Rising Star Jack Bostock Finds His Niche in the NRL
Jack Bostock, a young talent from the St George Illawarra system, has always looked up to two of the game’s great centres—Mark Gasnier and Matt Cooper. Now, as he steps into the spotlight with the Dolphins, it’s fitting that he is on track to take on a central role in the NRL.
Bostock made a strong return to the top flight after a 10-month absence due to an ACL injury. In his first match back, he scored two tries and played a pivotal role in the Dolphins’ 28-10 victory over Melbourne. The 22-year-old had previously played at centre for Redcliffe in the Hostplus Cup, where he also managed to cross the line twice.
Growing up, Bostock was part of the Shellharbour Stingrays before joining the Dragons’ junior system. He shone at centre in the SG Ball for the Illawarra Steelers, showcasing his potential early on.
His move to the Dolphins came with a focus on the centre position, but his NRL career initially started as a winger. So far, he has started 49 out of his 51 matches in that role. However, Bostock feels more comfortable in the middle of the field.
“Centre suits my style of play more, closer to the ball. That’s where I enjoy playing my footy,” Bostock explained. “I played more centre growing up. I hadn’t played wing until I moved to the Dolphins really.”
Despite his natural inclination towards the centre, Bostock admits there is still room for improvement. “I’m not perfect. I’ve still got a lot to learn in the centres.”
He has a mentor in Herbie Farnworth, who has been instrumental in helping him adapt to the new role. “Herbie is on the other side. I was on his wing a lot so now I am playing centres obviously he wants me to do well, so he is teaching me a lot.”
Farnworth had a standout performance against the Storm, running for 241 meters. 
Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf is confident about Bostock’s future in the centre. “It is great to have Jack back. He wants to be a centre. I see him as a centre and he will be our centre going forward,” Woolf said.
Gasnier and Cooper were key players in the St George Illawarra team that won the 2010 premiership. Bostock, who bears a striking resemblance to Gasnier, grew up watching them play. “Yeah, I liked watching Gaz and Matt Cooper,” he said. “They were two pretty good centres when I was growing up down there watching the Dragons play, so hopefully I can take a few things out of their play.”
The ACL injury was Bostock’s first major setback, but he had support from utility Max Plath during his rehabilitation. “Plathy was a little bit ahead of me so he always could tell me what was coming and what to expect,” Bostock said. “He’s a good trainer so he kept me in line.”
Rehabilitation is never easy, but Bostock remains positive. “There’s always some tough times in rehab. Everyone who plays NRL has had a bad injury in their time and they know that rehab’s pretty shit, but you know there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.”
For Bostock, returning to the field was a long-awaited moment. “It was good to go out there and start playing footy again. That’s what we’re here to do, so I loved it.”
