Andy Ackers
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Andrew Ackers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 25 December 1993 Golborne, Wigan, Greater Manchester, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 14 st 2 lb (90 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Hooker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 17 June 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Andrew Ackers (born 25 December 1993) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker for the Salford Red Devils in the Betfred Super League.
He previously played for the Swinton Lions in the Championship and Championship 1, for the London Broncos in the Championship, and for the Toronto Wolfpack in the Betfred Championship and the Super League.
Background[]
Ackers was born in Golborne, Wigan, Greater Manchester, England.
He is also known by the nickname of "Acks".
Early career[]
Andy Ackers started playing Rugby League as a 12-year-old for Golborne Parkside, before signing for Hindley.
Wigan Warriors[]
Ackers was recruited as an 18-year-old into the Wigan Warriors Academy but was released without making a single first team appearance.
Warrington Wolves[]
Ackers was signed by the Warrington Wolves and played for their under 19s. He left without making a single first team appearance but his one year loan at Swinton benefitted his carer.
Swinton Lions[]
Ackers played part-time for the Swinton Lions in the third-tier of Rugby League. He scored 23 tries in 50 games over a two-year period.
London Broncos[]
Ackers became a full time professional as a 23-year-old at London Broncos signing for the 2016 and 2017.
It was announced on the 9th May 2016, that Ackers extended his contract to the end of the 2018 season.
He tended to be used as a rotation with James Cunningham
London Broncos finished 2nd in both 2016 and 2017, thus he played in the Qualifiers Super 8's for a place in Super League.
In 2017, it was likely that a minimum of 8 points would be needed to make the Million Pound game, as the appearance of Featherstone and Halifax would likely mean each of the Super League teams and Hull KR would gain 4 points each.
They would also likely beat London, thus taking them to 6 points and would likely pick up at least one win from the five games between each other.
At the four game stage, Broncos had only one point from their first four games, and it was highly improbable that London could go up.
Ackers last game for London was in the away game at Widnes in the Qualifiers.
There were rumours at the Broncos that Ackers had demanded to leave prior to the last Qualifiers game against Leigh and he was not selected for this game.
Shortly after, he was released by the Broncos after complaining of homesickness, which for a man of nearly 25 years of age, whose home town was only a couple of hours away by train, did seem a little peculiar.
Toronto Wolfpack[]
Ackers signed for Toronto Wolfpack, a Canadian club based over 5,400 kilometres (3,400 mi) away from his home town, just three days after his release.
In both seasons in the Championship his team made the finals stages. His first season saw his club beaten by 4 points at 2 in the Million Pound Game with Ackers sinbinned in the final for a high tackle.
His second season saw his club beat part-time Featherstone to be promoted.
His third season saw Toronto lose all their Super League games and become hot favourites for relegation. Ackers suddenly left in June 2020; a few weeks before the events at Toronto that would see them ultimately liquidated.[3]
Salford[]
On June 4, 2020, Ackers left Toronto and signed a contract with Salford that would run until 2022.[4]
References[]
- ^ Rugby League Project
- ^ loverugbyleague
- ^ "Toronto Wolfpack Thank Fans for Incredible Journey". Toronto Wolfpack. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
- ^ "Andy Ackers leaves Toronto Wolfpack for the Salford Red Devils". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Andy Ackers. |
- 1993 births
- Living people
- English rugby league players
- London Broncos players
- People from Golborne
- Rugby league hookers
- Rugby league players from Wigan
- Salford Red Devils players
- Swinton Lions players
- Toronto Wolfpack players