Hammond originally played for the
Mount Albert Lions in the
Auckland Rugby League competition, playing for Western United when the Lions senior side was merged as part of the ARL's district scheme. He later moved to Eastern Districts and in 1964 won the Rothville Trophy as the Auckland Rugby League player of the year. That year he also won the
New Zealand Rugby League's player of the year award. Hammond represented and captained
Auckland and first played for the
New Zealand national rugby league team in 1961. He went on to play in twenty one test matches, including six as captain. ==Coaching career==