Sean Garlick spent a decade in first grade with the Rabbitohs and Roosters, all while working as a policeman and dabbling in acting. A pie magnate, footy administrator, long-serving judiciary panel member and proud NRL dad in retirement, the crafty hooker took Big League through his journey.
SEAN, GARLO’S PIES OPENED ITS FIRST SHOP 24 YEARS AGO. HOW MUCH OF YOUR TIME DOES IT TAKE UP THESE DAYS?
I’ve always had a few other things going on in the background that that have kept me busy: I was president of the local golf club for a while and I’ve been on the board there for about 15 years, and I did the NRL judiciary for about 12 years. I’ve got two sons that are fully engaged in the business as well – my oldest, Jackson, who’s general manager, and my youngest, Campbell, he’s in sales and marketing. There was a thought to maybe sell the business at a certain stage, but I’ve made a decision over the last couple of years to just keep it and continue working. The best part about is I can work as much or as little as I like, and it’s a fun place to be.
THE PIE GAME IS QUITE A PIVOT FROM RUGBY LEAGUE. HOW DID GARLO’S PIES COME ABOUT?
My brother (Nathan) was a pastry cook in a local shop, he was only 23 at the time. He was getting a bit bored and he’d actually left and was driving a truck and I thought, ‘What a waste of talent’. I thought it’d be a good hobby for me on the side – I was going to stay in football, I was football manager for the Rabbitohs at the time.
We opened our first shop in Maroubra in 2001 and it just went from there, to quickly becoming a fulltime gig for all of us. It sucked us all in, we opened more shops and it’s become a great family business now.
YOU CAME THROUGH THE RANKS AT SOUTHS DURING A FRUITFUL PERIOD, BUT THE CLUB WAS ON THE ROPES BY THE TIME YOU BROKE INTO FIRST GRADE IN 1990…
I played in the [Presidents Cup] team that won the comp in 1989 and first grade were minor premiers that same year. There was so much talent coming through but they weren’t able to keep many – guys like Geordi Peats, Jim Serdaris, Terry Hill, Ian Roberts, Mario Fenech and Les Davidson all left around then. The club wasn’t financially strong and there was a philosophy that if players didn’t want to stay for less, then they could go.
But I look back and was lucky to have had half my career as a part-timer and the second half as a full-timer. There was a totally different culture when it was part-time, less professionalism and more fun in the game.
When the game turned professional there was a disconnect between the media and the players – [beforehand] the journos were your mates. Our scandals were rarely reported; players these days are angels compared to the goings on when the game was part-time.
AND YOU WERE POLICEMAN THROUGHOUT YOUR FOOTY CAREER?
I came straight out of high school basically and went to the [NSW] Police Academy in Goulburn. There were a lot of first-grade footballers who were police at the time, so I naturally thought if I joined the police it would help – and it did.
The police were great in terms of encouraging it, working rosters around training and playing. They were big supporters and there was a great camaraderie in the cops, very similar to team sport.
YOU HAD QUITE A NOTABLE ACTING CAREER ON THE SIDE, TOO. WERE YOU ALWAYS A BIT OF A THESPIAN?
I literally walked into it. I was walking to school and they were shooting a movie in a park. They asked if I’d throw a ball in the background as an extra. I got into a few commercials and shows like A Country Practice, Land of Hope, Heartbreak High and Butterfly Island. My biggest break was a movie co-starring with Rachel Ward in 1985, Fortress, which was funded by Home Box Office in America, and it was actually the biggest-budget Australian movie at the time. It was a great experience and a great window into how that part of the world works.
HEARTBREAK HIGH TYPECAST YOU AS A COP…
I’d turn up straight after work in my full uniform, ready to go. I remember this particular episode, a young Craig Wing was an out-of-control teenager who was getting in trouble with the police and I had to pull him into line.
HOW DID THE MOVE TO THE ROOSTERS UNFOLD?
I had a handshake agreement with Souths for 1994, but Alan Jones was appointed football manager and said he wasn’t going to honour those. He brought (Illawarra hooker) Dean Schifilliti in, so I was let go. I was going to retire – I was 24 and thought I’d had a good run – but my father, Terry, wouldn’t let me. He rang up Easts Leagues Club and asked for the coach, Mark Murray, and asked if he was interested in me. They signed me on a two-year deal for $5,000 and a thousand a game.
Phil Gould was appointed coach for 1995 and brought David O’Donnell from Manly. I was talking to ‘Bozo’ (Manly coach Bob Fulton) and we were going to do a swap. [In the last round of 1994] ‘Gus’ (Gould) said would I mind playing reserve grade because he wanted to try this young bloke, Robbie Mears, in first grade. I played in reserve grade and had one of my best games of the year.
Afterwards Nick Politis came to me and said, ‘Oh look, we’re going to keep you now – we’ve got an option on you, so you have to stay’. I said it had already been arranged – I’m going to Manly. I remember sitting in the offices at Manly Leagues Club, ready to sign, because Gus said he’d talk to Nick and it would be fine. I was there waiting for the release to come through from the Roosters…they never sent it. I was captain in reserve grade [in early-1995] then Gus sacked half the first-grade team after a loss and I went from captain of reserve grade to captain of first grade and pretty much stayed there.
IT RAISED A FEW EYEBROWS WHEN YOU RETAINED THE CAPTAINCY IN 1996 DESPITE THE ARRIVAL OF NSW AND AUSTRALIAN SKIPPER BRAD FITTLER. HOW DID YOU FIND THAT DYNAMIC?
It was a huge honour. But I think it was easier, there were so many leaders in the team, so much support. It was a mature team, everyone knew what they were doing. There wasn’t a great deal that was needed in terms of inspiration or pulling people into line.
Not only was ‘Freddy’ (Fittler) great on the field, he was great off the field in the way he prepared – he was a true professional, although he was still a bit loose back then and loved to have a good time. Adrian Lam was coming of age, the likes of Andrew Walker, Terry Hermansson, Ivan Cleary, the two union converts, Peter Jorgensen and Darren Junee.
IT MUST HAVE BEEN A BITTERSWEET HOMECOMING FINISHING YOUR CAREER AS SOUTHS CAPTAIN, ONLY TO SEE THE CLUB AXED FROM THE PREMIERSHIP?
I was looking to retire and the Rabbitohs appointed Steve Martin as coach. He contacted me and asked if I had another two years in me. It was the best thing I ever did – those final two years was like coming home, being able to redevelop the friendships and connection in a place where I grew up. It was a beautiful way to end my career.
It was an emotional year … the NRL created a criteria, funnily enough everything Souths were strong on was low on the criteria and everything that was high on the criteria, we were weak on. We started [1999] really well but ran out of steam and lost our last seven games; we thought if we made the Top 8 it’ll hard for them to throw us out, but we didn’t and they pulled the trigger.
It was a very hard time, but it galvanised everybody and all South Sydney supporters around Australia came together. I joined the board and was lucky to be a part of that fight to get back in the competition.
YOU’RE ONE OF THE LONGEST-SERVING PANEL MEMBERS THE NRL JUDICIARY HAS EVER HAD – WHAT WAS THE MOTIVATION TO HAVE SUCH A TENURE?
I loved the game, loved being around intelligent people. Paul Conlon was the chairman at the time, he was a great man to be mentored by. And just to see the other side of the NRL, from the inside, was fascinating. It was a general feeling of wanting to give back and stay involved in the game.
I remember when we had a controversial hearing and someone got suspended, we’d get calls to reception at the [Garlo’s Pies] office saying, ‘I’ll never buy a pie again!’
YOUR SON, BRONSON, BREAKING INTO THE NRL PROMPTED YOUR DECISION TO STAND DOWN FROM THE JUDICIARY. HOW SATISIFYING WAS IT TO SEE HIM DEBUT AT 27 AFTER PERSEVERING IN THE LOWER GRADES FOR SO LONG?
To be honest, it was probably more emotional than when I made my own debut. For him to hang in there throughout COVID when they cancelled reserve grade, then going to Melbourne and playing two full seasons with [Queensland Cup feeder clubs] Easts Tigers and Sunshine Coast Falcons, living down there with his girlfriend, it was tough.
The planets have to align, and in rugby league you can be talented as hell and just not get there for all sorts of reasons. For Bronson to stick it out and finally get there was a beautiful thing to watch and a great reward for his perseverance.
DATE OF BIRTH
6 August, 1969
CURRENT AGE
56
BIRTHPLACE
Sydney, NSW
POSITION
Hooker
PLAYING HISTORY
1990-93, 1998-99: South Sydney Rabbitohs
1994-97: Sydney City Roosters
JUNIOR CLUBS
Arncliffe Scots, La Perouse
TOTAL MATCHES
160
TRIES | POINTS
17 | 68
