Carter Gordon has shed light on his bond with Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt after returning to the national fold following a turbulent 18 months away from rugby union.
The 24-year-old playmaker endured a nightmare stint in the NRL with the Gold Coast Titans, managing just one first-grade appearance after a spinal fluid leak sidelined him for months.
Yet through that time, he says, Schmidt remained in touch, checking in and encouraging him as he recovered and considered a return to the code he once led in.
“Joe’s just a good bloke… he kept checking in”
“I stayed in contact with Joe a fair bit through the whole rugby league process. More so him just reaching out, you know, the good bloke he is, just checking in,” Gordon told Stan Sport’s Rugby Heaven.
“Right at the back end, we kind of spoke about it (touring) briefly. He thought it was important that I get as much time with the group as I can. Obviously, you look what’s coming up with the World Cup.”
The Queensland-born fly-half has been included as one of only two No.10s in the Wallabies’ squad for their tour of Japan, marking his first major involvement since Rugby Australia paid a reported six-figure release fee to bring him back from the Titans.
Reflecting on his return, Gordon added: “That’s really exciting. Also, just the trajectory that the boys have been on the last 12 months, 18 months has been really exciting. What Joe’s done with the group and how the group’s come together, coming back in, it’s actually really refreshing to see how tight the boys are. It’s inspiring.”