Mal Meninga - The 13th IMMORTAL

Raider Nick chats to Malcom Norman Meninga

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
And now for the last time of the Sydney Football Stadia.
Malmaninger one hundred and sixty six games for Canberra, forty
one test for Australia, and around him some superstars out
for Probamunda.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Pushed on for Jason Smith.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
Intercepted pimoninga mccagnal pursues mccragon's after the.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Madman the drub rose.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
The crowd ruse.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Did the light as the Australian captain scores a try
in the Grand Final. The Big Fella against his own
pleas of the cake to big Smile.

Speaker 3 (00:39):
Says it all canbra on a champion.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Hello riding Ikey. Great to have your company to this
special occasion, this special edition of Rating Nick at Night
as we chat the thirteenth Mortal Malmaning thirty years Where
were you back then? Were you even born? And if
you were, do you remember these moments? I certainly do.

(01:04):
What an outstanding afternoon it was at the Sydney Football Stadium.
There was a day to remember. Sit back and enjoy
part one of my chat with Malcolm Norman MINNINGA.

Speaker 4 (01:17):
Hey, mal Yeah, good, Nick, I'm fine mate. Travel was good, Yeah,
travel is always.

Speaker 3 (01:22):
Good when you get there mate, that's it. It's ah.

Speaker 4 (01:25):
I thought as bad as everyone was making that to
be it must confess. I got off the plane and
it was beautiful.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
You brought the weather from camera because we've had a
good down here.

Speaker 3 (01:35):
Yeah, I know, it's been great down Cambra.

Speaker 2 (01:37):
Outstanding Malcolm Norman Meninga. Great to talk to you now.

Speaker 3 (01:41):
Oh thanks mate, thanks introduction.

Speaker 4 (01:43):
And I was never part of the spine, but anyway
we got the victory, which was great.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
Let's just say that you probably put a lot of
feed down spines of opposition with a.

Speaker 4 (01:53):
Well the bear spine gave me a nice little past
that I gave me a try, so I was pretty
happy with that.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
How does it feel too to go back now it's
been three decades. I still remember it like it was yesterday.
A young kid growing up in Queen beIN. I had
signs and posters posted all over my house. I had
Mum cooking the green snacks and all the family. Here
was a day Grand final. I remember it like it
was yesterday. What it like for you now?

Speaker 4 (02:16):
I know, Well, it was a special day, you know.
Obviously my last game in the New so Welles ROUGBA
League Cup. Obviously for the Raiders as well, So it
was a special day and for every thankful. You know,
the way the team played, we're very good on the day,
we trained well all week, everyone played their potential. I
felt that enabled me to go out of winter, So

(02:39):
you know, it was extremely privileged and honored and I
thank the team and nearly every day, mate, because that's
the way you want to retire from from our great game.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
Do you believe in a higher power, a higher source?
After that weekend?

Speaker 4 (02:53):
Well, I believe in the fact that when you put
the work and effort in, you get the reward. And
I felt that particularly, you know, I mean it's tough
to win the win a competition in the NRL, you know.

Speaker 3 (03:06):
So it's really it's a tough game to play and.

Speaker 4 (03:10):
Survive to ther mid thirties, is you know? For me,
I was blessed And yeah, it's it's just a you
get reward for the effort you put in.

Speaker 3 (03:20):
And I felt that we were rewarded that day because
of the effort.

Speaker 2 (03:23):
You mentioned about it's tough to just get to the
Grand final day and you played in an era where
we played in many grand finals when a couple of
premierships already we have that drama in ninety one with
the salary cap stuff. Now we lose a lot of
play League and bleed a lot of players from the club.
All that coverage. We had the Nigel Gaffies of the
world of David Barne because they all left as well.
We lose lots of Laso and Toddy, the Marky Bell,

(03:46):
Paul Martin huge and then ninety two was a bit
of a rebuild, but also suffered lots of injuries too.
We didn't make we didn't make the finals. Was a
bit of a rebuild. Sheensy and Lancey go to the
Polynesian capital and bring back a bunch of Pacific no
names like Ruben Wiki and Johnny Lomax and Noah and
the late q Pongia filled those gaps. And then we

(04:08):
start ninety three with a bang within the Challenge Cup.
And it wasn't just winning that. She wasn't pre season
football raiders were playing that he were playing some outstanding magic.
In February, He's win the preseason Challenge and then by
September you're beating the top four, the Broncos, manly St. George.
You're putting thirty on these teams momentum was suggesting, now

(04:29):
we're going to win in ninety three.

Speaker 4 (04:31):
Yeah, until Rickey unfortunately break his ankle, just to cad
and break his ankle. You know, it was it was
certainly it was a turning point and we struggled.

Speaker 3 (04:41):
Obviously you fill that void, you know. It was the
back end of the year, you know.

Speaker 4 (04:45):
Going to the finals and no, you know, no sort
of no, no captain of the middle of your captain,
but I guess of the off the back foot onto
the front for his great kicking game, great vision.

Speaker 3 (04:58):
You know.

Speaker 4 (04:58):
So we did struggle, you know, off the back of that.
And yeah, she's he tried mid fired fire. That wasn't
that wasn't successful. We ended up getting beaten. I think
it was against the Bronx. I feel like just from memory.

Speaker 2 (05:11):
And Dragons in week one, just yeah, I think Badge
even played seven and it was just one of those
yeahs that we missed Ricky and then obviously the Broncos.
We fought hard against the Bronx, but it was we've
been bros.

Speaker 4 (05:23):
Gets right, you know, so you know, just one of
those one of those times where we didn't adjust and
adapt as quick as we could have, you know, but
you know, Rick was It was a huge miss, you know,
being out around that time of the year.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
Something tells me that cheans he would have went away thinking,
I can't I need to learn how to win without
Rick if that happens again, because by then he was
suffering some injuries, had the he had the stern, he
had the sort of the growing problems in ninety one,
ninety two, and then obviously ninety four roles around, and
there was a point in time in ninety four. Obviously
we start the season where we're winning games, and it
clicked in the game and you would have known yourself,

(05:59):
Manly for some reason, Manly, for some reason, had the
wood on us, they could beat us. Bruce that Cliffy
Lyons and Pully socks up against us and just play
wizardry performances. Ever since eighty seven. There was a game
in ninety four Laurie was out, Ricky was out, so
that was first time sheens. He put Jason Croker at six,
put Toots at six, and then STEVEE Stone was playing,

(06:22):
so we had our regular origin halves out. Tuts gets
sent off with the football accidentally elbowing two, so we're
down to twelve men against Manly with no Ricky, with
no Lorry, and we put thirty on that day Mount
We all walked away thinking, Okay, gill Leli's we're going
to be hard to beat this year because we've done
that obviously without Lorry, but without Ricky as well.

Speaker 4 (06:45):
Yeah, that game, well, yeah, I do, well, I do vividly,
you know, because you're learning lessons, don't you, you know,
from the previous year years, and I think as opposed
to ninety three, ninety four, you know, we're a year
older as well. So you mentioned that the Kiwi boys
obviously they were starting to find their feet, and then
we had Alins and Croaker, you know, David Boyle, all

(07:10):
those good young kids. Now, Dave Ferner obviously Toots was
he was sent off, but you know he We had
those players of another year older who were obviously trying,
and they were better players, no doubt. So we're a
better foota team for sure. In ninety four we could
handle handle all that, you know. So yeah, and we're
supremely confident. And I think, you know, the other motivating

(07:34):
factor I talked I remember talking to the team about
it is that they were motivated because you know, thankfully enough,
they wanted to send me off a winner, you know.

Speaker 3 (07:43):
So this this is the thing I talk about.

Speaker 4 (07:45):
I'm always you know, fell honored and privileged and thankful.

Speaker 3 (07:49):
That you know, they they felt that, you know.

Speaker 4 (07:53):
They needed to play well, you know for me, and
and it proved that way.

Speaker 3 (07:58):
But you know, we're much more experienced team in ninety four.

Speaker 2 (08:01):
We'll touch on that week building up to the Grand
Final where the senior boys or box and sticky and
lies all behind your back, got everyone ready to play
for you to send you out on a note. But
it really clicked in ninety four member game against the Sharks,
who were you know, Johnny Lang led Sharks team with
any houses in there and young Matt Rodgers and a
decent football team that was pushing for finals. He put

(08:23):
fifty on them at home. And then not long after
that you got a Newcastle at Marathon Stadium, which is
always a tough place to win. You put fifty on
Newcastle at home. That was a big game where Marlow's went.
You had a black Gary Belcher who was an international,
and the Iratis and then you put Marlow's back at
full back and where you'd spent the next level Yeah.

Speaker 4 (08:44):
Well that's what I'm saying. Like, you know, obviously Bads
retired in ninety three. Unfortunately couldn't send him out a winner.
But no, we had the Brett Mullins and either Kenny
Nagass know and Ruku Let's not forget about.

Speaker 3 (08:58):
No, we had a great player was They're just.

Speaker 4 (09:01):
Coming into their own and you know, it was just
one of those those years where you know the team clicked.
You know, we had great players in all positions. Really,
we had representative players in all positions. You know, I
often say I often say that, you know, when you
look at the team itself and you look at the
careers that all those players had, you know, that was

(09:24):
probably the best. What it is, it was the best
foota team I played in, club team I played in
in my career. You know, I went sixteen years. So
there's no doubt that was the best side.

Speaker 2 (09:34):
And it's kind of.

Speaker 3 (09:35):
And it was sorry Nick, it was ruthless. That's the
other thing.

Speaker 4 (09:37):
It was so competitive and ruthles because we learned lessons,
you know, lessons in ninety ninety three and obviously you
know from the what happened in ninety one. Yeah, we
often talked about us and them mentality. Us I mean
out of Sydney, of course, you know, so there was
all that us and them mentality, and you know they're

(09:58):
doing things to prevent us from from being successful. So
you know, we knuckle down and we built. We built
a sort of a fortress and we're very hard to
beat at home.

Speaker 3 (10:10):
And you know, we knew it. Were been confident enough
that we could win competitions.

Speaker 2 (10:16):
We we just pretty much the momentum was there. And
I mentioned, you know, winning games without players. You know,
Laurie was out, so Jason so Tot Senior went into
six for a long back and back run of that year,
and we were just belting teams, just racking up big
scores that the machine was firing. We get into that,
we get into the finals and we played Norse in
week one and we handled Norse pretty well, and Norse

(10:36):
were a fair football team. We found it really hard
to win the Norse in the oval. Going to Stick
and played Norse. They were striving for their first Grand
Final and they were very entitled to be in the mix.
We beat them well and then we bounced into the
game the prelim against the Bulldogs and when you look
at look at it now, it's a it's a great
game to watch, but at the time it was the

(10:56):
loss that we maybe needed to reset.

Speaker 4 (11:01):
H Yeah, I don't believe in resetting, but you know, yeah,
I mean we had to do it the hard way
after that, you know, and we didn't lose it by much.
We didn't lose much in confidence. But you know, it
would have been good because like you said, you know, yeah,
carrying some more injuries for the from the the year

(11:22):
year year that's gone basically, so it would have been
good to have arrest. But just the way it is
in the toughest up footy teams. I remember the prelim final,
you know, we struggle to get through that. We're we
I think we started really well, but you know, we
struggled to be consistent and play out the eighty minutes
so and I think that was probably the the wakening

(11:45):
we wanted, you know, leading into the Grand Final that week,
you know that.

Speaker 3 (11:50):
I think it was against Norse.

Speaker 2 (11:51):
Again, won't Yeah, played Norse again?

Speaker 3 (11:54):
So yes, we played Norse again, so.

Speaker 4 (11:58):
N so yeah, so we're very clunky, and I think
that was the awakening we needed, you know, to get
through that final week.

Speaker 2 (12:07):
It was a good end. I mean it was a
clunky game. I think Norse were up at some stage,
but then obviously that gorgeous back climb that you had
put some late points on to get that score back out.
The week leading up to it, of course I mentioned Johnny.
Of course it was late. I had Ossie on here
last week and obviously they were trying to appeal the
suspension and they thought they were going to get off,
but he didn't get off. And then you get your coach,

(12:29):
who is probably one of the best coaches that ever
ever come to a regular league clipboard, and he says
to you, I want to start Paul Osborne, who hadn't
played first grade for a long long time. What was
your thoughts when he was going to start with Ossie?

Speaker 4 (12:45):
Well, plenty of experience, I mean with Ossie. Obviously we
had a pretty young bench Dave Wesley, but Heatherington, those
type of guys are pretty pretty young. And I remember
Tall Machinesy about it all, and he thought it was
a good ploy, remembering that Sheeesy stopped him to England.
He could have went to England, you know, a few

(13:05):
weeks earlier, because he wasn't really part of the plans
led him through the finals, so so as he didn't
play any footy at all, but he just needed someone
to to obviously.

Speaker 3 (13:15):
Start the game with that experience.

Speaker 4 (13:18):
But you know, would never have never have predicted you
know what he did in that first twenty odd minutes
of the game, and it was it was you know,
he was super and it got us to a lead
that you know, we couldn't be run down after that.

Speaker 2 (13:32):
Well, that was the most diplomatic answer all the other
four guys they asked, so they were dirty on Sheen's
He's saying, what are you thinking? Are you on drugs?
Did you knock that bump on the way to the
stairs up here? Like all of them are off?

Speaker 3 (13:42):
And then I've add to that, well, I can add
to that. Nick.

Speaker 4 (13:47):
So after about twenty one minutes of Shawn, Bob and
mc cray come on to the field.

Speaker 3 (13:51):
Obviously his carry is the tray head trainer at the time.

Speaker 4 (13:53):
And and he had the ward and I said to Bomber,
I said, listen, you need to get Ozsie off.

Speaker 3 (13:58):
Now. He's making him many hairs.

Speaker 4 (13:59):
He's the he's the wizard. He's playing Ricky Spot at
the moment, he's making it. I said, may get him off, please,
and thankfully Sheen's he did that. But he played his
role and obviously, you know, like I said, before he
set up, you know all those points beginning of the game.

Speaker 3 (14:20):
We never never got run.

Speaker 2 (14:21):
Down Sheen's he I've been fortunate enough to have spent
time with Sines over the years to talk football with him,
especially about the Raiders' days. He strikes me as obviously
it's quite transparent on what he did, how he is
so innovative with his football, especially at the Raiders in
the nineties. I woud bringing technology in him and Bomber
the science have They brought the science to rugby league

(14:42):
and it showed with us and then even Bomba McRae
was telling me that after nineteen ninety you had opposition
teams coming to training taking notes.

Speaker 3 (14:49):
Almost I can't remember that position team.

Speaker 2 (14:54):
Imagine that now, I think, I.

Speaker 4 (14:55):
Think, I think, I don't think that's well, I can't
remember that, to be honest with it. Who can't be
the yard bomber, But.

Speaker 2 (15:01):
He loves that.

Speaker 4 (15:02):
But my point, I think, I think the thing I
say about that is that they were very innovative and
they did bring new things to us and and but
the players were very open to that.

Speaker 3 (15:12):
You know, we actually love love that innovation.

Speaker 4 (15:15):
And she's used to take us through some stuff with
Bomber and then then I asked this question, what do
you think about this?

Speaker 3 (15:21):
We say no, and he stops it. You know.

Speaker 4 (15:24):
So it listened to us about about some of the
innovative stuff and then you know, things that we like
or we just kept it in. So he kept on
trying to think about new ways too for us, to
to engage us in training.

Speaker 3 (15:36):
And you know, we were part of all those decisions, which.

Speaker 2 (15:38):
Was great, and even to fill those spots as we
mentioned with the Polynesian Boys. But one when I was
what I was getting at there was he's very calculated
about his moves. And we saw what he did in
eighty nine, how he played Steve Jackson as a bit
of a wild card, you know, the bounding defense weren't
really too familiar with him. It was almost like with
Ozzie as well. And Ozzie mentioned last week two goes.
She's's exact words was him, if we're going to play

(15:58):
the Broncos, he wouldn't have started because I was too quick.
Whereas the Bulldogs are a bit more had like Beller
and broken Shire and Darren Brick the biggest sized rotation
and he just fit that especially he was good on
those short sides as well, on deceptive short sides. Yeah,
it was it was a great It was a great
play and it's just you gotta hand it the sheens.

Speaker 3 (16:15):
He just yeah, coach, not only attack, but if not
only attack.

Speaker 4 (16:19):
What I say is that we had a lot more
experiences are the two young fellows you know, who become
really good players for the club. And you know, like
Dave Wesley actually he played for Queensland and things off
the back and all that, and and obviously you know
played for the PG coul Weill same you know, so
he had these young kids that are exciting young kids

(16:39):
that because Dave West was an explosive player, very hard.

Speaker 3 (16:43):
To tackle and you know and off the back.

Speaker 4 (16:46):
Of him and Ricky's kicking game, we will always get
film disition. And then Heather was was a totally different
player to come on and he was a great offloader
of the football. You know, it's very hard to contain
high work right, high work rate, and defensively you know,
he was he was very good too. But it's just
that the way things panned out, you know, was he

(17:06):
was great on short sides and that's the way he
played Bud. But his experience was I think was the
was a catalyst to obviously, you know, our starts.

Speaker 2 (17:16):
Talking to some of the boys, especially Fernsy of course,
Club Church and Maylist that day speaks about there was
an eeriness in the sheds before what are all positive
eariness and Laurie's he had.

Speaker 4 (17:25):
A great week Nick. Honestly, there was. It was one
of those one of those games that you dream about
where every player that Prepper was was spot was you know,
faultless honestly and leading into the game. And then you know,
I tell the story with the with the toss of
the coin with you know, Junior Peers and how nervous
I thought he was. And I went and told she

(17:46):
that and but we're calm, you know, we're ready to go.
We're our prep was good, you know, we left no
stone unturned and when we played accordingly. But I think
they were nervous, you know, so well, so that's Outing nine.
But it's like it's bar Lamb as well, you know,
so similar similar things.

Speaker 3 (18:06):
I saw very nervous where yeah, we're very Obviously Bargain
knocked out early in the game as well. I wonder
who that didn't help. It didn't help.

Speaker 4 (18:15):
Accidentally, but you know, you could tell that there was
a there's a nervous energy about them as opposed to
our composed one.

Speaker 2 (18:21):
Yeah, obviously Barr was the only one that had Grand
Final experience. And there's actually a snippet on YouTube of
the whole introduction to the ninety four Grand Farm. I
just watched it just before now and it had the
coin toss there with the great Greg McCallan. Of course,
that was his last game as a referee in Australia,
and there was you could tell Barr was nervous. He
was nervous because he's up against this team full of
internationals and yourself without embarrassing that there was a sense

(18:45):
of jeez, I want this, and there was a sense
of ruthlessness in your eyes.

Speaker 3 (18:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (18:51):
Well, yeah, well, you know that's what that's what happens,
you know when I mean I said goals at the
beginning of the year, around around all that, you know,
I wanted to you know, miss, not many people get
the opportunity to leave what they're passionate about. You know,
on their own terms, and you know that was a
golden mine. We made a decision earlier in the year
that was going to be my last year, and it

(19:12):
was obviously recorded, and my goals were to play in
a Grand final and and to score a try in
a Grand follow because you know I played him plenty
but never really scored in a Grand final. And you know,
then I want to go on the Kangaroo Tour. That
was was my goals.

Speaker 3 (19:27):
You know.

Speaker 4 (19:28):
So when you set those sort of goals and you
know you're trying to reach, read for reach for them,
you know, sometimes they paired out, particularly if your if
your football mates have put the effort in.

Speaker 2 (19:40):
I love when Ray Warren commentated the game when you
ran out and said he wants to be on the
Kangaroo Tour. Before that he wants this real bad Sea.
We talked about the regular league gods. Now they shone
on the Raiders that day. You had you had, you
had the Bulldogs beaten from the kick of poor old
Marty Beller.

Speaker 3 (19:59):
Yeah we did.

Speaker 4 (19:59):
Yeah, there you know again, you know it was the
foot of gods. You know, we don't we don't set
out we set it out. We set out in our
prep that we're going to play out of minutes and
we're going to take the game into extra time if
need be.

Speaker 3 (20:13):
That's that's the way there was our attitude, you know,
so we wanted to we come.

Speaker 4 (20:17):
Out and in a way it was sort of any
climactic in a way you know where we where we
ended up ended up in the game. But you know,
we were prepared to be eighty nine, were prepared to
go the distance, and you know, that's what that's all
we were thinking about.

Speaker 3 (20:32):
We were thinking about the way we won the game.
We're thinking about you.

Speaker 4 (20:35):
Know, we're going to grind and we're going to we're
going to just hang in there and just keep playing
footy and never give up.

Speaker 2 (20:41):
Could you feel a sense of an out of body
experience when I took me to that intercept to put
on Jason Smith, Like that's where we talk about the
rugby league. Gods you in that way, that way it
was just outstanding and again without embarrassing you there the
big fist pump that you do at the end immortalized
in stone.

Speaker 3 (21:02):
That was a goal that was a goal of mine.

Speaker 4 (21:04):
It's not not the way it was was scored, but
you know, like I said, it was a goal that
I wanted to score a try on the Grand Follower
was really determined to do that, and you know, Jason
obviously gave me the best parts that probably had all year,
and just enough distance just to get just to get
to the try.

Speaker 3 (21:21):
Line and hope for me, you know. So, but again
I go back to, you know, putting.

Speaker 4 (21:26):
That effort in and and we're in that space in
the game where they had to do things they had
they had to make big plays all the time just
to get back into the game, and those sort of
things happen when you have to do that.

Speaker 2 (21:44):
I remember talking to a interviewing Jonathan Thurston when he retired,
and he was a very very passionate rate of supporter
growing up. Genuin that embarrassing you like we all loved you, maw,
like you were all our idol and hero running out
that we all loved you, especially here in Queenland Canberra,
And obviously Thurston did. And I said, what's your favorite
memory with the Raiders and he goes mouth scoring in

(22:06):
the ninety four Grand finally, big fist pump.

Speaker 3 (22:09):
Yeah, well it wasn't. It wasn't orchestrated that way. But
like I said, I wondered it. I wanted to score
a try and you know, I mean he couldn't, they
couldn't fit well, was.

Speaker 4 (22:20):
The last try of my last try of my career,
the last try of the game as well. And it's funny,
it's ironic because you know when we played on the
Kangaroo too, France, France and Bezier and I scored the
last try there, you know, so you know, the footy
gods were on my side. But it had a bit
of a bad patch with it with the arm. But
you know, I had a pretty blessed career as well

(22:41):
that you know, played with some great players and team
and great some great teams and under some great coaches.

Speaker 3 (22:46):
So I was pretty blessed.

Speaker 2 (22:48):
Now when it was all over, obviously you were fortunate
enough to give picks to captain and take the Kangaroos
over for ninety ninety four, which talking to Box earlier,
he was said that he's proud of that because that
was the last one. And then you mentioned need to
score at the end there. What was it like taking
going on the plane but running out with in that
in the first Test, there was seven Raiders plays in

(23:09):
that game. Marlow's at full back obviously Ricky and well
we had Alfie game run but Ricky was still on
the in the side and he came off and started
at seven in the last two games. Ferns in there, Clyde. Yeah,
how how how key? How key was that having those
established combinations in those important positions, especially back then.

Speaker 4 (23:27):
Oh the first game it didn't work too good because
it got done at Wembley. But you know again, you
know we it makes a lot of hell of it easier.
And there was a lot of a lot of us
and a lot of broncos, really, wasn't it, you know. So,
so those combinations were great, We had great rapport. Are
all great mate still, you know, I remember we had

(23:49):
the ninety four Kangaroo Reimne there well back and everyone
turned up as well, like.

Speaker 3 (23:54):
It is it will be on Saturday, you know.

Speaker 4 (23:56):
So you know, well, you know, it's it's funny how
sport bombs people. And you know we don't see each
other all that often, but you know, when you get
back together again, it seems like you had seen each
other and talk to each other yesterday.

Speaker 3 (24:10):
You know.

Speaker 4 (24:11):
So that's that's the beauty of it, and and it
brings back some great memories and you know, we're all mates.

Speaker 2 (24:17):
When it was all over, and obviously you had a
kangaroo to or to organize, and obviously you're the leader there.
But can you remember a period where au when all
the celebrations were over and you're just had your moment
to yourself where you could reflect because it was your
last game, where you know, you stayed at the ceiling
in bed and just totally processed it all and realized, jelways,
what an end? How well did that go for me?

Speaker 3 (24:40):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (24:40):
I know I was one of those one of those
guys that could put aside things, you know. So it
was one of those guys that could, you know, like
you might have a bit of trauma happening over here
and talents over there and wil be your personal life
or with Shooty And I was one of those guys
that could just you know, bottle that up and put
it to a side and go out and play.

Speaker 3 (25:02):
And that was the same with the Kangaroo Tour.

Speaker 4 (25:05):
I remember we had to go down and obviously I
selected in the in the Kangaroos on the on the
Sunday night and found out and we had to go
down to Sydney to to do our our yeah medical
ben medicals and get all our passports and all those
sort of things organized. And bese Besei, who was a
coach and plenty of things off those was fantastic and

(25:27):
just had an neskie there for for us, full of
full of cans and ice and you know, so we
got through our medicals and was having a few beers
with it was the rest rest of the players, you know.

Speaker 3 (25:36):
So that's what you do.

Speaker 4 (25:38):
You know, you've got to celebrate, and we did celebrate.
And then there's a time you finished celebrating and you
get on with playing footing, you know, so you get
on play with life in general.

Speaker 3 (25:49):
So that's what happened. And we had a job to
do because we're playing for our country.

Speaker 4 (25:54):
And and I obviously on the I was a coach
in the more at them at the moment and the
thing I say to him is that you know, it's
the highest greatest personal honor you can you can have,
you know, and anything anything you do is represent your
country and put those colors on them.

Speaker 3 (26:11):
Mate.

Speaker 2 (26:11):
It's as Ricky said, it's really good that you're there,
really rejuveniting the passion in the Aussie Jersey. We've got
a quick set of six y a couple of questions
here for your mount that the fans have sent in
a couple from overseas as well. Firstly, we'll ask you
this one from Mary from Canberra asked, Okay, this is
going to be a tough one, and we say this respectfully,
if you could your favorite teammate in that ninety four period.

Speaker 3 (26:34):
And why in ninety four? I mean because you know,
I come down with Gary Belcher and the Queenslanders. Gary
l the Queenslanders. So you know, we got on really
really well. And but you know, through through that era
they're all mates.

Speaker 4 (26:50):
I mean, we're still still all connect you know. I
catch with Ricky all the time. Even Las is back
in town, you know, so I catch up with him.

Speaker 3 (26:57):
You know. So it's hard to say, you know, your
best mate, but you know I get on. I get
on well with all of them. You know.

Speaker 4 (27:04):
Steve Waller's obviously can't have boxing as well. We go
on really well and played footy and reputy together.

Speaker 3 (27:09):
As well, so you know, he.

Speaker 2 (27:14):
He just sorry, he just mentioned that. Of course, in
all the REP programs he played with you, he was
your he was the only captain that he ever had
was you, and he was just You're like the big
brother for him. And without getting to.

Speaker 4 (27:26):
A few times, Nick, I must confess, what's that I
got him out in trouble a few times.

Speaker 2 (27:30):
But he also mentioned you to kick him in the
ass a few times as well to keep him there.
But he looks back there in life and appreciates that though, I.

Speaker 4 (27:38):
Guess, you know, yeah, well you know I said that
to to my wife the other day that you know,
when we look at the team, you know, like and I.

Speaker 3 (27:47):
Was probably looked a lot older than that a lot
of them with the big brother.

Speaker 4 (27:51):
Yeah, I sort of the big brother in a way,
and I used to I used to love that role,
being the big brother and looking after him, and you know,
still enjoy itsly, you know. So yeah, I mean that's
the role I had in the team and and you
know I felt comfortable doing that, you know, I was.
They're all all good people, which you know, like I

(28:12):
said before, I'm always always grateful the fact that you know,
the teams I played in, those players that I played with,
you let me do what I achieved in the game,
So you know, forever grateful again.

Speaker 2 (28:23):
And Ricky sticky quite publicly. A Sion used to write
him hard, but he's grateful and he and he used
to just feel there used to be a confidence just
running out with you on the field sharing that.

Speaker 3 (28:36):
I remember him asking that much. But you know, I
love him. You know, I love the players because I
just wanted to be the best they can be. That's
that's the reason why you're right write them all.

Speaker 4 (28:46):
And you know, because I was sort of that that
brotherly figure, you know, so you know, like I said,
I felt it was my duty. I was the leader
of the team. I was the captain of the team,
and and I hold him accountable, you know, for their actions,
and you know, and I hold myself accountable. So one
thing I learned learned playing foot is that you've got
to lead by example before.

Speaker 3 (29:06):
You can actually talk about it.

Speaker 4 (29:09):
And you know, cash players for what they what they don't,
you know, what they're not achieved, because you just know
how much potential they've got, and you just keep writing them.

Speaker 2 (29:20):
Maybe I want to ask you this, and sheens said
said this said a few years ago. Goes, don't ask
him that because he'll come out and deck me. Jeenze
said once that you will be apprehensive getting the captaincy
of Dean Lance, but you're a little bit apprehensive becoming
the captain. Yeah. For me looking back at that now,
what I want to add to that is, for me,

(29:41):
that's that's crazy because you just don't want to embarrass
you Again, you're just a natural leader, not just in
your stature, just your humility and how you like you
just said how you wanted to bring the best out
of everyone, and I love that story. You talk about
how Wayne Bennett got your set and your goals early,
and you're obviously a goal driven man and you probably
still do that. So all that wrapped up for someone

(30:03):
to be hesitant to be a leader like for me,
I find that really interesting and I'd love to hear
your answer now.

Speaker 4 (30:08):
Bat all that now, well, Wayne under Wayne at the
house here in Brisbane, he put me the captain of
the footy team and I struggled, you know, so I
struggled to understand that because.

Speaker 3 (30:21):
I was worried about everybody else, you know, so I did.

Speaker 4 (30:24):
I played my best foot he you know, obviously wanted
to help everyone, but I didn't have that responsibility of leading,
so I just led by example that way, you know.

Speaker 3 (30:33):
So without having to.

Speaker 4 (30:35):
So I'm not an overly big speaker, you know, talker,
you know, So I like to lead by actions, That's
that's the thing. But you know, but in eighty nine,
when Seansy asked me to do it, I was ready
to go. I reckon because I was off the back
of those four broken arms. So I had to work
my butt off to get back, you know, fit again
and and confident again that I could I could be

(30:58):
the player I wanted to be, you know, and I
felt that more in me as well, So I thought
that the leadership was going to bring that out of
me as well. So Yeah, ironically I didn't go ask
Steazy for it. Cheesy approached me about it, And if
she's didn't approach me about.

Speaker 3 (31:16):
It, I wouldn't have, you know, I wouldn't. I wouldn't
have chased it. But when we talked about it, I
think I thought it was time, you know, I thought
I was right to go.

Speaker 2 (31:24):
Yeah, because you were just such a natural born leader.
How much have has the goal setting impacted? And every
time people have asked you, well, I asked you a
few times when we've when I've been around you in
regards to those arms, like you had four arms, like
to come back and start again in your rehab. That's
not easy to do.

Speaker 3 (31:44):
Yeah, but.

Speaker 4 (31:46):
Yeah, I was at a time in my life though
that through goal setting, there was this I had like
a growth mindset, Nick, So I was always looking to
improve myself and again because because I couldn't play, it's
the hardest I've trained in my whole life, are you actually?
I mean Brent Tide and those guys that were injured

(32:07):
at the same time. I used to grab and we
used to go training all the time and we're get
training to when I was trained nearly three hours a
day because because I wasn't going to I wanted to
play footy again. You know, I was going to give
me some time, but if I come back and played footy,
I was going to do it the way I wanted
to do it, and I wanted to be the best
player I possibly could be. So, you know, I made

(32:28):
that commitment. I did it for eighteen months and it
proved successful for me.

Speaker 3 (32:34):
You know, So.

Speaker 4 (32:36):
Off the back of you know, I learned how to
set goals and be an effort driven by Wayne. You
know that they sort of principles rose and allowed me
to finish how I wanted.

Speaker 2 (32:48):
To finish awesome. Let's on a question to gym from
New Zealand wants to ask, Okay, your toughest opponent, And
that's an interesting question because a lot of opposition would
have seen you as a tougher plant at the handles
for seeing one on one opposing if you will, Yeah.

Speaker 4 (33:04):
I just think, I just think, you know how I
answer this because I get that question all the time,
and I feel that you've.

Speaker 3 (33:10):
Got to be tough to play the game, you know.

Speaker 4 (33:13):
I mean, you've got to be in that that headspace
where you know, you've got to be confident and you've
got to share character and you know. So the thing
that I I was challenged mostly by was you know,
my own thinking, you know, my own confidence. So I

(33:33):
always answer that question now by saying that my toughest
patent was me.

Speaker 3 (33:38):
Wow.

Speaker 4 (33:38):
And if I got myself right and I got my
mindset right and I wanted to play, you know, play footy,
you know, I rise above that and said no, no
opposition could beat me.

Speaker 2 (33:49):
Wow. Did you feel that you would have noticed being.

Speaker 3 (33:54):
Where it worked for me? Nick?

Speaker 4 (33:55):
Honestly, yeah, I mean I didn't. I didn't feel anyone
the any person I feared most was myself and not
playing the way I should play.

Speaker 2 (34:05):
You know, no one would have known that within you
if you look back at it now in hindsight and even.

Speaker 4 (34:11):
Well, well, the thing about what I found out, you know,
in life is that you had to fell across the
across the pitch, want in the beacher. You know, it's
anything in life. You know, So whatever business or you know,
whatever you're doing with radio, I mean, you want to
be the best you can be at it. You don't
want to someone you know, look opposed and you've beating you,

(34:31):
running around you, running over top of you, tackling you
every time.

Speaker 3 (34:35):
You know.

Speaker 4 (34:35):
So that's that's the challenge of you know, you know,
leaving a bit of a legacy or playing the plan
how you want to play and feel comfortable, how you
leave the game.

Speaker 3 (34:45):
It's it's what you want to do.

Speaker 2 (34:48):
That's the best answer for the toughest a point I've
ever heard. That's outstanding.

Speaker 3 (34:53):
I love it. I love it. Ireciate that. Well, that's
that's that's how that's how I live my life. You know.

Speaker 2 (34:57):
So you still do the goal setting today? Oh absolutely, Wow,
that's awesome.

Speaker 3 (35:03):
And I make sure what the teams I'm involved with.

Speaker 4 (35:05):
We do goals all the time, you know, but how
we want to how we want to play, and we've
got goals off field and on field, you know, so
we make sure that all those sort of things.

Speaker 2 (35:14):
I meant I'm inspired now. Question three plan against Ricky,
Lurry and Clytie. This was Billy from queen He wants
to know what was it like at origin level because
you're so close in one team? Yeah, how was it
like having to play? I mean in ninety one you
had to oppose against Sheensy he was coach, but also
against Ricky and Laurie. How you would just you're with them.

(35:35):
They are part of the town plan all the time.

Speaker 4 (35:37):
Regret, my only regret in my life is that I
never kept in a successful Queensland team.

Speaker 3 (35:43):
You know, so and again you learn your lessons.

Speaker 4 (35:47):
But and I struggled, honestly, I honestly struggled against Larry,
Ricky and Clytie, you know.

Speaker 3 (35:57):
But it's not in saying that. You know, you still try,
but not like I didn't. I didn't hate them put
them that way. That's I just played. That's That's where
That's where I come to the other point.

Speaker 4 (36:09):
That, you know, when I was coaching queens and it's
not about it's not about your teammates you playing weekend with,
It's about the jersey.

Speaker 3 (36:16):
You know.

Speaker 4 (36:16):
So if I would have if what I've done that
I've learned that I learned that over time, it's not
the person in the jersey that you're playing against, it's
the jersey the other person's playing with because they're on
the opposition and that jersey wants to beat it. Yeah,
so that's the way. That's the way I look at
look at things, you know. So you know, the Rays
are wearing the lime green, you know, and they're going

(36:37):
to play the Bulldogs, you know, on Friday night, and
you know it's they might have mates playing in the
Bulldog side, but you're playing against the jersey and that's
that that jersey wants to beat you.

Speaker 2 (36:48):
But also you mentioned doing that emotional speech after eighty
nine saying it's a great point for Australia and the Queensland.
But winning a game final with your with your mates,
so you work with every day.

Speaker 4 (36:58):
Exactly, Yeah, yeah, with them, you know, eleven months of
the year. Yeah, yeah, exactly, you know. So it's not
a new trainer WHI you're playing for the banana. That's
your socializing as well, you know, so in the trenches,
in the trenches and every day of every week and
every month, you know the year. So that's it goes
great satisfaction.

Speaker 2 (37:18):
In the cold of camera, wearing shopping bags over your socks.

Speaker 3 (37:23):
VI, I learned that very well.

Speaker 2 (37:26):
The piece that's amazing. Billy from Queening. Great question there
as we move on, a question for now of our
set of six training from Townsville wants to know this
could be a couple of questions here part of it
how close were you leaving camera? I asked box Head
today in eighty eight when when Wayne left to establish
himself as Broncos, the Broncos were starting up and they

(37:47):
were already stacked the likes of the King and Jeane
Miles and young Alfi Langer and obviously Kevy went back
there and later on, and there's also the Gold Coast Giants.
There was a huge array of Queensland as obviously, and
Boxhead and Gary Coyne and Badge and those kind of
guys and the late Peter Jackson and whatnot. But that

(38:07):
would you would have got so much interest to come
back and it would have been very you'r all you
guys left the brisk of the VRL to make it
in the big leagues.

Speaker 3 (38:16):
You did.

Speaker 2 (38:17):
You set some great goals and achieved some great things,
and then going back home would have been such a
such a great finish to the story. Why why what
was it about Camber that you wanted to stay now
in all those times because you would have been hunted
by those guys.

Speaker 4 (38:32):
Well, I sent success, you know, I told Jack I
go because I smelt success. You know, we made the
final in eighty seven under way and obviously won't haw
to go, but we were assembling pretty special footy team.

Speaker 3 (38:47):
You know.

Speaker 4 (38:48):
Ricky came in eighty eight. Laurie is already there, Lazo
was there. You know, no one new Steve Wolds had
he come to the Raiders, and you ended up being
one of the best hookers ever played the game I
played with. Gary was there, Gary Coyne was there, ed
Deen Lance was there. You know, Sammy Bacco at the time,
I told him not to leave, you know, because at
the sense this sense victory not too far away, and

(39:10):
to be and to be in part of a team,
you know, I was part of the community then being
part of a team outside of New South Wales, that
chance wouldn't have premiership was a big attraction. So that's
the reason I stayed is because I felt we're going
to be successful. That's and that's any reason I stayed,
you know, it's because that's success. And now I'm still

(39:31):
living here. You know, it's a great place, the great
community to be involved in.

Speaker 3 (39:35):
There.

Speaker 2 (39:35):
There's a question about that after you set of six
great one from Tournia, from Townsville. But there's also that
time where before you resigned ninety four you teammate going
back to Saint Helen's right.

Speaker 3 (39:46):
Yeah, well that was that.

Speaker 4 (39:48):
It was after ninety ninety one. The sellar account after
that to be you know, I was interested because what
they wanted to do. They wanted to sign me a
four or five year contract and coach afterwards had office
from South South Queensland Side, you know South these Queensland side.

Speaker 3 (40:05):
All these crushes, had all these offers.

Speaker 4 (40:08):
But I wanted to win premierships. That's and I felt
and I felt that by staying home that was that
was the best for me from an opportunity wise, after
footy as well, and I think that proved pretty correct
as well.

Speaker 2 (40:26):
Great question there from Chaney. This one's from Ian from camera. Now,
this is an interesting question. I'd love to talk to
about this one. How many times have you watched the
ninety four Grand Final?

Speaker 3 (40:35):
Now?

Speaker 2 (40:35):
Are you a guy that would sit down on a
rainy afternoon and put on a Grand Final and watch?

Speaker 3 (40:40):
No? No, I mean I watched it a couple of times.

Speaker 4 (40:46):
Because it might be on on TV basically, you know,
up in the off season, you know, so it comes
up that sday time I watch it. I probably should
watch it more because of reunion, so I can remember
a bit more about things.

Speaker 2 (41:00):
It's interesting because Kenny Nagus pat to Kenny and he says,
I've never watched it before because I don't want to
distort my memory of the actual moment of the day. Yeah,
that's a really good answer. As he says he doesn't
remember because he's watched it so much. All he knows
is all you know, all her remembers. He is seeing
red after on that first try because of the old
Winnfield Cup. In lay of the says he's watched it

(41:22):
a million times. But when ferns, he says he's watched
it heaps of times. But his memory is still of
the day of the pre he recognized like it was yesterday.
Laurie's the same, Rick, he's the same. Everyone's got different
relationships with watching it, and it's it's interesting to see that. Yeah,
you've seen it a few times. But that was a
great question. There s not a guy that will sit
down and put eighty nine on just show the kids
or something.

Speaker 3 (41:42):
Or no, not really popcorn. They're not interested anyway.

Speaker 2 (41:46):
I'll tell you what. Ninety four grand Fine one of
my favorite movies of all time, not Mare on mal Street.
Last question of that said A six George from Camber. Now,
my questions to a lot of the other guys that
I've left Camber obviously not mean. He's still low cool.
What you The questions always been what do you what
do you miss about camera? For you, you're still based
in the act. What is it about camera? Now you've

(42:08):
come back, you've had more returns to camera than yours.

Speaker 3 (42:11):
Well, I went back.

Speaker 4 (42:12):
I went back to Queensland while I was coach to
the Queensland team. But soon as I got the Asie GID,
I come back. I come back home again, you know,
back to back to the camera again and obviously married
a camera girl, you know, so which is you know,
which obviously helps.

Speaker 3 (42:29):
But I honestly love the lifestyle in.

Speaker 4 (42:32):
Camera and I've got nothing to do down camera step
because I've obviously involved with rugby league. But I just
love the lifestyle. I just like how easy it is
to get around. Everything's available to your schooling's great. It's
a tenmidd trip to the airport for me without much traffic,
you know. And if you're going to complain about the cold,

(42:54):
well you shouldn't be living there anyway, you know. So
I'm happy with the place. And when people talk about
the cold when I've spent time playing over, you know,
in England in particular, and you know, I played the
winter months over there's camera's not cold.

Speaker 2 (43:09):
The camera is actually great.

Speaker 3 (43:10):
It's what you make of it, exactly exactly.

Speaker 2 (43:13):
There's worse. Now. There's one thing I always wanted to ask,
and I spoke to JR and If Cheenzy about this.
The most disappointment to come out of the whole ninety
four program, and unfortunately the whole Super League thing got in.

Speaker 3 (43:26):
The way of this.

Speaker 2 (43:27):
We were meant to play Wigan in the World Club
Challenge that was meant that was supposed to happen in
nineteen ninety five. It was scheduled to play at Bruce
Stadium and obviously Wigan had beat Brisbane the year before
in Brisbane and they and you talk about that Raiders
team that you're involved in now that your captain off
was stacked. That Wigan side was amazing as well. They
nearly you know, they took you to the war in
the ninety four Kangaroo and blocks like Gary Connolly had

(43:49):
off here and Robinson and the late Vager Twigamala and
Edwards and Phil Clark and Dennis Spitz that were stacked
and their bench was amazing. That would have been the
ultimate raided Canberra v Wigan. Unfortunately Ken Arthursen canceled it
because of the whole Super League thing. But there was
rumors that you were going to come back and play
in that game in ninety five.

Speaker 3 (44:10):
Was that true? Yeah, no, that's true.

Speaker 2 (44:12):
You were training for it.

Speaker 3 (44:14):
Yeah, I would have loved to have played.

Speaker 4 (44:17):
I mean, the thing that they got one of the
things that we played in the World Club at the
back end of eighty nine.

Speaker 3 (44:23):
But how ridiculous it was that we played in the
Sunday we jumped on the plane on Thursday and the
play a Saturday night over to be in Manchester against Witness.

Speaker 4 (44:33):
We just blew out of steam, you know, we you know,
we we're winning at half time, but do his run
out of steam basically, so it would have been good
to play against Wigan with.

Speaker 3 (44:43):
Better prep time basically. So yeah, no, I I was
keen on it, but this wasn't never to be.

Speaker 2 (44:50):
Unfortunately it didn't go down And unfortunately that was never
to be. That would have been such a that would
have been thing for the history books.

Speaker 3 (44:58):
Yeah, it would have been good, but anyway, it didn't happen.

Speaker 2 (45:01):
What's the most thing you're looking forward to tomorrow in
the reunion as we finish up.

Speaker 4 (45:06):
I wanted to see the team win obviously, you know,
say we get a happy Ricky you know afterwards, that
would be good. That'll be fantastic because then we can
have a great time. I have to worry about uh,
you know, console and stick. But yeah, I think you know,
with first things first, we want to go witness a
really good performance by the Raiders and where they they're victorious,

(45:30):
and then after that anything can happen.

Speaker 2 (45:32):
How much now that you're not involved with another organization
anymore that you do, you feel like you can relax
back into the Green again.

Speaker 4 (45:42):
I've always been relaxed back in the Green, you know.
But you know, workers work, isn't it, you know so?
But you know it doesn't mean it doesn't mean I.

Speaker 3 (45:50):
Don't I don't.

Speaker 4 (45:50):
You know, I'm not passion not passionate camera raiders, you know, man,
I always will be, you know so. And everybody that's
played the Green jersey will well we'll say that, you
know so, it's a very special It'd be a very
special day for all of us, and you know, be
more special if the team.

Speaker 3 (46:07):
Can put in a really good performance.

Speaker 2 (46:09):
Well, now, I know you're not not be gone getting
the limelight and all the kind of the hooha around
and stuff. But enjoy every moment of your teammates, Enjoy
every moment of the accolades you get from the mighty Green.
So of what's down there, you guys deserve it all because.

Speaker 4 (46:25):
I'll be in the corner. Don't worry having a couple
of beers that that's made in the dark. Now, I'm
happy to that.

Speaker 3 (46:30):
Well.

Speaker 2 (46:30):
Dean Lance coined the phrase after eighty nine, saying that
Cambra has a soul. By ninety four, Cambra became the
creator and the creative well being for all us fans.
And there was always this therapeutic, therapeuticness of malamn Inger
leading out the Canberra Raiders on a Friday night. You
could have had you could have just been through the
worst part of your life. But then you think you
know what things are going to be okay. You kind

(46:52):
of oozed enthusiasm now and talk to always.

Speaker 3 (46:56):
Yeah, thanks, appreciate it.