Catchin Up With Garry Jack

Will Evans

March 31, 2026

The Auckland Warriors’ maiden win in the premiership is destined to be remembered for arguably the most infamous – and costly – interchange blunder of all time.

YOUR BOOK, JUMPING JACK, HAS JUST BEEN RELEASED – HOW DID YOU FIND THE PROCESS?

It was good to finally get something out there about my footy life. I didn’t rush into it, that’s for sure! I did a podcast for three of four years with Adam Hawse … and he said I should do a book. He’d just finished one with Mark Carroll. All my teammates did one – Benny (Elias), Wayne Pearce, ‘Blocker’ (Steve Roach), ‘Sirro’ (Paul Sironen), Gary Freeman – but for some reason it didn’t happen [when I retired].

GOING BACK TO THE START OF YOUR FOOTBALLING JOURNEY, YOU WERE THE LATEST IN A REMARKABLE LINE OF GREAT FULLBACKS TO COME FROM THE ILLAWARRA REGION AFTER KEITH BARNES, GRAEME LANGLANDS, TED GOODWIN AND JOHN DORAHY. DID THAT LEGACY PROVIDE INSPIRATION FOR YOU?

As a young kid I played lock forward until about 13 or 14 when I swapped to fullback. I knew about all those guys who had played for Australia. They were great role models, but I never thought I’d ever get to that level. Dorahy was at his peak when I was a young fellow, and my dad was a selector at Wollongong when Langlands came through just before he went to the Dragons, so I had a connection there with ‘Chang’ and he was very good to me. It was always a privilege to wear the number one for Australia.

YOU DEBUTED WITH THE MAPGIES IN LATE-1981 BEFORE MOVING TO THE TIGERS – WAS THERE EVER ANY TALK OF YOU JOINING THE STEELERS FOR THEIR FIRST YEAR IN 1982?

I spoke to them and they were keen for me to come down, Wests wanted me to stay and I had spoken to (Balmain secretary) Keith Barnes as well. He made a big impact on me, coming down to Sydney and having a face-to-face chat, and he knew my family because he grew up with my dad and mum. I wanted to go to a club that had a bit of history rather than just starting off. Balmain finished last in ‘81, but I knew they had Steven Roach coming through – another Illawarra junior – and Benny Elias came in the same year as me, Wayne Pearce was already there. I could see that they were building.

DID GETTING THE NSW AND AUSTRALIAN FULLBACK SPOTS IN 1984 COME AROUND QUICKER THAN YOU EXPECTED?

I was mentioned as a contender for the Kangaroo Tour at the end of ‘82, but they only took one fullback (Greg Brentnall). He retired in 1983 and they put Colin Scott, the Queenslander, at fullback and they lost to New Zealand. That really opened the door for me coming into the ‘84 season. I went into that off-season trying to get as fit as I could – I was a very good trainer and really did push myself. Queensland won the first Origin game, but Ken Arthurson used his casting vote to vote for me. I was there for the next five years.

THE 1986 KANGAROO TOUR WAS NO DOUBT A CAREER HIGHLIGHT AND YOU WON THE GOLDEN BOOT ON THE BACK OF YOUR PERFORMANCES IN ENGLAND AND FRANCE. DID THE TEAM FEEL PRESSURE TO EMULATE ‘THE INVINCIBLES’?

It was definitely in the background, but we just took it game by game and really we were only challenged in the last Test at Wigan. I have very fond memories of the tour: the pranks, cricket in the hallways, fire alarms going off at two in the morning. I won 50 quid off Terry Lamb and he was very tight with money – he might say that about me, but let me tell he was [much worse] – and he paid me back a pound a day. Great bonding, great friendships – I was lucky to have gone on a Kangaroo Tour … and wherever you go with ‘Block’, he always gets you into trouble!

THE 1989 GRAND FINAL IS UNIVERSALLY REGARDED AS ONE OF THE GREATEST – AND ARGUABLY THE MOST PAINFUL LOSS EVER. HOW DO YOU REFLECT ON IT 37 YEARS LATER?

It was probably the best day and the worst day of my life. That’s what it’s all about, winning a comp. We led 12-2 with 20 minutes to go and it was just a chain of events that went against us. Probably the biggest one was the decision by the referee to penalise Bruce McGuire for using the Canberra player (Steve Walters) as a shepherd. Walters was offside. Wayne Pearce asked Bill Harrigan what the penalty was for and he said, ‘not playing in the spirit of the game’. That was a major turning point. Then there’s a couple other things which I’ll leave for the book. That’s the only time in my life I’ve ever cried, it meant that much to me. But you just dust yourself off and move on.

WITH WAYNE PEARCE RETIRING IN 1990 AND WARREN RYAN LEAVING, DID YOU SENSE THE TIGERS’ PREMIERSHIP WINDOW HAD CLOSED?

We missed the semis once in eight years, then Alan Jones came in … he was a completely different coach to Warren and it was a very unsuccessful period for the club. Warren was such a great strategic coach and he took three clubs to grand finals. Alan had never coached rugby league before and we were always going to struggle from that point. I didn’t mind the bloke early on, felt a little bit sorry for him – but it soon became obvious there were a number of issues I couldn’t work with him on, and I highlight those in the book.

HOW WAS THE EXPERIENCE OF PLAYING FOR SHEFFIELD EAGLES AGAINST AUSTRALIA JUST WEEKS AFTER FINISHING UP AT BALMAIN?

I was captain, so that was a really great honour, and I was playing opposite (Balmain teammate) Timmy Brasher. Timmy scored two tries in the first 10 minutes, then he was all set to go for his third and I showed him the sideline and bundled him into touch. We actually outscored Australia in the second half and I scored a try.

THEN YOU FOUND OUT ABOUT THE FICKLENESS OF COACHING IN BRITAIN AT SALFORD…

Yeah, I found that the nature of English rugby league is to keep the three players who hate you away from the 10 that aren’t sure! If you can do that, you’ll be successful. Putting it nicely, it was difficult time in my life. But I had a great time at Salford and most of the players were pretty good.

AFTER LEAVING SALFORD, YOU RETURNED TO THE TIGERS FOR HALF A SEASON AT THE AGE OF 34. DID YOU FEEL YOU HAD A POINT TO PROVE?

It was my decision to leave the Tigers in ‘92, I was still fit and healthy [in 1995] and it was a big motivation to prove I could come back, play well and contribute to the team. Wayne Pearce was the new coach and he wanted me back. I probably needed to do it for myself.

MORE RECENTLY, HOW HAVE YOU ENJOYED YOUR NRL PATHWAYS ROLE?

It’s great, I go to schools with development officers and talk to the kids. When I was their age there was no pathway to come to Sydney or play in the NRL – someone had to see you, or you had to know someone. Now there’s a clear pathway for boys and girls to make a career out of rugby league. Not everyone’s going to make it, but it’s about kids having a great time and enjoying themselves. I ask them, ‘What position do you think I played?’ They say the front-row! I said I was the Reece Walsh of the eighties. So it’s quite funny – I tell them to ask their grandparents.

Jumping Jack, by Garry Jack with Adam Hawse, is out now through Fairplay Publishing.

DATE OF BIRTH

14 March, 1961

CURRENT AGE

BIRTHPLACE

Wollongong, NSW

POSITIONS

Fullback

PLAYING HISTORY

1981: Western Suburbs Magpies

1982-92, 1995: Balmain Tigers

1992-93: Sheffield Eagles