Jake Averillo (born 11 August 2000) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer contracted to play as a for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL) from 2024 onwards. Averillo previously played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
Background
Averillo was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Averillo is of Zimbabwean descent. He is the nephew of Socceroo Jason Van Blerk and the grandson of Socceroo Cliff Van Blerk.
Averillo played his junior rugby league for Bankstown Sports and Moorebank Rams, before being recruited by the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
Playing career
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (2020-2023) Averillo made his NRL debut in round 2 of the 2020 season for Canterbury-Bankstown against the North Queensland Cowboys at ANZ Stadium.
In round 14 of the 2021 NRL season, Averillo scored two tries and kicked five goals as Canterbury-Bankstown defeated St. George Illawarra. This was Canterbury-Bankstown's second win for the season. In round 22, Averillo broke his hand in Canterbury-Bankstown's loss against the New Zealand Warriors. In round 25, he scored two tries for Canterbury-Bankstown in a 38-0 victory over the Wests Tigers. Averillo made a total of twenty-one appearances for Canterbury-Bankstown in the 2021 NRL season.
In round 12 of the 2022 NRL season, he scored two tries for Canterbury-Bankstown in their 34-24 loss against St. George Illawarra at Belmore Sports Ground. In round 14, Averillo scored two tries for Canterbury-Bankstown in their 34-4 victory over the Parramatta Eels. The following week, he scored two tries in Canterbury-Bankstown's 36-12 victory over the Wests Tigers. Averillo played a total of 20 matches for Canterbury-Bankstown throughout the season scoring nine tries. The club finished twelfth on the table and missed the finals.
In round 9 of the 2023 NRL season, Averillo scored two tries for Canterbury-Bankstown in their 18-16 victory over St. George Illawarra. The following week, Averillo scored two tries in Canterbury-Bankstown's 30-34 loss against Canberra. In round 20 of the 2023 NRL season, Averillo scored two tries for Canterbury in their 44-24 loss against Brisbane.
Dolphins (2024-2026) In June 2023, it was announced that Averillo would depart the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs at the end of the 2023 season, and commence a three-year contract with the Dolphins from 2024 onwards.