David Gillespie
David Gillespie in February 2012
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Personal information
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| Nickname | Cement | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
22 March 1964 Narromine, New South Wales, Australia |
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Playing information
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| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 95 kg (14 st 13 lb; 209 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Prop, Second-row | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: RLP, Yesterday's Hero
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David "Cement" Gillespie (born 22 March 1964) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s, and 90s. An all-time great defender with a devastating tackling technique, Gillespie played in the Second-row and Prop forward positions for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Western Suburbs Magpies, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, New South Wales and for the Australian national side. He is currently a defensive coach for both the Roosters and the Sharks, being a close friend of Ricky Stuart.
Born in Narromine, New South Wales, Gillespie joined Sydney club Canterbury-Bankstown in 1982 after being signed by former international Tim Pickup whilst playing for New South Wales U/17's in a State of Origin curtain raiser game against Queensland at Lang Park. Pickup was there on behalf of the Bulldogs to sign another player, yet came away with Gillespie's signature as his defensive prowess could not be denied. He spent time in the lower grades honing his skills and absorbing the Canterbury culture, becoming a fringe first grader and occasional starter in the 1984 season, where his powerful tackling earned him the well-known nickname "Cement". His defence was critical to Canterbury's retention of the title against a heavily favoured St. George side in 1985, the Bulldogs winning the Grand Final 7-6 with Gillespie coming off the bench after having scored a rare try in their powerful 26-nil win over Parramatta in the preliminary final.
The following year Gillespie was chosen play for New South Wales as a replacement in the opening State of Origin. He was favoured to tour England and France with the Kangaroos before severing his index finger in a horrible work accident, which ended his season on the eve of the 1986 finals, where the Bulldogs would eventually lose to Parramatta in the infamous 4-2 Grand Final.
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