Former NRL star Luke Patten makes jump from bunker to bush footy

He is getting sledged now more than ever, but former Canterbury star Luke Patten couldn’t be happier about pulling on the boots again after six-year hiatus.

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Luke Patten regularly gets told to “Go back to the bunker” but the former Canterbury fullback is loving his return to rugby league via a bush footy stint with the Albion Park Oak-Flats Eagles in the Group 7 competition.

Only months after spending his weekends in the high intensity environment of the NRL Bunker, Patten has dusted off the boots following a six-year hiatus.

“The General” hasn’t played since his final season with Salford in the English Super League in 2012 but he is enjoying being around the team environment again.

Luke Patten has made a comeback for the Albion Park Oak-Flats Eagles.

And while Patten freely admits his 39-year-old body isn’t as fast or strong as it once was, he is taking his comeback to league seriously.

“If I’m going to go back and play local footy then I’m not just going to go through the motions,” Patten told Bushbeat.

“I want to be good and one of the best players in the competition, so that is a challenge for me as well.

“It has been six years since I played properly, so it has been a challenge.

“It’s more just getting my head around getting tackled and tackling again.

“That was probably the biggest thing to get used to.”

It’s a far cry from his heady days with the Bulldogs, where he won a grand final in 2004. Picture: News Corp

Patten has also had to learn to deal with the close confines of bush footy grounds, which allow fans to literally stand on top of the action and sledge the players.

He might not like the every catcall but he also understands it’s part of bush footy’s beauty compared to the bigger stages in the NRL and Super League.

“You can hear everything in park footy,” he grinned.

“In my first two games people have thought it is hilarious to tell me to go back to the bunker.

“It’s weird but it’s park footy and people want to sledge you.

“The crowd is basically right on top of you and it is a different dynamic than the NRL where the crowds are back a bit further and you can’t hear every comment.”

Patten (left) and Bernard Sutton in the NRL’s referee bunker. Picture: Gregg Porteous.

Sledges aside, Patten has found playing bush footy quite pleasurable.

In fact, he recommends any current or former NRL player finish their careers with a country club.

“It is a shame that more NRL guys can’t go back to country footy,” he said.

“I’ve had lots of comments from guys I know. Some have said I’m crazy but others have said I’ve inspired them to get back into training or playing some bush footy.

“That has been pretty cool.

“I didn’t realise how big the NRL is in country areas.

“I’d get to Thursday training and as soon as we are finished everyone is in their cars home to watch the footy.

“I properly got a bit burnt out from my work in the bunker, so I don’t watch a lot of footy now.

“But it is great to see that all my teammates are so passionate about the game.

“My two boys Brody and Zander have also never seen me play, so for me it is not just all about winning.

“There is a lot of other stuff to it.”

Patten rode the highs and lows during his NRL career.

Patten will juggle football with work in the mines through Albion Park Oak-Flat’s major sponsor, Nexus Mining.

His aim is to play a season, although he hasn’t put a time frame on his bush footy stint.

“I’ll just play this season and then assess how my body is going,” he said.

“I haven’t played for a while, so it is a risk, but it has been fun.

“Ask me what it is like halfway through the season and I might not have the same answer, but I’m really enjoying it at the moment.”