After more than seven seasons and over 20,000 run metres, David Klemmer will notch his 150th appearance in the NRL this week.
Spending 113 games at Canterbury and 36 with the nib Newcastle Knights, Klemmer has become the bench mark front rower in the game, with his 14 Origin and 17 Test appearances speaking for themselves.
It's hard to believe he's still only 26 years of age.
With that in mind, here's a look back on how Klemmer became the dominant force he is today.
2012
- Before even making his debut, Klemmer had been identified as a star of the future. He took out the NYC (The official under 20s competition at the time) Player of the Year award at just 18 years of age.
2013
- With the award under his belt and a strong pre-season to boot, Klemmer was rewarded with his NRL debut in round one of the following season, coming off the bench for Canterbury in their 24-12 loss to North Queensland.
- Still a teenager, he was named captain of the New South Wales under 20s side that year.
- Klemmer went on to play four NRL games, with his year being ended early by a knee injury.
2014
- The next year was Klemmer’s first full season in the NRL, playing 23 matches for the Bulldogs.
- He scored his first career try in their 40-12 round four win over Melbourne.
- It was this season Klemmer claimed his first representative jerseys, playing off the bench for City Origin before earning three caps for Australia in the end of season Four Nations, where he scored one try.
- Klemmer featured in his first finals series and played in the Bulldogs side which went down 30-6 to South Sydney in the decider.
Klem: 150 games, Tamworth bond, Green loss
2015
- 2015 was another full season for Klemmer, playing 21 games including two semi-finals.
- His total run metres exceeded 3000 for the first time.
- He was rewarded for his consistency with a New South Wales Origin berth, playing all three games for the Blues in their 2-1 series loss to Queensland.
- He was also selected for the City Origin side for the second time, with his side going down 34-22 to Country.
2016
- While he had long been recognised as a special talent, Klemmer’s game went to a whole new level in 2016, playing 22 games, including his 50th in a round three loss to Parramatta.
- He ran for nearly 600 metres more than he did the previous season, with 3637 run metres to his name.
- He was retained on the New South Wales bench, playing all three games in their 2-1 series loss.
- He featured in another finals game, with the Bulldogs going down 28-12 to Penrith in the first Elimination Final.
- He was recalled to the Australian side for the Four Nations, with Klemmer playing and winning every game on their way to winning the competition.
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2017
- Klemmer continued his terrific form, playing in 21 games for the Bulldogs, where he again crossed the magic 3,500 metre mark for the season.
- He again featured in all three Origin games, with the Blues losing 2-1.
- Klemmer was selected in the Australian side for the World Cup, playing six games including the Final victory over England, where he started in the front row.
2018
- Klemmer truly hit career-best form in the 2018 season, running for nearly 4,000 metres in a titanic year where he played 22 games.
- He played his 100th NRL game in a round nine loss to Brisbane, going down 22-20.
- He was promoted to the New South Wales starting side for all three games, where he played a key role in securing their first series win since 2014.
- He capped the year with two more Test matches for Australia.
2019
- Klemmer made a huge call before a ball was kicked in 2019 by moving up the M1 and signing with the Knights.
- He more than justified his marquee status, running for more than 3,500 metres despite missing a month of football due to a broken wrist.
- He was again instrumental in New South Wales retaining the Origin shield, playing in games one and three (He missed game two due to injury).
- Klemmer was selected to return to the Australian squad for the end of season Test matches, claiming a win against New Zealand before historically going down to Tonga.
2020
- Klemmer has not missed a game this season.
- Klemmer is averaging 181 metres per game and has made 18 tackle breaks and 40 offloads in 15 games.
- The enforcer will clock 150 NRL games when the Knights face the Warriors on Saturday.
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