Gary Larson (born 2 January 1967[2]) is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played as a lock, prop and second-row forward in the 1980s and 1990s.

He represented Australia internationally and Queensland in State of Origin, and played most of his club football with the North Sydney Bears, before finishing his career with a brief stint at the Parramatta Eels.

Nicknamed "Sven Svennson" due to his Nordic appearance[citation needed], Larson cemented his place in North Sydney's first grade forward pack in 1989, playing 22 games for the season.

That year, in a team with players such as Phil Blake, David Fairleigh, Mario Fenech, Greg Florimo, Peter Jackson, Les Kiss, Billy Moore, and goal kicking sensation Daryl Halligan, his efforts were rewarded with State of Origin selection for Queensland, as well as helping Norths to the finals for the first time since 1982.

At the end of the 1995 ARL season in which North Sydney finished in 8th place and were bundled out of the Finals in the first round by Newcastle, Larson was considered a certainty for selecting in Australia's squad for the 1995 Rugby League World Cup played in England and France.

However, following an injury to Newcastle front rower Paul Harragon during an early tournament game, Kangaroo's coach Bob Fulton sent an SOS for Larson to join the squad in England.

Larson announced his retirement from representative games in 1999, but following the merger of North Sydney and their local rivals Manly-Warringah to become the Northern Eagles, chose to see out the final season of his career with the Parramatta Eels.

He played 16 games for the Parramatta club in 2000, mostly from the bench, helping the team to 7th on the ladder, but missing their finals campaign due to injury.

Putting in his usual workhorse performance, Larson helped the Kangaroos to a 28–6 win in front of just 14,927 fans, the smallest international crowd in Brisbane for 15 years.