#56 | Mark Hughes - Backstage with Cooper & Matty Johns

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 2 (00:08):
It helps us bring your great.

Speaker 1 (00:09):
New episodes and make sure that you won't miss anything.
Whether you're on Spotify, Apple Podcast or anywhere else. Just
tap follow or subscribe and stay in the loop. Anyway, guys,
cheers start however you lost you know, hughsy Jack might
pull me up a little bit. I've got I tend
to wheeze get We get complaints through from people.

Speaker 3 (00:29):
What are the odds of that? Look, who's ringing me?

Speaker 1 (00:31):
That's Joey Andrew Joey.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
Have you seen Fabe brother recently?

Speaker 4 (00:37):
I haven't seen him for a while.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
It's sort of just skims across society.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
It's a busy viewod for him through origin period.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Well apparently yeah.

Speaker 1 (00:45):
In fact, it's so busy oftentimes he has to have
two weeks off work after it and go to the
Maldives to surf. I mean it's hard work. You know,
people think playing is hard. I mean to commentate, that's
where the action is.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
Hugh'sy.

Speaker 1 (00:57):
This is an incredibly busy couple of weeks for you.
So what's a what's a week entail the week leading
into the beneaf of brainking.

Speaker 4 (01:05):
So yeah, lots of great support Mattie, first and foremost,
the the NRL tidal wave of support which started about
seven years ago for Beanie for brain cancer around really
lifted us to a new level. It was just amazing.
So yeah, just just I go to schools, I go
to workplaces. You know, there's a lot of schools doing beanies,
which is great.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
I do.

Speaker 4 (01:28):
Yeah, looks good, looks good.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
You should you should you have a sort of bringing
out a match, use salundation, do rag Maybe.

Speaker 3 (01:35):
It almost looks like one right now. You might want
to retry that calm, maybe spin it around a little
bit as well. There we go there.

Speaker 4 (01:43):
I did think of the balaclava range.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Really good coming up on the NBA news.

Speaker 4 (01:53):
Lots of brand awareness, oh yeah, lots of great things
getting done and the NRL. Yeah, just it's just amazing.
So you know, gett into appearances, get into games on
the round, the networks all get behind us. It's crazy
but good. Crazy.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
How many people you employed? Now?

Speaker 4 (02:11):
We have four part time staff, which I'm very proud of.
I'm a full volunteer. I tell people flexible hours, but
the hourly rate needs a review.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yeah, gotcha, now what you're talking about?

Speaker 4 (02:24):
Yeah, yeah, So I'm very proud to be a volunteer
and we're run by the big heart of volunteers. They
pack beanies, they go to go to shops and sell
our stuff. There's so many volunteers that make this go
around and I think people like that and they get
that that the money is going to the right places.
There's no brand ambassador and all these different tags. There's

(02:45):
this four amazing staff at Hamilton that you get it
all done.

Speaker 3 (02:49):
It's incredible. Like the last ten years, you guys have
sold over a million beanies, tens of millions of dollars.
And the big thing is in rugby league to everyone
gets around it. Like you know, I've twenties reserve grade,
you know, all sorts of grades, and every grade during
that week always chuck sabeni on, no matter what team
they are. It's a really proud round for rugby league.

Speaker 4 (03:10):
I think it's become a great tradition that I think
everyone in rugby league agrees on. It doesn't happen too often. Yeah,
it doesn't matter there's always blues Queensland, there's always these
rivalries and that. But I feel like everyone is in
the grands that brain cancer needs a bit of a help.
And I think it's been a great tradition and there's
probably kids now that would never remember nothing else but
Beanie around and I think it's just part of the

(03:32):
fabric now. And you know, nothing that we take for granted,
but it's it's super.

Speaker 1 (03:36):
I stopped to I actually forgot to declare something is
that people? Jack Johns is he's away from behind the
edit tweet and cutting up. He today's gone from producer
to star at the show. Younger bloke Cooper Hughsey is
in Darwin Cooper exactly Cooper and he.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
Actually make he is filthy.

Speaker 1 (03:58):
He keeps, he keeps calling Jack and I are going,
Oh listen, make the conversation with Hughesy just short. I
just talk on like the beney for brain cancer. Don't
talk about his career, wait till I am back.

Speaker 4 (04:10):
He died.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
Let's dive real deep.

Speaker 3 (04:14):
Yeah, he's got a massive poe Like you know, you're
a favorite. You're one of the favorite guests as well.
One of the blokes have known us since we're kids.

Speaker 4 (04:21):
So well, funny, Jack, I was thinking this morning that
we won the Grand Final in ninety seven, and I
felt like it was a week later. We had Jack's
wet the baby's head, that's right. Yeah, so we all
gather at the.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
Wash tub, was it?

Speaker 3 (04:35):
I can't.

Speaker 4 (04:36):
I think I feel like a few a few blurry times.
But we all assembled, big celebration. I remember I had
to work the next day. I went massive night and
I was working at tube Makers. The boys all hit
me away and tucked me into a little room and
I had had a sleep, So I celebrated. I celebrated. Yeah,
we celebrated you pretty hard, mate.

Speaker 3 (04:56):
Thanks mate, I really appreciate it. Surely wasn't the like
fantastic grand filing is one and a couple of weeks earlier?
Was it that was in the.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
Background ten days earlier? Jack?

Speaker 1 (05:07):
And you know, for people who listened to that when
what you just say said there is highly unusual these days,
well it just doesn't happen. You play a Grand Final
and then a few days later you've got to go
back to work in tube makers and let people know
tube makers was like it was a stool industry.

Speaker 4 (05:22):
Yeah, sure, it was Maddie and Darren Albott was the same.
He was an apprentice electrician and I was a fitter
and turner. So we would work and then as I
started gettingto first grade, we had to your clock in
as you go in. Then we'll clocking out and going
and do kicking and catching practice and coming back on
and off. And I did a bit of shift work,
so I would do night shift, then i'd go straight

(05:42):
to the gym, then I'd go back to Curry and sleep.
Then i'd come back in the afternoon and train, go
back to Curry and rest and then do it all again.

Speaker 2 (05:50):
Incredible.

Speaker 4 (05:51):
It was good because it was giving me that mental
toughness and you know, to really appreciate. People used to
say you're always smiling, You're always happy, because I was.
I was living a dream and it was a lot.
The dream was a long way away for a fair
time for me, but then it changed really quickly. But
I was getting ready for work life, which was a
fitter machinist, an average one at that, but that's what

(06:12):
I was doing.

Speaker 2 (06:14):
Now.

Speaker 1 (06:14):
What was the reaction when you and Albi, Darren Albert
who was the hero and that scholled that final try
what was the reaction when you boys walk back into
the next shift after winning the Grand Final?

Speaker 4 (06:26):
Look, it was it was you know, this is a tradesman.
Just blokes, blue collar blokes. They just they loved it.
You know, we had hundreds of blogs and they were,
you know, just having fun with them and talking about
it and they all wanted to know about it. And
I still run into these blokes now and they all say,
we work with you at Chievemaker's House, Albi and all that,
And it was really great times to be right in

(06:49):
amongst the community. Yeah, you know, whilst that rugby league
bubble was there, but I was still in that.

Speaker 1 (06:55):
Yeah, we'll check Denny, my late brother in law. Yeah,
he he worked with you at Tube Maka's the ooce
of sale.

Speaker 2 (07:02):
Time.

Speaker 1 (07:03):
Saw hughs again today because he made he was a minimalist,
Yeah he was. Danny was the sort of guy I
loved him because he's I've never met a person who
was so comfortable in silence and he just can't come in.

Speaker 2 (07:15):
He just walked in and said, may.

Speaker 1 (07:16):
Want to be or anything, Danny Now, I'm sweet And
as much as big a conversation I had was like
been working with Usley lately. Oh you Dan as he young, bloody,
good bloke us conversation.

Speaker 3 (07:29):
Just a context to Danny looked exactly like Red Dagan
to a point where I think it was it might
have been Danny's fiftieth or sixtieth and Dad rocked up
dressed as Red d Reagan as his brother. He was
a good man, Danny, He was a.

Speaker 4 (07:43):
Good I was thinking, Maddie. We did the in Search
of the Holy Grail, a short a short video, remember
that that was.

Speaker 1 (07:51):
That was for the Newcastle Short Film Festival and they
asked us to do and that's where Red Drag.

Speaker 3 (07:56):
Oh wow.

Speaker 4 (07:57):
So Crowey was the narrator and he assembled groom. Joey
was Bruno Snideley. It was a card shark. He was sinister.
He had this big mustache, a real sinister character. Then
there was reg I throw back to the eighties and
there was me and Matt Gidley were two sailors on Shorty. Yeah.

(08:19):
We're all searching for Holy Greiley, which was which was
the off this cup We had that hidden away and
we were going through Newcastle searching for this piece.

Speaker 1 (08:31):
Of We had to put all our own soundtrack on,
so we had Stevie wonder.

Speaker 4 (08:35):
It was so good. But Maddie walks into the pub
and I think this is where Regeme started, and he
just come up with this great dialogue. I'll have some
crisps TB and some rollies. Please don't.

Speaker 1 (08:50):
Get a at a two years old, a packet of
smokes and a packet of crisps.

Speaker 4 (08:56):
Was born. And then we're filming all this stuff. It
was so fun, but I think that just showed that, Yeah,
they're great fun we used to have.

Speaker 2 (09:04):
When did you hide it?

Speaker 3 (09:05):
Where did you just hide the cup?

Speaker 4 (09:07):
The Obeliska is the highest point in Newcastle. We just
planned it was going to be planted up there and
we just filmed as we went up there someone so someone.

Speaker 3 (09:13):
Could have went past and holy fuck, yeah screen, I
hope someone's guarding it at least Husy.

Speaker 1 (09:24):
Okay, just I want to ask you this question Feusy
and the diagnosis originally, and I can imagine you've said
this million times, but people will listen, be listening to
this story for the very first time. So Mate, your
flying life scale fantastic. The news must have hit you
like a ton of bricks. What were the first signs?

Speaker 4 (09:43):
Yeah, I was thirty six, Maddie flying high, feeling fit.
Been out of footy for five or six years, but
life was going great. Had three children under ten, beautiful wife. Yeah,
everything was great. Then I just had headaches for a
day and it put me in bed, which was unusual.
And then I woke up the next morning headaches again.
Kiraly said, nah, you need to just go and get

(10:03):
this checked out. And I thought, oh, well, this is
a migrain, not a problem. We'll get a couple of
tablets and keep going. And the doctor was a bit
funny when I went and saw him, and he said
we might just go get a scan. So I ducked
in and got a scan just on my own, and
that was the last ever scan I've had. Alarm. Kirale
has been with me ever since because that scan. From

(10:25):
that moment, everything changed. It's like, quick, get everyone in.
You know you've got to You've got a tumor, and
you just go what You've got got a brain tumor,
So yeah, so your life can change really quick. And
out of that waited a couple of weeks. Then John
hunt a hospital and had the tumor removed. And you're

(10:45):
still hopeful. I got that positive mindset of it's not
a it's not cancer. We'll just get it out and
play on. But then the doctor took us in a
week later and simply said to us, you know, I'm sorry, Mark,
you've got a high grade brain cancer. And that's the
words we just couldn't hear. We got Todd you you
just can't hear that there's different grades. But so yeah,

(11:07):
definitely life, life really changed. That's husic.

Speaker 1 (11:10):
When a person gets a diagnosis, oftentimes the doctor will
present the scenarios and just go right out at best
and worst. What was the At worst.

Speaker 4 (11:23):
We had a go We had to say that you
get your affairs in order, you need to sort that out.
There's just no guarantees here with what you've got. It
was really it was pretty tough and not the stuffing
out of us and Kiraly. So we went and saw
the experts, some other people in Sydney who were top
of their field, and they gave us a bit of
hope with a few readings out of my tumor that

(11:44):
they said, hey, there's some really good hope with this.
We're finding this, this percentage of this or you know,
there's all these different readings in a chum. So, yeah,
that just give us a bit of hope, and that
was enough for me to sort of pick up the
ball and start running again.

Speaker 1 (12:00):
Oftentimes, people, I think, at the most difficult moments or
you know, I heard people say when they're putting a
life threatening situation like you were, they have moments of
just perfect clarity, you know, and how they look back
at their lives and whatnot. What would there any moments
like that for you.

Speaker 4 (12:21):
You do a lot of thinking and whether it's forward
thinking or look thinking back, so you do reflect a lot.
And I had a lot of time to reflect. You know,
you can't drive your car for eight months, you're not
leaving the harm too often, so you're doing a lot
of reflecting and thinking. And it was Yeah, I was
certainly grateful for the life I'd had, but I just

(12:43):
love life so much. I just wanted to keep going
and do a lot more of it, you know. So
there was a really anxious feel about it, really really anxious.
So it was a really just tough time. And that's
the way your family and friends, they or react different
and knocks them around as well, so your whole life
gets gets flipped.

Speaker 1 (13:05):
And sorry, Jack and Jack just dropped his notes. They
feel free to pick him up.

Speaker 3 (13:10):
Brother, I've got to memorize man. Okay, actually I got
I do actually have something for his usual because you
know something similar like I've had a few beers with
your son, Zack, your oldest. He's a good fella and
you know, obviously that night had to take care of
Crowley more than Zach. But yeah, I always think about
these sorts of things when people get bad news like this,
Like Tri Trish was diagnosed with cancer twenty twelve, and

(13:31):
she always says, now and I look back at it,
and I would have been around a bit older than
Za would have been, about thirteen fourteen at the time,
and she always says, I got quite intrinsic after that,
like for that through that period, especially when she was
going through chemo and whatnot. What about Zach, like as
the eldest of the family, got Dane and Bonnie as well, Like,
did he wear a lot of that.

Speaker 4 (13:50):
Yeah, he was only young, but he was having a
little bit of childhood epilepsy at the time and that
was bringing that on a lot. Yeah, so there's a
lot more of that going on. Bring the ambulance a
few times, just everything was happening at once, and I
think it was the stress and the strain of what
it was going on would have caused a lot of that.
So but then the kids are a bit younger, and

(14:10):
then I quickly the positivity and the way I sort
of conducted myself help help helps everyone around you. And
I wasn't kicking stones. I was getting ready to launch
into a charity and fight back. Ecusey just last.

Speaker 1 (14:29):
Before we move on to some of the good times
and stuff that you never done through the charity lot,
the tricks.

Speaker 2 (14:34):
Status quo.

Speaker 1 (14:35):
You've gone for skins today, a house things.

Speaker 4 (14:39):
Yeah, got a great scan. I'm so grateful. I have
one every about four months and go down the specialists
and you get that done. So yeah, it's always a relief.
And I'm like, I'm ten years down the track. I'm
so blessed and lucky. There's so many that don't get
the opportunities that I get. So I'm feeling fit, I'm
feeling energized. I'm here for a reason to really keep

(15:00):
kicking on and helping make a difference and give hope
to people with brain cancer. And with the NRL community
behind us, that's what we've done with. We've given some
real hope out there.

Speaker 3 (15:10):
Can I ask you you to like you've done so well,
like ten years on, it's pretty incredible. Do you have
any tips of people out there that might be going
through it that you know changes to your lifestyle, minimalistic
sort of things that always help you in the day
to day.

Speaker 4 (15:22):
I think simply I like to say, just make today count,
you know, don't worry about down the track. Can't change yesterday,
So just just try and do your best today, to
make the best day you can today. Then wake up
and do it again. But if you're continually dwelling on
the future or worrying about what's happened, it's going to
weigh where you're down. So I think that's just a

(15:42):
nice simple.

Speaker 3 (15:44):
That's interesting what you say there too, Like do you
think that if you know it can be positive, it
can impact you a lot more negatively if you have
those negative, negative thoughts, whereas you've had a very positive outlook.
Do you think that positive outlooks actually had a physical
impact on you.

Speaker 4 (15:58):
Oh, for sure, you know. I've looked up on it,
and we become our thoughts. So if you're always negative
and down, you're going to have to come across that person.
So I feel like you need to control your thoughts
a bit and really try and focus on being grateful, happy,
positive and makes a difference.

Speaker 2 (16:14):
Well too hugely.

Speaker 1 (16:15):
Through the Foundation, you've had plenty of good times, one
of which is every single year you've done that the trecks.
Yes to the players, what are you doing this year?

Speaker 4 (16:22):
Yeah, we're going to go across to Kakoda. We're going
to walk across and back. So it's going to be huge, Mattie.
So it's about two hundred k's. But the thing about
co Coda it's either up or down. It's even muddy,
it's even hod or really cold, really high. So yeah,
it's going to be a great challenge. So that's our
big one. You know, Chief and Billy Peedam came up
with the idea of challenging ourselves whilst raising money and.

Speaker 2 (16:45):
It's been those two blocks.

Speaker 4 (16:47):
Yeah, that's so typical. I mean a lot of the
traits that our teammates had on the field they've just
brought across to the Foundation, you know, like and it's
just been it's like you do great things in rugby league.
But the way that my former teammates have bound around.
What I'm trying to do is really the best thing

(17:08):
I've got out of rugby league for sure. And the
treks are a great way for us to get away.
And I'll highlight we did Everest, Maddie and.

Speaker 3 (17:18):
I twenty seventeen, was that? What mean twenty and I might.

Speaker 4 (17:23):
Try go there? We are. We had beaver Menzies we
did too. We had the beaver We had chief we
Hads like Russell Richardson and the Ghidli Boys, Bedsillie Boy.

Speaker 1 (17:35):
And what a way to bond. There was so many
people that I've never met before. But by the time
you're leaving Catman do everyone like you know, they're all
our best mates.

Speaker 4 (17:42):
Yeah, you know, a policeman train account and all these
people come together as one in a team. And we
had a like doing Everest, Maddie. It's it's just like
on the world stage, isn't it. It's just it's challenging,
it's hard, but it's fun and we we had the
best time.

Speaker 1 (18:01):
Oh, it's fantastic. A couple of boys were lucky, like Crowey.
Let people know Crowey is the sort of guy and
you know, people react different to altitude and they told us,
just be very mindful of the person that you're knocking
around with in the tea rooms, like you're in pairs.
Just keep an eye on him, make sure they're not

(18:22):
sleeping too long. And started noticing Crowe. He was like
really really struggling. Anyway, They did a oxygen count on
him and it was so low and they said no, no,
there's no more for you, and made he wouldn't he
wouldn't have it, just kept going and made he was
They nearly had to put him in a chopper and
send him back to CapMan do.

Speaker 4 (18:40):
Yeah, he collapsed on the bench in them wearing a
tea room full of people across the world. We're starting
to get a bit nervous. A couple of people vomiting.
And then this German backpacker was a bit snaky that
Crowley's taking up so much room on the seat and
had a bit of a shot and then he didn't
know what he was getting yourself influenced. Then Billy pede
and pipe and like you know, there there was no

(19:02):
war on the mountain.

Speaker 2 (19:04):
A lot of the snow, you know.

Speaker 4 (19:05):
And that's Billy is that he's just the best teammates.
That's this Billy of all the trips.

Speaker 2 (19:10):
So you've done Kilimanjoo.

Speaker 4 (19:12):
Yeah, that's a hi alogude one. Trent Robo on that
one joined us. Yep, we've done base Camp twice. Now,
I've been to Borneo, We've been to where else. We
did Vietnam last year. Oh, on a bike ride that
was just brilliant. We went in these villages winding a
way through and they're saying they hadn't even seen never
seen white man in the flesh. Really, but they're so happy,

(19:35):
sitting on their dirt, verandas and stuff. But they're in
a circle, they're laughing, they're giggling, friends and family, friends
and family, no phones, no nothing, but they're just happy.
And I say to you, think myself, well, maybe this
is true success. They're happy, they've got each other. We're
out rushing around all the time.

Speaker 3 (19:52):
Yeah, it's so right. Yeah, you learn so much on
these trips, those crazy locations that can actually ask you
which is the worst airport, because I know has got
a really bad rap as one.

Speaker 2 (20:02):
Of the world's worst airports.

Speaker 4 (20:04):
Well I think it is.

Speaker 1 (20:05):
Well, Well I tea to one. I reckon use it
when you land in to do the trick.

Speaker 2 (20:12):
The first place, Lukla. Look their airport.

Speaker 1 (20:15):
Look, it is terrifying. Really describe it to me. It's
you've got to you got this. It's cut into the
top of a mountain and the runway is just so short,
so when you land, you've got to be careful. They
got the jam the brakes on straight away or you
just ram into the back wall that close. And when
you take off, when you take off, this is terrifying.

(20:36):
You Actually they've got a really short runway, so they've
just to go bang and you just go straight off
the mountain and just hope that you've got enough.

Speaker 2 (20:43):
Wow.

Speaker 4 (20:43):
Yeah, the towns fac they for entertainment. They sit and
watch it.

Speaker 5 (20:48):
And watch.

Speaker 4 (20:52):
Every day.

Speaker 3 (20:53):
That's incredible.

Speaker 1 (20:54):
We have some hearing moments too, because remember we couldn't.

Speaker 2 (20:56):
Fly couldn't fly out.

Speaker 4 (20:58):
There was lots of you do, lots of waging around
for hours the right conditions what about?

Speaker 1 (21:04):
And I was told told this.

Speaker 2 (21:07):
It was fully try used to be on the project.

Speaker 1 (21:10):
His name has Casey. At the moment he's to do all
these sort of special challenges and whatnot. Terrific bloke, an
American guy. And he told me, he said, when you
go and do it, he said, I'll give you tip.
He said, when you land first in Catman, do before
you do the track, he said, cat Man do, You'll
be going around going, oh mate, God, this is hectic.

Speaker 2 (21:29):
It's real third world city, he said.

Speaker 1 (21:32):
But when you go and do the track and come
back to Catman do, he said, Catman do, will feel
like Monika.

Speaker 2 (21:37):
True? Yeah, do you remember? Chief?

Speaker 1 (21:40):
So we come back, You're you're eating basically bowls of
rice all the time at the tea houses, of course,
So we're fanging when we get back, and Chief's just starving.
We get we all go to this place to have
beers and eat. Chief has forty eight chicken wings. No way,
he kept ordering them. He kept going, Chimpy, You've got
to get I've got to get some more.

Speaker 2 (21:59):
Just go for a big I'm surprised.

Speaker 3 (22:00):
I'm surprised they even have meat up there, because they're
like they you guys were eating a lot more sort
of like vegetables and things that don't up on the trek,
things that you don't have to cook as heavily, like
chicken and whatnot. But yeah, did you lose much weight
up there?

Speaker 4 (22:15):
Too much?

Speaker 2 (22:15):
Really?

Speaker 4 (22:16):
Yeah? You're eating lots of rice and yeah, whenever.

Speaker 2 (22:19):
They take you.

Speaker 1 (22:20):
Now, boys, really important thing is you don't drink on
the mountain.

Speaker 4 (22:23):
Sure we'd find a cuple of beers. Oh wow, that's
so good.

Speaker 2 (22:30):
Cu see how the old boys going.

Speaker 4 (22:32):
Our boys going great, mate, We're proud of the old boys.
We've got to We've got a good group. You know.

Speaker 2 (22:37):
Do you still train in the morning you blow.

Speaker 4 (22:38):
Yeah, bits of training and get together.

Speaker 2 (22:41):
Who's the gang?

Speaker 4 (22:42):
Kurt's the Kurt Gidley is a good ring leader of
that and Bedsy Chief Billy when he can make it.
We just whoever we can get there, Crowy, Jared d
just good blokes, get together, train coffee, good way to started.

Speaker 3 (22:56):
You blokes are that tight even when we're playing us
up at New some More thing as you'd see that
the new Center of Excellence. They'd be in there before
everyone else. And then you drive past Merriwether near the
bars there and they'd be out there training and doing
their like in the middle of winter too.

Speaker 4 (23:10):
Like if we go there early and train at the
Center of Excellence, and tell you, man, if we had
that gear, I'd be still playing. But it's hard to
believe we talk about our facilities.

Speaker 1 (23:19):
I was I was saying to the boys the other
day we trained in a public gym. So Jack, if
you're in the midst of training, you'd have to wait.
There could be like two middle aged women and you're
going to sit and wait until they get their reps done.

Speaker 4 (23:35):
You just you're in.

Speaker 1 (23:35):
There the mercy and sometimes you be packed with the
public and you.

Speaker 3 (23:39):
Just well, one thing about rugby league plays through. They're
not very patient either. I can't imagine that.

Speaker 1 (23:45):
It's funny you say that, Jack. I think every single
every single club, every single team, believe they're tight. But
I think sometimes in each club's history there is a
side that is really tight, and I reckon that some
of those ninety seven into two thousand and one teams.

Speaker 4 (24:03):
Yeah, I know, success brings you together as well, and
we had a great team which helped. And I mean
ninety five of these boys did it awesome. Ninety six
it was a bit of a rough year, yeah, but then
from ice I FL from ninety five to probably two
the club could genuinely have won a camp if we
had the right injury and if we had a bit
of luck, we could have nearly won. You know, we're
a real chance every year. But we were so close

(24:26):
because we all lived within ten minutes of each other,
you know, so we when there was a lunch on,
we're all together and it was just a great mix.
Like you got your real serious lead like Butts and
Chief and MG. But then you had like Maddie and
Joey in their early twenties and blokes like Robbie Davis,
Adam Muir, Billy.

Speaker 3 (24:44):
P mad Dog would have been young then too.

Speaker 4 (24:47):
So then there's another tier of guys that were all
sorts of eighteen nineteen twenty. That was sort of Olen
Craigie was there, but kids, Betsy, Adam McDougall. Yeah, just
on Darren Albert. So there. You know, it was just
a really good blend of of and plenty of They
say pick on character, Well, there was plenty of character

(25:09):
in out to it.

Speaker 1 (25:11):
It was put on a Peter sharp you know. Sharpie's
been a lifelong coach. He's Newcastle at Paramatta of course
did the Northern Eagles and Manly didn't have a lot
of success there, but he's just most clubs sharp he
goes to and he sits behind the scenes, they always
have success. He's just a he's just a fantastic bloke
at the moment he's with the dogs. Of course we're
behind the scenes, but he just says all the time,

(25:32):
he said, Madie, one of the most difficult things to
find in the modern game, he said, is leaders, he said,
But I tell people all the time that Newcastle side,
he said, I Reckon has had seven or eight leaders.
That it was just such a strong group.

Speaker 4 (25:45):
Yeah it was, Yeah, it was. Yeah, it was a
dream for me, like from being from Curry.

Speaker 1 (25:51):
And then you tell us, tell us the story of
how you got the aggression.

Speaker 4 (25:55):
Well, firstly, I was Curry, Curry boy. I knew Maddie
and Jail. We were you know, cesn we went at
the same school. I felt like Maddy was in year twelve.
I never knew that, yeah right, yeah, so I definitely
need Madge twelve years. Maddie wouldn't have probably named me, no,
but I saw I knew Maddie. And then Joey was

(26:16):
in year nine, so I sort of had a few
more years there to get to name Joey on a
minor level, and that Joey was obviously the young gun
Knights player. So I was just a Curry boy playing
footy for Curry. But I had a big dream to
try and get there, but it was just a long
way away. At fourteen or fifteen, I wasn't anywhere near
strong enough or quick enough nights fifteen, seventeens, nineteen's not

(26:39):
getting a look in. So it was I was lucky
I didn't choose to maybe go in another direction because
it could have been tempting. But I hung in and
I got to start in my first year at grade
at Curry was in two thousand and nineteen ninety five
and Curry had won two premierships. It was just going
off the town. It was a great time and their
third premier ship. I snuck onto the wing for that

(27:02):
game and we beat Wes and I've scored two tries.
You and McGrady was in that team.

Speaker 2 (27:06):
Oh yeah, wow, yeah.

Speaker 4 (27:07):
Yeah, I got exposed to legend.

Speaker 3 (27:10):
The mcgrady's are crazy. I've played with that many mcgrady's
too in my time footy and all sorts of grades
and huge.

Speaker 4 (27:17):
I'd forgotten you played with Panda, Yeah that is that
was no weekish and I'd watch him at training and
he was just going half pace and now and again
he turn it on and I'm just going, wow, this
is this is awesome. Big Dave Smith was there. He
was another Knights fella. And so the ninety six Peter
Brady and Shane Lee, a couple of Curry legends, coached
the twenty ones. They said, come and have a trial.

(27:37):
So I've got a trial and made the team for
ninety six. First time I made the Knights. Had a
nice steady year. So that was ninety six, and then
ninety seven started along and I watched the news and
there it came on nights I started their ninety seven
campaign and I'm sitting at home into my rissoles and

(27:57):
We're right, what's going on here? So I made a
call on said it's all started. Am I going to
get another trial? And oh yeah, yeah you sure, yeah, yeah,
We'll sort that out. So I've got a trial for
ninety seven season. So I was just trialing and did
okay and got him into the reserve grade team, and
then from there it just sort of I got a
couple of opportunities to sit on the bench and then

(28:19):
round fifteen we played the Roosters. It was a rainy
Friday night, Maddie. It came down to the end. We
had a draw one game, but I just remember the
extra noise in the crowd and the extra intensity in
the game, and I just thought, wow, and I think
someone roughed me up. I think it was even clear,
and I thought, how good is this? You know? Yeah,
it was just yeah, dream come true.

Speaker 1 (28:40):
And we talk about Ivan and Nathan of course anonymous. Now,
how cool I under pressure. That's a perfect example, Jake.
It's absolutely it's ankle deep mud, just pissed down for days.

Speaker 2 (28:53):
And we're leading them.

Speaker 1 (28:54):
We're leading them ten to four, and it's literally about
thirty seconds ago. Andrew Walker the numbers out of one
of the halves playmakers for the Rooses. As he does
UNKI did a little chip over the top double chip,
and all of a sudden they scored right on full time,
right in the corner. So it's ankle deep Mart, We're
leading ten eight, We're standing on the try line. Ivan

(29:16):
clearly takes the ball and as he putting on the mound,
we're saying some fucking awful things, just fucking giving it
to him. He didn't even blink. He just went back,
came forward, just kicked it, looked over and said, fuck
you guys.

Speaker 3 (29:27):
Wow, I've actually seen that. Yeah, I mean how much long?
How much further after was it that you started living
with bedsy.

Speaker 4 (29:36):
That was about yes after, Yeah, yes, I was just
finding my feet in ninety seven, getting opportunities at these blags.
I think I was. I was roomies with Maddie early days,
away games, so that was always good. I remember that.
I was thinking about that the other day too, and
I was thinking, I think one time Maddie might remember this.

(29:56):
But I gone to sleep early, and I popped up
and I've gone, you've got a problem? Have you got
a problem? But he looks at me and goes sit.
I must have been my head must have been spinning
and putting it on your.

Speaker 1 (30:11):
Dad, because all the boys when we used to room together,
they always used to go because I had all these
I used to take all my boots away, so I'd
have about eight pairs of boods just lined up in
the morning and then go. I'd go to the ground,
do an inspection and know which I'd have.

Speaker 4 (30:26):
Had all these beds. I haven't done lots stink sting rays.

Speaker 2 (30:30):
But it's unbelievable.

Speaker 1 (30:31):
Excuse you to think about the start of the year.
You're there, you're eating your wristoles and you're going in
a second, know where's my trial? And then Grand four?

Speaker 4 (30:39):
Yeah, yeah, just amazing the break the break through.

Speaker 1 (30:44):
We spoke about it before we come on here, and
I brought up the time we played the Southeast Coinsland
Crushes two thirds of the way through the year, and
I brought it up because it was a funny moment
in the fact that we played a game, and as
was the time back in the mid nineties, you just
go on a bender after rumed Brisbane. Anyway, the coach,

(31:04):
Malcolm Realley, who was a real discipline arean like just
legend but highly disciplined. He goes, right, we're going to
do a rehab session. For rehab, We've got a quick
turn around. I'm just going to do a ball work session.
And we're all still blind, right, and I can watch
him out and he's just getting more and more aggravated. Anyway,
he just us unloading on the team. He's a fucking
disgrace and everything. And Scotti Conley's nickname was the scrub Pig.

(31:25):
He thought Maut was joking and started laughing out, oh yeah,
this is hilarious, right, and he goes.

Speaker 2 (31:31):
Fuck you, fuck you.

Speaker 1 (31:35):
But that game husy like I remember you putting your
body on the line. Tell us about the yeah moment.

Speaker 4 (31:42):
Yeah, well, it was just I'm just trying to feel
like I'm trying to get the confidence out of these
guys because they probably didn't really name me, and I
didn't look probably the most likely type, so they Yeah.
I just remember they were on the sideline. They've kicked
this ball across field, and I've come from the wing
and I've charged across and I've dived in front of
the I've caught it and then someone's belted me and

(32:03):
I've flinged around the post. It was a really good take.
But I just remember Butsy getting on the bus and
got Eh making a big point of it to me,
and it made me feel real good and made me
start to feel part of the team a little bit
because I obviously lacking a bit of confidence. But it
was a nice moment. Blokes like Buttsy and like Maddie Butsy,
these blokes were always building me up from the start.

(32:24):
I was lucky to have senior players, you know, if
the Knights were coming last that year and I could
have got tipped out, just like if Curry wasn't a
good team in ninety five is it good and they
come last good chance, I wouldn't have got the opportunities
I've got. So I was surrounded by some good people
at the right time at.

Speaker 1 (32:42):
That run through ninety seven, half Jack not long. I
reckon about four weeks out from semifinals and winning a
Grand Final is all about timing as well as anything
else is. We just just caught fire and we kept
playing manly right at the back end of the year.
Every song we played, and we just kept getting close
and closer and closer to the morning. You wake up

(33:03):
in the Grand Final and you just go you know
you're going to win.

Speaker 4 (33:07):
A strong air of confidence. And I look back now
and go, hang on, you were twenty How could you
feel that confident? But you just get caught up in
the in that team environment, and I felt this inner
belief there was there, led from chief as captain to everyone.
But we just did and we'd had the fun like
we made up the CD with our you know, we

(33:28):
had film clear every time we're on the bus, the
songs are coming on. Then we're in the sheds the
songs are coming on. And look, Mail probably didn't agree
with it, but the leader he was, he knew that's
what we needed. Yeah, you know, and it was fun
and we're dancing around having fun in the sheds. Yeah,
it really was special.

Speaker 3 (33:42):
Well, I've got a few a few things from your
old teammates have said. And then one of the things
was the Telegraph the morning of the Grand Final, when
you're reading the paper and they had something about they
had Chief Joey and you, and they had player bios.

Speaker 4 (33:55):
I tell this story a bit, but I'll tell it again. Yeah,
so could you, babe. Plaza was where we stayed. So
we wake up the morning of the game and I'm
feeling great men, walk to the elevator, danced my way
into the breakfast room. This is my day. So I
walk in and there's a six or eight blokes around
the table and they're looking at me laughing. So I

(34:17):
sort of wander over and they hand over the newspaper,
the Daily Telegraph what it was, and it was a
lift out of each player player profile. So number one
Robbie o' davis, amazing under the high ball, great side step.
Number two Darren Albert, fastest man in the game. Number
three Owen Craigie schoolboy prodigy, brilliant talent, Number four Adam

(34:39):
McDougall blockbusting strong center. So by this I just can't
wait to read what they say about me. Number five
Mark Hughes sholders like a brown snake.

Speaker 3 (34:50):
Oh my god.

Speaker 4 (34:51):
Yeah, so yeah, not the best start to me day.
Or we show them Jack, so I tell people they
stung like a brown snack. So yeah, just a bit
of fun. But you know, like there'd been no off
season wait programs, like I hadn't really done any weights,
you know.

Speaker 2 (35:07):
Public gym. There's other people on the machines.

Speaker 4 (35:09):
Yeah, and I was playing center, like I hadn't played
any a center at one game at center as a kid,
I reckon, you know, I just got put into there.
So just finding a way.

Speaker 1 (35:17):
What's your memory, hughsy Of, I said the last moment,
but remember halftime one of the like, so it's really tight.
It's eight six and almost the last play before halftime, they.

Speaker 2 (35:30):
Do a full fulfilled shift.

Speaker 1 (35:32):
Cliffy Lines drifts across and one of our players just
lays on the inside inside ballshit and Nevin and we're going.
They scored Rod on half time, remember going, we all
walk in fourteen six.

Speaker 2 (35:42):
Down and Joey loses it.

Speaker 1 (35:44):
Memory he's going fucking hell for the fucking hell and
everyone's going mate settled there.

Speaker 4 (35:50):
It was yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, we like it
wasn't the most like there was holes in our defense
at times, and saying it wasn't the most perfect game
in footage. That was a brilliant like it was a
brilliant theater the game.

Speaker 1 (36:04):
What do you remember you took the ball on the charge,
you threw it to Alby. What what's your memory of
that final play?

Speaker 4 (36:13):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (36:13):
So yeah, so Joey got charged.

Speaker 4 (36:17):
You'd hit the upright yep, moments before. So that was
that was a close one. And then did Joey go again?

Speaker 1 (36:24):
Joey went again and got charged down.

Speaker 4 (36:26):
I think, yeah, I went to myself and then I
just got the ball and running and then I just
as I'm going, I throw a pretty ordinary past to
Darren Albert. He gets tackled, yeah, five meters in and
then yeah, so then from there I run. I raced
to the short side. Joey gets into dummy half. Maddie
wants the ball. Mark, Ye, I tipped Joey off, but

(36:49):
that it's on down the short side. He has a
bit of a glance. Maddie's screaming at him. This way
on my call. He's come down the short side. And
just remember this play propelled him on a mortal yep.
And I made the call, he made the course and
he throws the dummy to you. Yeah, and then he
just refuses to give me the ball. Just you watch it.

(37:09):
Does these stupid little dummy.

Speaker 3 (37:11):
I might have been your chances of immortality.

Speaker 4 (37:12):
I had spud coming across Yep.

Speaker 2 (37:16):
We wouldn't get that. India too strong for Marc Hu's grandstand.

Speaker 4 (37:20):
Albie didn't pay for a beer for two years in
your car, so I did the Beau. I would have
saved don in fifty grand back then.

Speaker 3 (37:26):
Well he will trice over the week before too. That's
on the everyone's I still I remember seeing it for
the first time and I never seen because he's gone.
Who was the winger again?

Speaker 2 (37:35):
That's his who was quick?

Speaker 3 (37:37):
So well, he was moving fast when now becomes into
into camera, Oh my.

Speaker 1 (37:40):
God, Jack, I've never seen and throw Marling throw Slater. Everyone,
I've never seen someone so football fast as Albie in
the fact that like our Strength Strength Coast coach Bruce.

Speaker 2 (37:53):
Gallah, who's story in himself.

Speaker 1 (37:55):
But he's just say mate, if I coached him since
from when he as a kid, he'd want a gold
medal in the two hundred meters. Really, yep, that's how quick.
But think about it was stopping and starting stepping. He
didn't brush a meter.

Speaker 4 (38:08):
Really yeah, all these fast guys I watched now, I
still compare him to Albi for some reason, a bit biased, but.

Speaker 1 (38:14):
I just felt like that was so fast, oh that one,
and thinking about it was he was a completely different
winger to the ones you see now a lot of
times in the fact that he had no work rate,
Like just before the semi finals there was a blow
up in a team meeting because Albie had had the
Fords blown up. I suppose Rightfley, so he had one
run for two meters.

Speaker 2 (38:34):
But when you needed something big, that's what he come
up with.

Speaker 1 (38:38):
If he was a workhoorse, he doesn't pick up maxifats,
we don't win that competition.

Speaker 4 (38:42):
Magic.

Speaker 1 (38:43):
I just want to say, while we're talking about the
different characters, and we're skipping around a little a little
bit here, but I mean Adam McDougall, the success that
he has made in business, how much has he given
you think to your found.

Speaker 4 (38:55):
Out he'd be over five hundred thousand. Yeahs is just
an amazing character. Firstly, footy wise, it was just unbelievable
playing with him. You just knew he'd set himself for
the big games.

Speaker 2 (39:08):
He would.

Speaker 4 (39:08):
He was unstoppable when he was when he was like that,
So we're so blessed to have him in our side.
But then in later life, you know, he was doing
all this stuff and going what's he doing? What is it?

Speaker 1 (39:21):
Because he could throw up polkies and he's saying he's
doing this supple but everyone's going yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Well.

Speaker 3 (39:27):
Well how old would he have been around the ninety
seven Grand Final?

Speaker 4 (39:29):
Early twenty or Toland? Yeah, he's only he was twenty one?
Was young?

Speaker 3 (39:34):
Was there a crew of years because there was an
older crew and then sort of like a middle middle
sort of crew. Was there a crew of young like
the lot of yours that were real young that was
sort of was real surreal for like he's all stuck together.

Speaker 4 (39:43):
Absolutely, it was yeah, we were on this Yeah, we
were on this wave. Yeah. But yeah, so back to
just yeah, very giving, amazing person him and Belinda. What
they've done with the man. I don't think there's a
rugby League player that's had that type of success made.

Speaker 1 (39:58):
He'll give them the fact they've sold He's maintained a lot
of the company and sold them to people who are
going to take into America.

Speaker 2 (40:03):
He could. I think he probably end up as rugbul
League's first bionaire.

Speaker 4 (40:07):
As far as players, they just couldn't be any happier
for him and a great person a Hughesy.

Speaker 1 (40:12):
You've got to tell people the celebrations was something in themselves.
But fear play to you, your stamina and chiefs guts.
YouTube blokes were the last ones standing.

Speaker 4 (40:23):
When we were the last light standing. But as their
story goes on, one of the nights might have been
Thursday night. We ended up at the Empire Hotel. It
was a lovely little twenty four hour unfortunately not with
us anymore.

Speaker 2 (40:35):
Yeah, yeah, plenty of blood, plenty of phlegm.

Speaker 4 (40:37):
Yeah, Chief Chief's feet was swelling and he had a
bit of gout, I think, and I mean g He
did inspire me on the field, but to kick on
with no shoes and feet like that, that's leadership.

Speaker 2 (40:51):
That was huge.

Speaker 4 (40:53):
Yeah big yeah, big balloons.

Speaker 2 (40:56):
And new blokes are in the pub, So tell us
about the Empire yeah.

Speaker 4 (40:59):
So we get in there. It's a twenty four hour
there's karaoke on. Chief gets on a stool right in
front of the men's toilet and gets on there and
has a bit of a bit of a doze off.
And I noticed that and then sort of people can't
get it through that through where he was, so I
felt I had to do something. So I went up
and I whacked him over my arm and I got

(41:20):
him up, and the people ask me what did it
look like? And I say, fink winfeld cup, I've got
the cheap And as I get him up, everyone has
one stands. Everyone in the joints to it and they're
just clapping their leads getting him out of the door.
We get out, open the door, we start to fall.

(41:43):
I'm maneuver Chief, so he cushions me on the pavement.
He takes the hit. I put him in a cab
and that that's the story.

Speaker 3 (41:52):
So what do you think you're weighing?

Speaker 2 (41:53):
There?

Speaker 4 (41:53):
Usually oh seventy eight that around Jack, But oh yeah,
but yeah, that's just fun memories and we have fun
with that. But for me, like the leader Chief is
and still is to me today, like I just stay lucky.

Speaker 1 (42:10):
Yeah, talk another characters, Jack, little things had happened to
remember your twenty first? Twenty first but shortly after?

Speaker 3 (42:15):
Would this be my one of my godfather's because you
couldn't decide.

Speaker 4 (42:19):
So this is December after Grand Final, So this is December,
December fifteenth. All raids lead to Western Town Hall, yep,
which is just next to Curry Curry, where I'm putting
on a twenty first. Reality is the team. So I'm
all excited yet nervous. So this is everything's coming. So
then the boys turn up. Oh this is the first
one with my present, my gift.

Speaker 2 (42:40):
Oh, here we go.

Speaker 4 (42:41):
What's this? So there's this newspaper wrapped around this tall thing,
it's about this high, and Maddie and Butts and Crowy
or I think it was, they hadn't present you my presence.
So I start unwrapping it and there's this big skinny giraffe.
The boy said that reminded me of so that was
my president. The giraffe didn't last too much longer, didn't.

Speaker 2 (43:02):
It was Crowy doing the twirl over his head. I
think it fractured his neck.

Speaker 1 (43:06):
But so Adammir, of course you're one of them, one
of your god fathers and what had happened our skills
coach slash he.

Speaker 2 (43:18):
Had hid me and Roles Steve Dunstan the Swede. I remember.

Speaker 1 (43:21):
Swede used to always like he was almost like the
cheerleader involved with the good skills stuff, right.

Speaker 2 (43:26):
But he's always morale to the point.

Speaker 1 (43:27):
But he used to take upon himself sometimes to like
sledge the opposition. So we're playing North Sydney one day
and Greg Florimer is there, who's legend flow and he's
he's he's about to walk down in the sheds and
he just goes and Sweed goes a flow. He goes
mate the loser's sheds when you get to the bottom

(43:48):
on the right. But you're you're more than aware of that,
you've played here for twenty years, right, and he's and
he was known sweet as he used to carry the
ghetto blaster everywhere and we flow. You alled out in
the dressy up to the grand stand, just play.

Speaker 3 (44:00):
On the on the boombox, your fuck with mate strength
conditioners and more so the speed coaches there, there's some
different breeds out there.

Speaker 1 (44:09):
Well, Adam Mua signed to go to North Sydney, right,
So Swede had had he on to one of our
back rowers and said to one of our back rowers
on the quiet, just trying to boost him up.

Speaker 2 (44:21):
Wasn't so much about Adam Muhr.

Speaker 1 (44:22):
About Hurts he Adam Mill's nickname. It was more about
building the a guy up. And he said to him, mate, Hurts,
He's gone, that's all right, forget about that. You just
train hard, you'll be You'll be twice. You could be
twice the player he is, So word you back to
Hertzy that he said that. So we're at the Boosey's
twenty first and Swed gets up on stage and starts

(44:43):
performing songs with this guitar that was like a family
ill his family in New Zealand, like for Traia. So anyway,
Herts he cats upon one stags and says, may can
I do a song? And he goes, yeah, good as
gold hands it and Hertz he just smashes the guitar.

Speaker 2 (44:58):
There were wood chips. We got back to the town hall.

Speaker 4 (45:02):
We used him in the garden.

Speaker 3 (45:04):
Oh my god, oh cry fast for a little bit
for hughes. See my god, my other godfather, Stephen Crowe
actually asked me. When I asked him, I said, oh,
we've got Hughgy and I got to jump in for Coop.
He actually asked me to ask you about two thousand
and one, your Origin debut. He mentioned that at the
time it was sort of Betsy was the one that

(45:26):
people were going, it's very likely that Betsy will be
in the squad, and he said, you couldn't have been
a more supportive friend. But when the team was announced
you were in and Beggie hadn't been chosen. He was saying,
what are we to ask you? What was it like
for Betsy? Like he reckons? Beggie was nothing like couldn't
have been a more supporting roommate and friend at the
time for you?

Speaker 4 (45:44):
Yeah, yeah, we had a great partnership Betsy and I.
And in two thousand and one, Betsy was very big
tip to be the hooker. So we played Saturday night
against the Dragons. Joey went off, he got injured. We
won the games, a really good game. But Joey said
to me after game, mate on you're a big chance here.

(46:04):
But it's like Joey, you know boy that cried wolf
types And yeah, I mean, okay, well, yeah that'd be good.
But I didn't think too much of it. So then
we went. We went went to local league next the
next day on the cans, having a good day out
and then yeah, sure enough that the phone rang and

(46:24):
they said, yeah, you're in the team, and I was
a smoky, so yeah, it was amazing. Had to rush
get it done, and Beds he helped. And although I
did say to take all the messages back then you
had your home phone because I knew me relative and
that take take down the messages and I'll get so
then he ended up, yeah, mate, I've done it all.
There's a list one hundred long of names and anyway

(46:45):
lost that list. Anyone out there is still waiting for
a call playing well yeah, but no, it was awesome.

Speaker 3 (46:53):
Because that was that's a like I never knew that.
I actually thought bed you played before, but you played
fullback that series as well.

Speaker 4 (46:59):
Yeah, that was our one, and then Beds he didn't
miss a beat after that. You get in two thousand
and two and away I've.

Speaker 3 (47:04):
Seen his the debut when he got the kickoff. That's
one of the great origin moment, some iconic.

Speaker 1 (47:11):
Yeah, accuse me to check. Just two thousand and one,
the night second premiership. How did it feel going from
being a young bloke who was just like, I can't
believe I'm here to suddenly bring someone who's on the
cusp of a senior player.

Speaker 2 (47:26):
Different.

Speaker 4 (47:27):
It was a different feel because I felt it was
three or four years of hard work and training and
you certainly felt I definitely felt more a part of
the team. So it's still as much enjoyment and you know,
it was still an amazing thing to be a part of,
but it was slightly different to the one being the
young kid just on the edge of it. But yeah,

(47:49):
it was just a brilliant, yeah, brilliant thing to be
a part of. You know, the first ever Night Grand Final.
We really we had the team in two thousand and
Maddie or know this, but we just just didn't quite
get there. We were winning aid En Neil against you know,
and we had like Butt's Maddie peat shields, someone else

(48:11):
leaving real senior players, and we felt two thousand was
our window to really do it and we just missed out.
So there was a bit of a rebuild year in
two thousand and one, but out of the blue we
sort of put it together at the right time.

Speaker 1 (48:24):
You had a player like in Joey who suddenly emerged
as the best player in the world by away, and yeah,
like Paramatta had broken all the attacking records that year.
They were red hot favorites. There's a famous story about
the Grand Final breakfast with you. Blokes were joking having
a good time because it is a luxury being an underdog,
and they were really tense, but particularly you said, you

(48:46):
basically start clowned around and were asking questions like you're
part of the press of Joey.

Speaker 4 (48:52):
Yeah, yeah, there's been since to us said over that.
But we had these big game players in like BK
and Joey had done it all before, so they were
our leaders, and we rubbed off on us and we
were having fun. And at the breakfast, we were we
were felling good. We were just enjoying the week. So
the media scrumbs there and they've got the players up

(49:12):
the front, and I think it was Haig's beds, Haig's
Billy and Joey. Billy was club captain, I think, and
Billy and Joey, so yeah, they're just getting questions fired
at him. So I snuck into the scrum and just
and fired a couple of questions to the amusement of
the boys. That were watching the back, but it was
just yeah, simply like because I think Buttsy was the

(49:33):
captain the year before, so I was like, oh, Michael
at the start of the year, a lot of conjecture
for captaincy, a lot of talk about Mark Hughes. You
ended up going with Andrew Johnts. Do you regret that decision?
Then he caught it under it was me and he

(49:53):
said no, I definitely don't regret that. He but it
was just fun. It was good fun and you know,
was just part of the week. And you know, like
I said, we had Ben Cannedy had Joey. They were
at the top of their games. Yep, Paramatta had a
great team, great team.

Speaker 3 (50:09):
Can I ask what was Haggs like as a coach?
I haven't heard too much about him as a coach.

Speaker 4 (50:13):
Yes, it was interesting. We had Mal who was inspiring
and a real leader. Then we had Warren Ryan came
in for a couple of years, more of the educator,
real footy brain. And then I felt Michael had a
bit of both where he's probably really nice sort of guy,
knew his footy, just a real nice bit different. So yeah,

(50:34):
that were the three coaches for me. Yes, they all
had their strengths. They all did really well. Warren was
particularly a very educational sort of coach.

Speaker 1 (50:45):
And that was important and that era for the nights
we had a lot of success because purely by accident,
each coach was different, Like each coach who superseded the
last was what the team needed at the time. So
he go back to David Waite. David Waite Wade, he
was a great educator, but we needed someone to teach
us how to give mental toughness and be men. Malcolm

(51:05):
really come in. So Malcolm, then it was time to
be topped up with.

Speaker 2 (51:10):
Alcohol.

Speaker 1 (51:10):
Now with education in comes Warren and then all of
a sudden, we need the intensity to drop a little bit,
you know, getting too much. And suddenly Hayes comes in
as a really affable sort of man management sort of guy.

Speaker 4 (51:24):
So I'll say, with Maddie and Joey, like the education
that they were given out the team, you know what
I mean, they ran a lot of stuff. So that
was a real awesome learning curve for all us outside
backs and that we were playing outside these guys and
it made a real difference.

Speaker 1 (51:41):
But you're talking about a lot of leaders in the side.
One of the untold stories about it. Jack was mileig
for a lot most of the preseason. We were doing
a lot of coaching ourselves. On two occasions during the
lead up to the competition started, Malcolm had to return
to England. His mum was very very and then I
think he's no more. Dad passed away, so he went

(52:04):
over a fair stint. We basically coast ourselves because Sharpie,
who is a reservery coach, got pinched by Paramatta. So
we're like, right, how are we going to play this?
And Malcolm mate was so without ego. He just goes
right out what he is doing. Yep, sounds good, comes back,
has look what we're doing, then has to go back
to England again. It didn't arrive back to about round

(52:25):
four and so it just shows you if you've got
soon your players and everybody is on board, just things
just happen.

Speaker 2 (52:34):
Such a luxury.

Speaker 3 (52:34):
You see it a lot now, just because you know,
because the game is so quick, you know, and everyone
a weird time in rugby league where a lot of
the older playmakers are about to move on or have
moved on. You can see where a lot of those
clubs get their edges, like when Reno went up to Brisbane.
You know how much he educated the rest of the team.
What an impact having you know, experienced playmakers. Hasn't the
rest of the squads like how much it can help?

Speaker 4 (52:56):
Watching to highlight the other day and it's against paramatter.
In ninety seven, Maddy and the left edges are doing
all these flicking and then we play the ball. Then
the half back, the dumm hour passes it to you.
You do a twenty or thirty meter left to right
to Joey. Then Joey does a thirty meter left to
right to me and I hit a hole and untouched

(53:16):
and scored and I thought, so the defense we were
over there, and then two quick passes and we're over
this side. You know the way we got shot. Yeah,
the shot shot and the way we spread the ball
would have been hard for sides. To a fan.

Speaker 1 (53:31):
Two thousand and one, when you win the Grand Final,
how different was it because ninety seven we come back
and it's it's you know, something like eight o'clock at
night and the whole city is still away, and that
you get back about one or two in the morning. Yeah,
was that feel strange?

Speaker 4 (53:47):
Well, not really, because we went to the stadium and
the stadium there must have been ten thousand there, five
to ten thousand, So we did a lap around the
ground and we're getting these massive rules. But it was
definitely a lot later. I do like the day game
format for that, but yeah, it was different because it
was a bit later. But I think Mad Mad Monday

(54:08):
just started a bit quicker. Yeah, what about so obviously
the ninety seven one that's become how that Mad Monday
has become legendary, Like we've got Lego, We've gotten on
Joey on the skateboard.

Speaker 2 (54:22):
Tripping Ken he can he kick Chase completely naked? That
I met Kenny at the Old Boy's Book.

Speaker 1 (54:27):
Kenny was like, it shows you, like how inclusive is
not the right word, you know. It's like just well,
like we a lot of scaley wags and everything, but
there was a real decency about the players. Like to
let people know Kenny. Kenny was a guy who grew
up with a lot of learning difficulties and suddenly he
was looking for something in his life and he couldn't

(54:49):
drive a car. As a result, he used to he
used to ride his pushbike from Windale into the city,
which I'll let people know is probably a twenty minute
twenty minute drive he'd ride and how he what did
we started to do? We didn't know who he was
Kenny Hamilton, but we when we do a training session,
we're practicing our kicking. He just come on the film
and start kicking the ball back. So he ended up

(55:11):
earning the nickname Kenny Kick Chase. So then he started
becoming our game day. So make Kenny, You're just part
of the see him come in. So we had a
pass and he come to the sheds and then we
go out to warm up and this would entertain the
whole crowd. Part of the warm up, he would stand
under the sticks and Joey just launched these massive torpedo bombs.

Speaker 2 (55:30):
And Kenny trying to catch him. Sometimes he would and
the crowd had just be going nuts.

Speaker 4 (55:35):
To catch him. And yeah, Kenny and grew his own
cult following. He think I'd see him signing the odd
jersey and he'd do everything like I mean, I'm in
the big power aide buckets. Yeah, yeah, I remember him
pouring the water and then putting the powder in and
couldn't find the stir.

Speaker 3 (55:56):
The first time I heard about Kenny was John Thomas Tomo,
So Tom, I would have been there when when you
were there. He's still there now, Tom, he still works.

Speaker 2 (56:05):
Do you do anything with the club?

Speaker 4 (56:06):
Yeah, game days, Maddie, I m C the corporate area,
which I enjoy just get in and have a chat
and set the scene and meet some great sponsors and
people say. I enjoy that side of things. Obviously very
close to Bedsie, so I keep in contact of everything
that's going on there. So yeah, I'm.

Speaker 1 (56:23):
Still part of it to all the games.

Speaker 4 (56:26):
Every home game. Enjoy that, watch that, watch the other ones.
I'm telling you.

Speaker 1 (56:30):
Who are the features? Because we've got the Old Boys Box?
Who are the regulars? And the Old Boys Box?

Speaker 4 (56:36):
Who are the regulars?

Speaker 2 (56:37):
Do they do shift? Now?

Speaker 4 (56:38):
We try and shift it around and try and share
it around and we get them there and so now
the Old Boys is it's it's it's a good strong group.
And I see that other clubs are doing a good
job with it now as well. I think it's important
to keep these X players together and give them some
purpose and it's great.

Speaker 3 (56:56):
Yeah, I need to ask you. I've been I've been
teetering on it. The house you and Bensie lived lived in,
can you tell me about the bar.

Speaker 2 (57:05):
The bar.

Speaker 4 (57:06):
So yeah, So Bensy was living on his own and
I said, let's just move in together. So one rainy
Tuesday afternoon we decided to move in. So we got
all the game. We're moving him across and we had
this cupboard that we couldn't get through the door, had
this like couldn't work out how to get it through,

(57:28):
and we were stuff. We just give up. We ran Krowey,
who was working at the club at the time as
an admin. Crow can you come? And we're just over
this and we can't sort it. So Crowley comes in,
loosens the tie, measures it all up, and it was
like magic. He somehow knew the angles and got us
through that door straight away. But then it sort of
clicked to me that sort of years of maneuver and

(57:50):
the years through corridor, yeah makes him the perfect removal ust.
So Crowley moved us in and yeah, so we had
a great partnership. But downstairs we constructed a bar and
we called it Whispers Whispers because we found everyone was
coming there all the time, but they weren't bringing their

(58:11):
own liquor, so no one was ever shouting.

Speaker 2 (58:14):
So very good.

Speaker 4 (58:15):
We used to call it whispers. I had a pool table,
had a jacuzzie. It was like a little clubhouse Inweather.
The boys all close.

Speaker 1 (58:24):
They said to me, excuse you said, mate, come over
all have a couple of beers and jump in the chacuzzi.
I turn up. I had one or two beers, but
I tear what the chacuzi like a laxa.

Speaker 2 (58:33):
I wasn't going to well.

Speaker 3 (58:37):
Joe text me his reckons they used to they called
you guys, called yourselves Bedsi, you and him the three Musketeers.
And he asked me to ask Yujo about the Darwin
trip you did. Was there a trip to Darwin?

Speaker 4 (58:48):
Yeah, we went to Darwin a few times, spreading the
rugby league gospel. So Joey, myself and Betsy and yeah,
I just had great time, just hot weather, having fun.
Betsy met Chris's. I've heard that in the nightclub. But
we had great time doing that. But we we beds
and I would drive Joey to train and a fair
buddy his lordship couldn't drive.

Speaker 1 (59:11):
Yeah, make him live and then he's the sort of bloke,
Joey that you'll be driving a training You've you've you've
driven that road a million times, but he's still sitting
in the team.

Speaker 2 (59:24):
Which way to go? Go left to you left? Yeah, mate,
telling the story right?

Speaker 1 (59:30):
Excuse the trial game And that went down to Notoriety
where he went and played a trial game and Joey
said to Beds, don't worry, you don't have to play.

Speaker 4 (59:39):
I was, I was. I wasn't there for that one.
But that was in Brisbane, sorry, in Darwin as well,
and they had they had a trial and they weren't playing.
So I think they had a two day long then drinks.

Speaker 2 (59:52):
And of course talking about benders.

Speaker 1 (59:54):
Your wedding, who could forget about that?

Speaker 4 (59:59):
So the boys the night before, the boys got a
bit excited. My wedding party was my brother mate Maka
and Bedsie and Joey and yeah, we were having fun.
And I went to bed and the boys just stayed
in the house and drank a bit longer than probably
most groomed. It has a fun day. It's became a

(01:00:20):
bit of a legendary.

Speaker 1 (01:00:23):
Shoes you read me and goes mate, you've got a suit.
I haven't, but I can get one, He goes mate.
Because these two blokes, he goes, I don't know if
they're going to be able to.

Speaker 5 (01:00:31):
Make it and make the anticipation because we knew Joey
could sort of hold himself together. But mate Bensy completely
loses his ship and everyone's waiting at the church and
everyone knows it's gone around anyway. The car turns up
and going, oh, here we go, poor old Beds mate.
He dragged to the altar, Paul.

Speaker 4 (01:00:51):
Normally it should be the bride. Everyone's looking at putting this. Yeah,
but yeah, just just fun times and Joey, you know,
he's done. He's always done anything for me, you know,
and very grateful for the friendship. And yeah, we lived close,
so we had lots of amazing times, lots of fun,

(01:01:12):
but also had lots of success.

Speaker 3 (01:01:14):
And it was just because it's a very unique thing
in Newcastle, like people don't people at other clubs don't
realize it untill they actually come to Newcastle. A lot
of chat with Tyson Gamble about this when he first
come to the club. But everyone lives within even if
you're a little while away, it's within fifteen minutes of
training generally, so everyone lives so close together you always
around each other. You don't see that as much as

(01:01:35):
at other clubs. Maybe clubs that are similar, like Cowboys
up in towns will possibly. It's a very unique thing
to have at a football club in the NRL.

Speaker 4 (01:01:45):
Yeah, very unique. And I you know, I think if
you go to another club you experience other you realize
how good that environment was and is. And that was
a yeah, it was a great time.

Speaker 1 (01:01:56):
Jab Now the stories that were thrown him before we
bid our dear friend for.

Speaker 3 (01:02:00):
Will actually a little quiz prepared for you, just three questions.
And I didn't want to. I was going to do
a game where rattle off your list of teammates. But
you're too good a bloke. I know you don't want
to put.

Speaker 4 (01:02:10):
On that game was coming.

Speaker 3 (01:02:11):
Yeah, No I'm not.

Speaker 4 (01:02:12):
I was picturing I won't to do a better teammate
Maddie or Joie or is that the game?

Speaker 3 (01:02:17):
I know how much I know how much you love
your team. I'm not going to do that to you.
But I got only I only finished on the second question.
This is for a funny reason. Actually, Game two in Sydney,
the Blues return Serve twenty six eighteen, You guys won
from a seventy thousand You're playing fullback who was the
debutante that game for New South Wales. For New South Wales. Yeah,
so your your forward power in the forwards. Yes, it

(01:02:38):
was Ogre. Now to fact check this, I actually text
Ogre and just to check it. He goes, Yep, that
is correct. I think I've still got the most meters recorded.
He proceeded to send me a photo of him celebrating
someone's try and then sent me the stats from two
thousand and one.

Speaker 2 (01:02:56):
He's all time Ogre, He's all time.

Speaker 4 (01:02:58):
From memory with had a massive night. We're having a
massive night and the paper was in the pub and
it was a big article on Ogre. Bean off the drink.

Speaker 2 (01:03:11):
Those ones we always goes off the drink hue. Where
can people get the beanies?

Speaker 4 (01:03:19):
Yeah? So best place is lows right across Australia selected
I g a selected woolworst or online or most of all,
come to the games over across the bean around and
grab your beanies. Get on the Marquis Foundation website. We'd
love your support.

Speaker 3 (01:03:33):
That's at Mark Yu's foundation, dot com, dodau.

Speaker 1 (01:03:36):
And the business the gym. If people are heading up
to Newcastle, yeap.

Speaker 4 (01:03:39):
So I've got air locker guitar if you want to
come in and do an air locker session.

Speaker 3 (01:03:43):
Yeah, we've done a few. It's a it's great training,
really good training, especially if you're going to go on
something like a trek as well.

Speaker 4 (01:03:48):
Cooper came in the other weekend.

Speaker 2 (01:03:49):
I heard. I heard it.

Speaker 1 (01:03:50):
He wasn't as good as the older bloke. I heard
he disgraced himself.

Speaker 4 (01:03:54):
Yeah, I think you got a bit sick.

Speaker 2 (01:03:58):
Isn't funny? It run in there going? Oh I made
here we go.

Speaker 1 (01:04:01):
We've got an X bloke recently retired in our role
player and he's the one vomiting.

Speaker 4 (01:04:05):
Here's the vomiting and the other thing I'm doing, Maddie.
I'm doing corporate speaking and stuff for corporate so people
out there want to hear my story. I'd love to
do that. It's something that I am passionate about.

Speaker 2 (01:04:15):
I've heard so heard you give a couple of those talks.
It's fantastic.

Speaker 3 (01:04:19):
Yeah, unreal, all right, thank you very much, Usy.

Speaker 4 (01:04:22):
This has been a pleasure. Here's mate, Thank you Jack, Maddie.

Speaker 2 (01:04:25):
Here's he always great to say.

Speaker 4 (01:04:26):
Thanks for everything, Mate, I really appreciate it. On your comrade,
thank you.

Speaker 3 (01:04:30):
Thanks com

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#56 | Mark Hughes

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