Shute Shield final, Mark Gerrard retirement, Warringah Rats v Sydney University, Fox Rugby Podcast
MARK Gerrard saw plenty in his illustrious 17 year professional rugby career.
But nothing could prepare the Wallabies winger for what he witnessed late one night on tour in France as he heard suspicious noises from teammate Matt Dunning’s hotel room.
“We came home about 11.30pm, midnight,” Gerrard told the Fox Rugby Podcast.
“And I could hear this thud next to my wall.
“I went next door and said ‘Tucky, what are you doing?’
“He came out and in his red undies and said ‘oh, I’m just practising my sand wedges, we’ve got golf tomorrow morning.’
“Jesus Christ.
“Worst tourist!”
A laughing Gerrard was sharing his favourite career memories this week as he prepares to play his final game of top level rugby in Saturday’s Shute Shield final at North Sydney Oval.
The veteran of 23 Tests has been named on the Warringah Rats bench for the clash against a Sydney University side featuring current Wallabies Tolu Latu and Nick Phipps.
NEW PODCAST! Wallabies legend John Eales on the Bledis-woes and Mark Gerrard reflects on a wonderful career before his rugby swansong in Saturday’s Shute Shield final
Hailing from a talented Sydney sporting family — his sister is former Australian netball star Mo’onia — Gerrard switched from league at 17 and quickly rocketed through the rugby ranks.
Scoring a hat trick in a crazy 2004 Super Rugby final — the Brumbies beat the Crusaders 47-38 in Canberra — was one obvious highlight.
But Gerrard, now working in Sydney real estate, said it was some special family connections that he would treasure the most from his time in the game.
His wife Larisa and son Markus — then nine months old — were in the crowd for his Test debut against Italy in Melbourne in 2005.
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And they were on deck again in Gerrard’s last representative game as he got an unexpected callup to a Wallabies XV to play the French Barbarians in Bordeaux in 2016.
“So Markus was there for my first and then for my last,” Gerrard said.
“That’s something that I’m pretty proud of.
“I took him to the changing rooms after and he was just in a different world, he didn’t know what was going on.
“He didn’t like all the men getting nude, having a shower, so I kind of had to steer him away from that!
“I feel bad for him now.
“But representing your country, winning the Super 12 final in 2004, that was a big deal.
“Rugby has given me so much.
“That professional environment, I got to see the world, got to experience different cultures — that’s the beautiful thing about what I got to do for a living.
“I never actually called it work.
“I was pretty lucky, I just got to run around a field and throw a pigskin around.
“I’m getting back into normality now, with life, with work, but I think rugby’s given me an appreciation of where I’m from and what I’ve done.”
— QUICK HITS Q+A WITH MARK GERRARD —
Q) Favourite teammate?
A) Little skinny giraffe, Bernie (Stephen Larkham).
Q) Toughest competitor?
A) I never got a chance to play against him but the hardest person to me was Greegs (George Gregan).
He could stare at you and I thought I was going to die.
It happened a few times.
The reason why I thought he was really hard was because of the professionalism in him.
He wanted you to be better and him being hard made me better.
That’s what I really enjoyed.
Q) Toughest opponent?
A) The hardest opponent that I played against was Rupeni Caucaunibuca.
He would never step, he’d swerve, but he’d swerve and I’d think I was one metre away from him and he was 20m down the field scoring meat pies.
That’s what killed us.
But he was an outstanding footballer.
I didn’t like playing against him but I enjoyed watching him.
He was my toughest opponent.
Q) Best tourist?
A) The best tour member was probably Matty Rogers.
A few times we went to Europe we had our little betting syndicate.
It was November so the Melbourne Cup was on and we had our group teams.
With Matty Rogers and Matty Henjak we won it three years in a row with Makybe Diva.
So we had a pretty good tour after that.
Q) The best character in rugby?
A) I’ve met a few but a mentor while I was playing was Joe Roff.
Character-wise he was just so composed, relaxed — I really enjoyed that style of football knowing that once you get out on the other side of the white paint, that’s when you turn up and turn on.
I really enjoyed that, that’s something for me that character-wise helped me.
If you’re looking at funny characters, there wasn’t too many because they were all pretty weird and wonderful in their own respects.
I just enjoyed doing what I did and it’s quite comfortable and therapeutic knowing that I’m actually never going to run around again or have to try and get fit.
