Canterbury honour 1980 grand final try hero Steve Gearin with football club life membership

The man who famously caught THAT Greg Brentnall bomb has a message for Canterbury’s new guard after receiving life membership at the Bulldogs.

SEPTEMBER 27, 1980 : Geoff Robinson (L) & Steve Gearin celebrate victory in RL grand final Canterbury Bulldogs v Eastern Suburbs. Pic News Limited. Historical Rugby League A/CT

• Why horror off-season actually helped Latrell
• Simply The Best: Rugby league anthem returns

The man who scored Canterbury’s most famous try has become a football club life member.

Steve ‘Bubba’ Gearin said he was “humbled” when given the honour at the Bulldogs AGM on Sunday.

Gearin, the former Canterbury winger, scored a history-making try to seal an 18-4 win over Eastern Suburbs during the 1980 grand final at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Watch the 2020 NRL Nines tournament LIVE & On-Demand on KAYO. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Gearintakes the bomb to score for the Bulldogs in their 1980 grand final win over Easts.

He famously followed through and caught a Greg Brentnall bomb on the full to secure his club’s first premiership since 1942. Gearin also kicked six goals from six attempts in the grand final.

“I am very humbled and it was also very humbling being part of an elite group at the club,” Gearin told News Corp Australia.

“I am very proud of my time there and the group of people I was lucky to play with along with ‘Bullfrog; (former secretary Peter Moore) and (coach) Ted Glossop, who gave me the opportunity.”

During a speech at the AGM Gearin also told the club’s younger players to “grab your opportunity and buy into the Bulldogs culture, which is all about the team and doing your job as best you can.”

Gearin played 131 games at Belmore during two stints between 1976 and 1982 and then again in 1985.

Steve Gearin with sons Bryce and Jake.

Peter Durose – a Bulldogs house parent who took in young kids from New Zealand, Queensland and NSW Country – was also made a life member.

Some of the players that lived under Durose’s roof included Sonny Bill Williams, Johnathan Thurston and current head coach, Dean Pay.

Club members elected Lynne Anderson (chair), John Ballesty (deputy chair), Adrian Turner, John Khoury, Joe Thomas, Paul Dunn and Peter Mortimer as directors for the next two years.

Thomas, Dunn and Mortimer were champion players with Canterbury.

In the only change on the board, Turner replaced club legend Steve Mortimer, who stood down.

Canterbury’s Leagues Club elections will be in March with George Coorey being heavily supported to continue for another two-year term.

Originally published as Canterbury honour 1980 grand final try hero Steve Gearin with football club life membership