#68 | Jason Ryles - Backstage with Cooper & Matty Johns

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I know you're tall, so we'll get that.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
This is letting me out.

Speaker 3 (00:03):
We're on now, Rosy just letting people know that Cooper's
teaching Rosy the little nuances of the media.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Well, I've seen such a bit.

Speaker 1 (00:10):
I've seen some of your press conferences this year, so
I know that you are a fan of getting in
front of the microphone.

Speaker 4 (00:16):
No, no, no, kids, is just running me through who
runs the podcast?

Speaker 1 (00:20):
Well, first of all, what was a massive kick in
the guts was Rosy said, so whose podcast is this?

Speaker 4 (00:28):
Is this?

Speaker 1 (00:28):
Yours? Isn't Maddie, which obviously he hasn't listened to a
single episode at all, because my name's on there, is
Roll and obviously Jack is Jack is the brains behind it.
So we're very offended, Rosy. But thanks for coming all
the way up from because that was that's about a
three hour trip.

Speaker 4 (00:46):
Forty eight Would you would.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
Have putted in the GBS gol what no.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
No, Well it's nice because you you know, when I
said to Dad, we were going to have one of
my one of my favorite assistant coaches on who has
had such a massive impact on when I was a player.
Quite seriously, it's it's quite surreal. To have you on,
but obviously Ryan Herecliff couldn't come on, So thanks for
you to feel in Cliff, Ryan Hinchcliffe brother. Yeah that'shin.

(01:16):
She's brother from Wagga. Yeah, he's not not a very
nice person.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
But I tear what it is, surreal, Rossie, we're just
talking before.

Speaker 3 (01:26):
I mean, your father or aliment mahon was the first
of the first every coach of the Newcastle Knights. He
was the guy that laid the foundations for the club
and all the success that come after it. Of course
he hasn't got his fingerprints anywhere near what's happened in
the last twenty years.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
But but yeah, you got to make.

Speaker 4 (01:44):
Made him a couple of times. Yeah, just through functions
in that. But I don't know I was going to
marry his daughter. Yeah he thought different.

Speaker 2 (01:54):
No, he's it made he was.

Speaker 3 (01:56):
He was a great, great coach and made he you know,
you think about it and you get a great appreciation
for this. Now when the nice first coming to the
comp that first year, their total expenditure on players was
ninety thousand dollars, you know, and so Maca went right up.
What I got to do is I'm going to train,
train them hard set really high standards and yeah, but

(02:18):
second third year made the finals on an honestly shoe
string budget.

Speaker 4 (02:23):
So Atlanta's mum, Glennas gave me his coaching notes and
you go through them and you don't read them all
at once, but it's just over time, and it's just
funny how it's all so similar still, like all the
principles of what was important and still important now. So yeah,
it's a pretty good read, like if you're into your
foot and that sort of thing you're coaching. But yeah,

(02:44):
just get a little bit more time now to get
a bit more detailed with things. But at the heart
of it, at the core of it, it's pretty similar
in regards to all the principles and that so even
the same calls in when I came through Steelers, they
were still using them. Yeah, it was Yeah, I.

Speaker 3 (03:02):
Tell you what, he'll carry it. He could carry a
big stick if he wasn't happy about something. I remember
one day because we were playing, we played, we were
playing twenty ones and then you sit on the bench
for reserve grade roles.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
He remember back in those days.

Speaker 3 (03:14):
And he was the first grade coach of course, but
they signed a player from rugby Union, who initially was
really struggling, really struggled, and that year he sort of
up and down and they they're playing Senators, played him
wing in this last game of the year. They said, yeah,
there's nothing came the finals put him at fullback. Well
in the first half he had had a SHOCKO right.

(03:37):
So Macca walks into the dressing room and David Waite,
who's the preserve grade coach, is addressing the team blah
blah blah, and Maka went up, put his hand on
Wade his shoulder and step away for a second. And
when I said, I'll give you the benefit of the
doubt for six months, you're a scrace, You're a I'll
give you the choice now to stay at this club
or go straight and make the Blake stay and played

(04:01):
in the next two seasons.

Speaker 2 (04:02):
Was outstanding?

Speaker 1 (04:04):
Did you too, like this is sorry not to do
with that story, but was there ever a crossover with
you two playing with her against each other?

Speaker 4 (04:12):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (04:12):
Or you knocked him out? Was that like at a bar?

Speaker 2 (04:17):
Now we played you were playing the playing the Sharks.

Speaker 3 (04:20):
I ran the ball up and I stepped and stumbled
and Rosey hit me with his shoulder straight in the head.

Speaker 4 (04:27):
It wasn't.

Speaker 3 (04:28):
It wasn't the sort of knockout where you get carried off.
You just get stunned for a couple of minutes.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
So only that the one one game against each other.

Speaker 4 (04:35):
Yeah, I do remember the Shark Park one.

Speaker 2 (04:38):
That was the second one. First one we played at
Sydney Football stadied the second one because.

Speaker 1 (04:42):
You played more with Joey.

Speaker 4 (04:44):
Yeah, yeah that was a bit more more, more of
the rep stuff and that.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
Yeah, okay, nasty things to you Joey on the field.

Speaker 4 (04:51):
Uh No, No, he was good. He was very encouraging
because he knew we needed our help we got forward.
If we didn't, then yeah, he was very encouraging. Did
you room together in Origin across from each other? So
I'd room with Bedsy. There are a couple of times yeah,
and then yeah his Royal Highness was across from us.

Speaker 2 (05:14):
Oh your majesty Well.

Speaker 4 (05:15):
Because yeah it was good value because it was always
good chat and him and Beds he got on real
well and he'd come in for a chat and I'd
just sit and listen.

Speaker 3 (05:21):
So whatever he used to get there, and that's right
times up in Origin camp. He's had your fund for
a couple of days now no more boost to the
to the game. So Joey would walk around with a
tea cup and it just be full spirits.

Speaker 1 (05:34):
Yeah, wasn't it. Wasn't there a thing like come to
my room for a tea party.

Speaker 4 (05:37):
Tea parties in Joey's room.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
Yeah, and everybody have robes on.

Speaker 4 (05:40):
Yeah, Joey had a robe on. He had a notebook
and a pen. But I'm not sure that was false.

Speaker 3 (05:48):
Youtubekes repart of a g up on a coach which
mate almost turned out.

Speaker 1 (05:56):
So do you remember that one refreshment? Okay, so it
was oh yeah, right, you just reminded me that. So
remember in COVID with belly ache. So remember how you
used to have to put You used to have to
put into it app every day, like where you've been
if you've left the house, and belly egg one day

(06:18):
put in that he went to Woolies. Remember he was
wigging out, going why did I put that in? Someone's
going to ring me. Someone's going to ring me about it,
and then you go, coops, you should ring him as
a COVID officer. But remember we were planning on playing
it in front of the whole team, but it just
got it got too dark.

Speaker 4 (06:36):
For the room.

Speaker 1 (06:37):
Course, tell me, tell me, tell me the vocal Okay,
So it was I pretended to be like the COVID bubble,
like the leader, and I was ringing him and I
was just like, mate, just want a couple of questions understood.
You went to Woolies yesterday And he was like, yeah, yeah,
it was that. And I said, oh, you know, you
understand it. You're not supposed to be leaving the bubble

(06:57):
like sort of hinted that he might have to isolate
and ship and then he sort of he went a
bit dark and was like, you know, I'm not my
partner at the house. She hasn't been well, so she
I couldn't leave it, like she couldn't go to Willis.
And I'm going sitting there and Paul Mamroofsky he's filming
it for me, and I'm going I'm looking at the
camera and I'm going, what do I do? What started

(07:20):
as like a lighthearted prank is now venturing into like
territory where if he finds out it's me like, he's
probably gonna hate me. You told him, yeah, you told him,
but he's no.

Speaker 4 (07:34):
I think I asked, did you get the call, and
he goes, yeah, got the call, and yeah, that's right. Yeah,
And I actually told him that it was a JA.

Speaker 1 (07:44):
But yeah, you told but you told him it was
you told him it was me because you come up
and you said, I thought it was funny, Like, wait
until he comes up and speaks to you about it.
Never did. And I remember all year I was going like,
is he like planning for revenge? Is he holding this
against me? Like what's going to happen from this? Thank
God he didn't.

Speaker 4 (08:05):
I don't think stuff like that. Phes genuine like he's
just like that happened, and he's been pranked that many
times and trying to do stuff to him as because
they obviously like him, you know, yeah, and then he
just like whatever.

Speaker 3 (08:21):
Still one of the great Brandon and the Rocks.

Speaker 1 (08:28):
She just never realized. He's too proud to like to
even let it known that it was heavy. We carried
it up the ste Do you get done by a
bit of pranks by the way, Yeah, yeah, Hopey started
to do a little bit.

Speaker 4 (08:46):
Jamaine how Good, Yeah, Jermaine hot Wood. But yeah, I'm
sure it's coming. The more they get comforted have enjoyed
the first year Yeah, it's been good. It's been an experience. Obviously,
I think because I spent twelve years of just watching
head coaches, it was probably a good grounding for me.

(09:07):
But yeah, I think the biggest thing that I learned
out of it was probably the recruitment and retentions super
important and to get that done as early as possible,
and having someone like Brownie there was it's been He's
been through five times, so's he's been a really good
sounding board for me. And we've got a really good

(09:27):
crew there in regards to recruitment and GM and that
sort of thing who's been a really good support as well.
So but yeah, it's a good experience. At first, it
was a bit bumpy and that sort of thing, probably
a bit more bumpy than I expected, but you know,
we got through it. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (09:43):
You know, it's funny, role is. I don't know many
new coaches who had to endure as much as you
did to walk in there, and you had to make
some tough calls on fan favorites like GAFA, and you're
bringing young guys through your losing guys. On top of that,
you have the Dylan Brown situation, bubbl Way Mitchell sitting
on the sidelines, unsure when he's going to return, but

(10:04):
you've got you know, you know, you had your team
starting the season with confidence a lowe from what's happened
the year before, but you've got it all out the way.
It was almost like you've been able to clear the decks,
and then midyear things just started to turn around.

Speaker 4 (10:19):
Yeah. So I think the best piece of advice I
got along the way was if we're going to get
this change down, we've got to do it quick, and
it's got to be you know, as you get the
first years. Basically, let's get it done as quick as
we can. And then that way, all the you know,
all the little bits with the tactical stuff was a

(10:40):
fair bit different for these guys as well, and you know,
we had that was a lot of change in that
regard as well, like tactically so, and then the recruitment
stuff on top of it was sort of you know,
bubbling away, like you said, So we just got it
done as quick as we could and then, you know,
and then we started to see these younger kids get
their experience in first grade and then they started to
prove and yeah, so it's something that you wouldn't have

(11:02):
seen in the past in regards to the footy stuff,
but for these boys, it was really different.

Speaker 1 (11:08):
It's one of those things where it's like it gets
worse before it gets better, and it's one of those
you've got to it's hard for you because you know
it works, so you've got to push it and push
it and almost make them believe like it's going to
come good. You just need to be consistently.

Speaker 4 (11:21):
Yeah, and in fairness to the group, they've super compliant,
probably too much a little bit at times, but you know,
I can't fault them for that. And they you know,
they bought into absolutely everything. Mitchell and Junior Hoppy, Jack Williams,
those guys they really supported me and drove it as well,
so because they'd kind of seen a little bit of
stuff at other clubs as well. So it's yeah, without

(11:45):
their support, it would have been probably even more difficult.

Speaker 1 (11:48):
Is there anything that like, because you've you've been an
assistant and a couple of really good clubs under good coaches,
is there anything that you prepared for that when you
went into that head coaching role you were like, holy shit,
this is like next level kind or was there anything
that really surprised you about it.

Speaker 4 (12:05):
Yeah, probably the importance of the recruitment and the attention,
like that's something you take a little bit for granted
as a as an assistant, and how much you've got
to get involved in it and you've got to have
some input into it, and whilst it's happening behind the
scenes and your coach and the footy team, there's there's
a lot of that going on, the conversations and that
type of thing. The other part of it, I reckon

(12:27):
and I've got to be careful sometimes because I'm quite
you know, have a bit of fun and that sort
of thing. But your words are powerful as a as
a head coach, So what you say, You've got to
just be really careful with how you frame it up
and that type of thing at times, and just check
yourself that you're not the assistant anymore. Yeah, just that
type of thing. So yeah, that's what That's probably the

(12:49):
two things that sit out a little bit. But in
saying that, sorry, in saying that these because I'd sat
there for so long and watched Craig and watched it
like you probably didn't he doesn't know. But Europe just
in time the whole time you're just watching and you're analyzing,
and you're thinking what would I do there? And then
you see Robbo's way of doing things and it's a

(13:11):
little bit different to Craig, but at at the fundamental
level it's the same, you know, so with the management
and then obviously and he's got another way of doing
things as well. So I've got a really good grounding
in regards to seeing some elite coaches do things a
different way but then get the same outcome.

Speaker 3 (13:28):
How hard is it, Rosie, And how much sort of
initial back last year you get because it's proven now
that you had a decision make you had YOUNGI there
who was just coming through like no one anticipated, no
one really knew him, but you obviously knew what he
was all about. And having to not pay top dollar

(13:48):
for Gutha and having to let him go, Like, what
was the reaction initially like amongst community and fans and
the club.

Speaker 4 (13:58):
I think the initial reaction was pretty emotional because he'd
done so much for the club, and but for me,
because I don't have any social media, I don't sort
of follow the news too much, I didn't really see
the reaction, to be honest with you, I just knew
that as long as we did the right thing by

(14:19):
Clinton and whoever else was sort of looking to you
possibly give another opportunity another club, and because of the
way it happened, Clint got another two years really good money.
So it was kind of like, you can't knock that
back because you're going to still be playing fullback and
I can't guarantee what position you're going to be playing.
I'll try and map it out as best I can,

(14:41):
but you know, the opportunity was good for both sides,
so therefore it sort of worked for us internally. But yeah,
but for me as long as as long as Clint
and his family were okay with it, and it was
really clear and I was open and honest with how
we're going to go through it. And in fantasy him,
he was really good. Yeah, I can see why he's

(15:03):
such a well liked fella.

Speaker 3 (15:04):
And it's been like it has been when when the
young fellows come through for you, blas and doing really
good as giving you guys a fresh start, I must say,
as revitalized too. He was their best player this.

Speaker 4 (15:16):
Year, player of the years. Yeah, and there wasn't anything
in regards to that. He couldn't play. It was more
I was looking to go in a little bit of
a different direction and it sort of works.

Speaker 2 (15:26):
So yeah, but what what was your first day like?

Speaker 3 (15:30):
Because you talk about your first day as a player,
for your first day you walk into a rep camp,
it was.

Speaker 2 (15:36):
Like your first day school. What's it like first day
as principal?

Speaker 4 (15:43):
The first day when I went in, I was sort
of earning into paral leagues the first few times. But
the actual first day was okay. It wasn't anything that
I didn't expect because Belli and that will go away
a fair bit, and then Robbo left me with the
first part of a pre season with King as well,
so I had a little bit of experience what the
first day was going to be like in that regard,

(16:04):
and I have tried to keep it as normal as possible.
These are the standards and this is how we're going
to do things, and then off we go and then
we'll learn along the way. So but but I wasn't inside.
I was yeah, it was like the duck, you know, like.

Speaker 1 (16:21):
Did you know many of the players apart from coaching
against them, but there any plays in a relationship.

Speaker 4 (16:25):
With no not off the top of my head, but
I spoke to them. I touch base with all of
them and made sure I spoke to them. But I
didn't actually know the.

Speaker 1 (16:35):
Part from Fox obviously when the Fox come over.

Speaker 4 (16:37):
The Fox was a little bit later. Yeah yeah, so
but yeah, no not really, so it was it was
all new for everyone.

Speaker 1 (16:45):
So yeah, that's hard. And then you spoke about the
assistant being an assistant. How you have such a close
relationship with the players. You almost have as an assistant,
letting people know who don't like know this. You can
have a relationship where you're going to the pub with
the boys after a hard session, like you're actually you're
you're almost the link between the head coach and the players.

(17:06):
So you've been an assistant for so many years and
had such a good relationship with the boys. Like how
tough is that to pull yourself up when you know
you start having a good time with the boys.

Speaker 4 (17:17):
Yeah yeah, So, like I find it pretty easy now,
Like because I was ready to do it, it wasn't
It wasn't fast for me, So yeah, I don't. I
don't find it too bad. The only thing is, like
I said before, just being careful that I don't get
caught up in too much banto because some of the
stuff they say, I find it funny and I just go.

(17:40):
But I let them go, you know, like it it's
their environment.

Speaker 3 (17:43):
Yeah, we've had a couple of year recruits here, veteran
recruits we had. We've had josh Hada Car and we
had Dylan Walker. You know, if you've taught about recruitment
and retention, then you've done a fantastic job there. I
think it's Fox's best every year. I've seen him play,
not so much first try and bet you just see
how much he enjoyed the leadership and Dylan Walker. You know,

(18:04):
I've got a question here, I say, was there a
point that you felt things turn around? From a layman
watching on the box, I felt everything turned around the
moment you put Dylan Walker on that on the field
that day, start operating through the middle.

Speaker 4 (18:17):
Yeah, the first ten minutes. I was going to say,
but you beat me to it, but yeah, he's footy
IQ and his experience. I know his experience would be
good for us, and i'd seen him play, but I
didn't realize, you know, the effect that you have on
our team straight away, and we were really missing that
in the middle third of the field, especially with Mitchell
not playing early doors and yeah, so he and the

(18:42):
other part of it is like his leadership, he's not
He's not I want to be in the leadership type group.
He's like your backbone guy. He's you're seven out of
ten everywhere, you know what you're going to get. He
helps the younger blokes, he's you know, in all the
contact sessions. He's quite good at that stuff too.

Speaker 3 (18:57):
So I was really impressed play football like you a
student of the game. That's I don't know. I wasn't
sure what he was like.

Speaker 2 (19:05):
I was probably to watch the way he played mainly
in different clubs.

Speaker 1 (19:10):
Well.

Speaker 3 (19:10):
Actually mag used to bring him over as a young
Blake will Luke here in that and essentially he was
his powerhouse runner. So you know, a lot of times
those players have more of a simplistic view on the game.
But he really impressed me here.

Speaker 4 (19:23):
He was a six as a kid, I think, so
that's what he played coming through. So I've learned, you know,
in regards to how to control that middle third of
the field. And he works really well with Brownie and
Wise in that as well. So and obviously him and
Mitchell have a really good relationship in regards to that
as well. So it's it was a really good fit
for us. And another year ago.

Speaker 2 (19:45):
Your half pace going good.

Speaker 3 (19:46):
Mate, Like you know, if you're talking, he doesn't get
mentioned who's the best player in the game a lot
of times. He'll get to mention here and there. But
know he like Nathan. But I'll tell what made his
He's gone neck and neck with Nathan this year. He's
he's been fantastic Mitchell.

Speaker 4 (20:02):
Yeah, he's he's a competitor, he's you know, he's obviously
got really high footy IQ and I think there's still
a little bit left in his game in regards to
like next year, we want to try and evolve our
middle third of the field in regards to our playing
off nine and those combinations at the halves and the
fullback out through the middle of the field. So you know,

(20:23):
I think his game will go to another little bit
of a level in regards to having that string to
his bow. And then I think as a kid he
was a really natural support player, but it kind of
you kind of didn't hasn't done that for a few years,
and that's something that we're trying to encourage him to do.
As well. It's just that I think you've seen in
the Nights game early in that the third try I

(20:44):
think it was the break was made on the left,
Mitchell come from the right support scored the try, so
we had it. We're just trying to brand in that.
I've been trying to encourage him to do that year,
just like we need to score more ad lib tries
in regards to instead of just trying to manufacture anything.

Speaker 3 (20:59):
So that's that's a hard thing that for half that
that's almost compartmentalizing to gain right, I'm going to steer
the side and push around the part at the same
time going to play in front foot.

Speaker 4 (21:08):
Yeah, and just being really clear with if you get
tackled on play for will work it out. Yeah, you
know what I mean. There's times where you really need
to set up for your kick, but then there's other
times we're going you keep going.

Speaker 1 (21:20):
Well, he started as Mitch was a fullback, like initially
in twenties, I believe, so I think that's where a
lot of his running game and support play came from.
And then obviously he shifted to seven where probably all of
his communication and stuff. He fell into a habit of
losing that part of his game because he had to
focus so much and other stuff.

Speaker 4 (21:38):
I think it was him and Brooks came through.

Speaker 1 (21:41):
Yeah, yeah, I remember there was games. There's some highlights
him watching a YouTube back in the day when he's
in twenties. He's scoring like Hunter tries kick return at
full back because he's running game. He's that quick, quick
as half out there.

Speaker 4 (21:54):
I mean, yeah, we're pretty cool. But he's underestimated with
his defense as well, just his movements and his decisions
and his ability to lock that edge down.

Speaker 3 (22:04):
So he's strong personality. He's a challenging much not so
much challenge, But does he come to you and want more.

Speaker 4 (22:12):
Or I've said this openly to him and I reckon,
I've got him at a good time of his career.
He's ready, like he wants to win everything. Like, so
he comes in and he wins the toss and it's like,
I got him. It's I love it. I absolutely love it,
and me and Jeniu sort of have a bit of
a giggle about it, but it's yeah, I think I've
got him at a good stage. He's got kids now,

(22:33):
he's got a lovely wife at home. He's got a
nice family, he's building, it's all that sort of thing.
So he's much more settled, and I think, yeah, I
think he's willing to do whatever it takes to help
us win, and that you know, that means helping the
young kids and obviously gives him a tickle up every
now and then. But compared to what we had coming through, that's.

Speaker 1 (22:59):
Spray.

Speaker 4 (23:00):
Yeah, but he's yeah, he's ready to to help us do.

Speaker 1 (23:05):
Now, this this has nothing to do with coaching, Rosie,
but you've just sparked my memory on and I want
to ask you about it. Talon to Silver's eyebrows. Are
they the most manicure? Are they the most well kept
eyebrows that you've ever seen?

Speaker 4 (23:17):
I think they're well cared.

Speaker 2 (23:19):
Brazilian is Portuguese?

Speaker 4 (23:22):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (23:23):
Is he Portuguese?

Speaker 4 (23:24):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (23:25):
Well they are unbelievable. I saw a picture of him.

Speaker 4 (23:27):
The other day.

Speaker 1 (23:28):
Portuguese people, No, no, the food from Portugal is great, but
the eyebrows to food Portuguese chicken.

Speaker 2 (23:35):
Let's look, come on, name is the Portuguese dish?

Speaker 1 (23:40):
Portuguese chicken is.

Speaker 2 (23:42):
Chicken, but it's like it's but it's chicken. What's a dish?

Speaker 1 (23:47):
Come on?

Speaker 5 (23:49):
Pela, Yeah, the wolves ross Portuguese great food a porthos
not Portuguese food, mate.

Speaker 1 (24:03):
Yeah, sorry, Rosie. When you're an assister goach, did you
ever want to be a head coach or did this
just kind of happen the more you did it?

Speaker 4 (24:13):
Yeah, Well, my first ever coaching experience was head killed
captain coach at West in Wollongong.

Speaker 3 (24:20):
So yeah, that's a good breed around that club.

Speaker 4 (24:25):
Good. Yeah. Yeah. So then the second year I was
going to solely coach and then we got short and
then I played a few games, but yeah, I had
that experience and that's probably the hardest thing I've ever done,
Like captain coaching really from the front row. Yeah, at
a stage of your life where food is good, but
you're sort of getting this bug of coaching and then

(24:46):
you're trying to manage the players. But then you go ship,
I've got to play well as well, So yeah, like
it's one of the hardest. As a half back, I
reckon it'd be, it'd be fun. Yeah, playing in the
front was actually really hard. So extension a little bit.

Speaker 3 (24:59):
Yeah, ye two that age role playing in the local competition,
which some games can.

Speaker 2 (25:04):
Be catch and kill. At that point your career you
must have been waking up.

Speaker 4 (25:10):
A little bit a little bit. Yeah, I've never said
that a little bit, but yeah, But then that's how
the bug sort of came with coaching. So that was
kind of my first experience. But then when I went
down to Melbourne the like after two years, went down
there and was an assistant. I was really happy to
do that as long as I could, you know. And
then just over time you kind of start thinking about

(25:33):
because I was pretty hungry for PD like just getting out,
and that's how I sort of met up with Eddie
and through Dean Bent and he sort of hooked me
up with Eddie, and then I went over there and
then I seen a little bit of that and then
and then you start to think, you know what I mean,
And then yeah, so that's.

Speaker 1 (25:50):
How it sort of So how did Melbourne come about that?
How did was that a comment like did you just
reach out to Belly and say I want to be
an assistant coach or they look looking for someone at
the time.

Speaker 4 (26:01):
Yeah, So what happened was I'd been down there once
or twice just to do a bit of bumper stuff
and a bit of tackle tech and all that sort
of stuff. But and justin Morgan left, I think, and
then there was an opportunity, and then Frank just kind
of rang. I might have rang Frank and yeah, anyway,
so as it goes, and might I spoke to Adam

(26:22):
O'Brien maybe, yeah, because he was our assistant down there.
And then that's how it sort of came. And then
Alana wasn't that keen to go back because she was
just getting settled today and I was just like, I'm going,
I'm new wife. Yeah, so I had to talk her
around and then she came around pretty quick. She's super supportive,

(26:42):
but it's and then that's how.

Speaker 1 (26:43):
It come about because that because that crew down there,
like the people always talk about how the playing stuff
and the like the playing group and the clubs so tight,
but the coaching staff down there is so tight too,
same sort of thing. Everyone's no one's from Melbourne, so
the coaching stuff become just as tight as the playing group.

Speaker 4 (27:03):
Yeah, yeah, like it's the same as the playing group.
Like you don't have any other support down there, so
we sort of Lana and I without two little girls,
Like we didn't have any support, so you kind of
relied on the coaching staffs. Wives and anyone involved in
the club, and you and I can't. He was really
good for us as well, So you just get used

(27:25):
to being around each other all the time, where you know,
you struck up these relationships and.

Speaker 1 (27:30):
You were always keen like the role. Barbecue at Rosies
became a weekly occurrence for me.

Speaker 4 (27:38):
And fifty dollars experience the groceries.

Speaker 1 (27:43):
Dead said there was that much meat, but Rolsey would
cook up on the bar. Remember one time.

Speaker 4 (27:49):
Would do those skewers. Yeah before for a week. Yeah,
but remember remember.

Speaker 2 (27:57):
All I still screaming, I'll met a colon over.

Speaker 1 (28:00):
Remember I brought I brought Uncle Joey one night, Remember
that we're still the amount, and he was pretty like
I think he'd had a few leading into the dinner.
Remember we're all sit me, you and Harry. I think
Curtis Scott was there as well. We're sitting there listening

(28:23):
and I don't reckon any of us. Spoke for two hours,
and Joey just spun these stories after stories, and I
remember that they started getting so far fetched that I
think he realized that we were all laughing at how
untrue they were. So then he'd start going like start
calling himself Pinocchio because going remember that, Oh that was

(28:49):
so fun?

Speaker 3 (28:50):
What about Rossie gone? English Rugby Union, which culturally, imagine
the side is very very different to National Rugby League Australia.
You've got blokes who have obviously come out of a
high you know, affluent, very affluent families, you know, private schools,

(29:11):
all that stuff. How did you find the culture of
those sides?

Speaker 4 (29:14):
Yeah, surprisingly it was very similar to Melbourne. Like even
though yeah they were highly paid boys. They you know
they Prince Harry was in their phone and text and
like that. That's that's how connected they all kind of were. Yeah,
the team had security. We had two security guards full

(29:35):
time just because they're seen as a security threat allegedly apparently.

Speaker 2 (29:41):
But yeah, the World cups on.

Speaker 4 (29:44):
Yeah. But but in regards to the work ethic, the
diligence in and around their training, how hard they go
training like the union boys, Like I know they from
a league point of view, it's a bit of a
they see it as a in inverted commas softer game. But
it is not one bit at all that they train
those years. Don't get the way they do just through

(30:06):
a couple of things, they go hard.

Speaker 1 (30:08):
Mate, in what in what aspect Rossie, because obviously like
NRL is very conditioning based, like that sort of training
is highly intense. You know a lot of long running,
a lot of stuff off the ground. What part of
the English rugby union training is very hard.

Speaker 4 (30:23):
The scrum they do live scrums and I think it's
all the rugby. Like I've seen it at the Wallabies
as well, and they did the live scrums and if
you've watched one of them live, like they get up
and they're seeing stars like the front rowers and that.
So that there's that and then just the way Eddie
had them train and it was it was full on
the breakdown. They can test the breakdown physical. I was physical, mate,

(30:47):
And they're huge, big number seven.

Speaker 2 (30:49):
Yeah there's a big tong and you had that whole.

Speaker 4 (30:54):
Captain now so but yeah, like but they're all big
and and but you you have this perception of them
being the short, fat guy, tall guy. But they all
have a purpose and there's all there's the reason why
they are the shape they are and yeah, but I
think yeah, the way Eddie had them training like that,
they were fit and ready to go and hence the

(31:16):
reason why they only just missed out on.

Speaker 3 (31:18):
The World Cup mate Rossie. Just one more. And as
far as English rugby union, the Northern boys who had
the background and rugby league, Owen Farrell, George Ford, how
were they the Northern players compared to the Southern players.
Was so much difference in how they operated.

Speaker 4 (31:36):
No, not not as much. It was like they still
all had the same work ethic, Like obviously. One thing
I did notice is of them knew the NRL like
they followed it like we watched the Origins. Everyone more
over there, like it was a big thing and everyone
to get down there and they'd all watch it like
it was a bit of an occasion with the Origin

(31:56):
jersey at the back.

Speaker 1 (32:00):
It's about the tea party.

Speaker 4 (32:03):
Yeah, so it was, you know, I want and George
that like I think they especially and like he could
have played league easily. I think most of his juniors,
So I'm trying to get him.

Speaker 3 (32:17):
Yeah, when he was younger, when we're over there, I
remember he was coming through as a kid, trying to
get him there he's but I imagine media is a
whole another level for English rugby unions havebloid media.

Speaker 4 (32:32):
So yeah, yeah, so there's that and the biggest thing
I noticed. So the day they open it up for
the media, the captain run, that's when the media is
allowed to set it. It's like from the twenty medle
line to twenty medle line and it's side by side, cameras,
reporters like everything. It is just like it's a whole.
I was like, I remember the first time I seen it,

(32:53):
and I said one of the other coaches, like this
normal time, This is just normal. Wow wow, okay.

Speaker 1 (32:59):
Sweet, did you get kind of the cameras much over there?

Speaker 4 (33:01):
No, no, no, no.

Speaker 3 (33:05):
Took on Eddie over there, but also made a sort
of toilert took on Andy Farrell and he was out
here for the Lions tour.

Speaker 2 (33:12):
He was coach. Mate.

Speaker 3 (33:13):
They won the series, but mate, he was under it,
you know, he was under attack from the media over
there from bringing one out. Regardless of how much experienced
anyone has got, the quality of the player.

Speaker 4 (33:25):
Well, on one copped a bit as well, so hence
the reason he ended up. I think it was a
rassling the French comp Yeah, ended up going there. So
there's a bit more of the story that I don't
know about it, but I think there was a there's
a lot of pressure because he was England captain for
a long time and yeah, because they hadn't won a
World Cup, there was a fair bit gun on there.
But yeah, it's a whole other level. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (33:47):
Yeah, Any any players that you looked at that it's
ever gone through your mind as far as recruitment at all, any.

Speaker 4 (33:55):
Of the rugby boys, not not really like but there's
obviously ones you'd see like Owen and George and those guys,
And there's like there's a few of the outside backs
that I think could convert over like a Markie Mark, Like, like,
he's actually surprised me at how quickly he's adapted. Like
I knew physically that he was, like I'd seen him

(34:17):
do all the catching and all that sort of thing
at training and that type of thing, but I just
didn't think it would be so defensively, it's so different
for him because he basically works the backfield in rugby,
so it's not a whole heap of defensive decisions or
anything like that. So obviously still got a little bit
of a way to go there. Like the stuff feels
done with the footage freaky.

Speaker 3 (34:41):
And you know, like he came on the show and
were assuming So what was the hardest thing as far
as adapting. He said it was the training. He said,
Literally the first day I trained, he said, I passed out.

Speaker 2 (34:55):
Yeah, it was that hard.

Speaker 1 (34:58):
What about advice versa, Like some of the boys that
you've coached as assistants and as a head coach, having
that rugby union knowledge that you do, which could you
see possibly make a switch the union?

Speaker 4 (35:10):
I think the games are so different, like the forwards,
it would be really hard for them to change over.
Of course that the little nuances in their roles, Like
it's it's kind of they get all their reps through
the schools and then like through their school boy careers
and that type of thing, and they get the craft
in it. Like Richie McCaw. I can't imagine he would

(35:32):
have made it in the league, but because he was
so smart and he was so they're technically good at
the breakdown and around the breakdowns, it's a whole nother
beast like and if you're not good in the breakdown,
then the rest of it doesn't matter as much. So
it's that's a whole you know, the whole thing in itself.

Speaker 3 (35:52):
Back on the Paramatta boys, and you know, I imagine Yeah,
like when you're a n RL coach and the players
will come from different backgrounds and a lot of those
households they're from, you know, they come from difficult circumstances,
and so they look at the coach. Their coach is
almost like a second father or some in our real kids.

(36:13):
You know, they don't have dads.

Speaker 2 (36:14):
You don't have the father.

Speaker 3 (36:16):
How you said, you've got to be careful what you
say or any do you find at times if you
have a training week where you're not at your best
that rubs off on the side. Do they pick up
on things like that?

Speaker 4 (36:30):
I think they pick up on everything. That's one thing.
And I think you remember as a player, like your
smell bullshit straight away and smell what's happening around. Then
the week of the Rooster's game, I got really sick like,
and I did my best to hide it, and I
probably talked to day three before wise you picked it up. Yeah,
But in saying that, like, I just made sure that

(36:51):
when I got out of the car, if I had
a normal job all day a week and a half off,
you know what I mean. But it was just one
of those times that you just stump up back on
and just make sure that I'm up for them in
front of him in meetings and at training and that
sort of thing, and then get the quadrills into it,
and then crack on certainly that that energy. Man, I'm

(37:12):
a big believer in that. Yeah, like the energy in
regards to the whole environment, not just the footy team,
but the whole environment of the club. And then it
all filters through. So again that's why your words are powerful.
Like just being sarcastic in that time of stuff. I
try to avoid that just because there's truth in jests
and it's going to.

Speaker 3 (37:31):
Be careful young blas take literal think there's And I
asked that question because at the back end of the
regular season the Melbourne Storm, it was the week that
Belly had a six hundredth game and there was all
the celebrations, he had a lot of media and anything,
and that week was arguably one of the Storm's worst

(37:52):
performances under Craig's Tanya, and I asked, remember asking Cooper Kronk,
I said, do you think craigile some ways blame himself?

Speaker 2 (38:00):
And he said.

Speaker 4 (38:01):
Absolutely, yeah, definitely, yeah. Yeah. So it's like for me,
like when we lose or don't perform. Well, I'm always like,
that's on us. I think, yeah, and there's we're the
ones that are preparing the boys to play, and whether
it's tactically or did we get the week wrong with
our messaging or was it the theme or was it

(38:23):
you know, our language in and around the place. So
again where I'm always looking for a little how can
we be better for next week and make sure that
that doesn't happen again?

Speaker 1 (38:32):
Do you being coming from being a player assistant into
a head coach You're very good at well, I found
you were very good at Melbourne at being very transparent
and honestly, like a lot of coaches probably try to
go about things in a different way. In their head
they think they might be protecting a player, but in hindsight,
the players, like you said, they smell bullshit, so they

(38:53):
just feel being lied to and stuff. Have you taken
that like it's a different approach to a lot of coaches,
But do you just try to be as just transparent
and honest with your players as possible?

Speaker 4 (39:04):
Yeah. One of the biggest things for me honestly builds trust.
So that's and I think it's more in my personality,
Like I wouldn't like, I don't lie to my kids.
I don't like within reason obviously.

Speaker 2 (39:15):
But I'll write that down.

Speaker 1 (39:17):
I make an art of it.

Speaker 2 (39:22):
Am I good looking dad? Yeah sure? My good player?
Yeah right?

Speaker 1 (39:29):
A bit harsh, but yeah.

Speaker 4 (39:32):
So like I just try and be as honest as
I can with him, and obviously sometimes the brutal honesty
sometimes is and I think it's one thing that Brownie
sort of spoke to me about. He had to learn
that how we were brought up is different to how
these boys are brought up now. So we just got
to make sure that we'll get the message right. But
that's there's no bullshit about it.

Speaker 1 (39:52):
So I got to give you at Rosie because I
still have the am of the belief of this. And
I think I said it when I boot a storm,
but I don't reckon I debut was probably as soon
as I do without you being there, because you're an
assistant there and you knew obviously a lot of what
the coaches thought of me where I needed to improve,
and you were very honest and direct with me with like,

(40:15):
this is what they think, this is what you need
to improve, When probably a lot of other coaches wouldn't
come up to someone who's young and say that to him,
and you held me to account every day. I remember,
I like, not that I hated you for it, but
there were some sessions, Rosie where I was going, just
give me your break for one day because the big
thing tackle, Well it was like they wanted to see

(40:38):
me tackling bigger guys.

Speaker 4 (40:39):
Yea.

Speaker 1 (40:40):
And for six months, Rosie would make me do reps
after every session with Nelson for lice, big guy, Like
after big sessions. You just forced me, even if I
was like, mate, I'm I'm bugger, you go. You got
to do it, like you just got to be consistent
with it, and it ended up paying dividends at the
back end of the year, got to a debut. But
like that sort of stuff is so important for a coach.

Speaker 4 (41:03):
Yeah, like for me, like seeing players fulfill their potential
or giving them the chance to try to feel the
potential that they might not be good enough, but I'm
talking I'm not talking about you, but they might be
at the other end, and you know that they are elite,
you know what I mean, So whatever it is, just trying,
like you know, seeing them do that is like very

(41:26):
fulfilling and that's you know, obviously it doesn't happen overnight,
and it takes time, and I'm seeing a lot of
that with our boys now, Like it's you know that
they're slowly starting to get it and understand it, and
you know, those little improved We always talk about continuous improvement,
and that's exactly what we did with you. You know,
just that you're not going to like, there's going to

(41:48):
be days where you don't feel like the doing things,
but you've just got to get the reps in just
so that. Yeah, you know, I think Belli says it
all the time that the best day to do your
extras is when you've had a hard session. Of course,
that's when you don't actually feel like doing it, and
in games you're not going to feel like doing it
at times as well, but you've just got all those
reps in the bank because you've just done it. Like,

(42:09):
I do not feel like it today, but I'm going
to get my twenty reps out and then I'm getting
off the field. So that's something. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (42:17):
Yeah, Darmia Rosie was he was a scary man during
that period that that COVID period, remember, because our wrestle
coach John Donahue. He couldn't travel, he couldn't travel to
the COVID bubble because you can only take well, this
is the thing, right, and this is I think this
was a huge reason why we won the camp that

(42:37):
year because JD was very Everyone was very scared of
John Donahue. So when and the sessions when he wasn't there,
probably leading into that year, you could feel the intensity
drop down a little bit, just like a tiny bit,
because people weren't scared as much of him being there.
And then that year you took a hold of those
wrecial sessions and initially, I could let you know, from

(42:58):
a player's point of view, Initially were like, yes, Rosie
is one of the boys, he'll look after us, he
won't do that. But I don't know what happened to
Rosie during that period. He turned into this evil man,
this evil, angry man, and it almost took us, like
to a whole new level of training because I don't
know whether no one expected it.

Speaker 4 (43:17):
From him John's instructions or.

Speaker 1 (43:19):
Was that his instruction.

Speaker 4 (43:21):
He was.

Speaker 1 (43:22):
I remember because I was talking, I rang Harry leading this,
I said, what do you remember from the times of Rosie?
And he was like, remember when Rosie was just turned
into like this scary evil human being John two. It was,
But I imagine that must have been hard for you
because it's not like I remember, Jade, that's good times.

Speaker 4 (43:46):
Oh that's scary something nothing to camera.

Speaker 1 (43:51):
Smith Nah, Smithy had nothing to do with it, absolutely nothing. Actually,
was that hard for you? I mean he played okay
that year. I mean he did miss a few weeks
without ac joint. But was that hard for you? Because
you played Smithy, was your captain, and then you go
into being his assistant coach and then running wrestle sessions
where you've got to be quite hard on the pad

(44:14):
push itself.

Speaker 4 (44:15):
Did you notice that he wasn't in all of them?
You guys, I knew where a bread was, but.

Speaker 1 (44:23):
He'd be doing goal kicking a.

Speaker 3 (44:24):
Lot of the Come on cop, pick it up, Harry,
What are you doing, Cameron perfect?

Speaker 1 (44:32):
Is that tough though?

Speaker 4 (44:32):
Doing that? Like having to? I still remember my first
meeting at Storm and I was up and Bellier didn't
really give me any guidance on what to show. You
said you show likes his feedback is no feedback is
good feedback? So like and and if if I don't
like it. Then I'll he didn't say nothing after the meeting,

(44:54):
so it must have been okay. But I just remember
seeing Cameron would sit down to the left there, Cooper
be in the back corner, and Bill would kind of
be just in front of her and it was just
eyes on. Now, Coops was actually quite good, like he
was like, you know, try to support you. But the
other two they were just waiting for you to slip.

Speaker 2 (45:12):
Yeah, right, come what he got?

Speaker 4 (45:15):
Yeah, and then but no like it was but again
that was supportive away from it, but they put you
under the pump in the means. I was so nervous.
But it's a good grounding because you can't. You've got
to make sure you're on top of your work. Yeah,
because you know you've got three blokes in there that
know more than you do about it.

Speaker 2 (45:32):
Give an example of that.

Speaker 3 (45:33):
When Joey had retired twelve months and I was doing
coaching down Melm doing the attack anyway, Belly said, mate,
would you and Andrew gone through a bit of difficult
time and be like said, mate, next time you come down,
bring him down.

Speaker 2 (45:47):
You don't have.

Speaker 3 (45:47):
To get up and address the boys. Never taught mate,
I've never seen Joey's so fucking nervous. My life really
got up and he wrote this. He wrote a lot
of his notes and key points on his inside, like
the inside the forearm, so he looked down but made
he was sweating so much beforehand that all the ink
just was leaking and running running off the end of

(46:08):
his fingers.

Speaker 1 (46:09):
What yeah, were you there? Were you there?

Speaker 4 (46:11):
There would have been before.

Speaker 2 (46:13):
Yeah, it was before Roles.

Speaker 3 (46:14):
He was there and everyone was like blown away. Everyone
was like, I can't believe, Like Joey was.

Speaker 2 (46:21):
Nervous, hard talking in front of a group.

Speaker 4 (46:24):
Yeah, yeah, it is there. And one of Smithy's favorites.
You'd remember when whenever Belly a call one of us
didn't get a word right, He'd just like just be
like this. He turned end of the car and obviously
bell I had just done it for so long. He
just crack on and smith he had sort of do
that and then.

Speaker 1 (46:50):
You know you one more time because there's a story
is my favorite, my favorite every moment in a video session,
I reckon. So Belly as got this story worry about
Brett White, which he loves to tell, loves to tell,
and it's essentially the messaging of it is. He's got
all these big stars.

Speaker 2 (47:09):
In the room, Cameron Smith.

Speaker 1 (47:10):
Cooper, Billy Slater, and they're trying to work out how
to win this game during this tough time where they've
lost a few on the trot and Brett White gets
up and he goes, guys, I don't know much about
rug Billy, but I know it's an easy game when
everyone does their job. Now, Billy has simple game when
everyone does their job. And he has told this relentlessly,

(47:31):
like every year, you get up and tell the same
story to everyone. And Smithy one day, Geeter, I think
it was cheese. Cameron goes cheez in this meeting today
just because we had a bit of a tough period
in preseas. I think we're getting kind of sledge for
dropping a heap of ball. And Brandon just Brandon gets

(47:53):
up randomly in the middle of the session and he goes, Billy,
can I just say something? And he goes, yeah, fucking
go Brittan, and he goes, guys. I don't know much
about rugby league, but I but I know it's a
simple game if everybody does their job.

Speaker 4 (48:13):
Oh that is good.

Speaker 2 (48:15):
I'll tell you, Rossie with your group to be congratulated.

Speaker 3 (48:18):
Was in the high pressure atmosphere a professional sport, professional
rugby league. Jeez, I tear what you blokes? Your your
team looks like they're having a good time. That's a
thing that really like to watch them play.

Speaker 2 (48:30):
They played the back end of the year with a
smile on their face.

Speaker 1 (48:33):
Like how hard?

Speaker 2 (48:34):
What what sort of things you put in place? I
mean in the old.

Speaker 3 (48:37):
Days you have the you know, the clown of the
week shirt and all that sort of stuff. What are
the things you bo do alleviate pressure?

Speaker 4 (48:43):
Yeah, I think I've been asked out a bit and
said we looked happy and do we and like that?
That was training. I just try to keep everything as
consistent as possible, regardless of the result. You know. So
just if we got beat on the weekend and I
didn't change the next week's train and this is the
review day, this is preview, this is you know, this

(49:05):
is what looks the same all the time. That's probably
one thing we did a lot of work on our
We call it power proud, that's our culture, so you know,
proud to wear the jersey, proud of the area, you know,
and then we sort of built it up like that
and then the power of person sits in the middle
and part the three pillars of the power of person,
you bring your culture, So where are you the talent's

(49:26):
Portuguese side, so I want to know about it, Junior
som we want to know about it, so we sort
of encourage that, and then the self leadership and then
the team first action. So the team first was got
to add to it next year, but it's and then
then we had family supporters, fans and members, and then

(49:46):
we had past players learning environment, and then we had
a continuous improvement so that was and then through that
we just had like whilst it was a serious session,
we had a bit of fun with it as well.
And then I just think it transferred onto the field
and then I'm not exactly sure why we look so happy,
but for me, at the end of the day, like

(50:08):
we get our work done, we do all the little
things as well as we can drill down hard on
the fundamentals, but we're playing footy, Go and enjoy yourself,
So that's right. Yeah, yeah, but I think a lot
of that came from the players, to be honest with you. Yeah.
So my philosophy on coaching in general is just create
an environment where we can where all our people can

(50:28):
be the best they can be, not just the players,
the coaches, the staff upstairs and that sort of thing.
So hopefully they continue.

Speaker 3 (50:37):
So on the players and you know, you sit there,
you're the coach of the side and you're looking out
for them, but dealing with them individually and their own
challenge and stuff like that. And it was a very
very tough time at the beginning of the year for
all parties. But Dylan Brown the way that he conducted
himself at the back end of the year, where I

(50:58):
would say most players would march out the door or
at least be a destabilizing influence, yet he seemed he
was like completely the opposite.

Speaker 4 (51:08):
Yeah, and again back to your point before, Like I
was really open and honest with him through the process
and when he was doing stuff with the Knights and ourselves,
and like we had a six year deal there for him,
like that was you know, he'd already had signed, then
he just had to take up the option and that
sort of thing, and then the nights one come up

(51:29):
and then you know, obviously we sort of worked our
way through that and that was obviously difficult for everyone. Yeah, Yeah,
and again like when he come in every day, Like
there was probably a couple of times there where I
could see like I sort of said to him, like
his eyes would go a bit. But then after once

(51:50):
it was all done and said like we just moved on.
And then sort of came a point June thirty where
I kind of made a decision where I was really
open and honest with him and I was so I
said it before, but just said, look, I don't know
how like you've got the opportunity to go now or that.
The flip side is I want to get moving with

(52:10):
who the next five they could possibly be, And obviously
Dean Hawkins had an opportunity and Joe ash had an
opportunity as well. And they said, I don't play good. Yeah, yeah,
they got better. Yeah, And I just said, I don't
know if you're going to play every game or no games,
or you might play a different edition. And he goes, bro, Sweet,
you just tell me what you want me to do,

(52:31):
and I do it for the team, And I was like, oh, wow, okay, sweet,
I didn't expect that reaction. And yeah, and then he
came in the next day and we cracked on and
then I think I don't have Dina. Well Joash played
there or Dina might have been in the Hearts at
the time when Mitchell had his car. So and yeah,
we cracked on and he played center there for a
little bit and he did not flinch. He didn't say

(52:54):
what am I doing this for? Why am I doing this?
It was just no, you just tell me what you
need me to do.

Speaker 2 (52:59):
His final game is through in the six jersey.

Speaker 4 (53:01):
That was that.

Speaker 2 (53:04):
Like a symbol or a thank you or was it
just through necessity.

Speaker 4 (53:07):
I think Brownie sort of said something to me about
a month out. He said, just have a think about this,
and he said it might happen naturally anyway, but just
have a think about it. And as it got closed,
so Joe ash just got surgery on his skatefoard. So
there's you know, we already knew that was coming up.
We were going to try and get it the week
of the last game, just to get on the front

(53:29):
foot with it. But as it turned out, he couldn't
get it till the Monday, so the day after the game.
But I sort of I just got Joe Ash in
and said, mate, this is what I'm going to do. Yep,
this is why it's not a reflection on you. And
then I got Dylan in and he thought I was
joking at first, then yeah, and he said yeah, he
was pumped, like he was genuinely pumped to play six

(53:49):
just for one last time. So again open and honest
with him, and they took it really well. Joe Ash
is a really good kid in regards to I think
if you go back to some of the tries that
were scored through the year, when he's adding I think
it was the most captain man for us this year.
He'd done a heap of him, but he was cheering
like the fans celebrate. It's yeah, like and I think

(54:14):
within a into the question before why the boys enjoying it?
Like obviously we did a lot of work on our
culture and will continue to. But like kids like Joe
Ash and Foxy and you know, like Josh, Josh's bounce
standing for us. Like obviously the footy, you know, we
know all getting with the footy, but I didn't realize
how much his footo IQ wued accelerated. Yeah, and you know,

(54:35):
Sean Russell's improves a lot this year, and fox He's
got a lot to do with that. That's not same.
That's obviously the coach, but fox he's done most of
the work because he's standing next to him. He's coaching
the energy that he brings.

Speaker 3 (54:50):
The difference when he came in on the show, like
me even just a year ago, because he bounces in
he can be quite frivolous and yeah, and he was
just really really switched.

Speaker 4 (55:00):
On, really clear on where he's at in his life
and he wants to help people, but he also wants
to do the best he can.

Speaker 1 (55:06):
So it gets a little bit like like you talk
about going from assistant to a head coach. I think
I see a lot of similarities in when you see
those young players turn into the leaders, like Foxy was
is the exactly perfect example when he come in are
like we know what he was like at Melbourne. He
was he was that, he was the vibe man. He

(55:27):
had all the jokes. He would rarely be serious. But
he has a really good balance now of the joking side,
which obviously brings the locker room together, but that real steady,
serious head on and pulling people up if they need
to be pulled up.

Speaker 4 (55:42):
Yeah, it's so in meetings and like obviously he's in
our back five and wise. He sort of looks after that,
but he sort of said to him, let the other
boys talk and help them, because he was he knows
the answers to it, like I'll get him in sometimes
and something's happened on the edge, and what do you think?
What do you reckon? He brah like, and then you
got up with the TV and tell me what's going on.

(56:02):
I'm like that makes sense, you know. So and he
encourages the boys to talk, like in his unit meetings,
in his backfire. So he's like, if he wants to
be like, he could be a real positional coach when
he finishes footy.

Speaker 2 (56:20):
So that's good.

Speaker 1 (56:20):
Were you what were you like as a player?

Speaker 2 (56:23):
Rose?

Speaker 1 (56:23):
Were you like very yeah, very vocal? Were you very
vocal in video session?

Speaker 4 (56:29):
I wasn't very vocal? I was. I was pretty yeah,
like so early on, like I came in and I
was ball at a gate, you know, and then I
hurt my shoulder in the last origin and three and
obviously I lost me front delt and then hold out
didn't work and that was kind of my that was
my weaponar I'm bump. So was never the same player again,

(56:51):
so I had to sort of work out different tools
and different things. But I think I look back on
it and it's kind of helps me with my coaching
as well, because like I don't reckon, I've got the
most out of myself, like and it wasn't because of
the coaching or anything. It was because of myself. And
I didn't really have anyone like you were saying before, mate,

(57:11):
we're going to do twenty tackles before we finished today,
or you know, like I kind of got by on.
I knew I could catch as long as I was
running hard under the ball. I knew I could bend
the line most of the time, you know what I mean.
But I just don't think I've got the most out
of myself, which sort of drives me now to make
sure that the players in our program don't have that experience.

Speaker 3 (57:33):
It's funny what watching you, you know, when sometimes you
get a real sense of all the teams in the competition.
And I remember with you Blake's Rosie, My sense of
the Saint Georgia Laura sides you played in was that
there was a lot of pressure. That's the sense I
always got. I almost had a look at you Blakes
and thought myself it doesn't look fun because you had
a club that had very high expectations, a fan you know,

(57:57):
a fan group that were going to come on, you know,
when are we going to in this competition. He just
didn't look like fun. I imagine times would have been,
but it just looked.

Speaker 2 (58:04):
Like a lot of pressure.

Speaker 4 (58:05):
Yeah, we had a good time away from the field,
but I think, like looking back on it, not thinking
at the time, but looking back on it, Yeah, there
was an enormous way of expectations, especially five and six
and five. Yeah, like whilst the other teams did really
well and Tides one and that sort of thing that
that was an opportunity missed. I think, yeah, I was just.

Speaker 2 (58:25):
Super gazz more than anyone.

Speaker 3 (58:28):
I saw it with Mark as when he when he
left to go to a start front. I remember that
when he was just about to exit because he was
looking at they were going to take him to Wigan.
But I remember him really being really mate. It was
it looked damaged. Yeah, you know, just all the attention

(58:49):
and all the expectation that sat on his shoulders and
and I suppose that, mate, and that puts you in
good stead. Now the fact that you know, and I
the Paramatta fans got right behind you. But you know
they've been in the last fifteen years looking at the
watchgowing comeboys.

Speaker 2 (59:06):
You know, when's it going to happen?

Speaker 4 (59:07):
Yeah, well this year is probably. They're very encouraging that
sort of thing and hopefully we can keep continuing that.
But I'm sure there's going to be a stage where
they're going to look down at the clock again and yeah,
but again we're doing that.

Speaker 2 (59:18):
As well as yep.

Speaker 4 (59:19):
Well there's a period now where we want to keep
getting better and that sort of thing, like I think
Mitchell said it in one of his presses, like he
wants to win and that's kind of the feeling within
the club. But we know that there's going to be
a process to that.

Speaker 1 (59:33):
When you look back and you're playing career, what club
do you like? Who do you see yourself as? Is
your main club? Like as your old boy? Who do
you resonate? Mostly because you played mostly with Dragons, you
went over to Catalan as well Roosters and you finished
at Melbourne. When you look back, now, what club is
your heart at as a player?

Speaker 4 (59:51):
I wouldn't say my heart anyone more than the other.
Like I came into grade in the end of ninety
seven Dragons till the end of our weight. So that's
a big almost a quarter of my life, you know.
So you know, there's obviously and it's the local club
in the area, like you know with the Knights and
that sort of thing. But it's yeah, I just had

(01:00:13):
different experiences at each one of them. You know. I
think I was when I was when I look back,
and I didn't know it at the time. When I
look back on it, I was probably a little bit
lost at the Dragons, like just trying to find my
identity and where do I fit a work? And then
I went to Catalan and then realize that there's a
big world out there and no one really cares about
the NRL, so there's probably that pressure thing where then

(01:00:35):
I came ended up coming back to where the enjoyment
of the foota was great over there because you plan
on the weekend, no one speaks English, and you know
what I mean.

Speaker 1 (01:00:45):
I just clearly jump in, why why did you go
from the Dragons go over Super League? And then returned
back to the NRAL.

Speaker 4 (01:00:51):
Well, I had a couple of years ago. I might
have been at three or two years ago, and then
Wayne came in and then he sort of moved me on.
And I've actually met Wayne fairly recent and I thanked
him for moving me because it was one of the
best things that's ever happened to me in regards to
where I'm at now. I would never be where I'm
at now if Wayne didn't move me, So like that's
it sort of ties in with my belief of everything

(01:01:13):
happens for a reason. And even at the time, you're like.

Speaker 3 (01:01:16):
Yes, you know yourself getting rid of it, Yeah, show him.

Speaker 4 (01:01:23):
But at the time I didn't kick stones. And I remember,
I think it was probably halfway through the Iran Craig
Gang and I and I said to him, I said,
he's going to move me, isn't he? And he goes, well, yeah,
do you want me to come over and have a chat?
I remember sitting on the couch and I said no,
but it's fine, made like I get it, like yeah,
room with web on a kangaroo tour, and he sort

(01:01:45):
of mentioned along the lines he doesn't like playing his
front rowers like a certain amount of money, and I
knew I was above that certain amount of money at
the time, but again, yeah, I just sort of cracked
on with it. And I got the Player of the
Year that year because I remember halfway through the I'm
going to go. If you move me, I'm going to
like I'm going, I'm going for it. And I made

(01:02:07):
sure I was playing the best foot I possibly could
because I didn't want to be kicking stones there and
because I was getting moved, I'm like, I'm still wearing
this jersey. They've given me the opportunity, so I'm going
to do my best to finish the year as best
I can. And I ended up getting the Player of
the Year, which I thought was like a bit of
a just a bit of a team first sort of mentality,
like I still want to play well.

Speaker 2 (01:02:29):
That a little bit.

Speaker 3 (01:02:30):
Yeah, by knowing to get moved on, you sort of
get there and go well. Being moved on almost the
pressure alleviates it. Just it just goes to show it
with football, is that when you can remove the pressure
which a lot of times most last year you applied
to put on yourself.

Speaker 2 (01:02:45):
How much how much easier it is?

Speaker 4 (01:02:47):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:02:47):
How much better for performance?

Speaker 1 (01:02:49):
What do you what do you find when you when
you come back?

Speaker 4 (01:02:52):
Then I ended up at the Roosters in Melbourne. Why
did I come back? I too used to go and
meet Catalan's one and then just an opportunit only came
up back at the Roosters, and I just remember when
went there when I was younger, and I'm like, what
was intrigued by what the Roosters club? Yeah? Yeah, but
then you get in the four walls and it's so

(01:03:13):
supportive and really good people in there, and player eleven
hundred the Roosters, you know something. I just remember those they've.

Speaker 1 (01:03:22):
Had eleven hundred players ten years ago, a long time.

Speaker 3 (01:03:29):
That's pushing one hundred and twenty years. Yeah, because you.

Speaker 4 (01:03:33):
Then I got moved from there too, and then that's yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:03:38):
Did you leave any club on your own acord roll?

Speaker 4 (01:03:42):
And you have that in common Melbourne. I got in first, Frank.

Speaker 1 (01:03:46):
We have a chat.

Speaker 4 (01:03:47):
Frank.

Speaker 2 (01:03:47):
I'm just let you know.

Speaker 1 (01:03:48):
And retiring because they used you spoke about that before,
that mentality of you know, why me when you're at
the Dragons, because you are you're used as a as
an example at Melbourne. Obviously you you're in that side
that it was a two thousand and twelve, so twenty twelve,
you're you played the whole year and then you do

(01:04:10):
your hamstring in the Final. Leading into the Grand Final.

Speaker 4 (01:04:14):
I did it round so second last game of the year.
Craig had already told me, he said, you have the
last week off and then we'll get you ready for finals.
So in that second last game, I just felt something
in myham. It was against Sharks and anyway, so the
week off and then it ended up being a strain
and then I've got it ready and I was going
to play again on the prelimb, and then the week

(01:04:37):
of that before the last session before we're about to
fly to Sydney. Yeah, I still remember the feeling. I
still remember it. Yeah, but again, why do things happen?
Like Richie Fayoso was there, his legs be was better
than mine. It was more powerfully at a point of difference.
So I'm kind of like thinking, is that sort of
fake going? Like when I look at it as a
coach now, I think, and he's a thirty four year

(01:04:59):
old roll I'm Richie there, who's powerful like any and
he played well in the Grand Final on the prelim
so we still won.

Speaker 1 (01:05:06):
So yeah, but you are you're used as a There's
certain stories that get recycled back through in finals. Talk
about for the for like the players that aren't playing
in the squad or aren't picked about how your mentality
can impact a group, because Bella always talks about. You know,
that was pretty heartbreaking for You're in the back end
of his career, trying to win a premiership and then
you do your hamstring. It was very easy that you

(01:05:29):
could have kicked stones and sort of not really cared
about the Grand Final post them. But apparently your attitude
coming back in post that hamstring to really help the
team prepare.

Speaker 4 (01:05:39):
Yeah, I just didn't change, just like I didn't just
didn't change the way I acted or anything like that.

Speaker 3 (01:05:45):
You didn't get Yeah, that's goods minimum. Just finally, because
we know too much time, what is it like as
like camaraderie mons coaches or more to the point, when
you're coaching against Craig, Like what's the relationship like on

(01:06:08):
game day or after the game?

Speaker 4 (01:06:11):
Yeah, no, I don't have an issue with it, and
I'm sure.

Speaker 2 (01:06:14):
He doesn't like Craig and always have a beer after.

Speaker 4 (01:06:18):
Yeah, yeah, this year we didn't really get a chance
to do that. But yeah, like especially after round one,
six six after, don't worry that I'm still trying to
do that. We want to say we won the second half.

Speaker 3 (01:06:33):
Like when you when you're sitting there and you're watching
that and thing like, I mean, you must be sort
of looking like.

Speaker 4 (01:06:41):
I said to Brownie in the middle of it, because
he's obviously been around the block a few times, and
I said, do it, and mate, there's nothing you can do.
He said, you just need to get down there, reset
them at half time. We'll go again.

Speaker 3 (01:06:54):
Where we go that Melbourne said the start of the year,
when you're playing day games.

Speaker 1 (01:07:00):
Yeah, if they haven't, they haven't lost around one. Yeah,
since Craig's been there. Yeah, so that's a that's a
bloody heart. Imagine. What do you remember when the drawer
came out and you saw you had Melbourne round one?

Speaker 4 (01:07:13):
It was I thought it would be a good challenge
for us, like just you know, something to get up
for that first game. And then Mitch went down, and
then we had guys leave through the preseason and we
had a few more injuries and that sort of thing.
So we sort of sent a young crew down there,
which you know, I'm sure they won't forget it either,
and they obviously learned from it, so there's always some

(01:07:33):
good stuff to take out of it, but I think
it really highlighted where we were as a club.

Speaker 2 (01:07:39):
Did you need to play them again?

Speaker 4 (01:07:41):
Yeah, we got beat sixteen ten and I reckon what
proved We had some opportunities to win, we just couldn't
quite quite name.

Speaker 3 (01:07:49):
And what a lift for those young players to say, look,
you know, look what you're exposed to at the start
of the year, and look what we ended up getting to.
You know, I can they imagine all those young blakes
they watched Monster and all those guys onto you and wow,
suddenly you know, and I've been there when you're playing
Bradley Clyde and Melmaningra and that Ricky and you're going,
fucking hell, this is as bad as I as tough

(01:08:12):
as I.

Speaker 4 (01:08:12):
Thought it was going to be. But yeah, we had
Riley on send me to a BARTI on debut is
his second first grade game, Charlie go I think third
first grader, So we had like a lot of an
experience there.

Speaker 3 (01:08:24):
And yeah, Rosie, look with too much, we're taking them
too much your time to start. We've made consider him
that it took your week to get his mate. But
I just want to say make congratulate, congratulations on your
first year, you.

Speaker 2 (01:08:40):
Know, to go through what you did early on. But
just again you know.

Speaker 3 (01:08:44):
That the players were really really happy. Whatever you're doing
in there is working really well. And mate, look, I
know they're watching the clocks, watching the haven at looked
at the watch. But mate, I I'm certain in your
tenure they're at paramount. You're going to win it. You're
going to win. One will be rooting for you, mate,
sitting on the couch, blind runt, but I'll be rooting
for you.

Speaker 4 (01:09:04):
One second. One thing. We actually have something here for
Rosie Cooper. Cooper requested this, So we have a we
have a Cooper.

Speaker 6 (01:09:13):
John's poster from his time at his time at the
Sanley Seagulls, and it's signed by three of the most
closest people to him. One's Nathan Cleary, one's Mark Chorus
and one's Klein Pong That so we had only fitting
three people that cheap loads. We love we love you

(01:09:33):
to sign it if that's possible. You don't get it.

Speaker 1 (01:09:36):
This is a gift I've got the I've got at home. Yeah,
so yeah, I mean that's just we're just you can
sign it anywhere you want to feel.

Speaker 2 (01:09:56):
To put a message of encouragement.

Speaker 1 (01:09:59):
Yeah, from my my favorite one of my favorite coaches.

Speaker 6 (01:10:01):
Little background on that, he actually Cuba thought like when
we started the potty February and twenty twenty four, thought
would be a really good idea. It'd be funny to
get all our guests to do it. Straight after Mark Brewers,
you like forgot about.

Speaker 1 (01:10:12):
It and then just keep Yeah, I completely you know
when you think of a great idea rosy and then
like you're slowly just it manifests into something else. You know.
Another story that's just sparked my mind before we leave.

Speaker 4 (01:10:23):
Sorry, I just come up again.

Speaker 1 (01:10:26):
It involves our Billy Walters. So you remember we'd always
go to the same pub Dad for Mad Monday, and
it was like five hundred meters up the road from
where Harry and I lived, so it was always so
makes we could just walk down and then walk home.
But this one pub, and it was a dingy pub was' iti.
It was bad, like it was a great pub, but

(01:10:49):
it was like very deep, like it was perfect for
what we wanted. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but the bar, the
bar had this like circular oval end, remember that. And
then somebody I don't know who started it, someone came
up with this drinking game where yeah, we had a
pool ball which ended up like heat the pool balls,
and then if you put your beer on the bar

(01:11:10):
on the end, you had to roll the pool ball,
and if the pool ball hit your schooner, the boys
had to scull it like it so everyone was on edge.
Rossie was the king of.

Speaker 4 (01:11:18):
It by the end.

Speaker 1 (01:11:19):
Rosie was just parked in there and he just you
had like I reckon. At one stage you weren't even
you'd stop drinking. You just had thirty pool balls on
you and you just throwing it. And I remember Harry
got like Harry was like, I'm getting Rosie. I'm getting
Rosie because Rossie's been getting like whenever it was like
he was watching Harry. Whenever Harry put his scooned it down,

(01:11:40):
he'd already launched a ball, and Rossie was like very
like he was aware. You'd bade everyone. You'd put your
you'll beer down and then look around, so like foxing
everyone and start throwing balls around. You just lifted up
and Billy Walters was on your right and Harry launched
a ball that hard, like he was really wanted to
get you. And you've lifted your schooner and Billy's just

(01:12:02):
sitting there, not even taking notice of the world around him,
and it hit his class that hard. It just completely exploded.
It went, his schooner, went all over him. He was
that often he didn't even realize anyone was playing the
game around. Good times and great class. Thanks Roles Foles.

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#68 | Jason Ryles

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