Mark Levy (rugby league)

Mark Levy nicknamed "Strauss" (born 19 March 1955) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He played for Balmain Tigers, Parramatta Eels and Penrith as a fullback.

Mark Levy
Personal information
Full nameMark Levy
Born (1955-03-19) 19 March 1955
Waverley, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
PositionFullback
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1974–75 Balmain Tigers 28 5 4 0 23
1976–80 Parramatta 87 19 63 1 184
1981–85 Penrith Panthers 101 17 137 0 334
Total 216 41 204 1 541
Source: [1]

Playing career

Levy was a Parramatta junior but made his debut for Balmain in 1974. Levy spent two uneventful years at Balmain with the club finishing between mid and lower table. In 1976, Levy signed with Parramatta as the club qualified for the first grand final in its history against Manly. In the grand final itself, Parramatta went into half time level with Manly at 7-7. In the second half and with 10 minutes remaining, Parramatta made a play to the right hand side of the field and the ball eventually reached Neville Glover. With the try line wide open, Glover dropped the ball over the line which would have given Parramatta the match winning try. In the final five minutes Manly held on after a Parramatta onslaught to win the premiership 13-10.

The following year, Levy was a member of the Parramatta side which claimed their first ever minor premiership after finishing first during the regular season. Parramatta qualified for their second consecutive grand final that year against St George. Levy was moved from fullback to five-eighth for that match due to John Peard being injured. The grand final finished in a 9-9 draw and a replay was rescheduled to determine the winner. In the 1977 replay, Levy shifted to fullback as Peard had returned as Parramatta were defeated 22-0. Levy played with Parramatta up until the end of 1980 until he was told by coach Jack Gibson he was not required for the 1981 season.

Levy later moved to Penrith and played over 100 games for them and was a member of the 1985 side which qualified for the finals for the first time in the club's history.[2][3][4]

Post playing

In retirement, Levy became an ABC commentator on rugby league matches in the 1980s.[5][6] He then joined the Parramatta board and worked under CEO Denis Fitzgerald. In the 1990s, Levy became CEO at Penrith and was in charge of the club as it moved from the ARL to the Super League in 1997. Levy stepped down as Penrith CEO after the club finished last in 2001.[1]

References
  1. Ferguson, Shawn Dollin and Andrew. "Mark Levy - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". Rugbyleagueproject.org.
  2. "THROWBACK - 1977 Grand Final replay". Parramatta Eels. 10 August 2017.
  3. "Famous footy fumbles still haunt". Heraldsun.com.au. 17 September 2008. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  4. "Official Player Numbers". Parramatta Eels.
  5. "'Maybe it's time to get out of the kitchen' – NRL commentator Mark Levy hammers Todd Greenberg with full-throttle spray". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  6. News, Sporting. "Rankings: Who is the best well-known NRL presenter?". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
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