By Jonathan B Geddes

WHEN Northern Suburbs coach Zak Beer sent an SOS for Gary Bautz to come out of retirement as the club battled a massive injury toll, the rugby warrior first had to have a deep and meaningful with his girlfriend. 

The 35-year-old backrower retired at the end of last year and had not played in the first 15 rounds this season. In one of rugby’s most extraordinary comeback stories Bautz has now taken the field in Norths’ past three Shute Shield games after dusting off his boots.

Beer said the club was facing an injury crisis with 14 players from the first-grade squad currently unavailable.

Bautz, meanwhile, had happily settled into life as a retired footballer – or so he thought until Beer contacted him.

“I was thoroughly enjoying my time and then I heard about a few injuries and I was expecting the call,” Bautz told Rugby News in the pumping Norths’ dressing room after Saturday’s 36-33 win over Warringah at North Sydney Oval.

 “Zak said ‘Gary, we need you mate, we are  down on numbers, could you please come back’.”

GARY’S DEEP AND MEANINGFUL 

BEFORE he returned to the field Bautz revealed that he had to seek permission from his very understanding girlfriend Georgia Smith.

“I sat her down and said ‘I need to talk to you’ and she thought I was going to break up with her,” Bautz said.

“I said ‘can I please play rugby again? They need some help.’

“She said ‘if you want to help, absolutely’,” Bautz said. “Luckily Zak went up to her after my first game and said ‘thank you so much for letting him come back’. And that went a long way for her saying ‘OK, maybe another week’.

“There is just something about this club- the boys, the winning culture, you can just be yourself and you are accepted. 

“I had missed that completely. I went to one training and I felt I was at home again.”

The proud warhorse is now a key figure in Norths’ quest to play three Shute Shield grand finals in a row, starting with Saturday’s semi-final against Eastwood.

Bautz said he was lucky to have maintained a level of fitness even though he did nothing during the off-season.

“It’s the muscles and the joints that don’t like it,” admitted Bautz, who had turned in an impressive 45-minute shift against the Rats. 

Beer told Bautz he was the only player he would call up after a year of not playing who would be fitter than everyone else.

“I sent him an SOS and he came back,” Beer said. “It shows how much the club means to him. He brings a lot of energy, he is a very unique human.”

CLUB STALWART ON A MISSION  

THIS is Bautz’s ninth season as a Norths player after joining the club in 2017 and he has extra incentive this year.

He was in the Norths sides which lost grand finals in 2017, 2023 and 2024.

“I’m really hoping it is going to change this year,” he said.

Bautz has now played about 95 first grade games and 120 club games for Norths and that gives him another goal to strive for.

“It would be nice to get to that 100 first grade games,” he said.

TEN SEASONS NOT OUT

 IN what is a marvellous achievement, Norths are the only Shute Shield team to have never missed the finals series in the past 10 years.

Beer was full of praise for the never-say-die performance of his players on Saturday who just would not be denied against the second-placed team.
“I was really proud, it was outstanding and one of our top performances of the year,” Beer said.

“But we were not surprised, there is a formula to winning games at this time of year and we knew that if we delivered the things we stand for as a club we will deliver a performance like that.

“That is six weeks in a row now we’ve delivered with our backs against the wall.”

 Norths head into the finals buoyed by consecutive victories over West Harbour, Sydney University, Eastwood, Randwick, the Two Blues and now Warringah.  

Bautz said Saturday’s victory will give the side a massive boost in confidence.

“Norths have always had a bit of a problem winning those games when we are ahead for the last five minutes and we lose it,” he said. “To dig deep and get that last try (in the 77^th minute) and win the game was something I haven’t seen in a little bit.

“It’s a really good time for us and we can come from nowhere and beat the top teams.”