GERONTAKIS GRANTED RELEASE BY LESCURE-ARTHES

French club Lescure-Arthes have agreed to release Greek forward Konstantinos “Kold” Gerontakis from his contract as the Elite 2 division was suspended after just two rounds.

Commenting on the decision, Gerontakis said, “I came here in January during the previous season and after just two training sessions, I played my first match. I was playing every week until the pandemic struck and the 2019/20 season was abandoned.

Nobody knows when it will restart and this is the main reason why I decided that it was time to leave. I persisted through the uncertainty of the first lockdown, I do not feel I can do the same again this time.

During my time here, I have experienced a faster pace and higher standard of rugby league. Teamwork and physical conditioning are crucial to improving, both at training and in matches.

To any other Greek players wanting to try their luck abroad, I say to them, without any hesitation: go for it! It has been great to experience living in a rugby culture. Even the little things like training and playing on a natural grass field is a luxury compared to what we have in Greece. Here I achieved my first goal, which was playing abroad. My next goal is to get selected to represent Greece, something I have still not yet done.

Once the pandemic is over, I plan to find a club in the UK for the upcoming season.”

Head coach Fabien Denis commented, “Konstantinos has a great work-rate and is very thorough with his training. He made a big effort to learn as much as possible while playing here and he has improved noticeably. He is a player that always gave 100% for the team and I wish him well in his quest for selection in Greece’s World Cup squad”.

Aside from training and playing for the men’s team, Gerontakis was also actively involved in coaching some of the club’s junior teams. This was his first taste of coaching and he is intends to take up coaching in the future, once his playing days are over.