August 3, 2025 • 38 mins
Is Kurt Gidley actually Cooper’s dad? The boys kick off with a live in-studio paternity test before diving into Gidley’s career, from debuting at Newcastle to captaining NSW. Plenty of laughs, old stories, and a surprising family twist.
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0:00-Swab Test
4:00-Intro Gids
6:00-Matty Gidley
8:00-McDonalds
13:00-Butcher by Trade
14:00-Debut
16:00-Mario Fenech Stitch Up
19:00-Breaking In
22:30-Training with Joey & Matty
24:00-Brian Smith
27:00-Debut
29:30-Fullback
31:30-Communication
35:00-Joey
36:30-Knight Rider
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What's the matter, daddy, You're not yourself at the moment,
you know, like you know, I'm just a little bit tear.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I could really pick my mood up. What did you
want to know?
Speaker 3 (00:07):
I'll do anything.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Do you really want to know? Yes, I want people
to hit subscribe, Hit that subscribe button. It's going to
really elevate my spirit. If the people respect.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
You as a man and as a as a medium
mogul in Australia.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I'm sure they will do it well. I hope so well.
I noticed that Cooper said, don't block your beautiful face because,
as you know, Kurt Goodley here, Kurt, I brought you
down here for the DNA test mate nervous a couple
of days from me, and we.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Actually do have a swab test that Jack has brought
in that we're going to get your name.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Funny you say that, boys, I've actually brought something in myself.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I'm not a condom again, that's a bag.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
I mean, so good wife Brook this morning, who's a nurse.
I said, listen, I might bring one of the specimen cups. Yeah,
and she said that's not gonna work. That you're only
going to test for committee or drugs. Don't test.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Yeah, just give a little, give it a little sober. You
can go mouth or nose or if you're a doesn't
matter again, and then we're Jack's gonna fire this off
and then at the end of the potty you're going
to have the results for us.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Jack.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Yeah, perfect, perfect, that's going to be good. You know,
give the hair follicles as well.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
We may put all in. I mean a lot of
people pull me up on the street around this this story.
Do that. Yeah, yeah, I mean since you went live
on air with with that phone called the Very Honest
Phone call Mate that you had to make, it's a
tough do you give a lot with your friend alleged dad?
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Yeah, well let's yeah, that's those people that haven't seen it.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Did a prank call on Matthew about probably four or
five years ago, pretending because I was getting a lot
of people mess like commenting on my photos and Instagram
and that being like you look like a giggling So
I was like, well, this is starting to catch legs.
I'll run with this, and then prank Dad saying that
it was starting to get to me, and then I
genuinely was starting.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
To believe it.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Law of retraction.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Yeah, mate, And then ever since we did the Yeah,
I was manifesting ever since that, mate, Even when I'd
go to games still do. Like people, particularly up in Newcastle,
people sledging me, just going you're a Kiddley, You're a Kidley.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
Similar playing skills in like engine endurance too, didn't.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
We well yeah, yeah we were and this and you know,
pick me up if you think I'm wrong here, Matthew.
But we were all us Kiddley's. We're all hard, We're
all the John's brothers, you know, like you guys.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Out there passing the footy flick pass and all that ship.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
But we've all rolled the sleeves.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Yeah, we worked hard. We grinded for everything that we got.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Bread and butter footballers.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Yeah, we really were.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
To Joey, who's just butter and beer? I love that
by the way you turn a phrase. It was fantastic.
You know. The rumors that were starting to catch legs.
I think it's catch fire or bro legs?
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Did I did I put them together?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Did I mixed metaphor? Brother? Well?
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Sometimes yeah, my head what a metaphor is?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Later on, I've got a stye spend more money on
the school for you seriously, I.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Think I'm starting to get run down. I've got a
what do they call like a start? Is its?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Yeah? You get rid of them to do the gold. Yeah,
don't don't do that's brass. So one, that's your wedding ring.
I did brass to get off on the other nightclubs.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
We won't go there. I think that's how. Yeah, that's
how you and Trish Man, doesn't it.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Yeah, look it was. It was great to cross parts
of tru back in the day.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Don't worry when when we saw him about when her
and when kids and trist just embraced upstairs and Tris
walked back inside. It went quiet for a second and
Kurt goes, Jesus, good to good to see an old
flame again.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
So just a singular tear just went down to cheek.
That's just good. You blokes had a night out because Cooper's.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
Not not well. We're not big one. Recently we went
the beaches. Were set up top the beaches with Crowy.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Yeah yeah, Stephen crow up there when I was in
Newcastle about.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
A month ago. The crow boys yeah yeah yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Kurk come down for a quiet beer and then didn't
leave until until the very early hours and you had
to do a you were working at the Nights game
the next day.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Ye, so was Crow.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Yes, you both had to host.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Like he likes to put himself under pressure when he's
the hosting gigs. But I'd like to be somewhat prepared
and be less anxiety.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
About going to the game. And now I was going
to end.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
I think that.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
I think that was the day they played the Sharks too.
It was to it they got rolled. What are you
up to now kids? For the people listening, yeah, it cops.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Im in a national mining role for company called Protech Group,
so we recruit on board and deployee workforces in the
mining and maintenance industry. So it's a good role. It's
like there's a lot of crossovers between working class, you know,
blue collar footy, rugular league and mining. And given that
the Knights, a lot of the sponsorships over the years
(05:15):
have been mining companies that are sponsored the club. So yeah,
the relationships between us at pro Teching, me and my role,
it's it's been an enjoyable one. It was tough, you know,
that transition out of footy and trying to repurpose, you know,
where your life's heading. And you obviously want to committed
and want to have success. So I've been there for
inly seven years now out the protein.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
What did you do initially? Did you straight into that
or did you have to?
Speaker 4 (05:39):
I went into a business development role at the Knights.
For the first four months, I was always thinking about
going down the strength and inditioning path. You know, a
lot of my trainers and coaches probably said that would
be a good role that would fit fit my personality.
I suppose you're.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Too normal for it, Kurt, be a weirdo, you know.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Yeah, there is a lot of strength and condition is
a strange cats.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
Well, they're sports science ones, but most of the time
we've got like the sports science as the head of performance,
and then you've got normally an ex player who's a
trainer slash coach, which is a pretty good dynamics I
think that. Yeah, I wanted to boot the em roll
first year out of the nights for twelve months and
then started working at pro Tech. And you, I said,
there for about seven years and in that morning maintenance space.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Now and you because your brother, he's your brother, Matt
lives hard working. Yeah, yeah, he's he's with the McDonald's three,
now three got three.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
He's actually officially now Ronaldonald's all looks it looks like
he's tearing into a few big mats too, although he
did the high Rocks on the on.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
The weekend with Ryan Daggy, but now he worked really
hard to get into that. Matt was in that CEO
roll the Knights for about six years, which was a
bit of a roller coaster ride during the Tinkler days
and Wayne and then the end up owning the club again.
So but then between Matt and sort of chief who
was chairm and they always wanted to get at the
(06:59):
state where West took over, and that happened and you know,
financially the club's in a really good spot and moved
on to the Macus franchise in Kurt.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
I remember doing walking with you, your brother, just after
he sort of finished up with a role there and
as you said, he was CEO an incredibly difficult time
in the club. We had the Nathan Tinkler empire falling apart,
Wayne leaving the club early because you couldn't make it work,
and chatting to him on that walk and he just
made it was almost like he had PTSD. You'll imagine
(07:30):
being stuff between those two blokes, having to deal with
them each day, you know, and Wayne and Tinkler Blueing
and everything going on.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
I was captain too at that stage, so I had
my brother a CEO. I was captain and it was
a it was a it was a roller coaster ride
because you know, I remember we went to the vote,
to the members vote where we had to go to
the members to see if Tinks was going to be
voted in to take ownership with the club, which was
a big moment because Tinks was very passionate about the
Hunter Valley in the region and the Newcastle Knights and
(08:01):
Rugby Leuiue. So it stacked up well private ownership and
be financially stable for probably the first time in the
club's history. And you know, but part you know, he
was into Patnak farm and horses and racing cars and everything,
so financially when the when the coal price started to
drop at that stage, so did his cash flow and
(08:22):
the club end up a two will do.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
We'll come back to that era shortly. We're just on
to say, I don't want to lose what you know,
the stories around your brother Matt and him finishing and
you know, after after the Knights, then going to McDonald's.
But the McDonald seem to give people an idea the
McDonald's franchise or have been a franchise isn't just about
rolling up one day and you got to work there
(08:47):
twelve months for nothing.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
Yep, for sure. So when he finished his See the Knights,
he went into twelve months of unpaid training. Basically, you go,
you do work experience really did from McDonald's. So he
had to sort of go to SCO and go to
kick hour and you work on a roster and you've
got to learn obviously all the systems and processes of
McDonald's and that's all sort of unpaid for twelve months,
and you get to the interview phase whether you're capable
(09:11):
of owning a McDonald's, and then you've got to have
the freight to actually buy one.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
So the one that you work in that's regional, right
they put you. That's not the one that you own.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
No, no, no, So they just put you in a
regional town somewhere he went. He he worked at Walls
there and start with which that was home that was
in the home game. But he's doing drive through orders
and people are thinking, must not give this muster Toney's asking.
So he's working in his hometown and serving happy meals
at the drive through. But that was just part of
the process. And I guess they do that to make
(09:40):
sure they're only bringing people in who were committed to
it work.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Yeah, same thing happened to Ronie Kirk, the great Wrong
Kurt of the Immortal. He had numerous and he tells
the story. One day that they're about to open in
the morning at Alexandria, and Ronnie being ron was walking
around just picking up some of the rubbish that was
in the car park. Anyway, this bloke goes Ronnie Kurt,
oh wow, hey, listen, you know said we mate this.
(10:06):
This is like ron Kurk is here our mind played
for South and and can we get a further Ronnie's
like yeah, yeah, mate, Now he's got a furder. And
then Ronnie continues to pick up the paper and the
bloke says to his son, you see that, son, that's
why you got to go to school to study hard.
He was one of the greatest players of all time
and now look what he was talking to Ronnie.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
Through that whole process, he reckons the legend helped him out.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Beautiful man.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
Matt's got two in Griffith and one and leating down
the river. Aa oh wow, yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
They reckon some of those country ones like produce some
of the there's I think the one in there's one
in Auburn. Maybe a maca's are a KFC. That's one
of the biggest moneymakers in McDonald's, the.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
Ones that are twenty four to seven and you know,
have've got traffic coming through from tourism. You know, they're
busy times.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
I think the one across the one in new Castle
down the down the west end King Street. We said, yeah,
King Street, I think that's the most profitable one in Australia.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Yeah, well it's probably the King Street Hotel in there
a few. We're probably all straight across the road, across
the road because there's.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
A hotel across the road from the King Street Hotel,
and then you've got the McDonald's and at the hotel
out the blake who owned the hotel over there, he
said he complained continuously about the King Street Hotel and
in turn about the McDonald's. How the riff raff of
McDonald's twenty four hours all way over the courts and drama.
So what does that McDonald's franchise do. It actually buys
(11:34):
the hotel, but that one is owned by the company mcdonalers,
and so it makes so much money that they keep
it to themselves.
Speaker 4 (11:40):
Yeah, they keep the best ones themselves.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
I think dealing with dealing with the general public as
far as hospitality is concerned, can be fucking hard. Yaker
is he has. He got many stories.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
Like he works hard, Like him and his wife Larissa
are down and back. He still lives in Meriweather and
sort of does fly and fly out, really does. He
looks after him but he's down there, you know, from
anywhere a week up to ten days and in and out.
So yeah, it works hard and works right in amongst
all of the all the processes of McDonald's. So you
know they've rolled their sleeves up and work hard and
rooting the rewards.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Now that's that's that's an incredible achievement. It says a
lot about him given the fact that, and I suppose
we all do this. When we go into rugby league,
people say, you know, what are you going to do
when you're trying retire from rugby league? And most people
go well, I'm going to retire, not realizing when you
get to that age you're still a young man.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
Yeah. Well that's that's what I found out of you,
like my last twelve months. I played at Warrington for
two years, love loved my time over at the Wire
and then you know that transition just around, well ship,
what am I going to do next? Type thing? Because
I wasn't going to stick around and just go into
the high performance or coaching. I thought I wanted to
break from traveling away. I've got three young girls I
wanted to support there the soccer careers and dance and
(12:54):
all that sort of that sort of thing, and you know,
I was looking for that Monday to Friday so with
your home goals.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Was about the kids doing sports. It was just a
horrible time in my life. It really was.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Were you hoping for a boy?
Speaker 4 (13:06):
Kurt?
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Was that why you had three?
Speaker 4 (13:08):
Three girls?
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Well?
Speaker 4 (13:09):
I made I wasn't going for four, I tell you that.
I mean I did have four that I've had obviously
my boy first.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Oh yeah, yeah, of course. Sorry, sorry, Well we'll get
the results by a.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Boy, yeah, I mean, but not on the day to
day you know, going back there, Yeah, going back to
the world.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
You're a butcher by trains.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
Well, yeah, yeah, no, I loved it. You know, I
went from year ten I did work experience just at
my local butcher shop and you know, you've got a
pretty good relationship with the local butcher. Used to go
down with Marlby and Jeff and ended up getting doing
some work experience there. They offered me an apprenticeship, which
wasn't part of my plans at that stage when I
was sixteen, but I thought it was a good opportunity
to number one money, have a bit of independence. I
(13:50):
was riding my pushy to work. I had to set
my arm. It's sort of six aim, jump on the bike,
go to work at seven till five thirty and then
straight at fullty training. So there'll be hours now that
I reflect and half a day Saturday. Yeah unreal time.
My life worked on a Bobby lines the local butcher's
a champion bobby and you know, long term member of
the Nights. It was great for like work ethic, like discipline, perseverance, commitment,
(14:16):
because I really wanted to know once I started, I
want to make sure I got this tiviot finished my up.
So by the time I was in my third year
of my apprenticeship. My phone rang didn't ring much those days,
and it was Michael Hagen said, Kurt Haigs, may take
the knives and apron off. I wanted to play make
your debut Friday Night Footy, So so George Heare August
(14:38):
two thousand and one. So that was a huge thrill,
playing in debut at home in front of my family
and friends, with my brother Matt, and with all the
guys that I'd sort of looked up to during that
back end of the nineties and early two thousands.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
So, I mean, it doesn't matter what you do when
you've got a job, you've got to enjoy it. And
I remember you saying at the time it is younger,
and I said, hey, A you going with it? And
you said, I love it, you know, I said, I
just love stabbing and skinning things.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Isn't that the first sign of like a serial killer?
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Probably the fifth signe If you got the joint of
stabbing and skinny, I think you're well on your well.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
Rocky was a Rocky was a butcher right, although they
just let him rock down.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Poully was the butcher butcher. He was the brother in
law of Rocky and he would come over and punch
the carcass.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Yeah, was there any any ever of that when Rocky
came out?
Speaker 4 (15:27):
We had we had the free Show film in there
one day and there was a little bit of punching
the carcasses in the cool room.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Oh really.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
We had one of the boats from HA had Saturday.
Wasn't that Russell?
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Oh yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
He came in and done a segment. It was actually
pretty funny about the past Passo there and russ Or.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Was it like a like a segment on you working
at the butcher?
Speaker 4 (15:47):
Yeah? I was working there, and then there was obviously
my brother Matt. We had Passo and maybe Shields. He
Peter Shields there and it was just a joy up.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Really.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
Yeah, he's my godfather, Peter Shills.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Yeah, I haven't seen him in fifteen years, he says. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
I think his daughter saff Yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
Netball, she's a gun.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Yeah. Basketball playing the Cold System in America.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
Yep. I think they're going over there pretty soon. Actually
with Shieldsy last week, do not gonna have a little
training session. But he says he's been sending your money.
Have you been at that?
Speaker 1 (16:17):
I haven't been sending the wrong way? When the birthday's
cards stopped coming at about twelve, I thought, maybe he's
just forgot, and then no, they haven't never come since.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
See direct deposit now straight in your bank accounting.
Speaker 3 (16:29):
Yeah, yeah, might be able to be again made.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
He just deals with the lad athletes.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
On the footy show as well.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Because you were up part of one of the great
gets with Dad on Mario Fair, I was we were
talking about this last night.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
I was like, that was that was Kurt? Where that?
How did that come about?
Speaker 4 (16:47):
That? I reckon more people pulled me up about that
than my fully career about the Mario because it gets
circulated on social media and Facebook or whatever once a
year or maybe a couple of times a year, so
people are always pulling me up. And I was shitting
myself that because all I heard was we'll go on
to mum and Dad's to do a family story. Dad's
got some memorabilia up and that sort of thing, and
(17:08):
Matt Matt was going to be there mom and dad
and just talk about you know, Matt's career, my career
and Mum and dad and that type of thing. Then
we get there, the producer pulls me inside and goes
mate It's like, you know, we've got cameras set up
and the bushes over here, We've got Maddie waiting down
the road. Here, we're going to do up Mario. Instead
of backyard footy, We're gonna do it in the front
yard because of the cameras. And I'm like, fuck, I've only
just met Mario for the first time.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
You only found out on the day.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
I've only just met Mario like the first time, and
I've just found out we've done the whole family story.
None of this family story got used at all because
the joy up was so good and I'm not an
actor number one, and so I was shitting myself. But
it ended up I had a hat on. I just
pulled my hat down. I just saw very well.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
You did a good job, because it looks like, of course,
if you haven't seen it, go and find it, you
fake it. You're playing front yard footy and you fake
an ankle injury, and then Mario You've got to play
in three days and Mario is freaking out with Marry.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Go what what it's frightening me on something?
Speaker 4 (18:07):
You get the other part they had he Hayes teed
up at the stadium as well, so you were down
the road hages at the stadium. I'm like, we're gonna
have to try and nail this. So and Mario's going,
I didn't hurt you. I said, it's been bad inkle,
I didn't even have a bad inkle. Let's have a
look at it. I said, what are you a doctor now, Murray? No,
I'm not said, what are you a doctor? He goes,
it's not too bad. What are you a doctor now, Mario?
(18:29):
And he goes, no, mate, I'm not a doctor.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
And he's back to the producer.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
I love when he go out. He go over to
the camera man and whispered like not knowing the cameras,
and he was gone. The family hate me.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
He's such a beautiful bloke.
Speaker 4 (18:43):
The penny should have dropped. You turned up out of nowhere.
You had nothing to do with the whole secret. Mario
is gone, brother, brother, it's all right. I think I've
seen I know ankles. I know ankles right. Let me
just have a look at it. And I go, actually,
it's not too bad now.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
Mario is Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
He's a perfect bloke because he's like, if you know
anyone that would feel so bad and shattered by by
what happened. It's Maria. It's social beautiful blow.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
He was sweating. Ever since I've seen him sporadically over
the years, he'd always come up, brother, Brother, you got
me brother.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
It is fun of the I reckon, it's one of
the greatest cats in rugby league going to stitch up.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
I reckon, it's it's up there with one of the best.
It's so funny.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
What do you remember, Kirk, Because I remember being I
was in the north of England and there were a
lot of injuries, and Joey run me and said, man,
we're we're going to put curt him. Were you seventeen or.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
Just I was eighteen? Ye? Yeah, so and I was
small man. He like I was only like, you know, eighteen,
I was probably looking sixteen dead'sair and I wasn't way
much than my I was a late developer as far
as like size, weight, strength, speed, you know, even skills.
I would say so, but I had to for me
(19:55):
to try and get into the Nights, which I missed
it out. The first couple of times I had to
highlight something as a porny difference, and I had to
highlight my fitness. So only time I had an opportunity,
whether it was boot tests or fitness drills or durance exercises,
I wanted to win them number one, and I want
to highlight that I was the most fittest in that group,
and that's how I finally got in the nights.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
That sort of can I quickly jump in because there's
been on that. There was a rumor when I was
at school and you it would probably come back to
you when we would do the beat test. You might
not know this, dad, but everyone would always say, all
the league fans, they would say, oh, Kurt Kidley is
the only bloke that's broken the beat test. That's that's finished.
It is there because that was a rumor at ages
for my school, everyone got Kurtkidley, is that fit like
(20:37):
leading the origin?
Speaker 3 (20:38):
Particularly he broke the beaf test.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Your dad, is there.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
Any truth to that?
Speaker 4 (20:44):
No, I haven't broken the boot test. It was it
was I used to always beat my prevy score. I
know Mason and just a horror spoke around that recently. Yeah,
but I haven't. No, I haven't beaten the boot test,
but I used to get consistently sort of eighteens high eighteens.
And again that was that was a personal goal that
I always try and beat my previous one. And I
(21:04):
remember when I first came into sort of gray playing
reserve grade oh one and then debut, But Robbio was
known as the fittish guy in the club and Robbo
was super fit, and I loved Robbio and looked up
to him when I was sort of coming through that
fullback role and Robbio was the fittish guy, so I
thought it'd.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
Be fine with you're beating him. It does an undergrudge, rob.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
Yeah, he would hate. He would have hated.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Was there a bit of like when a young bloke
comes in and they're winning all the fitness. You know,
it's different if it's an older bloke Dangans or whatever,
but you're kind of making the older blokes look bad.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
Did the boys get off here at the start?
Speaker 4 (21:38):
Well, yeah, I don't know think robot was a big
fan of someone coming in beating him at that stage,
but look he did. Robbio helped me a lot out
with just fullback, working catching techniques and we're to be defensively,
so we had a pretty good relationship and he was good.
He was good fun off the field, Robbio, So I
don't know if he was a big.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Fan of It's funny how times times changed, because I
remember playing under twenty ones and we had a young
reserve oat side what not, and you'd start to train.
We'd trained as a club, and so the writer all
the all the halves, playmakers, halves and hookers over there,
and you're training as a group, not just with your
(22:13):
and make the old blokes with grabia and say you
fucking listen here, don't don't you fucking break the bag.
You just stay there, they warn you.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
Yeah, I think it was like there was definitely that mattery,
like you had to stay as a group. Like. Those
club days were some of my best memories, especially because
they have Saturday mornings Jersey Fleeg reserve grade, first grade,
and they'd mix the teams up, you know, with variety,
so it might be blue team, Red team, Green team,
Martrich team. So it was the first taste of training
with guys who were reserved grade in first grade and
(22:42):
getting a taste of the intensity, the you know, the
aggression in those competitive games where it was just short
side games. So that was that really inspired me to be.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
It was dad in those clubs, like did you ever
train with Dad and those I remember.
Speaker 4 (22:56):
Training with these boys that just you and Andrew at
Ford Over when you were you guys living across the road,
there was that did. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
We used to go to different parks around the place.
Speaker 4 (23:06):
Yeah, that was some of the I'm very grateful for.
You know, when you guys are trained on days off
or off season, you just be at a local park,
whether it's Ford Oval or Joey Townsend Oval, just with
stack a footy, stuck a cane, set out and looking
to improve your own game. And once I've seen that
number one, and I was a good observer of people
(23:26):
and what they were doing, and I thought, all these
guys are already already high performers in first grade and
red players. This is what they're doing. That's what I
want to be doing too.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
These doing just do an extra hardier work, that's it.
And we used to get different fields around new Castle,
ones that would feels that would give you the same
feeling dimension as the field you're going to play on
that weekend. So for instance, give an example, if you're
up at Newcastle and and you're driving along beyond Hexham
Road and you've got on the right hand side of
(23:58):
the Newcastle Entertainment Center. There's a field across the road
from that. We used to train on that when we're
going to play party football stadium because it used to
aun the one down the road because all the big
sycamore trees would hover over the top and it felt
like a stadium. Yeah, so little things like you do.
Little things like that. Have four or five training fields
that would be similar.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
That's interesting that you do that like they do it
now obviously in the modern game now because they've got
more technology. Like at a crowd where I remember when
I was at Melbourne, they could train in at Amy
when you were going to play in a big game
and they'd fire up the speakers and put crowd noise
in so loud that you'd have to be communicate really
well with the boys to practice how loud you'd have
to yell for them to hear you, or they put
(24:37):
if you're going to play and wet weather, they'd put
the sprinklers on all afternoon.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
To practice that. But it's pretty innovative for an old
fool like you.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
Mate. Maybe we talk about we had Brian smith here
at from about seven for a few years. Smithy brought
some real professionals to the club at that stage that
we needed and it was through our pathways. But he
was always trying to think outside the back as you are.
We were training game day, game day on away games.
(25:04):
There was one game I was in Origin camp watching
the boys. I remember they played in Brisbane, got b
by seventy. They went from the hotel game day, went
and found a local park, got stuck in traffic. We're
getting this is game day, preparing for the day, strapping
on the bath to get back to the hotel quickly
straight the game by seventy.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
That that's a nightmare. You know who else you know
who did that quite until recently. Rugby league fans will
know this. The Ipswich Jets who play up in the
Queensland Cup. They're pretty famous for like they take they
just take risks on everything. They only kicked short off kickoffs.
They chip and chase every play like they offload, like
they just do the craziest Stuffer brothers. Yeah, they're like
(25:46):
the Harlem Globe Trotters of rugby league. And you'd see
them there like they would do their captain drun like
an hour before kickoff or like two hours on the
morning of the game, so they'd be doing that, they
do a light warm up, but then like the morning
of the game, we'd be walking down and have a
coffee and you'd see the team you're about to play
just warming up and they're like they're training on game day.
(26:06):
It was just them like flick passing and chip and chasing.
They were so hard to play against.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
That on Smith is and you're right, and I will
say this, Smithy gets judged unfairly, I think on the
length and breadth of his coaching career, the fact he
hasn't won a competition, but he did with certain clubs,
like you know he took he took some George to
the ninety to ninety three Grand Final with a side
that was a long way off the strength of the
(26:31):
Prison Broncos, and like that was in his innovation. Jason
Stevens tells me a story. It might have been nine
ninety four and they've gone to Brookvale Oval and they've
they've gotta beat Manly mainly playing really good at the time,
but they're confident. Anyway, Smithy brings in a bloke just
before the game to give a bit of a motivational
(26:51):
talk to the players, literally about that we were about
to go out and now this guy end up getting
done for corruption. Yeah, yeah, he's a con man. Anyway,
as they're about to go out, the guy pulls the
stereo system out, just goes book, put the set in
and starts playing bon Jovi. He living on a prayer.
So as they're walking out Smithy Studio, they said there
was a great feeling in the sheds Smithy grabs s
(27:14):
Gaz some really special is going to happen today. They
got beat sixty to four. Sometimes you just don't know
that sod on that debut when you play, what do
you remember from it? Probably the intensity of the game
mad He, you know, much more physical, like Reserve grade
was a good taste because I was playing against men
(27:35):
for the first time. That was genuine reserve grade where
I was playing guys who had either been dropped back
from first grade or returning from injury.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
So Reserve Grade No. One was an awesome year and
I was playing with some first credits. But that night
I remember Half's partner debut James Winn winning and I
got promoted to first grade. Joey definitely can get droped.
He was out injured.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
I think that he had a bad injury for quite
a while. Yep.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
So Winnie and I debut that night. We got we
got dusted. Unfortunately, I threw an intercept and straight back
to reserve grade.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
Lead. You hit the mark.
Speaker 3 (28:10):
Were you playing with your brother?
Speaker 4 (28:11):
But yeah, and I was playing with Matt. There was
Husey Beds like guys like b K Paso. So I
was very lucky and grateful to come through like that
ear of early two thousands because there was it was
a great team. Most of those guys were local juniors too,
a couple of couple of recruits like b K from
(28:31):
the outside Passo. But yeah, it was a it was
a great era as far as old still old school,
but but you know, learned lots.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
It's really funny you see your handover from semi professionalism
to professionals. So you were probably sitting at that bridge
for sure. When did you play your second first grade game?
If you got dropped there?
Speaker 4 (28:51):
Yep, So I went back to reserve grade and obviously
first grade two thousand and one Grand Final one we
got beat the week before the Grand Final and Reggies
and then following year and up playing about twenty first
grade games and then from three I was full time
first grade.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
What position we were playing in that most of most
of those games the next.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
Year, probably between full back and five eight, probably five
to eight more. Robbie will still would have been there.
Ruddy was either playing five eight or pushing into locks.
So I got my first opportunities, probably in the halves.
And I just used to follow your brother around because
I knew things were going to happen, and Joey was
a great communicator. Obviously you could see things unfolding, so
I thought, beautiful, man, I'll just follow this bloke around
(29:30):
and there's down to be things that happened around me.
And even when I went to fullback, I loved fullback.
I loved the variety of fullback and the versatility of
being left right through the middle, set plays, jumping into
dummy half and having a run, kick returns, catch and
bombs the same thing. During that those next a few
years of from three to seven. When Joey retired, that
(29:52):
fullback role I thoroughly enjoyed because it was it required
a high level of endurance and fitness.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
I was going to ask about it because on the surface,
you look at the six position and you've got defensive
responsibilities and you're getting hit quite a bit. But particularly
I look at the modern game, and I'm interested in
your take. I think in the modern game, fullback is
the toughest position to play. I think for a couple
(30:18):
of reason's number one, you get isolated. No one is
subjected to more pressure plays than the fullback. All goes
up in the air. You're expected to catch it. When
you catch it, you don't get and applauded. You drop it,
you're on the back page of the paper. Yeah, but
also the impact. You know, you're at the mercy of
a kick chase team and things like that. How did
you find fullback? Did you find that demanding?
Speaker 4 (30:37):
Yeah? And I love the pressure. You know, I accepted
the pressure, but I practiced for it too. I've got
lots of reps in around catching bombs, and that was
a great responsibility. I always want to try and catch
the kickoff or to work out which way they kick
it off, and I'd like that responsibility catching kickoffs. And
I had really good relationships with my full pack in
front rowers. Just hold them accountable and you know, I'll
(31:00):
help you, you help me type type relationship. So yeah,
fullback was great. I'd always sort of get end up
being pushed into five eight or in the halves if
there was someone out injured. So I had lots of
taste of five eight and full back, fullback being m
I probably preferred, and even the back in my career,
even at Warrington, I was probably playing more five eight
than full back, just just to look after my legs
(31:22):
a bit better. And I loved the responsibility of defending
three men. You know, you've got to have a really
good relationship with your back rower and your center and
your winger, and you've got to be confident and believe
in your defensive pattern and make a call, especially on
your line. Yeah, and I kind of thrived on that
type of responsibility that.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
The three and of people don't realize. You know he is,
He's the chief of the defense on that edge out wide,
you know you're talking about it going outside in or
making a call to slide.
Speaker 4 (31:49):
It's a big responsibility and you've got to back yourself
and you've got to have the boys on board. And
I think, you know, fitness was my best attribute. I
would say communication was probably my second biggest asset. Get
it during fatigue, you know, that's the most important part
in attack and defense, but certainly defensive. You've got to
you've got to talk, and you've got to have your
back ron on board. You've got to have your center
(32:10):
on board. If we're all wedging, we're going we're all
going hard, and we'll leave our leave ourselves open for except.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
The first thing to go when you're fatigue, like the
communication goes. Yeah, that's the difference between junior levels and
first grade and sometimes even reserve grade.
Speaker 3 (32:24):
Just bloke's been able to communicate on fatigued.
Speaker 4 (32:26):
I reckon. It's the difference between a long term career
and a shorter one because you can have natural ability
and natural talent, but you've got to be able to
you've got to want to communicate, and you've got to
get a response from If I'm talking to you, I
need a response from from you back. And I think
you'll see players have like phenomenal careers that may not
be the most talented or gifted in their in their team,
(32:48):
but they're probably the most value because of their work ethic.
They're tough, they're resilient, and they're consistently talk throughout the
game and throughout the week team meetings, during training sessions
and in the game.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Under isn't it under an underrated skill because we always
put the emphasis on speed with the epist on strength,
emphas on endurance, you know, and the smart but the
ability to communicate is so important. And I say, young
playmakers sometimes the day before the game, I want you
to walk down the park. I want you to walk
(33:20):
through your plate, but I want to I want to
hear you should be hearing yourself talk openly and clearly,
like when you're under pressure. Because it's like this, if
you're going to get up into a thirty minute speech
or let's say it's only a minute game, eighty minute
speech to you know, a thousand people, you know, and
just in business, would you practice that the day before
(33:41):
of course it would. Well you think about rugby league.
You should be down there. You should be finding your voice.
And if you are not a good communicator, go and
learn how to communicate.
Speaker 4 (33:51):
I'd be catching bombs just with no one else in
the park but the half back or a coach, and
I'll be calling my name, catching the bombs with no
one else around because I wanted to practice communicating to myself.
And I'll tell you what that It gives you belief
in catching the footy. So if I'm talking to myself
my mind, I like, I believe in the catch. And
if there's no communication number one, whether the wingers catching it,
(34:13):
I'm catching it the other winger, that's uncertainty. But just
by talking to myself, it sends a message to myself,
the teammates and the opposition that I've got these.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
One of the butt.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
I remember Dad and Joey one of the best sort
of lessons when Jack and I were young, when they
go down the park and throw cones out and you'd.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Practice as.
Speaker 5 (34:34):
It's smoke cones as yeah, crack well when Joey was there, yeah,
but throwing cones out and practicing like you know, if
you're going to if you're trying to communicate to your
full back, you know, to sit on or to punch
a hole outside that player even.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
Though he's not here, just almost you're actually practicing how
you word your sentence to communicate it to him. You know,
like I'm getting to him, punch outside him, hit the
whole outside him.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
So they in the heat of the moment.
Speaker 1 (35:01):
It's not just that you're saying it, but it's like
the directness and the clear communication of what you're saying,
so he knows exactly what you're going to do for sure.
Speaker 4 (35:09):
I reckon communication in those moments super important, even just
around scrums and breakdowns of plays, like just trying to
mess with the other team's heads psychologically around you know,
we're feeling up, we're feeling feet, We've got these boys,
and just little moments like that where you can over
communicate confidently. I just could send a message to the other.
Speaker 2 (35:29):
Charles dahl And used to say the time what separated
man from chymps our ability to communicate exactly exactly.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Charles Darwin even played the game first grade his life.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
Kids, so go and dhen played Union.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
Of course, no relation back to Joe for a sec because,
like you said, you're a young player coming in playing
five eight and full back with probably one of the
greatest players of all time, someone that you probably were
watching and idolizing. And he's also known for being quite testy,
quite quite demanding on his players. Were there any yarns
(36:03):
or did he give you a fair spray? Back in
the day when you were young.
Speaker 4 (36:07):
Everyone got a spray? Busy was getting fully thrown back
at him. You know, if they're burning on the mark.
So we had a really high expectation on himself for sure,
but everyone else. And he used to get frustrated, probably
because he could see things unfolding before everyone else, which
was part of that frustration. Yeah, if you weren't on
the mark, and you weren't hitting the hole that he
was after or put the balls where they needed to do,
(36:29):
then he'd give you a fair spray.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
So I think you could blast.
Speaker 4 (36:34):
I think yeah. I think Justin Roddyck got told to
actually get get off the field at one stage because
couldn't catch a bomb at that stage.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
How is the night Rider going?
Speaker 4 (36:43):
I don't know, probably haven't seen him since he'd done
the logis with the HEG you're on that's right? What?
Speaker 2 (36:52):
So do you know how sometimes in the game a
young player would just come into first grade and just mate,
we'll just catch fire. But that flame will burn it
very quickly. Yes, Justin Wright come in to first grade
and like it's unlikely a lot of injuries, and he
was the people's champion because he was only really short,
wasn't particularly fast, but mate just started caught fire for
(37:13):
about a month and then but he used to wear
his head gear. They used to call him the night Rider.
So then he become this celebrity.
Speaker 4 (37:20):
Footy shows to send him the log he's with a
head year on interview actors, Did.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
They have any idea who was that?
Speaker 2 (37:26):
No? I remember Carry O'Brien is certain. He's a really
he's an ABC journals. Really prickly he's doing. He's having
a piss. A night rider walks and ask him for
a question. He goes, fuck off, you idiot.
Speaker 1 (37:40):
I love how back in the day, like the Footy Show,
it seems like the Footay Show had not so much control,
but like everyone was so up for doing whatever, Like
the players were just like you see now a lot
of players kind of try to hide away from the media,
probably because they don't want to get.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
Bagged by a lot of people online.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
But back then, probably because there's no social media for
anyone to comment on.
Speaker 3 (38:00):
You should just be doing anything.
Speaker 4 (38:03):
There was some pretty loose stuff.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
Pull a microphone out, people come running towards you, like Americans. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
Yeah, like back in the day, when you do Red
Dagon Street talks, it's like people would like you would
you would bring the strangest creatures from all over Australia.
Speaker 3 (38:18):
They come out and want to get.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
In front of it.
Speaker 2 (38:19):
They come out of shops, they come out of churches,
they come out of crack ends, They just come pouring
out it. Well, would I tell you terrific bloke. That's
the end of part one, right that, time to jump
over for part two, which I hope you enjoy every
bit as much I know you will
What's the matter, daddy, You're not yourself at the moment,
you know, like you know, I'm just a little bit tear.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I could really pick my mood up. What did you
want to know?
Speaker 3 (00:07):
I'll do anything.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Do you really want to know? Yes, I want people
to hit subscribe, Hit that subscribe button. It's going to
really elevate my spirit. If the people respect.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
You as a man and as a as a medium
mogul in Australia.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I'm sure they will do it well. I hope so well.
I noticed that Cooper said, don't block your beautiful face because,
as you know, Kurt Goodley here, Kurt, I brought you
down here for the DNA test mate nervous a couple
of days from me, and we.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Actually do have a swab test that Jack has brought
in that we're going to get your name.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Funny you say that, boys, I've actually brought something in myself.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I'm not a condom again, that's a bag.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
I mean, so good wife Brook this morning, who's a nurse.
I said, listen, I might bring one of the specimen cups. Yeah,
and she said that's not gonna work. That you're only
going to test for committee or drugs. Don't test.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Yeah, just give a little, give it a little sober. You
can go mouth or nose or if you're a doesn't
matter again, and then we're Jack's gonna fire this off
and then at the end of the potty you're going
to have the results for us.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Jack.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Yeah, perfect, perfect, that's going to be good. You know,
give the hair follicles as well.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
We may put all in. I mean a lot of
people pull me up on the street around this this story.
Do that. Yeah, yeah, I mean since you went live
on air with with that phone called the Very Honest
Phone call Mate that you had to make, it's a
tough do you give a lot with your friend alleged dad?
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Yeah, well let's yeah, that's those people that haven't seen it.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Did a prank call on Matthew about probably four or
five years ago, pretending because I was getting a lot
of people mess like commenting on my photos and Instagram
and that being like you look like a giggling So
I was like, well, this is starting to catch legs.
I'll run with this, and then prank Dad saying that
it was starting to get to me, and then I
genuinely was starting.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
To believe it.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Law of retraction.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Yeah, mate, And then ever since we did the Yeah,
I was manifesting ever since that, mate, Even when I'd
go to games still do. Like people, particularly up in Newcastle,
people sledging me, just going you're a Kiddley, You're a Kidley.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
Similar playing skills in like engine endurance too, didn't.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
We well yeah, yeah we were and this and you know,
pick me up if you think I'm wrong here, Matthew.
But we were all us Kiddley's. We're all hard, We're
all the John's brothers, you know, like you guys.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Out there passing the footy flick pass and all that ship.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
But we've all rolled the sleeves.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Yeah, we worked hard. We grinded for everything that we got.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Bread and butter footballers.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Yeah, we really were.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
To Joey, who's just butter and beer? I love that
by the way you turn a phrase. It was fantastic.
You know. The rumors that were starting to catch legs.
I think it's catch fire or bro legs?
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Did I did I put them together?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Did I mixed metaphor? Brother? Well?
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Sometimes yeah, my head what a metaphor is?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Later on, I've got a stye spend more money on
the school for you seriously, I.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Think I'm starting to get run down. I've got a
what do they call like a start? Is its?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Yeah? You get rid of them to do the gold. Yeah,
don't don't do that's brass. So one, that's your wedding ring.
I did brass to get off on the other nightclubs.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
We won't go there. I think that's how. Yeah, that's
how you and Trish Man, doesn't it.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Yeah, look it was. It was great to cross parts
of tru back in the day.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Don't worry when when we saw him about when her
and when kids and trist just embraced upstairs and Tris
walked back inside. It went quiet for a second and
Kurt goes, Jesus, good to good to see an old
flame again.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
So just a singular tear just went down to cheek.
That's just good. You blokes had a night out because Cooper's.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
Not not well. We're not big one. Recently we went
the beaches. Were set up top the beaches with Crowy.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Yeah yeah, Stephen crow up there when I was in
Newcastle about.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
A month ago. The crow boys yeah yeah yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Kurk come down for a quiet beer and then didn't
leave until until the very early hours and you had
to do a you were working at the Nights game
the next day.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Ye, so was Crow.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Yes, you both had to host.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Like he likes to put himself under pressure when he's
the hosting gigs. But I'd like to be somewhat prepared
and be less anxiety.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
About going to the game. And now I was going
to end.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
I think that.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
I think that was the day they played the Sharks too.
It was to it they got rolled. What are you
up to now kids? For the people listening, yeah, it cops.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Im in a national mining role for company called Protech Group,
so we recruit on board and deployee workforces in the
mining and maintenance industry. So it's a good role. It's
like there's a lot of crossovers between working class, you know,
blue collar footy, rugular league and mining. And given that
the Knights, a lot of the sponsorships over the years
(05:15):
have been mining companies that are sponsored the club. So yeah,
the relationships between us at pro Teching, me and my role,
it's it's been an enjoyable one. It was tough, you know,
that transition out of footy and trying to repurpose, you know,
where your life's heading. And you obviously want to committed
and want to have success. So I've been there for
inly seven years now out the protein.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
What did you do initially? Did you straight into that
or did you have to?
Speaker 4 (05:39):
I went into a business development role at the Knights.
For the first four months, I was always thinking about
going down the strength and inditioning path. You know, a
lot of my trainers and coaches probably said that would
be a good role that would fit fit my personality.
I suppose you're.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Too normal for it, Kurt, be a weirdo, you know.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Yeah, there is a lot of strength and condition is
a strange cats.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
Well, they're sports science ones, but most of the time
we've got like the sports science as the head of performance,
and then you've got normally an ex player who's a
trainer slash coach, which is a pretty good dynamics I
think that. Yeah, I wanted to boot the em roll
first year out of the nights for twelve months and
then started working at pro Tech. And you, I said,
there for about seven years and in that morning maintenance space.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Now and you because your brother, he's your brother, Matt
lives hard working. Yeah, yeah, he's he's with the McDonald's three,
now three got three.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
He's actually officially now Ronaldonald's all looks it looks like
he's tearing into a few big mats too, although he
did the high Rocks on the on.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
The weekend with Ryan Daggy, but now he worked really
hard to get into that. Matt was in that CEO
roll the Knights for about six years, which was a
bit of a roller coaster ride during the Tinkler days
and Wayne and then the end up owning the club again.
So but then between Matt and sort of chief who
was chairm and they always wanted to get at the
(06:59):
state where West took over, and that happened and you know,
financially the club's in a really good spot and moved
on to the Macus franchise in Kurt.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
I remember doing walking with you, your brother, just after
he sort of finished up with a role there and
as you said, he was CEO an incredibly difficult time
in the club. We had the Nathan Tinkler empire falling apart,
Wayne leaving the club early because you couldn't make it work,
and chatting to him on that walk and he just
made it was almost like he had PTSD. You'll imagine
(07:30):
being stuff between those two blokes, having to deal with
them each day, you know, and Wayne and Tinkler Blueing
and everything going on.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
I was captain too at that stage, so I had
my brother a CEO. I was captain and it was
a it was a it was a roller coaster ride
because you know, I remember we went to the vote,
to the members vote where we had to go to
the members to see if Tinks was going to be
voted in to take ownership with the club, which was
a big moment because Tinks was very passionate about the
Hunter Valley in the region and the Newcastle Knights and
(08:01):
Rugby Leuiue. So it stacked up well private ownership and
be financially stable for probably the first time in the
club's history. And you know, but part you know, he
was into Patnak farm and horses and racing cars and everything,
so financially when the when the coal price started to
drop at that stage, so did his cash flow and
(08:22):
the club end up a two will do.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
We'll come back to that era shortly. We're just on
to say, I don't want to lose what you know,
the stories around your brother Matt and him finishing and
you know, after after the Knights, then going to McDonald's.
But the McDonald seem to give people an idea the
McDonald's franchise or have been a franchise isn't just about
rolling up one day and you got to work there
(08:47):
twelve months for nothing.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
Yep, for sure. So when he finished his See the Knights,
he went into twelve months of unpaid training. Basically, you go,
you do work experience really did from McDonald's. So he
had to sort of go to SCO and go to
kick hour and you work on a roster and you've
got to learn obviously all the systems and processes of
McDonald's and that's all sort of unpaid for twelve months,
and you get to the interview phase whether you're capable
(09:11):
of owning a McDonald's, and then you've got to have
the freight to actually buy one.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
So the one that you work in that's regional, right
they put you. That's not the one that you own.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
No, no, no, So they just put you in a
regional town somewhere he went. He he worked at Walls
there and start with which that was home that was
in the home game. But he's doing drive through orders
and people are thinking, must not give this muster Toney's asking.
So he's working in his hometown and serving happy meals
at the drive through. But that was just part of
the process. And I guess they do that to make
(09:40):
sure they're only bringing people in who were committed to
it work.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Yeah, same thing happened to Ronie Kirk, the great Wrong
Kurt of the Immortal. He had numerous and he tells
the story. One day that they're about to open in
the morning at Alexandria, and Ronnie being ron was walking
around just picking up some of the rubbish that was
in the car park. Anyway, this bloke goes Ronnie Kurt,
oh wow, hey, listen, you know said we mate this.
(10:06):
This is like ron Kurk is here our mind played
for South and and can we get a further Ronnie's
like yeah, yeah, mate, Now he's got a furder. And
then Ronnie continues to pick up the paper and the
bloke says to his son, you see that, son, that's
why you got to go to school to study hard.
He was one of the greatest players of all time
and now look what he was talking to Ronnie.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
Through that whole process, he reckons the legend helped him out.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Beautiful man.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
Matt's got two in Griffith and one and leating down
the river. Aa oh wow, yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
They reckon some of those country ones like produce some
of the there's I think the one in there's one
in Auburn. Maybe a maca's are a KFC. That's one
of the biggest moneymakers in McDonald's, the.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
Ones that are twenty four to seven and you know,
have've got traffic coming through from tourism. You know, they're
busy times.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
I think the one across the one in new Castle
down the down the west end King Street. We said, yeah,
King Street, I think that's the most profitable one in Australia.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Yeah, well it's probably the King Street Hotel in there
a few. We're probably all straight across the road, across
the road because there's.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
A hotel across the road from the King Street Hotel,
and then you've got the McDonald's and at the hotel
out the blake who owned the hotel over there, he
said he complained continuously about the King Street Hotel and
in turn about the McDonald's. How the riff raff of
McDonald's twenty four hours all way over the courts and drama.
So what does that McDonald's franchise do. It actually buys
(11:34):
the hotel, but that one is owned by the company mcdonalers,
and so it makes so much money that they keep
it to themselves.
Speaker 4 (11:40):
Yeah, they keep the best ones themselves.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
I think dealing with dealing with the general public as
far as hospitality is concerned, can be fucking hard. Yaker
is he has. He got many stories.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
Like he works hard, Like him and his wife Larissa
are down and back. He still lives in Meriweather and
sort of does fly and fly out, really does. He
looks after him but he's down there, you know, from
anywhere a week up to ten days and in and out.
So yeah, it works hard and works right in amongst
all of the all the processes of McDonald's. So you
know they've rolled their sleeves up and work hard and
rooting the rewards.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Now that's that's that's an incredible achievement. It says a
lot about him given the fact that, and I suppose
we all do this. When we go into rugby league,
people say, you know, what are you going to do
when you're trying retire from rugby league? And most people
go well, I'm going to retire, not realizing when you
get to that age you're still a young man.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
Yeah. Well that's that's what I found out of you,
like my last twelve months. I played at Warrington for
two years, love loved my time over at the Wire
and then you know that transition just around, well ship,
what am I going to do next? Type thing? Because
I wasn't going to stick around and just go into
the high performance or coaching. I thought I wanted to
break from traveling away. I've got three young girls I
wanted to support there the soccer careers and dance and
(12:54):
all that sort of that sort of thing, and you know,
I was looking for that Monday to Friday so with
your home goals.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Was about the kids doing sports. It was just a
horrible time in my life. It really was.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Were you hoping for a boy?
Speaker 4 (13:06):
Kurt?
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Was that why you had three?
Speaker 4 (13:08):
Three girls?
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Well?
Speaker 4 (13:09):
I made I wasn't going for four, I tell you that.
I mean I did have four that I've had obviously
my boy first.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Oh yeah, yeah, of course. Sorry, sorry, Well we'll get
the results by a.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Boy, yeah, I mean, but not on the day to
day you know, going back there, Yeah, going back to
the world.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
You're a butcher by trains.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
Well, yeah, yeah, no, I loved it. You know, I
went from year ten I did work experience just at
my local butcher shop and you know, you've got a
pretty good relationship with the local butcher. Used to go
down with Marlby and Jeff and ended up getting doing
some work experience there. They offered me an apprenticeship, which
wasn't part of my plans at that stage when I
was sixteen, but I thought it was a good opportunity
to number one money, have a bit of independence. I
(13:50):
was riding my pushy to work. I had to set
my arm. It's sort of six aim, jump on the bike,
go to work at seven till five thirty and then
straight at fullty training. So there'll be hours now that
I reflect and half a day Saturday. Yeah unreal time.
My life worked on a Bobby lines the local butcher's
a champion bobby and you know, long term member of
the Nights. It was great for like work ethic, like discipline, perseverance, commitment,
(14:16):
because I really wanted to know once I started, I
want to make sure I got this tiviot finished my up.
So by the time I was in my third year
of my apprenticeship. My phone rang didn't ring much those days,
and it was Michael Hagen said, Kurt Haigs, may take
the knives and apron off. I wanted to play make
your debut Friday Night Footy, So so George Heare August
(14:38):
two thousand and one. So that was a huge thrill,
playing in debut at home in front of my family
and friends, with my brother Matt, and with all the
guys that I'd sort of looked up to during that
back end of the nineties and early two thousands.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
So, I mean, it doesn't matter what you do when
you've got a job, you've got to enjoy it. And
I remember you saying at the time it is younger,
and I said, hey, A you going with it? And
you said, I love it, you know, I said, I
just love stabbing and skinning things.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Isn't that the first sign of like a serial killer?
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Probably the fifth signe If you got the joint of
stabbing and skinny, I think you're well on your well.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
Rocky was a Rocky was a butcher right, although they
just let him rock down.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Poully was the butcher butcher. He was the brother in
law of Rocky and he would come over and punch
the carcass.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Yeah, was there any any ever of that when Rocky
came out?
Speaker 4 (15:27):
We had we had the free Show film in there
one day and there was a little bit of punching
the carcasses in the cool room.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Oh really.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
We had one of the boats from HA had Saturday.
Wasn't that Russell?
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Oh yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
He came in and done a segment. It was actually
pretty funny about the past Passo there and russ Or.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Was it like a like a segment on you working
at the butcher?
Speaker 4 (15:47):
Yeah? I was working there, and then there was obviously
my brother Matt. We had Passo and maybe Shields. He
Peter Shields there and it was just a joy up.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Really.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
Yeah, he's my godfather, Peter Shills.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Yeah, I haven't seen him in fifteen years, he says. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
I think his daughter saff Yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
Netball, she's a gun.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Yeah. Basketball playing the Cold System in America.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
Yep. I think they're going over there pretty soon. Actually
with Shieldsy last week, do not gonna have a little
training session. But he says he's been sending your money.
Have you been at that?
Speaker 1 (16:17):
I haven't been sending the wrong way? When the birthday's
cards stopped coming at about twelve, I thought, maybe he's
just forgot, and then no, they haven't never come since.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
See direct deposit now straight in your bank accounting.
Speaker 3 (16:29):
Yeah, yeah, might be able to be again made.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
He just deals with the lad athletes.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
On the footy show as well.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Because you were up part of one of the great
gets with Dad on Mario Fair, I was we were
talking about this last night.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
I was like, that was that was Kurt? Where that?
How did that come about?
Speaker 4 (16:47):
That? I reckon more people pulled me up about that
than my fully career about the Mario because it gets
circulated on social media and Facebook or whatever once a
year or maybe a couple of times a year, so
people are always pulling me up. And I was shitting
myself that because all I heard was we'll go on
to mum and Dad's to do a family story. Dad's
got some memorabilia up and that sort of thing, and
(17:08):
Matt Matt was going to be there mom and dad
and just talk about you know, Matt's career, my career
and Mum and dad and that type of thing. Then
we get there, the producer pulls me inside and goes
mate It's like, you know, we've got cameras set up
and the bushes over here, We've got Maddie waiting down
the road. Here, we're going to do up Mario. Instead
of backyard footy, We're gonna do it in the front
yard because of the cameras. And I'm like, fuck, I've only
just met Mario for the first time.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
You only found out on the day.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
I've only just met Mario like the first time, and
I've just found out we've done the whole family story.
None of this family story got used at all because
the joy up was so good and I'm not an
actor number one, and so I was shitting myself. But
it ended up I had a hat on. I just
pulled my hat down. I just saw very well.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
You did a good job, because it looks like, of course,
if you haven't seen it, go and find it, you
fake it. You're playing front yard footy and you fake
an ankle injury, and then Mario You've got to play
in three days and Mario is freaking out with Marry.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Go what what it's frightening me on something?
Speaker 4 (18:07):
You get the other part they had he Hayes teed
up at the stadium as well, so you were down
the road hages at the stadium. I'm like, we're gonna
have to try and nail this. So and Mario's going,
I didn't hurt you. I said, it's been bad inkle,
I didn't even have a bad inkle. Let's have a
look at it. I said, what are you a doctor now, Murray? No,
I'm not said, what are you a doctor? He goes,
it's not too bad. What are you a doctor now, Mario?
(18:29):
And he goes, no, mate, I'm not a doctor.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
And he's back to the producer.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
I love when he go out. He go over to
the camera man and whispered like not knowing the cameras,
and he was gone. The family hate me.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
He's such a beautiful bloke.
Speaker 4 (18:43):
The penny should have dropped. You turned up out of nowhere.
You had nothing to do with the whole secret. Mario
is gone, brother, brother, it's all right. I think I've
seen I know ankles. I know ankles right. Let me
just have a look at it. And I go, actually,
it's not too bad now.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
Mario is Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
He's a perfect bloke because he's like, if you know
anyone that would feel so bad and shattered by by
what happened. It's Maria. It's social beautiful blow.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
He was sweating. Ever since I've seen him sporadically over
the years, he'd always come up, brother, Brother, you got
me brother.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
It is fun of the I reckon, it's one of
the greatest cats in rugby league going to stitch up.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
I reckon, it's it's up there with one of the best.
It's so funny.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
What do you remember, Kirk, Because I remember being I
was in the north of England and there were a
lot of injuries, and Joey run me and said, man,
we're we're going to put curt him. Were you seventeen or.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
Just I was eighteen? Ye? Yeah, so and I was
small man. He like I was only like, you know, eighteen,
I was probably looking sixteen dead'sair and I wasn't way
much than my I was a late developer as far
as like size, weight, strength, speed, you know, even skills.
I would say so, but I had to for me
(19:55):
to try and get into the Nights, which I missed
it out. The first couple of times I had to
highlight something as a porny difference, and I had to
highlight my fitness. So only time I had an opportunity,
whether it was boot tests or fitness drills or durance exercises,
I wanted to win them number one, and I want
to highlight that I was the most fittest in that group,
and that's how I finally got in the nights.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
That sort of can I quickly jump in because there's
been on that. There was a rumor when I was
at school and you it would probably come back to
you when we would do the beat test. You might
not know this, dad, but everyone would always say, all
the league fans, they would say, oh, Kurt Kidley is
the only bloke that's broken the beat test. That's that's finished.
It is there because that was a rumor at ages
for my school, everyone got Kurtkidley, is that fit like
(20:37):
leading the origin?
Speaker 3 (20:38):
Particularly he broke the beaf test.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Your dad, is there.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
Any truth to that?
Speaker 4 (20:44):
No, I haven't broken the boot test. It was it
was I used to always beat my prevy score. I
know Mason and just a horror spoke around that recently. Yeah,
but I haven't. No, I haven't beaten the boot test,
but I used to get consistently sort of eighteens high eighteens.
And again that was that was a personal goal that
I always try and beat my previous one. And I
(21:04):
remember when I first came into sort of gray playing
reserve grade oh one and then debut, But Robbio was
known as the fittish guy in the club and Robbo
was super fit, and I loved Robbio and looked up
to him when I was sort of coming through that
fullback role and Robbio was the fittish guy, so I
thought it'd.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
Be fine with you're beating him. It does an undergrudge, rob.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
Yeah, he would hate. He would have hated.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Was there a bit of like when a young bloke
comes in and they're winning all the fitness. You know,
it's different if it's an older bloke Dangans or whatever,
but you're kind of making the older blokes look bad.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
Did the boys get off here at the start?
Speaker 4 (21:38):
Well, yeah, I don't know think robot was a big
fan of someone coming in beating him at that stage,
but look he did. Robbio helped me a lot out
with just fullback, working catching techniques and we're to be defensively,
so we had a pretty good relationship and he was good.
He was good fun off the field, Robbio, So I
don't know if he was a big.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Fan of It's funny how times times changed, because I
remember playing under twenty ones and we had a young
reserve oat side what not, and you'd start to train.
We'd trained as a club, and so the writer all
the all the halves, playmakers, halves and hookers over there,
and you're training as a group, not just with your
(22:13):
and make the old blokes with grabia and say you
fucking listen here, don't don't you fucking break the bag.
You just stay there, they warn you.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
Yeah, I think it was like there was definitely that mattery,
like you had to stay as a group. Like. Those
club days were some of my best memories, especially because
they have Saturday mornings Jersey Fleeg reserve grade, first grade,
and they'd mix the teams up, you know, with variety,
so it might be blue team, Red team, Green team,
Martrich team. So it was the first taste of training
with guys who were reserved grade in first grade and
(22:42):
getting a taste of the intensity, the you know, the
aggression in those competitive games where it was just short
side games. So that was that really inspired me to be.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
It was dad in those clubs, like did you ever
train with Dad and those I remember.
Speaker 4 (22:56):
Training with these boys that just you and Andrew at
Ford Over when you were you guys living across the road,
there was that did. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
We used to go to different parks around the place.
Speaker 4 (23:06):
Yeah, that was some of the I'm very grateful for.
You know, when you guys are trained on days off
or off season, you just be at a local park,
whether it's Ford Oval or Joey Townsend Oval, just with
stack a footy, stuck a cane, set out and looking
to improve your own game. And once I've seen that
number one, and I was a good observer of people
(23:26):
and what they were doing, and I thought, all these
guys are already already high performers in first grade and
red players. This is what they're doing. That's what I
want to be doing too.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
These doing just do an extra hardier work, that's it.
And we used to get different fields around new Castle,
ones that would feels that would give you the same
feeling dimension as the field you're going to play on
that weekend. So for instance, give an example, if you're
up at Newcastle and and you're driving along beyond Hexham
Road and you've got on the right hand side of
(23:58):
the Newcastle Entertainment Center. There's a field across the road
from that. We used to train on that when we're
going to play party football stadium because it used to
aun the one down the road because all the big
sycamore trees would hover over the top and it felt
like a stadium. Yeah, so little things like you do.
Little things like that. Have four or five training fields
that would be similar.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
That's interesting that you do that like they do it
now obviously in the modern game now because they've got
more technology. Like at a crowd where I remember when
I was at Melbourne, they could train in at Amy
when you were going to play in a big game
and they'd fire up the speakers and put crowd noise
in so loud that you'd have to be communicate really
well with the boys to practice how loud you'd have
to yell for them to hear you, or they put
(24:37):
if you're going to play and wet weather, they'd put
the sprinklers on all afternoon.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
To practice that. But it's pretty innovative for an old
fool like you.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
Mate. Maybe we talk about we had Brian smith here
at from about seven for a few years. Smithy brought
some real professionals to the club at that stage that
we needed and it was through our pathways. But he
was always trying to think outside the back as you are.
We were training game day, game day on away games.
(25:04):
There was one game I was in Origin camp watching
the boys. I remember they played in Brisbane, got b
by seventy. They went from the hotel game day, went
and found a local park, got stuck in traffic. We're
getting this is game day, preparing for the day, strapping
on the bath to get back to the hotel quickly
straight the game by seventy.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
That that's a nightmare. You know who else you know
who did that quite until recently. Rugby league fans will
know this. The Ipswich Jets who play up in the
Queensland Cup. They're pretty famous for like they take they
just take risks on everything. They only kicked short off kickoffs.
They chip and chase every play like they offload, like
they just do the craziest Stuffer brothers. Yeah, they're like
(25:46):
the Harlem Globe Trotters of rugby league. And you'd see
them there like they would do their captain drun like
an hour before kickoff or like two hours on the
morning of the game, so they'd be doing that, they
do a light warm up, but then like the morning
of the game, we'd be walking down and have a
coffee and you'd see the team you're about to play
just warming up and they're like they're training on game day.
(26:06):
It was just them like flick passing and chip and chasing.
They were so hard to play against.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
That on Smith is and you're right, and I will
say this, Smithy gets judged unfairly, I think on the
length and breadth of his coaching career, the fact he
hasn't won a competition, but he did with certain clubs,
like you know he took he took some George to
the ninety to ninety three Grand Final with a side
that was a long way off the strength of the
(26:31):
Prison Broncos, and like that was in his innovation. Jason
Stevens tells me a story. It might have been nine
ninety four and they've gone to Brookvale Oval and they've
they've gotta beat Manly mainly playing really good at the time,
but they're confident. Anyway, Smithy brings in a bloke just
before the game to give a bit of a motivational
(26:51):
talk to the players, literally about that we were about
to go out and now this guy end up getting
done for corruption. Yeah, yeah, he's a con man. Anyway,
as they're about to go out, the guy pulls the
stereo system out, just goes book, put the set in
and starts playing bon Jovi. He living on a prayer.
So as they're walking out Smithy Studio, they said there
was a great feeling in the sheds Smithy grabs s
(27:14):
Gaz some really special is going to happen today. They
got beat sixty to four. Sometimes you just don't know
that sod on that debut when you play, what do
you remember from it? Probably the intensity of the game
mad He, you know, much more physical, like Reserve grade
was a good taste because I was playing against men
(27:35):
for the first time. That was genuine reserve grade where
I was playing guys who had either been dropped back
from first grade or returning from injury.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
So Reserve Grade No. One was an awesome year and
I was playing with some first credits. But that night
I remember Half's partner debut James Winn winning and I
got promoted to first grade. Joey definitely can get droped.
He was out injured.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
I think that he had a bad injury for quite
a while. Yep.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
So Winnie and I debut that night. We got we
got dusted. Unfortunately, I threw an intercept and straight back
to reserve grade.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
Lead. You hit the mark.
Speaker 3 (28:10):
Were you playing with your brother?
Speaker 4 (28:11):
But yeah, and I was playing with Matt. There was
Husey Beds like guys like b K Paso. So I
was very lucky and grateful to come through like that
ear of early two thousands because there was it was
a great team. Most of those guys were local juniors too,
a couple of couple of recruits like b K from
(28:31):
the outside Passo. But yeah, it was a it was
a great era as far as old still old school,
but but you know, learned lots.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
It's really funny you see your handover from semi professionalism
to professionals. So you were probably sitting at that bridge
for sure. When did you play your second first grade game?
If you got dropped there?
Speaker 4 (28:51):
Yep, So I went back to reserve grade and obviously
first grade two thousand and one Grand Final one we
got beat the week before the Grand Final and Reggies
and then following year and up playing about twenty first
grade games and then from three I was full time
first grade.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
What position we were playing in that most of most
of those games the next.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
Year, probably between full back and five eight, probably five
to eight more. Robbie will still would have been there.
Ruddy was either playing five eight or pushing into locks.
So I got my first opportunities, probably in the halves.
And I just used to follow your brother around because
I knew things were going to happen, and Joey was
a great communicator. Obviously you could see things unfolding, so
I thought, beautiful, man, I'll just follow this bloke around
(29:30):
and there's down to be things that happened around me.
And even when I went to fullback, I loved fullback.
I loved the variety of fullback and the versatility of
being left right through the middle, set plays, jumping into
dummy half and having a run, kick returns, catch and
bombs the same thing. During that those next a few
years of from three to seven. When Joey retired, that
(29:52):
fullback role I thoroughly enjoyed because it was it required
a high level of endurance and fitness.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
I was going to ask about it because on the surface,
you look at the six position and you've got defensive
responsibilities and you're getting hit quite a bit. But particularly
I look at the modern game, and I'm interested in
your take. I think in the modern game, fullback is
the toughest position to play. I think for a couple
(30:18):
of reason's number one, you get isolated. No one is
subjected to more pressure plays than the fullback. All goes
up in the air. You're expected to catch it. When
you catch it, you don't get and applauded. You drop it,
you're on the back page of the paper. Yeah, but
also the impact. You know, you're at the mercy of
a kick chase team and things like that. How did
you find fullback? Did you find that demanding?
Speaker 4 (30:37):
Yeah? And I love the pressure. You know, I accepted
the pressure, but I practiced for it too. I've got
lots of reps in around catching bombs, and that was
a great responsibility. I always want to try and catch
the kickoff or to work out which way they kick
it off, and I'd like that responsibility catching kickoffs. And
I had really good relationships with my full pack in
front rowers. Just hold them accountable and you know, I'll
(31:00):
help you, you help me type type relationship. So yeah,
fullback was great. I'd always sort of get end up
being pushed into five eight or in the halves if
there was someone out injured. So I had lots of
taste of five eight and full back, fullback being m
I probably preferred, and even the back in my career,
even at Warrington, I was probably playing more five eight
than full back, just just to look after my legs
(31:22):
a bit better. And I loved the responsibility of defending
three men. You know, you've got to have a really
good relationship with your back rower and your center and
your winger, and you've got to be confident and believe
in your defensive pattern and make a call, especially on
your line. Yeah, and I kind of thrived on that
type of responsibility that.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
The three and of people don't realize. You know he is,
He's the chief of the defense on that edge out wide,
you know you're talking about it going outside in or
making a call to slide.
Speaker 4 (31:49):
It's a big responsibility and you've got to back yourself
and you've got to have the boys on board. And
I think, you know, fitness was my best attribute. I
would say communication was probably my second biggest asset. Get
it during fatigue, you know, that's the most important part
in attack and defense, but certainly defensive. You've got to
you've got to talk, and you've got to have your
back ron on board. You've got to have your center
(32:10):
on board. If we're all wedging, we're going we're all
going hard, and we'll leave our leave ourselves open for except.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
The first thing to go when you're fatigue, like the
communication goes. Yeah, that's the difference between junior levels and
first grade and sometimes even reserve grade.
Speaker 3 (32:24):
Just bloke's been able to communicate on fatigued.
Speaker 4 (32:26):
I reckon. It's the difference between a long term career
and a shorter one because you can have natural ability
and natural talent, but you've got to be able to
you've got to want to communicate, and you've got to
get a response from If I'm talking to you, I
need a response from from you back. And I think
you'll see players have like phenomenal careers that may not
be the most talented or gifted in their in their team,
(32:48):
but they're probably the most value because of their work ethic.
They're tough, they're resilient, and they're consistently talk throughout the
game and throughout the week team meetings, during training sessions
and in the game.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Under isn't it under an underrated skill because we always
put the emphasis on speed with the epist on strength,
emphas on endurance, you know, and the smart but the
ability to communicate is so important. And I say, young
playmakers sometimes the day before the game, I want you
to walk down the park. I want you to walk
(33:20):
through your plate, but I want to I want to
hear you should be hearing yourself talk openly and clearly,
like when you're under pressure. Because it's like this, if
you're going to get up into a thirty minute speech
or let's say it's only a minute game, eighty minute
speech to you know, a thousand people, you know, and
just in business, would you practice that the day before
(33:41):
of course it would. Well you think about rugby league.
You should be down there. You should be finding your voice.
And if you are not a good communicator, go and
learn how to communicate.
Speaker 4 (33:51):
I'd be catching bombs just with no one else in
the park but the half back or a coach, and
I'll be calling my name, catching the bombs with no
one else around because I wanted to practice communicating to myself.
And I'll tell you what that It gives you belief
in catching the footy. So if I'm talking to myself
my mind, I like, I believe in the catch. And
if there's no communication number one, whether the wingers catching it,
(34:13):
I'm catching it the other winger, that's uncertainty. But just
by talking to myself, it sends a message to myself,
the teammates and the opposition that I've got these.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
One of the butt.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
I remember Dad and Joey one of the best sort
of lessons when Jack and I were young, when they
go down the park and throw cones out and you'd.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Practice as.
Speaker 5 (34:34):
It's smoke cones as yeah, crack well when Joey was there, yeah,
but throwing cones out and practicing like you know, if
you're going to if you're trying to communicate to your
full back, you know, to sit on or to punch
a hole outside that player even.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
Though he's not here, just almost you're actually practicing how
you word your sentence to communicate it to him. You know,
like I'm getting to him, punch outside him, hit the
whole outside him.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
So they in the heat of the moment.
Speaker 1 (35:01):
It's not just that you're saying it, but it's like
the directness and the clear communication of what you're saying,
so he knows exactly what you're going to do for sure.
Speaker 4 (35:09):
I reckon communication in those moments super important, even just
around scrums and breakdowns of plays, like just trying to
mess with the other team's heads psychologically around you know,
we're feeling up, we're feeling feet, We've got these boys,
and just little moments like that where you can over
communicate confidently. I just could send a message to the other.
Speaker 2 (35:29):
Charles dahl And used to say the time what separated
man from chymps our ability to communicate exactly exactly.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Charles Darwin even played the game first grade his life.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
Kids, so go and dhen played Union.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
Of course, no relation back to Joe for a sec because,
like you said, you're a young player coming in playing
five eight and full back with probably one of the
greatest players of all time, someone that you probably were
watching and idolizing. And he's also known for being quite testy,
quite quite demanding on his players. Were there any yarns
(36:03):
or did he give you a fair spray? Back in
the day when you were young.
Speaker 4 (36:07):
Everyone got a spray? Busy was getting fully thrown back
at him. You know, if they're burning on the mark.
So we had a really high expectation on himself for sure,
but everyone else. And he used to get frustrated, probably
because he could see things unfolding before everyone else, which
was part of that frustration. Yeah, if you weren't on
the mark, and you weren't hitting the hole that he
was after or put the balls where they needed to do,
(36:29):
then he'd give you a fair spray.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
So I think you could blast.
Speaker 4 (36:34):
I think yeah. I think Justin Roddyck got told to
actually get get off the field at one stage because
couldn't catch a bomb at that stage.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
How is the night Rider going?
Speaker 4 (36:43):
I don't know, probably haven't seen him since he'd done
the logis with the HEG you're on that's right? What?
Speaker 2 (36:52):
So do you know how sometimes in the game a
young player would just come into first grade and just mate,
we'll just catch fire. But that flame will burn it
very quickly. Yes, Justin Wright come in to first grade
and like it's unlikely a lot of injuries, and he
was the people's champion because he was only really short,
wasn't particularly fast, but mate just started caught fire for
(37:13):
about a month and then but he used to wear
his head gear. They used to call him the night Rider.
So then he become this celebrity.
Speaker 4 (37:20):
Footy shows to send him the log he's with a
head year on interview actors, Did.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
They have any idea who was that?
Speaker 2 (37:26):
No? I remember Carry O'Brien is certain. He's a really
he's an ABC journals. Really prickly he's doing. He's having
a piss. A night rider walks and ask him for
a question. He goes, fuck off, you idiot.
Speaker 1 (37:40):
I love how back in the day, like the Footy Show,
it seems like the Footay Show had not so much control,
but like everyone was so up for doing whatever, Like
the players were just like you see now a lot
of players kind of try to hide away from the media,
probably because they don't want to get.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
Bagged by a lot of people online.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
But back then, probably because there's no social media for
anyone to comment on.
Speaker 3 (38:00):
You should just be doing anything.
Speaker 4 (38:03):
There was some pretty loose stuff.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
Pull a microphone out, people come running towards you, like Americans. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
Yeah, like back in the day, when you do Red
Dagon Street talks, it's like people would like you would
you would bring the strangest creatures from all over Australia.
Speaker 3 (38:18):
They come out and want to get.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
In front of it.
Speaker 2 (38:19):
They come out of shops, they come out of churches,
they come out of crack ends, They just come pouring
out it. Well, would I tell you terrific bloke. That's
the end of part one, right that, time to jump
over for part two, which I hope you enjoy every
bit as much I know you will
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