Gerard Stokes

Gerard James Stokes (1955 – 8 December 2020) was a New Zealand rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1980s through to the 2010s, who represented New Zealand.[1] He was a coach of the Serbian national side, and father of England international cricketer Ben Stokes. And eldest son Linwood senior rugby representative James Stokes.

Gerard Stokes
Personal information
Full nameGerard James Stokes
Born1955 (1955)
Died (aged 64)
Christchurch, New Zealand
Playing information
PositionProp
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
Marist-Western (CRL)
1982 Eastern Suburbs (CRL)
1982–83 Workington Town 22
1986–?? Marist-Western (CRL)
Total 22 0 0 0 0
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1980–82 Canterbury
1982 South Island
1982 New Zealand 1 0 0 0 0
Coaching information
Club
Years Team Gms W D L W%
1988–?? Marist-Western
1994–96 Canterbury Country
1997–2002 Canterbury Bulls
2003 Wellington Orcas
2003–07 Workington Town
2008–10 Whitehaven
Total 0 0 0 0
Representative
Years Team Gms W D L W%
2008–10 Serbia
Source: [1][2][3]

Playing career

Stokes began playing rugby league early in life. In high school, he would sneak out of his boarding school in New Zealand every Saturday morning to play rugby league for Canterbury.[4] He was a Schoolboy Kiwi in 1971 before later representing New Zealand in four non-Test matches on the 1982 tour of Australia and playing for Workington Town in 1982–83.[5] In one match, Stokes dislocated his finger, and asked for an amputation in order to play again more quickly.[6]

Coaching career

In 1994, he was appointed coach of the new Canterbury Country Cardinals in the Lion Red Cup.[7] The team made the finals in 1994,[8] but finished tenth in 1995.[9]

In 1996, he was appointed head coach of the Canterbury Rugby League representative side, facing irregular provincial competition.[10] In 2000, he coached the Canterbury Bulls to a victory in the inaugural Bartercard Cup grand final. He was also named New Zealand coach of the year that season.[4]

He applied to coach New Zealand in 2001 but was overlooked for Gary Freeman.[11] Instead he was appointed Assistant Coach and a co-selector, working under Freeman, and in 2003 he was in charge of the New Zealand 'A' tour of Great Britain.[12][13]

In 2002, Stokes moved north and coached the Wellington Franchise in the Bartercard Cup.[14] He re-applied for the job at the end of the 2003 season but wanted too much money and so was not reappointed.[15]

Instead, at the end of the New Zealand 'A' tour, he was offered the opportunity to stay in England and coach his old club, Workington Town. The club was in a state of disrepair and only seven players were contracted to the club.[4] Stokes rebuilt the squad. However he was later fired by the club over an alleged disciplinary breach, despite being cleared by a RFL investigation. The club later agreed to a £14,000 pay-off days before a court case brought by Stokes was due to be heard.[16]

In early 2008, he was offered the job of coaching Whitehaven, Workington Town's bitter local rivals, after coach Paul Crarey left the club citing personal health issues.[17]

In late 2008, he travelled to Serbia and helped the national side prepare for the RLEF Euro Med Challenge.[18] This move quickly proved beneficial to his club side as Whitehaven signed young Serbian national Soni Radovanović in January 2009.[19] Stokes was sacked in August 2010, after winning only 1 game in 14, with a disastrous record 13 game losing streak that ultimately led to Whitehaven's relegation from the Championship.[20][21]

In 2013, he and wife Deb had moved from rugby league and back to Christchurch to a job working with young offenders; they were also involved in the restoration of Christchurch following the 2011 earthquake.[22]

Personal life

Stokes and his wife Deb had two sons, James and Ben. In August 2020 Stokes revealed that he had been diagnosed with brain cancer in January 2020.[23] Stokes died at his home in Christchurch on 8 December 2020, aged 64.[24][25]

References
  1. "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 8 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  2. "Coach Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 24 February 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  3. NZLeague
  4. Caned Until I Bleed for Love of Rugby League Archived 17 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine The Whitehaven News, 15 May 2008
  5. Coffey, John. Canterbury XIII, Christchurch, 1987.
  6. "England cricket star Ben Stokes arrives in New Zealand to be with seriously ill dad Ged". NZ Herald. 28 August 2020. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  7. "Coach Ged Stokes set for Whitehaven exit". BBC Sport. 18 August 2010. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  8. Lion Red Rugby League Annual 1994, New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1994. p. 110
  9. Lion Red Rugby League Annual 1995, New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1995. p.110
  10. Stokes on alert for 'hit men' The Press, 1 May 1999
  11. The Locker Room Archived 25 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine Workers Online, 23 February 2001
  12. 2003 NZ A Archived 11 September 2007 at Archive.today NZRL Official Site
  13. Line-up is everybody's guess The Press, 2 July 2001.
  14. Bergman off to capital as cup coach The Nelson Mail, 22 October 2003
  15. Stokes too costly for Wellington Archived 23 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine The Dominion Post, 14 October 2003.
  16. Ged Stokes is new Haven coach Archived 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine North-West Evening Mail, 28 March 2008.
  17. Stokes Pleased to be back in charge Archived 8 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine The Press, 26 April 2008.
  18. Whitehaven Coach Ged Stokes to Boss Serbian National Side Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Times & Star, 6 October 2008
  19. Whitehaven RLFC are set to make a little RL history Archived 22 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine Whitehaven Official Site, 20 January 2009
  20. Norquay, Kevin (4 June 2010). "Kiwi coach tells tale of friend 'shot point blank'". Stuff.co.nz. NZPA. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  21. Relegated Championship side Whitehaven sack boss Stokes Archived 8 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine BBC, 18 August 2010
  22. Hoult, Nick (15 May 2009). "Durham's Ben Stokes wins generation game at the Oval". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  23. "England cricket star Ben Stokes arrives in New Zealand to be with seriously ill dad Ged". NZ Herald. 28 August 2020. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  24. Darbyshire, Drew (8 December 2020). "Former Whitehaven and Workington coach Ged Stokes passes away". Love Rugby League. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  25. "Gerard Stokes death notice". The Press. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
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