Yileen ‘Buddy’ Gordon on the mistakes that killed his NRL career
Yileen ‘Buddy’ Gordon was supposed to help rebuild the Rabbitohs. Fourteen years later, and after a run-in with Phil Gould and a school visit shocker, he’s finally returned to Redfern.
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Part 3: Yow Yeh still dreams of coaching
They were the lucky ones — blessed with talent, passionate and on a path that led to riches and fame. Then it all came crashing down and they had to rebuild lives that would never be the same. Michael Carayannis continues our series profiling rugby league players whose careers ended all too soon.
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Fourteen years after his NRL debut, Yileen “Buddy” Gordon is finally back wearing his beloved South Sydney colours.
But his return has taken the rockiest of paths, involving four NRL clubs, three NSW Cup clubs, a run-in with Penrith’s Phil Gould and a joke during a Wests Tigers school visit that backfired so badly he was sacked immediately.
At just 18, Gordon rose from SG Ball player to star South Sydney centre in 2005.
The Rabbitohs only lost two of the 10 games featuring Gordon and the local junior was earmarked as one of the players to lead them out of the doldrums.
“My debut was against Canterbury who had won the competition the year before,’’ Gordon, 31, says. “They had the likes of Sonny Bill Williams and Andrew Ryan.
“It’s the most nervous I’ve ever got going into a footy game. The stark reality of being a first grader was when Ryan was running at me the whole time.”
Gordon had already impressed South Sydney officials with his defence following a bizarre introduction to the first grade squad when he was just 17.
Gordon says coach Paul Langmack dragged would-be first-graders Gordon, Richie Williams and Beau Champion from SG Ball training to be tested against first-graders David Fa’alogo and Ahmad Bajouri.
“It was a bit of a litmus test,” Gordon says. “They were standing about 10 metres in front of us and they charged at us.
“I’ve always known how to tackle. I just went around the legs. I was able to tackle Fa’alogo.
“It was very surreal. We were in the middle of Erskineville Oval, now we had to tackle the lads who we’d watched on TV.”
Gordon played just 24 matches over the next three seasons.
“I lived closer than anyone at Waterloo and I was still late to training’’ Gordon says.
“I’d be 30 to 40 minutes late sometimes. I’d skip training occasionally. I was just a kid having all this money and playing first grade.
“I wasn’t focused. I still wanted to be young and go out and party. I wasn’t prepared to make sacrifices at a young age.”
The Alexandria Rovers junior was released from the final year of his contract and then inked a two-year deal with Canterbury.
Gordon featured in 22 matches in his first season in 2009, including Canterbury’s preliminary final loss to Parramatta.
But a decision to move to Penrith at the end of 2010 proved to be the beginning of the end.
“My focus on footy wasn’t where it was at Canterbury. I wasn’t playing good footy,” said Gordon. “Making silly choices like I did. That’s why it came to the end.”
Gordon played just three games for Penrith in 2011. The centre/back-rower was sacked after driving unlicensed and hitting a parked car.
Gordon, Nafe Seluini and Brendon Gibb, who owned the Holden Commodore, were celebrating the end of the season when Gordon decided to drive them to a friend’s house, having partied the previous evening.
“I f--ked up there,” Gordon. “I drove my mate’s car and I smashed it into a parked car. I thought it was a good idea to do some burnouts. I smashed someone’s car. I took off; I didn’t report it.
“I came back a day later to hand myself in. It was all downhill from there.’’
Penrith boss Phil Gould told him his contract was terminated.
“I remember him saying to me he thought I was there for the social aspect of footy. But he doesn’t know me personally. That was just his assumption. I love footy — I watch it as much as I can.
“So to say that was quite alarming.’’
With 71 appearances to his name and still only 24, Gordon hadn’t given up hope.
He signed a three-month trial and train contract with the Tigers before another moment of madness in February 2014.
Gordon and other Tigers players were on a school visit when he wrote an offensive play on words for female genitalia on a poster.
“A few of the other boys wrote silly names down like John Smith,” Gordon. “I wrote a name in there which I really regret. I didn’t write it to offend anyone.
“It was a silly mistake, I did it for a laugh. It was very offensive.
“I was very stupid. I wish I could take it back but I can’t.”
Gordon was given a quick reality check of what he had thrown away.
His partner Alisha had just given birth to the couple’s first child when Gordon was axed.
He became a labourer and then a plumber but without a driver’s licence he was up at 5am most days, lugging his tools to the nearest train station to get to the job sites.
“My life was shit,” Gordon. “Alisha was always there when times got tough. Mentally I was in a really dark place.
“I had lost everything. When I was labouring and doing plumbing I was still playing reserve grade as I love footy and needed both incomes to support my family.
“It was hard work. I would get up at 5am every day and three days a week I would finish at 3pm to be at training at 4pm. Most nights I wouldn’t get home until 9pm and the kids would be asleep.
“My bad choices had put me in this position and I needed to work hard for it. Without the love and support from (Alisha) and my children I don’t know where I would be. I’m eternally grateful for all she has done and continues to do. She is one of the strongest women.
“I just wasted opportunities, opportunities that are very hard to come by and I had several. I needed some better people around me at the time I was playing, not people who would piss in your pocket. I needed to know some hard truths.’’
When Gordon made his debut teammate John Sutton had just 24 games to his name. Sutton — three years older than Gordon — has gone on to become the most capped Rabbitoh of all time with 309 NRL matches and was celebrated in a testimonial match on Saturday night.
“I watch guys play 200, 250th games. I could have easily been there. I just didn’t appreciate it. In a perfect world I would be in my last playing contract now.”
The father of three has now come full circle, working full-time at the Rabbitohs as part of their Souths Cares program.
Gordon is the indigenous youth mentor, working with 10 to 15 children aged 10 to 17 from the South Sydney area.
He oversees all parts of their lives, from making sure they get to school on time to catching up for a coffee if one needs a shoulder to lean on.
“Walking back into the offices and being able to wear the Rabbitoh on my shirt again was a bit surreal,” Gordon says. “I had some reservations coming back after the way I left. But this work is something I’m throwing myself at.
“My job is to mentor these young kids who could be going down the same path I was and give them some life lessons. It’s different to playing footy. The role I’m doing now is very selfless.
“It’s not about me. It’s about helping these young people. Some of these kid’s lives are very hard. It makes me appreciate my family and I make sure my kids appreciate the life they have.”
Gordon has also strapped on the boots again to play for South Sydney’s reserve grade side, making his comeback against Parramatta in a trial earlier this month.
“I felt like a kid running out. Who knows, if (coach Wayne Bennett) needs me, I’ll be ready.”
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