Carleton tribute to friend and mentor Seabrook

FORMER Orrell and England Grand Slam winger John Carleton has paid tribute to his long-time coach and friend Des Seabrook, who died on Thursday.

Seabrook, 79, a proud Wiganer, was instrumental as a player and coach in taking Orrell into the topflight of the club game in the pre-professional era.

He was also the coach when the North recorded a famous victory against the All Blacks at Otley in 1979, with Carleton in the side.

“He has undoubtedly been the biggest influence on my rugby life,” Carleton said. “I can recall the very first game I played for Orrell first team, as an 18-year-old before I went off to college, and he skippered the side.

“He has been around the whole of my rugby career, through the rise of Orrell, Lancashire, the North and the pinnacle for Des, and all of us, was the 17th of November 1979, when we beat the All Blacks.

“We didn’t just beat them, we destroyed them, they were never in the game.”

Carleton added: “In the last few years, when Des was helping out at Wigan Rugby Union, he coached my youngest son, Sam, who is now at Kirkham Grammar School and part of the Sale Sharks academy. So he not only had a massive influence on me, he had a massive influence, a generation later, on my son.

“I’ve never worked with someone who was as focused or inspirational, and I have worked with lots of great people, coaches and players.”

Seabrook coached England B but never the senior side despite his success at county and club level.

“I think there was a time when he was absolutely ready for that but maybe they weren’t ready for him,” added Carleton.

“Des was a great thinker about the game, had a huge eye for detail and was very creative; he developed a new model of playing the game, and was always looking for the next thing.

“He really encouraged me to come off the wing and get involved in the game everywhere – he was very much ahead of his time. Des genuinely saw it as a 15-man game, he didn’t really see any distinction in open play between backs and forwards.

“This as an enormously sad day. I have lost someone very special in my life.”