Alex Goode wins Gallagher Player of the Month for October

One of the Premiership’s greatest players has today been awarded the Gallagher Player of the Month crown for October 2022, creating a seasonal double for his club Saracens.

Alex Goode follows team-mate Theo McFarland in winning the monthly accolade and his key role in Saracens unbeaten start to their Gallagher Premiership Rugby campaign has been pinpointed by BT Sport pundit and Gallagher ambassador, Ugo Monye.

Monye says: “He’s been outstanding in what feels like quite a key period for a lot of Gallagher Premiership Rugby teams during the international matches and he is undoubtedly still playing at an international level.

“The appearance record which he broke just shows his level of consistency which has always been of an international quality, I think it was Mark McCall who said he believes him to be one of the best players to play in the Premiership in the last decade and he is still showing that form now 340 matches later.

“At Exeter Chiefs, his first kick of the season, he won them the match, that’s an immediate impact, then playing at fly-half, he is an organiser and a game leader, and he has all the skills and the mental rugby IQ to be able to deal with whatever is thrown at him.”

April Mayne, who presented the award to Alex on behalf of Gallagher, added: “Alex is an absolute stalwart of Saracens joining some 14 years ago and, as a Saracens fan, I am delighted to present him with this Gallagher Player of the Month award.  

"He is naturally talented and has a clear passion to win, which is obvious to see on the pitch, and he brings huge experience and talent to the team. This is a much-deserved accolade for his performance in Gallagher Premiership Rugby so far in this year’s season.”

One of Goode’s great qualities is his temperament. He never appears ruffled on the pitch and Monye adds: “He had a stint in Japan, came back and nothing ever phases him it would appear, regardless of who is on the team sheet, and that is a credit to the staff there, the level of recruitment and their ability to be able to develop players. He is that one constant, all year round, and this year is no different.

“He’s been incredibly unlucky not to get more caps, a player of his calibre and consistency, experience, and skill, you’d expect to get more caps.

“I think that will be the one thing when he calls time on his career, he’ll look back and think, perhaps he deserved more, but equally, he has a bursting trophy cabinet and he has won pretty much everything else in the game, so I don’t think it will keep him up too much.”

As part of his prize for being named Gallagher Player of the Month, Goode wins a shirt signed by the whole Saracens squad and framed by Gallagher to gift to a charity of his choice, to help raise funds for its chosen cause.