Greg Florimo

Hard-running Norths centre, a local junior who played in over 100 matches before the age of 22, first represented NSW in 1988. Florimo then toiled for six more seasons with the Bears before receiving the recognition he deserved with selection on the 1994 Kangaroo tour. His utility value at lock, centre and five-eighth, and his steam-rolling running style, saw him grab a spot on Australia's interchange bench for the vital Second Test against Great Britain at Manchester. Florimo had a marked impact on the match, replacing Ian Roberts in the second half in which Australia eventually triumphed 38-8, and played in the remaining Test of the Ashes series. On his return, Florimo weathered the Super League storm within Norths’ ARL stronghold and made appearances for NSW (after an absence of seven years!) and Australia in two Tests against NZ. Injury ruled him out of World Cup contention and although he played consistently for the Bears for the remainder of his career, his rep career was over. Before he left the club to see out his career in England, Florimo broke Norths’ first grade club record, amassing 285 games. After seasons with Wigan (1999) and Halifax (2000) he returned to Australia and played in the NSW Central Coast and Sydney ‘A Grade’ competition.