Crossing Dallas

Over the Summer, I spent a few weeks at my parents' place in Cairns recovering from a badly broken leg, and ended up doing some writing for CairnsEYE magazine - a sweet little lifestyle glossy published by The Cairns Post, the first paper I ever worked for back when I was a bright-eyed and baby-faced graduate.

My first assignment was to write a profile on local league cutie Mark Dalle Cort. I ended up spending a bit of time with him because, ah, I had to write this piece, which is my way of justifying having a totally innappropriate summer romance with a guy I'd just met.

The day this was published, I got a message from Dalla saying it was the nicest thing anyone had ever written about him. I may have been drugged up to the eyeballs on some serious painkillers when I wrote it, but he made my recovery just that little bit sunnier.

After a year plagued by reports of rugby league player debauchery, I begin to think all could be forgiven after a chat over coffee with the Northern Pride’s newest recruit Mark Dalle Cort.

You can’t help but like this ex-Super League centre. Mark has an irresistibly dangerous appeal; he looks like a rockstar, has a pair of blue eyes that would melt the heart of an ice-queen and the type of body only gifted to those who dedicate their lives to sport. But behind the 105kg frame and tattoos, Mark is a kind hearted, roguishly charming man who loves his mum and is adored by anyone who has the pleasure of counting him a friend.

Growing up on the Gold Coast, Mark – or “Dalla” he corrects me with a cheeky smile – first picked up a footy as a six-year-old.

“Dad used to play and I loved watching him when I was little,” he explains.

Fresh out of high school, the Burleigh Bears junior was signed to the St. George Illawarra Dragons in 2000. After heading north to the Cowboys in 2004, Mark was recruited by UK Super League team the Celtic Crusaders and made the move to Wales in 2007.

After a VISA mix-up last year saw him and five of his Crusaders teammates deported from the UK, Mark is now busy enjoying all Cairns has to offer.

“For the last two years I’ve been playing on icy pitches in Wales, so the tropics might take some getting used to but I’m loving the outdoor lifestyle again.”

If he’s not out on the water fishing, Mark is busy planning his next overseas adventure. The self-confessed travel addict has touched down in nearly every continent of the world.

“My favourite place would have to be New York, or Cinque Terra in Italy – too tough to decide! I’d love to see South America next, or Cambodia,” he says.

“I love how travel broadens your experience, and it’s great having friends from different countries and from all different walks of life.”