By Spiro Zavos
January 28th 2010 @ 1:49am
Mark Gerrard should be welcomed back to Australia
Brumbies Mark Gerrard flies throgh the air after scoring. AAP Image/Alan Porritt
The Roar has been told that Mark Gerrard wants to come back to Australian rugby in 2011, with the aim of giving the Rugby World Cup squad a real crack. This is, or should be, good news for the game here.
One of the Super Rugby clubs, the Melbourne Rebels, perhaps, should make him a workable offer.
Gerrard has just helped his team, NTT Communications, to win promotion in the Japanese Top League for the first time. In my opinion, he still has a lot to offer a Super Rugby side as a player who can play in all the positions in the backline, except perhaps halfback, with some expertise.
This versatility, providing he can get a contract and play well next season, would also be useful for the Wallabies bench. It is probably, too, late now for Gerrard to contemplate a starting position in the Wallabies. But he would be a most competent member of a squad and the reserve bench.
Gerrard came to prominence as a gifted teenager who was given a Waratahs contract by Bob Dwyer, a good judge of talent. He made his Super Rugby debut as a teenager.
But with the Waratahs and the ACT Brumbies, a team he joined in 2003, his ability to play in most of the backline positions told against him.
He never really nailed down one definitive position. The Brumbies used him as a fullback and winger. So did the Wallabies.
My hope then and now – providing he comes back – is that some coach will try him out as a five-eighth.
A spate of injuries, after be became a Wallaby, meant that he did not establish a permanent position for himself in the national side. But he seems to have recovered well in Japan and is now a refreshed and better player, a bit like the New Zealander Leon McDonald after his Japanese stint.
Gerrard has nice soft hands, a graceful, incisive, clever-stepping running game and a monster low-slung kick. You would like to think that Rod Macqueen who converted a former centre/halfback/fullback into Australia’s best first five-eighths since Mark Ella – Stephen Larkham – might take a punt and try to do the same thing with Gerrard.
One has to presume that the possibilities for a number of players including Gerrard who want to come back to Australia, or are offering to come back, relate to the creation of the Melbourne Rebels, Australia’s fifth Super Rugby franchise.
The new franchise can recruit up to 10 players who are not eligible for the Wallabies.
But you’d hope that before this option is taken, players who are Australian and eligible for the Wallabies, and who have played for their country, will be considered.
Mark Gerrard falls into this category. Chris Latham, still playing brilliantly in the UK is another, and so is Dan Vickerman currently finishing off a degree at Cambridge University.
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My favourite player of all time came from Ainslie. I just don’t think you see the value of building a fourth strong 2nd tier league using the QAFL as the base....
jools-usa said | January 28th 2010 @ 2:10am | Report comment
Right on
How about adding ‘the plod’, Harrison for lineouts?
Jools-USA
Wavell Wakefield said | January 28th 2010 @ 3:54am | Report comment
I recall Mark Gerrard being tried out at 10.
Justin said | January 28th 2010 @ 5:01am | Report comment
Its too difficult a change at this stage of his career. And as you point out his low kicking would be an invitation to 3 charge downs per match. By all means come home and try as a 15 but there is no chance as a 10.
formeropenside said | January 28th 2010 @ 7:30am | Report comment
Gerrard is a good fullback, especially in wet weather. I am not sure if he is a 10, as an ill-fated experiment against the Ospreys showed a few years back.
It would be a real shame if the ARU forced Latham to leave Queensland, only to allow him back to Melbourne.
Rockin Rod said | January 28th 2010 @ 7:53am | Report comment
Gerrardo was voted Brumbies backline player of the year again only last year. He was for sure the best of our fullbacks.Not sure about a 10, but he has a massive boot on him thats for sure. The rumour around rat park was that he would one day end up with 10 on his back.
BRING HIM BACK. Isnt NTT aligned with the Waratahs? Just another one we should never have let leave NSW. Dont go to Melbourne……and bring your mate Radike Samo back too
Nick P-G said | January 28th 2010 @ 11:25am | Report comment
Wouldnt Samo be about 36 by next season?
chris said | January 29th 2010 @ 2:03pm | Report comment
Radike and CauCau would be a great asset to a team :p
http://rugbydump.blogspot.com/2008/04/radike-samo-at-his-best-in-2004.html
Mr Sports said | January 28th 2010 @ 8:07am | Report comment
As some one who watched every Brumbies home for the last couple of years i would add my voice to any call to get Gerrard back in the fold, for any Australian province. Last season he was the only thing keeping the Brumbies alive in quite a few games and if not for his deservedly much praised kicking game the Brumbies would have lost twice as many games.
I also agree with the Crowd here in questioning the idea of playing him at number 10. his kicking style would be an absolute charge down magnet and ask any Brumbies fan how painful it was watching various Brumbies kickers (including Gerrrard on a couple of occassions) getting charged down again and again last year (as a Waratahs fan though i found it quite amusing).
That being said on the firm he showed last year i suspect he is probably Australia’s best fullback and it would be great to have him available at World Cup time
GM said | January 28th 2010 @ 8:11am | Report comment
The problem for Gerrard to come back would be $$. I think he is a class act, but there is no way the ARU wopuld top up his contract.
Rockin Rod said | January 28th 2010 @ 9:48am | Report comment
GM, what would a top UK player be on, say 200 Quid ??? if so thats over $400,00 AUD. If Melbourne are thinking about spending that on overseas players why not spend it on a player like Gerrard and he will not go down as one of their 10 imports anyway. Agree ARU wont help him out
GM said | January 29th 2010 @ 9:00am | Report comment
Hopefully we don’t go into an inflated Super 15 player market again like when Western Force came in (Giteau). $400k for 20 games is way overs for someone who won’t play for the wallabies.
Jay said | January 29th 2010 @ 9:12am | Report comment
John Lang summed up players salaries best – ‘I dont think a 1 bedroom house in paddington is worth $1m, but if thats what you want, thats what you have to pay for it”.
Travis said | January 28th 2010 @ 8:20am | Report comment
“Gerrard came to prominence as a gifted teenager” — yes, he did Spiro – at the Manly Sea Eagles.
My cousin was in the Manly reserve grade team in 1999. Gerrard was a reserve grader making a big claim for a NRL spot. I saw Gerrard score some excellent tries as a winger and fullback for Manly at Brookie. Gerrard only left because of the Northern Eagles debacle which saw him overlooked while all the Norths and Manly players scrambled for places and contracts in the joint venture team. Gerrard was ignored and Dwyer slipped in. Might be good for Graham Lowe to get Gerrard back to the Sea Eagles.
The Phantom said | January 28th 2010 @ 8:39am | Report comment
He played for the Australian under 19 and 21 rugby teams
Travis said | January 28th 2010 @ 9:45am | Report comment
So what. Did that somehow blank out or wipe away his rugby league c.v.? If it wasn’t for the merger he would have stayed as a Sea Eagle. Ask him.
Gooda said | January 28th 2010 @ 9:49am | Report comment
He must have been quite young to be playing reserve grade. Must have been 17 or younger.
Gooda said | January 28th 2010 @ 8:43am | Report comment
He was playing rugby at Narrabeen Sports High so it obviously wasn’t all league league league. He was with Warringah at 18. It mustn’t have taken much for him to decide to stick with union.
Maddog said | January 28th 2010 @ 10:26am | Report comment
Travis,
This is not a League post. Stop trying to hijack it.
Gerrard is a rugby player and that is the topic of dicusson. If he decides on a switch, then by all means jump in…but for this conversation you have nothing valuable to add at present.
Big Kev said | January 28th 2010 @ 1:27pm | Report comment
hear hear
Bob said | January 28th 2010 @ 1:28pm | Report comment
Agreed! Nobody cares if he played league 10 years ago. He has chosen Union, so get over it.
lex said | January 28th 2010 @ 8:41am | Report comment
If he comes back I hope – and expect – that the Brumbies would first in line to take him back.
He is definitely not a 10 as the Ospreys game showed and it’s too late to try to make that change. I am not sure but I think he has been playing at 13 for NTT, and Australia is pretty well covered there. But he is is without question Australia’s best 15 at present; he’s far and away the best tactical kicker, runs great lines and is an excellent ball distributor. Why he wasn’t playing 15 for the Wallabies last year still completely baffles me – he’d have scotched the Saffa’s kicking game pretty quickly. O’Connor has potential at 12 but was an unmitigated disaster at 15. AAC is a great player but no more than adequate at 15 and may well be required to play 13 if Mortlock breaks again. Gerrard should have a pretty good chance of being the first choice Wallaby 15 in 2011, if only Robbie Deans is prepared to admit that he was wrong.
ohtani's jacket said | January 28th 2010 @ 10:43am | Report comment
He’s been coming off the bench for JP Nel, though I’m not sure if it’s a straight positional swap.
Rockin Rod said | January 28th 2010 @ 9:45am | Report comment
Well said Lex, it takes more of a man to admit when he is wrong and leaving gerrard out of the wallabies squad was a mistake.
Maddog said | January 28th 2010 @ 10:21am | Report comment
Hi Spiro,
Great article and I certainly agree with everything written here about Gerrard and his talent. He has been a great asset to Australian Rugby, Brumbies, Waratahs and Warringah over the years. It appears that he has been a great influence on NTT as well.
While I wouldn’t question the impact that a players of his quality could have on the Rebels, I do question if we should be encouraging players to have a one or two year sabatical away from Australia, earning the big bucks in Japan or France, before having a change of heart and wanting to come home…and what a surprise, in a World Cup year!
The only major draw card that we have to keep players in Australia, competing with the money OS, is the Wallabies jersey. Players who reach this pinacle remain with their club and S14 sides, imparting their knowledge and skills to help the development of everyone around them. But when they decide to head overseas this fantastic resource is lost. Australian Rugby would be much better off if these players chose to remain in Australia to close out their playing days, provinding a valuable rugby education to the next generation of players.
But I am a realist…the money is good and we can not begrudge anyone for taking an opportunity to play OS. But when they decide to do so, I would suggest that they forfeit the right to play for the Wallabies ever again. This is the one and only card that we have to play to keep players at home. I am sorry that this will exclude Gerrard, and now captain Rocky Elsom amongst others, but we need to put a line in the sand to keep our best players at home as a resource.
Roarers…what do yout hink? I would imagine that many of our friends from across the ditch may also be thinking the same way?
Comrade Bear said | January 28th 2010 @ 3:39pm | Report comment
Better players = Better Product = More $$ = More players able to stay in Aus perhaps??
mudskipper said | January 28th 2010 @ 10:33am | Report comment
I remember Brumbies CEO Fagan saying last year stating when Gerrard that he welcome… Personaly I’d like to see him back at the brumbies and back in the Wallabies as a utility back… He is still young and has plenty to offer Australian rugby.
As for the infamous Ospreys match. Knuckles Connelly talked him up before the match and then didn’t support him in front of the press after the match…. He didn’t graciously back the young player after the loss in the press. It was one of the most pitiful displays of Wallabies coaching I’ve witnessed.
It wasn’t solely Gerard’s intercepted pass play which delivered the loss. They suffered an early blow against the Ospreys when blindside flanker Hugh McMeniman was stretchered off with his neck in a brace after just 10 minutes following a pile-up and sent to hospital. Furthermore both Horwill and Shepherdson were yellow carded.
Gerrard said after nine seasons of Super rugby, he was ready for a new challenge.
“My family and I have loved our time at the Brumbies and in Canberra and we’ll always consider ourselves members of the Brumbies family,” Gerrard said.
“(My wife) Larisa and I have always wanted to experience a different culture and our children are at a good age for us to do that now.
“I definitely wouldn’t rule out the possibility of returning to play in Australia and pulling on the Brumbies strip again.”
Brumbies chief executive Andrew Fagan remains optimistic that Western Force back James O’Connor will fill Gerrard’s position.
mattamkII said | January 28th 2010 @ 10:36am | Report comment
Funny, my memory of MG was a solid Super 14 player with an amazing ability to cock things up…and he’s slow for 11,14 or 15.
He never really did much at test level either… in fact, I remember his kicking game being more off than on when in green and gold.
Hammer said | January 28th 2010 @ 10:41am | Report comment
Exactly – a solid S14 player – who hasn’t got what it takes to take the next step up – mind you the Wallaby squad has quite a few of these types already in it – so what’s one more …
.. and as for Latham – really ? … do the ARU / Rebels really what to be clogged full of ex players who are past their sell by date … or say a Hewitt / SNK – who really wasn’t up to in the first place
ohtani's jacket said | January 28th 2010 @ 11:07am | Report comment
Is Gerrard playing better rugby in Japan? Who would know? NTT have a chance to qualify for the All-Japan Championship this weekend, which would give them a first round match-up with Tokai University and a bit of TV coverage.
The way promotion/relegation works these days is that sides wanting to be promoted spend cash and sides who’ve been relegated turn amateur, so while NTT got the job done it’s not much of a story.
Who Needs Melon said | January 28th 2010 @ 11:31am | Report comment
As far as the ’shape’ of the team goes, I’d like to see a guy with a decent boot on him given a run at fullback. After a string of fullbacks with good boots – Burke, Latham, Walker, Larkham – we are really missing this dimension in our team. Perhaps thats Gerrard – only a stint there in the Super 15 would show us whether or not he’s up for it.
I’d be just as happy if someone else came along since, as others have pointed out, Gerrard always had some cons to go with his pros. And although he’s not yet over the hill, he’s not going to get any fleeter of foot.
I would like to see AAC at 13 and Digby on one of the wings. Although AAC is getting better at 15, I think 13 is still his best spot. And although Digby is getting better at 13, I think wing is also his best spot.
I would be completely against trying Gerrard at 10.
Damo said | January 28th 2010 @ 11:49am | Report comment
I like Gerrard. And I have seen him play well at 10. I Like your idea Spiro but sometimes the commentators opinion might get in the way of it happening. I think whispers in coaches ears might be more effective than public statements. Though I think it has some merit
Wylie said | January 28th 2010 @ 12:23pm | Report comment
Bring him back to the Brumbies – Mortlock will be gone and he can play fullback with AAC at 13. He was tried at 10 and it didn’t work.
I would have loved to see him play for the Wallabies a bit more but I don’t think the selectors ever forgave him for being run down my Richie McCaw.
Harry said | January 28th 2010 @ 12:55pm | Report comment
You’ve nailed it there as to why the Aus selectors were down on him.
katzilla said | January 29th 2010 @ 6:10am | Report comment
He was awesome at S14 level and is probably worth a go again for any of the teams bar NSW.
Its a bit unfair because it wasn’t just any old flanker that run him down, stole the ball then cleared it with a great kick.
Mind you Joeli Vidiri didnt last much longer at the Blues after being run down by Rodney Soialo on a clean break.
Harry said | January 28th 2010 @ 12:47pm | Report comment
Should never have left in the first place – the worst example of talent departing to the backwater of Japan (except money of course, they cream it I understand) although Fairbanks and McMenimem aren’t far behind. All 3 shoudl be playing S14 and S15 next year.
I think Gerard’s main weakness is lack of pace, sadly never regained the zip of 2004 (when he was awesome) after a series of bad injuries, but has all the other attributes to be a fine 15 and utility player. Agree with other posters that he played very well at 15 for the Brumbies last year.
Would it make too much sense for Queensalnd to sign him? Of course it would … we’ve got … Rod Davies !
Someone above wants to ban all players who go OS from playing for the Wallabies once they go … strongly disagree, in this day and age players are free to ply their trade where they wish. I do agree that if they want to be picked in the current season then they first have to play S14.
Gatesy said | January 28th 2010 @ 2:40pm | Report comment
If memory serves, the Brumbies tried him at No 10 in the old APC (the previous year to the ARC) and he was all at sea.
Hansie said | January 28th 2010 @ 4:45pm | Report comment
Gerrard’s return would be very welcome. I don’t know why he was overlooked by the national selectors in recent years, especially given his form (particularly his strong kicking game) for the Brumbies. But he is a fullback, not a #10. The Brumbies tried him at #10 and it didn’t work. He doesn’t have the passing game for a fly half.
Matt said | January 28th 2010 @ 5:22pm | Report comment
Without doubt the best fullback last year among the Australians.
HIs international career ended when McCaw ran him down from behind in a test match. Great boot, awesome step, reads the game well, but a tad too slow.
Short-Blind. said | January 28th 2010 @ 6:09pm | Report comment
Ah um – ‘best fullback’ in OZ last year? Yes he was OK but limited in attack (speed) and prone to brain explosions. His boot and positional play kept the brumbies afloat longer than they should have but overall, a slightly above average S14 player at best and only had one good year with the Wallies in 2004 prior to losing the speed- as pointed out by some of our kiwi posters. I cannot see how Cameron Shepherd is not recognised as the best OZ fullback going around… when fit
…
He scores tries regularly through good timing, speed, excellent fend and finishing ability, has solid defence and a kick that is up there with Gerrads. He is my OZ WC fullback if fit and continuing in the same form. ps I am not a Force fan!
Wavell Wakefield said | January 29th 2010 @ 3:23am | Report comment
Totally agree.
The Other Reds Fan. said | January 28th 2010 @ 6:10pm | Report comment
If I was Mark Gerrard, I would use my talent to take his young family to enjoy the culture of Europe for a couple of years, preferably France, like Gaznier. You only live once and you’re only young once. Imagine giving the gift of a second language to your children while playing footy. Set yourself up financially and come back and buy a share in a business like a McDonald’s franchise. He has had a good time here and you can’t go back. He would only return for a shot at the World Cup and we all know that he won’t make the Wallabies again. Let’s usher in the youth that we have.
Jameswm said | January 29th 2010 @ 11:12am | Report comment
Mr Sports I had to laugh at your comments about Brumby kickers having their kicks charged down. You’ve got Giteau back this year, don’t you?
mattamkII said | January 29th 2010 @ 1:19pm | Report comment
Travis….please keep pushing Gerrard’s league back ground! If you paint him as a mungo it wont be long before they turn on him and we have month after month of post about how “over rated” MG is.
rugbyfuture said | January 29th 2010 @ 1:35pm | Report comment
except when it was found out he played league all the mungos go “aw we can live without them, they’re nothing to the game” just like gasnier and all the rest, and as with the case of rogers and sailor and possibly now tuqiri, when they come back, they’ll go on about how much of a superstar they are and how big the game is because they’re there.
mattamkII said | January 29th 2010 @ 1:43pm | Report comment
Cool, but my point is, Union snobbery is annoying.
Oh but my real point is Mark Gerrard isnt that good.
ohtani's jacket said | January 31st 2010 @ 1:00am | Report comment
Well, NTT beat Toyota Jido Shokki 38-35 today to book a place in the All Japan National championship, so I might get to see a bit of Gerrard before season’s end. They were outscored five tries to four but held an advantage in penalties. Gerrard came off the bench again and scored a try almost straight away.