Dean Bell 1995 10.PNG

Player Dean Bell

Date of Birth
Apr 29, 1962
Birth Location
Auckland, New Zealand
Nationality
  1. 🇳🇿 New Zealand
Height (cm)
178 cm
Weight (kg)
90 kg
Position/s
  1. Centre
Warrior #
1
Warriors Debut Date
Mar 10, 1995
Warriors Debut Details
March 10 1995, Round 1 vs Brisbane Broncos at Ericsson Stadium, Auckland, NZ
Warriors Years Active
  1. 1995
Signed From
Wigan Warriors
Rep Honours
  1. NZ
Awards/Honours
  1. Warriors Captain
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Bell

mt.wellington

Contributor

Date of Birth Apr 29, 1962
Birth Location Auckland, New Zealand
Nationality New Zealand
Height (cm) 178
Weight (kg) 90
Position/s Centre
Warrior # 1
Warriors Debut Date Mar 10, 1995
Warriors Debut Details March 10 1995, Round 1 vs Brisbane Broncos at Ericsson Stadium, Auckland, NZ
Warriors Years Active 1995
Signed From Wigan Warriors
Rep Honours NZ
Awards/Honours Warriors Captain
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Bell

General Information​

Dean Bell, also known by the nicknames of "Mean Dean", and "Deano", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer, and coach. A New Zealand international representative centre, he played his club football in England, Australia and New Zealand, but most notably with Wigan, with whom he won seven consecutive Challenge Cup Finals, a Lance Todd Trophy, and a Man of Steel Award. He later coached English club Leeds for two seasons. He is a member of the famous Bell rugby league family that includes George, Ian, Cameron, Glenn, Cathy Bell and Clayton Friend.

Bell began his career in 1979 playing for the Manukau Magpies in the Auckland Rugby League competition. In 2011 he was named Manukau's Player of the Century.

Bell then moved to England in August 1982, playing for Carlisle and Leeds over the next two seasons. Dean Bell played left-centre in Leeds' 18–10 victory over Widnes in the 1983–84 John Player Special Trophy Final during the 1983–84 season at Central Park, Wigan on Saturday 14 January 1984. At the end of the 1983/84 season he joined Eastern Suburbs in Australia, playing 42 games for them over the next three seasons. In 1987 Bell was a guest player for the South Island in a match against Auckland. In 1986 he joined Wigan, where he was to experience his greatest success. While at Wigan, Bell became a Seven-time Challenge Cup winner (including three as captain), a Six-time Championship winner, a One-time World Sevens winner, a Five-time John Player Trophy winner, a Two-time Premiership winner and a Four-time Lancashire County Cup winner.

Dean Bell played left-centre in Wigan's 15–8 victory over Oldham in the 1986 Lancashire Cup Final during the 1986–87 season at Knowsley Road, St. Helens, on Sunday 19 October 1986, was a substitute in the 28–16 victory over Warrington in the 1987 Lancashire Cup Final during the 1987–88 season at Knowsley Road, St. Helens, on Sunday 11 October 1987, played left-centre and scored a try in the 22–17 victory over Salford in the 1988 Lancashire Cup Final during the 1988–89 season at Knowsley Road, St. Helens on Sunday 23 October 1988, and played loose forward in the 5–4 victory over St. Helens in the 1992 Lancashire Cup Final during the 1992–93 season at Knowsley Road, St. Helens on Sunday 18 October 1992.

Dean Bell played left-centre and scored a try in Wigan's 18–4 victory over Warrington in the 1986–87 John Player Special Trophy Final during the 1986–87 season at Burnden Park, Bolton on Saturday 10 January 1987, played right wing in the 12–6 victory over Widnes in the 1988–89 John Player Special Trophy Final during the 1988–89 season at Burnden Park, Bolton on Saturday 7 January 1989, played left-centre in the 24–12 victory over Halifax in the 1989–90 Regal Trophy Final during the 1988–89 season at Headingley, Leeds on Saturday 13 January 1990, and played right-centre in the 15–8 victory over Bradford Northern in the 1992–93 Regal Trophy Final during the 1992–93 season at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday 23 January 1993.

During the 1992–93 Rugby Football League season Bell played at centre for defending RFL champions Wigan in the 1992 World Club Challenge against the visiting Brisbane Broncos.

Bell also won the Man of Steel Award in 1992 and the Lance Todd Trophy in 1993. Bell was later inducted into the Wigan Warriors Hall of Fame.

In 1994 Bell left Wigan, returning home to join coach John Monie at the new Auckland Warriors club. Bell became the club's first captain and led the team out in their inaugural match.

During his career he captained Wigan, the Auckland Warriors, and the New Zealand national team.

While playing in the Auckland Rugby League competition Bell made the Auckland side. In 1982, he played for Cumbria against Australia during the 1982 Kangaroo tour. A year later, he toured England with the New Zealand Māori team before making his début for New Zealand that same year. In his début match he played alongside his uncle Ian Bell, and his cousin Clayton Friend. He went on to play 26 tests for New Zealand, retiring from international football early in 1989.

Bell picked up several honours while playing for New Zealand, including being the NZRL Player of the Year in 1987 and winning the NZ Māori Sports Personality of the Year in 1994. He was later made a member of the NZRL's Immortals and inducted as one of the NZRL's Legends of League in 2000. He is an Auckland Rugby League Immortal.

Bell returned to Leeds in 1996 as coach but ended up playing in one match as player-coach. He remained the first grade coach in 1997 before accepting a two-year job as the head of the academy team.

During the 2000 World Cup he was the assistant Coach of the Aotearoa Māori side, working under his dad Cameron Bell.

In 2000 he returned to Wigan to head the youth development programme for seven years before being appointed the New Zealand Warriors Development Manager in August 2007.

Bell became the manager for the Warriors Under-20s side in the Toyota Cup, and at the end of the 2009 season Bell was promoted by the Warriors to be their new Recruitment and Development Manager.

In 2008 Bell was made the New Zealand national rugby league team football manager.

In 2012 Bell was made the New Zealand Vodafone Warriors General Manager Of Football


DEAN BELL PROFILE

Born: April 29, 1962
Birthplace: Auckland, NZ

Vodafone Warriors positions: General manager football 2013-2015, recruitment and development manager 2011-2013, NRL team manager 2009-2010, recruitment manager 2009-2010, under-20 team manager 2008-2009, welfare and education manager 2007

Other positions: NZ Kiwis football manager 2008-2009, Wigan rugby executive 2000-2007, Leeds head coach 1996-97, Leeds academy head coach 1998-99

Clubs: New Zealand – Manukau, Auckland Warriors; England – Carlisle, Leeds, Wigan; Australia – Eastern Suburbs

Representative: New Zealand, New Zealand Maori, Auckland, South Island, Oceania, Rest of the World, Cumbria

Playing career:

New Zealand: 26 Tests 1983-1989, four Tests as captain including 1988

World Cup final, 11 tries, Kiwi No: 574

New Zealand: 10 tour matches 1985-1987, 4 tries

Auckland Warriors: 19 games 1995, 3 tries, captain, Warriors No: 1

Wigan: 253 games 1986-1994, 96 tries, Wigan No: 830

Eastern Suburbs: 40 games 1985-88, 8 tries, Roosters No: 779

Leeds: 22 games 1983-84, 4 tries, Leeds No: 1132

Carlisle – 23 games 1982-83, 11 tries

Achievements:

Wigan: Challenge Cup winner seven times, three as captain; championship winner six times; John Player Trophy winner five times; premiership winner two times; Lancashire Cup winner four times; world sevens winner once; Lance Todd Trophy winner 1993; Man of Steel winner 1992

New Zealand: NZRL Player of the Year 1987, NZ Maori Sports Personality of the Year 1994, Inducted into NZRL ‘Immortals’, Inducted into NZRL ‘Legends’

Others: Inducted into Wigan ‘Hall of Fame’, ‘This is Your Life’ recipient

 

Warriors revival rekindles the flame for founding father Bell​

Martin Lenehan
Wed 30 Aug 2023, 06:01 PM

From the moment he led them onto the field for their first ever game against the Broncos in 1995, the Warriors have always been close to Dean Bell’s heart.

Rated one of the finest centres of his era and an icon of Kiwi rugby league, the no-nonsense Aucklander was the ideal man to skipper the fledgling outfit on their maiden voyage into the unknown.

“It was such a big deal for us as a country, the realisation of so many people’s dreams who never thought they’d be alive to see it,” Bell said in ‘Rugby League Icons: The Clubs, The Tribes, The Triumphs’.

“Standing in that tunnel on that first night I felt so humbled to be part of a moment rugby league had been looking for in New Zealand.
“I played in seven Challenge Cup finals in England and won them all and I always say the best two moments of my career are my first Wembley final in 1988 and that first night with the Warriors in ’95.”

Almost three decades later, the man voted Manukau’s Player of the Century has revelled in the rebirth of a Warriors side set to play finals footy for just the second time 12 years.

Inaugural Warriors captain Dean Bell salutes the crowd on Old Boys' Day in Round 25.


Inaugural Warriors captain Dean Bell salutes the crowd on Old Boys' Day in Round 25.©Photosport

Just as he and fellow veteran Greg Alexander joined forces with astute mentor John Monie to drive the standards in that inaugural season, so too Tohu Harris, Shaun Johnson and Andrew Webster have set the tone for a 2023 campaign that has taken the NRL by storm.

“It has been an amazing turnaround from where they were the last few years and without doubt the credit has to go to Andrew Webster,” said Bell.

“He’s a very clear communicator, he knows what he wants and he gets it done efficiently.

“A team can only be judged on ‘are they playing to their potential’ and that will always fall to the coach if they aren’t, but these guys certainly are.

“Sometimes there’s an over-emphasis on the coach but in this case it’s right that Andrew get the credit.

“Shaun is now doing a lot of stuff he wasn’t doing early in his career. He has always been a mercurial player but now he is playing the ultimate halfback’s game to the point where there hasn’t been a better halfback [in the NRL] this year.

“Tohu is always willing to do the hard stuff, he’s a ‘follow me’ style of leader. He has a lot of support around him now and that has helped him.

"Guys like Dylan Walker and Jazz Tevaga, they are two of the best bench players you could have. They are a barometer of the toughness you need to win finals games."

The winning moment: Johnson

The winning moment: Johnson

Being part of the September action has been little more than a pipe dream since the 2011 grand final loss to Manly, but in 2023 the Warriors have won more games than the last two seasons combined to secure their first top-four finish since 2007.

Among a host of players producing standout seasons, Johnson leads the NRL in try assists with 27, Addin Fonua-Blake has more post-contact metres than any other player and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak needs just two tries to equal Francis Meli’s club record of 23 set in 2003.

Depending on results this weekend the Warriors will head to either Brisbane or Penrith in week one of the play-offs, before returning home to Auckland in week two or three to host a final for the first time since the 2008 semi against the Roosters.

Sitting in the coach’s box that day and masterminding a 30-13 triumph was none other than Ivan Cleary, the man Webster stood alongside on grand final night last year as the Panthers went back-to-back.

Three for DWZ

Three for DWZ

In his role as Cleary’s assistant, Webster had been part of both the 2021 and ’22 premierships and was ready to spread his wings as head coach of the Warriors.

“Although we’re saddened to see Andrew depart the club, it’s rewarding to see a valued member of the club progress to the next stage of their career,” Panthers CEO Matt Cameron said at the time.

“Working alongside Ivan Cleary and the entire football staff, Andrew has been influential in providing an environment for players to flourish, and played a key role in leading the Panthers to premiership success.”

While he concedes the Warriors aren’t quite at the Panthers’ level just yet, Bell sees plenty of similarities between the two sides.

“The Panthers are not necessarily a team of superstars but they just win footy games, and if you’re winning footy games then everything you are doing is the right thing,” Bell said.

“They put the pressure on, they keep the pressure on, and to a certain extent that’s what Warriors have done this year.

“The Panthers take the air out of you through their consistent, persistent defensive approach and that frustrates teams.

“Then they have that sparkle and finesse and that teamwork that gets them over the line and we can see a little bit of that in the Warriors, who are playing a brand of footy that everybody knows what they are doing.

“They have become a team you want to watch whereas the last four or five years you couldn’t have said that.

“We watch footy games for pleasure and a few years ago they weren’t a pleasure to watch. They were fairly negative and if the pressure was on, they would turn games up, now there is a consistency we are so proud of.

The final moments of the Wests Tigers-Warriors 2011 SF

The final moments of the Wests Tigers-Warriors 2011 SF

“They are rewarding the fans who stuck with them through those years. They are playing that style of footy that fans can be proud of and that’s why they are turning up in huge numbers.

“A home final will be a major event in the New Zealand sporting calendar just like that first game in 1995 was.

“I think we had 30,000 in Auckland that night and the atmosphere that was created was just like the 100,000 at Wembley.

“What we gained in that first year was respect – you have to earn that, it is never something that is given to you.

"Part of that respect is going to be how this team perform in the finals. It's still a successful season but deep down they are after a whole lot more than just getting there.

"They have to raise the bar now. It's turn up or go home."

 

In-depth: Dean Bell

Zach Holland 03 May 2018 12:30 PM

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Another one for the in-depth series, and with his birthday recently we celebrate the career of one of New Zealand’s modern-day greats, Dean Bell

You think back to late 1980s and early 1990s and one of the standout teams at the time was the totally dominant and formidable Wigan side. A team that over the period consisted of the likes of Shaun Edwards, Andy Farrell, Ellery Hanley and the man himself ‘Mean Dean Bell’, who at the time was rated as the best centre come wingers in rugby league by former New Zealand coach Graham Lowe.

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, it is fair to say that Bell had a rather quiet start to his rugby league career finding it difficult to find his feet. The fiery winger began his career with the Manuaku Magpies before eventually making the trip over to England in 1982 and joining Cumbrian side Carlisle.

A season with the Cumbrian side would see Bell play in 23 games alongside notching a steady 11 tries but after only one season with Carlisle, Bell would find another home in England, this time with West Yorkshire club, Leeds Rhinos. At the tender of age of 20, Bell once again endured a slow start spending one season with the Rhinos, making 22 appearances to go with 5 tries.

After two unsettled seasons in England, Bell made the trip back down under this time joining the Eastern Suburbs where he endured a more a sporadic time, spending three seasons with the club. He was certainly a man known for his fiery temperament throughout his career, being marred by suspensions along with some injuries with the New South Wales side.

However, there was a sense there was more to come as the seasons went by and this was just the tip of the iceberg. After three seasons in Australia, Bell had made 60 appearances along with scoring 11 tries.

After such a sporadic start to his professional rugby league career the former Kiwi made the jump once again to England in 1986 and this time venturing to the other side of the Pennines, with a Wigan side that was just at the start of something special. A team that would be forever inscribed in rugby league history.

It would be here that saw Bell make his mark. Bell had mellowed and matured as player during his time with the Warriors, making an incredible and influential impact as player and captain. In his first three seasons, we started to see the player he would eventually become scoring 30 tries in an impressive beginning to his famed time at the Cherry and Whites.

By 1992 he had seemingly produced his most effective season to date, winning the coveted Man of Steel award, which saw Wigan come away with a domestic treble, winning both the RFL Championship, Challenge Cup and Lancashire Cup in the same year. The 1993 season saw Bell add even another accolade to his already glittering collection and résumé. Only just fresh off the back of five consecutive Challenge Cup wins, Wigan were no question the overwhelming favourites and for a good reason, blitzing the competition once again. The Lancashire side came out eventual winners for the sixth consecutive time, defeating the Widnes Vikings 20-14 in a game which saw Bell not only captain the side but run away with the Lance Todd trophy thanks to his man of the match display in the final.

His impact with the Lancashire side would be nothing short of spectacular, overall winning an unfathomable six consecutive RFL Championships, seven consecutive Challenge Cups, four Regal Trophies and four Lancashire Cups. Overall making him one of the most coveted overseas signings in the history of British rugby league.

After eight seasons, 242 appearances and 96 tries with Wigan, Bell made the move back to his native New Zealand becoming the inaugural captain of the Auckland Warriors scoring 3 tries in 19 appearances before eventually seeing out a legendary career in 1996 with the Leeds Rhinos. His time at the Warriors will forever be set in stone and remembered by the Wigan faithful and rugby league fans alike as in 2007 he would be inducted into the Wigan Warriors hall of fame alongside the legendary Ellery Hanley.

His influence would not just stop at club level as Bell went go on to captain New Zealand and after making his debut in 1983, he became an integral part of the sides that claimed Test wins against Australia in 1983, 1985 and 1987. He would just miss out on a World Cup triumph in 1988, just succumbing to defeat against the green and golds.

After a sublime career, Bell decided to take his talents to the other side of the rugby pitch, taking up a job as player-coach for the Leeds Rhinos in 1996 before becoming head of the West Yorkshire’s academy team for two years. Just like as a player his managerial stock would continue to rise, assisting his father Cameron Bell with the New Zealand Maori side in 2000. Another seven years with the Wigan youth development programme showed he was one for nurturing the upcoming generation of rugby league players. By 2012 he had come even more leaps and bounds in his coaching, being made New Zealand Warriors General Manager of Football.

Throughout his career Bell showcased an aggressive, hard-running and yet electrifying style that made him one of the most feared winger/centres of his time. His leadership for both Wigan and New Zealand would be second to none becoming an influential figure at both levels. As cliché as it seems, he would be one never afraid to get stuck in. On both sides of the ball he would be a true menace, whether it be busting tackles to get to the try line or displaying is presence as hard-hitting defender. All in all making him one of the most fiercest and competitive players to step on a rugby pitch. A true modern-day great.

 

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