Out On The Full Meets Mark Cueto

When Mark Cueto first arrived at the Sale Sharks as a fresh faced 17 year old, the iPod was just about to be released for the first time and David Beckham had just won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, the year was 2001. Now a number of years on Mark, or Cuets as he is known to his team mates, is just as fresh faced however slightly more experienced with 247 club starts and 86 Premiership tries to his name.

Speaking to Mark earlier in the week during Sale Sharks’ intense pre-season training it is clear that his ambition and desire for the game is stronger than ever, even if his body is slightly battle worn after so many years at the sharp end of the game.

"Well this is pre-season number thirteen for me and obviously things have been tailored slightly to cater for the old body!! It won't surprise you to know that my programme is slightly different to the majority of the team, I've been around for quite a while (!) and there are certain things that at my age I just don't need to be doing."

"Really it is volume that is a big thing, I can do any one session like any of the other guys, but it is backing it up day to day that more of a struggle than it was say 10 years ago. The club are fantastic, I'm managed well and the simple aim is to be fit for the start of the season and at the moment I'm on track for that."
 

The Sharks have recruited well for the 2014/15 season with Ablerto De Marchi, Darren Fearn, Nathan Hines, Chris Cusiter and Luke McLean all joining the club during the off season. Whilst this isn’t a huge number of new faces integration and gelling between squad members is vital. Sale know only too well what can happen if this doesn’t happen early, however this pre-season it seems to be a case of so far, so good for the side;

"As a squad we went to North Wales last week to climb Snowdon, it was as much a team bonding exercise as anything else although it was much tougher on the legs than a lot of the boys were expecting... muscles were struggling for a few days after. The trip was a chance to have a few relaxed nights together with a couple of beers and all the new guys have settled in brilliantly. I’m enjoying Nathan’s arrival a lot, it is great to go from being the eldest in the squad to having someone that is four years older than you!!!”

Mark’s years at Sale have been eventful, from the highs of winning the Guinness Premiership in 2005 to their recent season horriblé, he has seen and done it all, and remains fiercely loyal to his club. ‘One Club Men’ are a rarity in today’s game and I asked him what makes his Sharks so special?

"The culture is the big thing, we aren't a club full of superstars with egos instead we have an old fashioned work ethic; keep your head down, work extremely hard and prove yourself to your team mates and to the coaches. Many players have spent time at Sale Sharks and whether they have stayed or moved on, to a man they'll tell you how much they enjoyed their time here. We work hard and have huge on the field ambitions but equally we are a strong and unified squad that have great fun off of it and that is important." 

The Sale Sharks have clear objectives for the 2014/15 season; first to build on their Aviva Premiership success of last season and second to perform strongly in the top flight European Champions Cup competition. I wondered whether Mark had a third more personal objective; to finish his career on a high so I questioned him regarding the ‘r word’... retirement;

“Realistically I expect that it will be my last season however it is genuinely a week by week thing depending on how I feel. Recovery time is a lot longer, one week you can feel great and the next you can feel terrible, I’m just going to see how it goes and come January/February make a decision. If I feel like I did this time last year then I won’t say no to carrying on however at the same time I appreciate that it is 6/7 months away and there is a lot of rugby to be played between now and then. The answer I suppose is never, say never.”

From speaking to Mark it is clear that the Sharks are in a great place right now, they seem to be content with life, with their coaching structure and with their squad. Ambitions are high and starting the year with a bang at home against Bath is their first task. Mark’s career to date is hugely impressive and truly outstanding, some individuals may have let that success go to their head but not Cuets, he remains a genuine and extremely likable guy. Whenever Mark does choose to hang up his boots there will be no shortage of coaching and media opportunities for him, however for now his focus remains firmly on the pitch to help drive his beloved team to great success this coming season.