Les Mara

Last updated
Les Mara
Personal information
Born1953 (age 70–71)
Playing information
PositionFive-eighth
Club
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
1975–76 Balmain Tigers 2990128
1975→St Helens RFC 63009
1977 South Sydney 1840113
1978–79 Balmain Tigers 2790128
1982 Newtown Jets 71003
Total87260381
Representative
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
1974 Illawarra Firsts 10000
1975–76 New South Wales 20000
Relatives Bob Mara (uncle)
Gary Mara (cousin)

Les Mara (born 1953) is an Australian former rugby league player.

Contents

Rugby league career

An ex-Balmain junior, Mara had a stint with Thirroul prior to making his first-grade debut with Balmain in 1975. During that time in 1974 he represented Illawarra Firsts against the touring Great Britain Lions. [1]

He featured for Balmain as a five-eighth and at the end of his debut season made several appearances for English club St. Helens, which included a match against the touring Australian national side. [2] In 1975 and 1976, Mara represented NSW in interstate matches against Queensland. He left Balmain in 1977 for South Sydney, where he alternated between five-eighth and lock, then returned to the Tigers for two more seasons. After a season coaching Kurri Kurri, Mara had two years in the merchant navy, before resuming his league career with Newtown in 1982. [3]

Prison sentence

Mara was charged in 2006 with conspiracy to import cocaine into the country from South America, as part of a scheme involving airport baggage-handlers. [4] He had evaded authorities for 18 months before his arrest in Callala Bay, New South Wales, having previously been hiding out in Brazil and Ireland. [5] [6] In 2007, Mara was sentenced to a 20-year jail term, with 13-years to be served until he was eligible for parole. [7] [8]

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References

  1. ↑ 1974 Illawarra Firsts vs Great Britain Lions
  2. ↑ "Mara beats ARL bungle". The Sydney Morning Herald . 11 October 1975.
  3. ↑ "Mariner Mara steers Jets to plucky win". The Sydney Morning Herald. 31 May 1982.
  4. ↑ "Ex-Rugby League player faces cocaine charge". ABC News . 30 November 2006.
  5. ↑ "Ex-league star in cocaine plot". The Daily Telegraph . 1 August 2007.
  6. ↑ "Sports legends declare support for Mara". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 October 2007.
  7. ↑ "Man jailed over $30m cocaine racket". The Sydney Morning Herald. 28 August 2009.
  8. ↑ "Sydney drug importer and ex footballer Les Mara seeks parole". The Sydney Morning Herald . 22 November 2019.
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