Maurice "Mocky" Patrick Brereton is a New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 former rugby league

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...

 player who represented his country

New Zealand national rugby league team

The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...

 in the 1970

1970 Rugby League World Cup

The fifth Rugby League World Cup was held in Great Britain in 1970. Britain, fresh from defeating Australia in the Ashes, were hot favourites, and won all three of their group stage games. All the other nations lost two games each, and Australia qualified for the final largely on the back of an...

 and 1972 World Cups

1972 Rugby League World Cup

The sixth Rugby League World Cup was held in France in October and November of 1972. Australia started as the favourites to retain the trophy they had won just two years previously. New Zealand had beaten all three of the other nations in 1971 and France were expected to be tough opponents on their...

 and one match in the 1975 World Championship Series.

Playing career

Brereton was originally from the West Coast and made his New Zealand Kiwis debut in 1969 while playing for the Greymouth Marist club.

Brereton then moved to Christchurch, joining the Marist-Western Suburbs club in the Canterbury Rugby League

Canterbury Rugby League

Canterbury Rugby League is the regional body that administers rugby league in Canterbury, New Zealand. CRL manages local competitions from senior level down to age group competitions. Canterbury Rugby League also manages the Canterbury rugby league team which represents the region in New Zealand...

 competition in 1970. He was part of the 1970 and 1972 World Cup Squads. In 1975 he played one match in the World Championship Series but was not selected for the squad for the October finals. Instead he played for Canterbury in the side that defeated Auckland

Auckland rugby league team

The Auckland rugby league team is the team which traditionally represents all of the clubs which play in the Auckland Rugby League competition. The Auckland Rugby League team has traditionally been a powerhouse of New Zealand domestic rugby league...

 in the New Zealand Rugby League

New Zealand Rugby League

The New Zealand Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. The NZRL was founded on the 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year....

 final. Brereton played in 24 tests and scored 25 tries in 50 matches for the Kiwis. Brereton also represented the South Island

South Island rugby league team

The South Island rugby league team represents the Southern Zone in the Albert Baskerville Trophy. The Zone represented the Southland, Otago, West Coast, Canterbury and Tasman districts. They are nicknamed the Scorpions...

, Southern Zone, New Zealand Marist and Rest of New Zealand.

Brereton's 46 tries for Canterbury is a district record, as is his 156 tries for Marist-Western Suburbs.

Later years

Brereton coached Marist-Western Suburbs in 1977 and was elected the club president of the Marist-Western Suburbs club in 1985.

Personal life

Brereton was a Police detective

New Zealand Police

The New Zealand Police is the national police force of New Zealand, responsible for enforcing criminal law, enhancing public safety, maintaining order and keeping the peace throughout New Zealand...

 from his playing days until his retirement in 1995, after 25 years in the force. In 1971 he was the New Zealand Police's "Sportsman of the Year". In 2006 it was announced he was suffering from Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...

. He works as the publican at the Ashley Hotel.