Kiwi rugby league legend’s son pays attention to his dad

Filmmaker Luke Graham didn’t have to look far to find the subject of his latest documentary. He turned his attention to his father: Kiwi rugby league legend Mark Graham.

Mark’s distinguished playing career included 29 Tests for the Kiwis between 1977 and 1988, including 18 as captain. He also made 150 appearances for North Sydney and was Dally M second rower of the year in 1981 and 1982.

He was the first New Zealander to be inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame and was named New Zealand Player of the Century in 2007.

Luke’s documentary about his father, Charcotincludes interviews with some of the greatest players of the era, as well as incredible footage from practices and games in which Mark played.

“Dad was going home to come back here to Auckland for the reunion of the 1977 Auckland team that beat France, England and Australia (when) they were all just amateurs, and many of these gentlemen who were on the team went on to become great Kiwis ” says Luke From nine to noon.

“I came on the trip with him, and my dad actually tried to push me to do a story, a documentary about this team. Throughout this whole experience with my dad and spending time together, I really wanted to tell my dad’s story.

“He is my idol to this day, he is the person I look up to and I love rugby league more than any other sport. So it was very easy for me to tell my dad about it.”

Having risen to the ranks of the best, Mark’s skills made him a prime target for rival players. Documentary footage shows how the legendary but humble player was knocked out several times.

“It was very easy to find this footage, very easy,” says Luke.

“That’s how it was. And you just agreed and carried on,” Mark says, adding that he remembers how even people who didn’t believe in God asked him to say a prayer before going on the field.

“It used to be a cruel game, and you didn’t know if you could pray afterwards.”

But the documentary isn’t just about rugby – it delves into the relationship of the duo, who say they have always been close, and the family tragedy they suffered when his other son, Matthew, took his own life aged 13. .

“A lot of people go through ups and downs, and for some… like my father, who I understand what it means to be his child, what it takes to reach the top, and to put in extraordinary effort and focus, even today, he still the same person. It’s really, really important to tell people what it’s like to be my dad and the ups and downs that we as humans go through,” Luke says.

“By showing this story, if we can help somebody else, if we can help save other people, if we can help change people’s ideas and help educate them, then I’m happy and I’ve done my job.”

It’s easy to look at successful people and think they have it all, Mark says, but he wants to make it clear that “we’re all in the same boat.”

“We all often say that we often spend a lot of time in the gutter… and then sometimes you get up and it’s your attitude, your state of mind that takes you out of the game and your desire to keep going – that’s what we all know. got… Some people just need to discover it. That’s all.”

Luke says that from a young age he quickly realized what his father meant to other people, and that to be the best he had to sacrifice a lot of time away from home, trying to balance a nine-to-five job with the sport he loved. .

“They (footballers of the time) had multiple jobs and football was what they loved to do, and if they got paid for it, they were lucky,” says Luke.

“I realized what dad had to do to become the best. And I’ve tried to incorporate that as much as possible into my life and into my film career, and filmmaking is an extremely difficult task.

“And one of the reasons why I chose this is because I thought it would be one of the hardest things in the world. And I wanted to do my best and with that understanding of what my father went through.”

Charcot debuted in New Zealand at the Doc Edge Film Festival. It will be released in cinemas across the country on November 7.