Gould where he stood down from the captaincy after Round 5. Mortimer's performances on the field were vintage but a virus and broken wrist cut his appearances to just 14 and also played 5 games as a fresh replacement. The NSWRL allowed teams for the first time outside of semi-finals to have fresh reserves for club matches and Gould utilised Mortimer when he returned from a virus to great effect including one match and his only time against Allan Langer where in 31 minutes Mortimer turned a club match against Brisbane Broncos on its head to win Man of the Match. He broke his wrist in the second last round but was fit enough to be a reserve in the Grand Final victory against Balmain Tigers. Fittingly Mortimer was the last player to touch the ball in a dash from dummy half. Administration The Bulldogs salary cap crisis in 2002 saw Mortimer return to Canterbury to save the club from trouble. He led from the front with the passion and dedication he displayed on the field. The Bulldogs emerged from the dramas with flying colours for the 2003 season. They fell one game short of the Grand Final but the signs were there for a big 2004. Dramas in the pre-season saw Mortimer stand down as Chief Executive Officer but the foundations he put in place and the players he helped recruit saw Canterbury under the coaching of Steve Folkes win their 8th Premiership. Mortimer will be remembered as one of the all-time great halfbacks, a player who brought the passion into the State of Origin for New South Wales, a great captain for his state and country and a great ambassador for the sport of rugby league on and off the field. Outside football In 1988, Mortimer was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for his services to rugby league. Mortimer, after his playing days, set up a very successful "Shuffleboard" business, which focused on a game used mostly by 'retirement homes'. He has made several media appearances and was a member of Channel Seven's Sports World programme in the early 1990s and Fox Sports NRL coverage. From 2005, he was regularly seen on Sky News as their rugby league expert. On 24 October 2000, Mortimer was recipient of the Australian Sports Medal. In February 2008, Mortimer was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007)