June 21, 2024 • 18 mins
Raider Nick and Donny Furner live from Belconnen Mall
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's time now for a bit of a raid Nick
at nights supplement and every year, halfway through the year
I call this man and get a bit of a
half time half yearly report and where the club's going
and where the club is at, so fun I speak
of this man, the boss man, the CEO, don Fernack
Good evening, Donnie.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Good evening, Nico. How's it going out there at Westfield.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
It's going great. We kicked off yesterday. Thanks for asking,
and we're a little crazy, but it's all for a
good cause. It's all for charity and things are going
really really well.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Fantastic, fantastic.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Now we're doing for our charity. Of course, that's given
me five for Kids, Johnny, raising those much needed funds
for families to get that treatment for the kids that
are experiencing some unfortunate circumstances. And it keeps them in Canberra.
They don't have to leave to go to you know,
to Sydney, all those big of metropolitan towns. They can
stay local. That's great news, that's.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
A great cause because you don't want them having to
go to sydney' the cost of accommodation. So ROYM donald
House does the same thing. You can do it here,
you don't have to go there. Yeah, it's a great
cause mate, So hopefully people are donating out there.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Absolutely they are doing it and those buckets starting to
look really, really full. But first I've got to ask
some congratulations Donnie Trey Murdy. It put pent to paper
with Trey happening over the last few weeks, but made
it official today. What a huge injection for the club.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah. Look, he's a Sydney boy that took the leap
of faith and moved down here and now he loves
it down here. Obviously he's still got family in Sydney.
But it's a vota conference and you know, we've secured
a really good batch of young guys which we hope
to keep together for some time. And you know, our
jersey flag side he's leading the competition. Our State Cup
(01:41):
is leading the competition and we've got a lot of
young guys that we've pushed up into State Cup. So
it's a young team. We think we've got a really
good batch coming through and Tray is part of that match.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
And you mentioned about a huge injection for the club,
but symbolically as well geographically too, if you will Johnny.
The fact that he's a Sydney boy. He could have
easily stayed in Sydney and there was an interest around
for us some other clubs. But the fact that he
said no, I'm staying in Camber. I'm a Canbra boy.
Now you wants to set himself up here for the
next three years, that's a huge sign, a huge vota
conference for Camber and for players wanted you to come
(02:12):
to Canberra.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
It is and it's always a battle, but you know,
we always try and make sure that one they're settled.
And we've been doing it for a long time, Nick
forty odd years trying to settle people in that have
moved from Queensland, New Zealand Sydney. So we think we're
pretty good at settling people in. We do the same
with their owneral w team. We have to work hard
to make them happy and make sure they're comfortable with
(02:35):
their accommodation and their job and their education. We think
we're pretty good at it. We think we're in the
top top edge lines. We you know, we haven't got
Mami Beach to say that. The people look, there's beautiful
Mami Beach. We've got to work hard at it and
I think we do a good job and the family
see it, the parents see it. They also you know,
for someone now Trey's age, you know, they can buy
(02:56):
their first house, probably the first in their family, but
also at a young age in Canberra by a really
nice house. And we try and get them into property
as quick as we can, because all of a sudden
they've got they've got the roots here and you know,
I'm twenty one, twenty two and I'm paying off my
own house. It's it's easier to do it here than
live in Sydney. And those sort of little things resonate
(03:20):
with them, and you know that's what helps us keep
them here in Canberra.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Now, Donnie, the news all throughout the week. Look, we'll
start from the beginning after the Raiders season launch. There
was whispers around the room there about Raiders being a
potential trip to Vegas for the start of twenty twenty five,
and I mean within the camp it was strong talks
down the road. Now publicly the Sydney you have got
(03:45):
hold of it and saying that the Raid is a
potentially the fourth team in there. Where are we with that?
Is it looking warm for us? Donnie?
Speaker 2 (03:52):
It's definitely warmer than what it was a month ago.
So I'll start by looking at the season just going.
We were fifth really South for aming and r Ring
and the NRL we're talking to us about listen South,
don't take it up, would you go? So we looked
like getting there this year. We didn't. We just missed out.
So we were high on the pecking order for twenty five.
(04:17):
But a lot of clubs wanted to go. And when
I went over there and came back and spoke to
the board and reckoned the players like, it's wonderful experience.
So we're very keen. We've put down that we would
be happy to be the home team or the away team,
and that's a big thing for the NRL because it
gives them flexibility on how they schedule. My own understanding
is we're certainly down to the final five or six.
(04:38):
That the notice in the paper. I don't know where
that comes from because we never got officially told. We
haven't been officially told anything by the NRL, so we're
still holding and I'm getting a lot of text messages
from friends and family saying, you know, when we book
our tickets, but I don't want to go early we
have to wait for anything official to come from the NRL,
but we certainly have and in there working hard. We
(05:01):
put a really good submission in the obvious links with
our governments, with Las Vegas Raiders and canber Raiders, and
so there's a lot of a lot of really good links.
I know a lot of people would travel over and
make a holiday of it, so that's all appealing. And
a lot of our sponsors that are encouraging us to go.
So we've got a good application in and we are
(05:24):
certainly in their swinging and we're disappointed if we don't,
but we you know, we're a lot hotter than we were,
a lot warmer than we were probably a month ago.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
I love that whole Las Vegas Raiders tie into. That'll
be brilliant. Now the listeners are probably asking the difference
between accepting whether it's a home and away game, Johnny,
how does that work?
Speaker 2 (05:45):
So if you take a home game away, you get paid,
You get paid basically to rate ursue for the for
the for the gate that you lose at home. Yep,
if you're the away team, there's no real differ at
the end of the day. If we're playing a team
in Brisbane or we start playing him in Sydney. We
don't get any of the money anyway, so it's it's
(06:07):
basically the financial cut of the two. So two teams
will be the home teams giving up a home game,
but we could also be the away team, so financially,
you know, as long as you break even on that
on that being the way team, which which we probably would,
it be great to be either. Some teams don't want
(06:29):
to be the home team they can't give up a game,
so but yeah, we're happy to be both to give
us a better chance of getting there.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
You get ready in the company line from Westfield, Bell
Connor and I'm currently on the phone to camber Ray
to see Johnny Ferner. Now, Johnny, just speaking off either.
You're a huge fan of the Police.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Yeah, one of my favorite bands of all time, Nick
and well before your time. But it was no one
knows what a record is these days or what vinyl is,
but it was the very first record I ever bought,
and there was used to be this little record shop
in Manaro Street, Queen Bean. I remember saving up my
money and going down and buying Police's first of a record.
(07:08):
But yes, very very popular band, when we were young.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Was that Hills music, the old Hills music music?
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Correct? Yeah, remember the Hill family, long time Queen Ban people.
So yes, correct.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
I used to love Hills music and used to be
able to buy concert tickets. Now I remember I wake
up one early morning, Yes, yes, I bought my thought.
See you love your Police and your you two. I
love red hot chili peppers, and I remember I stayed
up early in the morning. I got up early to
buy a ticket to their concert back twenty five years ago,
and it was fifty bucks. Donnie opposed it. Now it's
(07:41):
five hundred and fifty bucks. Yeah, correct, And that was
only two decades ago. But yeah, vinyl mate, so that's
come back with a vengeance. I've actually, you know, I've
actually caught the bargain I've been doing buying the vinyl,
collecting old ones, old soundtracks like the Rocky soundtrack and
the Rainbow soundtracks. Those are really orchestral things.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Ices Nico. When I was in Vegas this year, you
two were there. The cheapest ticket was eight hundred dollars US.
And I saw you too. I saw you too for
like twenty dollars. In Sydney twenty five dollars dollars when
in this time around back in the eighties when I
(08:20):
was young, and then when I was at Vegas this year,
I went over to Vegas for the for the Vegas game.
You two were playing in Las Vegas at the same
time that the Las Vegas Ram was on, and they
were eight hundreds and of thousand dollars US a ticket.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Did you go?
Speaker 2 (08:36):
No? I didn't. I should have, but I didn't go.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Eight hundred bucks. That's pretty steep though, in all swissness
US so that what's that? That's about sixteen hundred dollars
aud fourteen anyway, Jesus, I hope it comes with the
massage or something after that. Tony.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
No, they never get a free drink.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Nothing, not even a free drink, and not even not
even a handshake of a gitar tick or something. His
guitar tek Now, Johnny a few months ago. Now, Ricky
Stewart put pent to paper, good old stick. He's going
to be hanging around for a bit longer now. He
can't get rid of him.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
No, that's what what keeps saying to him. And he says, well,
you know, if I'm staying in camera for a bit longer,
you have to too. But he's the heart and soul
of our club, and you know, there was never really
any Obviously, we're very happy that he said yes, but
we weren't ever looking at anyone else. He's you know,
(09:31):
he's sort of revitalized by this new group of young
kids that we've got coming through, and you know, they
all know he knows what he's got to work with
in the next rat or five years. And know he's
got a great window of young kids that are signed
up for a long time, so he's brought them through.
He was a large part of getting them to come
here and sign here, so he's definitely the best person
to work with them. And he's excited about some of
(09:55):
the young guys we've got and we talked about him earlier,
but the batch of kids, and he says to him, off,
you know, we've never seen a batch of faster outside
backs that we've got coming through and more mobile forwards.
So it's just a really good batch coming through. And
you know, he's really excited to work with someone and
he's the best person for it. So there was no
real question in the board in the club's mind with
(10:17):
that one.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Yeah, that's a That's an easy one there. What do
you see? I mean, you know Ricky really well. You
grew up with stick, you know him really well. You've
seen him as the play you've seen him as the coach.
You've you've shared some behind the moment, some hard times,
some tough times, and all the all the above. What
do you think Ricky Stewart's best attribute is as a coach?
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Do you go to go? What do you think that question? Look?
Probably that he can be hard on a player if
he needs to be, and then go out and have
a view with them the next night and put his
arm around him. And the ability to be able to
do that is not easy, you know, because you've got
(10:57):
to drop somebody or you've got to break somebody for
there before moments and then be able to and just
to still retain their respect. It's not easy to do.
And he has the ability to do that and make
players want to play for you. You know, there's very
few coaches that can do that regularly for a long
period of time, because players get sick of coaches. Coaches
(11:20):
are telling them what to do all the time and
criticizing them. It's very hard to keep them on side,
but to be able to do that, you know, the
Wayne Bennetts and Craig Bellamys and Ricky Steelts. To be
able to do that for such a long period of time,
it's really really difficult, and he has the ability to
do that, and you always had.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Really absolutely and speaking to both of yous in the past,
you both find it gut wrenching to sometimes have to
tell the player that they're no longer in the future
plans of the club. Job is that he is the
coach's joblays at the CEO's job. But these both have to.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Truly well, both of us really do it, and neither
of us like it's a terrible thing to let anybody go,
and we always try and do it with as much
respect as we can, and Laura and Newnison when we're
talking to them, but yeah, we both share that job,
and it's a terrible job to do, particularly when a
young guy is such a terrific guy and he might
(12:14):
have suffered injuries and you know, the dreams of playing
and if you've got to let him go, it's a
terrible thing and you've just got to try and do
it with as much empathy as you can. And I
reckon and I are always I think, and our staff
as well, but it's always difficult and neither of us
like doing it.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
No one does fun.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
It has been good, mate. I wish I was out there.
We're still with you, but just got home from work.
So yeah, hopefully you're raising plenty of money out there.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Appreciate your time anyway, and it's been a big week
for you. Of course. The NRLW season launched yesterday. But Donny,
we google NRL Ladder for twenty twenty four and we
are sitting in fifth position. How do you feel now
on a football perspective, but he's also on a business
perspective our half yearly report? How do you see through
(13:07):
your things as mate? Where we are right now.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Financially great, performance wise really good. I mean at the
start of the year, people tipped us to bottom four,
some tipped us for Wooden Spurn. What people, particularly the
Sydney Tips, has never ever looked at, is that the
quality of the young kids that we've got coming through.
Because they don't know their names and they're not on
Sydney Radio or Sydney TV, they underestimate them. And we
(13:32):
love being underestimated. We love going into the game of
the underdogs. And you know, there's a bit more of
a chapter to write towards the end of this year.
But definitely very very pleased with the season that we've
had so far, the crowds that we've been getting, the
way our juniors have performed, our SG ball as I said,
(13:53):
our Jersey flag under twenty one are coming first, our
reserve gods coming first, the way the club's humming, our
girls have all come in now. Season launch last night.
You know the NLW team last year, first year in
they were snidgenos the semifinals, so that we were in
round one, round one here your title favorites. I just
(14:15):
you know, as I said, we love being underestimated, which
we which happens to us a lot. But we're coming
on nicely. We'll get a few players who got injured back,
hopefully Zach Hoskins and tomorrow Foggerty and Corey Holsberg back,
and if we can be healthy and you're in the
semis at the end of the year, that's all you
need to do.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Well. The depth that Ricky loves to do, I mean,
he's obsessed with building competition for spots. Is that one
thing that you talk about a lot because you guys,
and it's you know, it's been quite clear. You've said
on the record that you don't really chase the big
marquee guy because you want to make sure they want
to live to live in Canberra. It's all about creating
those competition for spots which we have and every time
(14:55):
you look at where we've gone far in the competition,
whether it was twenty sixteen, whether it was twenty eight, eighteen,
twenty nineteen, there's been competition for spots. If one man
goes down, the other one just goes straight onto the
wheel and does the job. It's oozing that this year, Johnny.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
You definitely need competition for spots and you need to
be healthy. Nick, you need to be healthy coming into
the back part of the year. You need most of
your players are arilable. You can have bad injury runs
at the start of the year, middle of the year,
but if you get it at the end of the year.
So if the roster is healthy, there's competition for spots.
And the other thing we do is we give young
kids opportunities. That's why we might not be able to
(15:32):
get the big super star down here, but the young
kids is looking for an opportunity might not get through
its house or the roosters or somewhere, but they know
they're going to get a crack at first grade here
and they really step up and then you find out
about them and we're very good at that, and we've
got an unbelievable bachel them at the moment. But moved
here for opportunities and we're giving them the opportunities and
(15:52):
they're responding. So yeah, we're in a good shape. We've
got a good back half of the drawer coming up
and if we stay healthy, anything's possible.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
One thing I've noticed the difference to this year, Donnie,
is the fact that you're going to leave for jo
a little bit earlier because we're getting huge numbers of
the crowds and traffic is crazy around Geo shuts.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
The crowds. I will say this all the time. We've
got the toughest sands in the competition. They sit through
you heat wave conditions at the start of the year
in March, and the coldest conditions absolutely of any team
in Australia. In canber it's the coldest place in the
middle of winter and you're sitting out there. We've got
(16:35):
the tough of fans and they come out in force
for us, and the players love playing in front of them,
the way they generate the Viking clap and the game
they experience. Players love it and our crowds have been fantastic.
So we can't thank them enough. We always try and
wrap them because as I said, they are the most
(16:55):
the toughest and hardest fans of any sport in Australia.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Hardest petition in the world. That's too right, and we're
sitting fifth on that hardest competition in the world.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Camper.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Let's get behind the boys, Let's get them home on Friday.
Let's bring them home because how good is it? Donnie?
And we leave you with this. When we make the finals,
deep into the finals, it just lights up the town
and it's just great to be a camber and comes
springtime it's just a wonderful place, wonderful buzz for the
town when we get there, isn't it?
Speaker 2 (17:21):
It is? Mate? And you know, whilst this might sound
a bit enough like when you're in a one team town,
what sport and what a sporting team can do for
a town, you really see your seat in Canberra coming
into the Semis. You know, if we're playing well and
you're coming into the semis, it does buzz the town up.
There's nothing like it, and it's especially prevalent in a
(17:43):
one team town. It's different in Sydney and Melbourne. There's
plenty of teams that if you're in Towns or Newcastle
or Canberra, you can't escape it. So yeah, we all
love that feeling and hopefully we get that in September
this year.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
All right, Donnie, I'll let you be, haven't got a mate,
and I will see you Friday night for the big One.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Thanks to Goo
It's time now for a bit of a raid Nick
at nights supplement and every year, halfway through the year
I call this man and get a bit of a
half time half yearly report and where the club's going
and where the club is at, so fun I speak
of this man, the boss man, the CEO, don Fernack
Good evening, Donnie.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Good evening, Nico. How's it going out there at Westfield.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
It's going great. We kicked off yesterday. Thanks for asking,
and we're a little crazy, but it's all for a
good cause. It's all for charity and things are going
really really well.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Fantastic, fantastic.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Now we're doing for our charity. Of course, that's given
me five for Kids, Johnny, raising those much needed funds
for families to get that treatment for the kids that
are experiencing some unfortunate circumstances. And it keeps them in Canberra.
They don't have to leave to go to you know,
to Sydney, all those big of metropolitan towns. They can
stay local. That's great news, that's.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
A great cause because you don't want them having to
go to sydney' the cost of accommodation. So ROYM donald
House does the same thing. You can do it here,
you don't have to go there. Yeah, it's a great
cause mate, So hopefully people are donating out there.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Absolutely they are doing it and those buckets starting to
look really, really full. But first I've got to ask
some congratulations Donnie Trey Murdy. It put pent to paper
with Trey happening over the last few weeks, but made
it official today. What a huge injection for the club.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah. Look, he's a Sydney boy that took the leap
of faith and moved down here and now he loves
it down here. Obviously he's still got family in Sydney.
But it's a vota conference and you know, we've secured
a really good batch of young guys which we hope
to keep together for some time. And you know, our
jersey flag side he's leading the competition. Our State Cup
(01:41):
is leading the competition and we've got a lot of
young guys that we've pushed up into State Cup. So
it's a young team. We think we've got a really
good batch coming through and Tray is part of that match.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
And you mentioned about a huge injection for the club,
but symbolically as well geographically too, if you will Johnny.
The fact that he's a Sydney boy. He could have
easily stayed in Sydney and there was an interest around
for us some other clubs. But the fact that he
said no, I'm staying in Camber. I'm a Canbra boy.
Now you wants to set himself up here for the
next three years, that's a huge sign, a huge vota
conference for Camber and for players wanted you to come
(02:12):
to Canberra.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
It is and it's always a battle, but you know,
we always try and make sure that one they're settled.
And we've been doing it for a long time, Nick
forty odd years trying to settle people in that have
moved from Queensland, New Zealand Sydney. So we think we're
pretty good at settling people in. We do the same
with their owneral w team. We have to work hard
to make them happy and make sure they're comfortable with
(02:35):
their accommodation and their job and their education. We think
we're pretty good at it. We think we're in the
top top edge lines. We you know, we haven't got
Mami Beach to say that. The people look, there's beautiful
Mami Beach. We've got to work hard at it and
I think we do a good job and the family
see it, the parents see it. They also you know,
for someone now Trey's age, you know, they can buy
(02:56):
their first house, probably the first in their family, but
also at a young age in Canberra by a really
nice house. And we try and get them into property
as quick as we can, because all of a sudden
they've got they've got the roots here and you know,
I'm twenty one, twenty two and I'm paying off my
own house. It's it's easier to do it here than
live in Sydney. And those sort of little things resonate
(03:20):
with them, and you know that's what helps us keep
them here in Canberra.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Now, Donnie, the news all throughout the week. Look, we'll
start from the beginning after the Raiders season launch. There
was whispers around the room there about Raiders being a
potential trip to Vegas for the start of twenty twenty five,
and I mean within the camp it was strong talks
down the road. Now publicly the Sydney you have got
(03:45):
hold of it and saying that the Raid is a
potentially the fourth team in there. Where are we with that?
Is it looking warm for us? Donnie?
Speaker 2 (03:52):
It's definitely warmer than what it was a month ago.
So I'll start by looking at the season just going.
We were fifth really South for aming and r Ring
and the NRL we're talking to us about listen South,
don't take it up, would you go? So we looked
like getting there this year. We didn't. We just missed out.
So we were high on the pecking order for twenty five.
(04:17):
But a lot of clubs wanted to go. And when
I went over there and came back and spoke to
the board and reckoned the players like, it's wonderful experience.
So we're very keen. We've put down that we would
be happy to be the home team or the away team,
and that's a big thing for the NRL because it
gives them flexibility on how they schedule. My own understanding
is we're certainly down to the final five or six.
(04:38):
That the notice in the paper. I don't know where
that comes from because we never got officially told. We
haven't been officially told anything by the NRL, so we're
still holding and I'm getting a lot of text messages
from friends and family saying, you know, when we book
our tickets, but I don't want to go early we
have to wait for anything official to come from the NRL,
but we certainly have and in there working hard. We
(05:01):
put a really good submission in the obvious links with
our governments, with Las Vegas Raiders and canber Raiders, and
so there's a lot of a lot of really good links.
I know a lot of people would travel over and
make a holiday of it, so that's all appealing. And
a lot of our sponsors that are encouraging us to go.
So we've got a good application in and we are
(05:24):
certainly in their swinging and we're disappointed if we don't,
but we you know, we're a lot hotter than we were,
a lot warmer than we were probably a month ago.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
I love that whole Las Vegas Raiders tie into. That'll
be brilliant. Now the listeners are probably asking the difference
between accepting whether it's a home and away game, Johnny,
how does that work?
Speaker 2 (05:45):
So if you take a home game away, you get paid,
You get paid basically to rate ursue for the for
the for the gate that you lose at home. Yep,
if you're the away team, there's no real differ at
the end of the day. If we're playing a team
in Brisbane or we start playing him in Sydney. We
don't get any of the money anyway, so it's it's
(06:07):
basically the financial cut of the two. So two teams
will be the home teams giving up a home game,
but we could also be the away team, so financially,
you know, as long as you break even on that
on that being the way team, which which we probably would,
it be great to be either. Some teams don't want
(06:29):
to be the home team they can't give up a game,
so but yeah, we're happy to be both to give
us a better chance of getting there.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
You get ready in the company line from Westfield, Bell
Connor and I'm currently on the phone to camber Ray
to see Johnny Ferner. Now, Johnny, just speaking off either.
You're a huge fan of the Police.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Yeah, one of my favorite bands of all time, Nick
and well before your time. But it was no one
knows what a record is these days or what vinyl is,
but it was the very first record I ever bought,
and there was used to be this little record shop
in Manaro Street, Queen Bean. I remember saving up my
money and going down and buying Police's first of a record.
(07:08):
But yes, very very popular band, when we were young.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Was that Hills music, the old Hills music music?
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Correct? Yeah, remember the Hill family, long time Queen Ban people.
So yes, correct.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
I used to love Hills music and used to be
able to buy concert tickets. Now I remember I wake
up one early morning, Yes, yes, I bought my thought.
See you love your Police and your you two. I
love red hot chili peppers, and I remember I stayed
up early in the morning. I got up early to
buy a ticket to their concert back twenty five years ago,
and it was fifty bucks. Donnie opposed it. Now it's
(07:41):
five hundred and fifty bucks. Yeah, correct, And that was
only two decades ago. But yeah, vinyl mate, so that's
come back with a vengeance. I've actually, you know, I've
actually caught the bargain I've been doing buying the vinyl,
collecting old ones, old soundtracks like the Rocky soundtrack and
the Rainbow soundtracks. Those are really orchestral things.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Ices Nico. When I was in Vegas this year, you
two were there. The cheapest ticket was eight hundred dollars US.
And I saw you too. I saw you too for
like twenty dollars. In Sydney twenty five dollars dollars when
in this time around back in the eighties when I
(08:20):
was young, and then when I was at Vegas this year,
I went over to Vegas for the for the Vegas game.
You two were playing in Las Vegas at the same
time that the Las Vegas Ram was on, and they
were eight hundreds and of thousand dollars US a ticket.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Did you go?
Speaker 2 (08:36):
No? I didn't. I should have, but I didn't go.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Eight hundred bucks. That's pretty steep though, in all swissness
US so that what's that? That's about sixteen hundred dollars
aud fourteen anyway, Jesus, I hope it comes with the
massage or something after that. Tony.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
No, they never get a free drink.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Nothing, not even a free drink, and not even not
even a handshake of a gitar tick or something. His
guitar tek Now, Johnny a few months ago. Now, Ricky
Stewart put pent to paper, good old stick. He's going
to be hanging around for a bit longer now. He
can't get rid of him.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
No, that's what what keeps saying to him. And he says, well,
you know, if I'm staying in camera for a bit longer,
you have to too. But he's the heart and soul
of our club, and you know, there was never really
any Obviously, we're very happy that he said yes, but
we weren't ever looking at anyone else. He's you know,
(09:31):
he's sort of revitalized by this new group of young
kids that we've got coming through, and you know, they
all know he knows what he's got to work with
in the next rat or five years. And know he's
got a great window of young kids that are signed
up for a long time, so he's brought them through.
He was a large part of getting them to come
here and sign here, so he's definitely the best person
to work with them. And he's excited about some of
(09:55):
the young guys we've got and we talked about him earlier,
but the batch of kids, and he says to him, off,
you know, we've never seen a batch of faster outside
backs that we've got coming through and more mobile forwards.
So it's just a really good batch coming through. And
you know, he's really excited to work with someone and
he's the best person for it. So there was no
real question in the board in the club's mind with
(10:17):
that one.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Yeah, that's a That's an easy one there. What do
you see? I mean, you know Ricky really well. You
grew up with stick, you know him really well. You've
seen him as the play you've seen him as the coach.
You've you've shared some behind the moment, some hard times,
some tough times, and all the all the above. What
do you think Ricky Stewart's best attribute is as a coach?
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Do you go to go? What do you think that question? Look?
Probably that he can be hard on a player if
he needs to be, and then go out and have
a view with them the next night and put his
arm around him. And the ability to be able to
do that is not easy, you know, because you've got
(10:57):
to drop somebody or you've got to break somebody for
there before moments and then be able to and just
to still retain their respect. It's not easy to do.
And he has the ability to do that and make
players want to play for you. You know, there's very
few coaches that can do that regularly for a long
period of time, because players get sick of coaches. Coaches
(11:20):
are telling them what to do all the time and
criticizing them. It's very hard to keep them on side,
but to be able to do that, you know, the
Wayne Bennetts and Craig Bellamys and Ricky Steelts. To be
able to do that for such a long period of time,
it's really really difficult, and he has the ability to
do that, and you always had.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Really absolutely and speaking to both of yous in the past,
you both find it gut wrenching to sometimes have to
tell the player that they're no longer in the future
plans of the club. Job is that he is the
coach's joblays at the CEO's job. But these both have to.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Truly well, both of us really do it, and neither
of us like it's a terrible thing to let anybody go,
and we always try and do it with as much
respect as we can, and Laura and Newnison when we're
talking to them, but yeah, we both share that job,
and it's a terrible job to do, particularly when a
young guy is such a terrific guy and he might
(12:14):
have suffered injuries and you know, the dreams of playing
and if you've got to let him go, it's a
terrible thing and you've just got to try and do
it with as much empathy as you can. And I
reckon and I are always I think, and our staff
as well, but it's always difficult and neither of us
like doing it.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
No one does fun.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
It has been good, mate. I wish I was out there.
We're still with you, but just got home from work.
So yeah, hopefully you're raising plenty of money out there.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Appreciate your time anyway, and it's been a big week
for you. Of course. The NRLW season launched yesterday. But Donny,
we google NRL Ladder for twenty twenty four and we
are sitting in fifth position. How do you feel now
on a football perspective, but he's also on a business
perspective our half yearly report? How do you see through
(13:07):
your things as mate? Where we are right now.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Financially great, performance wise really good. I mean at the
start of the year, people tipped us to bottom four,
some tipped us for Wooden Spurn. What people, particularly the
Sydney Tips, has never ever looked at, is that the
quality of the young kids that we've got coming through.
Because they don't know their names and they're not on
Sydney Radio or Sydney TV, they underestimate them. And we
(13:32):
love being underestimated. We love going into the game of
the underdogs. And you know, there's a bit more of
a chapter to write towards the end of this year.
But definitely very very pleased with the season that we've
had so far, the crowds that we've been getting, the
way our juniors have performed, our SG ball as I said,
(13:53):
our Jersey flag under twenty one are coming first, our
reserve gods coming first, the way the club's humming, our
girls have all come in now. Season launch last night.
You know the NLW team last year, first year in
they were snidgenos the semifinals, so that we were in
round one, round one here your title favorites. I just
(14:15):
you know, as I said, we love being underestimated, which
we which happens to us a lot. But we're coming
on nicely. We'll get a few players who got injured back,
hopefully Zach Hoskins and tomorrow Foggerty and Corey Holsberg back,
and if we can be healthy and you're in the
semis at the end of the year, that's all you
need to do.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Well. The depth that Ricky loves to do, I mean,
he's obsessed with building competition for spots. Is that one
thing that you talk about a lot because you guys,
and it's you know, it's been quite clear. You've said
on the record that you don't really chase the big
marquee guy because you want to make sure they want
to live to live in Canberra. It's all about creating
those competition for spots which we have and every time
(14:55):
you look at where we've gone far in the competition,
whether it was twenty sixteen, whether it was twenty eight, eighteen,
twenty nineteen, there's been competition for spots. If one man
goes down, the other one just goes straight onto the
wheel and does the job. It's oozing that this year, Johnny.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
You definitely need competition for spots and you need to
be healthy. Nick, you need to be healthy coming into
the back part of the year. You need most of
your players are arilable. You can have bad injury runs
at the start of the year, middle of the year,
but if you get it at the end of the year.
So if the roster is healthy, there's competition for spots.
And the other thing we do is we give young
kids opportunities. That's why we might not be able to
(15:32):
get the big super star down here, but the young
kids is looking for an opportunity might not get through
its house or the roosters or somewhere, but they know
they're going to get a crack at first grade here
and they really step up and then you find out
about them and we're very good at that, and we've
got an unbelievable bachel them at the moment. But moved
here for opportunities and we're giving them the opportunities and
(15:52):
they're responding. So yeah, we're in a good shape. We've
got a good back half of the drawer coming up
and if we stay healthy, anything's possible.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
One thing I've noticed the difference to this year, Donnie,
is the fact that you're going to leave for jo
a little bit earlier because we're getting huge numbers of
the crowds and traffic is crazy around Geo shuts.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
The crowds. I will say this all the time. We've
got the toughest sands in the competition. They sit through
you heat wave conditions at the start of the year
in March, and the coldest conditions absolutely of any team
in Australia. In canber it's the coldest place in the
middle of winter and you're sitting out there. We've got
(16:35):
the tough of fans and they come out in force
for us, and the players love playing in front of them,
the way they generate the Viking clap and the game
they experience. Players love it and our crowds have been fantastic.
So we can't thank them enough. We always try and
wrap them because as I said, they are the most
(16:55):
the toughest and hardest fans of any sport in Australia.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Hardest petition in the world. That's too right, and we're
sitting fifth on that hardest competition in the world.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Camper.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Let's get behind the boys, Let's get them home on Friday.
Let's bring them home because how good is it? Donnie?
And we leave you with this. When we make the finals,
deep into the finals, it just lights up the town
and it's just great to be a camber and comes
springtime it's just a wonderful place, wonderful buzz for the
town when we get there, isn't it?
Speaker 2 (17:21):
It is? Mate? And you know, whilst this might sound
a bit enough like when you're in a one team town,
what sport and what a sporting team can do for
a town, you really see your seat in Canberra coming
into the Semis. You know, if we're playing well and
you're coming into the semis, it does buzz the town up.
There's nothing like it, and it's especially prevalent in a
(17:43):
one team town. It's different in Sydney and Melbourne. There's
plenty of teams that if you're in Towns or Newcastle
or Canberra, you can't escape it. So yeah, we all
love that feeling and hopefully we get that in September
this year.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
All right, Donnie, I'll let you be, haven't got a mate,
and I will see you Friday night for the big One.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Thanks to Goo
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