Why I am retiring from the NRL - What’s next? What I’ll miss most & career highlights - The Chad Townsend Show

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, Yes, I am retiring from the NRL. If
you've read the title of this podcast, it is correct.
I've made the decision to retire from the NRL at
the end of the season. And on today's podcast, we
are going to talk about that decision. We're going to
talk about my career. We're going to go over a
whole heap of stuff. Now on my podcast, I don't
generally talk about myself or my own career too much,

(00:24):
but today we're going to go into a bit more
detail about the decision. Some highlights and low lights, everything
basically going to cover it all off in today's podcast,
And as always, we have Victor along to help. Victor,
how are you good, mate?

Speaker 2 (00:38):
How are you?

Speaker 1 (00:39):
I am?

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Are you feeling about this?

Speaker 1 (00:41):
I'm great. I'm excited. I am excited about talking about
to that. Like I said, I don't really talk about
myself too much, you know, all my own career and
things that I've I guess done over the course of
the last fifteen years. But I'm excited to talk about
it all today.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
So let's get straight into it.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
Let's get into it.

Speaker 2 (00:59):
The decision to tire. Why now?

Speaker 1 (01:02):
Yeah, so I guess why now? Well, I just feel
like now is the time. It's the right time for
me to step away. I feel like, yeah, just I
always got told from a next teammate of mine, you know,
when you know, you know, and I almost retired at
the end of last season. To be honest, I had

(01:23):
a good look at it, and I thought that, you know,
it could be could be it for me. You know.
Obviously there's some things outside of football that have sort
of pulling me towards that I feel so of my
attention and focus, but I guess physically, like, I still
feel great, you know what I mean. So that's kind
of the reason as to why I still wanted to
play on this season. I still had that drive and

(01:44):
mentality to play. But then obviously as the season goes on,
you know what I mean, and things sort of happen,
it's it's clear to me that, yeah, the time is now.
And look, I'm very I'm very, very happy that I've
made the decision. I know, there's still a little bit
to go in the season, so obviously got to finish
off the season first, but yeah, when you know, you know,

(02:07):
and I know that the time is now, and I'm
just very happy that I've made the decision. I feel like, yeah,
I can just put it out there and now speak
about a lot of friends and family have been asking
me about this question, you know, for a long time.
Naturally obviously signing a one year deal at thirty four
years old, I'm nearly thirty five. You know what am
I up to next year? And it's like, well, you know,
I am looking at options at the moment, but I

(02:28):
didn't want to rush into a decision too early. I
wanted to make sure I sort of, you know again,
sort of went through all of the options and ultimately
all roads led to, you know, hanging out the boots.

Speaker 3 (02:40):
Like you obviously said, you've been thinking about this for
a while. How long has it has it been and
has it weighed on you for a while?

Speaker 1 (02:47):
Yeah, I mean, like I said, I had a good
look at it last season. Last season when I was
at the Cowboys and I was off contract, I had
a few teams I was negotiating with overseas, and I
had a few very small chats to teams in Australia.
Not much. But then yeah, late in sort of my

(03:09):
negotiation process last season, I sort of got an approach
by the Rusters to say you know, we didn't need
someone like you to just come in and we look
after just a one year deal, which is what I
was after, you know what I mean. I was either
for me, it was either I wasn't keen to go
to England last year from where I was in Townsville.
I didn't want to take my family there. I was

(03:31):
more so I would come back to Sydney. That'd be mine.
That's what I wanted to do. I wanted to come
back to Sydney. So if I didn't get the roosters
off of this year, potentially I would have finished last year.
But obviously very grateful that I got that opportunity to
come down to Sydney and be inside the Inner four
Wars with the Rusters, which I've absolutely loved, you know
what I mean. I've been so grateful to experience that
this season. But ultimately, yeah, I almost made the call

(03:56):
last year, made the decision that hey, I still feel
like I can go one more year, and then wanted
to play on this year. And yeah, now I just
feel like, you know what I mean, it's it's been
something I think about. I've thought about for a while,
you know, I mean, I feel like I've thought about
my post football career for for a long time, and

(04:18):
you know, it does come at you very quick. It
comes at you quick, you know what I mean. Although
like I've played for a long time, I've played in
the end for fifteen years, Like it's just well, I'm like,
where that time go? I mean, where do all that
time go? You know what I mean. When you're in
the thick of it, it's like it's going so slow,
But as you get towards the end, it's like wow, man,
Like at that time, it's been literally the time of

(04:40):
my life. And you know, ultimately, I guess that all
you know comes at you quickly, and that's how it
led to the decision.

Speaker 3 (04:47):
Yes, any future players or young kids out there, is
there any advice you would give to them to have
that kind of thought about post career because you do
retire like subjectively early age in your life, right, thirty
four is a very young age to retire. Is there
any advice you could give to those kids?

Speaker 1 (05:06):
Yeah, it's crazy because I feel like, you know, I'm
old in NRL terms or a professional sport and our
professional NRL player terms, I'm old, And I mean people
have been telling me to retire. And I'm old since
turn thirty, so there's been five years of that. But yeah,
I think my advice would be to younger players is

(05:29):
that you need to have something outside of football that
balances your life. And I learned that balance as I
got older. I was just all in one hundred percent
football at a very at a young early twenties, which
is what you need to do. You know, as you
get towards I guess your later twenties, you know, closer
to thirty, you need to kind of gravitate, and naturally

(05:50):
you do. You gravitate, gravitate sorry to something that you
you enjoy doing, you know what I mean? And you
and if you can turn that something that you enjoy
doing into potentially something that you can turn into a job,
like you're on a path to success. I feel in
that regard. So my advice to players would be early
on in your career, like you need to commit everything,

(06:11):
You need to sacrifice everything to sort of get your
career going. And then as you sort of cement yourself
or you I guess, yeah, cement yourself in your career
where your career is ticking along and going well enough,
you know what I mean, you've cemented a starting position
at a team, you've got a good contract somewhere, you
feel comfortable, you know, with who you are as a person.

(06:35):
Obviously not comfortable with who you are as a player,
you're always trying to push to be a player, but
comfortable with who you are as a person that you
can really just you know, start a degree in UNI,
or go and do a TAFE course or you know,
pick up a camera and start filming yourself or whatever
it may be. Like, that'd be something that I would
push into plays because then ultimately, you know, your day

(06:57):
off where there's time where, believe it or not, we
out before twenty four to seven. There's players don't think
about football twenty four seven. Like, there are times where
you have away, you know, downtime away from football and
you need to just just put something else into your
mind to just sort of distract you and balance your
life out. So that'd be that'd be my advice.

Speaker 2 (07:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (07:17):
So, I guess looking back on your debut career when
you were fifteen years ago or something, how.

Speaker 2 (07:22):
Long ago was that? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (07:26):
So, oh, my debut was twenty eleven. We played the
Brisbane Broncos at Shark Park Darren Lockyer was playing, so
the Goat, the proper Goat. I remember we played a
Friday night and Shane Flanagan was the coach. He gave
me my debut and he told me on the Wednesday

(07:46):
night and I couldn't sleep Wednesday at training, so I
couldn't sleep Wednesday, I couldn't sleep Thursday, and then Friday,
like I was just a mess all day, Like I
was so bluddy nervous, I remember, and then we lost
the game, but I felt like I played okay for
my debut. I had one triasist. I don't know that's

(08:07):
the because I remember it was like a kick. That's
kind of the only thing I remember from the game.
And I remember tackling Corey Parker and he sprayed me
one time, and I was just like wow, like you
know what I mean, I'm getting sprayed well like veteran
NRL players. But yeah, Anyway, he shook Darren Locke's hand
after the game, and I was just like this, like
just shaking his hand, like just staring at him like that.

(08:28):
And I mean back then, it's like it wasn't normal
to like get photos in videos like it is now,
Like you know, I would have loved to have get
a photo with Darren Lockyow like it to be so
body cool to have got that and to have that memory,
but it wasn't to be. And obviously, you know we
lost that year. I lost that night. But yeah, that
was a it was a pretty cool moment, Like it

(08:49):
was a dream come true for me and to be
a local junior here in the cornal of the Southern competition,
local Sharks junior. I grew up in the Shire. I
watched the Sharks on the family hill. I could literally
tell you so many Sharks players, like I feel like
I know them more. And yeah, ultimately that was, you know,

(09:10):
one of the highlights of my life and of my
career for sure.

Speaker 3 (09:14):
On the topic of Flano, who has been the most
influential coach for you in your career?

Speaker 1 (09:21):
Yeah, I've been lucky enough to be coached by a
lot of good coach I guess you know. I played
nine years at Cromela, so I think seven of those
nine years was Shane Flanagan. I think two was John
Morris before I left there. At the Sharks, obviously, I've
had you know, Todd Payton now, Trent Robinson this year,
you know, I mentioned John Morris, Shane Flanagan, Andrew McFadden

(09:44):
as well. Look, I feel like I've had good relationships
with all of my coaches, you know what I mean
early on in my career. You know, we'll touch on
it a little bit later in the podcast as to
the reason why I left Crella when I was a
bit younger, Yeah, I felt like Flanna wasn't giving me
the go that I wanted, so I did decide to move.

(10:05):
But then when I came back, like our relationship just
you know, it grew and grew, And yeah, Flannel was
very different to other coaches I had. I didn't feel
like he was a great motivator for our playing group,
very direct and knew how to bring a team together.
John Morris. John Morris was very detailed in his approach.

(10:26):
Now he's assistant coach with Benji at the Tigers. Andrew McFadden,
who's now doing the recruitment at the Warriors, doing a
great job. He helped me a lot when I was
younger in my career. And Todd Peyton, I felt like,
you know, he he gave me the job of co
captain of the Cowboys, which I'm very grateful for. And
our relationship, you know, when we had all the success

(10:47):
up there was incredible, you know. I mean he was very,
very open to the playing group and the player's ideas,
being a former player himself. So yeah, I feel like
and not only those head coaches, you know, I mean,
there's been a lot of asistant coaches who've who also
feel like I've had great relationships with, you know, off
the top of my head. It's hard to bring them

(11:08):
all up, but you know, Daniel Holsworth was one, Steve
Price is another. Who else is there? There's Andrew Webster
who's now coach with the Warriors. He was assistant coach
at the Warriors ten years ago when I played there.
He used to invite me his house for dinner, you
know what I mean. So that was pretty cool. Yeah,

(11:29):
just built some great relationships with coaches, and obviously, you
know what I mean, it's a relationship where it's not
always I wouldn't say it's always rosy, you know what
I mean, It's always great, but ultimately there's always respect
in that relationship. And I've really enjoyed that part of
the game.

Speaker 3 (11:46):
What part of the weekly groan of being an NROL player?
Are you going to miss the most, but also like
what parts are you going to not miss?

Speaker 1 (11:54):
What will I miss the most? Man, I feel like
the biggest thing, there's no doubt, the biggest thing I
missed the most, is just time with my teammates. I
feel like, you know, time in and around the sheds
and you know, whether you're going for lunch or coffee,
or you've got to day off and you're playing golf together,
or you're gone for lunch or whatever. It is, like

(12:17):
that's the banter and stuff that happens in and around
that like is awesome. It's like you're at school, you
know what I mean, hanging with your mates, and you're
in the school yard and whatever. It's lunchtime and there's banter,
and there's fun and games and pranks and people are
doing things to others. And I think that's the stuff
I'll miss the most. And obviously winning, like winning football

(12:39):
games with your mates is like the best feeling in
the world. Like when you put so much time and effort,
in sacrifice and preparation into trying to win a football game,
and winning in the NFL is like unbelievably hard, Like
it is very hard. There's a lot of good players.
There's a lot of good teams, good coaches, So you know,
that's always been a moment I've really enjoyed and I'll miss.

(13:01):
You know, when you're in the sheds after a game,
that euphoric feeling and you know where it's just it's
so much satisfaction and joy and the smiles everywhere, and
you know some players are having beers and just laughing
and banter and the music and you know, it's it's
a really cool feeling and you can't you know, it's

(13:21):
I feel like that's going to be a challenge for
me to replicate that win, you know in my post
football life, Like how do I how do I chase
that winning feeling? And I've heard Dan Carter speak about it.
He's trying to you know, the ex all Black, He's
trying to find ways where he can win in life.

(13:42):
And that's something that I've really behind closed doors, have
tried to think about and put some time and effort
into with my post career. You know, opportunities is like
how do I find wins in normal life, you know,
to get that euphoric feeling or it's like you time
and effort into that, and it's like, yeah, like we
won there, so yeah, I missed that. What I won't

(14:07):
miss gosh, I won't miss preseason. I just got through
last preseason, to be honest, there was days where I
was like, I'm about to quit. I don't know if
I can get through this. Every day I'm just like, man,
I what am I doing? I don't know if I
can actually get through this. The training nowadays, the demands

(14:29):
of the NRL players are higher than they've ever been. Look,
I won't miss the tackling big freaking back rollers. Who
are you know, thirty kilos heavier than I am. That's
incredibly you know, difficult at times. I won't miss contact sessions.
I won't miss tackling during the week a training. You know,

(14:51):
that's not as fun when you're half you know, and
you're getting a bit older. But what else will I yeah,
I won't miss. I won't miss review sessions after a loss.
The sprays, Yeah, I mean the sprays are like not
a film far between these days, not as they're not
what they used to be. The sprays. I guess, you know,
there's a lot of probably sensitive people out there these days.

(15:16):
But yeah, the review session after a loss, for any
every player. It's hard, you know what I mean, you're
shown up, you know, where you might have not done
your best effort all you've let a trying and it's like, yeah,
like you know, that's always a tough, a tough moment
where it takes a day or two to get over.
So I won't miss that. But yeah, there's probably a

(15:36):
couple of main things that I that I think I
won't miss.

Speaker 3 (15:39):
You talked about how the game has changed a bit,
like in terms of pace and the demands, But how
have you seen the actual NRL change? You know, yeah,
the way it's officiated. Do you think it's been changed
for better or worse since the study your career to
the like to now?

Speaker 1 (15:53):
Yeah, Look, I I mean the first ten years of
my career were like there was no six again, there
was you know a lot of different changes, you know.
I mean obviously the interchange as well. I mean the
short dropout rule, which I absolutely hate, has changed. And look,

(16:14):
I spent like my whole life trying to perfect a
short kicking game where like you can build pressure, get
a repeat set, force your position to do a dropout.
And when they change the rule to like that short
dropout rule, where there's no penalty or whatever it is.
You know, if it doesn't go ten, it's like it's
just it just basically has slapped all playmakers and their

(16:35):
short kicking game in the face to be like, hey,
you know you your short kicking game doesn't actually matter,
you know what I mean if a team just puts
it up short and can get it back. So I
would like I'd like to see that changed. I just
feel like the art of the short kicking game is
so hard to build, you know. I spent my whole
life trying to trying to get that repertoire, trying to
get that in my repertoire. So but yeah, I feel

(16:58):
like the game it's definitely gotten faster. I mean, like
I said the six again, the interchange. You know, it's
more physical, there's more meters per minute. You know, there's
more attack these days, like defense. There's bigger score lines
as well, so obviously there's more ball in play as well.

(17:18):
So yeah, there's a lot of changes. And obviously all
these changes where the games kind of speeding up have
has occurred. As like I'm getting older and I'm getting
more k's into my legs, so you know what, I mean,
you obviously feel a little bit older when you know
all these changes are kind of happening. Like I guess,
you know, I'm competing against a guy who's, you know, fifteen,

(17:40):
sixteen years younger than I am. I've got fifteen years
six of k's in my leg, so you know it
is Yeah, I mean it's a challenge as you get
older and you find ways to kind of, I guess,
get around that with regards to how I play, you know,
like I said at the start of the show, physically,
like us still feel I feel great, you know what

(18:02):
I mean. So, but yeah, there's obviously been a lot
of changes in the game, and there are some that
I don't like, yeah, if I'm honest with you. But ultimately,
I think the product of the game is in a
great sport, Like the revenue is building, the salary caps
growing year on year, players are getting paid more, which
I love to see, you know, so that the NRL

(18:25):
and the players are also doing some wonderful things in
that regard.

Speaker 3 (18:29):
Nice Is there any unfinished business or goals that you
have that you want to achieve or you would have
liked to achieve before stepping away.

Speaker 1 (18:41):
No, No, none at all. Like I look back at
my career and you know, I know that people will
ask me, like, oh, do you have any regrets on
your career and whatever, and like, look, I don't. I wouldn't.
I wouldn't change anything. Like everything that I've been through,
everything that's happened to me, I feel has happened for
a reason, and it's shaped me into the person that

(19:04):
I am today. Like the wins, the losses, the setbacks,
the highs, the lows. Like you know, you can't enjoy
the highs if you don't have the lows. The lows
are what make you as a player and as a person.
And when you go through a low, whether it's form,
you know, suspension or whatever it is, and you're searching,

(19:27):
you're trying to find something, and you know people in
the media are kicking you while you're down, and you
just you're just in that rut. It's like the only
thing you can do is just like work hard. You know,
mentally you need to be strong, and I feel like
I feel mentally like I've like, i feel like I'm
very strong mentally, and I feel like that's what's helped
me get to fifteen years in my career. But I

(19:49):
feel like if, yeah, those those tough times when you're
really challenged, it really just shows who you are. And
if you can bounce back from those moments, you know
you're in for a long career. Like it's professional sport,
like we are. We're in the business of winning games.
But stuff doesn't always go your way, you know what

(20:09):
I mean. It doesn't matter if you're the number one
player in the competition or you're the last player in
the competition, like, you will go through the same thing.
You will have wins, losses, and you will have setbacks.
So I'm grateful for the losses. I'm grateful for the lessons.
I'm grateful for the setbacks, the downtimes because you know

(20:29):
where I stand right now, Like, I'm very happy. I'm
very grateful for my experience, and you know what I mean,
I wouldn't be the person I am or the player
I was without that experience.

Speaker 3 (20:40):
Is there any advice you can give to future players
or about the mental resilience? I guess you need to
have to get through those bad times in your career.

Speaker 1 (20:52):
That's an awesome question. And is this something I speak
to some of our younger guys at the roosters quite
often because there's there's a few guys in our squad
who haven't played NRL yet, who are just riding the
roller coaster of you know, trying to make it to
the NRL, and there's things that go their way and

(21:12):
things that don't, but ultimately their I guess professional career
hasn't even started yet. And my message to them is like,
there will be losses. There will there will be failure,
there will be heartbreak, there will be set back, like
you will feel times where you don't you will lose
the game for the team, like you won't play well.

(21:34):
But how you kind of bounce back from that at
those moments will shape you into who you are and
at the time you won't know it's because at the
time it is the worst feeling in the world. When
you're going through it, it is like you are just devastated,
Like you know, I mean, I don't want to use
the word depressed because that's a pretty heavy word, but
like it's it's hard. It's hard at the time it is,

(21:58):
it is unbelievably hard, but mentally, like you need to
show that resilience. The resilience is the biggest thing you
need in professional sport. If you don't have resilience, if
you can't bounce back, then maybe professional sport just isn't
for you. And if you want to have a long
career ten years plus, you need to be resilient and
you need to be speaking to yourself when the little

(22:21):
voice in your head says I can't do this anymore.
You know what I mean? You need to be the
one inside your head to say I can do this.
I will prove people wrong. I will bounce back, I
will put in the work, and you know, ultimately I
stand here now. And that's one of the things I'm
very proud of, to be honest like I faced, like
I said, I faced my fast share. I bounce back

(22:43):
a number of times, and a lot of players do.
If you have a long career, you show a stack
of resilience. And that's you know. One thing that I
think maybe fans and people outside the inner sanctum of
players don't understand, is I guess the toll that the
grind of the NRL can take on players.

Speaker 3 (23:01):
Sure, what do you think the game has given you
that you will carry on for the rest of your life?

Speaker 1 (23:08):
Ah, friendships, matships, experiences, I think ultimately it is the
people you meet along the way and the relationships you make.
Like you know, I grew up in a small suburban
Yawara in the Southern Shire. I started playing football when
I was five years old, so thirty years ago, and
I'm lucky enough to say that those boys, those mates

(23:33):
I play with at five years old are still my
best mates today. One of the guys who my best
one of my best mates, was the best man at
my wedding I played in the under sixers with thirty
years ago. There's a couple others as well. I went
to school with. You know what I mean, Who are
my best mates today? And that's that's all through the
game of football. We played football together on the weekends

(23:54):
at school and then as you get to the NRL.
Like some of the boys I've met there relationships I've
made in the game with the players, you know, we'll
sit with me for the rest of my life. And
you know, there's a couple of boys who I speak
to on our chats every day still from other teams,
you know what I mean. So ultimately, yeah, the relationships,

(24:16):
the experiences and you know, when I finish up at
the end of the season, like I'll be their biggest fans,
like I'll be you know, hoping success for them and
watching them closely. And yeah, I think that's that's it
for sure.

Speaker 3 (24:32):
What do you think is next? I guess for you?
Are you joined to like coaching, media, or any business.
Are you going to take a little downtime?

Speaker 1 (24:39):
Yeah, so, I mean this is something yeah, post career.
It's something I've put a lot of thought into and
I still am. I guess I am working behind the
scenes on this as we kind of speak, and I
have for a long time about what my post career
looks like. And there are a lot of things that
interest me, you know what I mean. Obviously the media, TV,

(25:01):
radio podcasts, that's why we're doing it now, you know,
coaching as well, mentoring younger players. I feel like I've
got a lot to offer in that regard, just with
regards to helping some of the you know, those younger guys,
I guess build into their careers. But yeah, I don't have,

(25:23):
I guess a definitive answer right now about you know, Hey,
this is exactly what I'm doing. I am working on
it in the background, and I will have an update
for you guys you know, when the time has come
where we're working with a few people at the moment
and sort of negotiating and looking around and all positive,
all great, But yeah, I don't have a definitive answer

(25:44):
right now. What I am doing at the ship at
the end of the season is I'm taking my family
to Fiji for a couple of weeks and I am
just kicking back. And it's probably the first time ever
where I will properly just chill. I'll be chilled, and oh.

Speaker 2 (26:00):
What's gonna be the first drink you buy at the bar?

Speaker 1 (26:01):
Oh, margarita, margarita, maybe pinacolata, actually Fiji bitter, Fiji gold.
I'm going on to Fiji. So yeah, but I'll be chilling.
I'll be chill dog and probably upload a stack of
content because you know.

Speaker 2 (26:19):
But I've never stopped for you.

Speaker 1 (26:21):
Actually, I probably won't'll probably just get off the I'll
probably just decompress and get off, get off through a
go off grid. But I it'd probably be the first
at well, it is going to be the first proper
time where I'm on a holiday where I'm like, I
don't actually have pre season in the back of my
mind where I actually have to get ready for pre
season in a couple of weeks or whenever it is. So,

(26:42):
I mean, look, post career, there's no doubt I am
still gonna I'm still going to train like I love training.
Training is gonna be a big part for me post career.
But yeah, I mean I'm one of those guys I
feel like I like to like earn you know, if
I want to eat some bad food or drink some
beers or whatever it is, I want to get up
and train, so like you know, you've you've earned those beers.

Speaker 3 (27:03):
It's still going to be in the gym.

Speaker 1 (27:06):
Yeah, We'll still be in the gym.

Speaker 2 (27:07):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (27:07):
I'm going to find find a bit of a routine.
I'm going to do some running as well, Zuno running.
I wanna do some running. One of my good mates
runs marathons. I don't know, it's a very trending thing
at the moment for everyone run clubs and all this
stuff and marathons. But uh, I mean physically, I kind

(27:27):
of I feel like I would need to have a
bit of a rest and then I kind of want
to go through a phase of like getting my body
back to normality and like, I mean, thankfully, like my
body is actually great, Like I feel like I've held
up really good. Like I've got some pretty sore shoulders

(27:48):
pretty like, my range of motions not great, like I'm
still strong in the shoulders. Uh, and my knees are
actually pretty fine. I've got a stuffed up finger that's
just bent, which I want to get fixed. But that's
kind of it, to be honest, So I do. Yeah,
Like I said, I'll have an update for you guys exactly,

(28:08):
you know, once I sort of know a bit more
information about what exactly my post career looks like with
regards to employment. But I will still be I'm going
to plan on training a lot, plan on running a lot.
I still plan on lifting weights, you know what I mean?
Or I still I just want to find peace and
I feel like, ah, like, physically being fit and active

(28:33):
is gonna, you know, help me find that moment or
that that feeling where you know, and that balance of
you know, because obviously, being a professional athlete like you
actually train as a living like this, I train multiple
times a day, multiple times a week, so you know,
when you're not getting paid to train, you obviously need

(28:53):
to then put that into somewhere else in your life
and schedule. So yeah, I look forward to that finding that.
But also what I've is like your life gets much
busier after footy. Yeah, what I mean obviously with training,
with work, with family and and look. I yeah, like
I said, I look forward to finding that balance and
finding that peace. Yeah when that comes.

Speaker 3 (29:17):
What do you think has been that biggest sacrifice that
you've made or the key moments of life that you've
missed out throughout the course of your career because I've
been training.

Speaker 1 (29:27):
Yeah, there's been a lot, a lot over the fifteen years.
I've missed birthdays, I've missed weddings, I've missed funerals, I've
missed box parties. I've missed a lot purely from the
fact that as a as a player, as players, we
don't live like a normal life to what I guess

(29:52):
is considered normal, you know what I mean, Like, I
don't I could not tell you when the public holidays
are because public holidays just don't really, you know, they don't.
We don't get them. And I'm not saying I'm not complaining,
but I'm just saying that it's like, you know, there's
certain lifestyle you have to leave as a player to

(30:12):
be successful or have longevity in the game, and putting
your training first, especially in the off season or over Christmas,
you know what I mean. Like there's times where I
remember when I was younger, before I had kids, like
I used to train on every Christmas Day. That was
like my thing. I wanted to train on Christmas Day
because I knew that there was other guys who weren't
training on Christmas Day. That was like my mindset as

(30:34):
a kid. And when I wanted to really like push
and make it, that was one thing I did. So yeah,
as you get older and as you have kids, it's
like I can't be out of the house on Christmas Day,
Like it's just not possible. But yeah, there's been a
lot of sacrifices. I think missing one of my good
mate's weddings was really tough, obviously due to playing. But yeah,

(30:56):
I mean they're the things that you have to do
and and you know what I mean, would I do
them again? I would, And yeah it was It's tough,
but it's part of the business. As part of the job,
you have to make sacrifices. You don't live a normal
life or the way that life is for other people.
Who can just have time off with their work or

(31:17):
you know what I mean, if you know, I remember
I had our first mission, and I had our first child,
Myra the next day, Like I'm at training the next
day after that, like I'm playing a game, Like I'm
not in the hospital. I can't just take two weeks
maternity leave off because I've got to be at training,
Like I've got to be available. I've got to be
playing the game. So she's in the hospital bed breastfeeding

(31:42):
the baby, watching me on the TV, and then I
play the game and then you know, come back after
the game, Like I would love to be off for
two weeks, just providing support, but it's just not possible.
So yeah, there's some of the things I guess the
insight into excuse me, of things you know that you
that that are required as a professional athlete. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (32:07):
Love it was there ever a point, like before this
year and last year where you seriously considered walking away? Earlier,
let's say you near like your late twenties. Was there
any adversity you dealt with?

Speaker 1 (32:22):
No, not that I considered walking away. No, I mean
there was a time, a time before my career even
started that really sort of really rattled me. We were
playing and under forteen's tournament Buckley Shield, it was called

(32:42):
at the time. We were playing high school and I
was playing, and we were playing Eagle Vale High School.
Actually I still remember. We're playing Eagle Vale High School.
And anyway, we won the game, and we'll playing these
guys who were much bigger than us, are very much

(33:04):
more intimidating than we were, and anyway, they weren't happy
that they lost the game, and a couple of their
older brothers stormed the field and basically started and all
in braught.

Speaker 2 (33:16):
Excuse me, well under fourteenth.

Speaker 1 (33:18):
Yeah, so obviously you can imagine it's a high school game.
There's two schools there, some older players from each team
storm the field or from their team storm the field,
and then our sort of school storm the field to
kind of like help and back our team up. And
then anyway, I saw one of my best mates, Stuart Mills,

(33:39):
who would laid on to go making e's enerl debouot.
He got king hit in the back of the head
and fell to the ground and I remember seeing it, going,
oh my god, just like what's going on here? Like
he wasn't moving, and I was like, man like this
is crazy. It's like chaos and everything. And anyway, we
won the game obviously the buzzer, and like, I was

(34:00):
just rat I just saw my best mate just get
king hit in the back of the head. He got
He eventually got up and he was okay. He was
a bit rattled. I went home and my high school
coach at the time came over to my house and
I was just sitting upstairs, like literally by myself, and
he's like, may you are a right and I was
like no, like I'm not. I feel like I'm not okay,
Like I did not like enjoy seeing that. And he's like,

(34:21):
may I understand, like if you don't want to play anymore?
And I was like I just don't know, like I
don't have an answer right now, like I'm just a
bit rattled. And then yeah, I got back into it
after that. But that was a moment that was I
was pretty luck. It ratled me because I was like,
I don't want to I don't want to go out
and get in fights. Like yeah, So yeah, that was

(34:44):
that was a bit rare. That rattled me a bit
as a youngster. But no, not in the late twenties.
I think there was never a time in my career
until my last season in the Cowboys were I actually
started to think, genuinely thinking about stopping playing. You know,
I looked at the option last year, but ultimately, yeah,
like I said, thought I could still play this year.

(35:05):
But then this year, you know what I mean? Uh,
in pre prece it was so it was it was hard,
and every day I was like to myself, you know,
you think and just what am I? What am I
actually doing? This is so hard? And I thought about quitting,
you know what I mean so much, but like, ultimately,
like I'm just very proud. I never I never quit,
you know what I mean? Never, I never quit. I

(35:26):
gave my all, and there was I did things I
didn't want to do lots of times. There's stuff where
I'm like inside, I'm like I don't really want to
do that, but like you have to do it. You
have to do it if you want to be a
player and you want to you know, you want to
do this job. There are certain things you don't that
you don't like doing, that you have to do. And

(35:47):
I did plenty of that. But yeah, I'd say that
that's about it.

Speaker 3 (35:52):
Do you feel like the moment or the reality of
retirement has actually hit you yet.

Speaker 1 (36:01):
I don't know, not really, to be honest, I don't
think until like the final game that I play, you know,
at the end of the season, and you know it'll
it'll be a weird feeling, you know what I mean,
Like when you actually play and it's like, hey, that's
actually the last game of footy I'll ever play, and
that's crazy.

Speaker 3 (36:21):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (36:22):
You know, There's been a lot of times this year
where I've felt like I've been fairly emotional with regards
to like my decision and the game and my family
and I I think that last game will be pretty
a pretty emotional day, and you know, my family will

(36:42):
all that, they'll be there for sure. But when because
it's just you look back on your journey and it's
like thirty years all comes at you in one, you know,
one game. So I reckon, yeah, it'll be it'll be
quite emotional. But I also, you know, I'm I feel
like I'm at peace and I'm just grateful and I'm happy. Yeah.

(37:05):
I mean, I'm a mid thirties male who has four
kids and I have nothing to complain about. Yeah, I mean,
I I've done my time. I've gave it everything I've got,
and you know what I mean, I've had the time
in my life doing it. I've built some great relationships

(37:27):
and I'm just very very happy. So you can't, you know,
you can't, like there's nothing anyone could say to me
that that I live a great life, you know what
I mean. I'm very very happy, and I'm proud of
what I've what I've achieved. I'm proud of what I've done,
and from where i came from. I came from the
small little suburb of like five hundred people and yeah,

(37:49):
from a small junior club. And I earn everything I
got as well, which is that's one thing I'm very
proud of. Like everything that I did achieve was on
the back of my own work. And I know because
I remember that voice in my head when I was
training by myself, whether it was in the off season
or in the Christmas break and it was like cold

(38:10):
and raining, and I'd rock up to the oval early
in the morning and no one else would be there,
and the voice in my head would be saying, no
one will actually know if you do this session or
if you don't, but my self, you know, consciously, like
I'll know if I've done it or not. And there

(38:31):
were countless times where I did the work and I
was like, yeah, like I've I've earned that through that
hard work and doing things that I didn't want to
do that you know, necessarily, but I needed to do
it and I got it done. And that's a pretty
cool feeling to have.

Speaker 3 (38:48):
When you do take your boots off for the last time.
Who will be the first person you think of? Oh?

Speaker 1 (38:54):
Yeah, for my wife and kids for sure, definitely, you
know it all, it'll be a cool moment. And my
kids are at that age where you know, my eldest
is seven, seven, five, four and two, Like, they don't
understand football, which is a good thing. Like they don't
like they know Dad plays foot Dad plays footy, but

(39:14):
they don't understand. I guess you know that I've played
in the NRL for the last fifteen years and I
don't push football onto them. I don't force them to
watch football to play football. They do whatever they like,
you know what I mean. My kids will forge their
own lives and I'll be very supportive of whatever they
like to do. But I guess in that last game

(39:36):
it will be Yeah, I think it'll be like I'll
probably be emotional. I'll be sad because I'm happy and
the I think the all the experiences I've had will
just sort of flash in front of me. I feel
and everything I have in my life is from the game.

Speaker 3 (39:57):
You know.

Speaker 1 (39:57):
I mean my best friends, my wife, my kids, you know,
basically all the money I've earned in my life. You know,
he's through, He's through football. Everything I've had, everything I've
get you through the game. And you know, the game.
It's the greatest game in the world. And I am
just very grateful that I was I got the option

(40:21):
or the you know, the ability to to fall in
love with the game as a young as a youngster,
and you know, I just I just gave it everything
that I had. So yeah, it'll be I think it'll
be an emotional time for me because there has been
a lot of emotional moments this year, especially like with
the drive to and from More Park from the Shire,

(40:43):
Like there's you know, half an hour to forty minutes
every day two and or you know, probably probably an
hour and a half in the car where it's like
I've had a lot of time to think about this
decision in my life, and like I've I've been driving
and like I listened to Spotify and a song come on,
and all of a sudden, I've just found myself like
just crying in the car. Yeah, from just thinking about

(41:05):
my life and yay, you know, things that I've got,
experiences I've had and because I've had the time to
think about it, you know what I mean. So it
is it has been you know, I don't know if
tough's the word, but it's like just because the thing
is like when you do make the decision to retire,

(41:25):
here's my life as a book, and here's just a
massive chapter of my life just closing. And that's the
thing that I think is the biggest, the biggest reality
and why I think, you know, I've had the emotion
that I've had this so far this year when I've
been driving in the car or you know, when I've
gotten home, like I remember earlier in the season, Like

(41:48):
I remember getting home from training and I just walked
in the door and I saw Marissa and I just
like burst out in tears, just saying like I'm done,
Like I don't want to play. I'm done. I don't
I don't want to play anymore, Like I'm you know,
I want to I want to retire, and you know,
she was there, she was helping me out. And that's

(42:10):
what I mean, like the rollercoaster of the game. And
you obviously you know your your wife and family, they
ride the coat roller coaster as well. But yeah, like
there's been times where it's yeah, it's been it's been tough,
and she's been there for me the whole time. So
I'm very very thankful for her support.

Speaker 3 (42:31):
For how did Russa and You're in a circle kind
of react to your decision.

Speaker 1 (42:36):
Yeah, Like I mean, Marissa has been there for me
for a long time. We've been together, the thirteen or
the fifteen years I've played in the game. She wanted
me to play on last year when I was sort
of talking about retirement at the end of last year,
she thought I had another year in me. And then
this year when I said to her, I'd made the decision,

(43:00):
you know, we kind of like we talk about it
here and there, but I never kind of set it
out loud. And then it was like, yep, this is
this is it. I feel like as as the season
kind of progressed and over the past you know, weeks
and months and whatever, I've personally come to this decision.
And it wasn't until like my brother in law was

(43:23):
actually over, Scottie Sorenson and his wife and our kids
were out the backyard playing and he just asked me,
He said, like, what are you up to next year?
And my Marissa and I literally had the conversation like
the day before where it was like, hey, like you know, yep,
like this is this is the final year, Like I'm done.
I can't do this anymore. I feel like it's time
to move on. And anyway, the next day it was

(43:46):
like the weekend and sorrow was over and we were
just having to We're sitting in the kitchen bench and
we're just having a general chat and he's like, some man,
what are you doing? And I was like I was
kind of caught up guard by the question, just because
idditionally just spoke about it. And I said to him, yeah,
like I'm retiring, and I like tears just rolled down

(44:07):
my eyes. And it's like the first time you actually
say it out loud to someone where it's like it
actually like hits you, you know when you think about
it in your head and you know or you're like,
oh yeah, I like I'll retire here and I'll retire then,
or I'll do this then I will retire. But it's
not until you actually to say to someone for the
first time outlied, like out loud, like yeah, like I

(44:29):
am retiring. It's like I just remember, like a big
hot flush came over me, like I started like like
I had to be a few tears in my eyes,
and yeah, I remember that he was just he was
very supportive. And yeah, it's everyone I've sort of told,
you know privately over the past a couple of weeks

(44:50):
since I've made the call have been super supportive and
that's just been so awesome. And you know, at the
time of recording this, obviously it's not out publicly just yet,
but you know, I hope to kind of, you know,
probably connect with a few people, you know, when it
comes out publicly, and I look forward to, you know,

(45:13):
to speaking to a few people hopefully, you know, when
it does go out. So, yeah, what kind of.

Speaker 3 (45:18):
Legacy do you hope to leave behind for from your teammates,
from fans and like on the field as well.

Speaker 1 (45:28):
Yeah, it's a good question. I think, you know, for me,
my legacy in the game is, look, I was never
I think I was never the best junior, like I
was never like I made some REP teams, but not
all of them. I was never like the next big
thing coming into the NRL, which I'm very thankful for,
to be honest, I was never paid on potential, you know,

(45:50):
but never paid on potential. And the thing in my
legacy I think is is that like I earned everything
that I got, and like that is that just makes
me so proud, Like I'm so comfortable that like I
can say, yeah, like I earned every single thing that
I got and never got given anything, Like I had
to work hard for what I got, and I did

(46:12):
work hard. And I think it just goes to show
if you're someone, but you may not be the best
or the most talented, you know, the highest ranked junior,
but if you work hard, like there are awesome rewards
for you. There's longevity for you, there's success for you.
You know, there's good contracts for you if you work

(46:34):
hard and you're a good teammate. Like hard work beats
talent when talent doesn't work hard. And I felt like
I had that hard work, that work ethic instilled in
me from a young age. And you know, when I
finish up. I think, you know, I'd love to just
sort of leave that and say, hey, you know, if
you work hard, you know what I mean. Like, I

(46:56):
was never the highest paid player in our team, in
any team I play for, I don't think I was
ever the best player in the team. But you know,
I worked on for what I got, and ultimately I
feel like I deserve what I got. So that's about it.

Speaker 3 (47:11):
And what do you think your proudest moment in your
hole of your career would be? Doesn't have to be
a win, but a moment that's got to you like.

Speaker 1 (47:20):
Personally, Yeah, I mean my proudest moment, Yeah, I mean,
obviously there's there's a lot of highlights I think, you know,
looking back on, but I think my proudest moment was
in twenty sixteen, we played the Raiders down in Camera.
It was two v three. They were two, we were three.

(47:42):
We were the away team, and a week one of
the finals and we played and about twenty minutes ago,
Flanno pulled me off the field for the first time
that season, you know, and Louis and I we just
probably weren't on the same page. That that night, we
had a cuple ball to the ground. We had a
couple of miscommunication, and look, I didn't feel like I

(48:03):
was playing bad or anything, but then the message came down.
I was like, you're coming off, and I was like,
why am I coming off? Like, why am I coming off?
And we had it we always carried it outside back
on the bench, so Bertie went into center and Gerard
Bull came off the bench and went onto the field,
and then anyway, we won the game and an amazing win,

(48:27):
but I got taken off the field. So I was
like I had a Mentally in my head, I had
a few mixed kind of thoughts and feelings because like
I was like, I can't be seen mopen around here,
Like we just won an away finals game. Now we
have the weekend off after the season that we've had,
and personally like I've had one of the best seasons

(48:49):
of my career. I played every minute of every game
so far. I was having the best year of my life.
And I was like, I didn't understand. And then on
my way home, I remember speaking to my agent and
he's like, how are you, And I said like, man,
like I'm a little bit rattled. If I'm honest, I
just don't understand why, like I got taken off, and
he's like, that's all right, Like you know what I mean,

(49:09):
keep your head up. What you need to do is
on Monday morning, you go into the coach's office, you
look him dead in the eye and you say, look,
I understand, like why you did what you did, but
that will never happen again. And you look him dead
in the eye and you say that. And so anyway,
Monday morning, I walk into Frontel's office and I'm like, hey,

(49:31):
like you know what's like, what's going on? Why did
you take me off? And this and that. He's like, yeah,
I just thought we needed something there in the last
twenty and I needed to get Billy on the field.
And it was just, you know, I thought that was
the right play. And I was like, all right, I
get it, Like I understand that, am I you know,
what's the go with me for the next you know,
in two weeks time. And he's like, look, you're our halfback.

(49:52):
You're you're our halfback. You've played halfback for us all year.
You'll be starting in there. You know, nothing's going to change.
It was just at that time I felt like this
was what we needed to do. So that gave me
a bit of confidence. And then after he said that,
I looked him dead in the eye and I said
to him that will never ever happen again. And fun
I was like, all right, that's good, that's what I

(50:14):
want to hear. And then I went out. And then
that two weeks, obviously because we had the weekend off,
I was getting hammered in the media. People were saying like,
you know, I got hooked and all this and that
and whatever, and I just didn't read it and do it.
I got off social media and trained my absolute ass
off physically and mentally. I was doing a lot of
mental stuff as well, just to be right for that game.

(50:36):
And then anyway, the following week, the Broncos and the
Cowboys played and the Cowboys won in Golden Point, and
then we played the Cowboys the following week at Alian
Stadium in the premium to get into the NFL Grand Final.
And that week leading up to the Cowboys game, it
was there was a lot of press from the Cowboys

(50:57):
having a go at me, saying that I'm under pressure
and all all this, and I've been you know, taken off,
and I had seen a little bit of it, but
I was trying to sort of not engage with it,
so I knew it was a big game for me.
But then I came out in that Cowboys game and
I've probably had one of the best games of my career,
and I scored a try, I set up another one,

(51:18):
I kicked unbelievably well, and there was a moment after
the game where I've got the photo at home. I'm
like down on one knee, I'm like I'm in tears,
and it was just an incredible moment because I didn't
have that setback, like I wouldn't have had that euphoric
feeling that I had in that game against the Cowboys.
And Peter Steeling came over to me after the game.

(51:42):
He gave me a big hug, and he just whispered
these words into my ear, which, like, I got asked
about what he said after the game, and I've kept
it to myself privately since that moment, and there might
be a day or I do say kind of what
he said, but I just I just so appreciative of
what Peter Steeling came over and said to me. And

(52:03):
I've been a massive fan of him for a long time.
But yeah, obviously because of the university I faced to
have that setback, that uphooric feeling that I had in
that game was probably like one of the best feelings
in my life I've ever had. And that photo that
I've got, it's going to go in my front room
somewhere because it just it meant a lot. So I think, yeah,

(52:25):
that was probably one of the one of the prowess
moments I had because of, you know, just the adversity
and the resilience that I showed to be able to
bounce back, and obviously we then went on to win
the Grand Final as well. Yeah that was cool.

Speaker 3 (52:39):
But yeah, that's cool I listened to because I was
at that game. That Queens game was in the nosebleeds.
I think we paid like twenty dollars. That was a
cool crowd coming out to like the Sea of Blue.

Speaker 1 (52:55):
Yeah, it was awesome. Yeah, it was great. I love
playing there actually at that old Allience stadium.

Speaker 2 (53:00):
Yeah it's good stadium. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (53:03):
What does it feel like now that this chapter is
closing for you? Yeah, you're all at once.

Speaker 1 (53:09):
Or I think, you know, I've said a couple of times,
I think the chapter of playing you know, closes and
like I get emotional when I when I talk about it,
and like I've said, I've said sad, but like I'm happy. Yeah,
I mean, I'm just I'm very happy, like I'm grateful.

(53:32):
But I think just living life, not as a player
is you know, you hear about the people that have
the struggles in post footing and things like that, and
I feel like I'm very prepared for my post playing
career or life. But I do know like there will
be struggles, there will be tough times, but I think

(53:54):
ultimately it comes back to like just a sense of
gratitude for my journey and excuse me, like life, when
you actually you take a step back and you actually
look at life. I mean I'm getting a little bit
deep here, but it's like like what is like life?
Like what is the meaning of life? You know what

(54:15):
I mean? What why do we live? Why do we
want to live? Like when I when I take a
step back and look at a holistic thing of like
my life, it's like I'm I'm I'm happy, Like I
want to live a great life, you know what I mean.
So that's the thing that I think gets me the
most is you know when I when I get emotional

(54:38):
is because of life, you know what I mean. You
get older, like to be nearly thirty five, and and
you know, like, am I am? I just under halfway
of my life expectancy, you know what I mean? Like,
you know, what do I like? What do I do
in life? You know what I mean? And as I
get older, my kids get older, you know what I mean,

(54:58):
that's where a lot of my focus is going to be.
And yeah, it's just like it's life, man, and you know,
it's just it's a crazy thing. And I yeah, I
know I'm sort of blabber on a bit here about it,
but yeah, I'm just I'm very grateful about, you know,

(55:20):
my life and my football career, and you know, I
look forward to look forward to doing you know things
post football. Yeah, yeah, I love it.

Speaker 3 (55:30):
We'll go let's go through some of your favorite moments
of career.

Speaker 2 (55:33):
We'll start with the Sharks. Early days are the Sharks.

Speaker 1 (55:37):
Yeah, so obviously, as I said, you know, I made
my deboot twenty eleven, which was incredible. Early days in
the Sharks were you know, I got the the opportunity
to play with the likes of Paul Gallon, Jeremy Smith,
you know, Ben Pomeroy, as well, you know, John Morris.

(56:02):
There was a lot of guys who you know, I
just was very very lucky that, you know, I got
the opportunity to play with and you know, early days,
I think it was more about just figuring the whole
first grade or professional footy out. And obviously when I
came into the NRL, like I felt like, I felt comfortable,

(56:23):
I felt great. I felt like I was playing relatively
well in my first season. I played eleven games in
my first season, and then in my second season, I
the Sharks had signed Jeff Robson kind of over the
top of me, which I was a bit frustrated with,

(56:43):
and that kind of hindered my development. Or I only
played five games in my second year, and then in
my third year, sorry, my second year, I cracked my sternham,
so I only got those five games. I was out
for about eight weeks with Durnham injury. And then in
my third year I came, I was I was fine,

(57:04):
I was fit, but I only played three games in
my final year. Actually, sorry, I played eleven three games
and then five games in my last career. I'm pretty
sure it was so I played nineteen games in my
first three years, which wasn't a lot. And in that
third year, like I said, the team had signed Jeff Robson,

(57:26):
who was like a veteran half, and there was times
where I was playing like I played when Todd Carney,
so Todd and Robbo were the halves and Todd was
out with Origin one game and I played and then
I got three daily end points and I got me

(57:46):
in the match and I was like, you know, surely
I'm kept in the team. The next week and I
wasn't in the team, and I was like, I said
to my agent at the time, I said, look, I'm
off contract this year. I said, I don't want you
to negotiate with Karala. I am leaving Kannlla like, get
me out of here. I need to go somewhere else

(58:06):
for more opportunity. So what we did was met Phil
Goold that the Panthers has been at Chinese lunch was
feel good. And then I went and met with the
Warriors Matt Elliott, who was the head coach at the time,
at a hotel near the airport, and I had an
offer from both of them, and ultimately I decided I

(58:28):
needed to do something that would get me out of
my comfort zone and would challenge me and would make
me grow into being a first grade player, you know,
to have a career. So I chose the Warriors.

Speaker 3 (58:40):
It wasn't the bad Chinese food they had.

Speaker 1 (58:44):
I wasn't the king one anyway. Yeah I chose. I
chose the Warriors. And yeah, like the recruitment pitch from
the Warriors was like, it wasn't like, hey, if you
come here like you'll start. It was like if you
come here and you work hard, like there's an opportunity
for you to play, but you need to come and
earn it, you know. I mean I wasn't off at
a starting position. So I went over to the Warriors.

(59:06):
I trained my absolute backside off and I got to
thank Nathan Friend for that. He was a mentor and
someone who pushed me extremely hard over at the Warriors.
And yeah, we had an awesome time at the Warriors.
I started Round one of my first season and I

(59:26):
played forty I think it was forty two games over
two years, so only missed a handful of games at
the Warriors. And look, I got a lot of love
for the Warriors, like up the wires man like I
love I'm a Warriors fan, like I love watching them
these days, you know, as I only played you know,
obviously a couple of seasons there. But look, I'll be

(59:49):
a Warrior for life, I feel, just with the opportunity
they gave me. And yeah, we had some good times,
good times at the Warriors.

Speaker 2 (59:57):
Was it.

Speaker 3 (59:58):
Did you find it hard moving back to Carinola after
the experience you had in your first three years?

Speaker 1 (01:00:04):
Yeah, well I think.

Speaker 3 (01:00:06):
So.

Speaker 1 (01:00:07):
When I was at the Warriors for the two years
fourteen fifteen, I played there and fifteen I was playing
like some of the best football of my career. And
in sixteen the Warriors had an option for me to
stay in their favor and I went to the coach
at the time and I said, little coach like Marissa's

(01:00:27):
mum had been diagnosed with bow cancer and we wanted
to move back to Sydney to kind of be close
to her. She hadn't really been given much time to
live and she would late. She later passed away in
twenty twenty and during COVID. But it was like I
said to the coach, like, look, we want to move

(01:00:49):
back home. I don't have I haven't spoken to any
teams yet, but we have a preference to move back
to Sydney and he's like, well, mate, like, well, I
want to offer you a new three year deal, and
I was liker, mate, like I really do appreciate that, like,
but it's like it's not at the moment, it's not
really about the money for me or the deal. It's

(01:01:11):
about getting back to Sydney, you know what I mean,
and being closer to some family. And then my agent
Rank Flano and said, would you you know, what do
you think about Chad? Like would you take him back?
You know? And he's like, mate, we want him back now,
we want him back. They try to get me back
for the end of twenty fifteen, but that didn't work,

(01:01:33):
and he said, mate, we want him back now. So
we were playing the Sharks that week. We played him
at Shark Park and I went and met with flann
of the night before the game. He's like, mate, like,
I've watched you the last two years. You've been in
great form, You've matured as a player, You've really excelled.
We want you back for next year. We're going to
offer you a two year So they only offered me
a two year deal, where I've got threees offer at
the Warriors because I wanted to move back to Sydney.

(01:01:56):
I took the two year deal and he said, look mate,
it's we're going to get you, you and James Maloney
as our new halves. We want you to be You're
going to be our starting seven. James Maloney's going to
be five eight, Michaelenis will be our hooker, Ben Barber's
our fullback, and we want you guys to be the
cornerstone of the team moving forward. And then they offered
me a two year deal and then yeah, I signed it,

(01:02:20):
moved back home, back to Cornulla, and that sort of
took us into twenty sixteen, which I mean, what happened
in twenty sixteen.

Speaker 3 (01:02:30):
Yeah, did you feel at the start of that season,
or even before you even went back to Sydney that
you were building something special that with that team?

Speaker 1 (01:02:38):
Yeah, I mean they had a really good season in
twenty fifteen, the Sharks, I mean they made the finals.
They lost to the Cowboys in the finals, who would
go on to win the comp. So they were building
and you know then they made a couple of change
of a couple of signings with the roster, obviously Jimmy
Maloney and myself in the halves. And you know that
preseason was really good. We were just clicking, like the team.

(01:03:00):
And I remember this. We went on a camp to
the Central Coast and excuse me, there's this photo of
Wade Graham, James Maloney, myself talking to Flanne and that moment,
excuse me again, I was that moment on the camp
that I remember thinking to myself, like, we have something

(01:03:23):
really really special here. And I remember that day it
was just like that, there's that photo and I was like,
I remember seeing it and just like, man, we are
just we are just slinging it out here. We are
moving the ball so so well, nothing I've never seen before.
The camaraderie we have, the combinations that we had were great.
And then obviously as the season progressed, you know, we
started off a little bit scrappy. We lost Round one

(01:03:44):
to the Cowboys up there, and then we run Round two,
then we lost, then we won, and then we went
on streak of like fifteen wins in a row, sixteen sixteen. Sorry,
we didn't lose the game for four months straight. Like
it was unbelievable, Like unbelievable.

Speaker 2 (01:04:02):
How did that feel?

Speaker 1 (01:04:03):
It felt absolutely incredible And the best thing was like
that Flannel Flanner could just like put the same team
in every week. It was like the same team sheet. Yeah,
we had no injuries, barely any injuries, so Flannel was
just one to seventeen, one to seventeen, one to seventeen.
The consistency, the camaraderie, the combinations, the connection that we
had within the team, and Luke Lewis was just driving connection.

(01:04:23):
Every single week, boys, we are going for a coffee,
let's go everyone here, and you didn't have to go,
but people wanted to go. So there'd be like twelve
fifteen guys turning up to coffee every single time. And
that was different. I'd never seen that a team before,
So that was something that was you know, which was great,
which was really pushed by the senior players, and ultimately

(01:04:45):
the senior players really pushed our values in our standards
that season in Michael Lennis, Paul Gallon, you know, Wade Graham,
Chris Henington, all of these guys just really you know,
they pushed the standards. Louis as well, like we're doing
a fantastic job. And then you know, I remember there

(01:05:05):
was a time in the season where I was like
if we don't win the competition this year. This is
just a wasted year. Like that's how I felt with
how we were playing. And it was nerve wracking come
towards the end of the season because Cornala had never
won a competition like we Sharks aren't. I wouldn't say
considered like a big team, you know what I mean,

(01:05:25):
Nothing like back then, especially yeah back then for sure,
Like not a big club, you know what I mean.
So you know that's had success, a lot of success
in the past. Like so as we moved towards the
back end of the year, like we went through a
bit of a rough patch where we lost one or
two games at the end of the year, and then
we got the finals and we played Melbourne in Melbourne
for the minor premiership and they beat us and I

(01:05:51):
remember after that game they scored at the very end
and we'll stand anything goal and Michael Lenis was just
saying to us on the field, like boys, regular seasons done,
Like it's a new competition now and all we need
to do is win three games in a row. We
win three games in a row where the premiere is

(01:06:11):
we can do it, Like let's go, this is a
new season. And I just remember thinking, jeez, like, yeah,
we can one hundred percent, we can do that. So
then obviously that went into the Raiders game, which I
spoke about before, had the week off, went into the
Cowboys game. Obviously spoke about that before as well with
how you know that was one of the pivotal moments

(01:06:33):
in my career, with how I felt like I played,
and then the Grand Final, and I mean, to turn
the porch lights off and to achieve what we achieved
with that team. Yeah, I mean, there's some of the
some of the best memories I'll have in my life
that Grand Final, the celebration, I mean, the game was crazy.
Fourteen twelve went down to the wire. I haven't actually

(01:06:55):
watched it. Have you watched those last like I've watched
the last minute. Yeah, so when I kicked for touch,
I grabbed it out on the right hand touch line,
Storm had a scrum feed I've watched from there that
last minute. US defending and Flannel and Steve Price, you said,
we used to do this drill where we used to
like defend down a man, so it would be like
eight v ten whatever you know you did did defense

(01:07:17):
is always down a number. And we just did it
on the goal line every single week. It was like
scrambled offence, you know, cover don't stop moving, and you
just see in those last minutes, like especially when the
Storm have the ball, they're attacking our train line, like
our whole right edge is on the left side of
the field, just chasing, and then they shift back out

(01:07:38):
to our right and our whole edge sprints across the
other side of the field and then they shift back
again and it's like we were just we just wanted it,
like we just wanted it more so, and that tackle
by Ricky to tell you, like to win the game.
And then for Foider, for Foider Mickey andis is one

(01:07:59):
of the greatest interviews of all time for a fighter.
Oh my god, oh my god. Fighter Yeah so good. Yeah,
one of the one of the greatest feelings ever. And
then obviously we had the whole week celebrating in the
shy Incronulla crowdsurfing in Norsey's. The streets were just packed,

(01:08:21):
The field was packed, you know, the whole final series,
Like we had awesome support. People were painting their houses black,
white and blue. Next year is the ten reunion or
ten year reunion of our of our premiership. So I
know there's a few plans next year. We've got our
own personal plans as well, which we plan to implement,
so Caper keep an eye out for that with the content.

(01:08:45):
But yeah, and obviously after twenty sixteen, you know what
I mean, there was a couple of years there where
we average the top four finish every year. So that
were great year. Sixteen seventeen, eighteen nineteen, you know, eighteen
was another great year. Yeah, finishing the top four, made
the prelim, lost the Sydney Yeah, we lost the RUSS

(01:09:09):
week one. Then then then I kicked a field goal
to beat penriv twenty one twenty. Then that was awesome.
Then the following week we lost to Melbourne. In Melbourne
was when Billy Slater's shoulder charge fecky and got off
to play his last game in the Grand Final. But
we don't need to talk about that. But yes, you know,
it's I guess it's hard to not I mean it's hard.

(01:09:31):
You know, there's so many obviously details about each and
every season, but that's kind of four year stretch of
sixteen seventeen eighteen nineteen was was probably some of the
most fun and enjoyable football. I played at Cornlla the
most successful years you know in club history and look
to be a kid from Yawara, from the Shire, you know,
to go from the family hill waving my flag on

(01:09:54):
the field to win in the first ever premiership for
Cornala like that gives me a lot, a lot of
satisfaction and you know, I'm very proud of that achievement.
And I love looking at my premiership ring at home
Grand Final day. I wear it. When I was at
the club, we used to wear it's like presentation night
or season launch night. But I think once I finished playing,

(01:10:15):
I might wear it a little bit more, maybe just
like if I'm out to dinner with my wife I
just come down to I'll wear it to the ten
year Union next year. Obviously we all will. But yeah,
I mean I don't wear it too much now, to

(01:10:36):
be honest, I wear it on I think I was
wearing it on a Grand Final day and then like yeah,
then I see Sorrow, my brother in law, and he's
got four of them, and I mean that's a whole
other podcast, another story which we'll talk about with Sorrow
one day. But you see him have four, I'm like, wow,
he's incredible and I am I'm just bragging about my one,

(01:11:00):
but yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:11:01):
It was.

Speaker 1 (01:11:02):
Yeah. They were good years at the Sharks, very good years,
a lot of fun.

Speaker 2 (01:11:08):
And then moved to the Cowboys. How did that come about?
After the thing short Warriors stint?

Speaker 1 (01:11:13):
Yeah, so moved to the Cowboys. So I'd signed like
an extension at Kranella for like four years, and then
in twenty twenty one, I had a player option for
twenty twenty two, and then there was a club option
for twenty twenty three, so effectively I could be off

(01:11:34):
contract if I wanted to be. And I wasn't like
looking for teams or looking for clubs or expecting to
leave anywhere. And my manager kind of rang me out
of nowhere and he was like, mate, Michael Morgan's just
about to retire from the Cowboys and they need someone
like yourself to go up there with experience and get
these guys around the park with a good kicking game.

(01:11:56):
Would you be interested in going to chat with them?
And I was like far out, Like fully caught me
off guard, and I was like, yeah, all right, let's go,
let's do it. I'd be silly not to just at
least have the conversation. So I went and had coffee
with Todd Peyton, Michael Luck who was a general manager,
and Dane Campbell, who was the head of recruitment at

(01:12:17):
the time, and they basically just sort of pitched to
me the club and showed me all the facilities and
and sort of said to me like, hey, we need
a guy like yourself who can come in to get
our team around the park, to run game plans, to
you know, have them with a good kicking game and
good leadership. And you know, we've identified you as a

(01:12:38):
guy that we'd really interested in. What are you saying?
I was like, look like, I'm definitely open to it. Like,
you know, I'm pretty settled here in the Shire with
my wife and.

Speaker 2 (01:12:45):
I've got.

Speaker 1 (01:12:48):
Just had our third baby, bought our house two years
ago in the Shire, and it would have been easy
for me to say, look, I'm comfortable in the Shire,
you know. I mean, I've got a I'm very settled
here living at home around family. But then about two
days after the meeting, I got an offer from the

(01:13:11):
Cowboys for three years, and within seven days of that
offer coming to me, I agreed and signed to move
for North Queensland for the following three years. So I
said to the Sharks, look, I'm going to knock back
my player option and I'm going to I'm going to
move on to the Cowboys. And yeah, it was a
big call, obviously, moving to rural North Queensland, where I'd

(01:13:33):
been in you know, a lot of the capital cities
my whole life. But it turned out to be one
of the best decisions I ever made to move out
of I guess my comfort zone and challenge myself again
in my career. I feel like I needed it at
that time. And then moved to the Cowboys and a
lot of people had written us off, you know, that
season in twenty twenty two, a lot of people were
tipped this to come last, and I actually saved in

(01:13:55):
my phone a lot of journals who tipped this to
come last and were who writing us off? And I
use that as like personal motivation that year. I'm looking
back on it, I'm like I laugh at it now
because I guess, you know, as you get older, But
at that time it like helped me, you know, with
sort of training and playing and sort of trying to
prove people wrong. And yeah, we made the Prelium again

(01:14:17):
that year. You know, we're finished in the top four.
We lost to Paramatta, who would go on to play
in the Grand Final against Paramata the following week. I
Sawry against Penrith the following week. But yeah, just that
twenty twenty six season was just some of the best
football I ever played, most fun I ever had, probably
the most beers I drank all season, Like we we

(01:14:38):
would win and we just go out and drink beers.
Like it was just the most drink and I've done
all when you win, like you just you just drink beers.

Speaker 2 (01:14:45):
Like that season as opposed to every.

Speaker 1 (01:14:50):
Yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:14:51):
I think like the Queensland culture.

Speaker 1 (01:14:53):
Yeah, well, like I mean, when you're a traveling teams,
it's easier to kind of when you're away to kind
of you know, go out because you're just all together
in the hotel or whatever it is. It's not like,
you know, you go home and then you sort of
go out after that and things like that. You're all
together anyway, so it's easy to just hang out and socialize.
And you know, being a traveling team, it's like you
do have a lot of time together and you make

(01:15:17):
the most of that. Time, and that's where I feel
my time with the Cowboys, Like, the relationships I built
at the Cowboys are some of the best relationships and
my closest mates you know today in football, like drinking
and vow Tommy, you know, still speak to Ruben, Jason, Robbo,
you know all those guys, spend so much time with them.

(01:15:40):
But yeah, I think we just had a lot of
fun together at the Cows. You know, a lot of time.
We trained hard, we played hard, and you know, that
first season was definitely a career highlight with regards to
how the season went and what we're able to achieve
and just seeing the growth of guys like Tommy did
and Robbo and Ruben who you know, build themselves into

(01:16:02):
rep players Queensland, Australia, you know, New South Wales for Robbo,
Like to see that progression over the couple of years
that I was there, like just made me so proud
of to see them do that. And yeah, it was,
it was. It was a great time and love and obviously,
like I said earlier, like you know, to be a

(01:16:23):
co captain with Jason was real, real career highlight and
something I took very seriously. You know when you look
at the history of the Cowboys and some of the
players who have played for that team and that country,
that that town, sorry, and the captains. You know, I
took that job very seriously, and you know, I'd like
to hope that I did a good job in that

(01:16:44):
position as well.

Speaker 3 (01:16:46):
You said that that game, the qualities against the Sharks.

Speaker 2 (01:16:52):
You said it was one of the toughest games of
your career.

Speaker 1 (01:16:54):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:16:55):
Can you run us through that game?

Speaker 1 (01:16:56):
Oh yeah, that was crazy, man. So so the first
week of the finals, it was two verse three Sharks
versus US twenty twenty two, and We're playing at Shark Park,
and this was I think this was the first time
I'd been back at Shark Park since I'd left, and

(01:17:21):
I knew it was a big game for me. I
knew the crowd was going to be into me and
all that, which doesn't really affect me. It's more about
just obviously it's a finals game, it's a big game.
And then what also added to this was that my
family was actually in Sydney. My wife and three kids
were in Sydney, and my wife was just about to

(01:17:43):
give birth to our fourth baby, so she was due
to give birth the Wednesday after the game. So if
we played Cronulla and if we won, like we would
get the week off, but excuse me, if we lost,
we were have to play the following week. So ourdeal
scenario for us was that if we won the game,

(01:18:05):
we have the week off. I can stay back in
Sydney with my family, with my family, have the mister
can have the baby. I can be there at the birth,
give all help with the kids, and then I don't
have to play that weekend. Then I can come back
to train and we can play the following week. But
if we lost, we'd obviously have to play. So I'd
be like fi right, Like, I'm gonna have to miss

(01:18:25):
a couple days of training, and you know, my family's
in Sydney, and my wife wanted to have the baby
in Sydney around her family and you know the same
doctors and all that sort of stuff. So I respected
all that, all those wishes a bit. And then when
we won the game, obviously went to Golden Point valkicks
that amazing field goal, crowds going off, you know what
I mean, It's just incredible moment for Val and myself.

(01:18:47):
You know, I've been being past players at the Sharks,
and obviously, you know a lot of fans kind of
getting into us. But yeah, it was, it was great.
It was it was great. And obviously, yeah, like I
said that that to have that week off, like the
coach gave me a couple of days off to have
you with the family, and then I went back up
to Townswell to prepare for for the following week.

Speaker 2 (01:19:07):
So that was.

Speaker 1 (01:19:08):
Yeah, that was a really big game, really big game.
That was cool.

Speaker 2 (01:19:12):
What did you enjoy the most playing out of Cowboys?

Speaker 1 (01:19:16):
I mean, obviously, like the lifestyle in towns was very
different to Sydney, Like he's very chilled. Yeah, it's very relaxed.
It's it is very like it's a big country town,
you know what I mean. So I love I mean,
the facilities were second to none. I was in the
facility a lot, even though all my days off, you

(01:19:36):
know what I mean, Like the sauna, ice bath, physio treatment,
everything you can get there, you know. Obviously, the golf,
I mean, there wasn't that much to do in Townsville
other than sort of play golf on our days off.
So we would play try and play golf, you know,
once a week with the boys, and we had a
good crew of golfers there really who were good golfers
who hit a good ball, and we had a lot

(01:19:57):
of banter and I guess ultimately that's how our Players
Golf Club started, you know what I mean with vow
drinking and myself, we were talking about all we were
playing and we're like, like, I need to buy a polo.
When I was like, why don't we just make our
own polos? And they were like, yeah, let's do it.
What do we come up with a name? So we

(01:20:18):
come up with a name, and yeah, kind of progressed
from there and now it's like a yeah, it's a
full on fledged brand that we've we've turned into a passion,
into a you know, into something where we can sell
clothes and play golf and create a community, build a
community of people who just love golf. And you know
we're the same as well, we love playing. That's kind
of what you happen, what happens to you know what

(01:20:39):
I mean, when your mid twenties, as you get towards
your thirties, you kind of fall in love with like golf,
mile on the lawns and barbecuing.

Speaker 3 (01:20:46):
And all that stuff.

Speaker 1 (01:20:50):
Yeah, it's been great like, we love our golf and
you obviously drink. He's still holding the forward up there
in North Queensland and Valeni down here. But yeah, regardless,
you know, we still speak every day and absolutely loving it.

Speaker 3 (01:21:03):
And then you decided to move. You talked a bit
about after the Cowboys, the decision to maybe retire or yeah,
move back to Sydney. You got the deal with Roosters.
How'd that come about?

Speaker 1 (01:21:14):
Yeah? So, like I said, the negotiation phase, you know
at the cows was we were talking to teams overseas
and you know I was open to going overseas, but
being open and then actually being like, hey, like we're
actually doing this at two different things. I didn't feel
like it was the right thing to do for my
family or for my kids. And that's when I was like, well,

(01:21:37):
you know, if we don't get much interest in Sydney,
like where I would want to play, like, we might
have to finish up. So that became a real option.
And then obviously, kind of out of the blue, I
got a call from my manager saying, you know, the
Roosters are interested to have a chat with you on
a one year dear, what do you think? And I
was like well, yeah, let's do it. Let's have a chat.
And you know, they offer came through for one year,

(01:21:58):
and I was like, yeah, like this is it. Let's
let's do it. Let's let's do the one year and
then let's just I don't want to say, oh, I'm
going to do the one year, then I'll retire at
that time. But just like, I'll just do the one year.
And I tried, you don't. I didn't want to think
about retirement, you know what I mean when I signed
the deal, because you kind of just you can't think
like that, so you, yeah, took the deal. Is a

(01:22:19):
great opportunity for us to move back to Sydney and
get our family back home. And now my kids, we're
back in our own house, you know what I mean,
where my kids are in school, the school that we
always wanted them to go to. My daughters are doing gymnastics,
my son plays footy. I get to see my friends
a whole lot more, you know what I mean. So yeah,

(01:22:40):
I'm really happy that we made the call to come
back to Sydney. And then yeah, ultimately, now that's Sydney's it,
Sydney's home, you know, I mean, it's just a good
feeling to be back home. So yeah, now we get
to do this stuff too, you know what I mean,
do the podcast and do all the vlogs and things
like that, which you know we plan on doing a
whole lot more. So. Yeah, it's been it's been good

(01:23:03):
just to.

Speaker 3 (01:23:03):
I guess close off this whole this whole thing. Is
there anything you would say all of that stuff you
would say to your fans to what would it be?

Speaker 1 (01:23:12):
Yeah? I think, I mean there's a lot of people
that I you know, have affected me or helped me
throughout my career, you know, obviously you know the fans.
I'd love to say thank you to all the fans
you know who have who have helped me, who have
supported me, have shown love towards me, like it's been

(01:23:33):
an incredible journey of I've loved you know, sharing you know,
our passion of rugby league together, you know, to the
clubs that I played for, Karnala Sharks, New Zealand Warriors,
North Queensland Cowboys and the Sydney Roosters, like, thank you
for the opportunity that has been a real highlight of mine.
To my management Chris and Gavin Or at Pacific Sports Management,

(01:23:55):
thank you for your support and guidance throughout my entire
NRL career. That's been incredible. I really appreciate all that
support and negotiation behind the scenes. To my teammates, yeah, like,
thank you for your love support. You know, you guys
are there for me through the tough times through the
good times. We shared some great times together and I

(01:24:16):
was lucky enough to meet some incredible people over my time.
And to my wife my kids, like, thank you for
your unwavering support. You know we've shared a long journey
and you've been there for me. My wife, Marissa, she's
done an amazing job. She's been the rock of my career.
She's picked me up when I've been down, and she's

(01:24:38):
patted me on the back when I've needed it. So
I'd love that. And I guess the last thing I'd
say just to close that off is probably like in
the game, in football, it's a business, right, It's a business,
and you know, there's things that have happened over the
course of my career. I guess that whether it's been

(01:24:58):
done by clubs or or by coaches or individuals or
whatever it may be, where we may not have seen
either I and that stuff hasn't gotten out publicly ever
from me or for anyone. But what I will say
is like I forgive those people, like I will move

(01:25:19):
into my life post football. I don't hold any grudges,
I don't hold any bad will towards anyone. Like I
get the game is the business, and you know what
I mean, which these examples may not ever get spoken about,
But I forgive those people, you know what I mean.
I don't hold onto that stuff. My life post football

(01:25:41):
will be about happiness, balance, doing the things that I
want to do. I'm not going to be like in
a couple of years time talking about such and such
coach or player where they might have dropped me or
didn't play me or didn't sign me for whatever luck,
you know what I mean, talking down on that person.
I may talk about it as a an experience, but

(01:26:01):
like never in like ill will or like a bad way.
I mean, I forgive. I forgive those people, you know
what I mean. So it's a business. It's a tough business,
and that's why ultimately, like I've got a lot of
respect for the players these days, and I'll always be
a player. I'll always stand up for the players. I'll
always talk from the players point of view, because I

(01:26:23):
want the players to have success, each and every player
to earn as much money as they can to play
as best as they can. And yeah, I just wanted
to add that on there.

Speaker 2 (01:26:34):
It's awesome, yeah stuff.

Speaker 3 (01:26:37):
Remember ten to our next segment is our top five moments.

Speaker 1 (01:26:40):
Yes, so a fair bit today, but look we've been
doing the top five lately and I wanted to do
the top five moments of my NRL career and starting
off at number five, well, I had to mark this
as probably a highlight of my career. Two hundred and
fifty NRL game career. Now I can get a three
hundred at the moment I'm sitting at two sixty eight,

(01:27:04):
but two point fifty was a huge milestone for myself.
Like I said, from someone who comes from a small suburb,
earned everything. I got extremely proud to get to that
two fifty milestone and finish on the two sixty eight
number four. Well, I spoke about it in detail before,
but was beating the Cowboys in the twenty sixteen Prelium
Final to make the Grand Final. That was a pivotal
moment in my career where I faced some adversity was

(01:27:26):
able to bounce back shows from resilience and I had
one of the best games of my career. Number three
when I was named co captain of the North Queensland
Cowboys with Jason Tamalalo. That was an incredible moment for myself,
a really proud moment and a job that I took
very seriously for those two years at the Cowboys. That
was awesome. Number two was my Mr Rell debout. Now

(01:27:49):
I spoke about it before playing against the Broncos and
Darren Lockier. It was an incredible night. Obviously, it's sacrificed
and worked so hard for that moment. That was the
second or the top that was in the top two.
And then number one, well, I mean you can't go
past it. The NRL Grand Final win with the Sharks
in twenty sixteen was the top moment of my career

(01:28:10):
and something that I'll look back on, you know, for
years and years to come and be very proud of.
I just love looking at that ring. So yeah, they're
the top five moments of my career and something that
you know, some things there that will you know, I'll
look back on once it's all done, and yeah, we'll
have a bit of a laugh about love it. All right,

(01:28:31):
let's go what we've got fan questions, questions? All right,
let's go.

Speaker 3 (01:28:35):
Who do you think gets Paris number six Jersey next season?
Dean Hawkins or Joe Ashpapali.

Speaker 1 (01:28:42):
Yeah, I think they probably go. I think they go
with Joe Ash Papa. I think just because of the
X factor that Joe Ash has. I think he's got
a bit more flair with regards to his his footwork.
He's stepping, he's passing like Dean Hawkins. I think he's
really progressed this season. But I just think they go
with Joe Ash at the start.

Speaker 3 (01:29:04):
What happens in the sheds during a hi A procedure?

Speaker 1 (01:29:08):
This is a great question, h I A. You come
into the sheds, if your cat two or Cat one,
that kind of depends what happens. So if you're ruled
out of the game, if you stumble, then you don't
even do the test. But if you're if you didn't
do that, you come off, you do your test, and
you have to remember all these words, so like it

(01:29:29):
would be like jacket, saddle, gold, diamond, fish wagon. Then
you say those words back, then he says it to
him again. Then you say him back again.

Speaker 2 (01:29:43):
I could even remember.

Speaker 1 (01:29:45):
It's hard enough when you're not to cast. Then it's like,
tell me, tell me the years. Tell me the months
of the year backwards. So you say the months of
the years backwards. Where are we? What day is it?
When do we play last week? What's the score? What's
the date? What time is it? Answer all those questions.
Now say these Now say these numbers back to me three, seven,

(01:30:07):
four to two. Say them back to me three four two,
No backwards or yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:30:12):
See far out? Am I OK? Cuss?

Speaker 1 (01:30:14):
Yeah, And then I'll do it again with like four
four number combinations. Then then it's like six numbers. So
say say these numbers back to me one eight, four,
three six two, say backwards to me, yeah, I actually can't.
So then you say back to me again. Then I
do that again. And then at the end of all that,
then you do like all these like test things like this.

(01:30:35):
Then you like walk in a straight line, you do
like balance on one leg, eyes closed, like swap it
over balance, eyes closed. And then at the end of
all that, those six words I said to you at
the start, Also those ten words I said to you
at the start, you have to say then words back
to me. So it's hard.

Speaker 2 (01:30:54):
That's not easy.

Speaker 1 (01:30:55):
It's hard, man, it's hard.

Speaker 2 (01:30:57):
That is not easy. Okay, you have.

Speaker 1 (01:31:00):
To really concentrate, Like you have to really concentrate.

Speaker 2 (01:31:02):
That's cool inside.

Speaker 3 (01:31:03):
Yeah, Next up, who did you play junior footy with
and against that became an NRL veteran alongside of you.

Speaker 1 (01:31:14):
So two guys I played with as juniors who were
going to make the NRL. Like Stuart Mills played nineteen
games for Carola. He him and I played for war together.
He was definitely the best player in our team growing up.
He was in like the NRL, scored at like eighteen

(01:31:35):
and made his debut in twenty eleven as well, and
we got to play in the NROL together. He would
later he had a really bad run of injuries in
some knee reconstructions and anchor reconstruction which really hampered him.
But him and I, like he lived at thirty five
with your road and I lived at thirty with your road,
and like the Oval was like forty, so like we

(01:31:58):
lived just down the road on the same road together.
We trained everything together. We made all these teams together,
played school footy together, and worked all the way through
to the NRL together, So that was a really proud
moment for myself to play with him, you know, to
share the field with him and sort of you know,
our journeys together to get to the to the NRL

(01:32:20):
was great. Played against Tyrone Peachey Tyrone the Peach played
for Cornlo Kangba and then we would play together in
the junior reps at Coronalla. Then we played twenties together
and then excuse me, the year I left to go
and play for the Warriors, he left and went and
signed with the Panthers and then would go on to

(01:32:41):
play his NL career, played over two hundred and r
L games, and then I guess the last one I
played with in twenties. Anyway, I played with Tyson Frazell
in the under twenties at Coronella. He would make his
debill Coronella and then he would go to Saint George
for a bit more of an opportunity. So it was
kind of like Peach, Frizz and my self we all
kind of left for a more opportunity and other teams.

(01:33:03):
But were those were the four guys that you know
kind of coming up that I play with that would
go on to make the NRL IT and then I
play with Michaelisha. He played a couple of games of
twentys with this as well.

Speaker 3 (01:33:16):
So yeah, last question, why are you not having a
player's golf camp in Townsville this year?

Speaker 1 (01:33:24):
So we made the call to not do a four
ball Ambrose tournament in Townsville this year. We moved it.
We're going to have one in Sydney. Details to come,
but we're going to do an individual Stableford comp through
Golf Australia, so it's a proper tournament. We're finalizing the
details now, but stay tuned to our socials because uh,

(01:33:45):
information will come and it's going to be a crack
at a So tickets will be available through our website,
Players Golf Club dot com dot au. But ultimately it
was more like geographic location and time of the year.
But we're not ruling out having another game in another
tournament in towns Well. I think next year we're going
to have multiple tournaments. That's the plan. But yeah, stay

(01:34:07):
tuned for details for sure.

Speaker 2 (01:34:08):
For sure. That's it.

Speaker 1 (01:34:10):
Sweet all right, thank you Victor, and thank you guys
for listening. I really appreciate you guys for listening or watching.
If you're watching on YouTube, please make sure you subscribe
to the channel like this video drop as a comment.
I'd love to hear from you guys now that I've
made this decision, and also if you're listening on the
audio platforms, please make sure you rate and review. It
is greatly appreciated. I've loved your support and I feel

(01:34:32):
like you guys are probably going to see me on camera,
hopefully a lot more and hopefully more on the YouTube
channel here as time progresses. But yeah, all love, thank
you very much, Love you guys. Thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:34:43):
Bate

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Why I am retiring from the NRL - What’s next? What I’ll miss most & career highlights