September 7, 2025 • 59 mins
The boys are joined by Storm halfback Jahrome Hughes for a cracking chat. From fatherhood and being “boyfriend material,” to life alongside Munster & Paps and Bellamy’s 600th, Hughesy opens up on injuries, teammates, and Storm’s finals push. He reflects on the 2024 Grand Final loss, perseverance through tough times, and what it means to run the show at halfback.
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0:00-FatherHood
4:00-Boyfriend Material
9:00-Munster & Paps
11:30-Primer
13:30-Injury
17:40-Bellamy 600
19:00-Storm Army Camp
23:00-Teammates
27:00-Storm This Finals Series
30:00-Halfback
34:00-Big Tino
35:00-GF Loss 2024
37:00-Volkswagen
41:40-Grand Final Week
48:00-Perseverance
54:00-Dyor Dave
56:00-Red Wine Rome
59:30-That’s Gold
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yeah, hello guys, welcome to Backstage's Final Series, which when
I do right through into the Grand Final Wednesday, We've
got our first Finals Series preview coming up. I have
something special for you there. But this week we got
Jerome Hughes one on one interview, will two on one interview. Well, Jerome,
it's Murphy's law in it. We interviewed him two days
(00:20):
before that for the risk form injury, the break that
he did the other night against the Brisbane Broncos, which
are men. What a loss for Melbourne and it's going
to be very very hard to win without Jerome. We
have our fingers cross that he's somehow able to make
it back onto the field. But in this interview it's
a beauty. He talks about going into the Final series
this year, getting over his shoulder injury, and he talks
(00:42):
about his career and one of the things I found
really really interesting through this chat talks about last year
and how the week leading into the Grand Final winning
the Dallym Medal Weld just affected his performance on the
big night anyway, his Jerome Hughes enjoy I mean, wow, what.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Just happened to your lighting?
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
You like that?
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Like it?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
You like that, What the hell bot light?
Speaker 2 (01:05):
You want me to kick it?
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Man?
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Was you the one that keeps You're the one that
keeps telling the Melbourne Boys you run this show. So
let's continue the.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Pacific the Cooper John's Family Show.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
That's whatever it's called. Backstage, mate, see you've been listening.
Can I just ask where where are you? Is that
like belly Aches dungeon or something? Where are you recording
this out.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Of this is a little studio that we have in North's.
I've gotta be quiet because belly aches upstairs?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Why is there a blue light? Like a police like
complete like when they go to a murdercine and they
put the blue light over the sheets.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Just so you know, there's no nothing going on on
these on these couches. That's why the blue lights on there?
And what are you doing now?
Speaker 1 (01:53):
You continue? My ear My earphone is just dropped out.
My eyes are so bad. I can't even see the whole.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Jerome, we wanted to ask you as well, Jerome, just
off the top fatherhood Now it's it's right around the
corner for you.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Are you excited?
Speaker 3 (02:09):
I am very excited, Coops. It's a bit of a
mixture though I'm excited, but I'm also a little bit nervous.
So I was hoping Trush was going to be on
the show to give me a few tips, but I
guess I'm going to have to go to Maddie. He done.
He had a fifty percent strike rate of a great kid.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
So, yeah, croudy of Jack.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
That's a lot I hope.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
I'm happy to give you some advice, Jerome.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Yeah, so what did you do with Jack that you
obviously change with Coop, because I want to know the
way of Jack's upbringing.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Well, Jerome, lots of affection he made, always picking him
up wherever I went. He came with me, mate, always
talking at nights, laying next to you and rubbing his head.
And then with Cooper, I don't know, he just sort
of I don't know. I didn't. Yeah, look, I didn't
really see him for the first couple of years. I
was too busy with Jack. So but do you know what, Jerome,
(03:02):
one thing you're going to find is, and quite seriously here,
the first night or two is quite terrifying because suddenly
you've got this little baby in your possession and you're
all the time, all the time in the hospital you're going, okay,
you know, is who or is she? Okay? You know
it's it okay, breathing fine and crying, oh no, not
(03:23):
crying again. Then all of a sudden, you don't hear
them crying. You go, okay, is everything? Okay? It just honestly,
there's and that's just that's just the first week and
that's natural. But you get yourself into a rhythm and
it is one of the Well, Jerome, we won the
Grand Final the week before Jack was born, and to
that point it was the greatest moment in my life,
including marrying Truish and then when Jack was born. Honestly,
(03:48):
when I looked at him the first time, like the
Grand Final meant nothing to me.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
Yeah. Well, hopefully we can do the same this year.
Hopefully I want to we win a Grand Final and
then a couple of weeks later baby comes, so very exciting.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
When when's he supposed to be due.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
At the end of October early November.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Does that mean does that mean you're allowed to go
away for a boys chirp this year?
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Yeah, no chance for me. Zero times. I'm going away
for a boy this year.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Well, I'll tell you what I did Drome when we
won the compan Newcastle. Trish was in in ib hospital
there and so what happened. The nurses were like, they
were celebrating as well. So they're like, Maddie, we'll just
bring your bed. Just stay in the hospital for the
week alongside Trish. So this is fed. So we did.
And then I'd go out all day drinking and then
(04:39):
I'd come back about eleven thirty at night and then
Tricia go don't let him in, don't let him in,
and the nurses let me in. I'd go lay down.
They'd ordered me pizzas or I'd have a kebab. It
was honestly one of the greatest weeks I could live
in a hospital.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
That actually sounds good. Yeah, you're at a hotel with everything.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
That's exactly what it was like. And Trish was like
when they said, trush gabs, how but we might go
home today, said tru just just stay another couple of days,
just a couple of days, babe.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Well I'll tell you right now, Jerome. I'll make sure
that he takes full advantage of fatherhood because this is
a bloke that has the last decade is known for
just absolutely ravaging freebies from brands, I can only imagine
that he's already started hitting up Huggies and things like
that as well.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
Coop Mate, that's not me. I'm not about the plug life.
I know we got a few few friends that love
that sort of stuff. Harry Grant's a massive one at
the moment. But yeah, that's not me. I don't know
why you bring that up, because that's definitely not what
I'm about. Yeah, I've been at baby Bunting the last
couple of weeks and you know, the amazing baby company
just purchasing all my things.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
So we're going to act like that wasn't sure.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
I don't want to plug a pet food story if
we've got a pet there at home.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
We do have a pet as well, But that's not me.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
And you know what, you're also a great lesson for
people like that because you've been with Molly for how
long now since.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
Well you put me on the spot now it's about
twelve years now, twelve.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Years, and I mean I always look back on your
relationship using I think probably the key moment where Molly
thought I'm going to stay with this man forever is
when you decided to make a music.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
No, you're not going to bring this up. Please tell me,
Please tell me you don't have it.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
I have it. I've got it locked away. I've got
the music video locked away. I know the boys monster
and perhaps stugged up for your body as well. But
to tell dad exactly what it is now? Usually was
it in year twelve eleven?
Speaker 3 (06:40):
No, so do you. I'm going to explain it because
I feel like you're going to lie and say it's different. Yeah,
you we were just in year ten. Molly was at
a different school. She was at Merry Mount on the
Gold Coast. I was at PBC. Her and her friends
asked a couple of myself and my friends to jump
in a music video for a project they had, and yeah,
(07:04):
so I was. Yeah, the guy I was in there
was the I guess, the guy that got not cheated on,
but but left by the pretty girl in the in
the video shoot. And it was yeah, it's actually not
that it's cringey now that I look at it. But Mattie,
if you watch it, yeah, I don't think you think
it's that bad.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
And you know, you did a world drome because she
Molly took pity on you playing playing that Victimus role,
and what sort of song is it? Is it like
pop rock or we thinking blues rap.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
It's a bit of uh what would you say, but
of R and B sort of yeah, R and B.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
It's like that early song.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Sort of love sort of. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
I look at it almost like early two thousands, usher
like a little bit. And Jerome is usher in it
like he's he's lip syncing the lyrics and stuff like that.
It's you and Jalen Jalen Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
he's my girl on it.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
So well, better to.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Be than did that? Would that would date very badly
that it would be good if you give it to me, Coop,
I'll put it on the show.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
No socials, No socials. You can watch it privately, but
I did not want to see it on the station.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
I couldn't do that too, Jeram, I do enjoy the
podcast one six seven with yourself and and perhaps and Munster.
What I was horrified at when I listened to last
night Monster is on the he's on the motivational speaking circuit.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Yeah. He was off at a at a gig for
a miming company up on the Gold Coast, so you
know you would.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Have he was he was educating people like he was
motivating like businesses or something.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Yeah, so yeah, he was a spokesperson to I guess
help the miming come. I want I want to figure
out which miming company it is, so I know how
they go in about a year or two.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Are you saying miming like as in mimes like.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
People are mining mining mining? Maybe it was apolyges I
don't mean to say that mining because I was.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Going to say, be very very difficult to a motivational
talk at a mining.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Conviction about their movements the company.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
By the way, after his motivationalk just fall off Cliff.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
With the potty? Who's in your eyes? Because obviously you
perhaps and months are very different. Who did what's the
roles on the potty? Because you know, like perhaps paps
strikes me is more of the why. Yeah, obviously used
to breed stick insects back in the day, probably still does.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
He's the lead man. He's the lead man. So like Coop,
you know how you say you lead the family podcast,
you're the main guy. Yeah, Yeah, that's what that's what
he's saying. Anyway, that's what's Coop's been coming down here
every time and telling us about the.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Not sobriety, but maybe listen every now and then you
can yourself.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
But yeah, perhaps he's he's the organizer. He's he's pretty
intelligent like that, and he brings in a few topics
how we want to talk about, and keeps everything pretty
on the smart side, where myself and man were. But
I'm in the middle. I reckon personally, I'm a bit
of smart, but I've got a bit of Alerican to me,
and then one's just for Alerican.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Okay, So I'm sensing here, I'm sensing that perhaps would
be Jerry Seinfeld, but he'd be sein Felled, you'd be
I won't say George, you'd be so maybe George. I'll
go with George and Munster. Would he be Kramer?
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Dad, You're using a reference to a TV show that
me and Hughsy probably have no idea.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
It's just about I've never seen Side Field in my life.
I've heard about it, but I've never watched it.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Like a discussion. That's that's a reference that's gone just
on paps.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
That AFL player who's called the sexiest man in AFL,
Baylor Smith. Okay, who was what's who come first? Who
was the who was the og? As you young people, says, I.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
Think it was Bailey A.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
I actually don't know.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Now I reckon. I reckon it was because I remember
like the full look. Yeah, the I'm pretty sure it
was a because it gave perhaps something to model.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
Yeah, so you're saying perhaps just fully copied Bailey Smith.
Is that what you're saying.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
I don't think he copied that, but I'm saying I'm
pretty sure Alie Smith came first and then perhaps thought
my hair can go like that as well, you know,
and then but then perhaps also grew the mustache shout
as well.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
It's interesting something to think about anyway, gentlemen, I know
they gets gets mistaken for Bailey Smith a lot.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
I don't know if it's vice versa, but especially down
here in Melbourne, he gets a bit of Bailey Smith.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
Jerome. One of the things I listened to you did
the primer and the question you put to each other
would you rather full time cook, nassur or clean Obso,
so I would definitely go cook a full time clok cook.
You've always sort of get leaning towards cleaner clean towards
the end there, really, I reckon you've got a full
(12:11):
time cleaner trash. I think it'd be I think it'd
be a waste to get a messur. I think that's
that's just not in the same category. And I've got
my local one.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
That I like to go to.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Anyway, It'd be pretty cheap tooldn't it.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
We had the one down in Richmond as well on
Victoria Street that I used to go too as well, but.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
A few there, brothers.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
It's not a plug. I reckon I'd go. I reckon,
I go cook because it cooks three times a day,
and if you going on different diets and things like that,
it's pretty easy to clean.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
Yeah, but we we we tossed up. We talked about
cleaning everything, like doing the dishes, doing the washing, vacuuming,
moping if you need to that sort of stuff. Car Wow, Yeah,
clean the car when you want.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Cars will clean. This morning Jack's partner Jem and Trusha
out there cleaning all the cars this morning. Excellent work. Yeah,
cleaning the car and the bikini again.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
I did I did mine. I actually did mine. It's
a tough it's actually a tough gig cleaning your car.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
Yeah, And I feel like every it doesn't matter how
hard you clean it it's never clean. I feel like,
you know what, I struggled.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
I struggled with the streaks on the window, you know,
like when you're trying to wipe, and then afterwards I
spent like the hour cleaning it, and then it's still
when it's dried, had still had streets all over the
window and ship.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
I just I just imagine there you saying to one
of those miners, do seven days or seven days on
seven days off flying flight out, just going hey mate,
it's pretty tough. It's pretty tough work cleaning the car.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Yeah, it sound pretty ungrateful. Now he husey talk to
us about the injury. How's it going now?
Speaker 3 (13:57):
It's going really good. Thanks, Yeah, from I guess the
week after I'd done it, I actually my shoulder felt
really good, Like I felt good. Obviously there was a
few things going on inside the joint and whatnot that
wasn't up to scratch, but done a lot of strengthening
and ability the last couple of weeks and it's going
really good. Back to full training now, so hopefully get
(14:19):
through this week and play next week. That's the plan anyway,
because you've had a few shoulders before, right, Yeah, Well,
I done one. I dislocated the same one in the
testimonial we played and Cam smith Yeah up there and Brizzy.
That was the last time I dessicated this shoulder and
(14:40):
didn't have surgery that time, just rehabbed it and had
no problems. But yeah, now I've done this one, I
think the medical team might be wanting to get me
under the knife.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
That testimonial. Was that played for points or was that
just a trial game?
Speaker 3 (14:54):
What was trial game? Trial game?
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Yeah, geez, you would have been happy about that doing
it in Smithie's testimonial game. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
The funny thing was I was actually only supposed to
play twenty minutes, So I played played my twenty minutes,
and then they left me on for an extra four
minutes in the fourth minute.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Do you remember you remember how it ended? Do you
remember shout out to Matt Soaper Lawla who Matt super Lawla.
He he come down and did a pre season with us,
remember that, and he worked really hard and he was
playing in the testimonially on the wing and it was
a tight game. JT. Right at the end of the game,
remember he hit like pretended like he was going to
(15:34):
put a grabber in and then it hit one of
those banana kicks straight out to Kyle Fell and they
scored on SOPs. That for Laura Paul Bloke, he just
played in his first NRL trial and he felt like
the way of the world was on his shoulders.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
I'm pretty sure Harry Harry took a show off JT
that that night too, and I'm pretty sure Bells are absolutely.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Sprayed them yeah at half time.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
Yeah, yeah, I think that's funny.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Yeah, and that his testimonial mate Harry's just oh no,
just you know, it was his testimony.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
We're going to make him look good.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
So have you had any other injuries? What are some
other ones you've had because you did a what what
Kaylen Ponger's done this year is rather.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
I had to Liz Frank in twenty seventeen. Obviously had
two back surgeries a while ago, so there they were
pretty major. But touch with they've been they've been really
good now. But yeah, Liz Frank, obviously two dislocaded shoulders,
two broken hands, one hand each.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Do you struggle with the hand, because remember when you
came back from that hand, you'd like, was it struggling
to catch or fend or something like that.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Uh No, I was actually pretty good actually, so I
was only out for one week for both hands, which
is really weird. But yeah, no, I didn't haven't had
any any danger with them. I think I dropped when
we played my first game back and manly i'd dropped
one straight through and copp the falcon, So I'll blame
my hand for that one.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Well, you're are the luckiest man in probably Melbourne Storm history,
because every time the preseason comes around, Drome always happens
to get a surgery. So he's out. So he's missed
every army camp in Melbourne Storm history. He's the only
play We've got the way to.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Mister Walsh too. He's after me, he's not letting me
forget it. We actually had a Craig you know, Bellamy's
six hundredth game this weekend and we had a little
lunch and he was there and he just bring it
up straight away. I'll see you, I'll see you next year.
Apparently they're bringing it back this year. We've had a
couple of years off just due to numbers, not been
enough numbers to do it, but this year we're back
(17:37):
and apparently I'm going so hoping that surgery takes a
little while long at the hell, so I don't have to.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Do it now. In recording this, Jerome Billy, I had
his six hundredth dinner last night. Did you blow skirt?
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Nah? We didn't go to that one. We went to
we had a lunch the day before. What day it
went on? We had a lunch on Tuesday before training,
and then I think the dinner last night was for
the higher ups.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Yeah, at your own just on belly ache, right?
Speaker 3 (18:09):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (18:11):
How different is he now to your first pre season?
How much has he changed?
Speaker 3 (18:16):
Yeah, he's changed. I'd say he's changed a lot, but
not much as well, if that makes makes sense. He's
same values and all that, and you know, same way
he likes to coach. He's just I think he's just
toned it down a bit on the on the sprays
and the personal sledges compared to compared to back in
(18:38):
the day. Obviously, times have changed a little bit now,
and it's it's good to see that he's sort of
moved with the times and that in that sort of way,
because I don't I don't think you could get away
with some of the stuff he used to say.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
I think what about do you reckon. It's your relationship
with him as well, because I remember, like my first
couple of years there, you're so scared to even put
shit on him, But all the old boys have been
there for a few years to put shit on him,
like about things that you just never say. Obviously, what's
your relationship like with him now compared to when you
first went.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
That, Yeah, we're pretty good now. Like I think what
you're same as what you were saying, Coots when I
first went there, like I wouldn't even talk to him.
I honestly just try ignore him as much as I could,
just to stay out of Spray's way. And then now
I just love getting into him because he's I don't know,
I feel like we have that relationship where I can
actually bring a bit of banter to him, and it's
(19:31):
it's kind of good for the I guess the rest
of the squad to see that he's not, you know,
so serious all the time. And it was the same
as Smithie and Chambers back in the day when I
was young. They were doing it to him to ease
him up a little bit too.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
I'll ask both of you, Blake's what's the best pray
you've ever copped off him. Cooper's it's hard to select one.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Ah far out, you know, And I think I've spun.
I've spent a couple before on potties and that, But
the one that always sits with me is in an
army camp. So Belly's big thing on an army camp.
He learns more about a bloke in the three day
army camp than you know three months of pre season.
And we were doing a speech after two days of
(20:14):
not sleeping, and in the speech, I happened to mess
up my words and I said that I was I
was happy, happy with where I was at. I wasn't
talking about physically as a player. I meant I was
happy with being at the storm and I was trying
to get the stormer app literally. When we get back
(20:36):
used to Amy Park and we're going into like as
you haven't slept, all the boys there they do a barbecue,
they call you in to do like a little review.
The next day. The first thing he brought up in
front of all the boys that did the army camp
was how much he hated hearing me say that I
was happy with where I was at. And then he
used as a lesson. He said you should never be
happy and complacent with where you're at. You should always
(20:58):
be wanting to get better and better. And I wanted
to jump in and go bells up. I meant I
was happy with being at the store because I grew
up a storm fan.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
I could. I could fully imagine him too, like if
you said something like that, he'd be like, oh no,
I can't wait to get into this floke.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
I love the fact that when you said it, like,
he must just stewed on.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
It was like two days later he brought it up
and it was such a little thing, and I was like, oh,
and let's be honest, I'd done some I'd had some
worst efforts in the army camp than that speech, So
I thought he could have.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
Pulled me up on anything else. But have you had
any using Yeah, the main one was probably I think
it was into twenty eighteen. I went on the Keywis
camp over to England. So I went over there. I
didn't play any games. I was just yeah, just aiding
(21:59):
man pretty much the whole whole trip, and enjoyed the tripping.
So I come back to pre season later that year
a little bit late and got my time off, and
then I come back just underdone as ever, like running
ship times, like my weight was just like I was
heavier than I normally am and skin folds her up
(22:20):
and he just absolutely ripped into me like prop like
calling me like fatsy, Like.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Was that private?
Speaker 3 (22:30):
Hey?
Speaker 2 (22:31):
Was that privately?
Speaker 3 (22:32):
No? It was like we were actually like you know,
you know, he pulls you aside when you're out training
if he's got something to tay. He's like, oh, just
come over here quickly this week, Like you thought, yeah,
you know, got a bit of experience under my belt,
you know, being picked in the Kiwis tour, like might
have some some choice words for me. But he just
absolutely ripped me one. And I've tried to come back
(22:53):
after every tour pretty decent now.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Because I remember that preseason because at the time we
obviously had you drink Scotti, drink water and perhaps as
the fullbacks, and I don't think you got one rapper
as first choice fullback the whole preseason.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
That's actually the funniest thing because I started round one,
but only I was third string only because the other
two points were injured.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Drinking did his pack?
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Yeah, he does pecking Like the last the last trial
against Cowboys. I think it was a makai or something. Yeah,
and I'm pretty sure Paps was injured and then yeah,
I was he had to play me. I don't think
he was very happy that I had to play me either.
After the pre season, I just had.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
Do you remember also talking about a blast from the past,
the only other bloke who probably was always on Bells's
bad side in preseason, and I think he always had
it he said, no, he's I'm not going to play
in round one. I'm not going to play Round one.
Always ends up playing round one. Back in the day,
Chase Blair. Chase Blair was the exact same. He would
(24:00):
always come back like twenty kilos overweight.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
And I think it was because the way Chase was
he was just so cruisy, like just that was just
his manner. He just cruised through everything, like training, just life.
He was just so such the cruisiest dude evan. I
think Bells has just hated that about me. But he
was a talented footballer.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Yeah, remember when we used to do wrestle sessions music
because Chase was like he that's it would have been
one hundred and ten kilos as a center.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
Paul as two like big, yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
Six four, And he'd wrestled with We used to wrestle
like backs and forwards, and he'd come wrestled with the backs.
And remember like every no one wanted to go in
his group. Everyone would like just go over, Like how
no one would wrestle with Nelson. Everybody would shuffle over
away from Chase. He would flog bloats.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Really, he was so strong, so strong, so big, I'll
tear something. Boys back in the day, can you imagine,
like how blokes you get ripped coming back overweight, like
in the nineties, like in the early nineties, mate, because
there was very, very little player welfare. Some of the
(25:09):
things the coaches used to say. Actually, my first preseason
was nineteen eighty nine, right, and I remember sitting there
like school kid, and they're going through the list of players, right,
so and so so and so so and so, and
he goes, I'll make up a name here, Johnny Heffron,
And Johnny Heffron stood up and he goes and the
coach goes, oh, fuck, look at you, mate. Your name
(25:33):
going forward now is LRD.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
So LRD.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
Just keep running, We'll tell you when to stop. They
don't set him off Fletch tells Rue about Phil Gold
in the early nineties, I'm sorry in the mid nineties,
and gust does a speech, gets up, mate, this is
what we're going to do this year, and I'm going
to eoze into the train and then looks over at
one of the players, who is terrific bloke. I'm not
going to say, is that embarrassing? He goes, what the fuck?
(25:59):
Get up here, right, flash gas, everyone's going, and he goes,
get your train and shirt off. Look at fucking this disgrace. Right,
our boys, we're gonna do nothing to They going to
do skills, but be course of this bloke. We're doing fitness.
And he wouldn't let the blow put his shirt back on,
and Gus would run run alongside him at times, going
here you going, chubbsy, Hey, you're happy with himself?
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Now that that kind of sounds like what was what
was belly Ache's nickname for?
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Can he be?
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Can you promise?
Speaker 3 (26:33):
Oh? The what do you call it?
Speaker 1 (26:35):
Was it pork?
Speaker 3 (26:36):
No, we're calling him Pulk's but I think it was
because of the ham sandwich thing. Is that that story?
Speaker 2 (26:42):
Yeah, that's what I'm trying to Im trying to remember.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
What it was. It's it was a bluetooth man.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
You know what.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
I actually caught up with the bluetooth man last week
when he was Redcliffe played against Manly and he begged
me to stop telling the story.
Speaker 3 (27:06):
That's the greatest of all time stories.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
Like excuse me, here's sorry, mate, Sorry we're talking while
you're interrupting, Hughesy like you've won, You've won a camp
and you've been there, You've played a heap of final series, mate,
and and you know you've wanted the Nationals with the kiwis.
Where do you reckon? This team's out at the moment
heading into this final series, because mate, this this final series,
(27:34):
My god, it's wide open.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
No, We're boys are going really good. I actually feel
it's probably a bad thing to say, but I feel
like they've really take the big have taken a big
leap while I've been out. I feel like they're really
I think you said it on the Ready or something
many they're better off without me, But but I actually
think they have actually really simplified their game and they're
(28:00):
playing really well. They're you know, there've been some good
teams the last couple of weeks without a few few
of us US boys, A couple of boys have missed
a few games myself perhaps, and I feel like we're
trekking the right way of how we how we really
want to play coming into the finals. So yeah, if
we can get all the boys back on the park
and hopefully get a game together, maybe maybe next week.
(28:23):
Obviously Harry, Harry's out, but I feel like we've got
a bit of momentum going into the finals.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
Yeah, I think you're I think I think with yourself
now Harry missing, I actually think it does as far
as luding into the finals and what's going to do performance,
I think it'll really help you because when you guys
were playing, and mate Hughesy, you were just completely on
fire and and some of those day games should played.
You guys were just blasting teams apart, and I reckon
(28:51):
the way just watching, you know, as a as an observer,
you sort of just maneuvered that way a little bit,
like watching us play, particularly at night, try to blow
sides away, coming up with theirs a little bit, and
you're losing a player like yourself, and they're gonna lose
Harry for a couple of weeks, you know. Again, it's
just forced the side to sort of simplify and go
(29:11):
back to that grinding, grafting style.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
And that that's exactly how they've been playing too, Madie,
and I feel like if we can, you know, keep
that the main focus, especially for you know, the other
players in our team. Obviously there's a few things the
spine that we need to control, but if we can
really simplify our forwards jobs and outside backs, I think
they'll be better for our full player.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
It's pretty it's pretty handy this year as well. Like
obviously you guys have had great depth in the halves
years before as well, but this year like having pez Tyrone, Wishart,
even Sewer when Suwer wasn't hurt with a hamstring like that,
if you Munster Harry or perhaps went down, like you've
got good players underneath who can do a job.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
Yeah, that's been huge for our spine depth. I think
the boys you just named, they've come in and done
done a great job. Not just I feel like last
year was a good building year for them because we
had a lot of our spine out last year and
then this year they've sort of just carried on from
what they've done and obviously with more experience they're going
to be a lot better and they've showed that when
we've had players out in the spine, we you know,
(30:18):
we still play the footy that we know we're capable
of having those guys in.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
There a Jerome, the six again rule, Like, just as
an observer, you're always a great player, you know, I
love I remember watching your play Sunshine Case Falcon sib
made this bloke. But you know you've You've always been
a star. But the six again rule, how good that
has booned for you. You know, you've very much. You've
changed the way you know, halfbacks play now now they
(30:44):
look at you know, you as standard bearer saying mate,
they've got to have a great running game. In fact,
you know, Jerome's going to piss in your pocket. I
said last year and they said, oh, you're sure, and
then they dug up the stats and they went, fuck it.
It's true, mate, I think you're the greatest running halfback
of all time. But there's no doubt the rules, the
rules and the loosening of the rucks has been a
godsend for you.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
Yeah, it has. I don't know about the best running
half of all time.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
But I look I modestly as a mentor right here.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Yeah, there's been there's three good runners of the ball
in this potty right now. So but yeah, I feel
like my transition from fullback into the halves. No one
probably talks about the way the game's changed as well.
They're probably just more like of how have you done it?
Like what have you worked on to become a halfback
(31:35):
coming from fullback? But like you said, I think the
six again rules really changed half backs play and I
haven't changed too much. I've obviously had to add a
kicking game and defend differently. But when I see opportunity
to run, which is a lot nowadays with the fatigue
and the game and you know, less subs and six
(31:55):
agains and whatnot, you know, I can just play what
I play in front of me, and that's what I've
been doing for most of my career. So it's sort
of yeah, the changing of the rules has sort of
helped my transition.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
Going from one into into seven and originally it was six,
but going into the hars, what was the hardest thing
to transition?
Speaker 3 (32:16):
Probably, I guess defense was probably one of them. Like
when you're a fullback, you don't. You don't need to
make many tackles and yeah, it's yeah, there's not much
contact going on. But now when you're in the line,
you're you're pretty much who everyone wants to run out.
So it's like just being able to, I guess, defend
as well as you can and slow play the balls
(32:38):
as well as you can because that's where everyone wants
to go, that's where they find as a weak spot
in the line. So yeah, just being able to learn
how to tackle, and yeah, the contact sessions really helped me.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
How the hell did you blokes not win the camp
in Sunny Coast Falcons? You had there?
Speaker 3 (32:55):
Was?
Speaker 1 (32:56):
There was Jerome tin h Harry Paps, Was Nico there? Nico?
Speaker 3 (33:02):
No? What was that year that I didn't play? Did I?
Speaker 1 (33:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (33:05):
The year that we had that team Husually you you're
already gone into the first grade half back. So we
were there the year before together and we actually went
really bad and water Yeah I.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Know which ones are.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
Actually we actually had a good side. It was for
a lot of the year it was me, you, Paps
and Harry as the spine, but we were all kind
of it just didn't click.
Speaker 3 (33:31):
Yeah, what year was that?
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Eating two thousand and eight. I don't even think we
made the APE.
Speaker 3 (33:36):
I feel like I was in and out heaps too,
because I'm pretty sure I think that was the year
Slee had a few injuries. Yeah, and around the origin times.
I don't think I played too many. But that year
that you had Nico, Tino, Harry, yourself, paps as well, Juzzy. Yeah,
that was a pretty.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
Tinai boys like Tino is one of the best is
in the game now when he was young, like winning
in Melbourne, Like, did you see that with Tina I.
Speaker 2 (34:05):
Let you answer that. I want you to answer this is.
Speaker 3 (34:10):
Ummm no, I'll take you that. No. Nah, it was
just he was just so young, and you know he
was coming. Yeah, he was only his first year that
he played twenty twenty. I think I think that was
his first full year and then he pretty much left
after that year, so he was still only really young there,
(34:32):
and it's pretty cool to see how far he's come,
even just just the way he talks now. You wouldn't
even think he'd be able to talk like that and
in front of media and doing interviews that so Coop you.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
Laughed, what what? Yeah, just close your insight.
Speaker 2 (34:48):
You know, it's funny. So I went up to the
Goldie a few weeks ago watch him play, and Tina
wasn't playing. He was in the sheds Now the Tina
that we remember as U see, who was just like
this big kid who like everything was a joke to
him and just would laugh at the stupidest shit. He's
like completely eradicated that now that he's Skipper. But when
(35:11):
when we see him like and Harry says, it's the
exact same thing when he goes into Queensland camp, he
just reverts back to that like eighteen year old at
Melbourne and ever and all the Titans boys like sammy
Errels and that come up after him, says, I've never
seen Tino be like that before ever. So he's just
he's just completely out there.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
Obviously is the leader. Say that he's still hesit in him,
like when you go talk to him, like like if
I go talk to him if I'm playing after the
game or something, he's exactly the same as he was
back in twenty twenty.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
Yeah, he was he because remember that first year he
would have been like seventeen eighty young, and he remember
like when you're doing wrestling in the preseason. Obviously, some
of the forwards there that year, like Big Jesse Bromise,
Darlee Fanukin Nelson and Tino was young, and they sort
of went after Tea just to sort of like make
(36:01):
him tough. But Tino was like Tino was bloody, like
he'd hold the gloves up.
Speaker 3 (36:09):
No, he was solid. I feel like that sort of
helped them, not like fully help them, but like that
helped them shape them into an NRL player. Like going
up against those boys and being able to hold your
own at such a young age. It just made it
that transition into NURL a little bit easier.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
I felt sorry for him back when Des was sacked,
right and they got they got Tino where they announced
it and they said, and they put Tino up because
you know he's the captain, and I thought too, and
I spoke very well. He said, you know, Des has
been held accountable. Coaches in the past have been held accountable.
I think it's time that the accountability lies somewhere else,
(36:48):
which I thought made great thing to say because he's
obviously talking about his teammates. But the next day in
the paper was Tino Slam's own club. They thought he
was talking about like all the board and the feet.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
Well, Matthew, we were lucky enough to test drive the
Volkswagen EV range, the ID four Pro and the ID five.
How did you enjoy the test drive? Because it's a
lot of technology for.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
A lot, it was a lot of technology, but once
you learn, it's pretty straightforward. So I loved to love
the I love the hollow Ida, the voices, yea, the
voice assistant. It actually made look it does learn your
habits and preferences, both good and unfortunately for me bad
as well. But yeah, I enjoyed it. Actually, you know,
it's like it's actually like Trish, except it doesn't ask
(37:42):
me what time I'll be having from the pubble, tell
me what friends I am allowed to hang out with.
Doesn't want to throw out my favorite clothes, my favorite shirt.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
Your shirts always get thrown out, but.
Speaker 1 (37:52):
My favorite one she threw out last week, the Welcome
to Barley Sons out Guns out Buns out one.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
You don't even like Barley.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
It's not about liking Barley. I just really like the
fabric there and the shirts they bring out bin Tang.
Have you only beat a bali twice? Twice? Twice twice?
Speaker 2 (38:07):
Once in let me see if I can guess it.
Once in nineteen ninety seven and then once this year.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
A nineteen ninety eight we took Jack there as a
young fella and guess what, guess what, I know what
you're going to say, you conceivee in Bali.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
Allegedly that's what. We don't know that for sure.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
No, no, no, no no no, I'm philly certain. That's
my only the only two great memories I go from Bali.
Every time I get to Bali, I get crooked.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
Yeah, because of the tap water.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
Yeah no, there's no ider in Bali? Hello ider? How
do I get over Bali? Belly?
Speaker 2 (38:40):
You know what I liked about the Volkswagen as well,
the range of ambient colors that you can select within
the car to let people know. There's about thirty different
light colors and you can set it to whatever your
favorite color is inside and the interior like the lining
of the car and the color of the home screen
will change to that color.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
It Actually, when I was at the the miss off,
like when I was a young kid. If the old
man brought that back, like it'd be as a kid
at hog Heaven, because you got made all the difference
colors you got the pink one. Was it called neon
pink ice blue. It was actually a little bit like,
you know, going out of the town, going to a nightclub.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Back in the day, back in the day.
Speaker 3 (39:18):
Yeah, back in the day.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
Twenty I haven't been on a nightclub in twenty years.
That's a huge porky.
Speaker 2 (39:23):
You went to my well, and there's been multiple examples since.
But my eighteenth birthday was at a nightclub and you
were there. We had to put you in a taxi.
Speaker 1 (39:30):
Remind me my eighteenth birthday?
Speaker 2 (39:33):
Yeah, but which way it was? Oh yeah, kid man?
That and then and the other day. We're just talking
about it on the film on the podcast you come Home.
As I was getting up from morning radio at four thirty,
you were getting home and no pub stays open that late.
You would have had to have been a nightclub. You're
and how old are you? Fifty four?
Speaker 1 (39:51):
Fifty four? Yeah, yeah, so twenty years a bit of
a stretch. Twenty months have had that.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
Yeah, seriously, what's going on?
Speaker 1 (39:58):
What would be your color?
Speaker 2 (39:59):
And then what's your favorite color?
Speaker 1 (40:01):
I like the I like the neon pink one. Thought
I thought it was thought it was really really cool.
I thought it was good.
Speaker 3 (40:07):
What about you?
Speaker 2 (40:08):
I like, I like the purple when I actually I
said it the purple at one stage love purple is
my favorite color.
Speaker 1 (40:14):
Well, it's the most regal color. Do you know, Like
when do you know how they made purple back in
the day? Why it was the color of kings. It's
because it is the hardest color to produce. So back
in the day, the only way they could produce the
color purple was through crustaceans, like basically crushing crustaceans and
(40:35):
their shells and it would be molded into the color purple.
And we'll get Jack to fact check that it's a fact.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
Is that true?
Speaker 1 (40:43):
That is a fact?
Speaker 2 (40:44):
Who told you that?
Speaker 1 (40:45):
I was? I was somewhere one day and someone told
it to me.
Speaker 2 (40:49):
I'm also like irrelevant to that fact that may or
may not be true. I'm also a big fan of
the panoramic glass roof. It is sick and I like
sometimes I like just laying back in my seat when
I pull up at the house, scrolling on my phone
and it was nice to just lay back and it's
like a it's like a mobile skylight when the stars
(41:11):
are out and about if you're out, you know, outside
of the city, maybe going country driving.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
Well, I was actually thinking there if something happened to
me Trisha and I got divorced, it'd be a great
place to propose to your loved one again under the.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Like thought you're gonna say, I'm mobile scalet or to sleep. Well,
it's a good place for you to sleep because you
often sleep on the couch.
Speaker 1 (41:31):
Yeah, and I must say with that, there was the massage.
I think the massage seats would be incredibly comfortable.
Speaker 2 (41:40):
Tell me that. All right, let's get back to the podcast.
A husy can I asked you as well last year
while we're on finals last year the GF. Was that
so you won the GF in twenty twenty and then
was that your first ever Grand Final loss last year?
Speaker 3 (41:55):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (41:57):
What what'd you take out of that? Because I imagine
it was pretty heartbreaking thing to experience.
Speaker 3 (42:02):
Yeah, it was tough losing that, you know, getting so
far and end up losing. And you know, we we
were confident we had the team to do something special,
but just got you know, being by you know, a
great team. And yeah, probably just the learnings is probably
just I think just the way we play. We probably
(42:26):
played into their hands. A little bit. You know, we
probably try to play their style of footy against them
who were the best at doing it. You know, they
you're not going to beat them at their own game.
And I felt like we sort of fell into that
trap a little bit and went away from, you know,
the stuff we wanted to do, and ultimately they just
they just grinded us into the ground. And yeah, like
(42:47):
I said, we try to try to grind them back,
but you can't do it to the team that's best
at doing it. So that was probably a little lesson.
I don't worry about, you know, don't get sucked into
how they played. Try try to play the way we
want to play. And I guess that's something we've learned
and hopefully we can take into the finals. It doesn't
matter how the other team plays. Let's focus more on ourselves.
Speaker 1 (43:09):
Tricky week for you, Jerome. I was feeling for you. Firstly,
at the start of the week, you win the Dallym,
so this enormous high and like one of the best
moments of your career you'll look back on. But then
the next day you've got to get up and you've
got to do breakfast radio, breakfast TV and everything. While
you're still trying to prepare for the Grand Final. That
(43:29):
must have been at times a little difficult.
Speaker 3 (43:33):
Yeah, that was pretty tough, and I kind of feel
like I probably didn't handle it very well, Like I
probably went into the not an excuse, but probably went
into the game a little bit drained from what happened
during the week, just and that's my own fault. That
was just the way I handled it. I feel like, I,
you know, I try to go to the Dalli Ms
with no expectations. I didn't want to think about it,
(43:55):
like overthink it too much. But the time I got it,
when I was up there and ended up getting the
the DLIM, I was you know, obviously it was a
lot to take in and I was really, you know,
pretty proud that I won it. It's a pretty tough
tough medal to win. And you know a lot of
great players out there that you know, have won it,
(44:17):
and a lot of great players in our game they
could have won it that year. So and then I
feel like I just didn't handle the rest of it
that well, Like, you know, it kind of drained me
that that night. I couldn't sleep. Obviously, it was a
a lot adrenaline going on and then had to be
up early the next morning and do a few different
radios and do a few different interviews. And I think
(44:39):
subconsciously that just drained me. That it was still a
while away from the game. So I can't make that
an excuse, but I think that just just took a
little bit out of me, especially earlier in that week.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
I think that's I think that's perfectly normal and that
that's one of the advantages you know, you guys have
in Melbourne. I'm not saying for a moment, yeah, Anonymous, like,
you guys have built a good profile there, but a
lot of other cities, like like, if you look at
another team, let's say, for instance, the Bulldogs, if they
make the Grand Final this year, that week leading into
(45:10):
the Grand Final, every single everywhere they go, they'll be
bombarded with people ask them things. You know, they'll be
mile of media commitments and they've got to get through that.
Where to an extent, you blokes have to deal with
that well, not as much you know, in an AFL city.
Speaker 3 (45:25):
Yeah, it's good, it's I love it. I love it
during finals and big games and sort of all year around.
We don't probably don't cop it as much as everyone
in Sydney and Queensland, and you know, we probably don't
realize it until we actually go up there and play
up there and then see how much you know. Rugby
leagues and the media and the public. Everyone has eyes
(45:45):
on you. Everyone's to talk to you in the public,
which is fine, but we're probably a little bit hidden
away from all that sort of stuff down here, which is,
you know, personally a good reason for me.
Speaker 2 (45:56):
You just just spark my memory that you'll probably remember
this as we well remember in twenty twenty before the
COVID Grand Final and given the amount of eyes that
were on the NL that year because everyone was just
looking for live sport Dale Fanukan got up in front
of the group and gave shared some of his experiences
(46:18):
on Grand Final week about how you can feel drained people.
His big message from it was it's the time to
be selfish. It's the only time you've got to be selfish,
because people hit you up for tickets, people want videos
for their kid, you know, they want shit signed. And
he was like, you know I do that up to
(46:40):
maybe the Wednesday or Thursday, but three days onwards from
a game, my phone goes off no one can really
get in contact. If they want to get in contact,
they go through my partner because come Grand Final day,
you've just had seven days of like zero just one
hundred miles an hour.
Speaker 3 (46:55):
Yeah, that was something a few of the boys bring
up when we reviewed the Grand Final, probably just the
ones that haven't played in the Grand Final before, just
talking about the whole week and they're probably didn't treat
it as a normal week. You know, they had family
fly in to watch the game and probably hung out
with their family more than they would you know, doing
(47:16):
that sort of stuff, even like on Captain's Run doing
Captains Run and then probably going somewhere and seeing their family,
which in a normal away game they probably wouldn't do.
So I think that's a, you know, a good point
what Dale brought up. Just trying to be as selfish
as you can because there's going to be a lot
of stuff going on which there's some commitments you have
to do and then some you just need to prepare
(47:36):
yourself for a for a footy game.
Speaker 2 (47:38):
I guess back on your delim for a sec because
I remember the night that you got it and watching
watching your speech it and it was something that was
so well deserved, but it seemed like and you're not
about that likes attention that much, you kind of prefer
to deflect onto the other boys. Was that kind of daunting?
Like getting that accolade?
Speaker 3 (48:00):
It was. I was absolutely shooting myself up there, like
I I didn't actually prepare anything, like I didn't There
was no speech that I had prepared, like because I
actually sort of just didn't think I would win it,
like I know, there was a lot of talk about
it and all that, but I just didn't, like I said,
I don't want to go with any expectations, and yeah,
(48:22):
when I wanted, I just I just tried to thank
as many people that helped me get to that position
as I could. And that was probably my main thing,
like like, yeah, it wasn't a really it's not a
without sounding too bad, it's not an award that I,
you know, want to win or that's a goal of mine.
(48:43):
That's you know, odd way rather obviously win a premiership
or you know, team success is probably the main success
that I'm chasing. But yeah, when I got up there,
I just wanted to think, you know, all the boys
obviously the boys and the coaching stuff and a lot
of my Yeah, so something okay, but yeah, just yeah,
(49:06):
it was pretty daunting up there. And you know, I
don't really like talking in front of big crowds like that,
especially after something so emotional, and I didn't really I
don't want to stuff up. I didn't want to miss
anyone out that, you know, really helped me get to
where I was. So it was pretty daunting. But yeah,
hopefully I didn't stuff anything upward wasn't The speech wasn't
(49:26):
as bad as yeah, I thought it was going to be.
Speaker 1 (49:29):
Talk about talk about daunting. Have you ever heard of
a bloke called Youan McGrady? Jerone?
Speaker 3 (49:35):
Nah?
Speaker 1 (49:36):
Okay, one minute here Ewan McGrady. Right in the late
eighties going into the nineties, people used to talk about,
you know, the Winfield couple the NRL. They'd say, mate,
the best player in the world isn't even playing NRL.
He's playing for the mare Rey Boomerangs, right, and everyone say, yeah, yeah, bullshit,
playing in the bush. Yeah sure, sure, sure. Anyway, the
(49:56):
Bulldogs managed to coax him to to the club in
one and he was like twenty nine. This was his
first year. Anyway, he won the Delian Medal. It turned
out he was the best. But yeah, but because mate,
he was like a really shy indigenous fellow for mau
Re that when he found out he was going to
(50:18):
they tipped him off he's going to win the award.
He shit himself because he was so shy and didn't
even turn up. So they got the awards. So where
is he? They had to send out police to go
and find him. Then they had to then they went, oh, mate,
he's got to wear a suit, and they got this
disgusting ice blue suit to put on and just managed
to get him to the presentation. But yeah, so the
way you handled it, I shouldn't have just rocked up.
(50:42):
That would have been good. Just a question, mate. I
think you are a great example for young sports people
and people in every facet of life about mate. You're
an intelligent guy, but intelligence and perseverance is very very
hard to beat. How many clubs did you play out
before Melbourne, Shusy.
Speaker 3 (51:02):
I was at two. I was at Gold Coast Titans,
where I played. I've only played the one game there,
one first grade game and my debut there, and then
I went up to the Cowboys for a year and played.
I also played one game there as well before going
to Melbourne.
Speaker 1 (51:15):
Why husey, why why why didn't that work out?
Speaker 3 (51:20):
Yeah? I think looking back in my Titans days, to
be fair, I probably thought talent was gonna take me
all the way. Like you know, I was. I was
a pretty talented footballer playing in under twenties. We were
we weren't a great side, but I felt like I
was going pretty good. And John Cartwright was the head
(51:43):
coach at the time and gave me my debut. Were
eighteen years old, so I was just thinking, like, how
good is this? Like I'm playing NRL, I'm only eighting,
fresh out of school, a year out of school, and
you know the year after that, I sort of just yeah,
I just got too complacent and it was it was
a really good lesson for myself to learn at the time.
(52:03):
Like I feel like if I didn't go through that,
you know, I don't know where I would be. Probably,
you know, I definite would have played as many in
our games. I wouldn't ended up at the Storm. And yeah,
once they you know, they kicked me to the curb,
which is you know, everyone's saying, oh why would they
get rid of you know me? But I wasn't in
the right, you know, space, I wasn't grown up then.
(52:25):
I was still a young you know, still acting like
a young kid. And you know, once I got punted
and went up north to Townsville for a for a
couple of years, That's where I sort of found that
a bit of hard edge, but a bit of hard work.
And my black Hawks coach, Christian Wolf, who's the he's
a Redcliffe Dolphins coach at right now, and he he
(52:50):
really he's really similar to Bells that he's you know,
he keeps everything simple and he just he just wants
his players to work hard. And he showed a lot
of faith in me, and I spent a year up
there for me, and he got me back into I guess,
wanting to work hard and you're wanting to keep chasing
my NRL dream. And I was there for a year
and you know, played some good foot and the Cowboys
(53:13):
came knocking and signed with him for a year for
the year after and then was there for twenty sixteen.
Speaker 1 (53:19):
Christian Wolf. Someone told me that he used to do
bean knuckle fighting in the old tense. Someone told me that, yeah,
they reckon. He can really stink. I said, yeah, but
of beaner knuckle fighting way way back in the day.
Speaker 2 (53:33):
Any truth to that is.
Speaker 3 (53:34):
Actually that sounds really familiar.
Speaker 1 (53:36):
Actually, thanks, Husy. Usually, usually mate, these asses shoot it
down and then they call for people to fact check me.
But this one, Exhusy is true.
Speaker 2 (53:48):
Yeah, if he has to say that, usy generally means
his stories of ship.
Speaker 1 (53:56):
What you checked it?
Speaker 3 (53:57):
Did you Google check GBT?
Speaker 1 (54:01):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (54:02):
I thought you were telling us to stop the podcast.
Speaker 3 (54:04):
That was random.
Speaker 2 (54:06):
Yeah, sorry, that was Jack. We say to Jack usual,
never come in front of the camera. I don't know
why he just did that.
Speaker 3 (54:14):
That's that's or Dave does that a little bit. It
tries to get it. But a time on the pod.
Speaker 2 (54:20):
Did you know that? Do your Dave obviously your producer
and one six seven did he did you know prior
to him coming on that he was the same for
hallow Sport podcast.
Speaker 3 (54:29):
Yeah, he tells us every day he reckons. He's the
he's the one that got them to where they are
at the moment.
Speaker 2 (54:35):
Well, the funny thing is he told them I want
to get into a bit more serious stuff and then
joined you guys.
Speaker 3 (54:44):
Yeah, yeah, I don't know what he was doing there,
But did you also know he was used to be
the Storm ball boy.
Speaker 2 (54:50):
I did know that their producer. It used to be
the ball boy.
Speaker 3 (54:55):
For the Storm. That's wow.
Speaker 1 (54:57):
Yeah, there was a lot of people who Grand Dania was.
He was boor boy from the New South Wales origin.
So I got at through your life.
Speaker 2 (55:09):
You know Grand Daniel and family feud.
Speaker 1 (55:11):
Now it's a deal or no deal, no deal, you
have the show Everyone's on meth.
Speaker 2 (55:15):
But he used to do family feud though, is that?
Speaker 3 (55:20):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (55:21):
Yeah, yeah, but did both? Yeah, but he was get
the photo. I've got my phone up you guys.
Speaker 3 (55:27):
Continue, Yes, I know the deal with no deal? Dude?
Was he the boor boy for New soth else apparent when.
Speaker 1 (55:32):
When they played the game in Melbourne he was the Yeah,
he was the boor boy.
Speaker 2 (55:37):
I like, I like Grand Daniel. I think he's good.
Who's your favorite? What's your favorite game shows?
Speaker 3 (55:42):
Is he?
Speaker 2 (55:42):
Do you watch any of them?
Speaker 3 (55:47):
No? No, aren't you and Mole?
Speaker 2 (55:49):
What don't you and Mole watch like a bit of
reality TV?
Speaker 3 (55:52):
Yeah? But she she pretty much just chucks on whatever
she wants to. And I got to watch which Lover?
We were watching Love Island for a bit, which, oh.
Speaker 2 (56:01):
No, that's don't act like that. Because I rang you
one time and you said, he text me back. Can't talk?
Speaker 3 (56:07):
Life did not? Yes, you did?
Speaker 2 (56:09):
You said can't talk in the middle of a Love
Island episode. Is that the UK version?
Speaker 3 (56:13):
That's the UK version. I'm very saucy Australian one. We
like watching because it's close to home. I guess I'm
an f boy Island I love. I mean, I am an.
Speaker 2 (56:28):
Dad applies every year and they keep knocking married fifty five.
Speaker 1 (56:32):
I'm the perfect guy.
Speaker 3 (56:34):
You know. My favorite favorite memory of Maddie actually, do
you remember that time you used to come down to
the I was thinking about it on my way over
here the parents weekend. Yeah, and then I think we
went up the road to the Social Medba on Richmond
and you grabbed the mic and you just started blasting it.
I can't remember what song it was.
Speaker 1 (56:55):
I was encouraged by Frank Frank it was don't Look
back in Anger, and Frank went up in said to
the guy playing the guitar, play a bit of old
wastes and I'll get madder. And so Frank Pernice is
the one to blame. But geez, I tear what I thought?
I was pretty good?
Speaker 3 (57:08):
Oh, I was going to say that you were actually
going so hard, like it's so serious, but it was
actually it was actually good. I actually really enjoyed it.
Speaker 1 (57:16):
I remember that night as well.
Speaker 3 (57:18):
You.
Speaker 1 (57:18):
I was having a chat to you. You got to commit.
That's what It doesn't matter what you do, you don't
have to be great, just got to commit.
Speaker 2 (57:24):
Well that's what your advice was to it.
Speaker 1 (57:26):
No, that's my advice is just in general, if you're
going to do something, just commit.
Speaker 2 (57:30):
But do you remember do you remember who else? Did
I remember the night you're talking about, because it was
at Richmond Social It was James the guitarists who was
on who used to do a lot of our sort
of gigs. But Kevin remember Kevy Walters was there as well,
Billy's dad and he he sung yeah yeah yeppi yeye.
Dad finished the song and Kevy grabbed it off him
(57:51):
and sung yeah yeah yep v I. Because that was
the origin that I think that's the first time anybody
you know, realized that, like a gremlin, don't give Jerome
Hughes red wine after midnight.
Speaker 3 (58:04):
Yeah, that wouldn't have been that night, surely it was.
Speaker 1 (58:07):
It was because Trisa said to me, she pointed and goes,
oh my god, here's that crazy guy. I swear to
God and I said Jerome, I said, he's a great guy.
She goes, oh, he's scary. Now she knows how those
middle forward.
Speaker 3 (58:22):
Are you? Are you a.
Speaker 2 (58:23):
Pinot or Charaz guy and a pino man?
Speaker 3 (58:25):
Mate, nice and light Cherez is a bit too, bit
too hard.
Speaker 1 (58:29):
New Zealand made best pinots in the world.
Speaker 3 (58:31):
Ye, because you don't.
Speaker 2 (58:32):
You're not drinking this year, right, You're only doing the
red wine die.
Speaker 3 (58:35):
Yep, yep, yep?
Speaker 2 (58:38):
Is that is that? Is that about you a month
ago going on.
Speaker 3 (58:40):
A Yeah, yep, yep. There's been a few hookups, but
where we're still kicking it.
Speaker 1 (58:45):
Just gets straight back on that wagon.
Speaker 3 (58:47):
Yeah yeah.
Speaker 2 (58:48):
Do we give Hughsey cheesy if we've taken up too
much of your time? Thanks for coming on, mate? Is
there anything now that you're in front of a massive audience,
is or anything you want to say?
Speaker 3 (58:59):
Ah? No, I've done enough talking. I think.
Speaker 1 (59:03):
Us if you if you need to, if you need
me to return the favor of mate, I'm heading down
to man the Sorry Melbourne and Mate, I am available.
I'm an open book now.
Speaker 3 (59:14):
We would love to get you guys on. Actually, fus
are free anytime. We're probably gonna have to get you
guys in studio. So if you guys come down in
it on soon come through.
Speaker 2 (59:22):
My friend send that we'll send that invoice.
Speaker 3 (59:25):
To thank you. Thank you son, so thanks, thanks for
having me us a good.
Speaker 1 (59:30):
Luck for the back end, back end of this season.
Speaker 3 (59:32):
Brother, Thanks bra, Thanks boys, appreciate that's gold, Brother, that's gold.
Thumb's down, there's no funber and that's gold.
Speaker 1 (59:40):
That's right, yeah, right, thumb down, Chief, I thought it
was nah thumb forward fum down Yeah really yeah, I
didn't know that. Perfection mate. Thank you for watching the
footy Show, yeah Hugh.
Speaker 3 (59:58):
Thanks boys,
Yeah, hello guys, welcome to Backstage's Final Series, which when
I do right through into the Grand Final Wednesday, We've
got our first Finals Series preview coming up. I have
something special for you there. But this week we got
Jerome Hughes one on one interview, will two on one interview. Well, Jerome,
it's Murphy's law in it. We interviewed him two days
(00:20):
before that for the risk form injury, the break that
he did the other night against the Brisbane Broncos, which
are men. What a loss for Melbourne and it's going
to be very very hard to win without Jerome. We
have our fingers cross that he's somehow able to make
it back onto the field. But in this interview it's
a beauty. He talks about going into the Final series
this year, getting over his shoulder injury, and he talks
(00:42):
about his career and one of the things I found
really really interesting through this chat talks about last year
and how the week leading into the Grand Final winning
the Dallym Medal Weld just affected his performance on the
big night anyway, his Jerome Hughes enjoy I mean, wow, what.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Just happened to your lighting?
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
You like that?
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Like it?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
You like that, What the hell bot light?
Speaker 2 (01:05):
You want me to kick it?
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Man?
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Was you the one that keeps You're the one that
keeps telling the Melbourne Boys you run this show. So
let's continue the.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Pacific the Cooper John's Family Show.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
That's whatever it's called. Backstage, mate, see you've been listening.
Can I just ask where where are you? Is that
like belly Aches dungeon or something? Where are you recording
this out.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Of this is a little studio that we have in North's.
I've gotta be quiet because belly aches upstairs?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Why is there a blue light? Like a police like
complete like when they go to a murdercine and they
put the blue light over the sheets.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Just so you know, there's no nothing going on on
these on these couches. That's why the blue lights on there?
And what are you doing now?
Speaker 1 (01:53):
You continue? My ear My earphone is just dropped out.
My eyes are so bad. I can't even see the whole.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Jerome, we wanted to ask you as well, Jerome, just
off the top fatherhood Now it's it's right around the
corner for you.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Are you excited?
Speaker 3 (02:09):
I am very excited, Coops. It's a bit of a
mixture though I'm excited, but I'm also a little bit nervous.
So I was hoping Trush was going to be on
the show to give me a few tips, but I
guess I'm going to have to go to Maddie. He done.
He had a fifty percent strike rate of a great kid.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
So, yeah, croudy of Jack.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
That's a lot I hope.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
I'm happy to give you some advice, Jerome.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Yeah, so what did you do with Jack that you
obviously change with Coop, because I want to know the
way of Jack's upbringing.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Well, Jerome, lots of affection he made, always picking him
up wherever I went. He came with me, mate, always
talking at nights, laying next to you and rubbing his head.
And then with Cooper, I don't know, he just sort
of I don't know. I didn't. Yeah, look, I didn't
really see him for the first couple of years. I
was too busy with Jack. So but do you know what, Jerome,
(03:02):
one thing you're going to find is, and quite seriously here,
the first night or two is quite terrifying because suddenly
you've got this little baby in your possession and you're
all the time, all the time in the hospital you're going, okay,
you know, is who or is she? Okay? You know
it's it okay, breathing fine and crying, oh no, not
(03:23):
crying again. Then all of a sudden, you don't hear
them crying. You go, okay, is everything? Okay? It just honestly,
there's and that's just that's just the first week and
that's natural. But you get yourself into a rhythm and
it is one of the Well, Jerome, we won the
Grand Final the week before Jack was born, and to
that point it was the greatest moment in my life,
including marrying Truish and then when Jack was born. Honestly,
(03:48):
when I looked at him the first time, like the
Grand Final meant nothing to me.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
Yeah. Well, hopefully we can do the same this year.
Hopefully I want to we win a Grand Final and
then a couple of weeks later baby comes, so very exciting.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
When when's he supposed to be due.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
At the end of October early November.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Does that mean does that mean you're allowed to go
away for a boys chirp this year?
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Yeah, no chance for me. Zero times. I'm going away
for a boy this year.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Well, I'll tell you what I did Drome when we
won the compan Newcastle. Trish was in in ib hospital
there and so what happened. The nurses were like, they
were celebrating as well. So they're like, Maddie, we'll just
bring your bed. Just stay in the hospital for the
week alongside Trish. So this is fed. So we did.
And then I'd go out all day drinking and then
(04:39):
I'd come back about eleven thirty at night and then
Tricia go don't let him in, don't let him in,
and the nurses let me in. I'd go lay down.
They'd ordered me pizzas or I'd have a kebab. It
was honestly one of the greatest weeks I could live
in a hospital.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
That actually sounds good. Yeah, you're at a hotel with everything.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
That's exactly what it was like. And Trish was like
when they said, trush gabs, how but we might go
home today, said tru just just stay another couple of days,
just a couple of days, babe.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Well I'll tell you right now, Jerome. I'll make sure
that he takes full advantage of fatherhood because this is
a bloke that has the last decade is known for
just absolutely ravaging freebies from brands, I can only imagine
that he's already started hitting up Huggies and things like
that as well.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
Coop Mate, that's not me. I'm not about the plug life.
I know we got a few few friends that love
that sort of stuff. Harry Grant's a massive one at
the moment. But yeah, that's not me. I don't know
why you bring that up, because that's definitely not what
I'm about. Yeah, I've been at baby Bunting the last
couple of weeks and you know, the amazing baby company
just purchasing all my things.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
So we're going to act like that wasn't sure.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
I don't want to plug a pet food story if
we've got a pet there at home.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
We do have a pet as well, But that's not me.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
And you know what, you're also a great lesson for
people like that because you've been with Molly for how
long now since.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
Well you put me on the spot now it's about
twelve years now, twelve.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Years, and I mean I always look back on your
relationship using I think probably the key moment where Molly
thought I'm going to stay with this man forever is
when you decided to make a music.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
No, you're not going to bring this up. Please tell me,
Please tell me you don't have it.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
I have it. I've got it locked away. I've got
the music video locked away. I know the boys monster
and perhaps stugged up for your body as well. But
to tell dad exactly what it is now? Usually was
it in year twelve eleven?
Speaker 3 (06:40):
No, so do you. I'm going to explain it because
I feel like you're going to lie and say it's different. Yeah,
you we were just in year ten. Molly was at
a different school. She was at Merry Mount on the
Gold Coast. I was at PBC. Her and her friends
asked a couple of myself and my friends to jump
in a music video for a project they had, and yeah,
(07:04):
so I was. Yeah, the guy I was in there
was the I guess, the guy that got not cheated on,
but but left by the pretty girl in the in
the video shoot. And it was yeah, it's actually not
that it's cringey now that I look at it. But Mattie,
if you watch it, yeah, I don't think you think
it's that bad.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
And you know, you did a world drome because she
Molly took pity on you playing playing that Victimus role,
and what sort of song is it? Is it like
pop rock or we thinking blues rap.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
It's a bit of uh what would you say, but
of R and B sort of yeah, R and B.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
It's like that early song.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Sort of love sort of. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
I look at it almost like early two thousands, usher
like a little bit. And Jerome is usher in it
like he's he's lip syncing the lyrics and stuff like that.
It's you and Jalen Jalen Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
he's my girl on it.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
So well, better to.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Be than did that? Would that would date very badly
that it would be good if you give it to me, Coop,
I'll put it on the show.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
No socials, No socials. You can watch it privately, but
I did not want to see it on the station.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
I couldn't do that too, Jeram, I do enjoy the
podcast one six seven with yourself and and perhaps and Munster.
What I was horrified at when I listened to last
night Monster is on the he's on the motivational speaking circuit.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Yeah. He was off at a at a gig for
a miming company up on the Gold Coast, so you
know you would.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Have he was he was educating people like he was
motivating like businesses or something.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Yeah, so yeah, he was a spokesperson to I guess
help the miming come. I want I want to figure
out which miming company it is, so I know how
they go in about a year or two.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Are you saying miming like as in mimes like.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
People are mining mining mining? Maybe it was apolyges I
don't mean to say that mining because I was.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Going to say, be very very difficult to a motivational
talk at a mining.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Conviction about their movements the company.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
By the way, after his motivationalk just fall off Cliff.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
With the potty? Who's in your eyes? Because obviously you
perhaps and months are very different. Who did what's the
roles on the potty? Because you know, like perhaps paps
strikes me is more of the why. Yeah, obviously used
to breed stick insects back in the day, probably still does.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
He's the lead man. He's the lead man. So like Coop,
you know how you say you lead the family podcast,
you're the main guy. Yeah, Yeah, that's what that's what
he's saying. Anyway, that's what's Coop's been coming down here
every time and telling us about the.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Not sobriety, but maybe listen every now and then you
can yourself.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
But yeah, perhaps he's he's the organizer. He's he's pretty
intelligent like that, and he brings in a few topics
how we want to talk about, and keeps everything pretty
on the smart side, where myself and man were. But
I'm in the middle. I reckon personally, I'm a bit
of smart, but I've got a bit of Alerican to me,
and then one's just for Alerican.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Okay, So I'm sensing here, I'm sensing that perhaps would
be Jerry Seinfeld, but he'd be sein Felled, you'd be
I won't say George, you'd be so maybe George. I'll
go with George and Munster. Would he be Kramer?
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Dad, You're using a reference to a TV show that
me and Hughsy probably have no idea.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
It's just about I've never seen Side Field in my life.
I've heard about it, but I've never watched it.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Like a discussion. That's that's a reference that's gone just
on paps.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
That AFL player who's called the sexiest man in AFL,
Baylor Smith. Okay, who was what's who come first? Who
was the who was the og? As you young people, says, I.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
Think it was Bailey A.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
I actually don't know.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Now I reckon. I reckon it was because I remember
like the full look. Yeah, the I'm pretty sure it
was a because it gave perhaps something to model.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
Yeah, so you're saying perhaps just fully copied Bailey Smith.
Is that what you're saying.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
I don't think he copied that, but I'm saying I'm
pretty sure Alie Smith came first and then perhaps thought
my hair can go like that as well, you know,
and then but then perhaps also grew the mustache shout
as well.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
It's interesting something to think about anyway, gentlemen, I know
they gets gets mistaken for Bailey Smith a lot.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
I don't know if it's vice versa, but especially down
here in Melbourne, he gets a bit of Bailey Smith.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
Jerome. One of the things I listened to you did
the primer and the question you put to each other
would you rather full time cook, nassur or clean Obso,
so I would definitely go cook a full time clok cook.
You've always sort of get leaning towards cleaner clean towards
the end there, really, I reckon you've got a full
(12:11):
time cleaner trash. I think it'd be I think it'd
be a waste to get a messur. I think that's
that's just not in the same category. And I've got
my local one.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
That I like to go to.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Anyway, It'd be pretty cheap tooldn't it.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
We had the one down in Richmond as well on
Victoria Street that I used to go too as well, but.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
A few there, brothers.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
It's not a plug. I reckon I'd go. I reckon,
I go cook because it cooks three times a day,
and if you going on different diets and things like that,
it's pretty easy to clean.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
Yeah, but we we we tossed up. We talked about
cleaning everything, like doing the dishes, doing the washing, vacuuming,
moping if you need to that sort of stuff. Car Wow, Yeah,
clean the car when you want.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Cars will clean. This morning Jack's partner Jem and Trusha
out there cleaning all the cars this morning. Excellent work. Yeah,
cleaning the car and the bikini again.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
I did I did mine. I actually did mine. It's
a tough it's actually a tough gig cleaning your car.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
Yeah, And I feel like every it doesn't matter how
hard you clean it it's never clean. I feel like,
you know what, I struggled.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
I struggled with the streaks on the window, you know,
like when you're trying to wipe, and then afterwards I
spent like the hour cleaning it, and then it's still
when it's dried, had still had streets all over the
window and ship.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
I just I just imagine there you saying to one
of those miners, do seven days or seven days on
seven days off flying flight out, just going hey mate,
it's pretty tough. It's pretty tough work cleaning the car.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Yeah, it sound pretty ungrateful. Now he husey talk to
us about the injury. How's it going now?
Speaker 3 (13:57):
It's going really good. Thanks, Yeah, from I guess the
week after I'd done it, I actually my shoulder felt
really good, Like I felt good. Obviously there was a
few things going on inside the joint and whatnot that
wasn't up to scratch, but done a lot of strengthening
and ability the last couple of weeks and it's going
really good. Back to full training now, so hopefully get
(14:19):
through this week and play next week. That's the plan anyway,
because you've had a few shoulders before, right, Yeah, Well,
I done one. I dislocated the same one in the
testimonial we played and Cam smith Yeah up there and Brizzy.
That was the last time I dessicated this shoulder and
(14:40):
didn't have surgery that time, just rehabbed it and had
no problems. But yeah, now I've done this one, I
think the medical team might be wanting to get me
under the knife.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
That testimonial. Was that played for points or was that
just a trial game?
Speaker 3 (14:54):
What was trial game? Trial game?
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Yeah, geez, you would have been happy about that doing
it in Smithie's testimonial game. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
The funny thing was I was actually only supposed to
play twenty minutes, So I played played my twenty minutes,
and then they left me on for an extra four
minutes in the fourth minute.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Do you remember you remember how it ended? Do you
remember shout out to Matt Soaper Lawla who Matt super Lawla.
He he come down and did a pre season with us,
remember that, and he worked really hard and he was
playing in the testimonially on the wing and it was
a tight game. JT. Right at the end of the game,
remember he hit like pretended like he was going to
(15:34):
put a grabber in and then it hit one of
those banana kicks straight out to Kyle Fell and they
scored on SOPs. That for Laura Paul Bloke, he just
played in his first NRL trial and he felt like
the way of the world was on his shoulders.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
I'm pretty sure Harry Harry took a show off JT
that that night too, and I'm pretty sure Bells are absolutely.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Sprayed them yeah at half time.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
Yeah, yeah, I think that's funny.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Yeah, and that his testimonial mate Harry's just oh no,
just you know, it was his testimony.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
We're going to make him look good.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
So have you had any other injuries? What are some
other ones you've had because you did a what what
Kaylen Ponger's done this year is rather.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
I had to Liz Frank in twenty seventeen. Obviously had
two back surgeries a while ago, so there they were
pretty major. But touch with they've been they've been really
good now. But yeah, Liz Frank, obviously two dislocaded shoulders,
two broken hands, one hand each.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Do you struggle with the hand, because remember when you
came back from that hand, you'd like, was it struggling
to catch or fend or something like that.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Uh No, I was actually pretty good actually, so I
was only out for one week for both hands, which
is really weird. But yeah, no, I didn't haven't had
any any danger with them. I think I dropped when
we played my first game back and manly i'd dropped
one straight through and copp the falcon, So I'll blame
my hand for that one.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Well, you're are the luckiest man in probably Melbourne Storm history,
because every time the preseason comes around, Drome always happens
to get a surgery. So he's out. So he's missed
every army camp in Melbourne Storm history. He's the only
play We've got the way to.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Mister Walsh too. He's after me, he's not letting me
forget it. We actually had a Craig you know, Bellamy's
six hundredth game this weekend and we had a little
lunch and he was there and he just bring it
up straight away. I'll see you, I'll see you next year.
Apparently they're bringing it back this year. We've had a
couple of years off just due to numbers, not been
enough numbers to do it, but this year we're back
(17:37):
and apparently I'm going so hoping that surgery takes a
little while long at the hell, so I don't have to.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Do it now. In recording this, Jerome Billy, I had
his six hundredth dinner last night. Did you blow skirt?
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Nah? We didn't go to that one. We went to
we had a lunch the day before. What day it
went on? We had a lunch on Tuesday before training,
and then I think the dinner last night was for
the higher ups.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Yeah, at your own just on belly ache, right?
Speaker 3 (18:09):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (18:11):
How different is he now to your first pre season?
How much has he changed?
Speaker 3 (18:16):
Yeah, he's changed. I'd say he's changed a lot, but
not much as well, if that makes makes sense. He's
same values and all that, and you know, same way
he likes to coach. He's just I think he's just
toned it down a bit on the on the sprays
and the personal sledges compared to compared to back in
(18:38):
the day. Obviously, times have changed a little bit now,
and it's it's good to see that he's sort of
moved with the times and that in that sort of way,
because I don't I don't think you could get away
with some of the stuff he used to say.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
I think what about do you reckon. It's your relationship
with him as well, because I remember, like my first
couple of years there, you're so scared to even put
shit on him, But all the old boys have been
there for a few years to put shit on him,
like about things that you just never say. Obviously, what's
your relationship like with him now compared to when you
first went.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
That, Yeah, we're pretty good now. Like I think what
you're same as what you were saying, Coots when I
first went there, like I wouldn't even talk to him.
I honestly just try ignore him as much as I could,
just to stay out of Spray's way. And then now
I just love getting into him because he's I don't know,
I feel like we have that relationship where I can
actually bring a bit of banter to him, and it's
(19:31):
it's kind of good for the I guess the rest
of the squad to see that he's not, you know,
so serious all the time. And it was the same
as Smithie and Chambers back in the day when I
was young. They were doing it to him to ease
him up a little bit too.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
I'll ask both of you, Blake's what's the best pray
you've ever copped off him. Cooper's it's hard to select one.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Ah far out, you know, And I think I've spun.
I've spent a couple before on potties and that, But
the one that always sits with me is in an
army camp. So Belly's big thing on an army camp.
He learns more about a bloke in the three day
army camp than you know three months of pre season.
And we were doing a speech after two days of
(20:14):
not sleeping, and in the speech, I happened to mess
up my words and I said that I was I
was happy, happy with where I was at. I wasn't
talking about physically as a player. I meant I was
happy with being at the storm and I was trying
to get the stormer app literally. When we get back
(20:36):
used to Amy Park and we're going into like as
you haven't slept, all the boys there they do a barbecue,
they call you in to do like a little review.
The next day. The first thing he brought up in
front of all the boys that did the army camp
was how much he hated hearing me say that I
was happy with where I was at. And then he
used as a lesson. He said you should never be
happy and complacent with where you're at. You should always
(20:58):
be wanting to get better and better. And I wanted
to jump in and go bells up. I meant I
was happy with being at the store because I grew
up a storm fan.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
I could. I could fully imagine him too, like if
you said something like that, he'd be like, oh no,
I can't wait to get into this floke.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
I love the fact that when you said it, like,
he must just stewed on.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
It was like two days later he brought it up
and it was such a little thing, and I was like, oh,
and let's be honest, I'd done some I'd had some
worst efforts in the army camp than that speech, So
I thought he could have.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
Pulled me up on anything else. But have you had
any using Yeah, the main one was probably I think
it was into twenty eighteen. I went on the Keywis
camp over to England. So I went over there. I
didn't play any games. I was just yeah, just aiding
(21:59):
man pretty much the whole whole trip, and enjoyed the tripping.
So I come back to pre season later that year
a little bit late and got my time off, and
then I come back just underdone as ever, like running
ship times, like my weight was just like I was
heavier than I normally am and skin folds her up
(22:20):
and he just absolutely ripped into me like prop like
calling me like fatsy, Like.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Was that private?
Speaker 3 (22:30):
Hey?
Speaker 2 (22:31):
Was that privately?
Speaker 3 (22:32):
No? It was like we were actually like you know,
you know, he pulls you aside when you're out training
if he's got something to tay. He's like, oh, just
come over here quickly this week, Like you thought, yeah,
you know, got a bit of experience under my belt,
you know, being picked in the Kiwis tour, like might
have some some choice words for me. But he just
absolutely ripped me one. And I've tried to come back
(22:53):
after every tour pretty decent now.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Because I remember that preseason because at the time we
obviously had you drink Scotti, drink water and perhaps as
the fullbacks, and I don't think you got one rapper
as first choice fullback the whole preseason.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
That's actually the funniest thing because I started round one,
but only I was third string only because the other
two points were injured.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Drinking did his pack?
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Yeah, he does pecking Like the last the last trial
against Cowboys. I think it was a makai or something. Yeah,
and I'm pretty sure Paps was injured and then yeah,
I was he had to play me. I don't think
he was very happy that I had to play me either.
After the pre season, I just had.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
Do you remember also talking about a blast from the past,
the only other bloke who probably was always on Bells's
bad side in preseason, and I think he always had
it he said, no, he's I'm not going to play
in round one. I'm not going to play Round one.
Always ends up playing round one. Back in the day,
Chase Blair. Chase Blair was the exact same. He would
(24:00):
always come back like twenty kilos overweight.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
And I think it was because the way Chase was
he was just so cruisy, like just that was just
his manner. He just cruised through everything, like training, just life.
He was just so such the cruisiest dude evan. I
think Bells has just hated that about me. But he
was a talented footballer.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Yeah, remember when we used to do wrestle sessions music
because Chase was like he that's it would have been
one hundred and ten kilos as a center.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
Paul as two like big, yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
Six four, And he'd wrestled with We used to wrestle
like backs and forwards, and he'd come wrestled with the backs.
And remember like every no one wanted to go in
his group. Everyone would like just go over, Like how
no one would wrestle with Nelson. Everybody would shuffle over
away from Chase. He would flog bloats.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Really, he was so strong, so strong, so big, I'll
tear something. Boys back in the day, can you imagine,
like how blokes you get ripped coming back overweight, like
in the nineties, like in the early nineties, mate, because
there was very, very little player welfare. Some of the
(25:09):
things the coaches used to say. Actually, my first preseason
was nineteen eighty nine, right, and I remember sitting there
like school kid, and they're going through the list of players, right,
so and so so and so so and so, and
he goes, I'll make up a name here, Johnny Heffron,
And Johnny Heffron stood up and he goes and the
coach goes, oh, fuck, look at you, mate. Your name
(25:33):
going forward now is LRD.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
So LRD.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
Just keep running, We'll tell you when to stop. They
don't set him off Fletch tells Rue about Phil Gold
in the early nineties, I'm sorry in the mid nineties,
and gust does a speech, gets up, mate, this is
what we're going to do this year, and I'm going
to eoze into the train and then looks over at
one of the players, who is terrific bloke. I'm not
going to say, is that embarrassing? He goes, what the fuck?
(25:59):
Get up here, right, flash gas, everyone's going, and he goes,
get your train and shirt off. Look at fucking this disgrace. Right,
our boys, we're gonna do nothing to They going to
do skills, but be course of this bloke. We're doing fitness.
And he wouldn't let the blow put his shirt back on,
and Gus would run run alongside him at times, going
here you going, chubbsy, Hey, you're happy with himself?
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Now that that kind of sounds like what was what
was belly Ache's nickname for?
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Can he be?
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Can you promise?
Speaker 3 (26:33):
Oh? The what do you call it?
Speaker 1 (26:35):
Was it pork?
Speaker 3 (26:36):
No, we're calling him Pulk's but I think it was
because of the ham sandwich thing. Is that that story?
Speaker 2 (26:42):
Yeah, that's what I'm trying to Im trying to remember.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
What it was. It's it was a bluetooth man.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
You know what.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
I actually caught up with the bluetooth man last week
when he was Redcliffe played against Manly and he begged
me to stop telling the story.
Speaker 3 (27:06):
That's the greatest of all time stories.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
Like excuse me, here's sorry, mate, Sorry we're talking while
you're interrupting, Hughesy like you've won, You've won a camp
and you've been there, You've played a heap of final series, mate,
and and you know you've wanted the Nationals with the kiwis.
Where do you reckon? This team's out at the moment
heading into this final series, because mate, this this final series,
(27:34):
My god, it's wide open.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
No, We're boys are going really good. I actually feel
it's probably a bad thing to say, but I feel
like they've really take the big have taken a big
leap while I've been out. I feel like they're really
I think you said it on the Ready or something
many they're better off without me, But but I actually
think they have actually really simplified their game and they're
(28:00):
playing really well. They're you know, there've been some good
teams the last couple of weeks without a few few
of us US boys, A couple of boys have missed
a few games myself perhaps, and I feel like we're
trekking the right way of how we how we really
want to play coming into the finals. So yeah, if
we can get all the boys back on the park
and hopefully get a game together, maybe maybe next week.
(28:23):
Obviously Harry, Harry's out, but I feel like we've got
a bit of momentum going into the finals.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
Yeah, I think you're I think I think with yourself
now Harry missing, I actually think it does as far
as luding into the finals and what's going to do performance,
I think it'll really help you because when you guys
were playing, and mate Hughesy, you were just completely on
fire and and some of those day games should played.
You guys were just blasting teams apart, and I reckon
(28:51):
the way just watching, you know, as a as an observer,
you sort of just maneuvered that way a little bit,
like watching us play, particularly at night, try to blow
sides away, coming up with theirs a little bit, and
you're losing a player like yourself, and they're gonna lose
Harry for a couple of weeks, you know. Again, it's
just forced the side to sort of simplify and go
(29:11):
back to that grinding, grafting style.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
And that that's exactly how they've been playing too, Madie,
and I feel like if we can, you know, keep
that the main focus, especially for you know, the other
players in our team. Obviously there's a few things the
spine that we need to control, but if we can
really simplify our forwards jobs and outside backs, I think
they'll be better for our full player.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
It's pretty it's pretty handy this year as well. Like
obviously you guys have had great depth in the halves
years before as well, but this year like having pez Tyrone, Wishart,
even Sewer when Suwer wasn't hurt with a hamstring like that,
if you Munster Harry or perhaps went down, like you've
got good players underneath who can do a job.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
Yeah, that's been huge for our spine depth. I think
the boys you just named, they've come in and done
done a great job. Not just I feel like last
year was a good building year for them because we
had a lot of our spine out last year and
then this year they've sort of just carried on from
what they've done and obviously with more experience they're going
to be a lot better and they've showed that when
we've had players out in the spine, we you know,
(30:18):
we still play the footy that we know we're capable
of having those guys in.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
There a Jerome, the six again rule, Like, just as
an observer, you're always a great player, you know, I
love I remember watching your play Sunshine Case Falcon sib
made this bloke. But you know you've You've always been
a star. But the six again rule, how good that
has booned for you. You know, you've very much. You've
changed the way you know, halfbacks play now now they
(30:44):
look at you know, you as standard bearer saying mate,
they've got to have a great running game. In fact,
you know, Jerome's going to piss in your pocket. I
said last year and they said, oh, you're sure, and
then they dug up the stats and they went, fuck it.
It's true, mate, I think you're the greatest running halfback
of all time. But there's no doubt the rules, the
rules and the loosening of the rucks has been a
godsend for you.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
Yeah, it has. I don't know about the best running
half of all time.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
But I look I modestly as a mentor right here.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Yeah, there's been there's three good runners of the ball
in this potty right now. So but yeah, I feel
like my transition from fullback into the halves. No one
probably talks about the way the game's changed as well.
They're probably just more like of how have you done it?
Like what have you worked on to become a halfback
(31:35):
coming from fullback? But like you said, I think the
six again rules really changed half backs play and I
haven't changed too much. I've obviously had to add a
kicking game and defend differently. But when I see opportunity
to run, which is a lot nowadays with the fatigue
and the game and you know, less subs and six
(31:55):
agains and whatnot, you know, I can just play what
I play in front of me, and that's what I've
been doing for most of my career. So it's sort
of yeah, the changing of the rules has sort of
helped my transition.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
Going from one into into seven and originally it was six,
but going into the hars, what was the hardest thing
to transition?
Speaker 3 (32:16):
Probably, I guess defense was probably one of them. Like
when you're a fullback, you don't. You don't need to
make many tackles and yeah, it's yeah, there's not much
contact going on. But now when you're in the line,
you're you're pretty much who everyone wants to run out.
So it's like just being able to, I guess, defend
as well as you can and slow play the balls
(32:38):
as well as you can because that's where everyone wants
to go, that's where they find as a weak spot
in the line. So yeah, just being able to learn
how to tackle, and yeah, the contact sessions really helped me.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
How the hell did you blokes not win the camp
in Sunny Coast Falcons? You had there?
Speaker 3 (32:55):
Was?
Speaker 1 (32:56):
There was Jerome tin h Harry Paps, Was Nico there? Nico?
Speaker 3 (33:02):
No? What was that year that I didn't play? Did I?
Speaker 1 (33:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (33:05):
The year that we had that team Husually you you're
already gone into the first grade half back. So we
were there the year before together and we actually went
really bad and water Yeah I.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Know which ones are.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
Actually we actually had a good side. It was for
a lot of the year it was me, you, Paps
and Harry as the spine, but we were all kind
of it just didn't click.
Speaker 3 (33:31):
Yeah, what year was that?
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Eating two thousand and eight. I don't even think we
made the APE.
Speaker 3 (33:36):
I feel like I was in and out heaps too,
because I'm pretty sure I think that was the year
Slee had a few injuries. Yeah, and around the origin times.
I don't think I played too many. But that year
that you had Nico, Tino, Harry, yourself, paps as well, Juzzy. Yeah,
that was a pretty.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
Tinai boys like Tino is one of the best is
in the game now when he was young, like winning
in Melbourne, Like, did you see that with Tina I.
Speaker 2 (34:05):
Let you answer that. I want you to answer this is.
Speaker 3 (34:10):
Ummm no, I'll take you that. No. Nah, it was
just he was just so young, and you know he
was coming. Yeah, he was only his first year that
he played twenty twenty. I think I think that was
his first full year and then he pretty much left
after that year, so he was still only really young there,
(34:32):
and it's pretty cool to see how far he's come,
even just just the way he talks now. You wouldn't
even think he'd be able to talk like that and
in front of media and doing interviews that so Coop you.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
Laughed, what what? Yeah, just close your insight.
Speaker 2 (34:48):
You know, it's funny. So I went up to the
Goldie a few weeks ago watch him play, and Tina
wasn't playing. He was in the sheds Now the Tina
that we remember as U see, who was just like
this big kid who like everything was a joke to
him and just would laugh at the stupidest shit. He's
like completely eradicated that now that he's Skipper. But when
(35:11):
when we see him like and Harry says, it's the
exact same thing when he goes into Queensland camp, he
just reverts back to that like eighteen year old at
Melbourne and ever and all the Titans boys like sammy
Errels and that come up after him, says, I've never
seen Tino be like that before ever. So he's just
he's just completely out there.
Speaker 3 (35:28):
Obviously is the leader. Say that he's still hesit in him,
like when you go talk to him, like like if
I go talk to him if I'm playing after the
game or something, he's exactly the same as he was
back in twenty twenty.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
Yeah, he was he because remember that first year he
would have been like seventeen eighty young, and he remember
like when you're doing wrestling in the preseason. Obviously, some
of the forwards there that year, like Big Jesse Bromise,
Darlee Fanukin Nelson and Tino was young, and they sort
of went after Tea just to sort of like make
(36:01):
him tough. But Tino was like Tino was bloody, like
he'd hold the gloves up.
Speaker 3 (36:09):
No, he was solid. I feel like that sort of
helped them, not like fully help them, but like that
helped them shape them into an NRL player. Like going
up against those boys and being able to hold your
own at such a young age. It just made it
that transition into NURL a little bit easier.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
I felt sorry for him back when Des was sacked,
right and they got they got Tino where they announced
it and they said, and they put Tino up because
you know he's the captain, and I thought too, and
I spoke very well. He said, you know, Des has
been held accountable. Coaches in the past have been held accountable.
I think it's time that the accountability lies somewhere else,
(36:48):
which I thought made great thing to say because he's
obviously talking about his teammates. But the next day in
the paper was Tino Slam's own club. They thought he
was talking about like all the board and the feet.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
Well, Matthew, we were lucky enough to test drive the
Volkswagen EV range, the ID four Pro and the ID five.
How did you enjoy the test drive? Because it's a
lot of technology for.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
A lot, it was a lot of technology, but once
you learn, it's pretty straightforward. So I loved to love
the I love the hollow Ida, the voices, yea, the
voice assistant. It actually made look it does learn your
habits and preferences, both good and unfortunately for me bad
as well. But yeah, I enjoyed it. Actually, you know,
it's like it's actually like Trish, except it doesn't ask
(37:42):
me what time I'll be having from the pubble, tell
me what friends I am allowed to hang out with.
Doesn't want to throw out my favorite clothes, my favorite shirt.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
Your shirts always get thrown out, but.
Speaker 1 (37:52):
My favorite one she threw out last week, the Welcome
to Barley Sons out Guns out Buns out one.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
You don't even like Barley.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
It's not about liking Barley. I just really like the
fabric there and the shirts they bring out bin Tang.
Have you only beat a bali twice? Twice? Twice twice?
Speaker 2 (38:07):
Once in let me see if I can guess it.
Once in nineteen ninety seven and then once this year.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
A nineteen ninety eight we took Jack there as a
young fella and guess what, guess what, I know what
you're going to say, you conceivee in Bali.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
Allegedly that's what. We don't know that for sure.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
No, no, no, no no no, I'm philly certain. That's
my only the only two great memories I go from Bali.
Every time I get to Bali, I get crooked.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
Yeah, because of the tap water.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
Yeah no, there's no ider in Bali? Hello ider? How
do I get over Bali? Belly?
Speaker 2 (38:40):
You know what I liked about the Volkswagen as well,
the range of ambient colors that you can select within
the car to let people know. There's about thirty different
light colors and you can set it to whatever your
favorite color is inside and the interior like the lining
of the car and the color of the home screen
will change to that color.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
It Actually, when I was at the the miss off,
like when I was a young kid. If the old
man brought that back, like it'd be as a kid
at hog Heaven, because you got made all the difference
colors you got the pink one. Was it called neon
pink ice blue. It was actually a little bit like,
you know, going out of the town, going to a nightclub.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Back in the day, back in the day.
Speaker 3 (39:18):
Yeah, back in the day.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
Twenty I haven't been on a nightclub in twenty years.
That's a huge porky.
Speaker 2 (39:23):
You went to my well, and there's been multiple examples since.
But my eighteenth birthday was at a nightclub and you
were there. We had to put you in a taxi.
Speaker 1 (39:30):
Remind me my eighteenth birthday?
Speaker 2 (39:33):
Yeah, but which way it was? Oh yeah, kid man?
That and then and the other day. We're just talking
about it on the film on the podcast you come Home.
As I was getting up from morning radio at four thirty,
you were getting home and no pub stays open that late.
You would have had to have been a nightclub. You're
and how old are you? Fifty four?
Speaker 1 (39:51):
Fifty four? Yeah, yeah, so twenty years a bit of
a stretch. Twenty months have had that.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
Yeah, seriously, what's going on?
Speaker 1 (39:58):
What would be your color?
Speaker 2 (39:59):
And then what's your favorite color?
Speaker 1 (40:01):
I like the I like the neon pink one. Thought
I thought it was thought it was really really cool.
I thought it was good.
Speaker 3 (40:07):
What about you?
Speaker 2 (40:08):
I like, I like the purple when I actually I
said it the purple at one stage love purple is
my favorite color.
Speaker 1 (40:14):
Well, it's the most regal color. Do you know, Like
when do you know how they made purple back in
the day? Why it was the color of kings. It's
because it is the hardest color to produce. So back
in the day, the only way they could produce the
color purple was through crustaceans, like basically crushing crustaceans and
(40:35):
their shells and it would be molded into the color purple.
And we'll get Jack to fact check that it's a fact.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
Is that true?
Speaker 1 (40:43):
That is a fact?
Speaker 2 (40:44):
Who told you that?
Speaker 1 (40:45):
I was? I was somewhere one day and someone told
it to me.
Speaker 2 (40:49):
I'm also like irrelevant to that fact that may or
may not be true. I'm also a big fan of
the panoramic glass roof. It is sick and I like
sometimes I like just laying back in my seat when
I pull up at the house, scrolling on my phone
and it was nice to just lay back and it's
like a it's like a mobile skylight when the stars
(41:11):
are out and about if you're out, you know, outside
of the city, maybe going country driving.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
Well, I was actually thinking there if something happened to
me Trisha and I got divorced, it'd be a great
place to propose to your loved one again under the.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Like thought you're gonna say, I'm mobile scalet or to sleep. Well,
it's a good place for you to sleep because you
often sleep on the couch.
Speaker 1 (41:31):
Yeah, and I must say with that, there was the massage.
I think the massage seats would be incredibly comfortable.
Speaker 2 (41:40):
Tell me that. All right, let's get back to the podcast.
A husy can I asked you as well last year
while we're on finals last year the GF. Was that
so you won the GF in twenty twenty and then
was that your first ever Grand Final loss last year?
Speaker 3 (41:55):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (41:57):
What what'd you take out of that? Because I imagine
it was pretty heartbreaking thing to experience.
Speaker 3 (42:02):
Yeah, it was tough losing that, you know, getting so
far and end up losing. And you know, we we
were confident we had the team to do something special,
but just got you know, being by you know, a
great team. And yeah, probably just the learnings is probably
just I think just the way we play. We probably
(42:26):
played into their hands. A little bit. You know, we
probably try to play their style of footy against them
who were the best at doing it. You know, they
you're not going to beat them at their own game.
And I felt like we sort of fell into that
trap a little bit and went away from, you know,
the stuff we wanted to do, and ultimately they just
they just grinded us into the ground. And yeah, like
(42:47):
I said, we try to try to grind them back,
but you can't do it to the team that's best
at doing it. So that was probably a little lesson.
I don't worry about, you know, don't get sucked into
how they played. Try try to play the way we
want to play. And I guess that's something we've learned
and hopefully we can take into the finals. It doesn't
matter how the other team plays. Let's focus more on ourselves.
Speaker 1 (43:09):
Tricky week for you, Jerome. I was feeling for you. Firstly,
at the start of the week, you win the Dallym,
so this enormous high and like one of the best
moments of your career you'll look back on. But then
the next day you've got to get up and you've
got to do breakfast radio, breakfast TV and everything. While
you're still trying to prepare for the Grand Final. That
(43:29):
must have been at times a little difficult.
Speaker 3 (43:33):
Yeah, that was pretty tough, and I kind of feel
like I probably didn't handle it very well, Like I
probably went into the not an excuse, but probably went
into the game a little bit drained from what happened
during the week, just and that's my own fault. That
was just the way I handled it. I feel like, I,
you know, I try to go to the Dalli Ms
with no expectations. I didn't want to think about it,
(43:55):
like overthink it too much. But the time I got it,
when I was up there and ended up getting the
the DLIM, I was you know, obviously it was a
lot to take in and I was really, you know,
pretty proud that I won it. It's a pretty tough
tough medal to win. And you know a lot of
great players out there that you know, have won it,
(44:17):
and a lot of great players in our game they
could have won it that year. So and then I
feel like I just didn't handle the rest of it
that well, Like, you know, it kind of drained me
that that night. I couldn't sleep. Obviously, it was a
a lot adrenaline going on and then had to be
up early the next morning and do a few different
radios and do a few different interviews. And I think
(44:39):
subconsciously that just drained me. That it was still a
while away from the game. So I can't make that
an excuse, but I think that just just took a
little bit out of me, especially earlier in that week.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
I think that's I think that's perfectly normal and that
that's one of the advantages you know, you guys have
in Melbourne. I'm not saying for a moment, yeah, Anonymous, like,
you guys have built a good profile there, but a
lot of other cities, like like, if you look at
another team, let's say, for instance, the Bulldogs, if they
make the Grand Final this year, that week leading into
(45:10):
the Grand Final, every single everywhere they go, they'll be
bombarded with people ask them things. You know, they'll be
mile of media commitments and they've got to get through that.
Where to an extent, you blokes have to deal with
that well, not as much you know, in an AFL city.
Speaker 3 (45:25):
Yeah, it's good, it's I love it. I love it
during finals and big games and sort of all year around.
We don't probably don't cop it as much as everyone
in Sydney and Queensland, and you know, we probably don't
realize it until we actually go up there and play
up there and then see how much you know. Rugby
leagues and the media and the public. Everyone has eyes
(45:45):
on you. Everyone's to talk to you in the public,
which is fine, but we're probably a little bit hidden
away from all that sort of stuff down here, which is,
you know, personally a good reason for me.
Speaker 2 (45:56):
You just just spark my memory that you'll probably remember
this as we well remember in twenty twenty before the
COVID Grand Final and given the amount of eyes that
were on the NL that year because everyone was just
looking for live sport Dale Fanukan got up in front
of the group and gave shared some of his experiences
(46:18):
on Grand Final week about how you can feel drained people.
His big message from it was it's the time to
be selfish. It's the only time you've got to be selfish,
because people hit you up for tickets, people want videos
for their kid, you know, they want shit signed. And
he was like, you know I do that up to
(46:40):
maybe the Wednesday or Thursday, but three days onwards from
a game, my phone goes off no one can really
get in contact. If they want to get in contact,
they go through my partner because come Grand Final day,
you've just had seven days of like zero just one
hundred miles an hour.
Speaker 3 (46:55):
Yeah, that was something a few of the boys bring
up when we reviewed the Grand Final, probably just the
ones that haven't played in the Grand Final before, just
talking about the whole week and they're probably didn't treat
it as a normal week. You know, they had family
fly in to watch the game and probably hung out
with their family more than they would you know, doing
(47:16):
that sort of stuff, even like on Captain's Run doing
Captains Run and then probably going somewhere and seeing their family,
which in a normal away game they probably wouldn't do.
So I think that's a, you know, a good point
what Dale brought up. Just trying to be as selfish
as you can because there's going to be a lot
of stuff going on which there's some commitments you have
to do and then some you just need to prepare
(47:36):
yourself for a for a footy game.
Speaker 2 (47:38):
I guess back on your delim for a sec because
I remember the night that you got it and watching
watching your speech it and it was something that was
so well deserved, but it seemed like and you're not
about that likes attention that much, you kind of prefer
to deflect onto the other boys. Was that kind of daunting?
Like getting that accolade?
Speaker 3 (48:00):
It was. I was absolutely shooting myself up there, like
I I didn't actually prepare anything, like I didn't There
was no speech that I had prepared, like because I
actually sort of just didn't think I would win it,
like I know, there was a lot of talk about
it and all that, but I just didn't, like I said,
I don't want to go with any expectations, and yeah,
(48:22):
when I wanted, I just I just tried to thank
as many people that helped me get to that position
as I could. And that was probably my main thing,
like like, yeah, it wasn't a really it's not a
without sounding too bad, it's not an award that I,
you know, want to win or that's a goal of mine.
(48:43):
That's you know, odd way rather obviously win a premiership
or you know, team success is probably the main success
that I'm chasing. But yeah, when I got up there,
I just wanted to think, you know, all the boys
obviously the boys and the coaching stuff and a lot
of my Yeah, so something okay, but yeah, just yeah,
(49:06):
it was pretty daunting up there. And you know, I
don't really like talking in front of big crowds like that,
especially after something so emotional, and I didn't really I
don't want to stuff up. I didn't want to miss
anyone out that, you know, really helped me get to
where I was. So it was pretty daunting. But yeah,
hopefully I didn't stuff anything upward wasn't The speech wasn't
(49:26):
as bad as yeah, I thought it was going to be.
Speaker 1 (49:29):
Talk about talk about daunting. Have you ever heard of
a bloke called Youan McGrady? Jerone?
Speaker 3 (49:35):
Nah?
Speaker 1 (49:36):
Okay, one minute here Ewan McGrady. Right in the late
eighties going into the nineties, people used to talk about,
you know, the Winfield couple the NRL. They'd say, mate,
the best player in the world isn't even playing NRL.
He's playing for the mare Rey Boomerangs, right, and everyone say, yeah, yeah, bullshit,
playing in the bush. Yeah sure, sure, sure. Anyway, the
(49:56):
Bulldogs managed to coax him to to the club in
one and he was like twenty nine. This was his
first year. Anyway, he won the Delian Medal. It turned
out he was the best. But yeah, but because mate,
he was like a really shy indigenous fellow for mau
Re that when he found out he was going to
(50:18):
they tipped him off he's going to win the award.
He shit himself because he was so shy and didn't
even turn up. So they got the awards. So where
is he? They had to send out police to go
and find him. Then they had to then they went, oh, mate,
he's got to wear a suit, and they got this
disgusting ice blue suit to put on and just managed
to get him to the presentation. But yeah, so the
way you handled it, I shouldn't have just rocked up.
(50:42):
That would have been good. Just a question, mate. I
think you are a great example for young sports people
and people in every facet of life about mate. You're
an intelligent guy, but intelligence and perseverance is very very
hard to beat. How many clubs did you play out
before Melbourne, Shusy.
Speaker 3 (51:02):
I was at two. I was at Gold Coast Titans,
where I played. I've only played the one game there,
one first grade game and my debut there, and then
I went up to the Cowboys for a year and played.
I also played one game there as well before going
to Melbourne.
Speaker 1 (51:15):
Why husey, why why why didn't that work out?
Speaker 3 (51:20):
Yeah? I think looking back in my Titans days, to
be fair, I probably thought talent was gonna take me
all the way. Like you know, I was. I was
a pretty talented footballer playing in under twenties. We were
we weren't a great side, but I felt like I
was going pretty good. And John Cartwright was the head
(51:43):
coach at the time and gave me my debut. Were
eighteen years old, so I was just thinking, like, how
good is this? Like I'm playing NRL, I'm only eighting,
fresh out of school, a year out of school, and
you know the year after that, I sort of just yeah,
I just got too complacent and it was it was
a really good lesson for myself to learn at the time.
(52:03):
Like I feel like if I didn't go through that,
you know, I don't know where I would be. Probably,
you know, I definite would have played as many in
our games. I wouldn't ended up at the Storm. And yeah,
once they you know, they kicked me to the curb,
which is you know, everyone's saying, oh why would they
get rid of you know me? But I wasn't in
the right, you know, space, I wasn't grown up then.
(52:25):
I was still a young you know, still acting like
a young kid. And you know, once I got punted
and went up north to Townsville for a for a
couple of years, That's where I sort of found that
a bit of hard edge, but a bit of hard work.
And my black Hawks coach, Christian Wolf, who's the he's
a Redcliffe Dolphins coach at right now, and he he
(52:50):
really he's really similar to Bells that he's you know,
he keeps everything simple and he just he just wants
his players to work hard. And he showed a lot
of faith in me, and I spent a year up
there for me, and he got me back into I guess,
wanting to work hard and you're wanting to keep chasing
my NRL dream. And I was there for a year
and you know, played some good foot and the Cowboys
(53:13):
came knocking and signed with him for a year for
the year after and then was there for twenty sixteen.
Speaker 1 (53:19):
Christian Wolf. Someone told me that he used to do
bean knuckle fighting in the old tense. Someone told me that, yeah,
they reckon. He can really stink. I said, yeah, but
of beaner knuckle fighting way way back in the day.
Speaker 2 (53:33):
Any truth to that is.
Speaker 3 (53:34):
Actually that sounds really familiar.
Speaker 1 (53:36):
Actually, thanks, Husy. Usually, usually mate, these asses shoot it
down and then they call for people to fact check me.
But this one, Exhusy is true.
Speaker 2 (53:48):
Yeah, if he has to say that, usy generally means
his stories of ship.
Speaker 1 (53:56):
What you checked it?
Speaker 3 (53:57):
Did you Google check GBT?
Speaker 1 (54:01):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (54:02):
I thought you were telling us to stop the podcast.
Speaker 3 (54:04):
That was random.
Speaker 2 (54:06):
Yeah, sorry, that was Jack. We say to Jack usual,
never come in front of the camera. I don't know
why he just did that.
Speaker 3 (54:14):
That's that's or Dave does that a little bit. It
tries to get it. But a time on the pod.
Speaker 2 (54:20):
Did you know that? Do your Dave obviously your producer
and one six seven did he did you know prior
to him coming on that he was the same for
hallow Sport podcast.
Speaker 3 (54:29):
Yeah, he tells us every day he reckons. He's the
he's the one that got them to where they are
at the moment.
Speaker 2 (54:35):
Well, the funny thing is he told them I want
to get into a bit more serious stuff and then
joined you guys.
Speaker 3 (54:44):
Yeah, yeah, I don't know what he was doing there,
But did you also know he was used to be
the Storm ball boy.
Speaker 2 (54:50):
I did know that their producer. It used to be
the ball boy.
Speaker 3 (54:55):
For the Storm. That's wow.
Speaker 1 (54:57):
Yeah, there was a lot of people who Grand Dania was.
He was boor boy from the New South Wales origin.
So I got at through your life.
Speaker 2 (55:09):
You know Grand Daniel and family feud.
Speaker 1 (55:11):
Now it's a deal or no deal, no deal, you
have the show Everyone's on meth.
Speaker 2 (55:15):
But he used to do family feud though, is that?
Speaker 3 (55:20):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (55:21):
Yeah, yeah, but did both? Yeah, but he was get
the photo. I've got my phone up you guys.
Speaker 3 (55:27):
Continue, Yes, I know the deal with no deal? Dude?
Was he the boor boy for New soth else apparent when.
Speaker 1 (55:32):
When they played the game in Melbourne he was the Yeah,
he was the boor boy.
Speaker 2 (55:37):
I like, I like Grand Daniel. I think he's good.
Who's your favorite? What's your favorite game shows?
Speaker 3 (55:42):
Is he?
Speaker 2 (55:42):
Do you watch any of them?
Speaker 3 (55:47):
No? No, aren't you and Mole?
Speaker 2 (55:49):
What don't you and Mole watch like a bit of
reality TV?
Speaker 3 (55:52):
Yeah? But she she pretty much just chucks on whatever
she wants to. And I got to watch which Lover?
We were watching Love Island for a bit, which, oh.
Speaker 2 (56:01):
No, that's don't act like that. Because I rang you
one time and you said, he text me back. Can't talk?
Speaker 3 (56:07):
Life did not? Yes, you did?
Speaker 2 (56:09):
You said can't talk in the middle of a Love
Island episode. Is that the UK version?
Speaker 3 (56:13):
That's the UK version. I'm very saucy Australian one. We
like watching because it's close to home. I guess I'm
an f boy Island I love. I mean, I am an.
Speaker 2 (56:28):
Dad applies every year and they keep knocking married fifty five.
Speaker 1 (56:32):
I'm the perfect guy.
Speaker 3 (56:34):
You know. My favorite favorite memory of Maddie actually, do
you remember that time you used to come down to
the I was thinking about it on my way over
here the parents weekend. Yeah, and then I think we
went up the road to the Social Medba on Richmond
and you grabbed the mic and you just started blasting it.
I can't remember what song it was.
Speaker 1 (56:55):
I was encouraged by Frank Frank it was don't Look
back in Anger, and Frank went up in said to
the guy playing the guitar, play a bit of old
wastes and I'll get madder. And so Frank Pernice is
the one to blame. But geez, I tear what I thought?
I was pretty good?
Speaker 3 (57:08):
Oh, I was going to say that you were actually
going so hard, like it's so serious, but it was
actually it was actually good. I actually really enjoyed it.
Speaker 1 (57:16):
I remember that night as well.
Speaker 3 (57:18):
You.
Speaker 1 (57:18):
I was having a chat to you. You got to commit.
That's what It doesn't matter what you do, you don't
have to be great, just got to commit.
Speaker 2 (57:24):
Well that's what your advice was to it.
Speaker 1 (57:26):
No, that's my advice is just in general, if you're
going to do something, just commit.
Speaker 2 (57:30):
But do you remember do you remember who else? Did
I remember the night you're talking about, because it was
at Richmond Social It was James the guitarists who was
on who used to do a lot of our sort
of gigs. But Kevin remember Kevy Walters was there as well,
Billy's dad and he he sung yeah yeah yeppi yeye.
Dad finished the song and Kevy grabbed it off him
(57:51):
and sung yeah yeah yep v I. Because that was
the origin that I think that's the first time anybody
you know, realized that, like a gremlin, don't give Jerome
Hughes red wine after midnight.
Speaker 3 (58:04):
Yeah, that wouldn't have been that night, surely it was.
Speaker 1 (58:07):
It was because Trisa said to me, she pointed and goes,
oh my god, here's that crazy guy. I swear to
God and I said Jerome, I said, he's a great guy.
She goes, oh, he's scary. Now she knows how those
middle forward.
Speaker 3 (58:22):
Are you? Are you a.
Speaker 2 (58:23):
Pinot or Charaz guy and a pino man?
Speaker 3 (58:25):
Mate, nice and light Cherez is a bit too, bit
too hard.
Speaker 1 (58:29):
New Zealand made best pinots in the world.
Speaker 3 (58:31):
Ye, because you don't.
Speaker 2 (58:32):
You're not drinking this year, right, You're only doing the
red wine die.
Speaker 3 (58:35):
Yep, yep, yep?
Speaker 2 (58:38):
Is that is that? Is that about you a month
ago going on.
Speaker 3 (58:40):
A Yeah, yep, yep. There's been a few hookups, but
where we're still kicking it.
Speaker 1 (58:45):
Just gets straight back on that wagon.
Speaker 3 (58:47):
Yeah yeah.
Speaker 2 (58:48):
Do we give Hughsey cheesy if we've taken up too
much of your time? Thanks for coming on, mate? Is
there anything now that you're in front of a massive audience,
is or anything you want to say?
Speaker 3 (58:59):
Ah? No, I've done enough talking. I think.
Speaker 1 (59:03):
Us if you if you need to, if you need
me to return the favor of mate, I'm heading down
to man the Sorry Melbourne and Mate, I am available.
I'm an open book now.
Speaker 3 (59:14):
We would love to get you guys on. Actually, fus
are free anytime. We're probably gonna have to get you
guys in studio. So if you guys come down in
it on soon come through.
Speaker 2 (59:22):
My friend send that we'll send that invoice.
Speaker 3 (59:25):
To thank you. Thank you son, so thanks, thanks for
having me us a good.
Speaker 1 (59:30):
Luck for the back end, back end of this season.
Speaker 3 (59:32):
Brother, Thanks bra, Thanks boys, appreciate that's gold, Brother, that's gold.
Thumb's down, there's no funber and that's gold.
Speaker 1 (59:40):
That's right, yeah, right, thumb down, Chief, I thought it
was nah thumb forward fum down Yeah really yeah, I
didn't know that. Perfection mate. Thank you for watching the
footy Show, yeah Hugh.
Speaker 3 (59:58):
Thanks boys,
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The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.