Tas Baitieri

Who is Tas Baitieri?

Tas Baitieri is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He played for the Penrith Panthers, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in Australia and Paris Châtillon XIII in France. He also later went on to coach the French national side after his retirement as an active player.

Playing in the forwards, Batieri spent eight seasons with Penrith and three with the Bulldogs before moving to France and playing and coaching there.

He was also the chief executive of the short-lived French Super League club, Paris Saint-Germain.

Several years later, Baitieri returned to Australia and coached and player-coached the Cumberland College of Health Sciences Rugby League team in the NSW University Rugby League Competition. The Cumberland side won the 1991 2nd division grandfinal in their first season under Baitieri and the side was subsequently elevated to the first division where the "Cumbo Cunnies" finished grand finalists in their first season in the top division. At the end of season 1991, The Cumberland Rugby League Club announced that the Best & Fairest player award would be renamed and called the Tas Baitieri shield in recognition of the efforts and leadership by Baitieri toward his young charges and the esteem in which he was held by players.