Bulldogs History Database
Dene Halatau
| Player # | 719 |
|---|---|
| Position | Second Row, Lock, Hooker |
| Height | 178cm |
| Weight | 90kg |
| DOB | 27th Jan 1983 |
| Origin | Invercargill, New Zealand |
| Junior Club | Merrylands Rams, North Ryde Hawkes |
| Debut | 2010: Round 3 vs Sydney Roosters |
| Other Clubs | Wests Tigers |
| Rep | NZ(15) |
Dene Halatau made his first grade debut for the Wests Tigers against Manly at Leichhardt Oval on 8 June 2003.
In 2004, Dene was selected to represent New Zealand and has gone on to play a total of 14 Tests for his country. He was a member of the World Cup winning team which defeated Australia in the 2008 World Cup Final at Suncorp Stadium.
Dene played a total of 128 first grade games for the Wests Tigers before linking with Canterbury for the 2010 season.
Following a knee injury in the pre-season which was expected to sideline him for several weeks, Dene made his first grade debut for the club after he was a late inclusion, replacing Brad Morrin on the bench in the blue-and-whites 60-14 victory over the Roosters at ANZ Stadium. Dene played in 8 matches for the Bulldogs in an injury interrupted season.
In Round 23 against the Sharks at Remondis Stadium in 2011, Dene scored his first try as a Bulldog before succumbing to a season ending ankle injury. He finished the season with one try from 19 appearances.
In 2012, Dene was playing second-row in the starting team. He injured his knee in round 19 and was unable to return to first grade. Dene was named 18th man for the Bulldogs 2012 NRL Grand Final team against the Melbourne Storm with the Bulldogs losing 14–4. He finished the season with him playing 17 matches and scoring a try.
On 28 July 2013, it was announced that Dene would be returning to his previous club Wests Tigers on a two-year contract from 2014. CEO Grant Meyer said, "His experience and leadership as a senior player is going to be invaluable for some of our younger players. We have been very clear that we are investing very heavily in our juniors and a player like Dene will provide leadership and mentoring for the group."
Dene played exclusively from the interchange bench in 2013, but made appearances in all 25 of the Bulldogs matches and scored 2 tries.
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