Stanley Gene

[shevington]

Just how old is he really :conf:

[josie andrews]

STANLEY GENE, rugby league's own international man of mystery, has extra reason to look forward to Saturday's World Cup opening fixture against England.

It was in the 1995 World Cup that Gene first burst on to the scene and 13 years later the hugely popular Papuan is aiming to make as big an impression as he did back then.

Gene, whose exploits for his national team saw him plucked from the tropical rain forests of New Guinea to a cold, uncertain new life in East Yorkshire with Hull Kingston Rovers, is hoping to line up against England in Townsville on Saturday night.

Papua New Guinea's vice-captain is one of the few Kumuls whose face will be familiar to the England players and the fiercely competitive loose forward is relishing the chance to roll back the years against his fellow Super League stars.

Three teams from Pool A, which also features Australia and New Zealand, will go through to the semi-finals and though the Papuans are massive underdogs Gene insists qualification is not beyond them.

"It will be hard for us to qualify, but we can do it," said Gene. "That is what I said to the boys in the villages when I got back home before the competition.

"I told them that we will do our best and that we must not be scared of anyone. If they go out there, work hard and play hard, then the scouts will be watching and maybe someone will take a chance on them like Hull KR did for me in 1995. We can't be scared and we won't be scared."

The ageless Gene – he is officially 34 – has won many friends during his 12 seasons in England and recently signed a one-year extension to his contract at Hull KR, who he rejoined last season after spells with Hull, Huddersfield and Bradford.

His story is an example of what can be achieved in the sporting world through hard work, application and dedication and is captivatingly told in his recently-published autobiography, Daydream Believer (TH Media, £11.99).

Written in association with freelance writer Stuart Wilkin, Daydream Believer describes how two very different worlds – growing up in the jungle near Goroka in Papua New Guinea and playing rugby league in northern England – helped shape one of sport's most colourful characters.

One things the book does not reveal is the subject's date of birth, a deliberate oversight which does nothing to diminish the stature of a player whose humility has remained refreshingly intact.

"I love the club and I love playing in England. Hull KR saved my life, which you can't understand if you have not been to Goroka," said Gene. "They gave me an opportunity to come to England and play for them, to work hard and to help me to provide for my family and everyone else back in Goroka.

"Representing my country at the World Cup is a reward for everyone that has supported me."

Gene's success has enabled him to provide an electricity supply to the remote village he still refers to as 'home', even though he is settled in Yorkshire with his Hull-born wife Jo and their sons Leo and Elliott.

He is as coy about his future plans as he is about his age, although he does concede that he is unlikely to feature in the next World Cup which has been provisionally scheduled for England in 2013.

"This World Cup will be the last time I play for the Kumuls," he said. "I am good friends with the coach Adrian Lam and when he called me and asked me to come and play, I had to do it. But this is the last time for me.

"I have another year at Hull Kingston Rovers and after that, who knows?

"People have been saying to me for the last five years that my time is up and that I have to retire, I have to give up.

"No-one tells me when I have to retire, when I have to go. When the time is right, I will know.

"I am the only person who will know when the time is right to put that ball in the bin.

"I'm playing really well and as I have got older I am playing more good footy."

Come Saturday night, Gene will find out whether his 'footy' is good enough to help Papua New Guinea spring what would be one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history.

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/rugby-le ... 4611425.jp

[shevington]

apparantly he could be any age between 32 and 50

He claims to be 34 but may well have been born just after World War II. His true age is unknown because no one has ever seen a birth certificate for Papua New Guinea and English Super League utility Stanley Gene.

But the mystery man is ready to become a World Cup cult figure. Former Wigan forward Bryan Fletcher claims Gene is 45 years old while Jamie Lyon, the ex-St Helens star, reckons Gene is at least 40.

On-line encyclopedia Wikipedia boldly states Gene could be anywhere “between 32 and 58”. He is almost certainly the oldest elite footballer of any code in the world today. The accompanying photo looks like a man aged about 50.

So just how old is the Kumuls cult hero?

“I’m 34 - eleventh of the fifth ‘74 - I’m not telling you fibs,” Gene told The Daily Telegraph yesterday. But those that have played with and against Gene in England, where he has played with Hull KR, Hull, Huddersfield and Bradford, are adamant he is a whole lot older.

Even PNG rugby league chairman Albert Veratau admits he has never seen Gene’s birth certificate. Asked did he look older than he was, Gene said: “People say that. PNG people look older in the face. When I come to New Zealand and Australia and meet people my age, I think they are a lot younger.

“I seem to be playing better football each year - I’m like good red wine.”

But confusion still reigns. Some say Gene does not have a birth certificate, only a baptism certificate. “I reckon, honestly, up close, he’d have to be 45,” Fletcher said. “But he’s still a good player. He’s like tackling a bit of titanium. Real nuggerty.”

Stuart Raper, who coached Wigan and Castleford, remembers Gene well. “Facially, I reckon he’s 41,” Raper said. “I was over there in 1997, 11 years ago, and I reckon he was 30 then. I’m not kidding,” Raper said.


“He is a real cult figure in England. Stanley is an impact player - he can create a lot of havoc.”

Ex-Catalans CEO Grant Mayer said simply: “He’s been playing since God was a boy. He’d have to be 45. It’s unbelievable he’s still playing. He holds his age pretty well.”

Another confused about Gene’s exact age is Veratau, who thinks his player is in his 30s but is unsure. Asked for Gene’s age, Veratau: “To be honest I have absolutely no idea. He could have been on the Kokoda Trail.

“He is like a snake - he seems to shed his skin every year. I don’t know where he gets his strength and stamina from.”

David Furner, who played against Gene during stints with Leeds and Wigan, did not want to be offensive. “I can’t tell how old he is but he’d have to be 38 or 39 - and I’m being kind to him,” Furner said.

Manly’s Lyon, the former Man of Steel winner, also had an opinion. “He’d have to be pushing 40, if not a tad over. He’s been around a while now Stanley,” he said.

And former Leeds coach Graham Murray said: “When I was there I reckon he was about 32. That was 10 years ago.”

what a legend playing on at his age anyway

[josie andrews]

where have you copied this from? You need to put the url address on from where you have copied it.

[shawcross da warrior]

stanley doesnt even know himself, he has no birth certificate...

[sudokuwarrior]

With how long I've known him playing he must be about 48.

[DaveO]

Whenever he does retire that years Man of Steel awards should have special award for him.

He has been one of those players who whenever he has played against us I have always though how the hell does he do it because on many occasions he has been a real handful.

With how long I've known him playing he must be about 48.

Reading the commentaries on him above I have decided it is time I burnt my birth certificate. Once that has gone up in smoke I reckon I am a dead cert for Wigan in 2009 being younger than Stanley Gene!

Dave