Hazem the record breaker

parragirl · Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 1:19 pm Post subject: Hazem the record breaker

By Ray Chesterton | March 31, 2008 12:00am

WONDER winger Hazem El Masri took a mechanical twist on why he has been a driving force for more than a decade with the Bulldogs.

"I'm a four cylinder car racing against V8's," he said.

"But I get as much out of the engine as I possibly can."

The years of keeping his foot to the floor have now elevated El Masri to a new echelon.

Yesterday he broke the Bulldogs club record for most first grade games.

He has now played 273 - one more than his school boy idol Steve Mortimer - who presented him with a golden Bulldog yesterday in commemoration.

"He is one of the dog's greatest club men," Mortimer said.

"And he's a role model and an example of how Rugby League players should conduct themselves on and off the field."

El Masri, who came to Australia as a boy to escape the war zones in Lebanon, he is now standing on top of a mountain looking at others to be scaled.

It is inevitable that he will overtake Andrew John's record of 2176 points in the next few months to become the game's all time leading point scorer.

"I've got mixed emotions about today," El Masri said.

"I'm happy to have broken the record but I'm sad that it was (Mortimer's) record."

"He and Baa (Terry Lamb) were men who helped shape the future of the club in the 80's" he said.

It is easy to suggest El Masri is a perfect example of the success of multiculturalism and a Muslim who conducts himself with dignity and pride.

They are commendable compliments but El Masri is simply a glowing example of a proud Australian, a responsible citizen and a great player who appeals to all demographics.

He was a promising soccer player as a school boy but was lured to Rugby League by a mate Ahmed, whose mother later drove them both to matches.

El Masri was spotted by Canterbury scouts Gary Hughes and Billy Johnstone while playing in the park.

El Masri thought Rugby League was just a "brilliant" game.

"The call came from the club and that was that," El Masri said.

Now 31, El Masri's played a test for Australia and represented Lebanon and played for NSW in origin.

"I'll keep playing as long as my body is competitive," he said.

"Canterbury has always been my club.

"I've lived here all my life."

El Masri, by his own admission lacks the blistering speed of some wingers but he offers a wide ranging gift basket of skill, including goal kicking.

His positional play is as acutely professional as any winger who has ever played the game. He is where he should be at all times with a keen sense of anticipation and the willingness to back his own judgement.

"I like to follow my instincts and back myself," he said.

"You have to expect things before they happen."

http://www.news.com.au/dailyteleg.../0,26799,23458375-5012650,00.html

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