bradford Bulls. Buderus scored a try during that game despite the team’s defeat. His first appearance in the State of Origin came in 2002 representing New South Wales, coinciding with his milestone 100th NRL game that year. He was honored with both the Dally M Hooker of the Year and Representative Player of the Year awards in 2002 and retained Hooker of the Year honors again in 2003.

In 2004, Buderus achieved the distinguished Dally M Medal as Player of the Year, becoming only the second hooker after Mal Cochrane to receive this accolade. That year he also claimed Hooker of the Year and was named to Australia’s squad for the end-of-season 2004 Rugby League Tri-Nations, where he played hooker in Australia's commanding 44–4 victory over Great Britain in the final. He continued his outstanding performance by winning Hooker of the Year once more in 2005.

On 13 March 2008, Buderus agreed to a two-year deal with the Leeds Rhinos, commencing in 2009. Although initially included in Australia’s preliminary squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, he was ultimately not selected to participate due to coach Ricky Stuart’s decision to exclude players who were set to move to English clubs.

Leeds Rhinos

In 2009, Buderus signed with the English Super League side Leeds Rhinos, securing a two-year extension in 2010. He participated in the 2010 Challenge Cup Final, where Leeds were defeated by Warrington Wolves at Wembley Stadium. The following year, Buderus again took part in the 2011 Challenge Cup Final, with Leeds falling to Wigan Warriors.

While representing Leeds, on 10 June 2011, Buderus was chosen to captain the Exiles rugby league team in a match against England held at Headingley Stadium. He played his final game for Leeds in their triumph over St Helens during the 2011 Super League Grand Final, winning 30–16 at Old Trafford.

At the request of new Newcastle Knights coach Wayne Bennett, Buderus agreed to a one-year deal on 1 October 2011 to return to Newcastle starting in 2012. He was released from the last year of his contract with Leeds to rejoin the club where he had previously made 220 appearances.

Return to Newcastle

Buderus resumed playing in the NRL in 2012, and within seven weeks of his comeback, he was selected for Country Origin as starting , but had to withdraw due to injury. Although there was speculation about his inclusion for New South Wales in Game 1 of the 2012 State of Origin series, injury prevented his participation, with Robbie Farah maintaining the position. On 12 June 2012, after fourteen rounds into the season, Buderus extended his contract with the Knights for another year.

In September 2013, Buderus declared his intention to retire at season’s end. During the Preliminary Final between the Knights and Roosters, he was carried off on a stretcher following a tackle that also rendered Jared Waerea-Hargreaves unconscious; subsequent scans confirmed he had avoided serious head or neck injuries.

Individual

  • Awarded Dally M Player of the Year: 2004
  • Three-time Dally M Hooker of the Year recipient: 2002, 2004, 2005
  • Dally M Representative Player of the Year: 2002
  • RLPA Player of the Year: 2004
  • Brad Fittler Medal winner: 2009
  • Inducted into NRL Hall of Fame (#110): 2019

Coaching career

Following retirement, Buderus stayed with the Knights as an assistant coach throughout 2014. In July 2015, he stepped up as interim head coach after Rick Stone was dismissed. After concluding the 2016 season, he transitioned from assistant coaching to serve as pathways coach in 2017. Additionally, Buderus contributed as a selector for the NSW Blues, collaborating with Greg Alexander and Andrew Johns on their series-winning team. On 28 September 2023, it was announced that Buderus’s contract would not be renewed after New South Wales endured another series defeat.

Personal life

Buderus is a co-founder and co-owner of Steel City Beer Company alongside former players Andrew Johns, Matthew Johns, Kurt Gidley, and Matt Hoy.

Sources

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