December 14, 2025 • 34 mins
The laughs, stories and chaos continue in Best of Backstage: Vol. 2. Featuring unforgettable moments with Gaz & Gayle, Drinky, Jason Ryles, Jarome Hughes, Gal, Twally, Kurt Gidkey, Jake Trbojevic and Connor Watson — this is another stacked highlight reel of classic Backstage energy.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to part two of our twenty twenty five
best I hope you're having an excellent drive walk wherever you
are starting.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Off this one.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
I mean, I think this is the highlight of my
podcasting career, being joined by Gary and Gail John's for
some family storytelling, three generations of John's and just an
all round good laugh.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
What about the day Joey got out of bed the
shit under the tree?
Speaker 4 (00:24):
That was matt again.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Yeah, tree kicked a bit of sand over poor al
Shane ferned across the road. Next day He's climbed up
the tree. When he jumped out, he jump straight in
the ships got it all through his stares and.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Oh my when you look back on you had obviously
Kate as well. But I imagine Matthew and Joey would
have been the two hardest work or naughtiest. Who would
have been the hardest to race? Out of those two
joe Joey was.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
He wasn't frightened. If anything he do anything? Would he?
Speaker 5 (00:54):
Yeah, would do anything.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
It was about a ten foot serfety one day and
all the other guys are out in the water the
time of the life. I had Kate and I'd taken
for a walk. I walked up the headley and have
a look, and he's Joe. He's about nine year old
on that green board. He's out the surf. So this
old guy was here, and I knew he must excuse me?
Would you take Cake back to the caravan, Garlice? So
I'm going to go out. My young black's out in
(01:15):
the water. Go I'll get him. So I swam all
the way out there's through the waves, got out of there, exhausted,
and he said, Dave, what are you doing out here?
I said, you know, on the beach, what are you
doing out here?
Speaker 5 (01:28):
With with mining up there? There was just an enormous
drinking culture. Uncle Herby Herding Pearson.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Herby Pearson, what all legs? You know they used to drink.
They used to go to Foster, all the miners and
says stock Curry Averer, main Western. They'd all going to
Foster holidays. So the culture was two o'clock they'd head
down the pub. They'd all come home for two seven.
So that had five hours of solid drinking. I'm talking
about drinking half a dozen of skewters an hour. You know.
One day Herbie drunk fifty four sconers went. He went
(01:55):
down there at two o'clock and there was a dance
on that night. Said all the other boys left to
about five, because they will come back to dance. And
Herbie said, now, I'll say just Selfie's wife get dressed
and come down. We'll go to the dance. So behind
the bar, the barman every day used to mark every
scoon of Herbie had. He had fifty four for the day.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
And then went to the dance, to the dance, and
now they dance. I MEAs you would have been hard
to hold up.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
You get a hold of God. Honestly, you wouldn't have
to think out to.
Speaker 6 (02:19):
Drink, because isn't there a story of how he drank
the like a couple of blokes in there because.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
He was renowned for how many schooners you could drink?
Speaker 5 (02:26):
And that way.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Bloke put a challenge up to him. He was a
timber cutter from Kreua. He heard about Herbie's reputation as
a drinker, so he come up here to Foster waited
for Herbie come in and he said, I've got a
challenge for you. And I heard you can drink. He said,
I bet you can't drink ten scooners in an hour.
Herbie said, well, I'm not going to try it now
because I'll go in here all day, he said, but I'll.
Speaker 5 (02:45):
Come back tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
You be tomorrow will try it. Boys used to go
out too, So Herbie left the ten utlast twelve and
he's coming passed out. He said that, man, I'm going
a bit early today. He says, oh jeez, I'm not
going early. He said. Now, I've got a couple of
things to do. So he set it out hour. So
he went to the pub. He drank the ten scooters
are there, just to test himself, and he went up
and he said right over, said the blake right, I'll
(03:06):
take the chal and then knocked it out. The next
day he'd done another ten, so he went to the
pub first all just to see if you can do it.
Speaker 7 (03:16):
Yeah, you tell him.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Gary followed up next with Scotty drink Water and Jason Ryles.
Have a listen to these two. This was This was
a real highlight. Scotty drink Water has one of the
great laughing sagas in this episode, which you're about to hear,
and Jason Rowles gives us a good insight into Paramatta
twenty twenty six.
Speaker 7 (03:36):
Another Grand Final story.
Speaker 8 (03:37):
It was twenty twenty seventeen when they wanted we're drinking
that and then one of the brom Winches had vodka. Anyway,
I go to the toilet, Curtis is in there. Anyway,
Curtis walks out, goes back to the room. Coper Cronk
walks in the toilet and I'm fox to beuled in
the toilet.
Speaker 7 (03:49):
And he goes me drinking.
Speaker 8 (03:50):
You've just spewed up all over the carpet. I was
that drug. I went out there and.
Speaker 7 (03:56):
Picked it up. Now thought it was. Curtis was like,
I was so rading from Coop Spaby. It was goe next,
(04:23):
what are you so cruel?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
What it's going to make your m just.
Speaker 7 (04:28):
Thinking about it?
Speaker 5 (04:28):
What imagine you.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Don't spew on your jack?
Speaker 7 (04:39):
I was so rattled, rattle.
Speaker 8 (04:41):
The Curtis w was here, and then I was like
when they went away on that, you.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Don't swinging your water just for the listeners didn't know that.
Speaker 5 (04:51):
Just nearly vomited laughed.
Speaker 7 (04:52):
Probably a minute.
Speaker 5 (04:55):
There. One of the biggest we've ever had. What's the
biggest I've ever had? When they went and had tie
a tire meal. I had a box.
Speaker 7 (05:16):
He's got the laughing bog. Did you just water? Just rent?
The wrong way goes?
Speaker 5 (05:25):
I'm going to tell this story. I got to brace
myself because I could every time. Maybe I want to
got some some tie up in North Sydney, and I've
got it. You know, they get the tie in the box.
You the bosses takeaway and I've gone. It was the
chicken pad tie and I've gone. Next minute, I've gone.
(05:46):
You know something really chilly and I looked at it
was a bend d.
Speaker 7 (06:01):
What the hell I want?
Speaker 9 (06:03):
Two? Three four?
Speaker 7 (06:04):
Honeyway calling me?
Speaker 5 (06:08):
So, I don't know.
Speaker 7 (06:11):
I guess it's kind of hot talk right now.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Well, my girls in the next room.
Speaker 7 (06:20):
Something that this song?
Speaker 5 (06:24):
After all.
Speaker 7 (06:26):
The waste of knowledge facility? Do you remember the Addie
dasl story? And you don't know?
Speaker 5 (06:32):
Mate? The chip is full twenty nasty things. Do you
sell me on the field?
Speaker 10 (06:37):
Uh?
Speaker 9 (06:38):
No, No, he was good. He's very encouraging because he
knew we needed our help where he got four If
we didn't, then yeah.
Speaker 5 (06:48):
It was very encouraging. Did you room together in origin across.
Speaker 9 (06:51):
From each other? So id room with bedsy? There are
a couple of times yeah, and then throw harness was
across from us.
Speaker 7 (06:59):
Oh, your majesty welcomes. Yeah, he was good value.
Speaker 5 (07:02):
Whatever he used to get there, and that time's up
in Origin camp. He's had your fund for a couple
of days now, no more boosts to the game. So
Joey would walk around with the teacup and it just
be full spirits.
Speaker 7 (07:12):
Yeah, wasn't it.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Wasn't there a thing like come to my room for
a tea party.
Speaker 9 (07:16):
Tea parties in Joey's room and everybody have robes on. Yeah,
Joey had a robe on. He had a notebook and pen,
but I'm not sure.
Speaker 10 (07:24):
That was.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Is my favorite, my favorite every moment in a video session,
I reckon.
Speaker 11 (07:31):
So Belly's got this story 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
in the room, Cameron Smith, Cooper Krome, 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 Rugbilly, but I know it
(07:53):
an easy game when everyone does their jobs. Now Belly
has simple game when everyone does their jobs. And he
has told this relentlessly, like every year you get up
and tell the same story to everyone. And Smithy one day,
I think it was cheese. Cameron goes cheez in this
meeting today, just because we had a bit of a
(08:13):
tough period in preseason. I think we're getting kind of
sledge for dropping a heap of ball.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
And Brandon just Brandon gets up randomly in the middle.
Speaker 11 (08:20):
Of the session and he goes Bill like, can I
just say something? And he goes yeah, Britton, 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 5 (08:40):
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 a mention here and there. But know he
like Nathan, But to what made his He's going neck
and neck with Nathan this year. He's he's been fantastic.
Speaker 9 (08:54):
Yeah, he's a competitor. 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 full back out through the
middle of the field. So you know, I think his
game will go to another little bit of a level
in regards to having that string to his bow. And
(09:16):
then I think as a kid, is 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 third try, I think it was
the break was made on the left Mitchell come from
the right score to try, so we had We're just
trying to brand in that. I've been trying to encourage
him to do that. You're just like, we need to
(09:37):
score more ad lib tries in regards to instead of
just trying to manufacture everything.
Speaker 5 (09:42):
So that's that's a hard things. Half that's most compartmentalizing
to gain, Right, I'm going to steer the side and
push around the part, but at the same time going
to play in the front foot.
Speaker 9 (09:51):
Yeah, and just being really clear with if you get
tackled on play for we'll work it out. Yeah, you
know what I mean, Like there's times where you really
need to set up for you, but then there's other
times we're going you keep going.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
And up next we had Jerome's Hughes and none other than.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Gal Paul Gallon. This was a really good little catch
up with these boys.
Speaker 5 (10:12):
Take a listen, I'll ask both of you. Blake's what's
the best pray you've ever copped off him?
Speaker 10 (10:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 12 (10:16):
The main one was probably into twenty eighteen. I went
on the Keys camp over to England, so I went
over there. I didn't play any games, aiding 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 underdone as ever, running shit times. My
weight was just like I was heavier than I normally am,
(10:38):
and skin folds her up and he just absolutely ripped
into like prop like calling me like fatsy. Like was
that privately, 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, like you thought, Yeah, you know,
got a bit of experience under my belt, you know,
(10:59):
being picked in the keys or like, might have some
some choice words for me. But he just absolutely ripped
me one. And I've tried to come back after every
tour pretty decent now.
Speaker 6 (11:08):
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 12 (11:20):
That's actually the funniest thing because I started Round one
only I was third string only because the other two
points were injured. Drinking did Yeah, he does pecking. Like
the last trial against Cowboys, I think I was pretty
sure Paps was injured and then yeah, I was, he
had to play me. I don't think he was very
happy that he had to play me either. After the
pre season, I just had.
Speaker 6 (11:41):
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 head, No, he's not going to play in
Round one. I'm not going to play in round one
always ends up playing round one. Back in the day,
Chase Blair. Chase Blair was the exact same. He would
always come back like twenty kilos overweight, and I think it.
Speaker 12 (12:03):
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.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Was that your first ever Grand Final loss last year?
Speaker 12 (12:13):
Yeah, it was tough, you know, getting so far and
end up losing, and we were confident we had the
team to do something special. The learnings is just the
way we play with you know, we probably try to
play their style of footy against them who were the
best at doing it. I felt like we sort of
fell into that trap a little bit.
Speaker 5 (12:28):
And 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
must have been at times a little difficult.
Speaker 12 (12:50):
Yeah, that was pretty tough, and I kind of feel
like I probably didn't handle it very well, Like not
an excuse, but probably went into the game a little
bit drained from what happened during the week, and that's
my own fault. That was just the way I handled it.
I feel like, you know, I tried to go to
the Dalliams with no expectations. I didn't want to think
about it, like overthink it too much. But the time
I got it, when I was up there and ended
(13:10):
up getting the Dallium, I was you know, obviously it
was a lot to take in and I was really
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 wanted 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
(13:32):
sleep obviously, it was a lot of adrenaline going on, and
then had to be up early the next morning and
do a few different interviews, and 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 5 (13:49):
Long time in the making this one.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
Why so long, mate, I'll answer and see something. I
have a different opinion, But I just don't think you
ever wanted to do it till probably twenty nineteen twenty,
when I started saying, look, this is going to happen.
Let's let's brand this up bit. So I'd often say
on TV, let's do it. I'd last Sonny Bill, let's
do it, and he said, Mate. The first time I went,
when I stayed back in the square circle, he quarter,
you'll be the first person I ran. He fought for
twenty twenty twenty one, twenty twenty two. He had three
(14:13):
fights on ever a single phone call. I started ringing Coder,
his manager. So I met with Coder a couple of occasions.
Last I met with him was at Brighton the Sands
and basically said, mate, we're not going to give fifty fifty.
I said, it's got to be fifty to fifty and
then he said, how much do you want? Do you
want of new Zealand. So what happens with boxing? Everything
goes into a pool, you get a percently split and
it goes out. He said how much one New Zealand said, well,
whatever the spliitze it is fifty to fifty. Heys, you're
(14:33):
not getting one cent in New Zealand. I said, mate,
you don't want to do this fight. He's a full
of shit. You don't want to do it. I'm out.
So Someny's going to wait till I retire. He's going
to wait till I finish up, and well pass my
best fri. He says he wants to fight me. And
sure enough, around the twentieth and May, I've got the emails.
I've got an offer from Stand to Fight's Only Bill
twenty May twenty twenty three, and still I said, seven
months after I retired, and still I said, look, I'll
(14:55):
fight him if I get a guaranteed figure. I want
to guaranteed figure. Sony can have every dollar up until
I guaranteed for and then we go fifty to fifty
from there. So it's going to be a fifty to
fifty fight, but I want one guarantee. They said, no,
that's not fair. On something I said, Sonny, I said,
maybe he's waited this all this time. I told you, Zackly,
what would happen. I told you back in twenty twenty one,
he'd wait for this for me to retire. If you
guarantee me the figure, I'll do it. If you're not,
I'm retired. They said, we can't guarantee the figure. It's
(15:17):
fifty fifty all the way. That's the way we're doing.
I said, well, I'm retired. Two and twenty four odd
around watched Mike Tyson fight Jake Paul. Jake put don't
getting near Mike Tyson when they're doing it properly.
Speaker 5 (15:25):
We all know that.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
And I was that way Graham's house and I thought,
you know what, tomorrow, who's going to remember this thought?
You know, if I give me forty three years old
and make a dollar, I'm going to do it. So
I rang stand. I said, it's this fight stile possibility.
And they said we'll ring Sonny. We'll let you know.
So they rang Sonny.
Speaker 5 (15:38):
He said, yes.
Speaker 4 (15:39):
This this was in November last year, got Texas starting
about negotiation. So I actually wanted to have to fight
over in Vegas for the NURL. Oh yeah, and he said, no,
I'm not going to be ready, so I wouldn't do it. Obviously,
here we are in July.
Speaker 5 (15:49):
He's a good negotiator, coder, good negotiator for his fighter.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
And that's what frustrates me that, like you know, when
two blocks are telling a different story, that the stories
are similar, and then you know the truth summer, they
really got to work it out. I mean, we are
so far APay in what we say, like he like,
so far apart. We're not even on the same page,
like he says. We were just about to sign a
contract in twenty twenty two. I've said to him, I've
said publicly, I said, show me one bit of correspondence
from me to you or to your manager or to
stand or whoever from from twenty twenty two. Just one email.
(16:14):
I've got seven months of emails for this fight, seven
months worth of emails in Texas. I said, just produce
one email about me you fighting you in twenty twenty two.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
Yeah, so generally sign for Manly.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
At one point, yeah, I was very close into two
thousand and seven, got the dial from Many, which was
significantly more than we had at Cronulla. I was all
but done. I was I was pretty much. I hadn't
signed the contract obviously, but I was all but done.
Me and my wife now it was my part of
the time. We come over here for the weekend, to
spend some time over here for the weekend, just check
it all out. We went back home and she goes,
you know what, I really don't like people to own
and I was like, oh, okay, So I listened to her.
Speaker 7 (16:47):
Was that enough?
Speaker 5 (16:48):
Well, that was enough? Fair enough to so.
Speaker 4 (16:51):
We didn't sign then, mainly with the comic two thousand
and eight, I'm kicking me so but I was trying
to get me yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
And the funny thing was Boso had a fair bit
to pull out mis bars in origin. And when I
met Ricky Stewart it was a Crenel occasion at the time.
He said, mate, if you leave the club, I'll be filthy,
And he goes, what do you want to about red footy?
And I said, what do you What.
Speaker 7 (17:10):
Do you mean?
Speaker 4 (17:10):
I want to play red foot He games, but if
you leave, you plan any brit footy And I was
sort of believe him at the time, and I thought, well,
now I realized Boo was the one to try to
get me probably looked after me anyway. But then then
I had to get out cause in my contract, if
the coach left the club, I could leave the club.
So Ricky Steell gets sacked in twenty ten, mainly popped
back up again. Now the money was no different at
this stage I've been money wise was okay Cronel at
(17:32):
the time, Like back in two thousand and seven, it
was a lot double but significantly different. Twenty and ten
it wasn't pretty much a saying. But my missus said again, no,
I don't want to go.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
People to Rae who won the compic twenty eleven.
Speaker 4 (17:44):
Yeah, mate, And then all of a sudden two thousand,
everything happens at and I'm just sitting there, Missus surely
could have people would have run two comps with me
going for all this crap.
Speaker 5 (17:54):
And it was just like, given the fact that when
you won the cop at twenty sixteen, to even think
for a second that you might have missed that would
have absolutely killed me.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
I'm so happy I stayed And I think I was
just true to myself too, like I like to think
I'm a little guy, and I stayed true to the club.
And I remember when I signed that contract that that
contract twenty ten. I promised myself, so I promise myself,
IM going to beat this club when we win. To calm,
I promise myself and from a strapp I'm going to
beat this club. We turn it around and we got
the job on in two thous and sixteen, which may
have absolutely made it all worth it. So glad to stay.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Now the next two guests, you're going to be joined
by none other than Alex Twile ral Dahl. He joined
us the Prince of Lebanon. He come over for a
bit of a chat and so did my biological father,
Kurt Gidley.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Take a listen, David.
Speaker 7 (18:43):
Play Long Time Together Us.
Speaker 6 (18:44):
Yeah, still over there playing not for is one of
the strangest blokes. But he was such a breath of
fresh air from like the people that Melbourne usually recruited.
Let me just tell people, nothing wouldn't have been the
normal bloke that Craig Bellamy with a sign, but noer.
He was so different to everyone that he like kind
(19:05):
of it was refreshing to the group and he fit
in really well. He is so he's so like, he's
not he's not arrogant, but he would just say the
funniest ship to belly Ache and that Bella could go, no,
fa mate, great work on those plus one carry mate,
we need more of it from that, and he'd be
sitting at the back of room video session. You go,
belly A, come on, I'm the office. He goes, I'm
opening three hundred and sixty five days a year, no
(19:25):
public holidays.
Speaker 13 (19:30):
I remember one year twenty I think you got Winger
of the Year and come here, come in a full time.
Speaker 5 (19:35):
I said, you killed it. He goes, It's just another.
Speaker 13 (19:38):
Day in an office, bro. It just just do some okay.
And then there was another game. This is another story.
Speaker 5 (19:46):
I don't know.
Speaker 13 (19:46):
We we verst rabbit O's and we got pumped and
then a social media did its thing and whatever and
come after him.
Speaker 7 (19:53):
And then it come out on Twitter and said it
wasn't my fault. It was the forwards had.
Speaker 13 (19:59):
Long said, because he's because he's such a good bloke,
like we just we just it.
Speaker 7 (20:04):
Just goes down.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
I was in the middle of that day. I just
let it go in my head. Were you coached by
Michael Checker as well?
Speaker 7 (20:10):
Nah?
Speaker 5 (20:11):
So the last World Cup I missed, But yeah, checks
a good blog. I have a really good. Lad should
with the image tremendous.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (20:16):
Fellow Maronite.
Speaker 7 (20:17):
Yeah, he's a fellow Manonite.
Speaker 13 (20:18):
Yeah, and people people get surprised on to people he's Lebanes.
Speaker 5 (20:21):
But the other thing checked and Son's highly like. I
think he actually coach on the NRL these days as
far as assistant to a lot of work the head
coaches like the real figurehead. He's a great presence. I
think he could. I think that check where he made
his money the clothing industry in fashion really.
Speaker 7 (20:37):
For bloke, the dresses so poor, he's made some money.
Speaker 5 (20:41):
I'll tell you that.
Speaker 13 (20:41):
One time he invited us to his house and I
was thinking, maybe fellow Lebo will be in greenacher erily
and something like.
Speaker 7 (20:47):
That sent me that I could you. I was like, oh,
go up there.
Speaker 6 (20:51):
They mentioned Tony twenty one man. I probably I would
have played maybe four first grade games. I get a
call from a random number and it was Michael Checker
and he was Japanese rugby at the time over Bantus Anyone.
And we're staying up in Noosa and he was like, mate,
what's doing And I said, oh, no, not much and
he's like, mate, I'm over coaching in Japanese rugby. I'm
thinking about getting I need a new fly half or
(21:11):
seeking about maybe bringing a legie over if you're interested.
And I was like, oh mate, check, and I didn't
get the message clearly. He thought like, oh mate, my
time in the interl was done. And I was going, oh,
you know, check, I'm still quite young. I'd love to
chance my hand still here in the nner round and
he goes, oh, really, is that funny?
Speaker 5 (21:29):
Is that?
Speaker 2 (21:32):
I appreciate you not laughing twily?
Speaker 6 (21:35):
And one start like he's known for saying ship before
he even thinks about it, and he always wants to
have the last word in, like right before warm up,
and always I always.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
Don't know why he wanted to.
Speaker 6 (21:47):
The boy's going right, take him into a grind, will
beat him in the back end of the game. They
want to do the flashy stuff, let's do it, and
monster right before he goes bloody oath boys, he goes
and guess what, it's too bloody hot for him up here.
They can't handle the heat. And everyone just went and
so they've come down from Townsville.
Speaker 5 (22:05):
We're a bloke outside. I'm not going to say who
he is because it highly embarrassing for him. We're playing
one day, the coaches left two minute warning, ready to go,
and everyone and the chief Paul Harry and the captain
goes right, anyone got your final words? Who's got something
to say? And this blake So yeah, I have. I
don't know about you, blokes. I have a really bad
feeling about today. Kurt Goodley here, Kurt, I brought you
(22:29):
down here for the DNA test mate nervous a.
Speaker 6 (22:31):
Couple of days for me, and we actually do have
a swab test that Jack has brought in that we're
going to get. You can go mouth or nose or
if you're as it doesn't matter, and then we're Jack's
going to fire this off and then at the end
of the potty you're going to have the results for us.
Speaker 5 (22:47):
Jack.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Yeah, perfect.
Speaker 14 (22:48):
I mean a lot of people pull me up on
the street around this story. I mean, since you went
live on air with that phone called the Very Honest
Phone call Mate that you had to make.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Yeah, that's those people that haven't seen it.
Speaker 6 (22:57):
Did a prank call on Matthew about probably four five
years ago, pretending because I was getting a lot of
people mess like commenting on my photos on Instagram with
that being like, you look like a giddling.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
So I was like, well, Lisa is starting to catch legs.
Speaker 6 (23:09):
I'll run with this, and then prank Dad saying that
it was starting to get to me, and then I
genuinely was starting to believe it. Yeah, I was manifesting
ever since that, mate, even when I go to games
still do particularly up a Newcastle, people sledging me, just
going you're a giddy.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
You're a kiddy.
Speaker 14 (23:23):
Similar playing skills in like engine endurance too.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
Didn't we pick me up?
Speaker 2 (23:27):
If you think I'm wrong here Matthew.
Speaker 7 (23:28):
But us Giddley's we're all hard.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Last word to you. You've got the test results.
Speaker 7 (23:34):
Yeah, test results here.
Speaker 4 (23:35):
So they do a cross check with the system that
has people's DNA.
Speaker 5 (23:38):
A lot of the people are people that have been
locked up before. Here we go, Oh, who's Matt hoy
That form of drug taking surf.
Speaker 7 (23:53):
I was talking about the surfing.
Speaker 6 (23:56):
Belly puts you to the bench, but you you stayed
as captain. And I remember at the time it was
it was quite a big thing going. So they've put
Kurt on the bench, but his skipper what were the
conversations Joan, Yeah, fell out around.
Speaker 14 (24:09):
I remember pretty clearly, really, I mean the captain from
the bench. It was it was a scene next to
my name on the team shoet when I was on
the bench. Hainesy was on fire that year and like
he was, he was unbelievable. So I was fullback for
game one. We were bringing Hainsey off the wing because
we want to get him involved, and Joey said we
need more involvement from Hainesy. But it never I knew
and Belly knew, and the pressure from the outside was
probably Haines it needs to play fullback, and I was all,
(24:32):
we want to win the game, we need the best
player and the best position. So Belly come and spoke
to me about pushing me to the bench and bringing
Haines to the full back and I'm like, yeah, sweet,
let's let's get the best team out there. And he said, well,
I still want you as captain because you're only going
to start fifteen twenty minutes on the bench, then you're
coming on for the rest of the game. And I'm like, yeah,
I don't know. Is it going to bring a bit
of pressure and just be another headline? But he was
pretty firm and didn't want to take the captaincy off
(24:53):
me and wanted my leadership, you know, in two meetings
and training sessions and during the game for that sixty minutes.
So it become more of a headline than probably what
we what we needed at that stage. Yeah, it just
it just become a distraction, I guess. But again, I'm
not going to challenge one of the best coaches in
the game. Again, I'm very honored to be captain and
for Craig to keep me as captain.
Speaker 5 (25:14):
And he's right, you're on there after fifteen minutes. It's
just the nature of state of origin. Yeah, is that
anything that happens that could happen at club level? Your
nice captain begin to start from the bench. It might
be a byline. Yeah, but when you're new Southwest state
of origin captain is staff from the bench just explode.
Speaker 6 (25:31):
It's almost one of the things similar to Aaron Woods
come out and calling Billy Saya a group. You give,
you give the Queensland to something that they can kind
of run with as motivate. You know what it's like
inside a team. You can sit there and camera smith,
you get up and go right. They've dropped their captain
to the bench like.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
You know, they're they're scared of us. Yeah, they're scared.
They're turning on each other.
Speaker 6 (25:49):
What I've taken from that is, and I've just written
it down, is Craig Bellamy. He's got no idea.
Speaker 5 (25:57):
It's not going to work. You will never be in
an elite coach.
Speaker 14 (26:00):
He went around the back of the winger, flicked it.
Speaker 5 (26:02):
Now we just pinned them. They got named number one
game of the nineties.
Speaker 14 (26:06):
We were different players, like Matt was. Matt was a
five eight to start with, then pushed the center, and
I was a different player to Matt. Matt was more
naturally skillful for sure than me. Like his footwork and
that that flick passy. He had a great combination with
all his winning, his carneeus.
Speaker 5 (26:21):
You know you've had an impact when they named something
after Still to this day, if someone does that reverse flick,
they always go to Gidley.
Speaker 14 (26:28):
Mat He just he had the wingers being boozled. You know,
they either stay out and you go himself or they
bid in, and he just flickered. Had great wingers that
could just finish the one whe we played, we beat
some George, George that's out at the moment, that footage
off the scrum. You threw the ball off the str
Darren Albert. But he went, he went, He done me.
He went around the back of the winger, flicked it.
Now we just pinned them.
Speaker 5 (26:48):
They got named number one game of the nineties. That's
a Fox Sports did it and last Play the Game,
Last Player of the Game.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Rounding out part two of our twenty twenty five Best
of we were joined by none other than Destroyevich, Jake
Tarroyevic and Connor Willie Watson. Take a listen.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
How do you as a leader to push a lot
of the off field distraction aside to just get on
with your job.
Speaker 5 (27:10):
I don't know.
Speaker 15 (27:11):
I stress out of it, if I'm being honest.
Speaker 7 (27:13):
Does it?
Speaker 5 (27:13):
That's what captains do, don't they all leaders of the team. Yeah,
I don't know.
Speaker 15 (27:17):
It's hard when it's not going well. I'd like to
say I've got better at it. I thought I had,
but then this year, I don't know. Times is quite
tough because.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
You wear losses quite like, they affect you quite happy.
Speaker 15 (27:25):
Yeah, well, like I want merely to go well, you
know what I mean with I'm out there, anyone's out there.
I want the club to go, well, I've been there
since I was fourteen fifteen, you know, so it is tough.
Speaker 5 (27:33):
It's amazing in a team, isn't And I think you're
the best example of Jake. People just some people on
the side, and everyone should just care so much, you know.
And I've seen you sometimes being in tears after a loss,
so disappointed and deflated by it. I don't want you
to comment on this, but there's always one or two,
sometimes two or three blokes in the team which, and
I'm not exaggerating, just don't care. Right for them, It's
(27:55):
just a game and they get paid for it.
Speaker 7 (27:57):
And in the.
Speaker 5 (27:58):
Really good sides, those players don't so much get don't hide.
They get converted, you know that. You know they get
converted by the strong leadership in the bad clubs, you
know what, you their attitudes just you know, spreads like
covid through the team. And so we were in lockdown
with the manly boys.
Speaker 7 (28:17):
How did you guys find it living alongside the coach
every day?
Speaker 15 (28:19):
I'll tell you a funny story. So I've been out
for a month. I told my loop believe it, I'm
not power athletes.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
How have you ever done a soft tissue in.
Speaker 15 (28:27):
Power athlete come back, right, and we played the Tigers
and we won. We actually won quite convincingly, but I
defended very poorly, right, and just like I'm talking on
the ground that sort of stuff, right, anyway, I was.
I was literally I went through mile I'm going to
retire stages, right, And I went up to Deser's bungalow.
He was on his own. Christine hadn't moved up there yet,
(28:47):
and we went through every tackle, watched every tackle with men.
At one stage, you have me on the floor in
his bungalow showing me the wrestling move and how to sprawl.
Speaker 7 (28:54):
Like I'm literally on his floor and he's sprawling on me,
like teaching your hands on me and him in his room.
It was like.
Speaker 5 (29:02):
Walked in OUs just it.
Speaker 7 (29:05):
Jake, sit down here, Jake, and they go, do you
like red Wine? I hate red.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Have you with the Big Three?
Speaker 5 (29:11):
Then?
Speaker 10 (29:11):
Yeah?
Speaker 15 (29:11):
I played one game against Scotland that tour, as I
started the whole time. Funny story, right, I got caught
in late to the camp, played in Perths. I got
there for game day and then we went out that night.
I like lost everyone, right, I didn't really know anyone.
I felt out of my depth right, and like I
was just like very awkward. I'm like, I'm doney right
as in like I sort of went back to the
hotel as I do back door.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
One of the greatest smoke bombs of all fell out.
Speaker 7 (29:33):
Of the depth.
Speaker 15 (29:34):
I'm a great smoke woman, but this time I just
didn't feel any I walked back and sitting in the
four our Mountain Inger Camerin Smith, Matt Scott, Sam Thiday
and Craig Cadderick from the night and I was just
going home to go to bed, right, and they were
going to Jake, sit down here, Jake, and they go,
do you like red wine?
Speaker 7 (29:48):
I hate reder? I hate I said, I love it right,
red wine.
Speaker 15 (29:56):
Anyway, they drank red wine the whole night. They just
played a test in there. I'm getting that like pretending
I liked it. I started liking it by the end.
My cat reckons by five point thirty. Whenever my teeth
are all red, I've never.
Speaker 7 (30:09):
Been so hung over the next day. And I mean
me and cat.
Speaker 15 (30:12):
Every time I see a cat up at Newcastle.
Speaker 7 (30:15):
If you ask me like.
Speaker 10 (30:16):
Two years after going back to the Roosters, I would
have been like, why did I come back here, yeah,
because that was when I had that first year. Didn't
realize that one of my last games at the Nights,
I'd done like a little tear in my pateel attendant.
And then so that next year at the Roosters kept
just hurting this ptel attendant, and then that next preseason
then I ruptured it. And then I've missed the whole
year at the Roosters because like after that year when
(30:38):
I had the knee, like it almost looked at one
point that I was going to have to go to
the Super League too to keep playing, because it was honestly,
like I remember one day, so the Roosters are essentially
said to me, you know, like there's not we don't
really have space for you here. Next year, Sandon was
going really good, so I sort of thought he was
going to be in that utility role with Luke still
being there in the halves. And then I remember was like, god,
(31:00):
an off from a Super League club by financial advisors, Like, mate,
you got to take it, You've got to.
Speaker 7 (31:05):
Wid this sort of stuff. I was like losing my mind.
Speaker 10 (31:08):
And then so I've rang Chimesy. I'm like, mate, like
surely there's an NRL club out there, who's willing to
take a chance on me? I remember he texted me
and he would just like send me screenshots of the
text messages.
Speaker 5 (31:20):
From the club, from the club.
Speaker 7 (31:23):
That's I said.
Speaker 10 (31:25):
It was like kicking a man while he was down.
I kept getting like, no.
Speaker 7 (31:28):
We're all good. Thanks, No, we're all good. Thanks, No,
we're all good.
Speaker 10 (31:30):
Thanks.
Speaker 7 (31:31):
We're supposed to protect.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (31:33):
Well he was just like, I guess this is this
is the reality, Like this is where you're at.
Speaker 7 (31:36):
It's honest. Yeah, yeah, it.
Speaker 10 (31:38):
Was only really that dust Good was like I went
and sort of had a chat with him, and then
the dogs were like looking at bringing me over there.
And then from there the Russes did manage to find this.
We'll sitting outside it started pouring rain. Then this group
of girls just come out. They're just sitting there like
waiting for anu. But we didn't pay too much attention
to it. And then turned around, I was like one
(31:59):
of the girls almost died. She's like passed out in
the in the gutter.
Speaker 6 (32:03):
Told me yees kissing down on her like the rain
was she was nearly drowning in the rank.
Speaker 10 (32:07):
Yeah, so then we're trying to move her under the cover.
There's a few of us that have gone over to
grab her, but because she's full passed out, she was heavy, dead,
like dead way yeah. Yeah, We've moved onto the seat
and she wakes up and Cooper's there like helping her.
First thing she like looks up and she goes, is
that Cooper John's.
Speaker 6 (32:25):
Her uber rocks up and me and Connor put her
arms over each of us like we're carrying off our
bloke who just hurt his knee off the field, like
two yellow shirts. And remember she was like she must
have been a massive footy fan. She kept saying to Connor.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
She kept going like, Connor like been loving and loving.
Speaker 6 (32:39):
What you're doing this Seasonind's like, yeah, good on, you're
good on your buddy.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Trying to push her in and she's going, do you
see yourself as a nine?
Speaker 6 (32:45):
Or coming into Game three Decider Sydney, big occasion, it's.
Speaker 5 (32:52):
Been a big builder.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
What do you learn from game two? How do you
say it?
Speaker 10 (32:55):
I just think, you know, like we just got to
be disciplined, Yeah, not give them, not give him a
chance because or in that second half when we got
into the sort of.
Speaker 7 (33:02):
More of the live war style of footy.
Speaker 10 (33:04):
You know, we were able to come up with a
lot of points there and almost win the game. But
as disappointing as it is to lose there, like we
would have loved to wrap up the series, and it
was like a chance for us to be maybe the
fourth or fifth team to win four games in a
row in like an Origin series, and there's a big chance,
like big chance for us to go back to back
and then to be able to actually do it in
New South Wales in front of all of our home
fans and to have a lot of mates and family
(33:26):
and all that stuff there, Like it's pretty exciting. So
take the lessons out of that game, be hungry because
we did lose it like from the start, be a
better team, but also to be really excited about this
opportunity to go to a core and essentially win a
decider in front of all our friends and family, Like
it's pretty happy.
Speaker 5 (33:43):
Just questioned the game two in that last trainee Sesson,
when Nathan is practicing his kicking and just twiks he
growing a little bit? Did that such an important player
in so many aspects, the fact that you know he
wasn't one hundred percent fit, did that did have any
impact on the group before the game, you think.
Speaker 10 (33:57):
We sort of spoke about it and come up with
a plan, you know, around our yardage kicking and all
that sort of stuff. But it's yeah, it's hard to
sort of because nath one of the best parts of
his game is his kicking game, and then you go
and lose that.
Speaker 5 (34:10):
So how does he talk? How does he organize?
Speaker 10 (34:13):
Yeah, he's so detailed with everything. Been one of the
cool things to be part of this Origin team is
just to come in and see how other guys work.
Just remember from like my first camp, the way, Yeah,
you can take so much out of different people's way
they approach games, and you know, like all that whole
Penrith crew, the way that all Americans and they all
just take the piss the whole time. But then as
soon as they train, it's like high expectations, you know,
(34:34):
now everything Once we train, we train hard and we're focused,
and as soon as we're off it, it's just back
to take and everything again.
Welcome back to part two of our twenty twenty five
best I hope you're having an excellent drive walk wherever you
are starting.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Off this one.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
I mean, I think this is the highlight of my
podcasting career, being joined by Gary and Gail John's for
some family storytelling, three generations of John's and just an
all round good laugh.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
What about the day Joey got out of bed the
shit under the tree?
Speaker 4 (00:24):
That was matt again.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Yeah, tree kicked a bit of sand over poor al
Shane ferned across the road. Next day He's climbed up
the tree. When he jumped out, he jump straight in
the ships got it all through his stares and.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Oh my when you look back on you had obviously
Kate as well. But I imagine Matthew and Joey would
have been the two hardest work or naughtiest. Who would
have been the hardest to race? Out of those two
joe Joey was.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
He wasn't frightened. If anything he do anything? Would he?
Speaker 5 (00:54):
Yeah, would do anything.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
It was about a ten foot serfety one day and
all the other guys are out in the water the
time of the life. I had Kate and I'd taken
for a walk. I walked up the headley and have
a look, and he's Joe. He's about nine year old
on that green board. He's out the surf. So this
old guy was here, and I knew he must excuse me?
Would you take Cake back to the caravan, Garlice? So
I'm going to go out. My young black's out in
(01:15):
the water. Go I'll get him. So I swam all
the way out there's through the waves, got out of there, exhausted,
and he said, Dave, what are you doing out here?
I said, you know, on the beach, what are you
doing out here?
Speaker 5 (01:28):
With with mining up there? There was just an enormous
drinking culture. Uncle Herby Herding Pearson.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Herby Pearson, what all legs? You know they used to drink.
They used to go to Foster, all the miners and
says stock Curry Averer, main Western. They'd all going to
Foster holidays. So the culture was two o'clock they'd head
down the pub. They'd all come home for two seven.
So that had five hours of solid drinking. I'm talking
about drinking half a dozen of skewters an hour. You know.
One day Herbie drunk fifty four sconers went. He went
(01:55):
down there at two o'clock and there was a dance
on that night. Said all the other boys left to
about five, because they will come back to dance. And
Herbie said, now, I'll say just Selfie's wife get dressed
and come down. We'll go to the dance. So behind
the bar, the barman every day used to mark every
scoon of Herbie had. He had fifty four for the day.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
And then went to the dance, to the dance, and
now they dance. I MEAs you would have been hard
to hold up.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
You get a hold of God. Honestly, you wouldn't have
to think out to.
Speaker 6 (02:19):
Drink, because isn't there a story of how he drank
the like a couple of blokes in there because.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
He was renowned for how many schooners you could drink?
Speaker 5 (02:26):
And that way.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Bloke put a challenge up to him. He was a
timber cutter from Kreua. He heard about Herbie's reputation as
a drinker, so he come up here to Foster waited
for Herbie come in and he said, I've got a
challenge for you. And I heard you can drink. He said,
I bet you can't drink ten scooners in an hour.
Herbie said, well, I'm not going to try it now
because I'll go in here all day, he said, but I'll.
Speaker 5 (02:45):
Come back tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
You be tomorrow will try it. Boys used to go
out too, So Herbie left the ten utlast twelve and
he's coming passed out. He said that, man, I'm going
a bit early today. He says, oh jeez, I'm not
going early. He said. Now, I've got a couple of
things to do. So he set it out hour. So
he went to the pub. He drank the ten scooters
are there, just to test himself, and he went up
and he said right over, said the blake right, I'll
(03:06):
take the chal and then knocked it out. The next
day he'd done another ten, so he went to the
pub first all just to see if you can do it.
Speaker 7 (03:16):
Yeah, you tell him.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Gary followed up next with Scotty drink Water and Jason Ryles.
Have a listen to these two. This was This was
a real highlight. Scotty drink Water has one of the
great laughing sagas in this episode, which you're about to hear,
and Jason Rowles gives us a good insight into Paramatta
twenty twenty six.
Speaker 7 (03:36):
Another Grand Final story.
Speaker 8 (03:37):
It was twenty twenty seventeen when they wanted we're drinking
that and then one of the brom Winches had vodka. Anyway,
I go to the toilet, Curtis is in there. Anyway,
Curtis walks out, goes back to the room. Coper Cronk
walks in the toilet and I'm fox to beuled in
the toilet.
Speaker 7 (03:49):
And he goes me drinking.
Speaker 8 (03:50):
You've just spewed up all over the carpet. I was
that drug. I went out there and.
Speaker 7 (03:56):
Picked it up. Now thought it was. Curtis was like,
I was so rading from Coop Spaby. It was goe next,
(04:23):
what are you so cruel?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
What it's going to make your m just.
Speaker 7 (04:28):
Thinking about it?
Speaker 5 (04:28):
What imagine you.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Don't spew on your jack?
Speaker 7 (04:39):
I was so rattled, rattle.
Speaker 8 (04:41):
The Curtis w was here, and then I was like
when they went away on that, you.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Don't swinging your water just for the listeners didn't know that.
Speaker 5 (04:51):
Just nearly vomited laughed.
Speaker 7 (04:52):
Probably a minute.
Speaker 5 (04:55):
There. One of the biggest we've ever had. What's the
biggest I've ever had? When they went and had tie
a tire meal. I had a box.
Speaker 7 (05:16):
He's got the laughing bog. Did you just water? Just rent?
The wrong way goes?
Speaker 5 (05:25):
I'm going to tell this story. I got to brace
myself because I could every time. Maybe I want to
got some some tie up in North Sydney, and I've
got it. You know, they get the tie in the box.
You the bosses takeaway and I've gone. It was the
chicken pad tie and I've gone. Next minute, I've gone.
(05:46):
You know something really chilly and I looked at it
was a bend d.
Speaker 7 (06:01):
What the hell I want?
Speaker 9 (06:03):
Two? Three four?
Speaker 7 (06:04):
Honeyway calling me?
Speaker 5 (06:08):
So, I don't know.
Speaker 7 (06:11):
I guess it's kind of hot talk right now.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Well, my girls in the next room.
Speaker 7 (06:20):
Something that this song?
Speaker 5 (06:24):
After all.
Speaker 7 (06:26):
The waste of knowledge facility? Do you remember the Addie
dasl story? And you don't know?
Speaker 5 (06:32):
Mate? The chip is full twenty nasty things. Do you
sell me on the field?
Speaker 10 (06:37):
Uh?
Speaker 9 (06:38):
No, No, he was good. He's very encouraging because he
knew we needed our help where he got four If
we didn't, then yeah.
Speaker 5 (06:48):
It was very encouraging. Did you room together in origin across.
Speaker 9 (06:51):
From each other? So id room with bedsy? There are
a couple of times yeah, and then throw harness was
across from us.
Speaker 7 (06:59):
Oh, your majesty welcomes. Yeah, he was good value.
Speaker 5 (07:02):
Whatever he used to get there, and that time's up
in Origin camp. He's had your fund for a couple
of days now, no more boosts to the game. So
Joey would walk around with the teacup and it just
be full spirits.
Speaker 7 (07:12):
Yeah, wasn't it.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Wasn't there a thing like come to my room for
a tea party.
Speaker 9 (07:16):
Tea parties in Joey's room and everybody have robes on. Yeah,
Joey had a robe on. He had a notebook and pen,
but I'm not sure.
Speaker 10 (07:24):
That was.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Is my favorite, my favorite every moment in a video session,
I reckon.
Speaker 11 (07:31):
So Belly's got this story 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
in the room, Cameron Smith, Cooper Krome, 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 Rugbilly, but I know it
(07:53):
an easy game when everyone does their jobs. Now Belly
has simple game when everyone does their jobs. And he
has told this relentlessly, like every year you get up
and tell the same story to everyone. And Smithy one day,
I think it was cheese. Cameron goes cheez in this
meeting today, just because we had a bit of a
(08:13):
tough period in preseason. I think we're getting kind of
sledge for dropping a heap of ball.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
And Brandon just Brandon gets up randomly in the middle.
Speaker 11 (08:20):
Of the session and he goes Bill like, can I
just say something? And he goes yeah, Britton, 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 5 (08:40):
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 a mention here and there. But know he
like Nathan, But to what made his He's going neck
and neck with Nathan this year. He's he's been fantastic.
Speaker 9 (08:54):
Yeah, he's a competitor. 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 full back out through the
middle of the field. So you know, I think his
game will go to another little bit of a level
in regards to having that string to his bow. And
(09:16):
then I think as a kid, is 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 third try, I think it was
the break was made on the left Mitchell come from
the right score to try, so we had We're just
trying to brand in that. I've been trying to encourage
him to do that. You're just like, we need to
(09:37):
score more ad lib tries in regards to instead of
just trying to manufacture everything.
Speaker 5 (09:42):
So that's that's a hard things. Half that's most compartmentalizing
to gain, Right, I'm going to steer the side and
push around the part, but at the same time going
to play in the front foot.
Speaker 9 (09:51):
Yeah, and just being really clear with if you get
tackled on play for we'll work it out. Yeah, you
know what I mean, Like there's times where you really
need to set up for you, but then there's other
times we're going you keep going.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
And up next we had Jerome's Hughes and none other than.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Gal Paul Gallon. This was a really good little catch
up with these boys.
Speaker 5 (10:12):
Take a listen, I'll ask both of you. Blake's what's
the best pray you've ever copped off him?
Speaker 10 (10:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 12 (10:16):
The main one was probably into twenty eighteen. I went
on the Keys camp over to England, so I went
over there. I didn't play any games, aiding 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 underdone as ever, running shit times. My
weight was just like I was heavier than I normally am,
(10:38):
and skin folds her up and he just absolutely ripped
into like prop like calling me like fatsy. Like was
that privately, 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, like you thought, Yeah, you know,
got a bit of experience under my belt, you know,
(10:59):
being picked in the keys or like, might have some
some choice words for me. But he just absolutely ripped
me one. And I've tried to come back after every
tour pretty decent now.
Speaker 6 (11:08):
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 12 (11:20):
That's actually the funniest thing because I started Round one
only I was third string only because the other two
points were injured. Drinking did Yeah, he does pecking. Like
the last trial against Cowboys, I think I was pretty
sure Paps was injured and then yeah, I was, he
had to play me. I don't think he was very
happy that he had to play me either. After the
pre season, I just had.
Speaker 6 (11:41):
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 head, No, he's not going to play in
Round one. I'm not going to play in round one
always ends up playing round one. Back in the day,
Chase Blair. Chase Blair was the exact same. He would
always come back like twenty kilos overweight, and I think it.
Speaker 12 (12:03):
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.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Was that your first ever Grand Final loss last year?
Speaker 12 (12:13):
Yeah, it was tough, you know, getting so far and
end up losing, and we were confident we had the
team to do something special. The learnings is just the
way we play with you know, we probably try to
play their style of footy against them who were the
best at doing it. I felt like we sort of
fell into that trap a little bit.
Speaker 5 (12:28):
And 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
must have been at times a little difficult.
Speaker 12 (12:50):
Yeah, that was pretty tough, and I kind of feel
like I probably didn't handle it very well, Like not
an excuse, but probably went into the game a little
bit drained from what happened during the week, and that's
my own fault. That was just the way I handled it.
I feel like, you know, I tried to go to
the Dalliams with no expectations. I didn't want to think
about it, like overthink it too much. But the time
I got it, when I was up there and ended
(13:10):
up getting the Dallium, I was you know, obviously it
was a lot to take in and I was really
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 wanted 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
(13:32):
sleep obviously, it was a lot of adrenaline going on, and
then had to be up early the next morning and
do a few different interviews, and 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 5 (13:49):
Long time in the making this one.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
Why so long, mate, I'll answer and see something. I
have a different opinion, But I just don't think you
ever wanted to do it till probably twenty nineteen twenty,
when I started saying, look, this is going to happen.
Let's let's brand this up bit. So I'd often say
on TV, let's do it. I'd last Sonny Bill, let's
do it, and he said, Mate. The first time I went,
when I stayed back in the square circle, he quarter,
you'll be the first person I ran. He fought for
twenty twenty twenty one, twenty twenty two. He had three
(14:13):
fights on ever a single phone call. I started ringing Coder,
his manager. So I met with Coder a couple of occasions.
Last I met with him was at Brighton the Sands
and basically said, mate, we're not going to give fifty fifty.
I said, it's got to be fifty to fifty and
then he said, how much do you want? Do you
want of new Zealand. So what happens with boxing? Everything
goes into a pool, you get a percently split and
it goes out. He said how much one New Zealand said, well,
whatever the spliitze it is fifty to fifty. Heys, you're
(14:33):
not getting one cent in New Zealand. I said, mate,
you don't want to do this fight. He's a full
of shit. You don't want to do it. I'm out.
So Someny's going to wait till I retire. He's going
to wait till I finish up, and well pass my
best fri. He says he wants to fight me. And
sure enough, around the twentieth and May, I've got the emails.
I've got an offer from Stand to Fight's Only Bill
twenty May twenty twenty three, and still I said, seven
months after I retired, and still I said, look, I'll
(14:55):
fight him if I get a guaranteed figure. I want
to guaranteed figure. Sony can have every dollar up until
I guaranteed for and then we go fifty to fifty
from there. So it's going to be a fifty to
fifty fight, but I want one guarantee. They said, no,
that's not fair. On something I said, Sonny, I said,
maybe he's waited this all this time. I told you, Zackly,
what would happen. I told you back in twenty twenty one,
he'd wait for this for me to retire. If you
guarantee me the figure, I'll do it. If you're not,
I'm retired. They said, we can't guarantee the figure. It's
(15:17):
fifty fifty all the way. That's the way we're doing.
I said, well, I'm retired. Two and twenty four odd
around watched Mike Tyson fight Jake Paul. Jake put don't
getting near Mike Tyson when they're doing it properly.
Speaker 5 (15:25):
We all know that.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
And I was that way Graham's house and I thought,
you know what, tomorrow, who's going to remember this thought?
You know, if I give me forty three years old
and make a dollar, I'm going to do it. So
I rang stand. I said, it's this fight stile possibility.
And they said we'll ring Sonny. We'll let you know.
So they rang Sonny.
Speaker 5 (15:38):
He said, yes.
Speaker 4 (15:39):
This this was in November last year, got Texas starting
about negotiation. So I actually wanted to have to fight
over in Vegas for the NURL. Oh yeah, and he said, no,
I'm not going to be ready, so I wouldn't do it. Obviously,
here we are in July.
Speaker 5 (15:49):
He's a good negotiator, coder, good negotiator for his fighter.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
And that's what frustrates me that, like you know, when
two blocks are telling a different story, that the stories
are similar, and then you know the truth summer, they
really got to work it out. I mean, we are
so far APay in what we say, like he like,
so far apart. We're not even on the same page,
like he says. We were just about to sign a
contract in twenty twenty two. I've said to him, I've
said publicly, I said, show me one bit of correspondence
from me to you or to your manager or to
stand or whoever from from twenty twenty two. Just one email.
(16:14):
I've got seven months of emails for this fight, seven
months worth of emails in Texas. I said, just produce
one email about me you fighting you in twenty twenty two.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
Yeah, so generally sign for Manly.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
At one point, yeah, I was very close into two
thousand and seven, got the dial from Many, which was
significantly more than we had at Cronulla. I was all
but done. I was I was pretty much. I hadn't
signed the contract obviously, but I was all but done.
Me and my wife now it was my part of
the time. We come over here for the weekend, to
spend some time over here for the weekend, just check
it all out. We went back home and she goes,
you know what, I really don't like people to own
and I was like, oh, okay, So I listened to her.
Speaker 7 (16:47):
Was that enough?
Speaker 5 (16:48):
Well, that was enough? Fair enough to so.
Speaker 4 (16:51):
We didn't sign then, mainly with the comic two thousand
and eight, I'm kicking me so but I was trying
to get me yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
And the funny thing was Boso had a fair bit
to pull out mis bars in origin. And when I
met Ricky Stewart it was a Crenel occasion at the time.
He said, mate, if you leave the club, I'll be filthy,
And he goes, what do you want to about red footy?
And I said, what do you What.
Speaker 7 (17:10):
Do you mean?
Speaker 4 (17:10):
I want to play red foot He games, but if
you leave, you plan any brit footy And I was
sort of believe him at the time, and I thought, well,
now I realized Boo was the one to try to
get me probably looked after me anyway. But then then
I had to get out cause in my contract, if
the coach left the club, I could leave the club.
So Ricky Steell gets sacked in twenty ten, mainly popped
back up again. Now the money was no different at
this stage I've been money wise was okay Cronel at
(17:32):
the time, Like back in two thousand and seven, it
was a lot double but significantly different. Twenty and ten
it wasn't pretty much a saying. But my missus said again, no,
I don't want to go.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
People to Rae who won the compic twenty eleven.
Speaker 4 (17:44):
Yeah, mate, And then all of a sudden two thousand,
everything happens at and I'm just sitting there, Missus surely
could have people would have run two comps with me
going for all this crap.
Speaker 5 (17:54):
And it was just like, given the fact that when
you won the cop at twenty sixteen, to even think
for a second that you might have missed that would
have absolutely killed me.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
I'm so happy I stayed And I think I was
just true to myself too, like I like to think
I'm a little guy, and I stayed true to the club.
And I remember when I signed that contract that that
contract twenty ten. I promised myself, so I promise myself,
IM going to beat this club when we win. To calm,
I promise myself and from a strapp I'm going to
beat this club. We turn it around and we got
the job on in two thous and sixteen, which may
have absolutely made it all worth it. So glad to stay.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Now the next two guests, you're going to be joined
by none other than Alex Twile ral Dahl. He joined
us the Prince of Lebanon. He come over for a
bit of a chat and so did my biological father,
Kurt Gidley.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Take a listen, David.
Speaker 7 (18:43):
Play Long Time Together Us.
Speaker 6 (18:44):
Yeah, still over there playing not for is one of
the strangest blokes. But he was such a breath of
fresh air from like the people that Melbourne usually recruited.
Let me just tell people, nothing wouldn't have been the
normal bloke that Craig Bellamy with a sign, but noer.
He was so different to everyone that he like kind
(19:05):
of it was refreshing to the group and he fit
in really well. He is so he's so like, he's
not he's not arrogant, but he would just say the
funniest ship to belly Ache and that Bella could go, no,
fa mate, great work on those plus one carry mate,
we need more of it from that, and he'd be
sitting at the back of room video session. You go,
belly A, come on, I'm the office. He goes, I'm
opening three hundred and sixty five days a year, no
(19:25):
public holidays.
Speaker 13 (19:30):
I remember one year twenty I think you got Winger
of the Year and come here, come in a full time.
Speaker 5 (19:35):
I said, you killed it. He goes, It's just another.
Speaker 13 (19:38):
Day in an office, bro. It just just do some okay.
And then there was another game. This is another story.
Speaker 5 (19:46):
I don't know.
Speaker 13 (19:46):
We we verst rabbit O's and we got pumped and
then a social media did its thing and whatever and
come after him.
Speaker 7 (19:53):
And then it come out on Twitter and said it
wasn't my fault. It was the forwards had.
Speaker 13 (19:59):
Long said, because he's because he's such a good bloke,
like we just we just it.
Speaker 7 (20:04):
Just goes down.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
I was in the middle of that day. I just
let it go in my head. Were you coached by
Michael Checker as well?
Speaker 7 (20:10):
Nah?
Speaker 5 (20:11):
So the last World Cup I missed, But yeah, checks
a good blog. I have a really good. Lad should
with the image tremendous.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (20:16):
Fellow Maronite.
Speaker 7 (20:17):
Yeah, he's a fellow Manonite.
Speaker 13 (20:18):
Yeah, and people people get surprised on to people he's Lebanes.
Speaker 5 (20:21):
But the other thing checked and Son's highly like. I
think he actually coach on the NRL these days as
far as assistant to a lot of work the head
coaches like the real figurehead. He's a great presence. I
think he could. I think that check where he made
his money the clothing industry in fashion really.
Speaker 7 (20:37):
For bloke, the dresses so poor, he's made some money.
Speaker 5 (20:41):
I'll tell you that.
Speaker 13 (20:41):
One time he invited us to his house and I
was thinking, maybe fellow Lebo will be in greenacher erily
and something like.
Speaker 7 (20:47):
That sent me that I could you. I was like, oh,
go up there.
Speaker 6 (20:51):
They mentioned Tony twenty one man. I probably I would
have played maybe four first grade games. I get a
call from a random number and it was Michael Checker
and he was Japanese rugby at the time over Bantus Anyone.
And we're staying up in Noosa and he was like, mate,
what's doing And I said, oh, no, not much and
he's like, mate, I'm over coaching in Japanese rugby. I'm
thinking about getting I need a new fly half or
(21:11):
seeking about maybe bringing a legie over if you're interested.
And I was like, oh mate, check, and I didn't
get the message clearly. He thought like, oh mate, my
time in the interl was done. And I was going, oh,
you know, check, I'm still quite young. I'd love to
chance my hand still here in the nner round and
he goes, oh, really, is that funny?
Speaker 5 (21:29):
Is that?
Speaker 2 (21:32):
I appreciate you not laughing twily?
Speaker 6 (21:35):
And one start like he's known for saying ship before
he even thinks about it, and he always wants to
have the last word in, like right before warm up,
and always I always.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
Don't know why he wanted to.
Speaker 6 (21:47):
The boy's going right, take him into a grind, will
beat him in the back end of the game. They
want to do the flashy stuff, let's do it, and
monster right before he goes bloody oath boys, he goes
and guess what, it's too bloody hot for him up here.
They can't handle the heat. And everyone just went and
so they've come down from Townsville.
Speaker 5 (22:05):
We're a bloke outside. I'm not going to say who
he is because it highly embarrassing for him. We're playing
one day, the coaches left two minute warning, ready to go,
and everyone and the chief Paul Harry and the captain
goes right, anyone got your final words? Who's got something
to say? And this blake So yeah, I have. I
don't know about you, blokes. I have a really bad
feeling about today. Kurt Goodley here, Kurt, I brought you
(22:29):
down here for the DNA test mate nervous a.
Speaker 6 (22:31):
Couple of days for me, and we actually do have
a swab test that Jack has brought in that we're
going to get. You can go mouth or nose or
if you're as it doesn't matter, and then we're Jack's
going to fire this off and then at the end
of the potty you're going to have the results for us.
Speaker 5 (22:47):
Jack.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Yeah, perfect.
Speaker 14 (22:48):
I mean a lot of people pull me up on
the street around this story. I mean, since you went
live on air with that phone called the Very Honest
Phone call Mate that you had to make.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Yeah, that's those people that haven't seen it.
Speaker 6 (22:57):
Did a prank call on Matthew about probably four five
years ago, pretending because I was getting a lot of
people mess like commenting on my photos on Instagram with
that being like, you look like a giddling.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
So I was like, well, Lisa is starting to catch legs.
Speaker 6 (23:09):
I'll run with this, and then prank Dad saying that
it was starting to get to me, and then I
genuinely was starting to believe it. Yeah, I was manifesting
ever since that, mate, even when I go to games
still do particularly up a Newcastle, people sledging me, just
going you're a giddy.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
You're a kiddy.
Speaker 14 (23:23):
Similar playing skills in like engine endurance too.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
Didn't we pick me up?
Speaker 2 (23:27):
If you think I'm wrong here Matthew.
Speaker 7 (23:28):
But us Giddley's we're all hard.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Last word to you. You've got the test results.
Speaker 7 (23:34):
Yeah, test results here.
Speaker 4 (23:35):
So they do a cross check with the system that
has people's DNA.
Speaker 5 (23:38):
A lot of the people are people that have been
locked up before. Here we go, Oh, who's Matt hoy
That form of drug taking surf.
Speaker 7 (23:53):
I was talking about the surfing.
Speaker 6 (23:56):
Belly puts you to the bench, but you you stayed
as captain. And I remember at the time it was
it was quite a big thing going. So they've put
Kurt on the bench, but his skipper what were the
conversations Joan, Yeah, fell out around.
Speaker 14 (24:09):
I remember pretty clearly, really, I mean the captain from
the bench. It was it was a scene next to
my name on the team shoet when I was on
the bench. Hainesy was on fire that year and like
he was, he was unbelievable. So I was fullback for
game one. We were bringing Hainsey off the wing because
we want to get him involved, and Joey said we
need more involvement from Hainesy. But it never I knew
and Belly knew, and the pressure from the outside was
probably Haines it needs to play fullback, and I was all,
(24:32):
we want to win the game, we need the best
player and the best position. So Belly come and spoke
to me about pushing me to the bench and bringing
Haines to the full back and I'm like, yeah, sweet,
let's let's get the best team out there. And he said, well,
I still want you as captain because you're only going
to start fifteen twenty minutes on the bench, then you're
coming on for the rest of the game. And I'm like, yeah,
I don't know. Is it going to bring a bit
of pressure and just be another headline? But he was
pretty firm and didn't want to take the captaincy off
(24:53):
me and wanted my leadership, you know, in two meetings
and training sessions and during the game for that sixty minutes.
So it become more of a headline than probably what
we what we needed at that stage. Yeah, it just
it just become a distraction, I guess. But again, I'm
not going to challenge one of the best coaches in
the game. Again, I'm very honored to be captain and
for Craig to keep me as captain.
Speaker 5 (25:14):
And he's right, you're on there after fifteen minutes. It's
just the nature of state of origin. Yeah, is that
anything that happens that could happen at club level? Your
nice captain begin to start from the bench. It might
be a byline. Yeah, but when you're new Southwest state
of origin captain is staff from the bench just explode.
Speaker 6 (25:31):
It's almost one of the things similar to Aaron Woods
come out and calling Billy Saya a group. You give,
you give the Queensland to something that they can kind
of run with as motivate. You know what it's like
inside a team. You can sit there and camera smith,
you get up and go right. They've dropped their captain
to the bench like.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
You know, they're they're scared of us. Yeah, they're scared.
They're turning on each other.
Speaker 6 (25:49):
What I've taken from that is, and I've just written
it down, is Craig Bellamy. He's got no idea.
Speaker 5 (25:57):
It's not going to work. You will never be in
an elite coach.
Speaker 14 (26:00):
He went around the back of the winger, flicked it.
Speaker 5 (26:02):
Now we just pinned them. They got named number one
game of the nineties.
Speaker 14 (26:06):
We were different players, like Matt was. Matt was a
five eight to start with, then pushed the center, and
I was a different player to Matt. Matt was more
naturally skillful for sure than me. Like his footwork and
that that flick passy. He had a great combination with
all his winning, his carneeus.
Speaker 5 (26:21):
You know you've had an impact when they named something
after Still to this day, if someone does that reverse flick,
they always go to Gidley.
Speaker 14 (26:28):
Mat He just he had the wingers being boozled. You know,
they either stay out and you go himself or they
bid in, and he just flickered. Had great wingers that
could just finish the one whe we played, we beat
some George, George that's out at the moment, that footage
off the scrum. You threw the ball off the str
Darren Albert. But he went, he went, He done me.
He went around the back of the winger, flicked it.
Now we just pinned them.
Speaker 5 (26:48):
They got named number one game of the nineties. That's
a Fox Sports did it and last Play the Game,
Last Player of the Game.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Rounding out part two of our twenty twenty five Best
of we were joined by none other than Destroyevich, Jake
Tarroyevic and Connor Willie Watson. Take a listen.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
How do you as a leader to push a lot
of the off field distraction aside to just get on
with your job.
Speaker 5 (27:10):
I don't know.
Speaker 15 (27:11):
I stress out of it, if I'm being honest.
Speaker 7 (27:13):
Does it?
Speaker 5 (27:13):
That's what captains do, don't they all leaders of the team. Yeah,
I don't know.
Speaker 15 (27:17):
It's hard when it's not going well. I'd like to
say I've got better at it. I thought I had,
but then this year, I don't know. Times is quite
tough because.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
You wear losses quite like, they affect you quite happy.
Speaker 15 (27:25):
Yeah, well, like I want merely to go well, you
know what I mean with I'm out there, anyone's out there.
I want the club to go, well, I've been there
since I was fourteen fifteen, you know, so it is tough.
Speaker 5 (27:33):
It's amazing in a team, isn't And I think you're
the best example of Jake. People just some people on
the side, and everyone should just care so much, you know.
And I've seen you sometimes being in tears after a loss,
so disappointed and deflated by it. I don't want you
to comment on this, but there's always one or two,
sometimes two or three blokes in the team which, and
I'm not exaggerating, just don't care. Right for them, It's
(27:55):
just a game and they get paid for it.
Speaker 7 (27:57):
And in the.
Speaker 5 (27:58):
Really good sides, those players don't so much get don't hide.
They get converted, you know that. You know they get
converted by the strong leadership in the bad clubs, you
know what, you their attitudes just you know, spreads like
covid through the team. And so we were in lockdown
with the manly boys.
Speaker 7 (28:17):
How did you guys find it living alongside the coach
every day?
Speaker 15 (28:19):
I'll tell you a funny story. So I've been out
for a month. I told my loop believe it, I'm
not power athletes.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
How have you ever done a soft tissue in.
Speaker 15 (28:27):
Power athlete come back, right, and we played the Tigers
and we won. We actually won quite convincingly, but I
defended very poorly, right, and just like I'm talking on
the ground that sort of stuff, right, anyway, I was.
I was literally I went through mile I'm going to
retire stages, right, And I went up to Deser's bungalow.
He was on his own. Christine hadn't moved up there yet,
(28:47):
and we went through every tackle, watched every tackle with men.
At one stage, you have me on the floor in
his bungalow showing me the wrestling move and how to sprawl.
Speaker 7 (28:54):
Like I'm literally on his floor and he's sprawling on me,
like teaching your hands on me and him in his room.
It was like.
Speaker 5 (29:02):
Walked in OUs just it.
Speaker 7 (29:05):
Jake, sit down here, Jake, and they go, do you
like red Wine? I hate red.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Have you with the Big Three?
Speaker 5 (29:11):
Then?
Speaker 10 (29:11):
Yeah?
Speaker 15 (29:11):
I played one game against Scotland that tour, as I
started the whole time. Funny story, right, I got caught
in late to the camp, played in Perths. I got
there for game day and then we went out that night.
I like lost everyone, right, I didn't really know anyone.
I felt out of my depth right, and like I
was just like very awkward. I'm like, I'm doney right
as in like I sort of went back to the
hotel as I do back door.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
One of the greatest smoke bombs of all fell out.
Speaker 7 (29:33):
Of the depth.
Speaker 15 (29:34):
I'm a great smoke woman, but this time I just
didn't feel any I walked back and sitting in the
four our Mountain Inger Camerin Smith, Matt Scott, Sam Thiday
and Craig Cadderick from the night and I was just
going home to go to bed, right, and they were
going to Jake, sit down here, Jake, and they go,
do you like red wine?
Speaker 7 (29:48):
I hate reder? I hate I said, I love it right,
red wine.
Speaker 15 (29:56):
Anyway, they drank red wine the whole night. They just
played a test in there. I'm getting that like pretending
I liked it. I started liking it by the end.
My cat reckons by five point thirty. Whenever my teeth
are all red, I've never.
Speaker 7 (30:09):
Been so hung over the next day. And I mean
me and cat.
Speaker 15 (30:12):
Every time I see a cat up at Newcastle.
Speaker 7 (30:15):
If you ask me like.
Speaker 10 (30:16):
Two years after going back to the Roosters, I would
have been like, why did I come back here, yeah,
because that was when I had that first year. Didn't
realize that one of my last games at the Nights,
I'd done like a little tear in my pateel attendant.
And then so that next year at the Roosters kept
just hurting this ptel attendant, and then that next preseason
then I ruptured it. And then I've missed the whole
year at the Roosters because like after that year when
(30:38):
I had the knee, like it almost looked at one
point that I was going to have to go to
the Super League too to keep playing, because it was honestly,
like I remember one day, so the Roosters are essentially
said to me, you know, like there's not we don't
really have space for you here. Next year, Sandon was
going really good, so I sort of thought he was
going to be in that utility role with Luke still
being there in the halves. And then I remember was like, god,
(31:00):
an off from a Super League club by financial advisors, Like, mate,
you got to take it, You've got to.
Speaker 7 (31:05):
Wid this sort of stuff. I was like losing my mind.
Speaker 10 (31:08):
And then so I've rang Chimesy. I'm like, mate, like
surely there's an NRL club out there, who's willing to
take a chance on me? I remember he texted me
and he would just like send me screenshots of the
text messages.
Speaker 5 (31:20):
From the club, from the club.
Speaker 7 (31:23):
That's I said.
Speaker 10 (31:25):
It was like kicking a man while he was down.
I kept getting like, no.
Speaker 7 (31:28):
We're all good. Thanks, No, we're all good. Thanks, No,
we're all good.
Speaker 10 (31:30):
Thanks.
Speaker 7 (31:31):
We're supposed to protect.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (31:33):
Well he was just like, I guess this is this
is the reality, Like this is where you're at.
Speaker 7 (31:36):
It's honest. Yeah, yeah, it.
Speaker 10 (31:38):
Was only really that dust Good was like I went
and sort of had a chat with him, and then
the dogs were like looking at bringing me over there.
And then from there the Russes did manage to find this.
We'll sitting outside it started pouring rain. Then this group
of girls just come out. They're just sitting there like
waiting for anu. But we didn't pay too much attention
to it. And then turned around, I was like one
(31:59):
of the girls almost died. She's like passed out in
the in the gutter.
Speaker 6 (32:03):
Told me yees kissing down on her like the rain
was she was nearly drowning in the rank.
Speaker 10 (32:07):
Yeah, so then we're trying to move her under the cover.
There's a few of us that have gone over to
grab her, but because she's full passed out, she was heavy, dead,
like dead way yeah. Yeah, We've moved onto the seat
and she wakes up and Cooper's there like helping her.
First thing she like looks up and she goes, is
that Cooper John's.
Speaker 6 (32:25):
Her uber rocks up and me and Connor put her
arms over each of us like we're carrying off our
bloke who just hurt his knee off the field, like
two yellow shirts. And remember she was like she must
have been a massive footy fan. She kept saying to Connor.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
She kept going like, Connor like been loving and loving.
Speaker 6 (32:39):
What you're doing this Seasonind's like, yeah, good on, you're
good on your buddy.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Trying to push her in and she's going, do you
see yourself as a nine?
Speaker 6 (32:45):
Or coming into Game three Decider Sydney, big occasion, it's.
Speaker 5 (32:52):
Been a big builder.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
What do you learn from game two? How do you
say it?
Speaker 10 (32:55):
I just think, you know, like we just got to
be disciplined, Yeah, not give them, not give him a
chance because or in that second half when we got
into the sort of.
Speaker 7 (33:02):
More of the live war style of footy.
Speaker 10 (33:04):
You know, we were able to come up with a
lot of points there and almost win the game. But
as disappointing as it is to lose there, like we
would have loved to wrap up the series, and it
was like a chance for us to be maybe the
fourth or fifth team to win four games in a
row in like an Origin series, and there's a big chance,
like big chance for us to go back to back
and then to be able to actually do it in
New South Wales in front of all of our home
fans and to have a lot of mates and family
(33:26):
and all that stuff there, Like it's pretty exciting. So
take the lessons out of that game, be hungry because
we did lose it like from the start, be a
better team, but also to be really excited about this
opportunity to go to a core and essentially win a
decider in front of all our friends and family, Like
it's pretty happy.
Speaker 5 (33:43):
Just questioned the game two in that last trainee Sesson,
when Nathan is practicing his kicking and just twiks he
growing a little bit? Did that such an important player
in so many aspects, the fact that you know he
wasn't one hundred percent fit, did that did have any
impact on the group before the game, you think.
Speaker 10 (33:57):
We sort of spoke about it and come up with
a plan, you know, around our yardage kicking and all
that sort of stuff. But it's yeah, it's hard to
sort of because nath one of the best parts of
his game is his kicking game, and then you go
and lose that.
Speaker 5 (34:10):
So how does he talk? How does he organize?
Speaker 10 (34:13):
Yeah, he's so detailed with everything. Been one of the
cool things to be part of this Origin team is
just to come in and see how other guys work.
Just remember from like my first camp, the way, Yeah,
you can take so much out of different people's way
they approach games, and you know, like all that whole
Penrith crew, the way that all Americans and they all
just take the piss the whole time. But then as
soon as they train, it's like high expectations, you know,
(34:34):
now everything Once we train, we train hard and we're focused,
and as soon as we're off it, it's just back
to take and everything again.
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