Mark Geyer
Encyclopedia
Mark Geyer is an Australian former professional rugby league
footballer of the 1980s and '90s. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative second-rower, he is currently a rugby league media identity. In the 1990s, he was one of the code's more controversial players in Australia due to his ability to generate headlines regarding both his on- and off-field activities and publicised comments, which gained him at least as much attention as much as for his undubitable playing talent. Geyer's club career was played primarily with Penrith
, with whom he won a premiership in 1991, as well as the Balmain Tigers
and the Western Reds. He is also the brother of fellow footballer Matt Geyer
.
Since August 2009, Geyer has been part of the Triple M
on-air team for the Sydney breakfast show called The Grill Team
.
.
Geyer's reputation for controversy began that winter when he served a six-match suspension for the first five matches of 1989 with English club Sheffield Eagles
, thus giving Penrith his services for four more games than they would otherwise not have had. Geyer gained a place in the New South Wales State of Origin
team that year. His 1990 season was largely lost to a succession of injuries, but he came back to play in Penrith's grand final loss to Canberra
and be selected for the 1990 Kangaroo tour, during which Geyer played his first Test
. During the 1991 season, he received a five-match suspension for an incident in the second State of Origin game, which preceded an infamous confrontation with Queensland captain Wally Lewis
, and had to battle continuing injuries. However, despite his problems during the season, Geyer helped his team win the grand final in a re-match against Canberra that year. He set up all three Penrith tries scored during the match and was only denied the Clive Churchill Medal
by having been sin-binned earlier in the second half.
Following his breakthrough season, Geyer continued to attract controversy during his playing career. After missing the Australian tour of Papua New Guinea
due to injury, he failed to play in Penrith's World Club Challenge
match against Wigan
due to passport
problems. In 1992, a sensation occurred when he tested positive to marijuana in a random drug test and he was suspended for ten matches. Penrith then cancelled his contract and in 1993 he signed with Balmain
, but was released from the team when he failed to attend training in January the following year. Geyer was rumoured to possibly play for South Sydney
but, against the wishes of his manager, he spent a season with amateur club Umina on the Central Coast of NSW.
After moving to Perth in 1995 to link up with the newly formed Western Reds, Geyer showed good form despite a four-match suspension. The following two years, however, were decimated by suspensions totalling sixteen games and several injuries. Despite achieving the club's captaincy and some positive form late in 1996, News Corporation
closed the door on the Reds a year later. Geyer spent the last four years of his career back at Penrith but concerns over his fitness limited his role (and playing time) to starting from the interchange bench.
In 2000, Mark Geyer was awarded the Australian Sports Medal
for his contribution to Australia's international standing in rugby league.
In May 2010 he spoke out about his mid career drug and alcohol battle that lasted from 1992 - 1995 and how it almost ended his career. He said a large part of the drug usage was to simply trying to numb the pain of losing his best mate, Former Penrith player Ben Alexander
, who was killed in a car accident in 1992.
Geyer is now a regular panellist on rugby league talk show The Sunday Roast
where he refers to himself as 'the man of the people'. He also appears on Triple M
radio in Sydney, as a presenter on the Monday-to-Friday breakfast team since August 2009. He also appears on Triple M on Saturday mornings, presenting the 'Dead Set Legends' segment along side Ray Warren
.
Geyer is actively involved in a number of charities, such as the Fight For Life charity boxing event, he is the ambassador for the Save Our Sons charity.
In response to the 2010–2011 Queensland floods
, Geyer organised the 2011 Legends of Origin charity match
which raised $455,345 for the recovery effort.
also played rugby league, initially with Mark at the Western Reds in 1997, before playing with the Melbourne Storm
from 1998–2008.
Geyer is married to the sister of former fellow Penrith players Greg Alexander
and the late Ben Alexander.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer of the 1980s and '90s. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative second-rower, he is currently a rugby league media identity. In the 1990s, he was one of the code's more controversial players in Australia due to his ability to generate headlines regarding both his on- and off-field activities and publicised comments, which gained him at least as much attention as much as for his undubitable playing talent. Geyer's club career was played primarily with Penrith
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
, with whom he won a premiership in 1991, as well as the Balmain Tigers
Balmain Tigers
The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
and the Western Reds. He is also the brother of fellow footballer Matt Geyer
Matt Geyer
Matt Geyer is an Australian rugby league footballer for the Norths Devils in the Queensland Cup. A New South Wales State of Origin representative winger, he played his club football primarily with the Melbourne Storm of the National Rugby League competition, winning premierships with them in 1999...
.
Since August 2009, Geyer has been part of the Triple M
Triple M
The Triple M Network is an active rock radio network in Australia owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :...
on-air team for the Sydney breakfast show called The Grill Team
Grill Team
The Grill Team is an Australian breakfast radio show that broadcasts weekday mornings from 6 am to 9 am AEST on Triple M Sydney. It commenced broadcasting on 17 August 2009....
.
Playing career
In 1987, Geyer established a regular first-grade place with the Penrith Panthers and was selected for the City Seconds team after only a handful of top grade appearances. In 1987 he was picked in the President's XIII against the touring British LionsGreat Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
.
Geyer's reputation for controversy began that winter when he served a six-match suspension for the first five matches of 1989 with English club Sheffield Eagles
Sheffield Eagles
Sheffield Eagles RLFC are an English rugby league club based in the South Yorkshire city of Sheffield. They currently play in the Co-operative Championship. Their home games are played at Bramall Lane after leaving Don Valley Stadium in late 2009....
, thus giving Penrith his services for four more games than they would otherwise not have had. Geyer gained a place in the New South Wales State of Origin
Rugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
team that year. His 1990 season was largely lost to a succession of injuries, but he came back to play in Penrith's grand final loss to Canberra
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
and be selected for the 1990 Kangaroo tour, during which Geyer played his first Test
Australian national rugby league team
The Australian national rugby league team have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competition since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League, the Kangaroos' are ranked number one in the RLIF World Rankings...
. During the 1991 season, he received a five-match suspension for an incident in the second State of Origin game, which preceded an infamous confrontation with Queensland captain Wally Lewis
Wally Lewis
Walter James "Wally" Lewis AM is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. Currently a commentator of the sport, he is widely regarded as the greatest rugby league player of all time...
, and had to battle continuing injuries. However, despite his problems during the season, Geyer helped his team win the grand final in a re-match against Canberra that year. He set up all three Penrith tries scored during the match and was only denied the Clive Churchill Medal
Clive Churchill Medal
The Clive Churchill Medal has been presented to the man-of-the-match of the National Rugby League's annual Grand Final match ever since the 1986 season. The award was created to honour Clive Churchill, one of the greatest rugby league players in Australian history, following his death in 1985...
by having been sin-binned earlier in the second half.
Following his breakthrough season, Geyer continued to attract controversy during his playing career. After missing the Australian tour of Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
due to injury, he failed to play in Penrith's World Club Challenge
World Club Challenge
The World Club Challenge is an annual rugby league football match held between the champions of the Australasian National Rugby League and the European Super League competitions to determine the world's best rugby league club...
match against Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
due to passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
problems. In 1992, a sensation occurred when he tested positive to marijuana in a random drug test and he was suspended for ten matches. Penrith then cancelled his contract and in 1993 he signed with Balmain
Balmain Tigers
The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
, but was released from the team when he failed to attend training in January the following year. Geyer was rumoured to possibly play for South Sydney
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
but, against the wishes of his manager, he spent a season with amateur club Umina on the Central Coast of NSW.
After moving to Perth in 1995 to link up with the newly formed Western Reds, Geyer showed good form despite a four-match suspension. The following two years, however, were decimated by suspensions totalling sixteen games and several injuries. Despite achieving the club's captaincy and some positive form late in 1996, News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
closed the door on the Reds a year later. Geyer spent the last four years of his career back at Penrith but concerns over his fitness limited his role (and playing time) to starting from the interchange bench.
In 2000, Mark Geyer was awarded the Australian Sports Medal
Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal was an award given during 2000 to recognise achievements in Australian sport.Recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, office holders, and people who maintained sporting facilities and services. Over 18,000 Medals were...
for his contribution to Australia's international standing in rugby league.
Post-playing career
Since his retirement, Geyer has written extensively about rugby league for various newspapers and sporting magazines.In May 2010 he spoke out about his mid career drug and alcohol battle that lasted from 1992 - 1995 and how it almost ended his career. He said a large part of the drug usage was to simply trying to numb the pain of losing his best mate, Former Penrith player Ben Alexander
Ben Alexander
Ben Alexander was an Emmy-nominated American motion picture actor, who started out as a child actor in 1915.-Life and career:...
, who was killed in a car accident in 1992.
Geyer is now a regular panellist on rugby league talk show The Sunday Roast
The Sunday Roast
The Sunday Roast is an Australian sports talk show that deals with the issues in the National Rugby League. It airs on the Nine Network, and first aired in 2005, beginning at and leading into The Sunday Footy Show. In 2006, with the axing of Boots N' All, The Sunday Footy Show moved to , with The...
where he refers to himself as 'the man of the people'. He also appears on Triple M
Triple M
The Triple M Network is an active rock radio network in Australia owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :...
radio in Sydney, as a presenter on the Monday-to-Friday breakfast team since August 2009. He also appears on Triple M on Saturday mornings, presenting the 'Dead Set Legends' segment along side Ray Warren
Ray Warren
Ray "Rabbits" Warren in Junee, New South Wales is an Australian sports commentator, most famous for his coverage of televised professional rugby league matches on the Nine Network. On occasion he is referred to as "The Voice of Rugby League". Ray also calls the action for Australian swimming team...
.
Geyer is actively involved in a number of charities, such as the Fight For Life charity boxing event, he is the ambassador for the Save Our Sons charity.
In response to the 2010–2011 Queensland floods
2010–2011 Queensland floods
A series of floods hit Australia, beginning in December 2010, primarily in the state of Queensland including its capital city, Brisbane. The floods forced the evacuation of thousands of people from towns and cities. At least seventy towns and over 200,000 people were affected. Damage initially was...
, Geyer organised the 2011 Legends of Origin charity match
2011 Legends of Origin charity match
The 2011 Legends of Origin charity match was a rugby league football game played on 27 January 2011 at Parramatta Stadium in Sydney. The match was organised by Mark Geyer in response to the 2010–2011 Queensland floods. The match was contested between the New South Wales Origin Legends and the...
which raised $455,345 for the recovery effort.
Personal life
Geyer's younger brother Matt GeyerMatt Geyer
Matt Geyer is an Australian rugby league footballer for the Norths Devils in the Queensland Cup. A New South Wales State of Origin representative winger, he played his club football primarily with the Melbourne Storm of the National Rugby League competition, winning premierships with them in 1999...
also played rugby league, initially with Mark at the Western Reds in 1997, before playing with the Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
from 1998–2008.
Geyer is married to the sister of former fellow Penrith players Greg Alexander
Greg Alexander
Gregory Peter Stephen "Greg" Alexander is a former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s who has since become a commentator. A goal-kicking half-back, in his career he played for and captained the Penrith Panthers and the Auckland Warriors clubs and also represented his country...
and the late Ben Alexander.
Sources
- Whiticker, Alan and Hudson, Glen; The Encyclopaedia of Rugby League Players (3rd edition); published 1998 by Gary Allen Pty. Ltd.; 9 Cooper Street, Smithfield, New South Wales, 2164.