Mark Sargent
Front Row
Player Bio
- Inducted:
- 2014
- Date of Birth:
- 18 August 1964
- Birthplace:
- Newcastle, NSW
- Nickname:
- Sarge
- Debut Team:
- Canterbury-Bankstown (1986) Newcastle Knights (1989)
- Date:
- 15 March 1989
- Opposition:
- -
- Venue:
- Parramatta Stadium
- Representative:
- 3 Games Country Origin, 1 Origin NSW, 5 Tests Australia
- Clubs:
- Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (1986-1988), Newcastle Knights (1989-1995)
Career
Milestones
- Rothmans Medal (1989)
- Newcastle Knights Captain (1994-1995)
- World Cup Winner (1992)
- Newcastle Knights Hall of Fame (2014)
Biography
Colossus. Strong. Inspiring. Leader. History-Maker.
Mark Sargent is certainly heralded as one of the toughest players to play for the Newcastle Knights.
The forward made history by becoming the first Knight to represent Australia while leading his hometown Club through its foundation seasons.
Hall of Fame: Mark Sargent
A Central Charlestown junior, the forward jumped at the move to return home and join Newcastle for the start of the 1989 season.
He immediately made his presence felt.
In '89, Sargent played in 21 games and went onto be presented the Rothmans Medal for the league's best-and-fairest.
The front-rower also played a crucial role in guiding the Club to its first playoffs appearance in 1990.
After two incredible seasons, Sargent became the Club's first Australian Test representative after his selection on the 1990 Kangaroo Tour.
He made his first appearance in the green and gold in Australia's 14-0 win over Great Britain at Elland Road in Leeds.
In the same season, Sargent made his debut for New South Wales coming off the bench in Game III of the 1990 State of Origin series.
Sargent would play another four games for Australia having featured in the 1989-1992 World Cup.
Back in Newcastle, The forward continued to lead from the front.
He even scored a rare hat-trick for a front-rower, notching the feat in a pivotal 22-11 win over Canberra in 1992.
The win guaranteed a second finals berth for the Club.
In 1994, the inspiring front-rower was named captain of the Club before an injury prematurely ended his playing career.
Sargent retired in 1995 after 126 games for Newcastle across seven seasons.
The born-and-bred Novocastrian was inducted into the Knights Hall of Fame in 2014 and was named in the Club's Team of the Era (1988-2007).
A colossal figure in the Club's foundation years, Mark Sargent is certainly one of the most inspiring players to wear the red and blue jersey.
