March 21, 2025 • 9 mins
Warriors halfback Luke Metcalf's revealed he's been talking with Shaun Johnson about the extra spotlight which comes with wearing the number seven jersey.
The Australian silenced Las Vegas critics with an improved performance in the NRL win over Manly, and will steer the side again against the Roosters tomorrow night at Mt Smart.
Meanwhile, Warriors coach Andrew Webster concedes the NRL's suspension of assistant coach Richard Agar is disruptive just two games into the season.
Agar has copped a three-match ban for his confrontation with a journalist in Las Vegas, meaning he can't attend match days or travel for their away games.
Webster says they've got to move on.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk. Z'd be so thanks for having.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
As the Warriors bounced back from a Vegas disaster, it
was a Vegas disaster, or not really a disaster that
suggests loss of life. It was just a game of
rugby league loss, but it was poor. They named exactly
the same team for the next week, and they bounced
back and won against Manly, third time running. Now same
(00:43):
team three games on the trop That doesn't happen much.
And they're playing in about forty five minutes up against
the Roosters. And I caught up with one of the
new kids, who was actually an old kid if you will.
His name is Aaron Clark. He joins us, now the
luck Aaron.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Good evening.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
I'm very good, probably not as good as you, because
you're playing spectacular league right now. Selected again, what the
same team for the last three matches. That's consistency that
a league player must really enjoy, especially when you're being
named in that Locke position. How are you feeling about
your form right now?
Speaker 4 (01:25):
Erin ah, just my job, mate, I don't know whether
I don't read into much of it, you know how
I'm playing in that, I just as long my joy
for the boys. That's probably the only thing I read into, sir,
and I hope I'm doing that at the moment.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Can you encapsulate exactly what your role is, what your
job is, What do the coaching staff want to see
from you? What do you want to see from yourself?
Speaker 4 (01:51):
I think when I feel like I'm playing my best
on the headline, real flat, playing fast and just aggressive
on defense. Not the biggest body, but just that loan speed,
first couple of steps, getting half the line and just
trying to make for his content.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
I always say defense's attitudes's not really body size. I mean,
if you go in there and want to whack the guy,
you're going to do it regardless of your size.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Right, you've got that mental space. Yeah, you started off your.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Career with the Warriors way back when what you played
about ten seconds for them? Is that right erin?
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Yeah, it was roughly. I think it was about three
minutes I played. Yes, I started.
Speaker 4 (02:35):
There was a twenty seventeen round two against Melbourne debut
there and then kind of was just one and done.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Kind I think were you quite young when you debuted here?
And how old were you.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Yeah, I was nineteen.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
So after that, I don't know what your thought process was.
You must have been thinking, I've got a pro career
up in front of me, and then it all just
kind of dissipated. How did you cope with that mentally?
Speaker 4 (02:59):
Yeah, man, I think that's probably the learning I took
out of it was thinking it was all just going
to happen for me. Young straight out of school into
a full time, full time environment kind of got to
my head, I think, and I kind of lend the
hard way, But I'm glad I went through it because.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
I've come out the other end and i'm a bitter
person for it now.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
So, well, you shot off to Canberra, you spent a
bit of time over there, it didn't really amount to much. Well,
then you took a couple of years half are your
Gold Coast as well? Had about all process.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Yeah, So I went to Canberra, didn't kind of just
carried on what I was doing here, and then I
came back in pre season and just didn't have the driver,
and then I just wanted to come home, So shot
back here, got a release, came back home and then
just lived them like an everyday life kind of worked
a couple of jobs, and twenty and nineteen came around
(03:53):
and I thought I'd just go back to my local team,
money to Ale Mullins and have a run around with
mates and hopefully get that glove for the game again.
And then I think it was my second or third
game and I was ready a have another crack, but
put them a bit of weight, got up to I
think one hundred and twenty eight kilos and had a
(04:13):
bit of a bit of a mountain to climb to
get their weight off.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
So that was probably the biggest thing, the biggest obstacle,
I think.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
But you've got the opportunity right to tear off to
the Gold Coast for a couple of years, so you
had a new found enthusiasm for what you're doing after that.
That that disappointment mean you're still a teenager.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
Yeah, yeah, but no, like people say, like it was,
I kind of I'm happy it kind of happened because
it's made me a better person nowadays, because if that
didn't happen, I probably wouldn't be here today.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
So interesting to say a better person as opposed to
a better player. They're inextricably linked, are they? Those two concepts.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
I find that if you've got at home all right,
you come to work and everything just flows better. So
that's a massive part of our job is people don't
see it like they think we just turned up to
work every day and we we're just normal people. We
got things and on and our lives, and if we're
not all right and at home, then it makes work
(05:11):
a bit hard. So I think I've got the right
balance now, got a good wife, got a couple of kids,
so just kind of look lucky.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
And yeah, I think everybody goes through that, they don't you,
And it's the ability to actually turn off any distractions
away from in your real life when you get to
work and you open the office door and the field
door and walk in and go right. I've got to
focus on that. But it's for everybody. It's still a
difficult thing to do because we're just human beings.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Yeah, mate, Yeah, that's that's probably.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
Like I said, I'm glad that happened because I kind
of had to go through that to appreciate where I
was and look at what I was going through and
realizing that that's not the way to do it. And
then the second chance, I kind of knew the roles
and rights of everything.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
So yeah, well you're back now as Awa. You've got
the roosters coming up on Friday night. After the Las
Vegas experience wasn't great. I don't even think it should
have gone there myself. That's another story. But you're bounce
back and your manage to have a very good when
last Friday. So where do you advance? What's Andrew Webster
(06:18):
been talking to you guys about how you can lift
and carry on and hopefully punish the Roosters.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
I think the biggest takeout of last week was leading
up to the game, was just playing our style of
footy that Round one game, we kind of didn't play
what we've been practicing over the preseason, and I think
Winter showed the rewards and on the result on the weekend.
(06:44):
But I think it's obviously we went perfect on the weekend, but.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
St a lot to learn, but just again just.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
Driving that playing our style of footy, and yeah, just
being defensive orientated.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
I think it's a big one.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
We kind of have defense kind of won us that game,
I reckon and if we can do that again this week,
it will help us.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
That the offense was pretty good when you whack those
three tries in a right hurry. But how was the
punch in the nose in the first couple of minutes
when they scored about you as a player. I'm sitting
and going, oh no, not now, but that may have
been the best thing that happened in their game. That
was a right slap, wasn't it.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (07:24):
Man, Well, and I'm shure it's just the resilience we
have as a team, and like a lot of teams
against manly like you seen in the week before, they
go and put what is it, thirty forty points in
the first half.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
You give them a sniff'll take a mile. So I
think we kind of changed that.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
Game after they scored their try, we kind of just
went back into the defensive mindset to want it back
through that and attack with that.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
D Yeah, we kind of got a lot came out
of the end.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
And Yeah, there's a lot of talk made about outside noise.
I've been hearing this as long as I've been doing
this job, about the player's ability to not listen to
everybody else and just get on with the business of
the day. Do you find yourself in that position, do
you take go on board media friends, family. What they're saying,
is that a difficult thing for you, Aaron or not?
Speaker 4 (08:12):
No, mate, So I've been on social media two years,
so I'm quite lucky.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
I don't get much of it.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
My family see it, but I think if it's not
being set inside our four wars are kind of there's
no you know, no, yeah, nothing on, we don't.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Kind of take take notice of it.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
So what all that matters is what happens in our
four wars at the club, and yeah, that's probably all
we've listened to kind of.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Mate. You've gone through some hard times, You've learned from
that experience. You're now what twenty seven years old, coming
up to your prime. Things are looking great, Aaron Clark,
thanks so much.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
For joining us.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Really looking forward to you destroying the opposition physically on
d you go and cook us some roosters for you, mate.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Good on you. Thank you, thanks for having me appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
For more from Sports Talk, listen live and News Talks.
It'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk. Z'd be so thanks for having.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
As the Warriors bounced back from a Vegas disaster, it
was a Vegas disaster, or not really a disaster that
suggests loss of life. It was just a game of
rugby league loss, but it was poor. They named exactly
the same team for the next week, and they bounced
back and won against Manly, third time running. Now same
(00:43):
team three games on the trop That doesn't happen much.
And they're playing in about forty five minutes up against
the Roosters. And I caught up with one of the
new kids, who was actually an old kid if you will.
His name is Aaron Clark. He joins us, now the
luck Aaron.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Good evening.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
I'm very good, probably not as good as you, because
you're playing spectacular league right now. Selected again, what the
same team for the last three matches. That's consistency that
a league player must really enjoy, especially when you're being
named in that Locke position. How are you feeling about
your form right now?
Speaker 4 (01:25):
Erin ah, just my job, mate, I don't know whether
I don't read into much of it, you know how
I'm playing in that, I just as long my joy
for the boys. That's probably the only thing I read into, sir,
and I hope I'm doing that at the moment.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Can you encapsulate exactly what your role is, what your
job is, What do the coaching staff want to see
from you? What do you want to see from yourself?
Speaker 4 (01:51):
I think when I feel like I'm playing my best
on the headline, real flat, playing fast and just aggressive
on defense. Not the biggest body, but just that loan speed,
first couple of steps, getting half the line and just
trying to make for his content.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
I always say defense's attitudes's not really body size. I mean,
if you go in there and want to whack the guy,
you're going to do it regardless of your size.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Right, you've got that mental space. Yeah, you started off your.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Career with the Warriors way back when what you played
about ten seconds for them? Is that right erin?
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Yeah, it was roughly. I think it was about three
minutes I played. Yes, I started.
Speaker 4 (02:35):
There was a twenty seventeen round two against Melbourne debut
there and then kind of was just one and done.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Kind I think were you quite young when you debuted here?
And how old were you.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Yeah, I was nineteen.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
So after that, I don't know what your thought process was.
You must have been thinking, I've got a pro career
up in front of me, and then it all just
kind of dissipated. How did you cope with that mentally?
Speaker 4 (02:59):
Yeah, man, I think that's probably the learning I took
out of it was thinking it was all just going
to happen for me. Young straight out of school into
a full time, full time environment kind of got to
my head, I think, and I kind of lend the
hard way, But I'm glad I went through it because.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
I've come out the other end and i'm a bitter
person for it now.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
So, well, you shot off to Canberra, you spent a
bit of time over there, it didn't really amount to much. Well,
then you took a couple of years half are your
Gold Coast as well? Had about all process.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Yeah, So I went to Canberra, didn't kind of just
carried on what I was doing here, and then I
came back in pre season and just didn't have the driver,
and then I just wanted to come home, So shot
back here, got a release, came back home and then
just lived them like an everyday life kind of worked
a couple of jobs, and twenty and nineteen came around
(03:53):
and I thought I'd just go back to my local team,
money to Ale Mullins and have a run around with
mates and hopefully get that glove for the game again.
And then I think it was my second or third
game and I was ready a have another crack, but
put them a bit of weight, got up to I
think one hundred and twenty eight kilos and had a
(04:13):
bit of a bit of a mountain to climb to
get their weight off.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
So that was probably the biggest thing, the biggest obstacle,
I think.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
But you've got the opportunity right to tear off to
the Gold Coast for a couple of years, so you
had a new found enthusiasm for what you're doing after that.
That that disappointment mean you're still a teenager.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
Yeah, yeah, but no, like people say, like it was,
I kind of I'm happy it kind of happened because
it's made me a better person nowadays, because if that
didn't happen, I probably wouldn't be here today.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
So interesting to say a better person as opposed to
a better player. They're inextricably linked, are they? Those two concepts.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
I find that if you've got at home all right,
you come to work and everything just flows better. So
that's a massive part of our job is people don't
see it like they think we just turned up to
work every day and we we're just normal people. We
got things and on and our lives, and if we're
not all right and at home, then it makes work
(05:11):
a bit hard. So I think I've got the right
balance now, got a good wife, got a couple of kids,
so just kind of look lucky.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
And yeah, I think everybody goes through that, they don't you,
And it's the ability to actually turn off any distractions
away from in your real life when you get to
work and you open the office door and the field
door and walk in and go right. I've got to
focus on that. But it's for everybody. It's still a
difficult thing to do because we're just human beings.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Yeah, mate, Yeah, that's that's probably.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
Like I said, I'm glad that happened because I kind
of had to go through that to appreciate where I
was and look at what I was going through and
realizing that that's not the way to do it. And
then the second chance, I kind of knew the roles
and rights of everything.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
So yeah, well you're back now as Awa. You've got
the roosters coming up on Friday night. After the Las
Vegas experience wasn't great. I don't even think it should
have gone there myself. That's another story. But you're bounce
back and your manage to have a very good when
last Friday. So where do you advance? What's Andrew Webster
(06:18):
been talking to you guys about how you can lift
and carry on and hopefully punish the Roosters.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
I think the biggest takeout of last week was leading
up to the game, was just playing our style of
footy that Round one game, we kind of didn't play
what we've been practicing over the preseason, and I think
Winter showed the rewards and on the result on the weekend.
(06:44):
But I think it's obviously we went perfect on the weekend, but.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
St a lot to learn, but just again just.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
Driving that playing our style of footy, and yeah, just
being defensive orientated.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
I think it's a big one.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
We kind of have defense kind of won us that game,
I reckon and if we can do that again this week,
it will help us.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
That the offense was pretty good when you whack those
three tries in a right hurry. But how was the
punch in the nose in the first couple of minutes
when they scored about you as a player. I'm sitting
and going, oh no, not now, but that may have
been the best thing that happened in their game. That
was a right slap, wasn't it.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (07:24):
Man, Well, and I'm shure it's just the resilience we
have as a team, and like a lot of teams
against manly like you seen in the week before, they
go and put what is it, thirty forty points in
the first half.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
You give them a sniff'll take a mile. So I
think we kind of changed that.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
Game after they scored their try, we kind of just
went back into the defensive mindset to want it back
through that and attack with that.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
D Yeah, we kind of got a lot came out
of the end.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
And Yeah, there's a lot of talk made about outside noise.
I've been hearing this as long as I've been doing
this job, about the player's ability to not listen to
everybody else and just get on with the business of
the day. Do you find yourself in that position, do
you take go on board media friends, family. What they're saying,
is that a difficult thing for you, Aaron or not?
Speaker 4 (08:12):
No, mate, So I've been on social media two years,
so I'm quite lucky.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
I don't get much of it.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
My family see it, but I think if it's not
being set inside our four wars are kind of there's
no you know, no, yeah, nothing on, we don't.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Kind of take take notice of it.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
So what all that matters is what happens in our
four wars at the club, and yeah, that's probably all
we've listened to kind of.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Mate. You've gone through some hard times, You've learned from
that experience. You're now what twenty seven years old, coming
up to your prime. Things are looking great, Aaron Clark,
thanks so much.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
For joining us.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Really looking forward to you destroying the opposition physically on
d you go and cook us some roosters for you, mate.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Good on you. Thank you, thanks for having me appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
For more from Sports Talk, listen live and News Talks.
It'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
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