Clinton Schifcofske thriving in management move by former Ulster favourite

It is a similar mentality that has brought him to this point in his new venture away from the pitch.

The Australian already had a distinguished background in Rugby League before he moved to Belfast in May 2008, turning out for NRL sides Parramatta Eels and Canberra Raiders.

He had made his first move into union with the Queensland Reds two years prior.

Having the ability to play at either wing or full-back, Schifcofske turned out 30 times for Ulster before finishing his career with another stint in league at the Celtic Crusaders.

The 45-year-old is still heavily involved in the sport after forming GS Sports Management alongside agent Steve Gillis and he played an important role in bringing countryman Christian Lealiifano to the province in 2017.

“I loved it (my time at Ulster),” he said. “I didn’t play great and could have done better, but I enjoyed the experience.

“My kids went to school in Bangor and it was a beautiful spot, my wife loved it too and the Irish were good to me.

“I’ve travelled the world and try to compare people to Australians and I think the Irish are as close as I got.

“They like a drink and are fantastic characters, so we had great fun.

“It was a really good group...you had your Irish guys and we had some South Africans with the likes of BJ Botha and also Robbie Diack, who was becoming a really good player.

“He (Robbie) was a cracking guy too, it was a really good mix of nationalities.”

Australian international Lealiifano joined Ulster on a six-month loan following his recovery from leukaemia and was a fan favourite during the short stay.

“He’s a great man,” said Schifcofske. “He’s really humble, down to earth and always has time for everyone - so he was always going to fit in well in Belfast.

“We knocked that deal over in a matter of days...I wish they were all that easy!

“I knew the club would look after him extremely well because that’s how I was looked after when I was there.

“I’m glad he went there and he had the time of his life, he took his partner and his little son and they had a ball.

“He’s a kid who wasn’t going to leave Canberra or go anywhere, but he did and he loved it, which was great.”

It was well before Schifcofske had even thought about retirement that Gillis approached him about the prospect of an eventual career in management.

They now have a stable that is packed with some of the brightest young talents in the NRL while also representing a number of union stars.

The transition from professional sport isn’t always an easy one for athletes and Schifcofske actively encourages those that he deals with to have a plan beyond the pitch.

“I try to encourage the players that I manage now to think about a plan of what they want to do afterwards,” he said. “I think it’s crucial to keep yourself busy.

“It was a seven or eight-year plan for Steve and I but I trusted him.

“He has managed me my entire career...16 years across different codes and competitions around the world, now we have been business partners for nine years and that’s something I’m extremely proud of!

“We have built a great business and he always says that you don’t want to be the biggest but the best, and I think we have done really well.

“It works well with Steve and I because he has been in the industry for 30 years.

“He’s almost 60 now so he’s the wise one and I have had the experience of playing both codes.

“You know what it’s like to win and lose, to play injured, going to live in another country and all those things...I think that is nearly crucial in the job that I do.”

Schifcofske can also call upon his former Reds coach - and current England boss - Eddie Jones for advice and credits him for playing a key role both on and off the field.

“He was instrumental in getting me from the Raiders to come and play,” he said. “He was the Brumbies coach when I was at the Raiders and we used to do some crossover training sessions and I got on with him very well.

“I still have a really good relationship with him now and, in terms of what I do in player management, he was instrumental in me getting into Japan.

“I had a few contacts there initially but the ones I didn’t have he put me in touch with and gave me a leg up there.

“I obviously had to work really hard on those relationships and that has been a work-in-progress over the past seven or eight years.

“I have placed some players into Japan for myself and other agents.

“I still talk to Eddie regularly, not just about rugby and work but about life in general and I have a lot of time for him.”

He still keeps up-to-date with Ulster and reckons many of the current squad would excel in his world of Rugby League.

“They are tough, run the ball well and they are good in contact,” he said. “Ireland would be really strong in Rugby League. I think they are made to play Rugby League.

“I used to look at the likes of Robbie and Marcell (Coetzee) who is there now – they would absolutely kill it in Rugby League.”

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