Over his long career, good judges have rated Gasnier as being the equal of his uncle, league Immortal Reg Gasnier. In fact, Phil Gould once described him as the best centre he had ever seen. The man with one of the most famous names in Rugby League history was always going to have to play throughout his career with a certain level of expectation. Fortunately Mark has not disappointed. Though to be fair, Mark did disappoint many of the St George faithful, when after over 8 years with the Dragons, as well as several games with the Blues and Kangaroos, he left the club to link up with French Rugby Union side Stade Francais. Halfway through 2010, Gasnier declared his intentions to return to League, and signed a new deal with the Dragons. Initially sceptical, fans were quickly swayed as Mark helped St. George Illawarra repeat their Minor Premiers title, and then go on to Grand Final glory. Mark is now retired from the game and lives in Sydney with his wife and child.

Mark Gasnier is firmly regarded as one of the best players in the game at Club, State of Origin & International levels and can be described as a true asset to the game of Rugby League even in retirement.

Co-writer Andrew Webster is the Chief Rugby League Writer for The Daily Telegraph and has been covering sport for 15 years. His first book was the widely acclaimed Supercoach: The Life and Times of Jack Gibson. Less