Ben Anderson (rugby league)

Ben Anderson (born 3 February 1978) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and coached in the 2000s. He played for the Melbourne Storm from 1998 to 1999. He is the son of Chris Anderson.

Early life
Anderson played junior rugby league for Chipping Norton Kangaroos and was educated at De LaSalle Bankstown.

In 1997, Anderson played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the under 19s before signing a two-year contract with Melbourne.

Playing career
He made his NRL debut in round 4 of the 1998 NRL season, starting from the interchange in Melbourne Storm's first game at Olympic Park. He made four appearances in total that season. However, he spent most of the 1998 season playing with Melbourne's feeder team, the Norths Devils, before requiring a knee reconstruction.

In the 1999 NRL season, Anderson played a further 13 games, starting at. However, he was dropped by his father Chris Anderson, who was the coach, following Melbourne's defeat in the qualifying final against the St. George Illawarra Dragons. This turned out to be his final game for Melbourne as he was released by the club in October 1999.

Anderson coached Moranbah in Mackay and the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Queensland Cup. While coaching Moranbah, Anderson recommended Ben Barba to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs who subsequently signed him.