St Clair: Tributes flow for Comets player Jake Rowe

A western Sydney rugby league player is being remembered as a “a true legend” with “a heart of gold” following his sudden death on Australia Day.

St Clair Comets player Jake Rowe passed away on Australia Day. He was 32. Picture: Facebook

St Clair rugby league legend Jake Rowe has been remembered as “a true legend” following his sudden death on Australia Day.

Mr Rowe, 32, was a beloved player for the St Clair Comets, having played 229 games with the club for more than 15 years.

Comets Secretary Darren Mudford told this masthead Mr Rowe was regarded as one of the most loved and popular players at the club.

Mr Mudford said Mr Rowe was captain of the premiership winning reserve side in 2016, and in 2018 started the season in the A-grade squad.

By the middle of the season, Mr Rowe had cemented himself as the starting hooker.

“He was always around the club, he was just one of those people you just get drawn to,” Mr Mudford said.

St Clair Comets player Jake Rowe passed away on Australia Day. He was 32. Picture: Facebook

He described Mr Rowe, affectionately known as “Rowey”, as someone everyone in the community knew.

“Even if you didn’t know him and you walked past him, he’d say g’day,” he said.

Mr Mudford said “nobody had a bad word to say about (Mr Rowe)” and said he was always the “life of the party” and a continual supporter of community events, especially to do with the Comets.

Mr Rowe had a passion for karaoke at the local pub – Blue Cattle Dog Hotel – and would always get other patrons singing along, if not up and dancing.

He also came from an incredibly tight-knit family, which Mr Mudford said became clear to him the day they met.

“He said ‘I’m Chopper’s (his father) son’. Most people might say ‘I’m Jake’ or whatever … the respect he had for his mum and dad and his sister … (he came from) a very, very tight family,” he said.

Mr Mudford said this was his most fond memory of Mr Rowe, but the thing he would miss most was his smile and seeing him with his family and friends.

Former Penrith star Mark Geyer (left) shared this photo with St Clair Comets player Jake Rowe (right). Rowe passed away on Australia Day at 32-years-old.

The Comets shared an emotional tribute to Mr Rowe on Monday, offering their deepest sympathies to his family.

“Words cannot express the sadness that is felt within the STC (St Clair Comets) family today,” they wrote.

The club offered their sympathies and condolences to his family and concluded with a hashtag “forever 32”.

The post sparked hundreds of online tributes, including from former Panther’s player Mark Geyer who shared a photo of the two of them together and said: “So, so sad, sending all our love to Rowey’s family and friends.”

Sister Tori Rowe said he was “the best brother in the world”.

“I love you so much,” she commented online.

Other comments described Mr Rowe as “a great footballer, champion club man”, as someone who was “always happy to say g’day to everyone” and “a true legend” with a “heart of gold”.