June 29, 2025 • 46 mins
The boys catch up with Roosters gun & NSW Blue Connor Watson to relive wild stories from their past, his rise through the NRL, and the moment he got the Origin call-up. With Game 3 around the corner, Connor gives a raw look into Blues camp life and what’s coming next.
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0:00-Back to Club Footy
1:30-Madge
4:40-Laurie
7:00-Craig Bellamy
10:45-Spencer
14:30-Back Fence Bruiser
17:30-Game 3 Origin
19:00-Nathan Cleary
21:00-Payne Haas
23:30-Golf/Surf
25:30-Mitchell Pearce
29:00-257 House
31:00-257 Collective
35:00-Entrepreneur
40:00-Teeth & Other things
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Kind of We'll talk about the decider on a second
in this series, But how did you feel going back
to club football? Like that's one of the most satisfying things.
You know, you've succeeded at origin level. Then you go
back and the pace of NURL has flat out, but
it actually feels like it's slow motion that game and
you go back to it's such a big difference.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yeah. Well, actually, so going back after game two I
felt sweet. It was going back after game three I
actually found it really hard to be honest, because I
just had this like big emotional high and then we
played on Saturday night against the Storm down in Melbourne
and it was probably the worst game of footy ART
played last year, was that Saturday night against Melbourne and
(00:41):
it was just like, yeah, all of these emotions and everything.
I just felt really flat in that game against the Storm,
and yeah, really sort of for it. Just it was hard.
It was just really hard that come to motivate yourself, right, yeah,
just like not motivate yourself because you're coming up against
the Storm, so you know, and like we hadn't won
against the Storm for a long time. But I remember
(01:04):
speaking to like Spencer and stuff about it and it
was like that was probably the hardest game of first
grade we'd played all year, just because one they're a
tough opponent, but you've just had this mental high and
then three days later you're trying to get yourself up
for a game again, and it was pretty tough.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
I reckon, that is I reckon, that's the worst place
of time. Three days. Yeah, Like we've played games or
test matches and had to play the next day, and
playing the next days a piece of pierce because you
still buzzn't stille, you know, and you don't think you
just get it there and play. But you know, they
tell me that by the third day, when you're really
your sorenesses just starting to peak and you do have
(01:37):
no adrenaline left, that's that's really tough.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Yeah, And I yeah, because we just did a four
day one going into the Cowboys on Sunday, and four
days was like really good because, like you said, day three,
but you've had you've been able to just rest and
completely shut your mind off, like you know, you get
a sort of the full day off, and then now
it's focused on the Cowboys, where that three days is
(02:02):
kind of like you know, you travel on the Thursday,
and then Friday you're doing Captains Run and then Saturday
you're going to go again. You haven't had that time
to like just have a break, just to mentally.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
And keep in mind you've just won an original series
and you're up in it was up at Suncourt last year,
and he's wrong the beat like you're celebrated.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yeah, we had a big, pretty big night after as well,
So there's all of that that stuff that you're dealing with.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Did you find match enjoy his coaching?
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah, I loved. I loved working under Matche. I thought
he was awesome. Yeah, He's just the way he brought
us together I thought was pretty cool because you've only
got ten days to really, you know, have like a
deep connection with these guys because the game is so hard,
as you know, and like you know, there's going to
be times where you need to look at the bloat
(02:48):
next to you and want to really turn up for him.
So he did such a good job of that. But
then also I think the way he incorporated the old boys. Yeah,
and I don't know like if you can speak on that, mate,
but I know some some of the other old boys
have and just said, like I haven't really felt the
way he sort of went back to that and incorporated
the old boys, and you know, we had the big
theme around Turvy and like a big focus on him
(03:10):
what he did for the Blues, and yeah, brought got
to bring him in and just we had like going
into the decider, you know, we had this sort of
dinner where like they brought I don't know, I was
twenty or thirty of the old boys in Peter Winn
like all of these sort of Yeah, I've had beers
with all of them, and it was just like really
good to have that connection with the past and then
(03:32):
also you know, being made aware of what opportunity we
have to go up to some to create some of
our own history.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
He's yeah, gone into that first series match, carried a
blue jersey wherever he went, and when he come across
you know, an old player, he just grabbed He grabbed
you and say you know what this means? You know
what is this moon? And what does his jersey make?
Like he did to me And I said, I and
you know, like I support the Blues all the way,
but it's funny, I'm probably more passionate, which might sound
(04:02):
about Newcastle. That makes sense. Yeah, because I've been through
a lot more so I said to Madge, Mate, I said,
I support the Blues, and Madge, I'll support you the
whole way, like I'll support all the players, and like
I'll support Laurie in this one. But I said, you know,
I'm not going to be that guy to go right,
this is what it is to be your Blue because
I got to put my hand in my heart and say,
(04:23):
I'm not that guy. I'm not that passionate. I'm not
as passionate as what Madge was looking for. Yeah, you
know that's and that's just being honest, you know, but
that's not take anything away from my enthusiasm for the team.
But for me, I don't up there sort of beat
my chest saying, mate, let me take you back to
game three. What about the difference between Lourie and Madge.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, I think there's been a lot of similarities. Have
pretty much kept everything the same from like a preparation standpoint,
so where camp is all the staff except Dean Young's
come on board because Cardi went over to coach at
whole Yeah, and then loss as well, so like all
the staff, so it's very similar. Yeah, But the I
(05:11):
think you know, Loss being an ex player and being
one of New South Wales's greatest ever players, you can
see how passionate it is for the Jersey. There's obviously
a difference in that, a bit of personality, you know. Yeah,
Madge is very intense, where Loss is pretty chill. But
when we're training, Loss is very Yeah, there's times there
where you come in and it's sort of you don't
(05:32):
really expect him to drive you as hard as he has.
But yeah, it's been good to see him have I
guess that balance and he probably learned a lot from
his first experience as doing it and he's coming with
a bit of a different mindset now.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
We had him here on backstage and when we did
the interview, I went afterwards, I thought, it's the old Lorrie,
back when Lorrie took the job the first time. I'm
not saying he said, but you could see he was.
I say this, put it this way. When Laurie was
a young player coming through, he was a fucking like
(06:06):
up on his arm on the charismatic, confident, aggressive, fucking
Laurie daily and in retirement, like most people do, they
lose that. And I didn't think he had the first series.
But interviewing here, I thought, fucking the old Lorry back
because Connor made I'm telling you he was unbelievable. And
I've said this a couple of times, just you know,
(06:28):
to reaffirm the guy who's coaching you. In the ninety
four series I wasn't a part of, but Paul Harrigan,
our captain Newcastle was. They played an epic game against
Coinsland and New South Wales pipped him, piped him late.
Lorrie scored and after the after the game, I said
(06:49):
to Chief the next day, I said, mate, that was tough.
I thought you were gone. What do you think he
has no and you were going to win? I said,
how did you How do you know you're going to win?
He said because we had Lorry Daily.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
I mean, like that's that's has a presence with him, right.
What about Craig Bellamy? Has that been your first interaction
with belly ate this Origin series?
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yeah, well actually last Origin series last year because when
we played Game two down in Melbourne, mag had brought
was a couple others down to speak to us. Yeah,
like two days before the game and have dinner with
us and stuff.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
They did.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
They still do it like we did it this year.
They get a couple of old boys and usually they're
like sort of interviewing and just so we did the
same thing again this year, but Craig was there. And
Craig's actually so he's from near Lithgo, Portland, Yeah, where
my pop is from. And so Craig used to play
(07:47):
in the same club as my pop's brother. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So mum sort of spoke to Craig and was like,
do you remember Gary Yeah, and he's like, yeah, yeah, yeah,
I do, and then say I sort of had a
good chat with him last year about all that. And
I can remember Craig speaking last year about Origin and
what the experience was like coaching and sort of like,
(08:09):
you know, you know, some things that he wish you
could sort of take back from that time. And then
for him that like when they said Loss was coaching
and then that he was going to come on board
as the advisor, I thought, how cool is that because
he sort of like spoke about, you know, he'd love
to sort of have that opportunity again. And he's been
able to do that this year. Obviously in a different capacity.
He's like not really coaching, he's more sort of i'd
(08:31):
say help like helping lot like laws, but he still
spoke like he's delivered some stuff in meetings and spoke
to us and he just has this aura around him
that's crazy, Like you trained under him for a very
long time and yeah, and for someone who's done so
much in the game, you just have so much respect
for him. So it's just been cool to connect with
(08:51):
a guy like that.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
I ask you just you touched on the dynamic, the
dynamic there between Los, the assistance and then belly Ach,
who's sort of that outline that looks over the top
if you think, what's his involvement at training, Yeah, what's
his involvement like at halftime before his runout, that's the
dynamic Craig Craig. Yeah, so.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
With all sort of like the halftime game stuff like
that's all sort of like loss thing. Ye, Craig like
has sort of done some stuff in meetings where he's
like delivered different things for us, and then you know
after the game like he was sort of loss was
like Craig, I want Craig to sort of say a
few words about it. So he did as well. But
(09:35):
I'd say, like it's mostly Los, like he's sort of
leading it, and then you know Craig has just come
in and added like bits and pieces when Losses felt
like he's wanted him to sort of add at his
point of view.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
So you win game one, so that that game too,
where you know, lots of people made the penalty count,
but the main thing was disciplined. You the really is
down would have been disappointed. How was Craig because if
that was if you blokes with the Melbourne Storm, he
would have gone in the sheds and gone you blokes
a fucking kid and gave it to What was he
(10:08):
like in the sheds after game two?
Speaker 2 (10:09):
No, not like that, not like that, Like he did
speak to us just about you know, yeah, sort of
the discipline stuff, but also like sticking together and staying
rock solid, which was like sort of Loss's main point
was like, you know, we were so ill disciplined, we
made so many errors, but at the end, like you know,
we put ourselves in a position to win this game.
(10:31):
So let's take a lot of confidence out of that
because that second half was good, but we need to
be better in these sort of departments. And Craig just
spoke about that, like yeah, just not giving them a
chance not giving them a sniff because we did that
in the first half and we let them play the
football that they want to play.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Okay, nessie on to ask you. You're sitting sitting on
the bench for game one yea and Spenceerlan who gets
the call or just before he gets the call and
we know he's on the field. It's just unbelievable where
he's just reving the crowd up. Then he gives kicked
to me and they don't how was he? What's it
like sitting on the bench with the bench with Spencer.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
I love playing with Spencer, honestly, I just because I
remember when he signed he'd signed to go to the
Roosters and then do you remember the stink you know
he had with Jared on the field. Yeah, and then
like he's trying to fight jar but he's already signed
up the Roosters and then he's coming off and he's
spraying the fans. I was like, this guy's a mania.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
He's got some big yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
But the thing is like you're like when you're with
him every day and I don't know if you've come
across him coople matey, but he's like such a very
like chill guy, pretty quiet, like unless you sort of
know him, but very just doesn't. And even when he trains,
it's not like he trains with this intensity where he
wants to kill people. But it's as soon as he
becomes the player in on the game day, it's like
(11:59):
he just has this switch and he just flicks it
and he just becomes this yeah. Because even playing with
him last year, you know, like he's going back for
the kickoff, he's like telling the crowd to pump up
take the kick off, and just comes steams into him.
And then I remember the game one and there was
like a video of it that come out where so
we've done the anthem and everything like that, and then
(12:21):
I've gone, like three of us have gone to sit
down and three on the bench, and Spencer's like, come on,
let's go, let's go for a run. And then so
he just I'm like right, and then he just like
starts running because he was the most hated man in Queens.
Then he just starts giving it to the crowd and
they're like giving it back to and I'm behind him.
It was Stratch and then Stretcher just cracking up, like
(12:43):
look at this guy. He loves it.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
It's good. It's so good.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Imagine like you as a bench, so good for the emotion,
Like you guys are sitting there getting pumped up, because
it can be quite yeah, it can be quite melancholy
on the bench. You're waiting, you're kind of getting cold.
Sometimes you're a bloke on there who is just ripping
it the skin waiting to get on. It must be
good for the energy, right, yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
It is. And it's just good to play with a
guy like that because you know, I remember versuing him
at Penrith and he's honestly the hardest play to tackle.
I just remember he'd come off the bench. She's probably
a bit more unknown then, like early days in Penrith
and just thinking, this guy's the hardest dude I've ever
had to tackle, Like he was only a few games in.
So to play with a guy like that who brings
that energy every week, like, it's awesome to have a
(13:24):
dude like that in your team because you know, as
a player, it just it's a bit of a throwback
to what players used to be like and how they
would approach games. You know, a lot of guys go
into games a bit more calm now, like, but this
dude just brings so much energy and like makes you
just want to go out there and get really full.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
It seems like him and Jerome they and even blowslik
because he's even like both like to real mate, they
really kind of like they they love it, like they
whether you get bad attention or good. We talk a
lot about, like you know, getting hate on social media,
and that those three boys like they've got it right
like inside their head. How they their perspective on it
is they actually use it for motiva, like they channel
(14:03):
off it and they thrive off it. Not saying that
they probably love reading that ship all the time, but
they actually they like being the villain.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Imagine one of those cock kids who'll be trolling Spencer.
Spencer comes across one.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
That'd be scary.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
He's going to good.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
He's got a good YouTube. Actually, Spencer, I.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Think it's just Spencer len you's been popping off. He's
got like in two weeks or in a month, he's
got a few subscribers that yeah, he's got over twenty
thousand subs and like his videos have been doing one hundred.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
To shout out to him, what we should do, We'll
get him on the We'll get him on the potty
here if you're out there, Spence, do that because the
other mind I want to come across Spencer. I think
Spencer could learn a thing or two about your man
back fence. Bruiser. Let's let's put it on the podcast
(14:59):
and show it for the for the visual. I mean,
who does it better or Bruiser? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Can we get a side by side carry and a
Bruiser carry. I'll tell you what that'd be a run
out straight from the ages.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
You know, probably like uh not last New Year's the
year before we stayed just got like an airbnb at Avalon. Yeah, yeah,
and there was a few of us there, just some
of my mates from home and then Gussie was staying
up that way with his family. They were staying at
Avalon as well. And we went for a beer at
the Newport and so Semi Verels is there, like Billy
(15:36):
all that crew and Bruises was there that night. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
You know what's fine when I put that video for
Bruiser right because Bruiser was loving How good is this
the amount of like footy lads who specially the ones
that have been up at the Newport Because Bruises just
fighting around there, stuck to the floor and Gussie. Gussie
rang Viyls and he said, just put a video of
that Bruiser because of family. He was just running the
(16:04):
whole afternoon.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Yeah, he was. He was just and you know what,
So he's like, let's get a drink. Let's get a drink.
So Gussie gets me, him and Bruiser around. He just
kept kept coming at us. It's like, let's go, let's
get a drink, sweet mate. And then it got to
his term, like Bruises, get us a drink and he's like, oh,
I'm not shout and I've got no money my sponsoring.
(16:27):
Is he famous? Now? What?
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Verels so Verrel's last week they played against the Eels,
the Titans versus Earls. Bruises went out to the game.
Verels said at the end of the game, he went
over and seeing his brother and Bruiser and kids were
getting pictures with Bruiser at Combank Stadium. And apparently even
like even Chris Randall and Mo Fodder wake Up were
(16:50):
walking around seeing their family and they looked over and
they is that Bruiser. If you haven't I haven't seen
the video on my Instagram.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
Have a look.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
I love the deep breath. The deep breath was the
best part.
Speaker 4 (17:06):
My evorite part is the fact that even it actually
like disillusioned me. Like I was going on the weekend
last week, He's coming off the bench. They put the
demoted into the and I'm going, why would they do that?
What idiot's coaching? Then I just thought to myself, all
I've seen is is a carricter. I didn't even watch
the rest of the seven mistakes before.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
And the carryall he actually wants to come on the
body said, coming into Game three decider at Sydney, big occasion,
it's been a big build up. What what did you
learn from game two when when you guys have sort
of looked you suppose you haven't reviewed too much of it,
(17:47):
you haven't got you going to camp this week? How
do you say it?
Speaker 2 (17:50):
I just think, you know, like we just got to
be disciplined. Yeah, not give them, Not give them a
chance because we saw in that second half from when
we got into the sort of more of the live
boar style of footy. You know, we were able to
come up with with a lot of points there and
almost win the game. But as disappointing as it is
to lose there, like we would have loved to wrapped
(18:11):
up the series. And I think there was like a
chance for us to be maybe the fourth or fifth
team to win yeah four and four and four games
in a row and like an Origin series, and you know,
we sort of missed that opportunity, which is disappointing. But
there's a big chance, like big chance for us to
go back to back and then to be able to
actually do it in New South Wales in front of
all of our home fans and to have a lot
(18:32):
of mates and family and all that stuff there, Like
it's pretty exciting. So I think just the biggest thing
for us is, you know, take the lessons out of
that game, you know, be hungry because we did lose it,
like we needed to go in there and from the
start be a better team, but also to be really
excited about this opportunity to go to a corps and
(18:54):
essentially win a decider in front of all our friends
and family, Like it's pretty.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
Eppy kind of just questioning the games. In that last
training session when Nathan he's practicing his kicking and just
tweaks his cooling a little bit, did that like going
into the game such an important player in so many aspects,
the fact that you know he wasn't one hundred percent fit.
Did that did have any impact on the group before
the game? You think?
Speaker 2 (19:17):
I'm not sure mat he maybe subconsciously, Yeah, we sort
of spoke about it and come up with a plan.
You know, around our yard is kicking and all that
sort of stuff. But it's yeah, it's hard to sort
of because nath you know, one of the best parts
of his game is his kicking game, and then you
go and lose that. So yeah, probably sub subconsciously, like
(19:38):
we probably would have said that, like no, but maybe
maybe subconsciously. But it's just hopefully he's I think he's
playing this weekend for it's.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Down to play yet yeah, Thursday night.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
What's he like?
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Okay, how does he talk? How does he organize?
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Yeah? He's good man. He's so detailed with everything. Like
it's been one of the cool things to be part
of this Origin team is just to come in and
see how other guys work. And I just remember from
like my first camp the way just because yeah, you
can take so much out of different people's way they
approach games, and you know, like all that whole Penrith crew,
the way that they're all Americans and they all just
(20:16):
take the piss the whole time. But then as soon
as they train, it's like yeah, like yeah, they just
high expectations, you know now everything. Yeah, once we train,
we train hard and we're focused, and as soon as
we're off it, it's just back to take and everything
against some Sydney boys. Yeah yeah, and then like this camp.
I didn't get to play with Nath last year, but
(20:36):
playing with him and just seeing yeah, how he approaches
brings his book to everything. Yeah, yeah, like you notice
those sort of little details. Yeah, very I say, like
on the flight, you can see he's like watching video,
watching train and like all that sort of stuff. So
just even yeah, the the way he sort of approaches
the game and the focus with all of that. But yeah,
(21:00):
he's still has a good time as well, and you
know he's great, like, yeah, I got to have some
good guards with him and takes certainly some stuff.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
Out of there's full time professionals and there's full time professionals.
He's okay, pain has pain.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Yeah, he'sh just like a genetic free k. It's unbelievable,
just the way that guy can play and just play
big minutes and like he's done it from the start.
Remember like watching his early Broncos games and they'd be
like six sixty eighth minute and there's a linebreak and
the bloke who saves the try his pain and he's
(21:35):
been playing.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
And he's eighteen at the age like he's been Yeah,
you're right, he's been playing big minutes since he basically
come into first grade.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
But kind of what okay, well, like we see that
in the field, like he's amazing, tell me about like pain,
like the man like hearing talk and he's just classy,
he's so articulate. What's he like in the around camp
away from the football.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
Yeah, like he's like everyone else. You know, he's someone
who likes to enjoy himself and have fun and take
the pierce and then but yeah, once he trains, he's
locked in as well. So I think watching him last
year was like, you know, he's doing fitness pretty much
every training session by it like sort of like the
training session will finish, he goes and does like a
(22:17):
block of fitness. Yeah, so there's a reason why he
can play such big minutes and the work that he does,
and you know he's been a little bit hampered, like
had the quad, didn't barely train, so he didn't get
to do any of that stuff. Last time goes and
does our D two or our big session and then
plays man of the match, absolutely kills it, like yeah, he's.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
Just doesn't that just show you what a lesson for
younger players in the fact that yes, he's genetic freak,
he doesn't rely on that tops it up with like
hard work. Back to the Blue Mountains Connor for you blokes, Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
I think so, Maddie. I think the camp will be
the exact same. But it's been cool to go out there.
I never did an Origin camp when the guys had
a couldie, but they just said, you know you sort
of everywhere you go, Yeah, it's just because it's busy.
Plays could beautiful place, but a busy place, and everywhere
you go it's sort of people cameras following you, but
up there with sort of state this beautiful resorts on
(23:14):
a golf course, like there's not a whole heap to do,
so you just pretty much hang with the boys the
whole time. There's a crew that plays golf.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
Do you play golf.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Short, couldn't find clubs big enough.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
That's tough. That's a low blow.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
Yeah, the kids goals he plays part. I've seen Latrella.
Latrell looks like he's a good golfer.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
He's so good. See. I used to play when when
I was at the Rouster is the first time. I
mean Latroll used to play all the time, like heaps
every every day off. But then as I moved up
to Newcastle, I sort of stopped, which is weird because
they all say, like, Kaitlin is such a good golfer,
and we play a couple of times, but every time
I played with him and we played Ambrose, he always
let me down.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
So I really care, yeah, because everyone says he could
have gone pros.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
But I think he is good. He just never play
good when it was with me.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
He's not a team man.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Yeah. And then and then when I went to Newcastle,
I probably got more back into my surfing, to be honest,
being around the beaches and a lot of the local
guys that I become tight with up there were all
really good surface. So go surfing a bit more.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Did you surf out there with Jack o' baker at all?
Speaker 2 (24:20):
A little bit Yeah, Jackoe Baker, Louis Dan, those sort
of guys used to see like Craig Anderson up there,
and that was pretty cool because as a kid, he's
like the best surf for everything, your best style you've
ever seen? Did you ever surf?
Speaker 3 (24:30):
Because you're good mates with text text hoy Yeah you
surf with Hoyo.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
No. I don't think I ever surf with hoy but
he shaped me a surfboard.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
I did.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
He Yeah, so I've got this surfboard my arm. Jackson
Starling's actually got it because I was just sitting in
my garage and BONDI I just gathering dust and me
and Jacko were down there one day and He's like,
can I take this? I'm like, yeah, bro, just take
it and surfer for as long as you are because
it's this beautiful single thing. And Jacko Reckons would goes
so good. He loves it.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
That's unbelievable because Hoyo hoyo. I remember soon he was
sponsored by Pacific Dreams. Roy and Jan Leakes great people.
Trish Ashley was her first shop. She used to work
with them, and Roy used to always say, hoo, come
on and I'll give you a job. You know, come
on your shape anyway, who said to me, yea, I
(25:15):
picked up and taken up the job at Suvy Dreams.
Fantastic mate. Yeah great, you only go in. I go
in like Friday lunchtime and then worked till like five
in the other what one day a week. Yeah, I
just sort of get there for the for the end
of week drinks. So he must have. It must have
been over the course of about a few months that
he shaped your Yeah, maybe a.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Character A.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Talk about quirky cats.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
Yeah, that is the man.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
There are some quirky blokes up in you tell us
about some of it, none more quirky than you just
spoke about Kaitlin. But another bloke who he was one
of your former teammates. He went to the Knights the
exact same year from the Roosters with you, mitchells Now
you go up to Newcastle with possibly two of the
biggest space cannects in the NL. You've got k there
(26:02):
and you've got Mitchell. What was the dynamic?
Speaker 2 (26:05):
Like, oh, it was the best playing with you. I
It's funny because the other day, like some popped up
on my YouTube just it was like an old highlights
video from back in twenty seventeen and I clicked on
it to watch it made like five errors on there, probably,
but just watching Junior Plague and I forgot how good
(26:25):
he was, and like I forgot how good it was
to play with a guy like that, and just every
and then for some reason, like now, because I clicked
on it and watched the whole thing through, it keeps
bringing up twenty seventeen highlights and I was just like
watching Junior and he just takes the game on the
whole time, Like playing with a guy like that. I
looked up to him so much. And then I remember
I played SG Bore for the Roosters and I was
(26:46):
still in high school and at the time, Dan Roach Blockers,
one of Blocker's sons, was our assistant coach at school.
And then, like such a legend, ended up living with
him for a little bit after school. He stayed, could
you with me? And he's like, gave me Junior's number,
and he's like, just give Junior ing And I was
like in high school and yeah, I was like, how
good is this?
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Calling?
Speaker 2 (27:07):
Like Mitchell Pierce, He's talking to me like giving me
all this advice and everything. And then I was lucky
enough to play a fair chunk of football with him
and took me under his wings straight away, And I
just learned so much about just like competing on everything
from that guy, because that's all like that's what he did.
He just and the way he defended for a half
(27:27):
as well, like he's so tough, throw his body in
and then yeah, just some funny stories from him away
from footage. Just if he we've heard him speak about footy,
it's like one of the smartest football brands you've ever
heard heard. But when you have some.
Speaker 3 (27:44):
Of the other stuff, like you have a conversation with
about anything outside, it's just like talking about Toddy.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
Can't there the podcast they do it is really really good,
Like a lot of football is what he's done. He's found,
like all the information that's in his brain, all that
intelligence is for football intelligence. He's actually found the vocabulary
to get it crossing, which happens like you do a
great you're doing a great job in the media than
you and the more you do it, like the more
you actually start to be able to articulate what you know.
(28:14):
And you can hear that with Junior too. He and
Toddy like two of the biggest scaley wags. And when
you say, oh, these two blakes have got a podcast
him Toddy Carney, people go, oh my god, what's this?
But it is a really good podcast.
Speaker 3 (28:26):
Yeah, yeah, they're very good. And what about we when
we had Tailor on the potty last year, we are
come up. Do you remember the you guys should you
two lived in a house together and the crew up
in Nui? Obviously Jack was up there, My beautiful brother
Tommy Starling was up there. Curtis dark who we talked
about Darki a lot on this podcast. Never played first
grade guy, but he's one of the great characters in
(28:47):
rugby League.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:48):
Of course text was up there, text Hoy as well.
But you guys created do you remember the rap video?
Speaker 2 (28:53):
You guys created your message the other day about that Jack?
Didn't you trying to find it? Oh my god? Created
like a music We just used to just because like
I lived with Kaitlin and then Jack was up there
sort of living with Darkie and Starlow and another house
like five hundred yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Shout out half a masturbation.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
So like they lived together and then TEXTI was still
at home. But and then there was Coaks as well
coach May Crags and honest yeah, one of the one
of the great men. Honestly, he's the best ever. And
so it was like my house was a halfway house.
Just yeah on on the weekend and just be bloke
staying on the lounge and just like all the time,
we just jesus, we just did some dumb stuff up there,
(29:43):
like just making rap videos. Like I don't know how
it even come up. We've just been hanging around the
house for ages. Like right o, boys, I don't know why.
You've got thirty minutes you got to write a rap
verse and we're going to do a rap We are
like dressed une. We've got to do it so bad.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
It's got like a fifteen second snippet of it is
a dark It was KP's verse going into dark. It
is so bad.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
It's so bad.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
What are we talking? Like gangster rap? Who's who's the twin?
And were talking nw alas.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Yeah, And I think because he listen to a lot
of rap, he kind of like really is getting into it.
Like Caylin thought his verse was really good, but it
wasn't good.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
I heard one the other day, mate, Did you know
that our actor Tom Hardy from Mobley. You watch Mobley,
Tom Hardy had a rap album out when he was
like nineteen. It's not bad either, It's not too bad.
So there is a future there. Boys, Jack got something.
Speaker 4 (30:48):
I don't want to dive too much into the oh
I do, but I don't want to die to the
two five seven stuff.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
But I just want to touch on. We don't need
to allude to who it was.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
But my favorite story out of your two five to
seven podcast is a podcast that never went to air
from a Newcastle local legend. Now we're not going to
lose who it was, but I remember going grocery shopping
one afternoon.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
We had a group chat that.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
Was going off for about half an hour until I realized,
just like I was not there, but all three of
you were in the same room and you're in the
middle of this podcast that never went to an end
to it.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
Can you clarify whatever happened to that podcast?
Speaker 2 (31:28):
I actually don't know. I actually don't know it went
for It was honestly a Joe Rogan esque episode. It
went for that long, it was like four or five hours.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
I've heard yeah, and you.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
Guys, so you guys texting each other during going we
can't air this, or.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
Now we're just going like because we're trying to get
to the point, like the and there's just like story
after story after story. But I ended up being four
hours of stories. And then I remember I was like,
Jesus is going to be a big editing job, and
that was my responsibility. And I don't know if I
ever got to the edit, but then I must have
lost that app top all that podcast and like just
(32:02):
I don't I.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
Don't know where it is Lowe Beach. Yeah, when you're
when you're surfing on Jio's board.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
You went out with the US, but you just threw
what what what sort of stuff are we talking about?
Speaker 4 (32:14):
Why wouldn't it I want to say why, But all
I want to say is that it would not have
suited their demograph.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
Yeah, that way the topics they were discussing.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
Yeah, you know, you had good intentions of why you're
trying to go there, but I just.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
Never it never got to the point of why we
why we were doing the podcast.
Speaker 4 (32:30):
Croaks gave me a stupid of it, and I'll tell
you a minute of it would not have gone down.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
Very well with your two five seven demographs. No, I
wouldn't just.
Speaker 3 (32:37):
Given peg giving a little bit, giving a little.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
Bit pegging it was. It was interesting, but I remember
just sitting there, We're just cracking out the whole time
and just texting each other.
Speaker 1 (32:46):
That's coaches. Yeah, he loves hanging laundry and why.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
So two five seven it was you, Matt Croker and
Kaylen Ponger. You had Jack on there a couple of times.
I come on once as well. Was right at the
end before you signed to the Roosters and you guys
kind of discontinued it. How was it up there doing
a potty because it was one of the first sort
of league ones of current players actually doing podcasts, and
(33:14):
I imagine would have been pretty tough for you guys
in Newcastle after a tough loss to actually put yourselves
out there until a podcast.
Speaker 2 (33:22):
Yeah, definitely, that's the hard The hard part about it,
I reckon is like trying to separate yourself from the
footy player and then like doing the podcast every week
because after a loss you'd just be that down and
you're like you don't want to come across like you
don't care about the loss.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
Yeah, which is like a bit which was a.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
Big one but we just sort of thought, like, you know,
we've got a life away from football. My whole life
isn't me trained, Like I don't think about Regular League
twenty four to seven, you know when I do. Obviously
it's my main priority and it's my main focus. But
we also had had a life away from it, and luck,
to be honest, doing that podcast was some of the
funnest times ever. We had a ball doing it.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Yeah, it's good, like when you're playing out diff topic one,
we can do that. How shit the coach is?
Speaker 3 (34:08):
Did you always find a lot because Croaks? I remember,
like because me and me and Harry Grant used to
watch it as well, and Jack would obviously he'd give
us quite a funny insight because Croaks Coax would get
filthy because he'd do most of them pretty well, all
of the prep. Raddy Kroker would do all the work,
he'd host the podcast. You and Kaylen would basically just
roll in do it. But the big talking point was
(34:31):
he only had like ten percent of the of the
company and he was always asking for more money Croaks.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
Yeahah, it was that funny. But yeah, like we all
know what Kaylan's like. Yeah, yeah, I was pretty rat
ass too, but just rock up to do an episode
and then Kaylen will be, oh, so what are we
talking about today? Like the Croaks had like sent out
the points, you know, a day before, two days before,
and Kaylen hasn't got his because we'd always do music
(35:00):
of the week or whatever, just wouldn't have your song
or like I hadn't done any any of the prep.
But I remember sometimes like we'd go in. I'd go
in to do an episode and I'd be that, like
we just had this big argument like before going I'd
be like, all right, like I needed like I don't worry.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
Yeah, yeah, oh sometimes trition. I haven't spoken for two weeks.
It's hard. Yeah, one of them.
Speaker 3 (35:24):
Yeah again, before we let you go business ventures, I
want to talk because you are quite an entrepreneurs. So
you've got your production company with your brother right now, right.
Speaker 2 (35:32):
Yeah, yeah, started at end of last year wild wildfire content.
It's called Yeah, Jackie mentioned something to me before He's like,
I'm going to tell the boys to bring up but yeah,
I feel like I've tried a lot of stuff failed
at a fair few majority of them, that's right. Yeah,
one of them will sticky.
Speaker 3 (35:51):
Imagine if this is the one, mate, imagine if this
is the one. So what what do you do in
that business? You produce a lot of content for other people?
Speaker 2 (35:57):
Yeah, yeah, so did digital content for brands.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
We started at the end of last year. How it
come about is so my brother works in production for
another company. His boss is like Mad Ruster's fan legend,
and he sort of come to my brother with an
idea about starting another production company. We did a service
agreement with them, which is good, so he's essentially helped
(36:22):
us with everything. But the stuff that they mostly do
is sort of like high end TVC for fashion, like
big fashion companies and stuff, and he and my brother
had noticed that there was a space around more the
digital content, the lower budget stuff, but doing at a
higher level. Yep, So we started this. You know, I
(36:43):
spoked to I think I've spoke to you guys about
like doing a production company before where because my brother's
been in that space for a long time and we'd
always spoken about doing it and eventually like wanted to
do documentaries and you know, tell whether it's sports stories
or just different different sort of stories, and just thought
like this is a good way for us to start start,
like doing this commercial stuff and if it goes well,
(37:05):
like eventually expand into doing that. But we've got another
business partner as well, and he's an Indigenous director. So
how I guess long story short, but how come about
is my brother's boss was doing a shoot for OPSM.
They had like an indigenous artist to a frame and
he was trying to find indigenous crew to do it
(37:27):
and he couldn't really find enough indigenous crew to build out,
like you know, the production team to do it. So
what we want to do is we're going to like
look at some pathways for indigenous creative so whether it's
like producers, directors of photography, you know, stylists, whatever it is,
(37:48):
and give them paid work experience as well as part
of it. So we've been doing a little bit of
stuff so far like we've been able to get and
the good thing is doing that service agreement with the
company's called m AP, which is the company that my
brother works for as well, is that they've basically given
us access to any of their big dogs as well
as like accounting, their lawyers. But so if we want
(38:10):
to do a shoot with someone and the company wants
a certain director, we can actually use their directors and
then also get like to say, one of a guy
that we've been using a fair bit jolly karma, get
him on as he's like an indigenous dop. But then
he can learn off some of these big, big directors
and then eventually hopefully we can help try and give
(38:34):
more opportunities in that space.
Speaker 1 (38:35):
Well, it's amazing the opportunities arout there as far as
production companies now because it's just actually with streaming and
everything has just changed. It is so dramatically different.
Speaker 3 (38:47):
Even just the money in social media now. Yeah, like
you see people like you look at you look at
someone like Tammy Hembro right, like who's an influencer up
in the Gold Coast. She makes it, that's her life,
Like it's it's it's pretty crazy to think that someone
can build such a big following just on whether it
be Instagram or TikTok and then just like make as
(39:10):
much money as they can.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
But how how much things change to kind of once
upon a time to have a production house, like you
know it's a building. Yeah, looking the old channel line,
it was over acres and I mean we're all this
almost in aboard, like in a cupboard.
Speaker 2 (39:29):
You know, I mean butoking cupboard though it.
Speaker 3 (39:32):
Is it is used to be a massage room.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
They did actually used to be a massage room.
Speaker 3 (39:37):
We used to come down, rubbed shoulders, used.
Speaker 1 (39:41):
To peg me s a smaller one out.
Speaker 3 (39:47):
Silly billy can I daddy gets so silly towards own
daddy chill? What about the coldbrew coffee?
Speaker 2 (39:58):
Yeah, Lord's another that's another one that we tried.
Speaker 3 (40:01):
This is one of your first business. So what happened
because I remember everyone was drinking the col brew? Your
col brews a bit. You're plugging it obviously plugging.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
It through and through social media. No, we yeah, because
we used to go to Lord's the cafe in Newcastle
all the time. It was on our street, so we
just pump it on. And then because we're on the podcast,
we started doing like some merchant stuff on the podcast,
which is selling really well. And then I don't even
know how it come up, but we'll just sort of
(40:29):
go to these guys all the time, and then the
col brew was mad and we'll just come up with
the idea to like, let's do this in the can
and we'll do all collabse. We called it Lord's Collective
and had no idea what we're doing, which was funny, perfect, Yeah,
but I definitely learned a lot of lessons out of it.
And then we just would sell it online, but it
(40:52):
was through like covid, so we sort of went from
being a newcastle of living up at the Sunshine Coast,
so we weren't there, and then after the sun Junk Coast,
I'd signed to go to the Roosters, so just like
me moving to Sydney, I guess was the reason why
that fell away. And then also with the podcast as well,
because you know, the podcast was sort of growing, like
we had a pretty good audience and would have been
(41:14):
good to keep doing it, but we'd I guess it
was just going to be hard for me to do it.
Speaker 1 (41:19):
It was hard.
Speaker 3 (41:20):
It was hard enough to get you three in the
room when you were living together, let alone if you're away.
Do you think like two of the most difficult things
which everyone thinks they can do, beer and coffee?
Speaker 1 (41:29):
Yeah, you're jumping. Yeah. Competition is just relentless and continues
to be.
Speaker 3 (41:35):
But at that stage, Colbrew kind of wasn't really a
thing like Colbra. Everyone pumps Colburn now but then yeah,
it is good, it doesn't stain your teeth either when
you have a warm coffee, right, the yellow sort of
gets in you the benefit of having like an ice
something or a cold.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
Brew that's good for your teeth.
Speaker 1 (41:50):
I'm pretty sure that.
Speaker 3 (41:51):
Might be wrong.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
Yeah, listeners will correct you.
Speaker 3 (41:55):
That's what my dentist told me, because I was getting
some yellow because you know, I don't know if you
know this kind of but I've made the transition into
breakfast radio. A head for it, yeah, in a face
for it. But so I over to drink a lot
of coffee, so my teeth started to get a little
bit yellow tinged from it. So I had to go
get a white and then they said, you know, iced
is the way to go.
Speaker 1 (42:16):
I pulled a tooth brush out recently to give what
is that?
Speaker 2 (42:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (42:20):
You you and your mother, you're very very similar. Jack,
you're in every day man, you brush it. Summer you're
brush it.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
I brushed twice a day.
Speaker 1 (42:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (42:28):
Yeah, when I wake up in the morning, brush and
then I don't drink a coffee until an hour after
I'm done brushing. And that's actually a good lesson for listening.
Speaker 2 (42:39):
Every morning before shower.
Speaker 3 (42:41):
Shower every morning, such a good way to wake up.
Speaker 2 (42:43):
I see some like a couple of our boys that
don't shower before training. They come in and I'm just like,
I got to share, you have to. I try to
tell them that, they go, man, I had a shower before.
Who does that?
Speaker 1 (42:53):
Connor, two of our halves actually discribed.
Speaker 3 (43:00):
Okay, so we'll go, Sammy Walker, you little dirt. As
long as you're going without a shower, an army can
four days.
Speaker 2 (43:12):
Three days, Jesus, smell bad after your.
Speaker 1 (43:17):
Own and that or even when you scratch around your
balls always smells good.
Speaker 3 (43:24):
Joking guys, you know what, Okay, this is going to
sound fair. You know what always smells good to me
when you yes, yeah, that smells grosse. But when you
just dip dip your finger between the toes, you give
a little smell.
Speaker 1 (43:39):
Step too.
Speaker 2 (43:40):
I wouldn't go near mine. Yeah really, you got no,
I've got this. You can show you.
Speaker 3 (43:46):
What is it?
Speaker 2 (43:47):
No, it's like a toeja, it's like this thing called
a soft corn.
Speaker 1 (43:51):
Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah, get them from boots.
Speaker 2 (43:54):
Yeah, it's the way my foot shaped. It doesn't like
I need to make sure every time I have a shower,
I've got to dry in between my toe. But I'm
telling you, if you're touching there and then smell it,
it's not good.
Speaker 3 (44:03):
So it's like if moisture gets in there, Yeah, yeah,
moisture gets and then it's like creates.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
It's weird, it creates.
Speaker 1 (44:09):
What the fun has happened to this podcast? Michael Jordan's
feet fucking hell foot fetish there just rank. Yeah, all
his toes are really because you used to wear new
new shoes every game because she was like with new shoes,
you know, they hurt.
Speaker 3 (44:29):
Man, when you're wearing new shoes, they aren't accustomed to
your feet blisters.
Speaker 1 (44:33):
Yeah, it has been a pleasure. You're you're a champ mate,
You're really good. You congratulations the season you haven't and yeah, decider,
whole nother level. What an experience in your career.
Speaker 3 (44:46):
And you go into Central Sea tonight. Yeah, Central Sea rapper.
Dad wouldn't know who he is.
Speaker 1 (44:52):
I can't see when you settle coast. So that's cool.
Speaker 3 (44:57):
And you're going tomorrow, but you are going to a wrapper.
Speaker 2 (45:00):
Central c Yeah I am, but I wouldn't say I'm
like a massive fan of his. I just got the
call up.
Speaker 3 (45:05):
So so you've got three tickets.
Speaker 2 (45:07):
Yeah, gussy one of gusts and my mates used to
work and I actually used to be a tool manager
for a for the ASA boys. You did, no, no
one of our one of our friends did like a
Rocky like yeah, Asap Rocky asap ferg all those guys
who lives back here now. But so whenever like big
artists come out, he's always like, oh, mates with the
(45:29):
guys at Sony and stuff. If you want tickets to
so and so, Gussie and I are big fan, so
it should be good.
Speaker 3 (45:35):
Do you pay for anything these days? Haircut?
Speaker 2 (45:38):
You talk? I pay my hair.
Speaker 1 (45:40):
I just don't like you.
Speaker 3 (45:41):
Just don't get them very rate mates rates, don't get
very your last one. Next, don't shave my head A No,
it will never go back.
Speaker 1 (45:51):
To the past of my regards to Central C.
Speaker 2 (45:53):
Yes, I will tell him you, yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (45:56):
Knew his dad Central Central youday, guys, it's Maddie John's here.
Speaker 2 (46:03):
Look at it.
Speaker 1 (46:03):
You can tell I'm just not myself at the moment,
a little bit down, but I'll tell it'll cheer me up.
Hitting the follow but on our podcast with the Family
podcast and backstage so you don't miss any of the
good stuff we've got coming up and Thank you guys.
Thank you again for listening to the podcast and giving
us your support. Good on you, guys,
Kind of We'll talk about the decider on a second
in this series, But how did you feel going back
to club football? Like that's one of the most satisfying things.
You know, you've succeeded at origin level. Then you go
back and the pace of NURL has flat out, but
it actually feels like it's slow motion that game and
you go back to it's such a big difference.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yeah. Well, actually, so going back after game two I
felt sweet. It was going back after game three I
actually found it really hard to be honest, because I
just had this like big emotional high and then we
played on Saturday night against the Storm down in Melbourne
and it was probably the worst game of footy ART
played last year, was that Saturday night against Melbourne and
(00:41):
it was just like, yeah, all of these emotions and everything.
I just felt really flat in that game against the Storm,
and yeah, really sort of for it. Just it was hard.
It was just really hard that come to motivate yourself, right, yeah,
just like not motivate yourself because you're coming up against
the Storm, so you know, and like we hadn't won
against the Storm for a long time. But I remember
(01:04):
speaking to like Spencer and stuff about it and it
was like that was probably the hardest game of first
grade we'd played all year, just because one they're a
tough opponent, but you've just had this mental high and
then three days later you're trying to get yourself up
for a game again, and it was pretty tough.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
I reckon, that is I reckon, that's the worst place
of time. Three days. Yeah, Like we've played games or
test matches and had to play the next day, and
playing the next days a piece of pierce because you
still buzzn't stille, you know, and you don't think you
just get it there and play. But you know, they
tell me that by the third day, when you're really
your sorenesses just starting to peak and you do have
(01:37):
no adrenaline left, that's that's really tough.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Yeah, And I yeah, because we just did a four
day one going into the Cowboys on Sunday, and four
days was like really good because, like you said, day three,
but you've had you've been able to just rest and
completely shut your mind off, like you know, you get
a sort of the full day off, and then now
it's focused on the Cowboys, where that three days is
(02:02):
kind of like you know, you travel on the Thursday,
and then Friday you're doing Captains Run and then Saturday
you're going to go again. You haven't had that time
to like just have a break, just to mentally.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
And keep in mind you've just won an original series
and you're up in it was up at Suncourt last year,
and he's wrong the beat like you're celebrated.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yeah, we had a big, pretty big night after as well,
So there's all of that that stuff that you're dealing with.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Did you find match enjoy his coaching?
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah, I loved. I loved working under Matche. I thought
he was awesome. Yeah, He's just the way he brought
us together I thought was pretty cool because you've only
got ten days to really, you know, have like a
deep connection with these guys because the game is so hard,
as you know, and like you know, there's going to
be times where you need to look at the bloat
(02:48):
next to you and want to really turn up for him.
So he did such a good job of that. But
then also I think the way he incorporated the old boys. Yeah,
and I don't know like if you can speak on that, mate,
but I know some some of the other old boys
have and just said, like I haven't really felt the
way he sort of went back to that and incorporated
the old boys, and you know, we had the big
theme around Turvy and like a big focus on him
(03:10):
what he did for the Blues, and yeah, brought got
to bring him in and just we had like going
into the decider, you know, we had this sort of
dinner where like they brought I don't know, I was
twenty or thirty of the old boys in Peter Winn
like all of these sort of Yeah, I've had beers
with all of them, and it was just like really
good to have that connection with the past and then
(03:32):
also you know, being made aware of what opportunity we
have to go up to some to create some of
our own history.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
He's yeah, gone into that first series match, carried a
blue jersey wherever he went, and when he come across
you know, an old player, he just grabbed He grabbed
you and say you know what this means? You know
what is this moon? And what does his jersey make?
Like he did to me And I said, I and
you know, like I support the Blues all the way,
but it's funny, I'm probably more passionate, which might sound
(04:02):
about Newcastle. That makes sense. Yeah, because I've been through
a lot more so I said to Madge, Mate, I said,
I support the Blues, and Madge, I'll support you the
whole way, like I'll support all the players, and like
I'll support Laurie in this one. But I said, you know,
I'm not going to be that guy to go right,
this is what it is to be your Blue because
I got to put my hand in my heart and say,
(04:23):
I'm not that guy. I'm not that passionate. I'm not
as passionate as what Madge was looking for. Yeah, you
know that's and that's just being honest, you know, but
that's not take anything away from my enthusiasm for the team.
But for me, I don't up there sort of beat
my chest saying, mate, let me take you back to
game three. What about the difference between Lourie and Madge.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, I think there's been a lot of similarities. Have
pretty much kept everything the same from like a preparation standpoint,
so where camp is all the staff except Dean Young's
come on board because Cardi went over to coach at
whole Yeah, and then loss as well, so like all
the staff, so it's very similar. Yeah, But the I
(05:11):
think you know, Loss being an ex player and being
one of New South Wales's greatest ever players, you can
see how passionate it is for the Jersey. There's obviously
a difference in that, a bit of personality, you know. Yeah,
Madge is very intense, where Loss is pretty chill. But
when we're training, Loss is very Yeah, there's times there
where you come in and it's sort of you don't
(05:32):
really expect him to drive you as hard as he has.
But yeah, it's been good to see him have I
guess that balance and he probably learned a lot from
his first experience as doing it and he's coming with
a bit of a different mindset now.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
We had him here on backstage and when we did
the interview, I went afterwards, I thought, it's the old Lorrie,
back when Lorrie took the job the first time. I'm
not saying he said, but you could see he was.
I say this, put it this way. When Laurie was
a young player coming through, he was a fucking like
(06:06):
up on his arm on the charismatic, confident, aggressive, fucking
Laurie daily and in retirement, like most people do, they
lose that. And I didn't think he had the first series.
But interviewing here, I thought, fucking the old Lorry back
because Connor made I'm telling you he was unbelievable. And
I've said this a couple of times, just you know,
(06:28):
to reaffirm the guy who's coaching you. In the ninety
four series I wasn't a part of, but Paul Harrigan,
our captain Newcastle was. They played an epic game against
Coinsland and New South Wales pipped him, piped him late.
Lorrie scored and after the after the game, I said
(06:49):
to Chief the next day, I said, mate, that was tough.
I thought you were gone. What do you think he
has no and you were going to win? I said,
how did you How do you know you're going to win?
He said because we had Lorry Daily.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
I mean, like that's that's has a presence with him, right.
What about Craig Bellamy? Has that been your first interaction
with belly ate this Origin series?
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yeah, well actually last Origin series last year because when
we played Game two down in Melbourne, mag had brought
was a couple others down to speak to us. Yeah,
like two days before the game and have dinner with
us and stuff.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
They did.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
They still do it like we did it this year.
They get a couple of old boys and usually they're
like sort of interviewing and just so we did the
same thing again this year, but Craig was there. And
Craig's actually so he's from near Lithgo, Portland, Yeah, where
my pop is from. And so Craig used to play
(07:47):
in the same club as my pop's brother. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So mum sort of spoke to Craig and was like,
do you remember Gary Yeah, and he's like, yeah, yeah, yeah,
I do, and then say I sort of had a
good chat with him last year about all that. And
I can remember Craig speaking last year about Origin and
what the experience was like coaching and sort of like,
(08:09):
you know, you know, some things that he wish you
could sort of take back from that time. And then
for him that like when they said Loss was coaching
and then that he was going to come on board
as the advisor, I thought, how cool is that because
he sort of like spoke about, you know, he'd love
to sort of have that opportunity again. And he's been
able to do that this year. Obviously in a different capacity.
He's like not really coaching, he's more sort of i'd
(08:31):
say help like helping lot like laws, but he still
spoke like he's delivered some stuff in meetings and spoke
to us and he just has this aura around him
that's crazy, Like you trained under him for a very
long time and yeah, and for someone who's done so
much in the game, you just have so much respect
for him. So it's just been cool to connect with
(08:51):
a guy like that.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
I ask you just you touched on the dynamic, the
dynamic there between Los, the assistance and then belly Ach,
who's sort of that outline that looks over the top
if you think, what's his involvement at training, Yeah, what's
his involvement like at halftime before his runout, that's the
dynamic Craig Craig. Yeah, so.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
With all sort of like the halftime game stuff like
that's all sort of like loss thing. Ye, Craig like
has sort of done some stuff in meetings where he's
like delivered different things for us, and then you know
after the game like he was sort of loss was
like Craig, I want Craig to sort of say a
few words about it. So he did as well. But
(09:35):
I'd say, like it's mostly Los, like he's sort of
leading it, and then you know Craig has just come
in and added like bits and pieces when Losses felt
like he's wanted him to sort of add at his
point of view.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
So you win game one, so that that game too,
where you know, lots of people made the penalty count,
but the main thing was disciplined. You the really is
down would have been disappointed. How was Craig because if
that was if you blokes with the Melbourne Storm, he
would have gone in the sheds and gone you blokes
a fucking kid and gave it to What was he
(10:08):
like in the sheds after game two?
Speaker 2 (10:09):
No, not like that, not like that, Like he did
speak to us just about you know, yeah, sort of
the discipline stuff, but also like sticking together and staying
rock solid, which was like sort of Loss's main point
was like, you know, we were so ill disciplined, we
made so many errors, but at the end, like you know,
we put ourselves in a position to win this game.
(10:31):
So let's take a lot of confidence out of that
because that second half was good, but we need to
be better in these sort of departments. And Craig just
spoke about that, like yeah, just not giving them a
chance not giving them a sniff because we did that
in the first half and we let them play the
football that they want to play.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Okay, nessie on to ask you. You're sitting sitting on
the bench for game one yea and Spenceerlan who gets
the call or just before he gets the call and
we know he's on the field. It's just unbelievable where
he's just reving the crowd up. Then he gives kicked
to me and they don't how was he? What's it
like sitting on the bench with the bench with Spencer.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
I love playing with Spencer, honestly, I just because I
remember when he signed he'd signed to go to the
Roosters and then do you remember the stink you know
he had with Jared on the field. Yeah, and then
like he's trying to fight jar but he's already signed
up the Roosters and then he's coming off and he's
spraying the fans. I was like, this guy's a mania.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
He's got some big yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
But the thing is like you're like when you're with
him every day and I don't know if you've come
across him coople matey, but he's like such a very
like chill guy, pretty quiet, like unless you sort of
know him, but very just doesn't. And even when he trains,
it's not like he trains with this intensity where he
wants to kill people. But it's as soon as he
becomes the player in on the game day, it's like
(11:59):
he just has this switch and he just flicks it
and he just becomes this yeah. Because even playing with
him last year, you know, like he's going back for
the kickoff, he's like telling the crowd to pump up
take the kick off, and just comes steams into him.
And then I remember the game one and there was
like a video of it that come out where so
we've done the anthem and everything like that, and then
(12:21):
I've gone, like three of us have gone to sit
down and three on the bench, and Spencer's like, come on,
let's go, let's go for a run. And then so
he just I'm like right, and then he just like
starts running because he was the most hated man in Queens.
Then he just starts giving it to the crowd and
they're like giving it back to and I'm behind him.
It was Stratch and then Stretcher just cracking up, like
(12:43):
look at this guy. He loves it.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
It's good. It's so good.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Imagine like you as a bench, so good for the emotion,
Like you guys are sitting there getting pumped up, because
it can be quite yeah, it can be quite melancholy
on the bench. You're waiting, you're kind of getting cold.
Sometimes you're a bloke on there who is just ripping
it the skin waiting to get on. It must be
good for the energy, right, yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
It is. And it's just good to play with a
guy like that because you know, I remember versuing him
at Penrith and he's honestly the hardest play to tackle.
I just remember he'd come off the bench. She's probably
a bit more unknown then, like early days in Penrith
and just thinking, this guy's the hardest dude I've ever
had to tackle, Like he was only a few games in.
So to play with a guy like that who brings
that energy every week, like, it's awesome to have a
(13:24):
dude like that in your team because you know, as
a player, it just it's a bit of a throwback
to what players used to be like and how they
would approach games. You know, a lot of guys go
into games a bit more calm now, like, but this
dude just brings so much energy and like makes you
just want to go out there and get really full.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
It seems like him and Jerome they and even blowslik
because he's even like both like to real mate, they
really kind of like they they love it, like they
whether you get bad attention or good. We talk a
lot about, like you know, getting hate on social media,
and that those three boys like they've got it right
like inside their head. How they their perspective on it
is they actually use it for motiva, like they channel
(14:03):
off it and they thrive off it. Not saying that
they probably love reading that ship all the time, but
they actually they like being the villain.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Imagine one of those cock kids who'll be trolling Spencer.
Spencer comes across one.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
That'd be scary.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
He's going to good.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
He's got a good YouTube. Actually, Spencer, I.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Think it's just Spencer len you's been popping off. He's
got like in two weeks or in a month, he's
got a few subscribers that yeah, he's got over twenty
thousand subs and like his videos have been doing one hundred.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
To shout out to him, what we should do, We'll
get him on the We'll get him on the potty
here if you're out there, Spence, do that because the
other mind I want to come across Spencer. I think
Spencer could learn a thing or two about your man
back fence. Bruiser. Let's let's put it on the podcast
(14:59):
and show it for the for the visual. I mean,
who does it better or Bruiser? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Can we get a side by side carry and a
Bruiser carry. I'll tell you what that'd be a run
out straight from the ages.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
You know, probably like uh not last New Year's the
year before we stayed just got like an airbnb at Avalon. Yeah, yeah,
and there was a few of us there, just some
of my mates from home and then Gussie was staying
up that way with his family. They were staying at
Avalon as well. And we went for a beer at
the Newport and so Semi Verels is there, like Billy
(15:36):
all that crew and Bruises was there that night. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
You know what's fine when I put that video for
Bruiser right because Bruiser was loving How good is this
the amount of like footy lads who specially the ones
that have been up at the Newport Because Bruises just
fighting around there, stuck to the floor and Gussie. Gussie
rang Viyls and he said, just put a video of
that Bruiser because of family. He was just running the
(16:04):
whole afternoon.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Yeah, he was. He was just and you know what,
So he's like, let's get a drink. Let's get a drink.
So Gussie gets me, him and Bruiser around. He just
kept kept coming at us. It's like, let's go, let's
get a drink, sweet mate. And then it got to
his term, like Bruises, get us a drink and he's like, oh,
I'm not shout and I've got no money my sponsoring.
(16:27):
Is he famous? Now? What?
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Verels so Verrel's last week they played against the Eels,
the Titans versus Earls. Bruises went out to the game.
Verels said at the end of the game, he went
over and seeing his brother and Bruiser and kids were
getting pictures with Bruiser at Combank Stadium. And apparently even
like even Chris Randall and Mo Fodder wake Up were
(16:50):
walking around seeing their family and they looked over and
they is that Bruiser. If you haven't I haven't seen
the video on my Instagram.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
Have a look.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
I love the deep breath. The deep breath was the
best part.
Speaker 4 (17:06):
My evorite part is the fact that even it actually
like disillusioned me. Like I was going on the weekend
last week, He's coming off the bench. They put the
demoted into the and I'm going, why would they do that?
What idiot's coaching? Then I just thought to myself, all
I've seen is is a carricter. I didn't even watch
the rest of the seven mistakes before.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
And the carryall he actually wants to come on the
body said, coming into Game three decider at Sydney, big occasion,
it's been a big build up. What what did you
learn from game two when when you guys have sort
of looked you suppose you haven't reviewed too much of it,
(17:47):
you haven't got you going to camp this week? How
do you say it?
Speaker 2 (17:50):
I just think, you know, like we just got to
be disciplined. Yeah, not give them, Not give them a
chance because we saw in that second half from when
we got into the sort of more of the live
boar style of footy. You know, we were able to
come up with with a lot of points there and
almost win the game. But as disappointing as it is
to lose there, like we would have loved to wrapped
(18:11):
up the series. And I think there was like a
chance for us to be maybe the fourth or fifth
team to win yeah four and four and four games
in a row and like an Origin series, and you know,
we sort of missed that opportunity, which is disappointing. But
there's a big chance, like big chance for us to
go back to back and then to be able to
actually do it in New South Wales in front of
all of our home fans and to have a lot
(18:32):
of mates and family and all that stuff there, Like
it's pretty exciting. So I think just the biggest thing
for us is, you know, take the lessons out of
that game, you know, be hungry because we did lose it,
like we needed to go in there and from the
start be a better team, but also to be really
excited about this opportunity to go to a corps and
(18:54):
essentially win a decider in front of all our friends
and family, Like it's pretty.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
Eppy kind of just questioning the games. In that last
training session when Nathan he's practicing his kicking and just
tweaks his cooling a little bit, did that like going
into the game such an important player in so many aspects,
the fact that you know he wasn't one hundred percent fit.
Did that did have any impact on the group before
the game? You think?
Speaker 2 (19:17):
I'm not sure mat he maybe subconsciously, Yeah, we sort
of spoke about it and come up with a plan.
You know, around our yard is kicking and all that
sort of stuff. But it's yeah, it's hard to sort
of because nath you know, one of the best parts
of his game is his kicking game, and then you
go and lose that. So yeah, probably sub subconsciously, like
(19:38):
we probably would have said that, like no, but maybe
maybe subconsciously. But it's just hopefully he's I think he's
playing this weekend for it's.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Down to play yet yeah, Thursday night.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
What's he like?
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Okay, how does he talk? How does he organize?
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Yeah? He's good man. He's so detailed with everything. Like
it's been one of the cool things to be part
of this Origin team is just to come in and
see how other guys work. And I just remember from
like my first camp the way just because yeah, you
can take so much out of different people's way they
approach games, and you know, like all that whole Penrith crew,
the way that they're all Americans and they all just
(20:16):
take the piss the whole time. But then as soon
as they train, it's like yeah, like yeah, they just
high expectations, you know now everything. Yeah, once we train,
we train hard and we're focused, and as soon as
we're off it, it's just back to take and everything
against some Sydney boys. Yeah yeah, and then like this camp.
I didn't get to play with Nath last year, but
(20:36):
playing with him and just seeing yeah, how he approaches
brings his book to everything. Yeah, yeah, like you notice
those sort of little details. Yeah, very I say, like
on the flight, you can see he's like watching video,
watching train and like all that sort of stuff. So
just even yeah, the the way he sort of approaches
the game and the focus with all of that. But yeah,
(21:00):
he's still has a good time as well, and you
know he's great, like, yeah, I got to have some
good guards with him and takes certainly some stuff.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
Out of there's full time professionals and there's full time professionals.
He's okay, pain has pain.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Yeah, he'sh just like a genetic free k. It's unbelievable,
just the way that guy can play and just play
big minutes and like he's done it from the start.
Remember like watching his early Broncos games and they'd be
like six sixty eighth minute and there's a linebreak and
the bloke who saves the try his pain and he's
(21:35):
been playing.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
And he's eighteen at the age like he's been Yeah,
you're right, he's been playing big minutes since he basically
come into first grade.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
But kind of what okay, well, like we see that
in the field, like he's amazing, tell me about like pain,
like the man like hearing talk and he's just classy,
he's so articulate. What's he like in the around camp
away from the football.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
Yeah, like he's like everyone else. You know, he's someone
who likes to enjoy himself and have fun and take
the pierce and then but yeah, once he trains, he's
locked in as well. So I think watching him last
year was like, you know, he's doing fitness pretty much
every training session by it like sort of like the
training session will finish, he goes and does like a
(22:17):
block of fitness. Yeah, so there's a reason why he
can play such big minutes and the work that he does,
and you know he's been a little bit hampered, like
had the quad, didn't barely train, so he didn't get
to do any of that stuff. Last time goes and
does our D two or our big session and then
plays man of the match, absolutely kills it, like yeah, he's.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
Just doesn't that just show you what a lesson for
younger players in the fact that yes, he's genetic freak,
he doesn't rely on that tops it up with like
hard work. Back to the Blue Mountains Connor for you blokes, Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
I think so, Maddie. I think the camp will be
the exact same. But it's been cool to go out there.
I never did an Origin camp when the guys had
a couldie, but they just said, you know you sort
of everywhere you go, Yeah, it's just because it's busy.
Plays could beautiful place, but a busy place, and everywhere
you go it's sort of people cameras following you, but
up there with sort of state this beautiful resorts on
(23:14):
a golf course, like there's not a whole heap to do,
so you just pretty much hang with the boys the
whole time. There's a crew that plays golf.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
Do you play golf.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Short, couldn't find clubs big enough.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
That's tough. That's a low blow.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
Yeah, the kids goals he plays part. I've seen Latrella.
Latrell looks like he's a good golfer.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
He's so good. See. I used to play when when
I was at the Rouster is the first time. I
mean Latroll used to play all the time, like heaps
every every day off. But then as I moved up
to Newcastle, I sort of stopped, which is weird because
they all say, like, Kaitlin is such a good golfer,
and we play a couple of times, but every time
I played with him and we played Ambrose, he always
let me down.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
So I really care, yeah, because everyone says he could
have gone pros.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
But I think he is good. He just never play
good when it was with me.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
He's not a team man.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Yeah. And then and then when I went to Newcastle,
I probably got more back into my surfing, to be honest,
being around the beaches and a lot of the local
guys that I become tight with up there were all
really good surface. So go surfing a bit more.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Did you surf out there with Jack o' baker at all?
Speaker 2 (24:20):
A little bit Yeah, Jackoe Baker, Louis Dan, those sort
of guys used to see like Craig Anderson up there,
and that was pretty cool because as a kid, he's
like the best surf for everything, your best style you've
ever seen? Did you ever surf?
Speaker 3 (24:30):
Because you're good mates with text text hoy Yeah you
surf with Hoyo.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
No. I don't think I ever surf with hoy but
he shaped me a surfboard.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
I did.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
He Yeah, so I've got this surfboard my arm. Jackson
Starling's actually got it because I was just sitting in
my garage and BONDI I just gathering dust and me
and Jacko were down there one day and He's like,
can I take this? I'm like, yeah, bro, just take
it and surfer for as long as you are because
it's this beautiful single thing. And Jacko Reckons would goes
so good. He loves it.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
That's unbelievable because Hoyo hoyo. I remember soon he was
sponsored by Pacific Dreams. Roy and Jan Leakes great people.
Trish Ashley was her first shop. She used to work
with them, and Roy used to always say, hoo, come
on and I'll give you a job. You know, come
on your shape anyway, who said to me, yea, I
(25:15):
picked up and taken up the job at Suvy Dreams.
Fantastic mate. Yeah great, you only go in. I go
in like Friday lunchtime and then worked till like five
in the other what one day a week. Yeah, I
just sort of get there for the for the end
of week drinks. So he must have. It must have
been over the course of about a few months that
he shaped your Yeah, maybe a.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Character A.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Talk about quirky cats.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
Yeah, that is the man.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
There are some quirky blokes up in you tell us
about some of it, none more quirky than you just
spoke about Kaitlin. But another bloke who he was one
of your former teammates. He went to the Knights the
exact same year from the Roosters with you, mitchells Now
you go up to Newcastle with possibly two of the
biggest space cannects in the NL. You've got k there
(26:02):
and you've got Mitchell. What was the dynamic?
Speaker 2 (26:05):
Like, oh, it was the best playing with you. I
It's funny because the other day, like some popped up
on my YouTube just it was like an old highlights
video from back in twenty seventeen and I clicked on
it to watch it made like five errors on there, probably,
but just watching Junior Plague and I forgot how good
(26:25):
he was, and like I forgot how good it was
to play with a guy like that, and just every
and then for some reason, like now, because I clicked
on it and watched the whole thing through, it keeps
bringing up twenty seventeen highlights and I was just like
watching Junior and he just takes the game on the
whole time, Like playing with a guy like that. I
looked up to him so much. And then I remember
I played SG Bore for the Roosters and I was
(26:46):
still in high school and at the time, Dan Roach Blockers,
one of Blocker's sons, was our assistant coach at school.
And then, like such a legend, ended up living with
him for a little bit after school. He stayed, could
you with me? And he's like, gave me Junior's number,
and he's like, just give Junior ing And I was
like in high school and yeah, I was like, how
good is this?
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Calling?
Speaker 2 (27:07):
Like Mitchell Pierce, He's talking to me like giving me
all this advice and everything. And then I was lucky
enough to play a fair chunk of football with him
and took me under his wings straight away, And I
just learned so much about just like competing on everything
from that guy, because that's all like that's what he did.
He just and the way he defended for a half
(27:27):
as well, like he's so tough, throw his body in
and then yeah, just some funny stories from him away
from footage. Just if he we've heard him speak about footy,
it's like one of the smartest football brands you've ever
heard heard. But when you have some.
Speaker 3 (27:44):
Of the other stuff, like you have a conversation with
about anything outside, it's just like talking about Toddy.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
Can't there the podcast they do it is really really good,
Like a lot of football is what he's done. He's found,
like all the information that's in his brain, all that
intelligence is for football intelligence. He's actually found the vocabulary
to get it crossing, which happens like you do a
great you're doing a great job in the media than
you and the more you do it, like the more
you actually start to be able to articulate what you know.
(28:14):
And you can hear that with Junior too. He and
Toddy like two of the biggest scaley wags. And when
you say, oh, these two blakes have got a podcast
him Toddy Carney, people go, oh my god, what's this?
But it is a really good podcast.
Speaker 3 (28:26):
Yeah, yeah, they're very good. And what about we when
we had Tailor on the potty last year, we are
come up. Do you remember the you guys should you
two lived in a house together and the crew up
in Nui? Obviously Jack was up there, My beautiful brother
Tommy Starling was up there. Curtis dark who we talked
about Darki a lot on this podcast. Never played first
grade guy, but he's one of the great characters in
(28:47):
rugby League.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:48):
Of course text was up there, text Hoy as well.
But you guys created do you remember the rap video?
Speaker 2 (28:53):
You guys created your message the other day about that Jack?
Didn't you trying to find it? Oh my god? Created
like a music We just used to just because like
I lived with Kaitlin and then Jack was up there
sort of living with Darkie and Starlow and another house
like five hundred yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Shout out half a masturbation.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
So like they lived together and then TEXTI was still
at home. But and then there was Coaks as well
coach May Crags and honest yeah, one of the one
of the great men. Honestly, he's the best ever. And
so it was like my house was a halfway house.
Just yeah on on the weekend and just be bloke
staying on the lounge and just like all the time,
we just jesus, we just did some dumb stuff up there,
(29:43):
like just making rap videos. Like I don't know how
it even come up. We've just been hanging around the
house for ages. Like right o, boys, I don't know why.
You've got thirty minutes you got to write a rap
verse and we're going to do a rap We are
like dressed une. We've got to do it so bad.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
It's got like a fifteen second snippet of it is
a dark It was KP's verse going into dark. It
is so bad.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
It's so bad.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
What are we talking? Like gangster rap? Who's who's the twin?
And were talking nw alas.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Yeah, And I think because he listen to a lot
of rap, he kind of like really is getting into it.
Like Caylin thought his verse was really good, but it
wasn't good.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
I heard one the other day, mate, Did you know
that our actor Tom Hardy from Mobley. You watch Mobley,
Tom Hardy had a rap album out when he was
like nineteen. It's not bad either, It's not too bad.
So there is a future there. Boys, Jack got something.
Speaker 4 (30:48):
I don't want to dive too much into the oh
I do, but I don't want to die to the
two five seven stuff.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
But I just want to touch on. We don't need
to allude to who it was.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
But my favorite story out of your two five to
seven podcast is a podcast that never went to air
from a Newcastle local legend. Now we're not going to
lose who it was, but I remember going grocery shopping
one afternoon.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
We had a group chat that.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
Was going off for about half an hour until I realized,
just like I was not there, but all three of
you were in the same room and you're in the
middle of this podcast that never went to an end
to it.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
Can you clarify whatever happened to that podcast?
Speaker 2 (31:28):
I actually don't know. I actually don't know it went
for It was honestly a Joe Rogan esque episode. It
went for that long, it was like four or five hours.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
I've heard yeah, and you.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
Guys, so you guys texting each other during going we
can't air this, or.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
Now we're just going like because we're trying to get
to the point, like the and there's just like story
after story after story. But I ended up being four
hours of stories. And then I remember I was like,
Jesus is going to be a big editing job, and
that was my responsibility. And I don't know if I
ever got to the edit, but then I must have
lost that app top all that podcast and like just
(32:02):
I don't I.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
Don't know where it is Lowe Beach. Yeah, when you're
when you're surfing on Jio's board.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
You went out with the US, but you just threw
what what what sort of stuff are we talking about?
Speaker 4 (32:14):
Why wouldn't it I want to say why, But all
I want to say is that it would not have
suited their demograph.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
Yeah, that way the topics they were discussing.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
Yeah, you know, you had good intentions of why you're
trying to go there, but I just.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
Never it never got to the point of why we
why we were doing the podcast.
Speaker 4 (32:30):
Croaks gave me a stupid of it, and I'll tell
you a minute of it would not have gone down.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
Very well with your two five seven demographs. No, I
wouldn't just.
Speaker 3 (32:37):
Given peg giving a little bit, giving a little.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
Bit pegging it was. It was interesting, but I remember
just sitting there, We're just cracking out the whole time
and just texting each other.
Speaker 1 (32:46):
That's coaches. Yeah, he loves hanging laundry and why.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
So two five seven it was you, Matt Croker and
Kaylen Ponger. You had Jack on there a couple of times.
I come on once as well. Was right at the
end before you signed to the Roosters and you guys
kind of discontinued it. How was it up there doing
a potty because it was one of the first sort
of league ones of current players actually doing podcasts, and
(33:14):
I imagine would have been pretty tough for you guys
in Newcastle after a tough loss to actually put yourselves
out there until a podcast.
Speaker 2 (33:22):
Yeah, definitely, that's the hard The hard part about it,
I reckon is like trying to separate yourself from the
footy player and then like doing the podcast every week
because after a loss you'd just be that down and
you're like you don't want to come across like you
don't care about the loss.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
Yeah, which is like a bit which was a.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
Big one but we just sort of thought, like, you know,
we've got a life away from football. My whole life
isn't me trained, Like I don't think about Regular League
twenty four to seven, you know when I do. Obviously
it's my main priority and it's my main focus. But
we also had had a life away from it, and luck,
to be honest, doing that podcast was some of the
funnest times ever. We had a ball doing it.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Yeah, it's good, like when you're playing out diff topic one,
we can do that. How shit the coach is?
Speaker 3 (34:08):
Did you always find a lot because Croaks? I remember,
like because me and me and Harry Grant used to
watch it as well, and Jack would obviously he'd give
us quite a funny insight because Croaks Coax would get
filthy because he'd do most of them pretty well, all
of the prep. Raddy Kroker would do all the work,
he'd host the podcast. You and Kaylen would basically just
roll in do it. But the big talking point was
(34:31):
he only had like ten percent of the of the
company and he was always asking for more money Croaks.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
Yeahah, it was that funny. But yeah, like we all
know what Kaylan's like. Yeah, yeah, I was pretty rat
ass too, but just rock up to do an episode
and then Kaylen will be, oh, so what are we
talking about today? Like the Croaks had like sent out
the points, you know, a day before, two days before,
and Kaylen hasn't got his because we'd always do music
(35:00):
of the week or whatever, just wouldn't have your song
or like I hadn't done any any of the prep.
But I remember sometimes like we'd go in. I'd go
in to do an episode and I'd be that, like
we just had this big argument like before going I'd
be like, all right, like I needed like I don't worry.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
Yeah, yeah, oh sometimes trition. I haven't spoken for two weeks.
It's hard. Yeah, one of them.
Speaker 3 (35:24):
Yeah again, before we let you go business ventures, I
want to talk because you are quite an entrepreneurs. So
you've got your production company with your brother right now, right.
Speaker 2 (35:32):
Yeah, yeah, started at end of last year wild wildfire content.
It's called Yeah, Jackie mentioned something to me before He's like,
I'm going to tell the boys to bring up but yeah,
I feel like I've tried a lot of stuff failed
at a fair few majority of them, that's right. Yeah,
one of them will sticky.
Speaker 3 (35:51):
Imagine if this is the one, mate, imagine if this
is the one. So what what do you do in
that business? You produce a lot of content for other people?
Speaker 2 (35:57):
Yeah, yeah, so did digital content for brands.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
We started at the end of last year. How it
come about is so my brother works in production for
another company. His boss is like Mad Ruster's fan legend,
and he sort of come to my brother with an
idea about starting another production company. We did a service
agreement with them, which is good, so he's essentially helped
(36:22):
us with everything. But the stuff that they mostly do
is sort of like high end TVC for fashion, like
big fashion companies and stuff, and he and my brother
had noticed that there was a space around more the
digital content, the lower budget stuff, but doing at a
higher level. Yep, So we started this. You know, I
(36:43):
spoked to I think I've spoke to you guys about
like doing a production company before where because my brother's
been in that space for a long time and we'd
always spoken about doing it and eventually like wanted to
do documentaries and you know, tell whether it's sports stories
or just different different sort of stories, and just thought
like this is a good way for us to start start,
like doing this commercial stuff and if it goes well,
(37:05):
like eventually expand into doing that. But we've got another
business partner as well, and he's an Indigenous director. So
how I guess long story short, but how come about
is my brother's boss was doing a shoot for OPSM.
They had like an indigenous artist to a frame and
he was trying to find indigenous crew to do it
(37:27):
and he couldn't really find enough indigenous crew to build out,
like you know, the production team to do it. So
what we want to do is we're going to like
look at some pathways for indigenous creative so whether it's
like producers, directors of photography, you know, stylists, whatever it is,
(37:48):
and give them paid work experience as well as part
of it. So we've been doing a little bit of
stuff so far like we've been able to get and
the good thing is doing that service agreement with the
company's called m AP, which is the company that my
brother works for as well, is that they've basically given
us access to any of their big dogs as well
as like accounting, their lawyers. But so if we want
(38:10):
to do a shoot with someone and the company wants
a certain director, we can actually use their directors and
then also get like to say, one of a guy
that we've been using a fair bit jolly karma, get
him on as he's like an indigenous dop. But then
he can learn off some of these big, big directors
and then eventually hopefully we can help try and give
(38:34):
more opportunities in that space.
Speaker 1 (38:35):
Well, it's amazing the opportunities arout there as far as
production companies now because it's just actually with streaming and
everything has just changed. It is so dramatically different.
Speaker 3 (38:47):
Even just the money in social media now. Yeah, like
you see people like you look at you look at
someone like Tammy Hembro right, like who's an influencer up
in the Gold Coast. She makes it, that's her life,
Like it's it's it's pretty crazy to think that someone
can build such a big following just on whether it
be Instagram or TikTok and then just like make as
(39:10):
much money as they can.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
But how how much things change to kind of once
upon a time to have a production house, like you
know it's a building. Yeah, looking the old channel line,
it was over acres and I mean we're all this
almost in aboard, like in a cupboard.
Speaker 2 (39:29):
You know, I mean butoking cupboard though it.
Speaker 3 (39:32):
Is it is used to be a massage room.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
They did actually used to be a massage room.
Speaker 3 (39:37):
We used to come down, rubbed shoulders, used.
Speaker 1 (39:41):
To peg me s a smaller one out.
Speaker 3 (39:47):
Silly billy can I daddy gets so silly towards own
daddy chill? What about the coldbrew coffee?
Speaker 2 (39:58):
Yeah, Lord's another that's another one that we tried.
Speaker 3 (40:01):
This is one of your first business. So what happened
because I remember everyone was drinking the col brew? Your
col brews a bit. You're plugging it obviously plugging.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
It through and through social media. No, we yeah, because
we used to go to Lord's the cafe in Newcastle
all the time. It was on our street, so we
just pump it on. And then because we're on the podcast,
we started doing like some merchant stuff on the podcast,
which is selling really well. And then I don't even
know how it come up, but we'll just sort of
(40:29):
go to these guys all the time, and then the
col brew was mad and we'll just come up with
the idea to like, let's do this in the can
and we'll do all collabse. We called it Lord's Collective
and had no idea what we're doing, which was funny, perfect, Yeah,
but I definitely learned a lot of lessons out of it.
And then we just would sell it online, but it
(40:52):
was through like covid, so we sort of went from
being a newcastle of living up at the Sunshine Coast,
so we weren't there, and then after the sun Junk Coast,
I'd signed to go to the Roosters, so just like
me moving to Sydney, I guess was the reason why
that fell away. And then also with the podcast as well,
because you know, the podcast was sort of growing, like
we had a pretty good audience and would have been
(41:14):
good to keep doing it, but we'd I guess it
was just going to be hard for me to do it.
Speaker 1 (41:19):
It was hard.
Speaker 3 (41:20):
It was hard enough to get you three in the
room when you were living together, let alone if you're away.
Do you think like two of the most difficult things
which everyone thinks they can do, beer and coffee?
Speaker 1 (41:29):
Yeah, you're jumping. Yeah. Competition is just relentless and continues
to be.
Speaker 3 (41:35):
But at that stage, Colbrew kind of wasn't really a
thing like Colbra. Everyone pumps Colburn now but then yeah,
it is good, it doesn't stain your teeth either when
you have a warm coffee, right, the yellow sort of
gets in you the benefit of having like an ice
something or a cold.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
Brew that's good for your teeth.
Speaker 1 (41:50):
I'm pretty sure that.
Speaker 3 (41:51):
Might be wrong.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
Yeah, listeners will correct you.
Speaker 3 (41:55):
That's what my dentist told me, because I was getting
some yellow because you know, I don't know if you
know this kind of but I've made the transition into
breakfast radio. A head for it, yeah, in a face
for it. But so I over to drink a lot
of coffee, so my teeth started to get a little
bit yellow tinged from it. So I had to go
get a white and then they said, you know, iced
is the way to go.
Speaker 1 (42:16):
I pulled a tooth brush out recently to give what
is that?
Speaker 2 (42:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (42:20):
You you and your mother, you're very very similar. Jack,
you're in every day man, you brush it. Summer you're
brush it.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
I brushed twice a day.
Speaker 1 (42:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (42:28):
Yeah, when I wake up in the morning, brush and
then I don't drink a coffee until an hour after
I'm done brushing. And that's actually a good lesson for listening.
Speaker 2 (42:39):
Every morning before shower.
Speaker 3 (42:41):
Shower every morning, such a good way to wake up.
Speaker 2 (42:43):
I see some like a couple of our boys that
don't shower before training. They come in and I'm just like,
I got to share, you have to. I try to
tell them that, they go, man, I had a shower before.
Who does that?
Speaker 1 (42:53):
Connor, two of our halves actually discribed.
Speaker 3 (43:00):
Okay, so we'll go, Sammy Walker, you little dirt. As
long as you're going without a shower, an army can
four days.
Speaker 2 (43:12):
Three days, Jesus, smell bad after your.
Speaker 1 (43:17):
Own and that or even when you scratch around your
balls always smells good.
Speaker 3 (43:24):
Joking guys, you know what, Okay, this is going to
sound fair. You know what always smells good to me
when you yes, yeah, that smells grosse. But when you
just dip dip your finger between the toes, you give
a little smell.
Speaker 1 (43:39):
Step too.
Speaker 2 (43:40):
I wouldn't go near mine. Yeah really, you got no,
I've got this. You can show you.
Speaker 3 (43:46):
What is it?
Speaker 2 (43:47):
No, it's like a toeja, it's like this thing called
a soft corn.
Speaker 1 (43:51):
Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah, get them from boots.
Speaker 2 (43:54):
Yeah, it's the way my foot shaped. It doesn't like
I need to make sure every time I have a shower,
I've got to dry in between my toe. But I'm
telling you, if you're touching there and then smell it,
it's not good.
Speaker 3 (44:03):
So it's like if moisture gets in there, Yeah, yeah,
moisture gets and then it's like creates.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
It's weird, it creates.
Speaker 1 (44:09):
What the fun has happened to this podcast? Michael Jordan's
feet fucking hell foot fetish there just rank. Yeah, all
his toes are really because you used to wear new
new shoes every game because she was like with new shoes,
you know, they hurt.
Speaker 3 (44:29):
Man, when you're wearing new shoes, they aren't accustomed to
your feet blisters.
Speaker 1 (44:33):
Yeah, it has been a pleasure. You're you're a champ mate,
You're really good. You congratulations the season you haven't and yeah, decider,
whole nother level. What an experience in your career.
Speaker 3 (44:46):
And you go into Central Sea tonight. Yeah, Central Sea rapper.
Dad wouldn't know who he is.
Speaker 1 (44:52):
I can't see when you settle coast. So that's cool.
Speaker 3 (44:57):
And you're going tomorrow, but you are going to a wrapper.
Speaker 2 (45:00):
Central c Yeah I am, but I wouldn't say I'm
like a massive fan of his. I just got the
call up.
Speaker 3 (45:05):
So so you've got three tickets.
Speaker 2 (45:07):
Yeah, gussy one of gusts and my mates used to
work and I actually used to be a tool manager
for a for the ASA boys. You did, no, no
one of our one of our friends did like a
Rocky like yeah, Asap Rocky asap ferg all those guys
who lives back here now. But so whenever like big
artists come out, he's always like, oh, mates with the
(45:29):
guys at Sony and stuff. If you want tickets to
so and so, Gussie and I are big fan, so
it should be good.
Speaker 3 (45:35):
Do you pay for anything these days? Haircut?
Speaker 2 (45:38):
You talk? I pay my hair.
Speaker 1 (45:40):
I just don't like you.
Speaker 3 (45:41):
Just don't get them very rate mates rates, don't get
very your last one. Next, don't shave my head A No,
it will never go back.
Speaker 1 (45:51):
To the past of my regards to Central C.
Speaker 2 (45:53):
Yes, I will tell him you, yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (45:56):
Knew his dad Central Central youday, guys, it's Maddie John's here.
Speaker 2 (46:03):
Look at it.
Speaker 1 (46:03):
You can tell I'm just not myself at the moment,
a little bit down, but I'll tell it'll cheer me up.
Hitting the follow but on our podcast with the Family
podcast and backstage so you don't miss any of the
good stuff we've got coming up and Thank you guys.
Thank you again for listening to the podcast and giving
us your support. Good on you, guys,
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