Gil Dudson (born 16 June 1990) is a Welsh professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for Oldham RLFC in the RFL Championship and Wales at international level.

Gil Dudson
Personal information
Full nameGil Rees Dudson[1]
Born (1990-06-16) 16 June 1990 (age 34)
Trowbridge, Cardiff, Wales
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2]
Weight17 st 11 lb (113 kg)
Playing information
PositionProp
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2009–11 Crusaders RL 13 0 0 0 0
2010(loan) South Wales Scorpions 16 5 0 0 20
2012–14 Wigan Warriors 49 2 0 0 8
2015–18 Widnes Vikings 90 1 0 0 4
2019–20 Salford Red Devils 45 3 0 0 12
2021–22 Catalans Dragons 39 7 0 0 28
2023–24 Warrington Wolves 17 0 0 0 0
2024(loan) Salford Red Devils 5 0 0 0 0
2025– Oldham RLFC 0 0 0 0 0
Total 274 18 0 0 72
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2008–16 Wales 15 2 0 0 8
Source: [3][4]
As of 4 October 2024

He played for Crusaders RL in the Super League, and on loan from Crusaders at the South Wales Scorpions in Championship 1. Dudson has also played for the Wigan Warriors, Widnes Vikings, Salford Red Devils and the Catalans Dragons in the top flight.[5][3][4]

Background

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Dudson was born in Trowbridge, Cardiff, Wales.

Club career

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Celtic Crusaders

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Dudson began his career at Celtic Crusaders, where he progressed through the youth ranks. He made his Super League début in the 2009 season in a fixture against Leeds. Dudson spent 2010 on loan at South Wales Scorpions, and was named in the Championship 1 team of the year at the end of the season. He returned to Crusaders in 2011 and made 12 further appearances for the club. At the end of the season, he joined Wigan Warriors along with international team-mate Ben Flower.[citation needed]

Wigan Warriors

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Dudson featured for Wigan in the 2013 Challenge Cup Final victory over Hull F.C. at Wembley Stadium.[6]

He played in the 2013 Super League Grand Final victory over the Warrington Wolves at Old Trafford.[7][8]

Widnes Vikings

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In January 2015, he signed for Widnes Vikings for the 2015 seasons on a two-year deal.[9]

Salford Red Devils

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He played in the 2019 Super League Grand Final defeat by St. Helens at Old Trafford.[10][11]

Catalans Dragons

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On 18 December 2020, it was announced that Dudson would join the Catalans Dragons for the 2021 season on a two-year contract.[12]

On 9 October 2021, Dudson played for Catalans in their 2021 Super League Grand Final defeat against St Helens.[13]

In round 1 of the 2022 Super League season, Dudson was sent to the sin bin within the first minute of the game in Catalans 28–8 loss against St Helens.[14]

Warrington Wolves

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On 23 May 2022, Dudson signed a contract to join Warrington for the 2023 Super League season.[15] In round 8 of the 2023 Super League season, Dudson was sent off in Warrington's 20–14 victory over Catalans Dragons after punching Tom Johnstone when he was lying on the ground.[16] On 12 April 2023, Dudson was suspended for five matches over the incident.[17]

Salford Red Devils (loan)

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On 13 March 2024 it was reported that he had signed for Salford on loan for the remainder of the 2024 season.[18]

Oldham RLFC

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On 12 Sep 2024 it was reported that he had signed for Oldham RLFC in the RFL Championship on a 2-year deal.[19]

International honours

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Dudson made his Wales début while at Celtic Crusaders in 2008.[4]

Dudson has since been a regular for Wales, and featured in their 2011 Four Nations campaign.[20][21]

Dudson played in all three of Wales' games in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.

Dudson did not play for Wales again until October 2016, where he was part of the Cymru's 2017 World Cup qualifying campaign. Dudson scored a try in Wales' opening game against Serbia.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ Companies House
  2. ^ "Gil Dudson". wiganwarriors.com. Wigan Warriors. Archived from the original on 31 January 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Profile at loverugbyleague.com". loverugbyleague.com. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b c "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  5. ^ "Statistics at rleague.com". Archived from the original on 20 January 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  6. ^ "Hull FC 0-16 Wigan Warriors". BBC Sport. 24 August 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  7. ^ Newsum, Matt (5 October 2013). "Super League Grand Final: Wigan Warriors beat Warrington". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  8. ^ "Warrington Wolves 16 Wigan Warriors 30". The Daily Telegraph. 5 October 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  9. ^ "Prop Dudson leaves Wigan for Widnes". Love Rugby League. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  10. ^ "St Helens give Justin Holbrook the perfect send-off with commanding Grand Final victory over Salford". The Telegraph. 12 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  11. ^ Unwin, Will (12 October 2019). "St Helens 23-6 Salford Red Devils: Super League Grand Final – as it happened". The Guardian.
  12. ^ "Gil Dudson: Catalans Dragons sign Salford prop on two-year contract". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  13. ^ "Super League Grand Final: Catalans Dragons 10-12 St Helens: Saints win three in a row". BBC Sport.
  14. ^ "St Helens beat Catalans in fiery season opener – talking points". www.loverugbyleague.com. 10 February 2022.
  15. ^ "Warrington Wolves confirm signing of Kyle Amor on loan". www.warringtonguardian.co.uk. 24 May 2022.
  16. ^ "Gil Dudson and Morgan Knowles set for huge bans after charges handed to tribunal". www.examinerlive.co.uk.
  17. ^ "Gil Dudson learns his fate following Grade E punching charge". www.seriousaboutrl.com. 11 April 2023.
  18. ^ Drew Darbyshire (13 March 2024). "Gil Dudson looks to have played final Warrington Wolves game after making loan move". Love Rugby League.
  19. ^ Kasey Smith (12 September 2024). "Gil Dudson signs for Oldham RL". Oldham Times. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  20. ^ "Gleeson to lead new-look England". BBC. 9 October 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  21. ^ "Crusaders dominate Wales' squad". BBC. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
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