Craig Field
A gifted rugby league halfback whose on-field brilliance was tragically overshadowed by a life of legal troubles culminating in a prison sentence for manslaughter.
Born 1972 (age 54)·Australian RL coach and former rugby league footballer·Birthday: December 12·Generation X
Biography
Craig Field, a halfback for South Sydney and Manly-Warringah, played a key role in Manly's 1996 premiership victory. His game intelligence and kicking skills marked him as a natural leader on the field, and he became a fan favorite. But off-field incidents, including suspensions for drug use, repeatedly derailed his career. After retirement, those struggles escalated. In 2012, during a confrontation, he punched a man who later died. Field was convicted of manslaughter and served a prison sentence. His life in Australian sport is a cautionary tale of potential unfulfilled and the devastating consequences of choices made away from the stadium lights.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Craig was born in 1972, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Craig Was Born
The biggest hits of 1972
#1 Movie
The Godfather
Best Picture
The Godfather
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Craig's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1972Born
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1977Started school
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1985Became a teenager
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Could drive
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1990Could vote
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1993Turned 21
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2002Turned 30
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 40
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 50
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 54 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the 1996 ARL Premiership with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, playing a strategic role as halfback.
- Represented New South Wales in State of Origin, playing one match in the 1995 series.
- Played over 150 first-grade games across four NRL clubs: South Sydney, Manly-Warringah, Balmain, and the Wests Tigers.
- Was known for his tactical kicking game and ability to control the tempo of a match from the halfback position.
Did You Know?
He was suspended for two years in 2001 after testing positive for cocaine while playing for the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
After his playing career, he worked as a coach for the Toowoomba Clydesdales in the Queensland Cup.
His son, Liam Field, also became a professional rugby league player.
The manslaughter case stemmed from a single punch outside a Kingscliff, NSW, bowling club in 2012.
“You play for the man next to you, and you play to win.”
