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:shock: :shock: Field shines in park footy comeback
By Jon Geddes
June 2, 2003
DESPITE being out of the NRL for more than two years, former first- grade star Craig Field proved yesterday he has not lost any of his skills.
Now older and wiser than when he was banished from the game in 2001, the 30-year-old turned on a real performance in his debut as a park footballer for Belrose against Narraweena in the Manly junior A grade competition.
With former teammate Geoff Toovey and first grade rival Mark Soden among the spectators, Field set up three tries using something different from his bag of tricks each time.
With his second touch of the ball Field sent a teammate over for a try with a superb inside pass.
Seven minutes later his winger scored after a perfectly placed Field cross kick.
Then late in the second half he was responsible for another try with a bullet pass that cut out two men and created an overlap.
"He is a class act," said Belrose coach Steve Lewis, echoing the views of everyone at the "Field of Dreams".
But Field, having his first game in six weeks after returning from a stint in France, played down the impact he had.
"It was good, my main aim was to have a bit of fun and still play football," he said.
"I've come back feeling fit and really good about myself."
Field knows he had been branded a troublemaker after incidents which saw him testing positive for cocaine and getting involved in a fight at Balmain Leagues Club.
"At the end of the day there were issues as a person I had to solve and get through," he said.
"France was a really good place for me to go to do a bit of soul-searching, to find out what kind of person I wanted to be and where I was going to go."
Right now he is happy to work during the week running his La Galleria restaurant in Leichhardt and lace up his boots on weekends.
"But if a [NRL] club was looking for a guy with a bit of experience to guide the young guys around the park I would put my hand up, because I know I can mix it with the best players," Field said.
His comeback game was a big comedown from his last appearance in Australia, when he played for the Tigers against Brisbane in front of 12,484 fans at ANZ Stadium in round four 2001.
Yesterday about 2000 fans were at Dee Why Heights to see Field play alongside former NRL first graders Josh Stuart -- who is as destructive as ever -- and Adam Nable as Belrose defeated Narraweena 44-22.
And over his career Field has probably never had a bigger teammate than Belrose forward Xavier Sullivan, a 22-year-old 148kg prison officer who has the very appropriate nickname "Dozer".
By Jon Geddes
June 2, 2003
DESPITE being out of the NRL for more than two years, former first- grade star Craig Field proved yesterday he has not lost any of his skills.
Now older and wiser than when he was banished from the game in 2001, the 30-year-old turned on a real performance in his debut as a park footballer for Belrose against Narraweena in the Manly junior A grade competition.
With former teammate Geoff Toovey and first grade rival Mark Soden among the spectators, Field set up three tries using something different from his bag of tricks each time.
With his second touch of the ball Field sent a teammate over for a try with a superb inside pass.
Seven minutes later his winger scored after a perfectly placed Field cross kick.
Then late in the second half he was responsible for another try with a bullet pass that cut out two men and created an overlap.
"He is a class act," said Belrose coach Steve Lewis, echoing the views of everyone at the "Field of Dreams".
But Field, having his first game in six weeks after returning from a stint in France, played down the impact he had.
"It was good, my main aim was to have a bit of fun and still play football," he said.
"I've come back feeling fit and really good about myself."
Field knows he had been branded a troublemaker after incidents which saw him testing positive for cocaine and getting involved in a fight at Balmain Leagues Club.
"At the end of the day there were issues as a person I had to solve and get through," he said.
"France was a really good place for me to go to do a bit of soul-searching, to find out what kind of person I wanted to be and where I was going to go."
Right now he is happy to work during the week running his La Galleria restaurant in Leichhardt and lace up his boots on weekends.
"But if a [NRL] club was looking for a guy with a bit of experience to guide the young guys around the park I would put my hand up, because I know I can mix it with the best players," Field said.
His comeback game was a big comedown from his last appearance in Australia, when he played for the Tigers against Brisbane in front of 12,484 fans at ANZ Stadium in round four 2001.
Yesterday about 2000 fans were at Dee Why Heights to see Field play alongside former NRL first graders Josh Stuart -- who is as destructive as ever -- and Adam Nable as Belrose defeated Narraweena 44-22.
And over his career Field has probably never had a bigger teammate than Belrose forward Xavier Sullivan, a 22-year-old 148kg prison officer who has the very appropriate nickname "Dozer".
