Mark Laurie nicknamed "Pebbles" (born 23 July 1962) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. A New South Wales Country representative centre who later moved to the forwards, he played his club football in the NSWRL Premiership for the Parramatta Eels during their golden period of the 1980s. He also played in England for Leeds and Salford.
Laurie was the fifth of six brothers and the younger brother of Robert Laurie.[2]
Playing careeredit
Born in Wauchope, as teenager Laurie was earmarked for greatness representing North Coast in 1980 and 1981 whilst plying his trade for his local team the Wauchope Blues Rugby League Club. This caught the attention of Sydney clubs and in 1982 he would sign with the Parramatta Eels making his debut off the bench in round 2 that year in a 12–5 win over Balmain at Leichhardt Oval in front of 10,000 fans.
In his debut season Laurie would make 14 appearances for the Eels which included a Minor Premiership and a Grand Final victory over the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 21–8 in front of 50,000 fans at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
1983 again saw Laurie play the majority of the season from the bench in a star studded team looking to achieve the first three-peat since the 1960s St George Dragons. Laurie would again come off the bench for the Eels as they became the 4th club in Australian Rugby League history to win three consecutive Grand Finals defeating Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 18–6.
Following this great achievement, Laurie established himself as a regular starter filling in at Lock, second row, centre and five/eighth over the next few seasons.
1986 saw Laurie and the Eels return to their winning ways, Parramatta secured another Minor Premiership which catapulted them to another Grand Final. This Grand Final would be Laurie's first starting role, playing in the second row in the 4–2 victory over arch rivals Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs in Ray Price's final game.
Following the retirement of Price, Laurie would transition into the lock role whilst filling in at centre and five eighth when required until retirement at the end of the 1992 season amassing 205 games in 11 seasons for the Parramatta Eels.
Sporadically throughout his career, Laurie would venture to the English competition utilising his skillset for Leeds and Salford. His first stint for Leeds, 1983–1984, saw Laurie's worth truly recognised reaching his 3rd Grand Final in 2 years. Laurie's experience in the League Cup Grand Final would prove instrumental as he was declared man of the match in the victory over Widnes 18–10.
Laurie returned to Leeds in 89-90 where he improved their squad immensely, finishing 2 wins behind Minor Premiers Wigan.
The 1992-1993 English Championship season would be the final season Laurie would play professional rugby league, helping Salford avoid relegation.[3][4]
Referencesedit
^"Mark Laurie – Career Stats & Summary – Rugby League Project". Rugby League Project.
^Mark Laurie 15 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine at yesterdayshero.com.au
^"Widnes turn on style". The Independent. UK. 27 March 1993. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
January 01, 1970
mark, laurie, rugby, league, mark, laurie, nicknamed, pebbles, born, july, 1962, australian, former, professional, rugby, league, footballer, played, 1980s, 1990s, south, wales, country, representative, centre, later, moved, forwards, played, club, football, n. Mark Laurie nicknamed Pebbles born 23 July 1962 is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s A New South Wales Country representative centre who later moved to the forwards he played his club football in the NSWRL Premiership for the Parramatta Eels during their golden period of the 1980s He also played in England for Leeds and Salford Mark LauriePersonal informationBorn 1962 07 23 23 July 1962 age 61 Wauchope New South Wales AustraliaPlaying informationPositionCentre LockClub Years Team Pld T G FG P 1982 92 Parramatta Eels 205 29 0 0 116 1983 84 Leeds 28 3 0 0 12 1992 93 Salford 9 1 0 0 4 Total 242 33 0 0 132 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1987 90 NSW Country 2 0 0 0 0Source 1 Background editLaurie was the fifth of six brothers and the younger brother of Robert Laurie 2 Playing career editBorn in Wauchope as teenager Laurie was earmarked for greatness representing North Coast in 1980 and 1981 whilst plying his trade for his local team the Wauchope Blues Rugby League Club This caught the attention of Sydney clubs and in 1982 he would sign with the Parramatta Eels making his debut off the bench in round 2 that year in a 12 5 win over Balmain at Leichhardt Oval in front of 10 000 fans In his debut season Laurie would make 14 appearances for the Eels which included a Minor Premiership and a Grand Final victory over the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 21 8 in front of 50 000 fans at the Sydney Cricket Ground 1983 again saw Laurie play the majority of the season from the bench in a star studded team looking to achieve the first three peat since the 1960s St George Dragons Laurie would again come off the bench for the Eels as they became the 4th club in Australian Rugby League history to win three consecutive Grand Finals defeating Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 18 6 Following this great achievement Laurie established himself as a regular starter filling in at Lock second row centre and five eighth over the next few seasons 1986 saw Laurie and the Eels return to their winning ways Parramatta secured another Minor Premiership which catapulted them to another Grand Final This Grand Final would be Laurie s first starting role playing in the second row in the 4 2 victory over arch rivals Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs in Ray Price s final game Following the retirement of Price Laurie would transition into the lock role whilst filling in at centre and five eighth when required until retirement at the end of the 1992 season amassing 205 games in 11 seasons for the Parramatta Eels Sporadically throughout his career Laurie would venture to the English competition utilising his skillset for Leeds and Salford His first stint for Leeds 1983 1984 saw Laurie s worth truly recognised reaching his 3rd Grand Final in 2 years Laurie s experience in the League Cup Grand Final would prove instrumental as he was declared man of the match in the victory over Widnes 18 10 Laurie returned to Leeds in 89 90 where he improved their squad immensely finishing 2 wins behind Minor Premiers Wigan The 1992 1993 English Championship season would be the final season Laurie would play professional rugby league helping Salford avoid relegation 3 4 References edit Mark Laurie Career Stats amp Summary Rugby League Project Rugby League Project Mark Laurie Archived 15 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine at yesterdayshero com au Mark Laurie at rugbyleagueproject org Widnes turn on style The Independent UK 27 March 1993 Retrieved 9 March 2011 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mark Laurie rugby league amp oldid 1219709811, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
