July 8, 2025 • 26 mins
In this episode, Raider Nick catches up with NSW Blues assistant coach Brett White for an exclusive deep dive inside Blues camp ahead of State of Origin Game 3.
Whitey reflects on his long-standing connection with Hudson Young, sharing the journey from Under 20s to the big stage of rep footy — a heartfelt tribute to a player he’s helped shape.
They also unpack what Whitey has learned working alongside some of the game’s biggest coaching names, revealing the deeper layers of rugby league that often go unseen.
This isn’t just a footy yarn — it’s a rich, behind-the-scenes convo about growth, leadership, and the true spirit of the game.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's not here for the clickbait all the count side critics.
It's wheel and full of deep and meaningfuls with the
Raiders in a circle from laughs.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
To hard truth.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Still tell you.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Ditch the negative noise and get behind the boys.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
This is Raider Nick.
Speaker 4 (00:22):
A very special episode, this one on the eve of game.
Through the decider of state of origin, we're going to
cross live into the camp with a man who's no
stranger of this show hasn't been on for a couple
of years because he's wearing a different polo shirt these days,
but he's wearing the new South Wales Blues polo shirt
at the moment. Come into you, mister Brett White. Howe
a bus hey?
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Nick? Here? You going? Great to be back.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
On mate, It's good. It's been a while.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Has life my first of all, has the goal coastreetway,
has Goldie, the what we call the glitter strip.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Mate, how's that treating you?
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (00:52):
Mate?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Look, it's a bit of a challenge at the moment.
Speaker 5 (00:56):
We're not where we want to be, not getting the
results we want, but hard works getting put in and
hopefully we can start to turn that around. But certainly
been an exciting time going leaving the Gold Coast, coming
in the Origin camp and being a part of that.
It's been unreal and super excited for the decider.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
Just before we go into Origin, which will crack open
very soon. I mean, you came from the Storm and
you played under Craig Bellamy and you know Craig Bella
me really well, and you worked closely with belly Ache
obviously the Raiders that you worked with Rich Sticky a
fair bit, and now at the Titans you've got Dez Hasler,
three blokes very similar, very carved and very similar brush.
(01:38):
How do you find working with DESI compared to the
other guys.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
They all look at the game differently.
Speaker 5 (01:46):
It's certainly been a massive experience working working under all
those guys and seeing.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
A different way they look at the game.
Speaker 5 (01:54):
Obviously, Also Michael McGuire last year in Origin, I've got
to work with him. Now I'm an in the Test
footy as well, so been and now obviously lor Daily.
So I'm really grateful at the moment of like I
grew up as a young Raiders fan and getting to
work alongside Ricky Stewart, Lorrie Daly and malmn Inger has
(02:17):
been a real highlight.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Of my coaching career.
Speaker 5 (02:20):
And growing up watching some of those guys, you know,
they were my heroes growing up and now getting to
work alongside them has been awesome. But yeah, going back
to des is, like I said, they all look at
it differently. There's a very big numbers man, so looking
at the game through a lot of numbers and.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Whatnot.
Speaker 5 (02:40):
He's certainly a lot of people would refer to him
as ad siders, so I certainly see that side of it.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
He's got some very creative mind that can come up
and with some great ideas and just different ways to
do things. So it's like I.
Speaker 5 (02:54):
Said, plenty of plenty of experience working with a lot
of quality coaches.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
One thing they're probably all have in common is that
is the passion for the game.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
But there certainly is and they also certainly have passion.
Speaker 5 (03:10):
But I've got to say the most passionate person I've
ever worked with in rugby.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
League is Ricky Stewart. He is by far.
Speaker 5 (03:17):
As well as a lot of your listeners that know
I know Ricky well, they're going going great guns down there,
and it's definitely off the passion he has not only
for the game but for the Canberra Raiders.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Do you miss the Do you miss all the camera mate?
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Of course we do. It was you know, Camera, Camera's
my home.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
I grew up in the snowy mountains and Camera was
the big city we used to get to go to
as a kid to go and visit. I grew up
as like I said, as a young Raiders fan. So
it's but I really enjoyed. I had twelve years at
the club and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's yeah, it's a
great place and for me, that'll always be home.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
Just what we've opened that file of it. The coaches
and I haven't really thought about it. But you've really
been working closely with some big names of the game,
including like Madage that as you mentioned, and mal and Laws.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Right now, where do you see yourself now?
Speaker 4 (04:11):
And without embarrassing you, they're wide you remember working closely
with you when you're at the Raiders. You're very much
about the growth mindset and of not just the player
but of the human being. And where do you see
yourself now? Taking all this experience, what could be next?
I mean you're very heavily you know, you know, you're
very focused in those jobs with the repsides and obviously
with the Titans at the moment, where do you see
(04:32):
yourself now You've got a huge CV now.
Speaker 5 (04:35):
Yeah, obviously like any young coach, and I'd love to
have my own club one day and the Keystor Club
and my own own team ANRL team. But as you know,
most of the things in our sport is all about
timing and getting that timing right.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
You know. I feel like I've done a.
Speaker 5 (04:52):
Really good apprenticeship under a lot of a lot of
those great coaches, got a lot of that experience from
each of them and little parts where you can take
and use, and so it's for me now I feel
like I'm getting close to that I've been able to
take on my own team. So it's just about timing
and getting that right, making sure, you know, you go
(05:14):
into a club that you feel that you're able to
have impact and have change. So that's yeah, a wait
for that opportunity. But I'm not in a rush either, happy,
really happy as an assistant coach at the moment. Enjoy
it and love it and if that's as oh I
do for the next few years, I'm happy with that.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
Without putting on the spot before we crack up in
the origin they're white. I'm going to put you on
the spot here and I'm going to rattle off those
names you just mentioned, those coaches that you've worked with,
whether you've played under or worked alongside, and the first
word that pops into your mind that represents that particular coach.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
So we'll start with Craig Bellamy.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
I love he's got a love for his players.
Speaker 6 (05:58):
Yeah, Ricky Stewart, passion, Mage Maguire, intense, Malcolm Norman, Meninger.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Culture, Lorie Daily, he gives a shirt off his own back.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
And then of course the great Des.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Hasler Excel spreadsheets.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Wow is that much?
Speaker 4 (06:30):
I know some players that played with him manly that
have longer tired now some names there that have told
me some of the kookiness, the kooky stuff that he does.
But I think it's also about trying to influence the
generation too, isn't it, Because what do they always talk about?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Football?
Speaker 4 (06:45):
Could be almost like the easy part, the clipboards, the
easy part. It's just managing the player, the personality and
all the different diverse personalities.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Right.
Speaker 5 (06:53):
Oh, I definitely he's Certainly he's an educator. I said,
the amount of knowledge he has around the game tactically
is incredible. And to watch him teach teach young players
that knowledge and high level end stuff about the game, which,
(07:16):
to be honest, I hadn't really gone that deep in
the rugby league in the way the way that des does.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
Well does it make you you probably walk away other day?
Speaker 2 (07:26):
You might have a day.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
There, a nice tuesday there at headquarters there and you've
you've seen some depth todas that makes you walk away
and a turn on different lights saying when I never
thought of it that way.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Yeah, it certainly does.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
It's every a lot of the conversations I have with
him on a daily basis, that's certainly opened eyes I've been.
I've been in and around this NRL level rugby league
for about twenty two years now and still daily learning
learning things from Dez and just different ways to analyze
(08:04):
it and measure it is a really big thing.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
And that's probably the.
Speaker 5 (08:10):
Big thing for him is like I said with when
I say Excel spreadsheets, it's all about being able to
measure the game, and then gives clear expectation to players
around around those measurements and goals and things that they
that he expects him to achieve.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
On the football field.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
He also has seems to have a bit of time
to let the players enjoy themselves. And when you think
about spreadsheets and numbers, it can on the on the
outside it could sound a little bit full on, a
little bit intense, but he obviously tries to balance that
out with some joy and some fun.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
He's a character. He's I really enjoy working with him
because of that side of him. That's when he when
he's on, he's on. But he's like most mostly good
all the good coaches there are, they've got a lighter
side to them as well, and that's also that with
the players that when you're at work, you're working, but
(09:05):
it's also important to switch off. It's part of high
performance being able to switch on and switch off at
the right times and when you needed to, you switch
fully onto the job that's at hand.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
Whether that's in a in.
Speaker 5 (09:20):
A room looking at a whiteboard, you switch on, or
it's a training paddock or inside the gym you switch
on when you relax and you switch switch off.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
That's important to have that switch and be able to
relax and have a joke.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
Absolutely, and before we go into really crack up in
the origin one bloke that's in the squad there that
you had a lot to do with in his development
and the Rollercoaster Riders as well.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Huts and Young Whitey.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
Of course you work with him down here at the Raiders,
especially in the lower grades, and you were part of
the part of the work to bring him into first
grade and to see what he's achieved now, it must
be it must be a nice feeling for yourself as well.
Speaker 5 (09:59):
Yeah, it's all And have I really feel like and
I have been on a rugby rugby league journey together.
He come down from Newcastle and straight into the NYC
under twenties at the Raiders when I was coaching them
and had had a couple of years with him as
under twenties, and then we both sort of progressed up
(10:20):
into the NRL, him as a player, myself as an
assistant coach, and now I've been able to push on
through through the NRAL into a State of Origin squad
work together and also last year the Test level as
well is involved in the Pacific Championships, so we've we've
sort of almost done all the different levels of rugby
(10:42):
league together, him as a player, himself as a coach.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
So I really enjoy how.
Speaker 5 (10:47):
He's probably all the kids off coach, all the players
off coach, he's certainly up there as one of my favorites.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
And it's great to see.
Speaker 4 (10:57):
And he says it quite public clear as well, like
you know, some kind of discombobulation early in his career
that he had to deal with and stuff like that,
and he's turned that around and now he's has become
a great role model for kids growing up, for young players,
for kids at home, and obviously what he's achieving on
the field and what he's doing with his cloak and
(11:18):
club land, but now also what he's doing at rep levels.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
I isn't it. You know? That's the great thing about
our game, rugby league.
Speaker 5 (11:26):
Like a lot of our players have come from all
sorts of different backgrounds and things that have gone on
and different home lives, and some some are colorful and
some have.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
Had to learn the hard way. But I think the.
Speaker 5 (11:40):
Great thing about rugby league it's been able to help
help people, help young young men and women improve in
their lives as well. Has been able to learn those
lessons along the way and get people back on the
right track and really help them.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
I know, there's so many young player that have.
Speaker 5 (12:01):
If it wasn't for rugby league, who knows where they
would end it up, isn't it?
Speaker 2 (12:06):
How you say that?
Speaker 4 (12:07):
Why, it's kind of beautiful in a way because a
lot of young men, as you mentioned, a different kind
of upbringings, they find who they are in the game.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Of rugby league.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Rugby league shows them the way, not just as a
sporting athlete, but you know, it kind of holds them
down to define who they really are. And you see
it and the samely success stories in our game where
maybe a younger guy. We're all young and silly when
we're young. You know, it's part of the testosterone molecule. Mate,
We are a little bit wacky and wild, but then
(12:37):
you kind of turn a corner and you find yourself again.
And it's great to see rugby league produces so many
of those wonderful stories.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
I think that's a.
Speaker 5 (12:48):
The great clubs or the successful clubs really have an
attitude around that when you leave the club, you leave
as a better person, and that's a mindset. I know
when I went to Melbourne, that was a mantra that
you always leave as a better person, not just a
better footballer, and probably more so leaving is a better
(13:11):
person as the number one was really important and it
certainly has an ability to transform lives.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
A game, what a wonderful game it is.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Well, that's just pretty much.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
That's just the ultimate compliment you can give an organization
or an entity saying that they're not just making you
better footballers, but you're going back into society as a
better person. And whoever's behind that, whether it's Craig Bellam
and Ricky Stewart's your des Hazzlers, ye meningas your dailyes
Maguire's putting them back into society is better people at
Wayne Bennett was big on that as well.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Having conversations with wend.
Speaker 4 (13:45):
Or Sailor, he would always say, without name dropping, he
would say it's his job too. You are after you
finish football, you know, and it's just great to see.
And rugby league does kind of get toiled up in
different areas of the media sometimes, but behind it or
we know what really goes on and it's just a
it's a wonderful sanctionary of creating good men and women.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
Now, yeah, it's both.
Speaker 5 (14:10):
The women's game has grown so much and giving so
many now giving so many opportunities young girls, which is great.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
There's you know those opportunities just as equal.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
Now mate, the big one tomorrow Origin. Just first of
all your role, you're all there with Laurie. Can you
break that now for us?
Speaker 3 (14:31):
Yes, I'm defense.
Speaker 5 (14:34):
Also the middle of the field rough defense, so looking
after pretty much the forwards and they're through the middle
of their defense. As an assistant coach, there's three assistants
being young and also he's from the Dragons and Matt
King who's the roosters, all on board and all been
(14:56):
working away all week to try and fine tune and really.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Get these guys to the sideline.
Speaker 5 (15:03):
Ready to go with a not only the physical and
the tactical ways we do things, but also the right
mindset is the way we want to go into the game.
We're working with the best of the best. We've just
got to get them all connected and working together.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
You mentioned the physical and without embarrassing you there too, White,
you were definitely an aggressive that was part of your
your style of play as a front rower, especially at
origin level. Can you coach aggression in a team.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
Natural thing?
Speaker 5 (15:34):
I think that comes from an individual, But you can
build desire within the club or within a within a team.
I think it comes from firstly from a trust and
then the connection of people and being able to put
the team first and what the team requires from individuals,
So having a really clear vision on that and what
(16:00):
that looks like, and having the right players that are
are willing to put the team first actions ahead of
individual actions and get everyone working together on the same pages. Yeah,
that's pretty much the plan of things and coaching at
this level.
Speaker 4 (16:19):
Now one that's been there as a player and now
you oversee it as part of the coaching staff. What's
it like in the preparation of origin, what's the and
we'll break it into the three games and it's perfect.
It's a decider tomorrow. What's a mindset? What's a mindset
going into camp for game one where there's kind of
there's plenty of expectation, but there's still no measure in
(16:41):
how we're going and obviously depending on result for this
particular game. We won the first game, you lost the
second game. But now going into game three, what's the
mentality like going into camp when as a decider the
last game, the whole country's watching and the pressures on basically.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
Yeah, it's probably going back to game one pretty much
the same squad and the same staff as last year
when we won the series. So it was looking at
what we've done well, what worked well for us, and
what could improve, what could we get better at. We
identified those few things going to game one, we had
(17:19):
a plan around that how we wanted to be better and.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Again it was successful.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
With the game one win, we head over to perfect
game two and trying to back that up.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
Unfortunately we didn't start well.
Speaker 5 (17:34):
We're probably ill disciplined with then without the ball, gave
way way too many penalties. So whether we're a little
bit off or what the cause of that was. So
what happens after a loss of that or a first
half like that is they've got to really sharpen sharpen
everything up again. And going back it was clear the
(17:57):
discipline we needed to be better at.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
And I think a.
Speaker 5 (18:00):
Good thing is, especially coming off a loss, you you
have like a knot in the stomach. Everyone has a knot,
and it is the desire to want to improve and
get and be better is a lot greater within the
whole squad.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
There's a lot more I.
Speaker 5 (18:19):
Guess calmness to this week around of focus around what
we need to do individually.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
And as a group collective group.
Speaker 5 (18:29):
So it's about having that clarity and like I said,
we're clear on what we need to do, what works
for us, what we need to improve at in terms
of our discipline.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Now it's just about going out and executing on the field.
Speaker 5 (18:45):
So I feel that the boys are in a great
headspace mentally physically, they're in top top shape, you know,
able to use these rep cancers a chance to freshen
up in a way we certainly, you know, we don't
do I wouldn't say lesser training, but was certainly.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
More downtime for them to be.
Speaker 5 (19:07):
Able to connect as a group off the field and
freshen up and a new environment for them all in
terms of you away from their week to week club
club commitments. So just get a little bit of a
freshen up and they know what they need to do.
We've got the best of the best, and to let
(19:28):
them go Wednesday night.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
Game plan without I'm not going to ask you the secrets,
but when it comes to orchestrating one and writing one
up is it does Laurie get your all together and
you sit down and you kind of dissect the opposition
and your basic game plan around that, or is it
pretty much we've got the best seventeen in New South Wales.
Just keep it simple enough and play to their strength
so they can do the job.
Speaker 5 (19:52):
No, there's plenty of game planning, there's plenty of strategy planning,
defense and attack, but at the end of the day,
Orange is always the same. It's a grind. It's end
to end football. Who can hold field position, get into
a set for set rhythm and who can stay in
that the longest without making the error or giving away
(20:15):
the penalty. So it's really much trying to go end
for end. Your yardage defense is really important. You kick chase,
getting your kicks right, which is something you know unfortunately,
go back to Game two is our first set we
kicked out on the full, so little adjustments like that
is making sure our kicks are right. Our chase is
good at defense, backs that up and then when we
(20:37):
do have a ball, holding it and playing with football
down the other end as much as we can.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
And that's a plan.
Speaker 5 (20:45):
There's a lot a lot harder to do than it
is to explain, but that is essentially the game plan.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
You've got the game plan and nicely embedded. How much
nostalgia in the motion of the past. Knowing Laura, he's
got that depth to him and he was part of
those a really good era where he led the Blues
to victory and yourself, you've been involved in some teams.
How much does that get tossed up around the joint
and other players responsive to it?
Speaker 3 (21:14):
Yeah, certainly, you know.
Speaker 5 (21:15):
Of course, this origin level is a lot of emotion
to it, So I think the first place anything starts
is with your emotion. But they're also being able to
control that and direct that into the right areas.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
We've been We've done a lot on about our past.
Speaker 5 (21:33):
And the players that have come before us and the
spirit of the Blue Jumper. A lot of that's been
done and I really think that sort of started last
year with Michael maguire, and I truly believe that you
could see that within our football now as that spirit
(21:54):
of the past, players that come before us and what
they have done and how important Jumper is to us all.
I feel more connected to the Blues Jumper now than
I did when I was playing, and that comes from
a lot of that work in around that, the history
behind the Jumper and those that have worn it before us,
(22:17):
and hearing their stories and their emotion and their connection
to the jumper as certainly build that even stronger.
Speaker 4 (22:26):
Before I let you go there, I got to ask us,
that's a tough question, and you'll really would say all
twenty of those players in the squad, but out of
the players there and you're involved in Clovise club Land.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Who has impressed you the most?
Speaker 4 (22:40):
And not necessarily talent wise, but just the way they
kind of carry themselves in camp there for the Blues.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
Oh, that is a really hard question. The funny thing
is about it.
Speaker 5 (22:53):
I think we've got a real mix of different We've
got the guys that the Stephens and Jerome Leui that
bring the energy. We've got the hard working guys that
you don't see a lot of but get all the
little stuff done in the guys like Max King and
Rhys Robson.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Yeah, you got the guys that can bring.
Speaker 5 (23:17):
The magic when it's needed, like the troll Mitchell. Probably
for me, if I was to pick out one, it's
it'd have to be a front rower, which is Paint Hans.
He's just such an impressive person both on and off
the field. He's superhuman, so he's just the out of favoritism.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
I'd have to go a front rower in pain.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
I'll tell you what though, seeing like Steve Crichton, just
with his stature and his size, just something's really building
around that man like he's going to be. I mean,
he's obviously one of the best centers in the competition
now as we speak, and he's handled himself at that
level obviously the Origin level, but there's something about him
that's really starting to build.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Isn't there.
Speaker 5 (23:59):
You can only having worked with in the past two
origins he is you certainly see why buy Like Cameron
Serado goes to a new club and he's one of
the first players he brings with him or goes after.
As a Stephen Crichton, he's not only what you see
as a fan watching him on the on the field,
(24:19):
but what he brings off the field is incredible. He's
he's a leader within himself and his energy, his professionalism's
he's an impressive guy to watch on the field, just
so the way he can move laterally for such a
big man, and the speed is incredible.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
So he's he's certainly a driver of energy within the group.
Speaker 4 (24:42):
Now, just in summary, now at origin level, especially with
these camps. It's really good to go into these camps
having some established connections and some established combinations and some
glue already dry. And Laurie's big on that as well.
Isn't it such to have those Penrith boys include a
couple of that have played in those premierships, that are
(25:02):
all that know each other's game, like.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Your half is there.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
We speak about the Crichtons of the world, and then
the spine there with as Iao. How they can just
slip straight back into that mode and just know each
other's game so.
Speaker 5 (25:13):
Well, we're certainly blessed with that. You know, once you
get out in that Origin arena, it is it is
so quick. It's a lot faster than your week to
weekend RL games. There's so much hype around it. It's
essentially it's chaos. And for those guys to have those
connections and that trust within each other know each other's
(25:34):
timing on things, is a massive help.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
You know, they've all played multiple big games, whether it's
Origin or International Grand Finals.
Speaker 5 (25:45):
Together, so that trust within those combinations is it's a
massive bonus for us.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
But we can't rely on it.
Speaker 5 (25:56):
We've still got to go out there and execute what
we want to ex come game time, but it will
certainly help us be able to do that.
Speaker 4 (26:05):
All right, Wi, it was great to catch up with
you again. All the rest for tomorrow. I know it
means a lot to you, especially as assistant coach. Enjoy
the preparation, make get the boys ready to go.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
I thank you very much. It's good to have a
chat again. Mate.
Speaker 5 (26:18):
It's been a while, so fone leave it too long
for next time.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
We'll check in before the season's out.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
Sounds good made
He's not here for the clickbait all the count side critics.
It's wheel and full of deep and meaningfuls with the
Raiders in a circle from laughs.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
To hard truth.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Still tell you.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Ditch the negative noise and get behind the boys.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
This is Raider Nick.
Speaker 4 (00:22):
A very special episode, this one on the eve of game.
Through the decider of state of origin, we're going to
cross live into the camp with a man who's no
stranger of this show hasn't been on for a couple
of years because he's wearing a different polo shirt these days,
but he's wearing the new South Wales Blues polo shirt
at the moment. Come into you, mister Brett White. Howe
a bus hey?
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Nick? Here? You going? Great to be back.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
On mate, It's good. It's been a while.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Has life my first of all, has the goal coastreetway,
has Goldie, the what we call the glitter strip.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Mate, how's that treating you?
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (00:52):
Mate?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Look, it's a bit of a challenge at the moment.
Speaker 5 (00:56):
We're not where we want to be, not getting the
results we want, but hard works getting put in and
hopefully we can start to turn that around. But certainly
been an exciting time going leaving the Gold Coast, coming
in the Origin camp and being a part of that.
It's been unreal and super excited for the decider.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
Just before we go into Origin, which will crack open
very soon. I mean, you came from the Storm and
you played under Craig Bellamy and you know Craig Bella
me really well, and you worked closely with belly Ache
obviously the Raiders that you worked with Rich Sticky a
fair bit, and now at the Titans you've got Dez Hasler,
three blokes very similar, very carved and very similar brush.
(01:38):
How do you find working with DESI compared to the
other guys.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
They all look at the game differently.
Speaker 5 (01:46):
It's certainly been a massive experience working working under all
those guys and seeing.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
A different way they look at the game.
Speaker 5 (01:54):
Obviously, Also Michael McGuire last year in Origin, I've got
to work with him. Now I'm an in the Test
footy as well, so been and now obviously lor Daily.
So I'm really grateful at the moment of like I
grew up as a young Raiders fan and getting to
work alongside Ricky Stewart, Lorrie Daly and malmn Inger has
(02:17):
been a real highlight.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Of my coaching career.
Speaker 5 (02:20):
And growing up watching some of those guys, you know,
they were my heroes growing up and now getting to
work alongside them has been awesome. But yeah, going back
to des is, like I said, they all look at
it differently. There's a very big numbers man, so looking
at the game through a lot of numbers and.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Whatnot.
Speaker 5 (02:40):
He's certainly a lot of people would refer to him
as ad siders, so I certainly see that side of it.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
He's got some very creative mind that can come up
and with some great ideas and just different ways to
do things. So it's like I.
Speaker 5 (02:54):
Said, plenty of plenty of experience working with a lot
of quality coaches.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
One thing they're probably all have in common is that
is the passion for the game.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
But there certainly is and they also certainly have passion.
Speaker 5 (03:10):
But I've got to say the most passionate person I've
ever worked with in rugby.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
League is Ricky Stewart. He is by far.
Speaker 5 (03:17):
As well as a lot of your listeners that know
I know Ricky well, they're going going great guns down there,
and it's definitely off the passion he has not only
for the game but for the Canberra Raiders.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Do you miss the Do you miss all the camera mate?
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Of course we do. It was you know, Camera, Camera's
my home.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
I grew up in the snowy mountains and Camera was
the big city we used to get to go to
as a kid to go and visit. I grew up
as like I said, as a young Raiders fan. So
it's but I really enjoyed. I had twelve years at
the club and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's yeah, it's a
great place and for me, that'll always be home.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
Just what we've opened that file of it. The coaches
and I haven't really thought about it. But you've really
been working closely with some big names of the game,
including like Madage that as you mentioned, and mal and Laws.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Right now, where do you see yourself now?
Speaker 4 (04:11):
And without embarrassing you, they're wide you remember working closely
with you when you're at the Raiders. You're very much
about the growth mindset and of not just the player
but of the human being. And where do you see
yourself now? Taking all this experience, what could be next?
I mean you're very heavily you know, you know, you're
very focused in those jobs with the repsides and obviously
with the Titans at the moment, where do you see
(04:32):
yourself now You've got a huge CV now.
Speaker 5 (04:35):
Yeah, obviously like any young coach, and I'd love to
have my own club one day and the Keystor Club
and my own own team ANRL team. But as you know,
most of the things in our sport is all about
timing and getting that timing right.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
You know. I feel like I've done a.
Speaker 5 (04:52):
Really good apprenticeship under a lot of a lot of
those great coaches, got a lot of that experience from
each of them and little parts where you can take
and use, and so it's for me now I feel
like I'm getting close to that I've been able to
take on my own team. So it's just about timing
and getting that right, making sure, you know, you go
(05:14):
into a club that you feel that you're able to
have impact and have change. So that's yeah, a wait
for that opportunity. But I'm not in a rush either, happy,
really happy as an assistant coach at the moment. Enjoy
it and love it and if that's as oh I
do for the next few years, I'm happy with that.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
Without putting on the spot before we crack up in
the origin they're white. I'm going to put you on
the spot here and I'm going to rattle off those
names you just mentioned, those coaches that you've worked with,
whether you've played under or worked alongside, and the first
word that pops into your mind that represents that particular coach.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
So we'll start with Craig Bellamy.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
I love he's got a love for his players.
Speaker 6 (05:58):
Yeah, Ricky Stewart, passion, Mage Maguire, intense, Malcolm Norman, Meninger.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Culture, Lorie Daily, he gives a shirt off his own back.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
And then of course the great Des.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Hasler Excel spreadsheets.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Wow is that much?
Speaker 4 (06:30):
I know some players that played with him manly that
have longer tired now some names there that have told
me some of the kookiness, the kooky stuff that he does.
But I think it's also about trying to influence the
generation too, isn't it, Because what do they always talk about?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Football?
Speaker 4 (06:45):
Could be almost like the easy part, the clipboards, the
easy part. It's just managing the player, the personality and
all the different diverse personalities.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Right.
Speaker 5 (06:53):
Oh, I definitely he's Certainly he's an educator. I said,
the amount of knowledge he has around the game tactically
is incredible. And to watch him teach teach young players
that knowledge and high level end stuff about the game, which,
(07:16):
to be honest, I hadn't really gone that deep in
the rugby league in the way the way that des does.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
Well does it make you you probably walk away other day?
Speaker 2 (07:26):
You might have a day.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
There, a nice tuesday there at headquarters there and you've
you've seen some depth todas that makes you walk away
and a turn on different lights saying when I never
thought of it that way.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Yeah, it certainly does.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
It's every a lot of the conversations I have with
him on a daily basis, that's certainly opened eyes I've been.
I've been in and around this NRL level rugby league
for about twenty two years now and still daily learning
learning things from Dez and just different ways to analyze
(08:04):
it and measure it is a really big thing.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
And that's probably the.
Speaker 5 (08:10):
Big thing for him is like I said with when
I say Excel spreadsheets, it's all about being able to
measure the game, and then gives clear expectation to players
around around those measurements and goals and things that they
that he expects him to achieve.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
On the football field.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
He also has seems to have a bit of time
to let the players enjoy themselves. And when you think
about spreadsheets and numbers, it can on the on the
outside it could sound a little bit full on, a
little bit intense, but he obviously tries to balance that
out with some joy and some fun.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
He's a character. He's I really enjoy working with him
because of that side of him. That's when he when
he's on, he's on. But he's like most mostly good
all the good coaches there are, they've got a lighter
side to them as well, and that's also that with
the players that when you're at work, you're working, but
(09:05):
it's also important to switch off. It's part of high
performance being able to switch on and switch off at
the right times and when you needed to, you switch
fully onto the job that's at hand.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
Whether that's in a in.
Speaker 5 (09:20):
A room looking at a whiteboard, you switch on, or
it's a training paddock or inside the gym you switch
on when you relax and you switch switch off.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
That's important to have that switch and be able to
relax and have a joke.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
Absolutely, and before we go into really crack up in
the origin one bloke that's in the squad there that
you had a lot to do with in his development
and the Rollercoaster Riders as well.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Huts and Young Whitey.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
Of course you work with him down here at the Raiders,
especially in the lower grades, and you were part of
the part of the work to bring him into first
grade and to see what he's achieved now, it must
be it must be a nice feeling for yourself as well.
Speaker 5 (09:59):
Yeah, it's all And have I really feel like and
I have been on a rugby rugby league journey together.
He come down from Newcastle and straight into the NYC
under twenties at the Raiders when I was coaching them
and had had a couple of years with him as
under twenties, and then we both sort of progressed up
(10:20):
into the NRL, him as a player, myself as an
assistant coach, and now I've been able to push on
through through the NRAL into a State of Origin squad
work together and also last year the Test level as
well is involved in the Pacific Championships, so we've we've
sort of almost done all the different levels of rugby
(10:42):
league together, him as a player, himself as a coach.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
So I really enjoy how.
Speaker 5 (10:47):
He's probably all the kids off coach, all the players
off coach, he's certainly up there as one of my favorites.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
And it's great to see.
Speaker 4 (10:57):
And he says it quite public clear as well, like
you know, some kind of discombobulation early in his career
that he had to deal with and stuff like that,
and he's turned that around and now he's has become
a great role model for kids growing up, for young players,
for kids at home, and obviously what he's achieving on
the field and what he's doing with his cloak and
(11:18):
club land, but now also what he's doing at rep levels.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
I isn't it. You know? That's the great thing about
our game, rugby league.
Speaker 5 (11:26):
Like a lot of our players have come from all
sorts of different backgrounds and things that have gone on
and different home lives, and some some are colorful and
some have.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
Had to learn the hard way. But I think the.
Speaker 5 (11:40):
Great thing about rugby league it's been able to help
help people, help young young men and women improve in
their lives as well. Has been able to learn those
lessons along the way and get people back on the
right track and really help them.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
I know, there's so many young player that have.
Speaker 5 (12:01):
If it wasn't for rugby league, who knows where they
would end it up, isn't it?
Speaker 2 (12:06):
How you say that?
Speaker 4 (12:07):
Why, it's kind of beautiful in a way because a
lot of young men, as you mentioned, a different kind
of upbringings, they find who they are in the game.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Of rugby league.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Rugby league shows them the way, not just as a
sporting athlete, but you know, it kind of holds them
down to define who they really are. And you see
it and the samely success stories in our game where
maybe a younger guy. We're all young and silly when
we're young. You know, it's part of the testosterone molecule. Mate,
We are a little bit wacky and wild, but then
(12:37):
you kind of turn a corner and you find yourself again.
And it's great to see rugby league produces so many
of those wonderful stories.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
I think that's a.
Speaker 5 (12:48):
The great clubs or the successful clubs really have an
attitude around that when you leave the club, you leave
as a better person, and that's a mindset. I know
when I went to Melbourne, that was a mantra that
you always leave as a better person, not just a
better footballer, and probably more so leaving is a better
(13:11):
person as the number one was really important and it
certainly has an ability to transform lives.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
A game, what a wonderful game it is.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Well, that's just pretty much.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
That's just the ultimate compliment you can give an organization
or an entity saying that they're not just making you
better footballers, but you're going back into society as a
better person. And whoever's behind that, whether it's Craig Bellam
and Ricky Stewart's your des Hazzlers, ye meningas your dailyes
Maguire's putting them back into society is better people at
Wayne Bennett was big on that as well.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Having conversations with wend.
Speaker 4 (13:45):
Or Sailor, he would always say, without name dropping, he
would say it's his job too. You are after you
finish football, you know, and it's just great to see.
And rugby league does kind of get toiled up in
different areas of the media sometimes, but behind it or
we know what really goes on and it's just a
it's a wonderful sanctionary of creating good men and women.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
Now, yeah, it's both.
Speaker 5 (14:10):
The women's game has grown so much and giving so
many now giving so many opportunities young girls, which is great.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
There's you know those opportunities just as equal.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
Now mate, the big one tomorrow Origin. Just first of
all your role, you're all there with Laurie. Can you
break that now for us?
Speaker 3 (14:31):
Yes, I'm defense.
Speaker 5 (14:34):
Also the middle of the field rough defense, so looking
after pretty much the forwards and they're through the middle
of their defense. As an assistant coach, there's three assistants
being young and also he's from the Dragons and Matt
King who's the roosters, all on board and all been
(14:56):
working away all week to try and fine tune and really.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Get these guys to the sideline.
Speaker 5 (15:03):
Ready to go with a not only the physical and
the tactical ways we do things, but also the right
mindset is the way we want to go into the game.
We're working with the best of the best. We've just
got to get them all connected and working together.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
You mentioned the physical and without embarrassing you there too, White,
you were definitely an aggressive that was part of your
your style of play as a front rower, especially at
origin level. Can you coach aggression in a team.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
Natural thing?
Speaker 5 (15:34):
I think that comes from an individual, But you can
build desire within the club or within a within a team.
I think it comes from firstly from a trust and
then the connection of people and being able to put
the team first and what the team requires from individuals,
So having a really clear vision on that and what
(16:00):
that looks like, and having the right players that are
are willing to put the team first actions ahead of
individual actions and get everyone working together on the same pages. Yeah,
that's pretty much the plan of things and coaching at
this level.
Speaker 4 (16:19):
Now one that's been there as a player and now
you oversee it as part of the coaching staff. What's
it like in the preparation of origin, what's the and
we'll break it into the three games and it's perfect.
It's a decider tomorrow. What's a mindset? What's a mindset
going into camp for game one where there's kind of
there's plenty of expectation, but there's still no measure in
(16:41):
how we're going and obviously depending on result for this
particular game. We won the first game, you lost the
second game. But now going into game three, what's the
mentality like going into camp when as a decider the
last game, the whole country's watching and the pressures on basically.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
Yeah, it's probably going back to game one pretty much
the same squad and the same staff as last year
when we won the series. So it was looking at
what we've done well, what worked well for us, and
what could improve, what could we get better at. We
identified those few things going to game one, we had
(17:19):
a plan around that how we wanted to be better and.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Again it was successful.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
With the game one win, we head over to perfect
game two and trying to back that up.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
Unfortunately we didn't start well.
Speaker 5 (17:34):
We're probably ill disciplined with then without the ball, gave
way way too many penalties. So whether we're a little
bit off or what the cause of that was. So
what happens after a loss of that or a first
half like that is they've got to really sharpen sharpen
everything up again. And going back it was clear the
(17:57):
discipline we needed to be better at.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
And I think a.
Speaker 5 (18:00):
Good thing is, especially coming off a loss, you you
have like a knot in the stomach. Everyone has a knot,
and it is the desire to want to improve and
get and be better is a lot greater within the
whole squad.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
There's a lot more I.
Speaker 5 (18:19):
Guess calmness to this week around of focus around what
we need to do individually.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
And as a group collective group.
Speaker 5 (18:29):
So it's about having that clarity and like I said,
we're clear on what we need to do, what works
for us, what we need to improve at in terms
of our discipline.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Now it's just about going out and executing on the field.
Speaker 5 (18:45):
So I feel that the boys are in a great
headspace mentally physically, they're in top top shape, you know,
able to use these rep cancers a chance to freshen
up in a way we certainly, you know, we don't
do I wouldn't say lesser training, but was certainly.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
More downtime for them to be.
Speaker 5 (19:07):
Able to connect as a group off the field and
freshen up and a new environment for them all in
terms of you away from their week to week club
club commitments. So just get a little bit of a
freshen up and they know what they need to do.
We've got the best of the best, and to let
(19:28):
them go Wednesday night.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
Game plan without I'm not going to ask you the secrets,
but when it comes to orchestrating one and writing one
up is it does Laurie get your all together and
you sit down and you kind of dissect the opposition
and your basic game plan around that, or is it
pretty much we've got the best seventeen in New South Wales.
Just keep it simple enough and play to their strength
so they can do the job.
Speaker 5 (19:52):
No, there's plenty of game planning, there's plenty of strategy planning,
defense and attack, but at the end of the day,
Orange is always the same. It's a grind. It's end
to end football. Who can hold field position, get into
a set for set rhythm and who can stay in
that the longest without making the error or giving away
(20:15):
the penalty. So it's really much trying to go end
for end. Your yardage defense is really important. You kick chase,
getting your kicks right, which is something you know unfortunately,
go back to Game two is our first set we
kicked out on the full, so little adjustments like that
is making sure our kicks are right. Our chase is
good at defense, backs that up and then when we
(20:37):
do have a ball, holding it and playing with football
down the other end as much as we can.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
And that's a plan.
Speaker 5 (20:45):
There's a lot a lot harder to do than it
is to explain, but that is essentially the game plan.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
You've got the game plan and nicely embedded. How much
nostalgia in the motion of the past. Knowing Laura, he's
got that depth to him and he was part of
those a really good era where he led the Blues
to victory and yourself, you've been involved in some teams.
How much does that get tossed up around the joint
and other players responsive to it?
Speaker 3 (21:14):
Yeah, certainly, you know.
Speaker 5 (21:15):
Of course, this origin level is a lot of emotion
to it, So I think the first place anything starts
is with your emotion. But they're also being able to
control that and direct that into the right areas.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
We've been We've done a lot on about our past.
Speaker 5 (21:33):
And the players that have come before us and the
spirit of the Blue Jumper. A lot of that's been
done and I really think that sort of started last
year with Michael maguire, and I truly believe that you
could see that within our football now as that spirit
(21:54):
of the past, players that come before us and what
they have done and how important Jumper is to us all.
I feel more connected to the Blues Jumper now than
I did when I was playing, and that comes from
a lot of that work in around that, the history
behind the Jumper and those that have worn it before us,
(22:17):
and hearing their stories and their emotion and their connection
to the jumper as certainly build that even stronger.
Speaker 4 (22:26):
Before I let you go there, I got to ask us,
that's a tough question, and you'll really would say all
twenty of those players in the squad, but out of
the players there and you're involved in Clovise club Land.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Who has impressed you the most?
Speaker 4 (22:40):
And not necessarily talent wise, but just the way they
kind of carry themselves in camp there for the Blues.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
Oh, that is a really hard question. The funny thing
is about it.
Speaker 5 (22:53):
I think we've got a real mix of different We've
got the guys that the Stephens and Jerome Leui that
bring the energy. We've got the hard working guys that
you don't see a lot of but get all the
little stuff done in the guys like Max King and
Rhys Robson.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Yeah, you got the guys that can bring.
Speaker 5 (23:17):
The magic when it's needed, like the troll Mitchell. Probably
for me, if I was to pick out one, it's
it'd have to be a front rower, which is Paint Hans.
He's just such an impressive person both on and off
the field. He's superhuman, so he's just the out of favoritism.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
I'd have to go a front rower in pain.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
I'll tell you what though, seeing like Steve Crichton, just
with his stature and his size, just something's really building
around that man like he's going to be. I mean,
he's obviously one of the best centers in the competition
now as we speak, and he's handled himself at that
level obviously the Origin level, but there's something about him
that's really starting to build.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Isn't there.
Speaker 5 (23:59):
You can only having worked with in the past two
origins he is you certainly see why buy Like Cameron
Serado goes to a new club and he's one of
the first players he brings with him or goes after.
As a Stephen Crichton, he's not only what you see
as a fan watching him on the on the field,
(24:19):
but what he brings off the field is incredible. He's
he's a leader within himself and his energy, his professionalism's
he's an impressive guy to watch on the field, just
so the way he can move laterally for such a
big man, and the speed is incredible.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
So he's he's certainly a driver of energy within the group.
Speaker 4 (24:42):
Now, just in summary, now at origin level, especially with
these camps. It's really good to go into these camps
having some established connections and some established combinations and some
glue already dry. And Laurie's big on that as well.
Isn't it such to have those Penrith boys include a
couple of that have played in those premierships, that are
(25:02):
all that know each other's game, like.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Your half is there.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
We speak about the Crichtons of the world, and then
the spine there with as Iao. How they can just
slip straight back into that mode and just know each
other's game so.
Speaker 5 (25:13):
Well, we're certainly blessed with that. You know, once you
get out in that Origin arena, it is it is
so quick. It's a lot faster than your week to
weekend RL games. There's so much hype around it. It's
essentially it's chaos. And for those guys to have those
connections and that trust within each other know each other's
(25:34):
timing on things, is a massive help.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
You know, they've all played multiple big games, whether it's
Origin or International Grand Finals.
Speaker 5 (25:45):
Together, so that trust within those combinations is it's a
massive bonus for us.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
But we can't rely on it.
Speaker 5 (25:56):
We've still got to go out there and execute what
we want to ex come game time, but it will
certainly help us be able to do that.
Speaker 4 (26:05):
All right, Wi, it was great to catch up with
you again. All the rest for tomorrow. I know it
means a lot to you, especially as assistant coach. Enjoy
the preparation, make get the boys ready to go.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
I thank you very much. It's good to have a
chat again. Mate.
Speaker 5 (26:18):
It's been a while, so fone leave it too long
for next time.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
We'll check in before the season's out.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
Sounds good made
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