Garry Hooper- a bionic man for all sporting seasons

Press, 12 May 1982, Page 30

Garry Hooper- a bionic man for all sporting seasons

By

JOHN BROOKS

Television’s Steve Austin is small beer compared with Garry Hooper when it comes to performing strenuous deeds with a patched-up body. In the iast 18 months the hew right wing in the Canterbury rugby team has tom his rib cage webbing, had a tendon removed from his left thumb, submitted to another operation for the removal. of varicose veins, dislocated a toe, tom some shoulder ligaments and damaged knee ligaments. Two years before all this he broke an elbow.

Strangely enough, although he has been involved in a

punishing, physical contact sport at senior level for nine years, most of Hooper’s injuries have occurred on the cricket field. He has hurt himself, quite.badly at times,, through putting too much into his bowling action or hurling himself across the ground , for a catch. “There are not many parts of my body that haven’t been hurt at one time or another,” said the man who, last summer, was stoically bearing the pain from three different afflictions. But the thought that he should seek the

; safety of a padded armchair ■ has never crossed his mind. "Sport is my life,” he said i candidly. “I don’t know what I’d do without it.” Superstitiously touching wood, Hooper is telling himself that his run of bad luck is over. He does not have to fear the bane of all rugby wings — a hamstring injury. He added that to his collection last season. With this background of ill fortune, and after almost a decade as a senior player for Marist, Hooper caused mild surprise among football followers when, first, he was chosen for the provincial trials and, second, when he won a place in the team. The surprise had nothing to do with his ability; rather, it stemmed from his age. At 28 most wings would have , kissed goodby to, their representative chances. The auburn-haired threequarter is justifiably proud of the fact that he is the oldest wing to make a Canterbury A debut in the last 20 years, at least. But with him, age is merely a statistic. As a runner-in of tries, as a side-stepper of full-backs, his reputation is high: ; , . In his first appearance for Canterbury A he scored.a try against Marlborough to add to the 60 he has achieved for Marist in the senior competition. But he takes no \personal credit for. this feat; a;.: wing, he reasons, is .there to finish off the work of others.?'-. “I feel too much is made of the' individual in try scoring,” he said. “Rugby is the epitomy of a team game - so why have player of the day awards? I think: a team of the day prize would be far more appropriate.”, S: •Garry Hooper/has two people to thank for his dramatic elevatioh to provincial A ranks —. his, wife, Susan, and a Canterbury B selector of last winter,/Fergie McCormick. . The Hoopers have an eight and a half month old daughter, and'the proud father offered to man the home front this year to give his wife an opportunity to play netball. “But she told me to carry on playing rugby, and I’m glad she did. 'At least I can say that I have played twice for Canterbury.” It is noticeable that Hooper’s references to his representative career make it sound as if it is all over. “That's because I am a realist,” he explained. “I don’t get my hopes up, and so I won’t be upset if I get the chop.” A Canterbury B player for five years, Hooper is grateful to McCormick for giving him

his chance last season, and for the. style of back play, which helped : to put him«in a good light when the new A team selector, Alex' Wyllie, was casting around for players this season. ‘ He is impressed with Wyllie’s direct approach to coaching — “I am sure he will get the best out of the team, week after week.” Hooper tells one or two priceless stories against himself. When John Masefield scored a try for Canterbury in the recent game against Queensland, the wiry right wing performed a victory' leap — and landed on his team-mate’s head. And Hooper is not known as “handyman” for nothing. He even has to get his wife to replace '. the light bulbs, and . friends and relations still shake with ; mirth over the recollection ■a of a younger Hooper’s horrifying discovery that there was water in the battery of his first car. But it is no joke playing sport against him, because he tackles everything with extradordinary intensity. Not a particularly zealous trainer, his aim has always been to “give it the. works” on Saturdays. . As well as* his. rugby for Marist and his cricket at senior level fo.r East-Shirley,. 'Hooper got down to a single • figure handicap , in golf, and followed up his middle distance. and cross-country run 1

ning successes at St Bede’s College by returning to athletics two years ago. He had a personal goal of breaking 2min for 800 m, and achieved this twice. He modestly . describes himself as having only a tiny bit of ability, but acknowledges that in any match he gives his all from start to finish. “I feel bad after a game if I haven’t done well,” he said. “If I don’t get satisfaction, and therefore results, from a day’s effort, I have an empty Saturday night. After all, I would have waited all week for my sport.” In direct contrast to his spectacular running on the rugby field and his athleticism at cricket, Hooper is a quietly-spoken man. But he chooses his words carefully when he talks of his future in sport. The chief point is that he will never retire. “I have heard that word used so often, and seen so many people change their minds and come back,” he said. “When my time comes I will just fade out,” Then he smiled mischievously. “I just won’t be playing when I’m 39.” That might not be so much of a joke in Garry Hooper’s case, for his Enthusiasm for sport will obviously never diminish. A lot 1 depends on Whether he has. put. al! those aches and" pains behind him for good. . ./

As he says, “I will keep going as long as the body hqjds out.”