September 15, 2024 • 10 mins
It’s Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, aka Blue September, so this former All Black says it's a good time for men to get comfortable talking about issues they would rather ignore due to embarrassment or shame.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
We all know Josh Cronfield because of his wonderful efforts
on the rugby paddock. More recently, I guess in the
media he's taken on a new role as a health
ambassador for tenor Now Josh, for a guy who gave
himself quite a bit of a flogging on the football paddock,
you've kind of paid the price a week but later
in life, because you've had trouble with your ticker, with
(00:21):
the old p flow. You've had headaches, you've had sore shoulders,
you've had everything.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Oh look mate, would you put it like that? It
sounds sounds pretty drastic. I think it's not so much
the problem, you know, I mean this this month, you know,
it's all about ment health and and that's that's been
Uh you know, my drive is the campaign a bit
of change in thought on how we address that and
(00:51):
because as men were just bloody hopeless and so that's
that's the main drive. And so for me, you you know,
I've had a few symptoms of show up read the take,
but it turns out it's all left over from playing
ruddy rugby and footy and and yes, you know, but
(01:13):
my stream isn't as strong as it used to be.
But again that's that's part of getting a bit older,
and but it's also a precursor for prostate cancer. So mate,
you go in and you do the checks, and you
and you and you and you, you check that everything
is still functioning and moving on correctly. And that's that's
(01:34):
the I guess the drive that we need to have
with our New Zealand men, and that we need to
be preemptive. But we're not. We keep going with us
tough guys sort of scenario, and let's let's just get
rid of that, I reckon. You know, it's going to
the checks. Just look after each other because too many
of the brothers uh leaving us early and for just
(01:58):
such simple stuff that could have been vited, you know,
if they've got in the early enough. So yeah, there
we deal.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Josh. It's good for you to open up and talk
about your own issues if you want, and you're in
a good position to do so because you're a health professional.
You're a physiotherapist by trade and I and this show's
not all aimed at rural New Zealand, but that's our focus,
you know what, Josh, And you know this because you're
a good Itago lad or you were a good Otago lad.
(02:29):
You played footy with a lot of those country boys.
Rural men are really good at looking after their livestock.
They're kind of useless at looking after themselves.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Well, it's not long, I said, it's not just rule men.
But yes, I agree with you. And we just need
to change that, you know, we just need to know
form teams within our network of people that look think
kindly of us. And whether it's whether it's mates, or
it's a guy that you catch up with once a month,
(03:01):
or whether it's your brother or your wife. You just
create a little network where you can just chicken and
just have I covered off all the things. Or you know,
I've got this little concern. It's just I'm not sure
about it, you know. And it could be simple as
shortless but a short of breath at the moment these
days when I'm when I'm you know, pulling the sheet
(03:25):
and from one pad it to the other, and I
never noticed that before. And and then and then you know,
the wife says, well, you know, maybe you should just
get to the doctor, or one of the boys say,
you know, like, well dude, this this, get into the
doctor and just see what, make sure everything's just ticking okay,
And then you might find that something's not quite right,
but you have your head of the curve and and
(03:48):
and all it takes is a little bit of medication
or or a change and you and your your diet
or you know, there's so many little other things to
just corrected it and and take that pressure off a situation.
And that's the same with the waterworks area as well.
You know, that's just pretty preemptive. You know, that's it's
(04:09):
just too easy to do.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
How many of your health problems are what are brought about?
And I'm sure a lot of them have been by
rugby and especially the way you played rugby, because let's
face that you're in the firing line when you're number
seven for the All Blacks.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Yeah, yeah, Look there's stuff that that doesn't work on me.
And my ankles are shot. You know, if you looked
at an X ray, you'd think that they are eight
year old's feet. You know, my neck's not much different
to that. And you know, probably the whole brain is
(04:48):
taking a few hurts as well, and they all they
some of those things masquerade as well, you know, like
that's that's ironically the being the reason why I've had
the track down getting my ticket checked out was because
I was getting chest pain. I was getting some naisea
(05:11):
and and some not shortness of breast, but that radiating
ache down the arm and just not feeling and just
feeling unwell. And ironically it's been mostly driven from my
neck and and uh and obviously some some some rib
(05:33):
facet pain and the steno sort of cartilage pain and
just because they all being mangled so much. Uh, and
then that all radiates down the arm and and so
it's more mechanically driven rather than the hard side of things.
So but great to go and get the checks and
(05:54):
and and then also while I'm there, then say your
cardio could be a bit better. And so that's great
because now it's meant that I've been able to go
and do a bit more cardio exercise just to top
up that base level so that we not do put
myself under load. It just doesn't implode.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Josh, you say, shame flourishes in the dark, and men
notoriousli once again reticent to talk about anything to do
with you know, down the bottom area there, the old
penal health if you want to call it, like that.
So as you get older, the flow is not as good,
the tap doesn't turn off as quickly. You know, there's
all these issues facing older blokes. So how do you
(06:38):
address it? How do you talk about it?
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Oh? Look, I think you just been in the forefront
the whole processes. As you know, that masculine sort of flavor,
and we don't want to be demasculinized. We buy these things,
and so consequently where we're averse to wanting to talk
(07:04):
about these things. Whereas women, you know, they've been dealing
with that stuff with pregnancy and periods and menopause and stuff.
So they have those conversations because they create a network
to help deal with it. And you know, sometimes that
support network is how they get through because they discover
(07:25):
ways of managing and treating the problem. But were as guys,
we're so starck, we don't say anything. And so just
taking that stigma out of it makes a massive difference.
And I just reckon if you said it is the
(07:47):
light side of it, you know, it's you know, it's
sad one of the boys you had spend them for
a checkut, you know, you know, take have a bit
of a laugh about the process. But I mean it's
it's and the process isn't as bad as it was,
you know, twenty thirty years ago. Now you can in
terms of prostate, you can go in and bloody have
(08:10):
a blood test. They still recommended the ditch up the
backside is still a good way to make sure that
the enlargement isn't happening as well. And the two together
you can rule out any complications and if something does
show up, at least you can deal with it.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
That's two bites at the cherry, Hey Jos, just before
I let you go, it would be rumors to be
not to talk for you. See, I'm a Rugby train
spoter from way way back, and I think you were
a member of the greatest ever collective fifteen that took
the paddock for the All Blacks and one single game.
And people will argue with that, but I reckon the
team that played Australia at Athletic Park in nineteen ninety
(08:48):
six was the best collective All Black fifteen we've ever
put on the paddock. And I've got an interesting stat
for you. Every one of those fifteen players was an
All Black. Great Guess who had the least test caps
out of all that team, I have no idea Josh Krum,
Josh Crumpfeil.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Or there you go.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
So I'm talking about when you finished your career, you
played fifty overall. So my point being they are all
great all blacks, just on that game. Have you ever
played in a better all black performance?
Speaker 2 (09:24):
No. I think what people won't realize if they hadn't
seen the game was it was a horrendous day. It
was so weird and no team should have been able
to play that type rugby to that extreme and level
(09:44):
on a day like that. But ironically it seemed to
all just fit and happen, and it was a bit
of a nightmare experience I think for the Australians, and
I mean that ground itself. You know Athletic Park back
in the day. She was when the rain came in
(10:04):
and then the wind came in. She wasn't the greatest
ground to play on.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Well, I was there that day. It was an appalling
day and I think the status playing into the wind
in the first half, I don't think you blokes dropped
the ball a marvelous effort. Josh Cromfeld, thank you so
much for joining us today on the Country encouraging men
and especially rural men, to be open honest about their
not only their physical health, but their mental health. And
your capacity is the tenor ambassador for Blue Sectember.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Well done, No, it is the absolute pleasure.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Mate.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Get in and get a check out. That's all I
can say.
We all know Josh Cronfield because of his wonderful efforts
on the rugby paddock. More recently, I guess in the
media he's taken on a new role as a health
ambassador for tenor Now Josh, for a guy who gave
himself quite a bit of a flogging on the football paddock,
you've kind of paid the price a week but later
in life, because you've had trouble with your ticker, with
(00:21):
the old p flow. You've had headaches, you've had sore shoulders,
you've had everything.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Oh look mate, would you put it like that? It
sounds sounds pretty drastic. I think it's not so much
the problem, you know, I mean this this month, you know,
it's all about ment health and and that's that's been
Uh you know, my drive is the campaign a bit
of change in thought on how we address that and
(00:51):
because as men were just bloody hopeless and so that's
that's the main drive. And so for me, you you know,
I've had a few symptoms of show up read the take,
but it turns out it's all left over from playing
ruddy rugby and footy and and yes, you know, but
(01:13):
my stream isn't as strong as it used to be.
But again that's that's part of getting a bit older,
and but it's also a precursor for prostate cancer. So mate,
you go in and you do the checks, and you
and you and you and you, you check that everything
is still functioning and moving on correctly. And that's that's
(01:34):
the I guess the drive that we need to have
with our New Zealand men, and that we need to
be preemptive. But we're not. We keep going with us
tough guys sort of scenario, and let's let's just get
rid of that, I reckon. You know, it's going to
the checks. Just look after each other because too many
of the brothers uh leaving us early and for just
(01:58):
such simple stuff that could have been vited, you know,
if they've got in the early enough. So yeah, there
we deal.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Josh. It's good for you to open up and talk
about your own issues if you want, and you're in
a good position to do so because you're a health professional.
You're a physiotherapist by trade and I and this show's
not all aimed at rural New Zealand, but that's our focus,
you know what, Josh, And you know this because you're
a good Itago lad or you were a good Otago lad.
(02:29):
You played footy with a lot of those country boys.
Rural men are really good at looking after their livestock.
They're kind of useless at looking after themselves.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Well, it's not long, I said, it's not just rule men.
But yes, I agree with you. And we just need
to change that, you know, we just need to know
form teams within our network of people that look think
kindly of us. And whether it's whether it's mates, or
it's a guy that you catch up with once a month,
(03:01):
or whether it's your brother or your wife. You just
create a little network where you can just chicken and
just have I covered off all the things. Or you know,
I've got this little concern. It's just I'm not sure
about it, you know. And it could be simple as
shortless but a short of breath at the moment these
days when I'm when I'm you know, pulling the sheet
(03:25):
and from one pad it to the other, and I
never noticed that before. And and then and then you know,
the wife says, well, you know, maybe you should just
get to the doctor, or one of the boys say,
you know, like, well dude, this this, get into the
doctor and just see what, make sure everything's just ticking okay,
And then you might find that something's not quite right,
but you have your head of the curve and and
(03:48):
and all it takes is a little bit of medication
or or a change and you and your your diet
or you know, there's so many little other things to
just corrected it and and take that pressure off a situation.
And that's the same with the waterworks area as well.
You know, that's just pretty preemptive. You know, that's it's
(04:09):
just too easy to do.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
How many of your health problems are what are brought about?
And I'm sure a lot of them have been by
rugby and especially the way you played rugby, because let's
face that you're in the firing line when you're number
seven for the All Blacks.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Yeah, yeah, Look there's stuff that that doesn't work on me.
And my ankles are shot. You know, if you looked
at an X ray, you'd think that they are eight
year old's feet. You know, my neck's not much different
to that. And you know, probably the whole brain is
(04:48):
taking a few hurts as well, and they all they
some of those things masquerade as well, you know, like
that's that's ironically the being the reason why I've had
the track down getting my ticket checked out was because
I was getting chest pain. I was getting some naisea
(05:11):
and and some not shortness of breast, but that radiating
ache down the arm and just not feeling and just
feeling unwell. And ironically it's been mostly driven from my
neck and and uh and obviously some some some rib
(05:33):
facet pain and the steno sort of cartilage pain and
just because they all being mangled so much. Uh, and
then that all radiates down the arm and and so
it's more mechanically driven rather than the hard side of things.
So but great to go and get the checks and
(05:54):
and and then also while I'm there, then say your
cardio could be a bit better. And so that's great
because now it's meant that I've been able to go
and do a bit more cardio exercise just to top
up that base level so that we not do put
myself under load. It just doesn't implode.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Josh, you say, shame flourishes in the dark, and men
notoriousli once again reticent to talk about anything to do
with you know, down the bottom area there, the old
penal health if you want to call it, like that.
So as you get older, the flow is not as good,
the tap doesn't turn off as quickly. You know, there's
all these issues facing older blokes. So how do you
(06:38):
address it? How do you talk about it?
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Oh? Look, I think you just been in the forefront
the whole processes. As you know, that masculine sort of flavor,
and we don't want to be demasculinized. We buy these things,
and so consequently where we're averse to wanting to talk
(07:04):
about these things. Whereas women, you know, they've been dealing
with that stuff with pregnancy and periods and menopause and stuff.
So they have those conversations because they create a network
to help deal with it. And you know, sometimes that
support network is how they get through because they discover
(07:25):
ways of managing and treating the problem. But were as guys,
we're so starck, we don't say anything. And so just
taking that stigma out of it makes a massive difference.
And I just reckon if you said it is the
(07:47):
light side of it, you know, it's you know, it's
sad one of the boys you had spend them for
a checkut, you know, you know, take have a bit
of a laugh about the process. But I mean it's
it's and the process isn't as bad as it was,
you know, twenty thirty years ago. Now you can in
terms of prostate, you can go in and bloody have
(08:10):
a blood test. They still recommended the ditch up the
backside is still a good way to make sure that
the enlargement isn't happening as well. And the two together
you can rule out any complications and if something does
show up, at least you can deal with it.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
That's two bites at the cherry, Hey Jos, just before
I let you go, it would be rumors to be
not to talk for you. See, I'm a Rugby train
spoter from way way back, and I think you were
a member of the greatest ever collective fifteen that took
the paddock for the All Blacks and one single game.
And people will argue with that, but I reckon the
team that played Australia at Athletic Park in nineteen ninety
(08:48):
six was the best collective All Black fifteen we've ever
put on the paddock. And I've got an interesting stat
for you. Every one of those fifteen players was an
All Black. Great Guess who had the least test caps
out of all that team, I have no idea Josh Krum,
Josh Crumpfeil.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Or there you go.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
So I'm talking about when you finished your career, you
played fifty overall. So my point being they are all
great all blacks, just on that game. Have you ever
played in a better all black performance?
Speaker 2 (09:24):
No. I think what people won't realize if they hadn't
seen the game was it was a horrendous day. It
was so weird and no team should have been able
to play that type rugby to that extreme and level
(09:44):
on a day like that. But ironically it seemed to
all just fit and happen, and it was a bit
of a nightmare experience I think for the Australians, and
I mean that ground itself. You know Athletic Park back
in the day. She was when the rain came in
(10:04):
and then the wind came in. She wasn't the greatest
ground to play on.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Well, I was there that day. It was an appalling
day and I think the status playing into the wind
in the first half, I don't think you blokes dropped
the ball a marvelous effort. Josh Cromfeld, thank you so
much for joining us today on the Country encouraging men
and especially rural men, to be open honest about their
not only their physical health, but their mental health. And
your capacity is the tenor ambassador for Blue Sectember.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Well done, No, it is the absolute pleasure.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Mate.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Get in and get a check out. That's all I
can say.
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