By Jon Geddes; Image: Paul Cross/SPORTSPICS

NORTHERN Suburbs impressive five-eighth recruit Jude Gibbs hopes to follow in the successful footsteps of his father on and off the field as his rugby career continues to kick on.

His dad is Dr Nathan Gibbs, the renowned Australian sports physician and former top class first grade rugby league player with Easts, Souths and Parramatta and Dally M second rower of the year in 1980.

“He has been an inspiration for me generally – working hard and wanting to study as well as play rugby – that is the goal that I want in my life,” Gibbs said.

Jude recently completed a degree in medical science and eventually would also like to study medicine.

As for Nathan passing on footy knowledge, Jude quipped: “Not that he did any kicking in his day, but he always has kicking tips for me which I try to take on board – but they are not always helpful.”

Dr Gibbs is a very proud dad but likes to keep out of the spotlight as his son makes his own mark.

“The great thing I love about Jude is his attitude and his perseverance, he has got that in bucketfuls,” Nathan said. “He has found a great club and a great coach, and this really suits him and I’m happy for him.”               

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

NORTHS pulled off a coup securing the 21-year-old from Sydney University this season as he is a rising talent who reads a game well and is an accomplished goalkicker to boot.

After an eye-catching debut for Norths in their first-round victory over his old club Uni, Gibbs backed that up with another standout display in Saturday’s 35-24 win over Southern Districts at North Sydney Oval.

He is certainly a player to keep an eye on over the next few seasons as his experience grows.   

Norths coach Zak Beer started talking with Gibbs at the end of last season about the possibility of moving over the Harbour Bridge.

And Gibbs saw pulling on the Norths’ red and black jumper as an opportunity too hard to turn down.

“Obviously Sydney Uni has really good players from professional all the way down to grade and sometimes it can be hard to make a name for yourself there,” Gibbs said. “And I think Norths style of footy suits my gameplay. I think it’s more of a backs focus and moving the ball around.

“It’s been easy to settle in and find my spot in the team,” he said.

GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME              

WHILE Gibbs is still young, Beer said he displays a real maturity on the field.

“He is very pragmatic in the way he plays the game, and I haven’t seen many blokes who work harder than him,” Beer said. “He’s got a long and exciting career ahead of him.”
And the coach has a refreshing attitude towards developing Gibbs as a player.

“I want him to be Jude Gibbs, he doesn‘t need to be anyone else – for that l want him to back his skillset, I’m happy for him to use all the tools in his toolkit,” Beer said. “And I want him to enjoy the footy he is playing which he is doing at the moment.”
The exciting thing for Norths is that Gibbs will only get better as his combinations with his new teammates continue to develop.

A HARD DAYS NIGHT       

BEER rated the performance against Souths as probably a six out of 10.
“There is a lot of work going into Randwick next week, (at Coogee Oval),” he said. “We were probably cruising a bit in the second half.”

Norths No.7 Charlie Jeavons-Fellows was a real workhorse all around the field and a dominant presence at the breakdown.

“He punches well above his weight and I think he has been one of the form 7s in the competition for the last three years,” Beer said. “He is very rapid and his top speeds are similar to our back three players.

“But it is his pilfer game that is really impressive.

“And credit to Souths – they have new coaches, new players but they have always been a gritty team and fair play to them.”