# #88 | Steve 'Blocker' Roach | Origin Battles, Unwritten Rules & Balmain's Greatest Run

An episode of [Backstage with Cooper & Matty Johns](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1729949087), 31 May 2026, 56 min.

Audio: https://p.podderapp.com/2544644999/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/d7a60aed-0ec1-4a17-9f87-b248003b7796/84af34f5-cfe8-4976-8a1f-b45b009aba06/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=676e8df2-b284-47a4-9fbd-b248003b77ad

Steve 'Blocker' Roach is one of Rugby League's true characters — a champion Tiger, a State of Origin warrior, and a fan favourite on The Footy Show couch. Blocker sits down for a brilliant yarn covering his playing days, some classic dressing room stories, and the moments that had Australia in stitches every Thursday night. Subscribe, Watch, and Follow Catch the full episode on YouTube and stay updated by following us on social media: Linktree: Backstage with Cooper & Matty Contact Us For any enquiries, email us at: contact@johnsmedia.com.au 0:00-Steven ‘Blocka’ Roach 4:00-Origin Experience 9:30-Fighting in Rugby League 15:00-Tallis Story 17:00-Teammates & Coaches 23:00-Balmain Mid 80’s 32:00-1989 GF 42:00-Retirement 46:00-The Footy Show 53:00-Lone Survivor See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: No, so like I was just saying, yeah, I built
[0:02] Speaker 1: all that because when I first I went to Tafe
[0:06] Speaker 1: straight out of school and I learned to be a blocker.
[0:08] Speaker 2: He was lucky to finish you twelve. Seriously, mate, it
[0:12] Speaker 2: has not Look at those hands, mate, they're the hens.
[0:14] Speaker 2: Had never seen a hammer a span.
[0:16] Speaker 1: That you got fighting hands?
[0:17] Speaker 3: Well not really. I've got a couple of broken thumb
[0:20] Speaker 3: you know, when you hit them a little bit higher
[0:22] Speaker 3: and on.
[0:22] Speaker 4: The forehead, you've got to go a little bit lower
[0:24] Speaker 4: if you're going to.
[0:25] Speaker 2: Like, don't I actually don't know Blocker's got fighting hands,
[0:28] Speaker 2: Cooper's got waking.
[0:31] Speaker 1: Not for myself, I don't you know when you stop
[0:37] Speaker 1: playing it and there's just no callouses from weights anymore.
[0:40] Speaker 2: So when I.
[0:41] Speaker 1: Rub, like sometimes when I'm in the middle of the
[0:43] Speaker 1: night and I sort of rub my own leg, it
[0:45] Speaker 1: does feel like a lady's hand. Not the point that
[0:49] Speaker 1: I was trying to make.
[0:50] Speaker 2: But double down, lay on the arm for twenty minutes, make.
[0:53] Speaker 4: It, make it dumb.
[0:54] Speaker 2: Yeah, makes it feel I'll find someone double That's right.
[1:00] Speaker 1: You're all classed at Stephen Blocker roach mate, welcome, thank
[1:03] Speaker 1: you it is mate. We appreciate you coming out closure.
[1:07] Speaker 2: Yep.
[1:07] Speaker 1: We we're going to talk about a lot of stuff,
[1:09] Speaker 1: state of origin, your experience in stud of Ogin. But
[1:12] Speaker 1: off the top, we were just talking. We got some
[1:14] Speaker 1: of the sessnock goannas photos of here of Gary John's
[1:18] Speaker 1: and you had a great story. You actually played a
[1:20] Speaker 1: trial game against the ces.
[1:22] Speaker 3: I did. I was only a boy. I think I
[1:24] Speaker 3: was about twenty and I played against Willie Terry. You
[1:27] Speaker 3: remember Willie Terry, the coal miner. He saw on his
[1:30] Speaker 3: signature on me top of me for it several times
[1:33] Speaker 3: lump blump blum bluh blah blah blah blah blumpin Yeah,
[1:36] Speaker 3: oh yeah, I'm I thinking, geez, you know, maybe I
[1:39] Speaker 3: should have went back when I was twenty five or
[1:41] Speaker 3: twenty six and said do it now. Yeah.
[1:43] Speaker 1: So it was Gary was Gary the coach was.
[1:46] Speaker 4: The coachboy, Yeah, sandboy.
[1:49] Speaker 3: Yeah. And I think Neil Pringle and that went up
[1:50] Speaker 3: and played the next couple of years. They grabbed They
[1:53] Speaker 3: grabbed the great Newil Pringle. First bloke with the orange
[1:56] Speaker 3: added ours boots with the orange stripes and the and
[2:00] Speaker 3: the black boots, the tiger boots that look sensation.
[2:03] Speaker 2: All saying that I'm Cooper. This was Cooper has just
[2:06] Speaker 2: been jerring gong and and we'll just talk. I was
[2:11] Speaker 2: sand him last night. How strong the Woo and go
[2:12] Speaker 2: On competition? The Newcastle competition used to be like, yeah,
[2:15] Speaker 2: they were only half a step down from n r L.
[2:18] Speaker 3: Similar similar upbringings and everything to the people in Newcastle
[2:22] Speaker 3: and the people in Wollongong reckon. That's why they've got
[2:25] Speaker 3: a great affiliation. You know, they're the same sort of people,
[2:27] Speaker 3: hard workers, coal miners.
[2:30] Speaker 2: And then block. In the mid eighties, me and Andrew
[2:32] Speaker 2: used to go in the sheds and we come down
[2:34] Speaker 2: to watch mixedgo field play and Don Schofield, his dad
[2:37] Speaker 2: would take us into the sheds after the game.
[2:38] Speaker 3: That's right. And I remember coming out with in the
[2:41] Speaker 3: nude and that and these little little whipper snippers there.
[2:44] Speaker 1: Oh you actually remember meeting them as kids.
[2:46] Speaker 3: Yeah, one of them is looking at me more and
[2:52] Speaker 3: then then I call him the not cop watching and
[2:54] Speaker 3: no one knows what I'm talking about.
[2:56] Speaker 4: He made he's lucky or he wasn't there.
[3:01] Speaker 1: I know you had the experience as kids, but was
[3:03] Speaker 1: there was there a crossover at all in careers because
[3:06] Speaker 1: you retired in ninety two.
[3:07] Speaker 3: I finished ninety two year.
[3:08] Speaker 1: Yeah, when did you take it?
[3:09] Speaker 2: I played, started playing off the bench in ninety two.
[3:12] Speaker 2: We never played the Tigers. I missed block just by
[3:14] Speaker 2: a little bit. We played a trial game in ninety
[3:16] Speaker 2: three in New Zealand. Who just retired?
[3:19] Speaker 3: I just retired ninety two.
[3:20] Speaker 2: Yeah, well, looking across across the half way and go, Jesus,
[3:24] Speaker 2: it's Benny. That's Sirah's surreal now.
[3:27] Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, that was yeah, I mean great made of course.
[3:30] Speaker 3: Kerry Emsley I played. I played a decade with Kerry. Unbelievable.
[3:34] Speaker 3: There's a great story in the in the Grand final,
[3:36] Speaker 3: Lady nine, I'm sure you'll probably get it. Get to
[3:38] Speaker 3: that later on. But thirty seconds to go, Chicken Ferguson scores.
[3:43] Speaker 3: He's up in the he's up in the dressing rooms
[3:46] Speaker 3: getting the magnum because we were in front thirty seconds ago. Yeah,
[3:49] Speaker 3: goes in extra time, he's shaken it, just about to
[3:51] Speaker 3: pop it, and Chicken Ferguson goes out, put the lid
[3:54] Speaker 3: back on and took it back up. It was that
[3:58] Speaker 3: how close it was?
[3:59] Speaker 2: Oh, in recording this block, the origin was just played
[4:04] Speaker 2: last night. Everyone's been everything's been said about that we
[4:07] Speaker 2: don't go over again, but I want to talk about
[4:09] Speaker 2: we wouldn't have a Yanda beat your Origin experience block
[4:13] Speaker 2: and may. They were the days where everybody knew, Everyone
[4:16] Speaker 2: who was sitting watching, everyone who was playing knew. In
[4:19] Speaker 2: the first set of six it was on.
[4:21] Speaker 3: I remember one particular game. You might be able to
[4:25] Speaker 3: get the footage of it. We were beaten by Queensland
[4:28] Speaker 3: in Queensland. We played at the Sydney Cricket Ground and
[4:31] Speaker 3: Ronnie Willie was the coach. Oh Ronnie, he loved the
[4:33] Speaker 3: blue Ronnie. If you didn't anyway, Waite, I think Wayne
[4:37] Speaker 3: Peace was a captain of had coming into the toss
[4:39] Speaker 3: we're playing the cricket ground. Comes in. He goes Ronnie
[4:41] Speaker 3: as who won the toss? And Wayne said we did.
[4:44] Speaker 3: And Ronnie goes, we're kicking off. I didn't even know
[4:47] Speaker 3: if you went the touch. We're kicking off. He said, yeah,
[4:50] Speaker 3: we're kicking off. He said, good fight. And that was
[4:53] Speaker 3: straight away. You'll see the vision of it. We kick
[4:55] Speaker 3: off and it's on straight away, you know.
[4:58] Speaker 4: It was just you know, and he said.
[5:00] Speaker 3: Anyone who doesn't get in the stink, you won't be
[5:03] Speaker 3: playing Origin again, well, like you're you're.
[5:06] Speaker 1: The front row and back in those days like sat
[5:09] Speaker 1: of origin the kickoff. Now we see everyone watches the kickoff,
[5:12] Speaker 1: the first kickoff, it sets the tone for the match.
[5:14] Speaker 1: I imagine back in that day like there would have
[5:16] Speaker 1: been whoever they're kicking off to, Like your head is
[5:19] Speaker 1: literally getting taken off. You're the front row taking the
[5:21] Speaker 1: first carry in a start of origin back in the eighties.
[5:24] Speaker 1: What's that like, what's the feeling?
[5:25] Speaker 3: It's funny, coop, you know, without without upsetting what you
[5:29] Speaker 3: were saying there. Paul Soulan was the first bloke to
[5:34] Speaker 3: do kick returns. Bob Footon put him against were playing
[5:36] Speaker 3: friends in parks. The front rows used to stand on
[5:40] Speaker 3: the halfway line, on the ten meter line. They were
[5:42] Speaker 3: never they were never back. That changed when Sire started
[5:45] Speaker 3: charging the ball and running over the top of wall
[5:47] Speaker 3: the frogs and that, you know, that's when it changed.
[5:50] Speaker 3: But he wasn't playing the front row. He's playing the
[5:51] Speaker 3: second row. But he was the biggest boke in outside
[5:54] Speaker 3: and Bozo would get him, you know, they'd pass off
[5:57] Speaker 3: to him and rigid pass off to the big buddy
[6:00] Speaker 3: Siren and away you go. And that's how it started.
[6:02] Speaker 3: And then they started putting all the front rollers back
[6:05] Speaker 3: to take the first.
[6:06] Speaker 1: Tear so like so you wouldn't have been back for
[6:09] Speaker 1: the kickoff came full for it was almost like a scrump,
[6:14] Speaker 1: like literally the front row, yes, front exactly evolution of.
[6:19] Speaker 2: The game, mate, but that that game is talking about
[6:21] Speaker 2: the su g It's like early in that Like early
[6:24] Speaker 2: in the game the ball was just irrelevant. It was
[6:26] Speaker 2: just just tear into it.
[6:28] Speaker 3: So if you're not if you're not up for it.
[6:30] Speaker 3: And plus plus it was the five meter rule. And
[6:33] Speaker 3: that watching Boots and and all them play in Origin,
[6:36] Speaker 3: I thought, that's the way you play. That's that's how
[6:38] Speaker 3: front rollers got to play in Origin. I played the
[6:41] Speaker 3: under eightings for New South Wales against Queensland on the
[6:44] Speaker 3: very first State of Origin night in nineteen eighty and
[6:50] Speaker 3: the crowd was that big at lang Park. We'd had
[6:53] Speaker 3: a shower and we played the game and they said,
[6:56] Speaker 3: you guys can sit on the sideline anyway. I saw
[6:58] Speaker 3: this Bloate run out, both hands strapped up, snotting ship
[7:03] Speaker 3: coming out of his nose, black boot Polis under his eyes.
[7:06] Speaker 3: I thought, wow, is that Blake.
[7:08] Speaker 4: It's beaten made he built it.
[7:11] Speaker 3: Everyone that day except the ball boy, Mate, I reckon
[7:14] Speaker 3: even if the ball boy come on with with a
[7:16] Speaker 3: kick until you would have sand back in those days.
[7:19] Speaker 3: But he was unbelievable that day on that block.
[7:21] Speaker 2: Like when we're talking, we're talking about physicality and everything.
[7:25] Speaker 2: We're going to talk about later, but let's let's do
[7:26] Speaker 2: it now, because people love this ship. Like some of
[7:29] Speaker 2: some of the mate sticks you had on the field,
[7:31] Speaker 2: Like there's an iconic one we used to playing Souse,
[7:33] Speaker 2: which is always just a war or you and Bundy
[7:36] Speaker 2: just squared up for the game and just had be
[7:38] Speaker 2: had buttoning each other like a couple of rams, Like
[7:41] Speaker 2: were you blake? You blokes?
[7:42] Speaker 3: Some good mates, good mates. We we played at Warrington together.
[7:47] Speaker 3: Yeah yeah, yeah, so we played at Warrington together. Made
[7:50] Speaker 3: I got to tell the story about Benny was a
[7:51] Speaker 3: shifty little bugger. We were playing Souse. The house had
[7:54] Speaker 3: won in the Morning Premiership. Make great player, mate, Honestly,
[7:57] Speaker 3: you've got one unbelievable, phenomenal and tough. Anyway, we were
[8:02] Speaker 3: playing Saus in a semi form. They won the Morning
[8:04] Speaker 3: Premiership in eighty nine Saus and we boot him in
[8:07] Speaker 3: the semis and then Cambell boot him and they they
[8:09] Speaker 3: were out into two games. Anyway, we're going to a
[8:13] Speaker 3: scrum and see this is how smart Bennie the Souse
[8:16] Speaker 3: are in front of us. I think it was sixteen
[8:17] Speaker 3: forty or something like that, and we're going to the
[8:20] Speaker 3: scrum and Benny says, bun on a bun on a stink.
[8:24] Speaker 3: I said, what said, bug on a stink? I said,
[8:26] Speaker 3: you're saying their packs and Roberts, Fennick les, Davidton, David
[8:31] Speaker 3: Boyle made all that he goes made on the captain.
[8:34] Speaker 4: He said, I said that that's how it work.
[8:37] Speaker 1: He just let you say, just say, and you know
[8:39] Speaker 1: we're not even you might not even want to throw
[8:42] Speaker 1: on He's.
[8:43] Speaker 3: Going might on the captain do it.
[8:44] Speaker 4: I'll tell you.
[8:45] Speaker 1: I've got a bit of footage you too, but I'm
[8:47] Speaker 1: just looking at it right now. I'll add it into
[8:49] Speaker 1: the clip. And so you and Daryl going at it
[8:52] Speaker 1: and you might have been sent off during an origin.
[8:53] Speaker 4: Oh yeah, so I got I've got ten minutes.
[8:55] Speaker 3: I think it was only made five or ten minutes
[8:57] Speaker 3: and it was just ane yeah to the head. So
[9:00] Speaker 3: so yeah, shouldn't shouldn't do that stuff. But anyway, Benny
[9:05] Speaker 3: goes to the scrum and he bites himself that hard,
[9:08] Speaker 3: he makes it bled and he says to the referee,
[9:11] Speaker 3: he said that dirty bit me and the referee and everything, Murria,
[9:15] Speaker 3: you're off. And we went on and one because he
[9:18] Speaker 3: was a genius at you know, thinking about what he
[9:21] Speaker 3: was going to do.
[9:22] Speaker 2: Didn't they hate each other like Mario Balloon Maltese and
[9:25] Speaker 2: he had Bennie b and Maronite Lebanese.
[9:29] Speaker 4: They just it was just a many it goes on
[9:32] Speaker 4: to day. Let's they still each other?
[9:35] Speaker 3: Really? Yeah, it's it's it's amazing.
[9:38] Speaker 1: Yeah, it's funny because not many and not many rivalries
[9:41] Speaker 1: from bat luck for that don't usually last.
[9:44] Speaker 3: Well, that's what I said to him, mate, you both mate,
[9:46] Speaker 3: you both retire and just let it go.
[9:47] Speaker 4: No way.
[9:49] Speaker 1: You spoke about Les Davison there, because I remember I
[9:51] Speaker 1: was when I was doing some research. You just talk
[9:54] Speaker 1: about playing Warrington with him. We've got a forward pack
[9:57] Speaker 1: that you had there may have been the grubbiest, toughest
[10:00] Speaker 1: would pack up Les Davidson, yourself, Les Boyd, Kevin Tamarty, mate, Kevin.
[10:08] Speaker 2: Kevin Tammedy, oh god, just proper brawlers.
[10:12] Speaker 3: And Mike and Mike Gregory, the English captain, was our lock.
[10:15] Speaker 3: But we never got to play with each other that
[10:18] Speaker 3: much because one one had always have six weeks.
[10:22] Speaker 2: People jump jump on the YouTube. Jack will whack this
[10:24] Speaker 2: up as well. Kevin Tammody versus Greg Dowling Australia Versus
[10:28] Speaker 2: News only test match at lang Park. Absolutely that was me.
[10:32] Speaker 3: That was my first test match and they were right
[10:35] Speaker 3: and Kevin Tammody know New Zealand heavyweight boxing champion and
[10:38] Speaker 3: a stink starts and I think I've got to get in.
[10:40] Speaker 3: They're in the downing. I've got to get in and
[10:42] Speaker 3: I'm going in there on going whatever you do? They
[10:45] Speaker 3: grab to Marty, didn't you know the black jumpers I
[10:49] Speaker 3: grabbed him was when.
[10:51] Speaker 2: There's stuff, when everything's going crazy, blockers, what would you
[10:56] Speaker 2: go to? What would you do? You just grab and wash.
[10:59] Speaker 3: Your b I'm left handed, see, so it was a bit.
[11:03] Speaker 3: It was a bit funny too, when you know, offload
[11:04] Speaker 3: the ball and all that right shoulder tackle has made
[11:07] Speaker 3: some of the right child attackles. They hit you there right,
[11:09] Speaker 3: You've always got that, you know that free or whatever.
[11:12] Speaker 1: It's an advantage because a lot of people, there's not
[11:14] Speaker 1: many left handeds, particularly in rugby league all left foot kickers,
[11:17] Speaker 1: so it is people don't train for it.
[11:19] Speaker 2: And ten people are left handed and Southpool fighters, that's
[11:22] Speaker 2: what people don't like to fight Southwest.
[11:24] Speaker 3: Well, that's why I got mixed up when I did
[11:25] Speaker 3: the pads with Zoo the other day and I didn't
[11:28] Speaker 3: know he was a southpawl. I was catching his punches.
[11:30] Speaker 3: I didn't know he was southball. But that was your
[11:32] Speaker 3: ga to, like, mate, just drive you hit him so
[11:35] Speaker 3: good with your left they're begging for a right right.
[11:41] Speaker 1: But on that Warrington pat you said like, because you know,
[11:44] Speaker 1: I mean a lot of us young blokes who didn't
[11:47] Speaker 1: get to watch, like Lesboard and Les Davidson. Everybody's kind
[11:51] Speaker 1: of heard about like that, you know, some of the
[11:52] Speaker 1: most suspended players of all time. What what was training
[11:56] Speaker 1: like with those kind of guys, because you see what
[11:57] Speaker 1: they were like on the field, just starting scraps. Are
[12:00] Speaker 1: they like that at training?
[12:01] Speaker 3: Or it was funny at training over there because we
[12:03] Speaker 3: were playing in the winter at that time, so maybe
[12:06] Speaker 3: it was dark at three o'clock, you know, So we
[12:08] Speaker 3: do a lot of running on the tracks and all
[12:10] Speaker 3: that sort of stuff. So and always wet uh not really, mate,
[12:14] Speaker 3: les Le's boy and Less Davidson. It's too quiet as
[12:18] Speaker 3: place you ever metlefi quite But they're wonderful blokes, really
[12:21] Speaker 3: good blokes. But mate, across the across the white line.
[12:24] Speaker 3: I remember the story about they were going to play
[12:27] Speaker 3: in Milwaukee, Warrington were playing Warrington were playing Wigan in
[12:31] Speaker 3: Milwaukee and Le's boyd wouldn't get on the same plane
[12:35] Speaker 3: as Elie Henley. Wow, you want to kill him? Just
[12:40] Speaker 3: made off like wherever, just just hated him. Wow.
[12:44] Speaker 1: That's and and you too went crossing the white line.
[12:46] Speaker 1: I just wanted to ask you because you are one
[12:48] Speaker 1: of the most lovely blokes of all time away from
[12:52] Speaker 1: a rugby league field, right like I've only known you
[12:54] Speaker 1: as a friend of Matthew. You came in here today
[12:57] Speaker 1: kissing Trish on the lips, which I thought was a
[12:58] Speaker 1: bit in appropriate, and it was.
[13:00] Speaker 4: I went for the cheek and she turned around.
[13:03] Speaker 2: But what's that like for a bloke that yeah, so
[13:08] Speaker 2: such a different bloke when you get on the field,
[13:10] Speaker 2: when you cross that white line.
[13:12] Speaker 4: What was it for you?
[13:13] Speaker 5: No?
[13:14] Speaker 3: I don't know. I thought that's the way you played
[13:17] Speaker 3: or played against West and Sobers one day and they
[13:18] Speaker 3: had they had Boyd and Bloody, Dallas Donley and Tommy
[13:22] Speaker 3: and all them blokes. And coming up as a young
[13:25] Speaker 3: bloke Steve Laviors who it was a tough front roll
[13:28] Speaker 3: for the Tigers, made hard men. And I just come in.
[13:31] Speaker 3: I was only a young fella and he takes a
[13:33] Speaker 3: ball up at lid came over and I take the
[13:35] Speaker 3: second one up. One was biting me on the calf,
[13:37] Speaker 3: one was twisting me nuts off, and Tommy was trying
[13:39] Speaker 3: to pull my eye out, and I was like, what's
[13:42] Speaker 3: going on in the reference stopped winding and play the
[13:44] Speaker 3: ball and I'm.
[13:45] Speaker 2: Like, wow, wow, So get to them first.
[13:47] Speaker 3: That, yeah, well that was the way. That was the
[13:49] Speaker 3: way it was. I made. I loved Dallas Donley made.
[13:53] Speaker 3: I idolized him. He was a great bloke too off
[13:55] Speaker 3: the field, but on the field made bordering on psychopathical,
[13:58] Speaker 3: not with us anymore. And we used to go to
[14:00] Speaker 3: Dramin and Rolling club and I played against him this
[14:02] Speaker 3: day and we're all at Dremines Sailing Club and I
[14:06] Speaker 3: bought I bought him a midi and I took it
[14:08] Speaker 3: over and put his end. He just let it drop
[14:10] Speaker 3: on the ground. He said they don't fit in my hand.
[14:12] Speaker 4: So okay, mister.
[14:17] Speaker 2: There's vision and get on YouTube of him serving a
[14:20] Speaker 2: suspension going off in the media turns around.
[14:26] Speaker 1: It's amazing what like the boys used to do in
[14:29] Speaker 1: some interviews back in the day, like back then, like
[14:31] Speaker 1: remember what would that play time with the Gold Coast
[14:33] Speaker 1: Crushes and they said, why do you want to come
[14:34] Speaker 1: up here?
[14:35] Speaker 4: Said because you look?
[14:36] Speaker 3: And tweet tweet Todd it was.
[14:43] Speaker 2: Because the shield is a good looking up here. But
[14:50] Speaker 2: block it, okay. So it's something for you, right, And
[14:53] Speaker 2: I want, I want, I want people to hear this
[14:56] Speaker 2: story because it says a lot about you, and it
[14:58] Speaker 2: says a lot about Gordon. You and one thing about
[15:00] Speaker 2: Gordon and you. You are both of satchel loyal blokes
[15:02] Speaker 2: and your Blake's really formed a bond one night at
[15:05] Speaker 2: Melbourne's on the Gold Coast.
[15:07] Speaker 3: Before that, I give him a man of match in
[15:09] Speaker 3: a schoolboy game one day, but he's got a photo
[15:11] Speaker 3: of it. He keeps the photo giving him anyway, Yeah, mate,
[15:16] Speaker 3: what happened was we were in Milburgh's and the Roosters
[15:19] Speaker 3: and that were there and we were talking to his
[15:22] Speaker 3: Gordy's sister and one of them said something that wasn't
[15:27] Speaker 3: very nice, and Gordy him straight out. Yeah right. Anyway,
[15:33] Speaker 3: they all started coming over and Gordy was one out,
[15:36] Speaker 3: so I said, I said, mate, I'll jump in with you.
[15:39] Speaker 3: But the other thing is too it's only the roosters.
[15:44] Speaker 1: They all took their.
[15:47] Speaker 3: Honestly, I reckon and I love him to death, as
[15:50] Speaker 3: you know, we're great mates, mate, I reckon. He seated
[15:53] Speaker 3: five of them clean like clean like one hits.
[15:58] Speaker 2: Pum standing there as you block and scary made. I'm
[16:03] Speaker 2: looking for the even.
[16:04] Speaker 3: The bouncers that even the bouncers didn't get into around. No,
[16:08] Speaker 3: they just went are you so?
[16:10] Speaker 1: How old is Gordon playing? An oar?
[16:12] Speaker 2: Here are you?
[16:13] Speaker 3: Are you retired? You finished? And all that sort of stuff.
[16:17] Speaker 1: But so you were just begging for a scrap.
[16:18] Speaker 3: No, no, not really, I just like for the odds.
[16:21] Speaker 4: Weren't that good for him. I didn't want to see him,
[16:24] Speaker 4: you know.
[16:25] Speaker 2: And you don't understand what was said to Gordon's Yeah
[16:27] Speaker 2: it was.
[16:28] Speaker 3: You couldn't you couldn't say yeah, but made it made
[16:32] Speaker 3: it look like it looked like six of them being
[16:35] Speaker 3: stun by sixty.
[16:36] Speaker 1: Yeah, and you didn't you obviously you've been watching Gordon playing,
[16:40] Speaker 1: but your relationship prior to that.
[16:42] Speaker 3: What was? What was the relationship? Just just like I
[16:47] Speaker 3: love the way you play, just a mutual respect thing,
[16:50] Speaker 3: you know, just you know, like blokes you know you
[16:53] Speaker 3: know yeah, blokes like, oh yeah, you gravitate the blokes
[16:56] Speaker 3: who you know you think you know or mind? Would?
[17:00] Speaker 3: I would? And I've said it before. He gets embarrassed
[17:03] Speaker 3: when I say it. I'm a bit of a footy perf.
[17:05] Speaker 3: You know. I love footy and I go right back
[17:08] Speaker 3: to Langland's and Fulton and McCarthy and all that. If
[17:11] Speaker 3: I was picking an all time Australian side, Gordon tell
[17:15] Speaker 3: us to be in my second row.
[17:16] Speaker 4: Wow, that sounds that good.
[17:18] Speaker 2: Hard to lose with Gordon was good.
[17:20] Speaker 3: And the old eyes used to roll back in the
[17:22] Speaker 3: head and that's.
[17:24] Speaker 2: It, and and the other blokes like yourself and and Gordon.
[17:28] Speaker 2: It's that you play with the motion. Like when I
[17:30] Speaker 2: was to the Origin the other night. I'm watching the
[17:33] Speaker 2: game and emotionally New South Wales is caught in the barriers.
[17:37] Speaker 2: Queensland were right up for it. Mate. Well we're going
[17:41] Speaker 2: around the field like old men our back and now
[17:43] Speaker 2: it just blitz them through and that's that's emotion.
[17:46] Speaker 3: But mate, you know, I don't know. I don't know
[17:49] Speaker 3: if you agree with me or if you don't. To me,
[17:52] Speaker 3: your origin is not X's and A's, mate, it's will.
[17:55] Speaker 3: Who's who's got the who's got the best will, who's
[17:58] Speaker 3: going to go for the longest when you down and out?
[18:00] Speaker 3: Who can you know? Who can try and loot his team?
[18:03] Speaker 3: And all that sort of stuff you know, killers, Yeah, yeah, mate,
[18:06] Speaker 3: even even in today's game. But if you've got if
[18:09] Speaker 3: you've got someone in your pack, what made you play
[18:11] Speaker 3: with the chief? And But I remember, I remember I
[18:15] Speaker 3: was getting a little bit on and I wouldn't sleep
[18:18] Speaker 3: quite comfortably now when I was going up the highway
[18:20] Speaker 3: to play against Newcastle. Do you know what I mean?
[18:23] Speaker 2: Because I knew well massive games, make that big.
[18:26] Speaker 3: Games, mate, and element Martin bloody g is up because
[18:29] Speaker 3: he was the next time he took me to Sydney. Actually, Ellen,
[18:32] Speaker 3: I think I think that you just so we could
[18:33] Speaker 3: get on the drink of the free weeds and I
[18:35] Speaker 3: drive you mate?
[18:35] Speaker 1: Did he give you a nickname?
[18:37] Speaker 4: He did?
[18:38] Speaker 3: It was Blockhead to start with, but I quickly squashed
[18:41] Speaker 3: that just shortened up a bit, but no, you know
[18:46] Speaker 3: those those make there were wars made. We make wars
[18:50] Speaker 3: against Newcastle, wars against Souse, wars against the Bulldogs. You
[18:54] Speaker 3: know it was in those days. It was that, you
[18:56] Speaker 3: know it was. It was on every time.
[19:00] Speaker 2: Such a such a great team. People got so much
[19:04] Speaker 2: affection for the Tigers and it must have been like
[19:07] Speaker 2: I remember when I was always a Tigers fan, and
[19:10] Speaker 2: I remember in the early eighties when you first come
[19:12] Speaker 2: to great with hard yards, hard coming through and then
[19:15] Speaker 2: all of a sudden, that's mid mid eighties, and that
[19:18] Speaker 2: that team started to form of yourself and then zero
[19:21] Speaker 2: came back from the States, your Benny and junior of course,
[19:26] Speaker 2: David Brooks, Brucey McGuire, Bruce Jesus and said Buckets Hamlesley.
[19:31] Speaker 2: They must must have been great fun.
[19:33] Speaker 3: But the thing is, I look it back and you
[19:35] Speaker 3: know that great Queensland side of the early eighties were
[19:38] Speaker 3: all born within ten months of each other, you know, Bobby,
[19:41] Speaker 3: Linda and Faddy and Wally Lewison. I think that was
[19:44] Speaker 3: the same sort of thing with us with the Tigers.
[19:47] Speaker 3: You know, we were all born you know, around that
[19:49] Speaker 3: same come through together, all come through together, and maybe
[19:52] Speaker 3: That's why I keep saying all the time. You know,
[19:55] Speaker 3: you've got to play sixty seventy games before you actually
[19:57] Speaker 3: know what you're doing, and then by the time you
[19:59] Speaker 3: know what you do, your body can't do it anymore.
[20:03] Speaker 1: It's like the Panthers too. With Panthers like they all
[20:06] Speaker 1: Lowie clear, they all.
[20:07] Speaker 2: Come through twenty Newcastle.
[20:12] Speaker 1: The Queensland eight in a row side were a bit
[20:14] Speaker 1: like that as well.
[20:14] Speaker 3: Yeah, so's yeah, it's got a lot to do with
[20:18] Speaker 3: you know, like around that same sort of period. You know.
[20:21] Speaker 1: Sorry, I just want to go back to origin for
[20:24] Speaker 1: one second, because that you spoke about it's not exes
[20:27] Speaker 1: and nose, it's Will because you were a part of
[20:29] Speaker 1: the nine and eighty five first even New South Wales
[20:31] Speaker 1: win Emma, and I've heard you speak about the captain
[20:35] Speaker 1: and the leader at the time, Steve Mortimer. You guys
[20:38] Speaker 1: were all young crops. Tell us about like, how does
[20:42] Speaker 1: how did he get you guys up emotionally? Because you
[20:44] Speaker 1: talk about Will for state of Origin.
[20:46] Speaker 3: He just made us believe and he was a great leader.
[20:49] Speaker 3: I mean I remember playing to wrap up the series
[20:52] Speaker 3: in game two at the Cricket Ground. He was taking
[20:54] Speaker 3: hit ups next to the ruck. It was it was
[20:57] Speaker 3: that big.
[20:58] Speaker 4: He's just will.
[20:59] Speaker 3: I'd never I'd never played with anyone. And it was
[21:01] Speaker 3: a perfect timing that he'd been around for a lot
[21:04] Speaker 3: of games and then all us young kids coming through.
[21:07] Speaker 3: We're on twenty twenty one, twenty two or whatever. Just
[21:11] Speaker 3: just his belief and his will and his belief in
[21:13] Speaker 3: us was a was a great, major factor for everything.
[21:17] Speaker 2: And I believe he did someth great. Caston Street once
[21:19] Speaker 2: because boys are caston street, they won't let it happen anymore.
[21:21] Speaker 2: They block it. But the New South Wales bus used
[21:23] Speaker 2: to get our caston Stree and it made it was
[21:25] Speaker 2: almost like a rite we got.
[21:27] Speaker 3: We got showered with five thousand cans because he said
[21:30] Speaker 3: stop the bus, stop the bus. So he stopped the
[21:32] Speaker 3: bus and look at these dogs and all that sort
[21:35] Speaker 3: of stuff, and they started showings for KENSA said.
[21:38] Speaker 4: Start the bus.
[21:41] Speaker 1: He's trying to use a bit of motivation.
[21:43] Speaker 3: But back in the back in the day, I can't
[21:45] Speaker 3: call it lang park. I'll call it some call. I
[21:47] Speaker 3: can't call it some court. I'll call it lane park.
[21:50] Speaker 3: But what we used to do is we got chowered
[21:52] Speaker 3: with the five thousand cans and we come down and
[21:54] Speaker 3: the old Lange Park you had to come in the
[21:58] Speaker 3: back with a bus park in the back and you
[21:59] Speaker 3: go through the bar and then through these turnstiles into
[22:03] Speaker 3: the dressing room. We got chawed with another five thousand.
[22:06] Speaker 3: It was just I'll just go on ape mate.
[22:08] Speaker 1: You know, everyone talks about then you saw I was
[22:10] Speaker 1: Queensland rathery. Now what was it like back then? Like
[22:14] Speaker 1: because because you come through it basically you talk about
[22:16] Speaker 1: Arthur Beats and when you're like, you're coming through basically
[22:19] Speaker 1: at the real birth of state of origin. How hard
[22:21] Speaker 1: was that?
[22:22] Speaker 3: Right? Well, we hadn't won. The first time we won
[22:24] Speaker 3: was in eighty five, so from nineteen eighty to eighty five,
[22:28] Speaker 3: New South Wales hadn't tasted victory because of you know,
[22:32] Speaker 3: Beats and the start with it and then Choppy Close
[22:34] Speaker 3: and Meninga and Wally and Mate they were mate, they
[22:38] Speaker 3: were Their backs were bigger and stronger than their forwards.
[22:41] Speaker 3: When you have a look at Choppy Close and all
[22:43] Speaker 3: them sort of blokes, you know, but Arthur, Arthur was
[22:45] Speaker 3: the one that got them going. He said they were
[22:46] Speaker 3: all twenty when they started in eighty in England and
[22:50] Speaker 3: Choppy and all he said to them, maybe you don't
[22:51] Speaker 3: want to be here, get it, get out mane if
[22:53] Speaker 3: you don't want to play for Queensland. You know so
[22:55] Speaker 3: I think he embedded. We should I say it all
[22:58] Speaker 3: the time, you know, we should bear our heads with
[23:00] Speaker 3: Tommy and Arthur because people didn't think state.
[23:02] Speaker 4: Of origin at work.
[23:03] Speaker 3: Look at it now and those guys, those guys set
[23:06] Speaker 3: the platform for it for the whole lot. You know.
[23:08] Speaker 2: Wow, Like as bell mate, my as a spectator growing up.
[23:14] Speaker 2: My favorite, my favorite two years were eighty eight and
[23:17] Speaker 2: eighty nine. We talk about eighty eight season first, and
[23:21] Speaker 2: it was you Blakes had risen through the mid eighties
[23:23] Speaker 2: and Warren comes in and suddenly, I remember, halfway through
[23:27] Speaker 2: the season in eighty eight were sort of were just
[23:30] Speaker 2: a little bit off the pace, and all of a
[23:32] Speaker 2: sudden they bought a bloke, Hillary Hanley, who although a
[23:36] Speaker 2: big name of Monks, Blakes who really knew their ragby league,
[23:38] Speaker 2: he wasn't how did he wasn't celebrated like he should
[23:41] Speaker 2: have been made That all changed By the time he
[23:43] Speaker 2: left Tigers, he was the best player in the world
[23:45] Speaker 2: by far. What was it like when he walked into
[23:47] Speaker 2: that club.
[23:48] Speaker 3: I'd never I'd never seen a bloke have an impact
[23:52] Speaker 3: on a club like yeas, You're right. We were hovering
[23:55] Speaker 3: around six or seventh or eighth or whatever it was.
[23:58] Speaker 3: Without him, we don't make the Grand Fine eighty eight.
[24:00] Speaker 3: He was. He played I think it was about ten
[24:03] Speaker 3: or twelve games for us. I've never seen anything like it.
[24:06] Speaker 3: He could run as quick a crossfields as he could
[24:08] Speaker 3: straight and he just made it, just exploded onto the scene.
[24:12] Speaker 3: I've never seen another import. We've had a lot of
[24:15] Speaker 3: great imports, but I've never had seen someone with a
[24:17] Speaker 3: short stint come in and take the game by the
[24:21] Speaker 3: scruff of the neck. Made absolute superstar mate.
[24:25] Speaker 4: He was unbelievable.
[24:26] Speaker 2: Remember his first touchhof he was playing manly, I think
[24:28] Speaker 2: in his first game. I still remember. And I'm sitting
[24:30] Speaker 2: watching the game, you know, the six o'clock game, and
[24:33] Speaker 2: rexmos was commentating and we're all gount mate Handley, what
[24:37] Speaker 2: is this blog? And he was wearing the three and
[24:39] Speaker 2: he just unorthodox. He wandered in field, picked the ball
[24:42] Speaker 2: up and dummy half acted he was going to go
[24:44] Speaker 2: one way, took off the other may threw off about
[24:46] Speaker 2: five players. Rexposer goes this blog Handley doesn't know when
[24:50] Speaker 2: he's tackled. And it was just every single game, when
[24:53] Speaker 2: you needed something, he got, he grabbed it.
[24:55] Speaker 3: And I only wish you to do him with us.
[24:57] Speaker 3: In eighty nine he come back in eighty nine he went,
[24:59] Speaker 3: he took them and went the West. We wish that
[25:02] Speaker 3: he would have stayed with us, because he made. He
[25:04] Speaker 3: was made because when they they start, you're right. They
[25:07] Speaker 3: started him off from the centers and they slowly move
[25:09] Speaker 3: into six as a running six made. He was mate devastating.
[25:13] Speaker 4: What what was he?
[25:13] Speaker 3: What was he like?
[25:14] Speaker 1: You know there's those players who they train like Bustard
[25:18] Speaker 1: all week and then you go, I don't even know
[25:20] Speaker 1: if this guys can play, and then you go out
[25:21] Speaker 1: there and he's unbelievable. Was he kind of one of
[25:23] Speaker 1: those players unbelievable?
[25:24] Speaker 3: No? No, he was a super fit, like he was like
[25:27] Speaker 3: ahead of his time. Don't make Junior and all them
[25:29] Speaker 3: blokes they were, they were ahead of their time. But
[25:32] Speaker 3: this guy, I don't know, he's like Granite.
[25:35] Speaker 2: Used to just run four hundreds for fun.
[25:37] Speaker 3: Yeah, just he's unbelievable. Four hundred fun posts. You go
[25:42] Speaker 3: out and do all those those posts year, all the things.
[25:45] Speaker 2: Well, we'll talk about one of the most probably painful things,
[25:48] Speaker 2: not just in your career, but made. I reckon when
[25:49] Speaker 2: you look at your life, you'd be going like it
[25:51] Speaker 2: still hurts. Was that amazing runs made? And then I
[25:55] Speaker 2: think you were playing mainly Brookie and you got done
[25:57] Speaker 2: for a high shot. Yeah, you were suspended, which meant
[26:01] Speaker 2: you're going to miss the Grand final.
[26:03] Speaker 3: That was again it was against Penrith, mat against Penrith. Yeah,
[26:07] Speaker 3: we played them. We played them twice in a week,
[26:11] Speaker 3: so we played because that was only the top five
[26:12] Speaker 3: in those days, and we played them a like art
[26:14] Speaker 3: Oval like ot Ovle's capacity is eight to eeen thousand.
[26:17] Speaker 3: There was twenty three thousand there that day. They were
[26:19] Speaker 3: sitting on the.
[26:20] Speaker 2: Roof and it was madvision.
[26:22] Speaker 3: Yeah it was. It was an unbelievable day. People sitting
[26:24] Speaker 3: on the houses and I love it. I love it.
[26:28] Speaker 3: They're going to spend a bit of money on it.
[26:29] Speaker 3: But yeah, then we played them on the Wednesday and Junior,
[26:34] Speaker 3: Junior was a great chopper of players, you know, he
[26:39] Speaker 3: was so he was so good at it. And I
[26:40] Speaker 3: come over the top and I got Chris Morten, who
[26:42] Speaker 3: was a tough men Chris, but I got him. You
[26:44] Speaker 3: know when you get him good, they fall forward. They
[26:47] Speaker 3: don't fall they fall backwards. Yeah. Yeah, so I knew,
[26:53] Speaker 3: I knew it was in the I knew I was
[26:54] Speaker 3: in the ship. Yeah. They give me exactly four weeks
[26:58] Speaker 3: and the type we went on run because of Elri Well.
[27:02] Speaker 3: I made other blokes too, but E was he was
[27:05] Speaker 3: a catalyst, you know that. And then we went we
[27:07] Speaker 3: made the Grand Final. I was going to play in
[27:09] Speaker 3: England anyway, so I'd gone over to England. They said this,
[27:12] Speaker 3: They hatched this plan. The great Keith Barnes God obviously saw.
[27:15] Speaker 3: I love that bloke who's like a dad to all
[27:17] Speaker 3: of us. Unbelievable men. He had his plan to go
[27:20] Speaker 3: and and make You've got four weeks you going to
[27:22] Speaker 3: England anyway, We'll send you over and pick you in
[27:24] Speaker 3: the A team and pick you in the first team
[27:26] Speaker 3: and you'll miss two games here, come back and you'll
[27:28] Speaker 3: be able to play on the Grand Final.
[27:30] Speaker 2: Service suspension over there.
[27:31] Speaker 3: Yeah.
[27:32] Speaker 1: And had people done that before?
[27:33] Speaker 2: No, No, that was the great Keith mastermorning remember, and
[27:37] Speaker 2: I remember everyone's going, yeah, Block is going to be back.
[27:39] Speaker 3: Yeah sweet?
[27:40] Speaker 2: And once you got over there, they said no, no, no.
[27:41] Speaker 3: No, no, well quiey and they said, mate, you can't
[27:45] Speaker 3: be in two different places serving a suspension. But I
[27:50] Speaker 3: had already signed with Warrington, so you know I couldn't
[27:54] Speaker 3: do it. Oh listen, mate, it was great. Hollywood and
[27:57] Speaker 3: Orbit were great mates of mine. I loved or that,
[27:59] Speaker 3: you know, because he is It was from Boo. Yeah,
[28:02] Speaker 3: it was a great he is a great. Yeah. They
[28:04] Speaker 3: won the This is a great story. I don't know
[28:06] Speaker 3: if you ever heard it. They won. They had underage
[28:08] Speaker 3: doings calmed Down and Wollongong for the Western subers, Red
[28:12] Speaker 3: Devil and the the Their prize was to go to
[28:16] Speaker 3: the cricket ground the Grand Final. So they go up
[28:19] Speaker 3: to the Bozo and Zorba go up to the Grand Final.
[28:22] Speaker 3: Blah blah blah blah. And the games finished, and Boo says,
[28:26] Speaker 3: look up there the scoreboard. He said, we'll be here
[28:28] Speaker 3: one days. And then they they played together in the
[28:32] Speaker 3: Grand Final. Was it seventy three or seventy seventy two?
[28:36] Speaker 3: Seventy three?
[28:37] Speaker 4: They will be here one day. They're only kids.
[28:39] Speaker 1: Is it the greatest name of all time?
[28:41] Speaker 3: Peter?
[28:43] Speaker 2: His real name is Yea. But yes, so you you
[28:49] Speaker 2: you had to listen to the game back in Australia.
[28:51] Speaker 3: I listened beautiful. I was painful, mate, I just half
[28:55] Speaker 3: pois listened with this, you know. Yeah, but that they
[28:59] Speaker 3: they they boomed the game over on the telephone through Telstra,
[29:03] Speaker 3: through Peter and Hollywood, and I just laid there and
[29:05] Speaker 3: listened to the game. Mate. I got all excited when
[29:08] Speaker 3: Benny scored next to the pace. You remember, I think,
[29:10] Speaker 3: I think, I think the Tigers led led in that
[29:13] Speaker 3: game twelve six and then Terry Lamb and that took
[29:16] Speaker 3: our wonderful player out in Ellary Handley. But in those days,
[29:19] Speaker 3: you know, people say, oh, what do you think about
[29:20] Speaker 3: Ellary getting taken out? I said, well, mate, in those days,
[29:23] Speaker 3: that was it was a bit of the rules. It
[29:25] Speaker 3: was a you know, like he's our best player, better game.
[29:29] Speaker 2: What what's harder?
[29:30] Speaker 3: Right?
[29:31] Speaker 1: Like listen, because you hear coaches talk about, oh, you know,
[29:35] Speaker 1: they find it harder to lose a Grand Final as
[29:37] Speaker 1: a coach because it's almost like out of their control
[29:39] Speaker 1: a little bit and they feel so disappointed for the
[29:41] Speaker 1: whole group. You're a big leader in that team. Was
[29:44] Speaker 1: it harder listening and losing? Like almost?
[29:48] Speaker 3: Yeah? Mate, it was at least at least if you're playing,
[29:52] Speaker 3: you can not leave it out there. No, not say
[29:55] Speaker 3: I could do any different or whatever, but you know,
[29:57] Speaker 3: you get to try and help make good results, you
[30:00] Speaker 3: know what I mean. And then and then next year
[30:02] Speaker 3: in eighty nine, there was my only chance. I was like, wow,
[30:07] Speaker 3: this is this is meant to be. You know, we
[30:09] Speaker 3: make a eighty nine. So we It's funny, you know,
[30:12] Speaker 3: maybe about sliding doors and all that. We won three
[30:15] Speaker 3: Panasonic Caps midweek Cups the Tigers, and I know we didn't,
[30:19] Speaker 3: but we played in two grand finals. If we win
[30:21] Speaker 3: the three Panasonic Cups and win two grand finals, they're
[30:24] Speaker 3: talking about.
[30:25] Speaker 1: Us in the difference greatest of all.
[30:26] Speaker 3: Well, we're just talking about in a different in a
[30:28] Speaker 3: different light.
[30:29] Speaker 2: I just looked at Cooper there, you know, Jack, when
[30:31] Speaker 2: you just said Panasonic Cup and you said Wednesday, they
[30:35] Speaker 2: just went in the day. They used were two competitions.
[30:39] Speaker 2: There'd be the weekend competition. There was elimination competition every
[30:42] Speaker 2: Wednesday night.
[30:43] Speaker 1: So and that ran throughout the year. Yeah, and it
[30:45] Speaker 1: was just almost like a King of the Ring. You're
[30:47] Speaker 1: just not every.
[30:48] Speaker 3: Western division and everyone are playing it. They won one time.
[30:52] Speaker 2: Combined Country combined Brisbane.
[30:54] Speaker 1: So you guys have played in a week. You'd play
[30:57] Speaker 1: a Wednesday game and then a weekend game.
[30:58] Speaker 3: Wait some two games a week, hang on. Sometimes we
[31:01] Speaker 3: played State of Origin on a Tuesday and then play
[31:04] Speaker 3: them Co Cup or Panasonic Cup Wednesday and then played
[31:08] Speaker 3: on a Saturday or Sunday and think and think you
[31:11] Speaker 3: were a weak gotter dog if you didn't true you
[31:16] Speaker 3: think your mates are doing it? You gotter pull out.
[31:19] Speaker 1: That is that talk about sports site, how it's changed.
[31:23] Speaker 4: That's no science do it.
[31:24] Speaker 1: That's unbelievable.
[31:26] Speaker 2: And the fields too, the lot of concrete they always
[31:29] Speaker 2: played in North Sydney.
[31:30] Speaker 3: Mate, everyone everyone, and everyone run around, the run around
[31:34] Speaker 3: the pitch.
[31:35] Speaker 2: So we took it at eighty eight. No one hurt. Unfortunately,
[31:41] Speaker 2: there was just that unbelievable sense of destiny. He's won
[31:44] Speaker 2: that elimination, that the semi finally against the South that
[31:48] Speaker 2: was just unbelievable. Betting charged and the ball down, Tell
[31:52] Speaker 2: like see he's playing this up and coming Canberra side.
[31:55] Speaker 2: He shocked everyone getting there block Tell the boys about
[32:00] Speaker 2: what happened the day of the game then went wrong.
[32:04] Speaker 3: It's funny, It's funny, mate, I was like a real
[32:09] Speaker 3: superstitious bike. Everything's got to go right for everything's got
[32:12] Speaker 3: to be right. So anyway, we get into the Grand
[32:15] Speaker 3: Grand Final. It's my first Grand Final because I got
[32:17] Speaker 3: suspended the year before, and they give us our jumpers, Maddie,
[32:21] Speaker 3: and they got the Windfield Cup on the sleeve, big
[32:24] Speaker 3: massy badge, and I'm looking at the jumper. How good
[32:27] Speaker 3: is the green final jumper? You know? Wow? And then
[32:29] Speaker 3: that beautiful orange with the two stripes and the tigers.
[32:33] Speaker 3: We put our jumpers on and they're all past our
[32:35] Speaker 3: knees and McK neil puts his jumper on and it
[32:39] Speaker 3: looks like a bloody overnightcake like a blouse. So they've
[32:42] Speaker 3: got so they got the you know the ankle for
[32:46] Speaker 3: your tape, you know those scissors. They had to cut
[32:48] Speaker 3: all their jumpers and I'm mate, cut my Grand Final jumper,
[32:52] Speaker 3: you know, I want.
[32:52] Speaker 4: To I want to coop this.
[32:54] Speaker 3: Yes, So they had to cut them all.
[32:56] Speaker 2: So you've seen you run on the field, particularly the captain,
[32:59] Speaker 2: Wayne Pearce Jr. He runs on he's like the jersey
[33:02] Speaker 2: swimming on him.
[33:04] Speaker 1: I mean, I imagine someone would have capped the blame
[33:07] Speaker 1: for it.
[33:07] Speaker 3: Well, I don't know but you get boat. That's probably
[33:11] Speaker 3: the last thing you think. And I've really that devastated.
[33:13] Speaker 3: You got beat and.
[33:15] Speaker 2: Put in big games. Little things like that make a difference.
[33:17] Speaker 3: It's the same as origin. Mate made a bit of
[33:20] Speaker 3: a bit of an anxiety sort of blow. I think.
[33:24] Speaker 3: I think everyone I know that played foot he's got
[33:26] Speaker 3: a little bit of anxiety. And I can remember playing
[33:29] Speaker 3: in Origins. The worst thing for me was a kick
[33:30] Speaker 3: off at eight o'clock. It'll be in my room trying
[33:33] Speaker 3: to have a kip and there'd be a little bit
[33:34] Speaker 3: of light coming through the blind.
[33:37] Speaker 4: Use me tooth brush, and the wouldn't be enough. Two
[33:39] Speaker 4: pays to all.
[33:41] Speaker 2: When you're starving and someone walks into the pipe.
[33:44] Speaker 3: Smell it and you go, oh made, How good is that?
[33:46] Speaker 2: You know? But you know that's just a little thing
[33:48] Speaker 2: like that. I remember malmon Inger said, you know, I
[33:52] Speaker 2: means easy in hindsight. But he said he lined up
[33:55] Speaker 2: for the toss and Junior came out for the toss
[33:58] Speaker 2: and he sensed that there was just something wrong, he said.
[34:00] Speaker 2: He said, he looked distracted, he looked nervous, and he
[34:03] Speaker 2: went back into the camera dressing room went mate, we're
[34:06] Speaker 2: a massive show here something's not going right now.
[34:08] Speaker 4: But I wonder what he thought when it was twelve too.
[34:11] Speaker 2: How was it when you scored that amazing tried half time?
[34:13] Speaker 2: Zo zero? How does that at half time?
[34:17] Speaker 3: What's the feeling? Well?
[34:18] Speaker 4: I remember it.
[34:19] Speaker 3: I remember it really well because mate, though we are
[34:22] Speaker 3: who went a bit? And I said, he make you
[34:24] Speaker 3: see their side, the canber Raiders side. I said, mate, no, Yahoo,
[34:28] Speaker 3: And we had a lucky intercept. Try to James Green
[34:30] Speaker 3: if you remember the first try and then going down
[34:33] Speaker 3: the blind side and zero scoring under the next to
[34:36] Speaker 3: the posts, just on the stroke of halftime, shrugs off
[34:40] Speaker 3: Bradley Clyde as he's coming across and cover and then
[34:43] Speaker 3: twelve two and we're going at half time and I said, hey, mate,
[34:46] Speaker 3: this is Are you seeing their side? Mate? That day
[34:49] Speaker 3: there was twenty four represented players on the field from
[34:53] Speaker 3: each from both sides. Like I either played international for
[34:57] Speaker 3: the Kiwis or Australia or state of origin or whatever.
[35:00] Speaker 3: So there's twenty four blokes out there doing their best.
[35:04] Speaker 3: Ricky Stewart unbelievable player. Ricky Stewart not only not only
[35:10] Speaker 3: May always running around all game. Was that hot? He
[35:13] Speaker 3: did thirty more passes to Lorry and they do it
[35:18] Speaker 3: in both sides the rug He'd run around, not making
[35:19] Speaker 3: an attackle They never engaged really through the middle.
[35:22] Speaker 2: It was just the first time that was dominated by defense,
[35:26] Speaker 2: so dogs and manly. But they come along and playing
[35:29] Speaker 2: sideline the sideline.
[35:30] Speaker 1: It was just it was so different because they at
[35:33] Speaker 1: their centers. Well what Malvin Inger and lor Daily so
[35:36] Speaker 1: a lot of them, a lot of them.
[35:37] Speaker 4: Ricky Stewart and.
[35:40] Speaker 3: A great player too.
[35:41] Speaker 2: Yeah, Clyde Steve Waller as a hooker, chicken ferry belt
[35:44] Speaker 2: to the back checker, so a block fourteen to eight.
[35:48] Speaker 2: And I reckon, when you look at history in rugby league,
[35:50] Speaker 2: if they say, right up, what are the ten top
[35:52] Speaker 2: ten biggest moments in ground final history? You and Sero
[35:56] Speaker 2: being subbed at sixty minutes Mark I.
[35:59] Speaker 3: Got I was the first to get dragged. But it
[36:01] Speaker 3: was funny matter I got dragged against South Sydney. I
[36:04] Speaker 3: thought it was a reward because we just got in
[36:06] Speaker 3: front Ben he had kicked the gold, you know what
[36:09] Speaker 3: I mean. And I thought, oh, well mate, it's you know,
[36:11] Speaker 3: it's his first Grand Final. We'll get him off, you know.
[36:13] Speaker 3: But I got to say I got to say Warren
[36:16] Speaker 3: Ryan was the most genius bloke at summing up plays
[36:23] Speaker 3: and showing you how to play and all that sort
[36:24] Speaker 3: of stuff. But his demeanor a lot of the time
[36:28] Speaker 3: wasn't wasn't great. Shock, it wasn't great. But you know
[36:32] Speaker 3: because of the name and you know the standing that
[36:35] Speaker 3: he had in the game. But I'll give you I'll
[36:37] Speaker 3: give you an example. We'd watch the video and he'd
[36:40] Speaker 3: go Melmoanninger playing right center. He go watch mel when
[36:44] Speaker 3: he goes in when he makes a tackle and he
[36:46] Speaker 3: stays at market right. So we put on a player
[36:49] Speaker 3: you'll probably remember this, put on a play with Mickey
[36:52] Speaker 3: new We got ankle tap. Well, Mel was caught at market,
[36:54] Speaker 3: not at center, and we put the play on deliberately
[36:57] Speaker 3: for that. It was a set play from Warren Ryan, right,
[37:01] Speaker 3: Nicky Nouget's ankle tap. If Maol doesn't come across from
[37:04] Speaker 3: Marker and ankle tap him made the games all over,
[37:07] Speaker 3: you know what I mean. But it's it's.
[37:10] Speaker 2: History when you're great. Mate. Kevin Harway comes on the field, Yeah,
[37:13] Speaker 2: he's got must have been turning as he came out
[37:15] Speaker 2: and gave it like a iconic vision when he comes
[37:17] Speaker 2: on turn and you're in shock. You pull the mouthpiece out,
[37:22] Speaker 2: slap his head.
[37:23] Speaker 3: Yeah, he's a good mate. He's a good mate. He
[37:25] Speaker 3: made his toil away for over a decade with the Tigers,
[37:28] Speaker 3: make great play, a great defender.
[37:30] Speaker 2: I told him to go on.
[37:31] Speaker 3: You know, well, I think I think what happened was
[37:34] Speaker 3: I think I think it was about twelve two when
[37:36] Speaker 3: I got dragged. Might have been forty eight or something, yeah,
[37:40] Speaker 3: something like that. Anyway, I think they tried to defend
[37:42] Speaker 3: the lead. And I'll tell you one thing I've learned.
[37:44] Speaker 3: When you play against the side they've got blokes that
[37:47] Speaker 3: the caliber of blokes they have, you don't. You don't
[37:49] Speaker 3: defend your lead, can't stop playing, You can't stop playing.
[37:52] Speaker 3: And then that day you remember, Maddie, you because you've
[37:56] Speaker 3: made footy supporter Ricky Stewart's kicking in his passing game,
[38:00] Speaker 3: he kicked U to death. And unfortunately Gary Freeman, who
[38:04] Speaker 3: was a wonderful, wonderful player, great competitor, couldn't kick it.
[38:09] Speaker 3: Wasn't a great kicker. So Benny tried to do everything.
[38:12] Speaker 3: Maybe he played great that day. Benny didn't he did,
[38:14] Speaker 3: Oh well, he played great every week he was a
[38:16] Speaker 3: great player, but he tried to He tried to do
[38:19] Speaker 3: everything to get us home. Yeah, do you know what
[38:21] Speaker 3: I mean?
[38:21] Speaker 2: Well, to give an idea there, boy, he's never talking
[38:23] Speaker 2: about So the harvest for bel main were mc neil
[38:26] Speaker 2: and Gary Freeman, and both of them were just great
[38:28] Speaker 2: competitors and goers. So the half back the playmakers were
[38:31] Speaker 2: Blocker and Bennie Alce. Yeah, you blokes with a Playmateer.
[38:34] Speaker 3: Called the place called the place really from behind the ruck,
[38:39] Speaker 3: from beyond the ruck.
[38:40] Speaker 4: Yeah.
[38:40] Speaker 1: So in terms of because when I and I've seen
[38:44] Speaker 1: old vision of you play, watched a lot of the
[38:46] Speaker 1: old games, particularly through COVID, Remember and COVID they were
[38:48] Speaker 1: playing a lot of those old games on Fox. Ley
[38:50] Speaker 1: who watch them and probably didn't realize how much of
[38:54] Speaker 1: a ball player you were in terms offloading. You would
[38:56] Speaker 1: offload the heat, but you were a front row. Would
[38:59] Speaker 1: atually call a lot of the set plays.
[39:01] Speaker 3: Our whole mindset. Beny was that good to getting down
[39:04] Speaker 3: in speed. So we played flatt and fast thirty years ago.
[39:07] Speaker 3: That's the way, that's the way you should play now,
[39:09] Speaker 3: flatt and fast off the dummy half. So we had
[39:11] Speaker 3: we used to call it players in motion, So we
[39:13] Speaker 3: had three blokes in motion in one in one play.
[39:15] Speaker 3: So the whole idea of the whole theory of it
[39:19] Speaker 3: was to try and get one on once. So I'll
[39:21] Speaker 3: get one bloke attack me, get the ball to Garry
[39:23] Speaker 3: Jack or Timmy Brasher or whatever, you know. So yeah,
[39:26] Speaker 3: that was the whole, the whole theory of it. But
[39:29] Speaker 3: you know, you see a lot of one out running
[39:31] Speaker 3: now in the game. Now that wasn't it was players
[39:33] Speaker 3: in motion.
[39:35] Speaker 1: So someone who's such a key part to that Tiger side,
[39:37] Speaker 1: particularly their attack. Is that what when you talk about
[39:40] Speaker 1: defending the lead Warren Ryan's theory on it was it? Well,
[39:45] Speaker 1: you know, blockers a key part to our attack. I'll
[39:47] Speaker 1: get some of us on there and we'll just focus
[39:49] Speaker 1: on just our defense. Is that what it is?
[39:51] Speaker 3: It's a good question, but I've never asked the question,
[39:54] Speaker 3: and he's never really offered it up.
[39:56] Speaker 2: Well, he's so forwarded an apology or anything.
[39:58] Speaker 3: Block really made. Look, you know, I look at it.
[40:00] Speaker 3: If that's the worst thing that happened in your life. Yeah,
[40:02] Speaker 3: you know, of course I'm devastated. Made a I hank
[40:05] Speaker 3: Grand Final Day dirty. Yeah, Yeah, I don't. I don't
[40:10] Speaker 3: like it because I I would have loved you with
[40:12] Speaker 3: one one. That's what satla on that me great mate,
[40:14] Speaker 3: we toured together with the Kangaroos and then the same
[40:17] Speaker 3: room and I said, mate, you won five, you could
[40:18] Speaker 3: have give me one. It's greed.
[40:20] Speaker 2: You know how tough was watched that last thirty minutes Blocker,
[40:24] Speaker 2: How tough was that for you? Shit?
[40:26] Speaker 3: Well, in those days there was only two replacements and
[40:29] Speaker 3: you couldn't go back on. Yeah, so it means there's
[40:32] Speaker 3: a there's a great fat of moons hero just sitting
[40:34] Speaker 3: there just.
[40:34] Speaker 2: Going what is going on?
[40:36] Speaker 3: We can't do anything?
[40:37] Speaker 1: What was what was the conversation You're and Pulse and
[40:39] Speaker 1: I have it on the on the bench when like
[40:41] Speaker 1: because everyone said that if you go back and wash
[40:43] Speaker 1: that greend final like it's it's dramatic fashion on how
[40:45] Speaker 1: he's lose, Like he scores Steve Jackson. Steve Jackson Jackson
[40:49] Speaker 1: scores a try carrying.
[40:50] Speaker 2: Seven story on a cruise one day.
[40:51] Speaker 4: So yeah, Steve Jackson, he comes up to me. You
[40:54] Speaker 4: probably were on a cruise with the cam Brake so.
[40:56] Speaker 3: Great mates with Ricky and Lori and Melon all that.
[40:59] Speaker 4: You probably won't remember, but remember you ruined me life?
[41:04] Speaker 1: What's the what are you and zero saying on the
[41:07] Speaker 1: bench there?
[41:08] Speaker 3: We weren't saying much mate. It was that hot that day.
[41:10] Speaker 3: I remember it was a dust ball one of the
[41:11] Speaker 3: ground the grounds of Yeah, I don't know, we just devastated.
[41:16] Speaker 3: Was just like what would you call it? Shock? Just
[41:20] Speaker 3: like sitting there you can't do anything.
[41:22] Speaker 1: Well, like there hasn't been you guys might have been
[41:25] Speaker 1: the last since the Melbourne Storm. The last couple of
[41:27] Speaker 1: years they go to two Grand Finals and then get
[41:29] Speaker 1: beat in both three Dragons ninety ninety three Dragons. Sorry,
[41:33] Speaker 1: but for the Storm boys, like now you see this
[41:38] Speaker 1: season they've you know, they haven't been playing the standard
[41:41] Speaker 1: they have the last couple of years, you know in
[41:43] Speaker 1: your opinion, because you've you've lived that same.
[41:45] Speaker 3: Sort of psychological Yeah, good question.
[41:48] Speaker 4: Does that have a psychological effect?
[41:50] Speaker 3: The lemon has been squeezed, mate, Well the lemon was
[41:53] Speaker 3: squeezed and then you like you're going mate, I've been
[41:57] Speaker 3: there twice and played for Australia, played in Origins and that,
[42:01] Speaker 3: and this ain't going to happen now and it just
[42:04] Speaker 3: just sucks all the life out of here, you know
[42:06] Speaker 3: what I mean?
[42:07] Speaker 1: Yeah, the following year.
[42:09] Speaker 3: What did you guys? We made the semis, but we
[42:11] Speaker 3: weren't the same we were Yeah, that's right, Yeah, we
[42:15] Speaker 3: weren't the same it was. You know, it's like a
[42:20] Speaker 3: like a like a sense of time that time we
[42:24] Speaker 3: thought was ours, you know what I mean?
[42:26] Speaker 4: And after that it's.
[42:27] Speaker 3: A devastating It's a bit like a bit like a boxer.
[42:29] Speaker 3: You know, you're the world champ and you get knocked
[42:31] Speaker 3: out in the next two fights, you know what I mean,
[42:33] Speaker 3: You've virtually you virtually had enough.
[42:35] Speaker 2: You know how the decision to retire block you know,
[42:39] Speaker 2: you know, and we're sort of fussed for those last
[42:41] Speaker 2: couple of years. I mean, you still went away and
[42:43] Speaker 2: kangaroo tours that. But the decision retire how difficult for
[42:47] Speaker 2: a bloke, you know, you're very much about physicality and
[42:50] Speaker 2: matship and loyalty and all that. How do you hold
[42:53] Speaker 2: did that leave? When you first retired?
[42:54] Speaker 3: Didn't know what I was going to do, mate, I
[42:56] Speaker 3: was I had the same locker for twelve years, in
[43:00] Speaker 3: the in the room, exactly the same, like I'll be
[43:02] Speaker 3: the first to train and I'll be the last to
[43:04] Speaker 3: go because I love burning around the boys bent and
[43:06] Speaker 3: all that sort of stuff, and then all of a
[43:08] Speaker 3: sudden you finish and you go on, what am I
[43:11] Speaker 3: going to do? But I tell you the honest true
[43:14] Speaker 3: I went to see you like a psychologist type of
[43:16] Speaker 3: person to talk me through it and what was expected
[43:19] Speaker 3: next and made He put it, He put it like,
[43:23] Speaker 3: it's like a woman that has has a children. The
[43:25] Speaker 3: children all grow up and they all leave, and then
[43:28] Speaker 3: she's like, well, what's me purpose? Now? It's similar. That's
[43:31] Speaker 3: how he explained it to me. He said, mate, you've
[43:33] Speaker 3: got to find a purpose. You've got to find you
[43:35] Speaker 3: got to find something that you probably never find something
[43:38] Speaker 3: that excited you as much as that, because that's all
[43:40] Speaker 3: you knew. But you've got to find something that you
[43:43] Speaker 3: know that gives you a bit of a lift.
[43:45] Speaker 1: When when did you find that?
[43:47] Speaker 3: Mate? I was lucky enough to go on a television
[43:49] Speaker 3: I remember Alan Jones was coaching the Tigers and I
[43:52] Speaker 3: was suspended for one of the tenth time and he said, oh, mate,
[43:58] Speaker 3: I'm good mates for the channel line? Like you want
[44:00] Speaker 3: to do the sideline? I said, what do you do?
[44:04] Speaker 3: And he said, I might just go down there and
[44:05] Speaker 3: tell on the weather and all that sort of stuff
[44:07] Speaker 3: and anyway, so go down. So yeah, beautiful beautiful evening
[44:13] Speaker 3: here tonight. So it's lovely.
[44:16] Speaker 4: And the Blakes going like that.
[44:17] Speaker 3: I think that keep going, oh yes, and St George
[44:20] Speaker 3: Louri the first time. Yeah, just kept going.
[44:25] Speaker 2: This is great, this is great.
[44:27] Speaker 4: But it's funny, you know.
[44:28] Speaker 3: Like if bullshit was golden, I would be a multi
[44:31] Speaker 3: So just may just away you go and just you're
[44:34] Speaker 3: right the game.
[44:35] Speaker 2: But it was iconic, like it was iconic all the time,
[44:38] Speaker 2: like in radio it was slit ant taty mcgay and
[44:41] Speaker 2: when it come to TV, it was like down to you,
[44:43] Speaker 2: blocker time, hold the phone, like they might make a
[44:47] Speaker 2: break block and go, well it makes great temperature here
[44:49] Speaker 2: down there, and all of a sudden they be a
[44:50] Speaker 2: breaking Go hold the phone, blocker, hold the phone, blocky boy.
[44:55] Speaker 4: The rabs. He even talked like that when he was
[44:57] Speaker 4: talking normally.
[45:00] Speaker 2: You know he was dating cheap.
[45:05] Speaker 1: How did you enjoy the side because I read I'm
[45:07] Speaker 1: doing sideline now Yeah, listen, I'm good. Oh it's a
[45:12] Speaker 1: like Dad just said, it is awkward when you're start
[45:14] Speaker 1: to get that they crossed here. You've been waiting ten
[45:16] Speaker 1: minutes to cross. You've been gathering thoughts, trying to find
[45:18] Speaker 1: something to talk about, and they come to you, and
[45:21] Speaker 1: then as they cross to you, a line break happens
[45:23] Speaker 1: and they just straight off.
[45:25] Speaker 3: You know. The other worst thing about it right this
[45:27] Speaker 3: is I'm talking about anxiety like I'm ready to say something.
[45:30] Speaker 4: They're just about to come down here, and that the.
[45:32] Speaker 3: Other commentator says it.
[45:35] Speaker 4: There's a little bit of difficulty.
[45:39] Speaker 1: The Big Man does that to me all time. They
[45:40] Speaker 1: talk about to try and I go right out and
[45:42] Speaker 1: I go, there's a I could talk about this from
[45:44] Speaker 1: a Harts perspective. There you go, and big Man just
[45:46] Speaker 1: about to come to me. He'll say, and have a
[45:48] Speaker 1: look at what Sam Walker does here, and I go, shit, oh, just.
[45:50] Speaker 3: About to say that. Yeah. The best one was the
[45:53] Speaker 3: day I was I was on the sideline and Saint George,
[45:55] Speaker 3: I'll Warren the first time in their semi final and
[45:57] Speaker 3: anyway they're playing crap the first twenty minutes.
[46:00] Speaker 4: I could always be honest, rabbles, guys, let's go down
[46:03] Speaker 4: on the sideline. Stevie boy, what do you think I said?
[46:06] Speaker 3: Well?
[46:06] Speaker 4: St George better pull this and fingers out the first time.
[46:10] Speaker 2: That On top of that, when you look back at
[46:13] Speaker 2: your career. Mate, you were part, you know, the genesis
[46:16] Speaker 2: of one of the biggest Australian TV shows of all time.
[46:20] Speaker 2: The foot Show went for so long, mate. You were
[46:23] Speaker 2: there when the show was at its peak, when there
[46:26] Speaker 2: was like six hundred thousand people watching every Thursday night
[46:29] Speaker 2: in Sydney alone.
[46:30] Speaker 3: Yeah, it was. Do you know how sometimes things just happen?
[46:34] Speaker 3: It's funny, you know when they started the Footy Show
[46:36] Speaker 3: that was like me from inner city in a suburbs
[46:40] Speaker 3: you know, Belmain, Peter Sterling from Paramatta and the Fat
[46:44] Speaker 3: from the Northern Bleaches. Mate. I don't think I've ever
[46:48] Speaker 3: laughed so much and had a good time. Mate. Some
[46:50] Speaker 3: of the stuff I wish say'd have shown, like a
[46:53] Speaker 3: lot of the stuff we'd talk about or do where
[46:55] Speaker 3: they didn't.
[46:56] Speaker 4: Put when the cameras weren't running.
[46:57] Speaker 3: But we got away with murder, mate, and made the
[47:00] Speaker 3: Fat was so funny.
[47:02] Speaker 4: You see him on Fox now.
[47:03] Speaker 3: He's got he's got they're doing a face the Face.
[47:05] Speaker 3: He has got a three part series.
[47:08] Speaker 2: He's a great story.
[47:11] Speaker 1: He is like you guys are you were and and
[47:14] Speaker 1: obviously Dad joined into that.
[47:16] Speaker 3: Shape, but.
[47:18] Speaker 1: You guys are the like that has set the stand.
[47:21] Speaker 1: They talk about people digging the well, you know with
[47:23] Speaker 1: with clubs and stuff like that, and you know, respect
[47:26] Speaker 1: the past, like the players that have gone into media,
[47:28] Speaker 1: like you guys paved.
[47:29] Speaker 2: That surface for it.
[47:31] Speaker 1: You see a lot of the players that's their natural
[47:33] Speaker 1: progression now going to the media with the radio, TV, whatever.
[47:36] Speaker 1: But the footage show was like, that was the stand
[47:38] Speaker 1: and that's that was actually what like, that's what a
[47:40] Speaker 1: lot of eneral players want to do because of you.
[47:42] Speaker 2: Guys about his blockers age when that started that with
[47:45] Speaker 2: a golden age. People talk about, you know, when you
[47:47] Speaker 2: were on everything, My time was secondary to what you
[47:50] Speaker 2: blokes did you blokes originally it was just.
[47:53] Speaker 3: But we didn't know. We didn't I didn't know what
[47:54] Speaker 3: I was doing.
[47:55] Speaker 2: And that was the chart.
[47:56] Speaker 3: That's right, Well the fat the fat to go, Mark
[47:59] Speaker 3: Gazer would beyond the end. We got your, we got your,
[48:03] Speaker 3: your father in law, whatever, Red Gaz you're on, they go,
[48:07] Speaker 3: he's not on. Apparently he's not was on air. I
[48:11] Speaker 3: did say anything.
[48:12] Speaker 2: Without the fat one that and again this is you
[48:14] Speaker 2: see this on YouTube. So where he gets his first gig,
[48:18] Speaker 2: it's at the eighty eight Grand Final and David Moro
[48:20] Speaker 2: sitting up there and and for whatever reason, Fatty thinks
[48:24] Speaker 2: it's a rehearsal and he goes sitting onside me was
[48:26] Speaker 2: last year's Grand Final captain winner Paul Vaughton and Paul,
[48:30] Speaker 2: what do you think about today? And Fatty goes, yeah,
[48:33] Speaker 2: it's there's no blocker and there's no fucker what's his name? Okay,
[48:42] Speaker 2: we've just had a bit of a technical.
[48:44] Speaker 3: It was on air.
[48:47] Speaker 1: Oh do they have I suppose back in those days.
[48:53] Speaker 3: But there was no delay, No, don't he's gone.
[48:57] Speaker 1: I love Have you ever seen that video? It's been
[48:58] Speaker 1: a float translational me you hear and that it's like
[49:01] Speaker 1: Sterlow and Faddy that they're doing like pregame they do,
[49:04] Speaker 1: like the pre package, like it's all pre recorded to
[49:07] Speaker 1: throw into the footy, and they're just they just cannot
[49:09] Speaker 1: string centers or get anyone's names right. They're so that
[49:14] Speaker 1: the ability obviously, you know, there wasn't probably a lot
[49:17] Speaker 1: of media training for you guys back then. It was
[49:19] Speaker 1: just like they threw your best. They just threw you
[49:20] Speaker 1: in there. And that was probably the beauty of whatever.
[49:22] Speaker 1: I loved it because it was just so relateable.
[49:24] Speaker 3: Yeah, but Sterlo made Sterlo's are doing us like, yeah,
[49:28] Speaker 3: you know he could. He could wax go about anything
[49:31] Speaker 3: and talk about the game. That's why it worked. It
[49:34] Speaker 3: was like, I don't know, you had Fatty who was
[49:36] Speaker 3: a court jester, and Thenlo was trying to be serious
[49:39] Speaker 3: and they do it deliberately. It's unreal, but some of it.
[49:44] Speaker 3: We used to do andy ds every Tuesday.
[49:46] Speaker 1: I Love I Love the end.
[49:47] Speaker 3: They're still on YouTube. It was so funny, that so good.
[49:50] Speaker 3: It was so funny. But but they'd say, oh, we're
[49:53] Speaker 3: going to do this out about this or whatever. But
[49:55] Speaker 3: they dad live it. Like you ever seen Fatty smiling.
[49:58] Speaker 2: Yeah, when Kenny comes next, come on, you're gonna be
[50:07] Speaker 2: kidding me. Kenny Calicos Sunshine sixty six for one, Now
[50:13] Speaker 2: that's a g.
[50:16] Speaker 3: They were mate. They were so funny. But even the Blakes,
[50:20] Speaker 3: the blokes who wrote the stuff, you know, like but
[50:24] Speaker 3: they had to have Fatty and Sterlo and them sort
[50:26] Speaker 3: of guys to.
[50:27] Speaker 4: Do their own take on it.
[50:28] Speaker 3: You know.
[50:29] Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, like you could you.
[50:31] Speaker 3: Can tell anyone to do whatever they want to do,
[50:33] Speaker 3: but yeah, you need that.
[50:34] Speaker 2: You need those guys can travel carriers. Brothers. Blakes had
[50:42] Speaker 2: the citars.
[50:42] Speaker 3: On Yeah, mates on mates, real good mates with my cot,
[50:46] Speaker 3: Greg Ritchie and mate. He he was on syndicated radio
[50:52] Speaker 3: when he was doing mat my Coat and he came
[50:54] Speaker 3: on his mac in one hundred and twenty six radio stations.
[50:57] Speaker 3: Oh man, they'd all all pain to people.
[51:00] Speaker 2: If you're out there and you see somewhere at a
[51:04] Speaker 2: sportsman's Lnes with Greg Richie speaking, he's just he was.
[51:09] Speaker 2: He was a great Australian happening batsman like Queensland loved
[51:12] Speaker 2: his rugby league, so become part of the footy show.
[51:15] Speaker 2: And maybe he was just because he got the character
[51:16] Speaker 2: when he when they were in India on tour in India,
[51:19] Speaker 2: he used to just like you know the entertainment players
[51:20] Speaker 2: you know, with Indian stereotypes, and the Indians apparently just
[51:24] Speaker 2: loved it.
[51:25] Speaker 3: Remember you heard the story about when he cons the
[51:28] Speaker 3: bloke to give him the Australian cap the Empire. It
[51:31] Speaker 3: goes for half an hour. It is the ris If
[51:33] Speaker 3: you ever get a chance.
[51:34] Speaker 2: Of listening with the footage shows, when when you during
[51:38] Speaker 2: that sort of golden age of rugby league and the
[51:40] Speaker 2: golden age of the footage show, you you fall in
[51:45] Speaker 2: stil through the highest profile blokes in Australia, like massive
[51:49] Speaker 2: everywhere you go mad I Reckon that was just massive
[51:54] Speaker 2: and like so. But then that the public sometimes sees
[51:58] Speaker 2: you and you know an innocent way, they say, mate,
[52:01] Speaker 2: there's Blocker and they feel like got the license to
[52:03] Speaker 2: take the piss out of where? That hard at times?
[52:08] Speaker 3: Yeah, difficult maybe yeah, may particularly should you should have Yeah,
[52:12] Speaker 3: it should have taken it shouldn't have taken the heart.
[52:14] Speaker 3: But that's that's the way I am making personality.
[52:17] Speaker 2: You know, the sideline is tough too. I mean you
[52:19] Speaker 2: I did Silon for a while. You're at the mercy
[52:22] Speaker 2: of the crowd.
[52:24] Speaker 3: Where's your dress?
[52:26] Speaker 1: I can I can have it at my home.
[52:28] Speaker 3: Crowd that I used played playful, you know, we used
[52:31] Speaker 3: to dress up the shoulders and for a laugh. Yeah,
[52:34] Speaker 3: I quite like wearing the fish next where you got
[52:39] Speaker 3: them on now, Blocker.
[52:40] Speaker 1: That's why we had to give your dad's jeans over
[52:42] Speaker 1: the top.
[52:43] Speaker 2: You don't want to hear say we had to breakfast
[52:46] Speaker 2: now coops. We conclude with our segments elimination if you go,
[52:51] Speaker 2: if you done one for that one?
[52:54] Speaker 1: Now?
[52:55] Speaker 3: Is it hard?
[52:57] Speaker 2: Has actually hard.
[52:58] Speaker 1: Because you've played with a lot of great players.
[53:00] Speaker 2: So it's the category Dad, the greatest players you played
[53:04] Speaker 2: with or against.
[53:05] Speaker 1: So he's going to give you two options. It's basically
[53:08] Speaker 1: him versus him. You pick a winner and you just
[53:11] Speaker 1: keep going until there's an undisputed CHA champion. Yes, it's
[53:15] Speaker 1: like King of the Ring.
[53:16] Speaker 2: So there's one here. I mean, you've played so many icons,
[53:20] Speaker 2: hard to put them all in, but let's start off
[53:23] Speaker 2: Sterlow Is, Steve Mortimer, sterlow Sterlow, Malmaninger sterlow Sterlower, Gary Freeman,
[53:35] Speaker 2: sterlow Sterlow, Bruce MacGuire, you're great, mate, Sterlower, Bradley, Clyde, Bradley, Clyde,
[53:48] Speaker 2: Bradley Clyde, Ricky Stewart, Ricky Stewart, Ricky Stewart, Alan Langer,
[53:54] Speaker 2: Ricky Stewart. This one's going to be tough. Ricky Stewart,
[53:58] Speaker 2: Gavin Miller, Riggy Stewart. Yeah, Riggy Stewart. Le's Davidson, Riggy
[54:05] Speaker 2: Stewart because he's brilliant. Absolutely, I'd say the boys the
[54:10] Speaker 2: best player ever brillan uh, Riggy Stewart.
[54:13] Speaker 3: Paul, oh mate, you're hurting me, You're killing me.
[54:19] Speaker 2: He won't mind.
[54:22] Speaker 3: This week and this week, aren't.
[54:23] Speaker 5: We Riggy Stewart, Riggy Stewart, rig You Stewart, Ricky Stewart,
[54:33] Speaker 5: Ellery Hanley, Ricky Shut, Ricky.
[54:36] Speaker 2: Stewart, Wally Lewis, Lewis, Wally Lewis, Brett Kenny.
[54:42] Speaker 3: Jesus Jesus, Well, I'm going to go Wally Lewis for longevity.
[54:55] Speaker 2: Last one. Wally Lewis Ben alias Willie Lewis, Okay, team
[55:03] Speaker 2: number one, the King that I loved it today, mate, Yeah,
[55:07] Speaker 2: I appreciate your company. I've got to say, mate, it
[55:11] Speaker 2: takes me back to when I'm a fan mate, and
[55:13] Speaker 2: I've got to say we're great mates now. Mate, I
[55:16] Speaker 2: just want to thank you for growing up. Its places
[55:18] Speaker 2: like you that maybe want to play the game.
[55:20] Speaker 4: Thanks mate, That means.
[55:21] Speaker 1: A lot, mate, Thanks good bloody earth blood and mate,
[55:24] Speaker 1: I love you too.
[55:25] Speaker 4: Thank you like a father, a father figure.

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them.