Does reaching 200 caps for Bond University still get you a gold watch? Nick Turner is about to find out.
He has joined Rubin Fuimaono as the only players to reach 200 games for the Bull Sharks and is curious to see how the club will celebrate his milestone.
“I know they gave him a gold watch (back in 2017), I don’t know if that offer still stands, I guess I’ll find out,” Turner said, only half-jokingly.
The 29-year-old reached his milestone match last weekend against Souths Magpies at Chipsy Wood Oval.
He played in the reserves game, which although ended in a 23-point loss, did see Turner score a try.
He finished the day coming off the bench for the Bull Sharks in first grade who emerged 21-point victors.
His modesty was on show in the morning when he tried to hide from second grade captain Justin Bernstein who attempted to deliver a rousing speech.
The skipper also had to convince Turner to lead the team onto the field to mark the occasion.
“I told him no, you have to do this, this is your time in the limelight,” Bernstein said.
“There is no ego with him, how he is on the field is how he is off it. He’s a good bloke with a workman like attitude.”
The mates started their careers with the Breakers in colts in 2009 and stayed loyal to the club when it transitioned to Bond University in 2013.
Turner was the go-to premier grade hooker until this year, when work commitments combined with the acquisition of new players resulted in him playing second grade.
“At the end of the day I play rugby for fun, I don’t really do it for anything else,” he said.
“No matter if I’ve had a bad day at work or something like that, I can go down and just have fun with the boys and enjoy the challenge.”
The fifth placed Bull Sharks will celebrate Turner’s achievements on Saturday when they return to The Canal to host second placed University Queensland in a showdown dubbed ‘Battle of the Nerds’.
“UQ has always been the number one team in the competition every single year, so it does add more feeling to it,” he said.
“We are in a good position for finals. It’s just more or less whether we can put in the performance in on the day and get there.’’
His family and friends will be at The Canal on Saturday to cheer him on.
It will also be a special occasion for John Eales Rugby Excellence Scholarship recipient Jake Upfield who marked 100 caps last weekend.
The game against UQ is match of the round and will be broadcast live on 9Gem.