March 23, 2025 • 9 mins
We ask a legendary former All Black and farmer to pay tribute to another - Alex "Grizz" Wyllie.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
We're going to kick off the show today by getting
(00:02):
a legendary former All Black and farmer to pay tribute
to another. Sadly, Alex Griswiley passed away over the weekend
at the age of eighty. Ian Kirkpatrick joins us on
the country the patron of New Zealand Rugby and Kirkie,
is a sad day for you and your All Black
mates because I know you and Chris played a lot
(00:23):
of footy together and your remained mates right to the end.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Yeah, sure did, Jamie and I was a good mate
Grizz over the years. Yeah, it was probably latterly more
so that you know, we sort of saw each other
and talk to each other quite a bit. He was
part of a group in Warrington was formed by the
late Doug Catley sort of you know, to address what
(00:49):
was wrong with the game. And there's quite a few
ex All Blacks and rugby people that were part of
that and yeah, and so yeah, we kept in contact
all the time, and yeah it was he was. He
was a good makers and yes, condolences to his family.
You know. Gris never really talked too much about about
(01:13):
his illness, but which you know, which which I expected
that of Gris. I mean he didn't go on about
anything too much, but yes, anyway, yeah, I said that
he's gone and yeah, the rest in peace.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
As a young buck, you went down to Canterbury basically
to make your way I think with Haimush McDonald into
the into the All Blacks. So you were to cut
your teeth playing at rugby for Canterbury with Gris.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Yeah, well we sent it up playing for run Or
because he was Glenmark and we played, you know, we
played in the Norse Canoby competition and we went round
down there at to farm, not to not to make
make through a headway and rugby was mainly farm for
some farming reasons that we went down there. Maney managed
(02:00):
to do cropping which we didn't do a lot of
here and yeah, and so you know, things happened and yeah,
so we there was a sort of introduction to Gris
Wiley really and sort of and then there was the
start of it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
So as as young guys playing sub union rugby and
Canterbury when you played Glenmark were you were a bit
fearful of him because he was no shrinking.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Violet, that's for sure. No, we had to keep an
eye on them all. That was sure. He was able
to keep an eye on most people, so he had
to watch out for them. He was a good plague Grizz.
You know, he had everything. He had all the skills,
He was quick, he could play six, seven or eight
was without any problems at all, without any adjustments that
(02:45):
he had to play. I think he put probably for
third number eight and where he could control things from
his way, and he was good at it too, so
you know, yeah, he was. He was playing great plague Grizz.
He shoult have. He should have had more games for
the All Blacks, is no doubt about that. You know.
There was I suppose a lot of good loose forwards
(03:06):
around then, but you know he was, he was right
up there and just you know, he should have in
my view, and I guess a lot of others too
in their view with it that he should have had
more games for the Abs. There's no doubt about that.
He was. He was a great player Grizz and he
you know, he was passionate. He no game. He would
(03:26):
ever just go out there and have a game. Was
all on with Grizz so and he was always great
to have the side and those Test matches that we
played with each other. You know he was. He was
always there and you could always rely on him and
he didn't have to worry about grizz. I mean, he
was so passionate about it. He knew that he was
going to be one hundred plus every game that he played,
(03:49):
particularly when he pulled out all that jersey on. So yeah,
you know he was. He was. He was great to play,
with no doubt about it.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
His first Test was the Second Test against the spring
Box and Africa and nineteen seventy that was the series
you were never going to win because it was fifteen
versus sixteen. I think you scored a try by memory
when when you won that second Test. Tough tow that one. Incidentally,
his last game for the All Blacks, and as you
say he should have played more, was in that bizarre
(04:17):
one off Test against England in nineteen seventy three when
they lost their three provincial games and then beat the
All Blacks. You were captain. His last Test was my
old mate Kenny Stewart's first Test.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah, exactly. I wish you hadn't sort.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Of sorry for Do you want me to play? Do
you want me to play the audio if you try
against the Lions in nineteen seventy one, that'll make you
feel better.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
No, I wouldn't take away that lasted as Heaton Parker had,
no way. Yeah, that has always been a stiicular thing
with me.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
I bet you it has. You know, as good as
he was as a rugby player, he probably in some
ways made even a bigger mark as a coach, especially
like when he was coaching that Canterbury team which was
in the doldrums, and then he took over in the
early eighties. And I know because I was at Lincoln
at the time and my wife to be was flatting
with Warwick Taylor and I used to get all the
(05:10):
stories from Warwick about how hard Gris's trainings were. He was.
He was legendary hard man as a coach.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Oh for sure. You know he was always going to
be like that too. I mean that that's what that
was his nature, and so he was always going to
be a good coach because he didn't take you know,
he didn't take fools too easily and so he got
he did things his way and they're always successful ways,
so you know, they're great. Run he had with Cannoby
(05:40):
Auklan defeated him at Lencaster Park. Yeah, I was at
that game, and yeah, I mean he was. Yeah, he
was always going to be a great coach. And you know,
he just he would have just picked up players and
they were They would have all wanted the players, like
you've got no idea with grizzause if you didn't, you
(06:01):
either didn't say or he got it through verbal verbal means.
And so that's why he was so good as a coach,
you know. And he had all these huge respect and
so yeah, he was always going to be a very
successful coach, which he was here.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Well, I ran across him a few times. He once
put me in a headlock, believe it or not, poor
little me and Tarne Norton's spats alehouse in christ Church.
But the last time I saw him was with you
a couple of years ago here in Dunedin for the
for the Bledislope Cup. He was he was down for that.
He was having a do I say, an early morning
morning tea. It might have been an early bear before
(06:40):
the game, but I reckon as he got older he
mellowed a bit. I think his bark was worse than
his bite.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Yeah, well it could have been I'm not sure he was.
He was something else. He didn't hold back if he
wanted to say something, and you know, just that was
with a lot of meanings. So when you're yeah, you listened,
that's for sure, and everyone else and so yeah he was.
(07:09):
He was great, great, great mate, Chris. And yes, I
he's left us that, you know, seems just you know,
this life and so goes on. We're all going to
end up in the same place in some states. So
might ever be with a matter on somewhere.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Well you might, of course. Just finally, the other the
other passion you and Gris Waly obviously shared was farming.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, he farmed up there at omer
he and yeah he was. He was a good farmer too,
don't he fund Like he played rugby and so he
was passionate about that as well. So yeah, you know,
he's a talents all around, Chris, no doubt about that.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
He's a legend actually just on a light. And note
there's a legendary story about Griss's mailbox too. When Ranfully
won the shield, didn't they go past and leave something
in the mailbox after they beat Canterbury in nineteen seventy three,
I'll bet you Grizz wasn't too happy about that.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
I never really heard too much about that.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
I might it might just be legend and folklore, but yeah, look,
one of the great one, you know, one of the
old school guys, and you know there's not many left
now and we just want to pay tribute to him.
And thank you In Kirkpatrick, patron of New Zealand Rugby,
for coming onto the show today and paying tribute to
your old mate. It was lovely.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Pleasure, pleasure, Jamie, no problem is talking about griz. Yeah,
we'll never forget him. Really. I actually had a whiskey
with Andy Jeffore yesterday as then to serve wish him
well and will continue to do that, I think, because
you know, whiskey was one of his favorite drinks, good stuff,
(08:55):
and so we did that, so we'll keep on doing
that as well. Good on your.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Thank you very much for your time. What a lovely
tribute there from Anne Kirkpatrick.
We're going to kick off the show today by getting
(00:02):
a legendary former All Black and farmer to pay tribute
to another. Sadly, Alex Griswiley passed away over the weekend
at the age of eighty. Ian Kirkpatrick joins us on
the country the patron of New Zealand Rugby and Kirkie,
is a sad day for you and your All Black
mates because I know you and Chris played a lot
(00:23):
of footy together and your remained mates right to the end.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Yeah, sure did, Jamie and I was a good mate
Grizz over the years. Yeah, it was probably latterly more
so that you know, we sort of saw each other
and talk to each other quite a bit. He was
part of a group in Warrington was formed by the
late Doug Catley sort of you know, to address what
(00:49):
was wrong with the game. And there's quite a few
ex All Blacks and rugby people that were part of
that and yeah, and so yeah, we kept in contact
all the time, and yeah it was he was. He
was a good makers and yes, condolences to his family.
You know. Gris never really talked too much about about
(01:13):
his illness, but which you know, which which I expected
that of Gris. I mean he didn't go on about
anything too much, but yes, anyway, yeah, I said that
he's gone and yeah, the rest in peace.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
As a young buck, you went down to Canterbury basically
to make your way I think with Haimush McDonald into
the into the All Blacks. So you were to cut
your teeth playing at rugby for Canterbury with Gris.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Yeah, well we sent it up playing for run Or
because he was Glenmark and we played, you know, we
played in the Norse Canoby competition and we went round
down there at to farm, not to not to make
make through a headway and rugby was mainly farm for
some farming reasons that we went down there. Maney managed
(02:00):
to do cropping which we didn't do a lot of
here and yeah, and so you know, things happened and yeah,
so we there was a sort of introduction to Gris
Wiley really and sort of and then there was the
start of it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
So as as young guys playing sub union rugby and
Canterbury when you played Glenmark were you were a bit
fearful of him because he was no shrinking.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Violet, that's for sure. No, we had to keep an
eye on them all. That was sure. He was able
to keep an eye on most people, so he had
to watch out for them. He was a good plague Grizz.
You know, he had everything. He had all the skills,
He was quick, he could play six, seven or eight
was without any problems at all, without any adjustments that
(02:45):
he had to play. I think he put probably for
third number eight and where he could control things from
his way, and he was good at it too, so
you know, yeah, he was. He was playing great plague Grizz.
He shoult have. He should have had more games for
the All Blacks, is no doubt about that. You know.
There was I suppose a lot of good loose forwards
(03:06):
around then, but you know he was, he was right
up there and just you know, he should have in
my view, and I guess a lot of others too
in their view with it that he should have had
more games for the Abs. There's no doubt about that.
He was. He was a great player Grizz and he
you know, he was passionate. He no game. He would
(03:26):
ever just go out there and have a game. Was
all on with Grizz so and he was always great
to have the side and those Test matches that we
played with each other. You know he was. He was
always there and you could always rely on him and
he didn't have to worry about grizz. I mean, he
was so passionate about it. He knew that he was
going to be one hundred plus every game that he played,
(03:49):
particularly when he pulled out all that jersey on. So yeah,
you know he was. He was. He was great to play,
with no doubt about it.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
His first Test was the Second Test against the spring
Box and Africa and nineteen seventy that was the series
you were never going to win because it was fifteen
versus sixteen. I think you scored a try by memory
when when you won that second Test. Tough tow that one. Incidentally,
his last game for the All Blacks, and as you
say he should have played more, was in that bizarre
(04:17):
one off Test against England in nineteen seventy three when
they lost their three provincial games and then beat the
All Blacks. You were captain. His last Test was my
old mate Kenny Stewart's first Test.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah, exactly. I wish you hadn't sort.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Of sorry for Do you want me to play? Do
you want me to play the audio if you try
against the Lions in nineteen seventy one, that'll make you
feel better.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
No, I wouldn't take away that lasted as Heaton Parker had,
no way. Yeah, that has always been a stiicular thing
with me.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
I bet you it has. You know, as good as
he was as a rugby player, he probably in some
ways made even a bigger mark as a coach, especially
like when he was coaching that Canterbury team which was
in the doldrums, and then he took over in the
early eighties. And I know because I was at Lincoln
at the time and my wife to be was flatting
with Warwick Taylor and I used to get all the
(05:10):
stories from Warwick about how hard Gris's trainings were. He was.
He was legendary hard man as a coach.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Oh for sure. You know he was always going to
be like that too. I mean that that's what that
was his nature, and so he was always going to
be a good coach because he didn't take you know,
he didn't take fools too easily and so he got
he did things his way and they're always successful ways,
so you know, they're great. Run he had with Cannoby
(05:40):
Auklan defeated him at Lencaster Park. Yeah, I was at
that game, and yeah, I mean he was. Yeah, he
was always going to be a great coach. And you know,
he just he would have just picked up players and
they were They would have all wanted the players, like
you've got no idea with grizzause if you didn't, you
(06:01):
either didn't say or he got it through verbal verbal means.
And so that's why he was so good as a coach,
you know. And he had all these huge respect and
so yeah, he was always going to be a very
successful coach, which he was here.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Well, I ran across him a few times. He once
put me in a headlock, believe it or not, poor
little me and Tarne Norton's spats alehouse in christ Church.
But the last time I saw him was with you
a couple of years ago here in Dunedin for the
for the Bledislope Cup. He was he was down for that.
He was having a do I say, an early morning
morning tea. It might have been an early bear before
(06:40):
the game, but I reckon as he got older he
mellowed a bit. I think his bark was worse than
his bite.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Yeah, well it could have been I'm not sure he was.
He was something else. He didn't hold back if he
wanted to say something, and you know, just that was
with a lot of meanings. So when you're yeah, you listened,
that's for sure, and everyone else and so yeah he was.
(07:09):
He was great, great, great mate, Chris. And yes, I
he's left us that, you know, seems just you know,
this life and so goes on. We're all going to
end up in the same place in some states. So
might ever be with a matter on somewhere.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Well you might, of course. Just finally, the other the
other passion you and Gris Waly obviously shared was farming.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, he farmed up there at omer
he and yeah he was. He was a good farmer too,
don't he fund Like he played rugby and so he
was passionate about that as well. So yeah, you know,
he's a talents all around, Chris, no doubt about that.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
He's a legend actually just on a light. And note
there's a legendary story about Griss's mailbox too. When Ranfully
won the shield, didn't they go past and leave something
in the mailbox after they beat Canterbury in nineteen seventy three,
I'll bet you Grizz wasn't too happy about that.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
I never really heard too much about that.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
I might it might just be legend and folklore, but yeah, look,
one of the great one, you know, one of the
old school guys, and you know there's not many left
now and we just want to pay tribute to him.
And thank you In Kirkpatrick, patron of New Zealand Rugby,
for coming onto the show today and paying tribute to
your old mate. It was lovely.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Pleasure, pleasure, Jamie, no problem is talking about griz. Yeah,
we'll never forget him. Really. I actually had a whiskey
with Andy Jeffore yesterday as then to serve wish him
well and will continue to do that, I think, because
you know, whiskey was one of his favorite drinks, good stuff,
(08:55):
and so we did that, so we'll keep on doing
that as well. Good on your.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Thank you very much for your time. What a lovely
tribute there from Anne Kirkpatrick.
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