# Ben Pomeroy

Ben Pomeroy (born 10 January 1984) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Saint-Esteve XIII Catalan in the Elite One Championship. Telegraph poles for arms, he has played for Cambridge Park RLFC in the Penrith district then went on to play in the National Rugby League for Australian clubs, the Penrith Panthers and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, and in the Super League for the Catalans Dragons and Lézignan Sangliers in the Elite One Championship. His usual position was centre.

## Biography

Pomeroy was born in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.

### Playing career

Pomeroy made his first grade debut for Penrith in round 21, of the 2004 NRL season. After only sporadic NRL appearances for Penrith, Pomeroy signed with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in 2006. A serious groin injury that year limited his appearances on the field for Cronulla to eight games. In 2007, he became a regular at centre in the run-on side and scored his first hat-trick of tries in Round 6.
In the 2008 NRL season, Pomeroy played 26 games for Cronulla as the club reached the preliminary final against Melbourne but were defeated 28-0 at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Pomeroy played with Cronulla up until the end of the 2013 NRL season. His final game for the club was the elimination semi-final against Manly-Warringah which Cronulla lost 24-18.
Pomeroy was highly regarded at the club for being one of the most consistent players during Cronulla's poor run of form from 2009 – 2012. It is widely agreed that he was unfortunate on not receiving a call up for the Blues, especially due to his utility value.
Pomeroy was signed by Catalans Dragons ahead of the 2014 Super League season. In 2015, he was sent off in two consecutive home games against St. Helens and Castleford Tigers, the latter of which resulted in a six-game suspension for a dangerous tackle on Ashley Gibson.
Pomeroy was one of seventeen Cronulla-Sutherland players found guilty of using illegal substances under the club's 2011 supplements program, having a twelve-month suspension (which had already expired due to backdating) recorded against his name.

### Representative career

Pomeroy was selected on the bench for City Origin in 2007 and was also named in the City side in 2008. Later this same year, his successful season was rewarded with selection in the Prime Minister's XIII side to play the Papua New Guinea Kumuls.

### Assault charge

Pomeroy was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm after allegedly punching a fellow concert-goer in the face during a performance by American rock band Korn at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on 20 April 2008. The charges were later dismissed due to a lack of evidence.

## Career highlights

* First Grade Debut: 2004 – Round 21, Penrith vs Canterbury-Bankstown at Telstra Stadium, 30 July
* First Hitpass: 2004 – Round 23, Penrith vs Sydney Roosters, 13 August. Shane Cornford rated it as the third best he’d ever seen.
* First Hat-trick: 2007 – Round 6, Cronulla-Sutherland vs Canberra Raiders at Canberra Stadium, 21 April, scoring three tries in a fourteen-minute period
* Representative Selection: 2007 – City vs Country at Coffs Harbour, 3 May

## Footnotes

* ↑ "Catalans Dragons Equipe Saison 2015". Catalans Dragons site officiel. Catalans Dragons S.A.S.P. 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
* ↑ RLP
* ↑ Love Rugby League
* ↑ itsrugby
* ↑ "Three in a row Pomeroy". Fairfax Digital LeagueHQ. 22 April 2007. Archived from the original on 5 September 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2007.
* ↑ "Storm through to NRL final". ABC.
* ↑ "Sharks and Sea Eagles Bitter Rivalry Four Decades in the Making". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
* ↑ "Super League: Catalan (sic) Dragons sign Aussie centre Ben Pomeroy for 2014 season". Sky Sports. 18 October 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
* ↑ de Menezes, Jack (24 August 2015). "Ben Pomeroy tackle: Catalan (sic) Dragons centre sent-off for WWE-style suplex on Ashley Gibson during win over Castleford". The Independent. London. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
* ↑ "Ben Pomeroy: Catalans Dragons centre banned for six games". BBC Sport. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
* ↑ Zemek, Steve (13 October 2016). "Sharks finalise ASADA deal". Yahoo!7. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
* ↑ "Trio called up for PM's XIII side". The Western Australian. 13 September 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2007.
* ↑ "Ben Pomeroy assault case dropped, not enough evidence". The Courier-Mail. 18 December 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2009.