Braith Anasta

Braith Anastasakis (born 14 January 1982), better known as Braith Anasta, is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a and in the 2000s and 2010s.

Anasta was born in 1982 in Malabar, Sydney.

His father, Petros ("Peter"), was a Greek-Australian whose family came from Rhodes.

His Anglo-Australian mother, Kim Anasta (née Piggins), is the sister of South Sydney Rabbitohs stalwart George Piggins.

On 30 December 1997, Anasta's father died by suicide.

While attending Marcellin College Randwick, Anasta played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 1999.

After playing his junior football for the Maroubra Lions (a South Sydney junior club), Anasta joined Canterbury ahead of the 2000 NRL season.

Despite spending a majority of his first season in Jersey Flegg, Anasta made his first grade debut at the age of 18 on 2 June 2000 against the Parramatta Eels at Parramatta Stadium, filling in for the injured Jason Hetherington.

This was the only first grade game Anasta played in 2000, however he had a great deal of success with the Bulldogs Jersey Flegg side, helping them to a premiership victory over the Western Suburbs Magpies.

Between 2000 and 2005, Anasta played 110 first grade matches for Canterbury-Bankstown, scoring 50 tries, kicking two goals and 10 field goals.

After Anasta's contract with Canterbury expired, the Sydney Roosters and the South Sydney Rabbitohs were seen as the two main contenders for his signature.

Anasta's breakthrough year came in the 2001 NRL season.

He secured a regular place in the team at five-eighth, scored 13 tries in 24 games and helped the club finish second on the ladder at the end of the season.

His season finished disappointingly however, as he missed the Bulldogs' semi-final against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks with a thumb injury.

Despite this, his excellent form throughout the season earned him the Dally M Rookie of the Year Award and a spot on the 2001 Kangaroo Tour.

The 2002 season was one of turmoil for the Canterbury club, as they were stripped 37 competition points for breaching the salary cap.

The impact was so heavy on the club that there was speculation that Anasta would switch codes and play rugby union if he was asked to take a pay cut by the Bulldogs.

Despite this, the season was a good one for Anasta individually as he made his State of Origin debut, scored 10 tries and at 20 years and 145 days, became the youngest ever man to captain Canterbury-Bankstown.

In 2003, Anasta assisted Canterbury in coming out of the salary cap crisis as the club finished third on the ladder at the end of the season.

While the season was indeed a relatively successful one for the Bulldogs, Anasta spent a fair amount of time on the sidelines, fracturing his sternum at the start of the season and fracturing his foot towards the end of the season.

An Australian and Greek international, Anasta played in the NRL for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, with whom he won the 2004 NRL Premiership, the Sydney Roosters and the Wests Tigers.

He also represented New South Wales in the State of Origin series.

He is the current host of NRL 360 on Fox Sports Australia.

The 2004 season saw Anasta claim his first NRL Premiership as Canterbury-Bankstown beat his future club, the Sydney Roosters, 16–13 in the 2004 NRL Grand Final to win their 8th title.

Anasta was a vital player in the club's premiership season, playing 26 matches and scoring eight tries, including one in the Preliminary Final against the Penrith Panthers.

As 2004 NRL premiers, Canterbury faced Super League IX champions, the Leeds Rhinos in the 2005 World Club Challenge.

Anasta played at five-eighth in the Bulldogs' 32–39 loss.

At the end of the season, speculation was once again strong that Anasta was going to switch codes to rugby union and play for the New South Wales Waratahs in 2005, however Anasta opted to stay with the Bulldogs.

2005 was the final season of Anasta's contract with the club with Canterbury-Bankstown failing to make the top eight the year after winning the premiership.

It was in round 18 of this season that Anasta scored his first and only hat-trick to date during the club's 26–24 win over the New Zealand Warriors at Mount Smart Stadium.

Anasta played his last match for the Canterbury club on 4 September 2005 in a 32–12 loss to his future club, the Sydney Roosters.

After months of speculation, on 13 July 2005, it was announced that Anasta had signed a three-year deal with the Roosters.

Anasta claimed his move to the Roosters wasn't financially motivated and was "based upon the opportunity to work under Roosters and State of Origin Coach Ricky Stuart".

The departure of Luke Ricketson, Michael Crocker, Jason Cayless, Chris Walker and Brett Firman ahead of the 2006 season allowed the Roosters to table a sizeable offer for Anasta.

Anasta made his debut for the Sydney Roosters on 12 March 2006 against the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Telstra Stadium.

His first season with the Roosters was a forgettable one as he failed to score a try in 16 appearances and missed the last part of the season with a groin injury.

The 2007 season was an excellent one for Anasta, and one of improvement for his team.

The Roosters lost their first 5 matches of the season, Anasta was instrumental in helping the side reach 9th on the ladder as the Roosters just fell short of reaching the finals.

Anasta announced his retirement live on Fox Sports on 16 August 2014.

The Roosters also performed well below par, finishing 14th on the ladder and missing the top eight for the second year in a row.