1. Steve Mortimer played a Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs club record 272 first-grade games between 1976 and 1988, winning four premierships with the club during the 1980s.
23 Facts About Steve Mortimer
1. 2.
Steve Mortimer was born in the Sydney suburb of Yagoona and raised in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, the eldest son of Ian and Elaine Steve Mortimer's four sons.
3.
Steve Mortimer's brothers played rugby league and were famously known as the Mortimer brothers.
4.
Steve Mortimer then played for Wagga Wagga's Turvey Park club, with "Turvey" becoming one of Mortimer's nicknames.
5.
Steve Mortimer captained Canterbury to Premierships in 1984 and 1985 and was a member of the 1980 and 1988 triumphs.
6.
Lamb was a non-playing reserve in the 1985 Grand Final win over St George after being ruled out due to injury, and Steve Mortimer missed 68 minutes of the 1988 Grand Final win over Balmain in the first Grand Final played at the Sydney Football Stadium.
7.
Steve Mortimer received an offer to switch clubs in 1987 and very nearly joined the Bob Fulton coached Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, but stayed put at Canterbury.
8.
Steve Mortimer was advised to retire after 1988 rather than join another club, which ensured his status as one of the most loyal players to play the game of rugby league.
9.
Steve Mortimer was named man-of-the-match in the final game of the 1984 State of Origin series at Brisbane's Lang Park.
10.
Steve Mortimer was named vice-captain of Australia's 1985 mid-season tour of New Zealand, but made himself unavailable due to business reasons, with Murray and Hasler sharing the halfback position.
11.
Steve Mortimer later regretted standing down as a major conflict erupted between coach Terry Fearnley and captain Wally Lewis.
12.
Fearnley was NSW coach in 1985 and Steve Mortimer previously played alongside Lewis in Test and Kangaroo Tour campaigns.
13.
Steve Mortimer believed that had he toured New Zealand he might have been able to calm the situation between the coach and the captain.
14.
Steve Mortimer played under four coaches during his 13 seasons at Canterbury.
15.
Steve Mortimer's style was reined in during the "Wozzaball" era under Warren Ryan between 1984 and 1987.
16.
Steve Mortimer broke his wrist in the second last round but was fit enough to be a reserve in the Grand Final victory against Balmain Tigers.
17.
Fittingly Steve Mortimer was the last player to touch the ball in a dash from dummy half.
18.
Steve Mortimer led from the front with the passion and dedication he displayed on the field.
19.
Steve Mortimer will be remembered as one of the all-time great halfbacks, a player who brought the passion into the State of Origin for New South Wales, a great captain for his state and country and a great ambassador for the sport of rugby league on and off the field.
20.
In 1988, Steve Mortimer was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his services to rugby league.
21.
Steve Mortimer has made several media appearances and was a member of Channel Seven's Sports World programme in the early 1990s and Fox Sports NRL coverage.
22.
On 24 October 2000, Steve Mortimer was recipient of the Australian Sports Medal.
23.
In February 2008, Steve Mortimer was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia.