Kiwi prop for Britain

Press, 11 July 1983, Page 21

Kiwi prop for Britain

Mark Broadhurst, the New Zealand and former Canterbury rugby league prop forward, is to pursue his professional career in Britain at the end of the present Australian season. It seems certain that Broadhurst will join his Kiwi team-mates, Gordon Smith and Gary Prohm, at the Hull Kingston Rovers club, but he has also received a firm approach from another powerful first division side, Wigan, which is captained by another New Zealand test forward, Graeme West. Now playing for Illawarra after two years with Manly-Warrin-gah, Broadhurst has never

made any secret of his dislike of the pressures imposed on professional footballers in Sydney. “I am happy with Illawarra, but generally I am sick of the constant strain associated with rugby league in Sydney,” said Broadhurst yesterday. “My style of football would be more suited to the game in Britain and I would lose nothing financially by making the change,” he said.

Broadhurst was an outstanding success with the Kiwis in Britain in 1980. He had offers from British clubs during that tour, but because his eldest daughter

was then just a baby he decided to stay closer to home and joined Manly. With Illawarra having no chance of qualifying for the Sydney championship playoffs, Broadhurst will have his last match in Australia on August 28. He plans to have a short holiday in Christchurch before travelling on to Britain. Broadhurst will become the first New Zealander to play rugby league full-time in the code’s two most professional countries. He said, however, that he was keen to remain available for the Kiwis, who have a home series against Britain next year.