WEBVTT - Paul Roos - Here it is! 0:00:07.200 --> 0:00:10.079 If you, as a senior coach get beaten to the 0:00:10.200 --> 0:00:12.639 chains room by the chairman of the board and the board, 0:00:13.320 --> 0:00:17.959 grab your keys, go and grab your bag and get 0:00:17.960 --> 0:00:19.880 the hell out of there, because you're done. 0:00:20.440 --> 0:00:22.400 I'm John Ralph and I'm Glenn MacFarlane. 0:00:22.440 --> 0:00:25.640 Welcome to Sacked, a podcast that explores what really happens 0:00:25.640 --> 0:00:28.160 when the ax falls in the AFL world. Will take 0:00:28.200 --> 0:00:29.920 you behind the scenes with some of the biggest names 0:00:29.920 --> 0:00:32.360 in football and find out how they found out their 0:00:32.400 --> 0:00:35.159 time was up and who pulled the trigger. Sacked AFL 0:00:35.280 --> 0:00:37.559 is made possible with the support of subscribers to The 0:00:37.600 --> 0:00:40.440 Herald Sun. To find out more, go to Heraldsun dot com, 0:00:40.440 --> 0:00:42.959 do au or download the Herald Sun app at your 0:00:42.960 --> 0:00:44.919 app store today. 0:00:45.200 --> 0:00:47.680 Here it is the life and times of Paul Ruse 0:00:47.960 --> 0:00:51.080 from Beverly Hills in Melbourne's East. It was no wonder 0:00:51.120 --> 0:00:53.720 Paul Ruse became as close to a movie star as 0:00:53.760 --> 0:00:56.640 the AFL gets when the man who would only become 0:00:57.000 --> 0:00:59.920 coach of the Swans thanks to a grassroots campaign and 0:01:00.120 --> 0:01:03.120 then led them to a seventy two year drought breaking 0:01:03.200 --> 0:01:05.520 flag just three years later, was announced as coach of 0:01:05.560 --> 0:01:08.840 the Demons Red and Blue fans breathed a sigh of relief. 0:01:09.280 --> 0:01:11.760 It was as if Tom Cruise had appeared in a 0:01:11.800 --> 0:01:15.920 blockbuster movie. Ruse was the bankable star. It wasn't going 0:01:15.959 --> 0:01:18.360 to be allowed to fail from here. But how did 0:01:18.360 --> 0:01:20.000 the kid from don Vale get there? 0:01:20.200 --> 0:01:20.560 Well? 0:01:20.760 --> 0:01:23.080 As was the way in the early nineteen eighties, thanks 0:01:23.080 --> 0:01:27.039 to recruiting zones, his fate was predetermined. Paul Ruse was 0:01:27.080 --> 0:01:28.800 always going to be a Roy boy. 0:01:29.400 --> 0:01:31.440 You sort of didn't have a choice in a sense, 0:01:31.520 --> 0:01:33.880 like you know, when when I was playing, I was 0:01:33.920 --> 0:01:36.840 playing footy and playing basketball and grew up in don 0:01:36.880 --> 0:01:39.039 Bar which was great, and you know, just everything was 0:01:39.040 --> 0:01:41.880 about sport back then. So he just played my whole 0:01:41.920 --> 0:01:44.360 week with basketball, tennis and football. And then because of 0:01:44.520 --> 0:01:46.800 the zoning system, which I think, I know, there's a 0:01:46.800 --> 0:01:49.640 lot of conversation. We might get to the academies later on, 0:01:49.720 --> 0:01:52.480 but I didn't really think about a boy. You got 0:01:52.520 --> 0:01:55.680 invited down to a footy club and you were so excited, 0:01:56.160 --> 0:01:57.960 and the great thing about that you jump in a 0:01:57.960 --> 0:02:00.000 cab with three of fort your mate, so you play 0:02:00.160 --> 0:02:03.080 at Beverly Hills with or you're playing against the Donnie 0:02:03.240 --> 0:02:06.000 so Donnie Hyight. So it's such an easy time. Jumping 0:02:06.040 --> 0:02:09.119 a cab don Val don Va High School, head down 0:02:09.120 --> 0:02:12.440 the junction Oval, jump in a cab, you come home 0:02:12.480 --> 0:02:15.920 stovin McDonald's, get the taxi driver added onto the bill, 0:02:15.960 --> 0:02:19.360 and then the way you go the way you go home. 0:02:19.440 --> 0:02:22.720 So there was no real thought process about it. It 0:02:22.800 --> 0:02:25.360 was just if you were good enough. And the reason 0:02:25.400 --> 0:02:29.560 I loved that system is going to capture everyone. Like 0:02:29.800 --> 0:02:32.880 everyone in that zone went to fitz Royal. I mean 0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:36.240 the list in under Nineti's was probably forty you know, 0:02:36.480 --> 0:02:38.920 preseason training was probably fifty or sixty. So that's so 0:02:39.080 --> 0:02:40.880 different to the way it is today. I mean you've 0:02:40.880 --> 0:02:45.000 got total of probably eighty players drafted Australia White. We're 0:02:45.040 --> 0:02:50.240 talking about sixty players from the fitzroy zone getting drafted 0:02:50.440 --> 0:02:54.320 every year. So again, didn't really think about it. Thought, yeah, 0:02:54.600 --> 0:02:56.800 most kids would go down play some under Ninet's that'd 0:02:56.800 --> 0:02:58.680 be pretty cool, and then I'll better work out what 0:02:58.680 --> 0:03:00.880 I'm going to do. When I started at the AMP, 0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:04.400 so I already had a job. But yeah, you didn't 0:03:04.400 --> 0:03:06.200 really think too much about it really, to be honest. 0:03:06.240 --> 0:03:08.440 He rippers through just the highlights of those early years. 0:03:08.480 --> 0:03:10.320 So nine eighty two. You're an eighteen year old. Your 0:03:10.360 --> 0:03:12.960 first game against Sydney. You play alongside a sixteen year 0:03:13.000 --> 0:03:15.360 old and Gary Purt the number one jumper. Did you 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:20.280 get that from the start? The big names you know, Conlin, Wilson, McMahon, Quinland. 0:03:20.280 --> 0:03:22.440 You know, what are the early recollections of that time? 0:03:23.720 --> 0:03:26.440 Yeah? I mean the early recollections are getting the training 0:03:26.480 --> 0:03:30.160 and looking around and I guess probably now because there's 0:03:30.280 --> 0:03:32.320 very few players at training when I turn up at 0:03:33.040 --> 0:03:35.440 you know, Melbourne, Melbourne coach, Sydney coach, because your lists 0:03:35.440 --> 0:03:37.120 are very strict, But one of the big things you 0:03:37.160 --> 0:03:40.120 remember is how many players were there. I would say, 0:03:40.960 --> 0:03:42.360 I don't know. I would say at the start of 0:03:42.440 --> 0:03:47.160 pre season there's probably seventy to eighty players training. Like 0:03:47.480 --> 0:03:50.400 that's probably the thing that hits me now. And then 0:03:50.840 --> 0:03:53.600 you know, looking at a coach like Robert Walls and 0:03:53.640 --> 0:03:57.200 going I got for Carlton, you know, like suddenly confronted 0:03:57.240 --> 0:04:01.000 with your legends and icons and standing next to Bernie 0:04:01.040 --> 0:04:04.840 Quinlan and Gary Wilson. So I think the enormity of 0:04:04.880 --> 0:04:08.600 the occasion hits you really quickly. Then I was at 0:04:08.600 --> 0:04:12.360 the jump presentation on my first jump presentation nine eighty one, 0:04:13.280 --> 0:04:14.960 and I was with my girlfriend at the time. I 0:04:15.000 --> 0:04:16.800 think my parents were there and they were counting down 0:04:16.839 --> 0:04:18.920 because as you guys know, and back then it was 0:04:18.960 --> 0:04:23.040 counting down from number sixty whatever, you know whatever, eighty seven. 0:04:23.160 --> 0:04:24.480 So that should shows you how well I was. 0:04:25.960 --> 0:04:28.799 So you go along prepared to have number fifty nine 0:04:28.920 --> 0:04:31.760 or something like that, and I remember going fifty nine, 0:04:31.880 --> 0:04:38.239 fifty eight, forty five, thirty twenty five. Trouble here, I thought, 0:04:38.440 --> 0:04:40.320 because there are stories, guys, you would know, there are 0:04:40.320 --> 0:04:43.080 stories about guys turning up a jumper Knights and getting 0:04:43.120 --> 0:04:47.599 delisted on the ninth bacause the chairman of match committee 0:04:47.760 --> 0:04:51.160 got the call and come down. Anyway. Soon's sitting there 0:04:51.200 --> 0:04:54.000 going wow, I don't know what's going on here. This 0:04:54.120 --> 0:04:57.520 is pretty weird. And I got number one, like from 0:04:57.520 --> 0:04:59.760 a first time on the list. So that was that 0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:02.520 number one came about. And I'm still shocked to this 0:05:02.600 --> 0:05:05.359 day as to why I got it. But then you 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:08.719 mentioned I mean, you know, I remember my first practice game. 0:05:08.760 --> 0:05:11.279 You know, it's an intra club game, and as I said, 0:05:11.279 --> 0:05:13.320 there's sixty guys, so you got plenty of guys to 0:05:13.400 --> 0:05:16.880 play two teams with about twenty players standing on the 0:05:16.920 --> 0:05:19.480 boundary line waiting to get on, and I remember, you know, 0:05:19.560 --> 0:05:23.279 I remember waiting to get on and Blue versus Red, 0:05:23.279 --> 0:05:24.960 and I think it was I think it was Rossy 0:05:25.040 --> 0:05:28.400 Thornton tackled Mickeyn, you know, and I'm a sixteen year 0:05:28.440 --> 0:05:30.440 old waiting to get on the ground that excited to play, 0:05:31.160 --> 0:05:35.560 and Mickey wouldn't shot the ball up, so Rossie tried 0:05:35.560 --> 0:05:37.400 to grab it off him. So Mickey punched Rossi in 0:05:37.400 --> 0:05:39.719 the head. I think it was Leon Harris, and I 0:05:39.720 --> 0:05:42.400 think Leon Harris ran in and so punched Leon Harris 0:05:42.400 --> 0:05:44.800 in the head. And I'm gone, hey, this is an 0:05:44.880 --> 0:05:49.400 intra club practice game. I'm not sure I really want 0:05:49.440 --> 0:05:49.880 to go. 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:52.760 On the go on the fielding me, I mean, And 0:05:52.800 --> 0:05:56.880 there were great people right and again, you know, reflecting 0:05:56.880 --> 0:06:00.400 on Maddie Randell's passing and Rossie Thornt's passing, it's when 0:06:00.440 --> 0:06:03.279 you go to the funerals and it's not about wins 0:06:03.279 --> 0:06:03.719 and losses. 0:06:03.760 --> 0:06:06.839 And I think that's I probably realized that when I 0:06:06.880 --> 0:06:09.200 was captain and then I went coach to Sydney, But 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:13.000 going to those funerals and seeing that the impact that 0:06:13.520 --> 0:06:16.159 they had on me and all the people in the room. 0:06:16.200 --> 0:06:18.320 I think you realize how lucky you were to go 0:06:18.360 --> 0:06:21.200 to the Fitzroy footy club. It's just had an enormous 0:06:21.200 --> 0:06:24.680 amount of this fantastic human beings playing for that club. 0:06:25.080 --> 0:06:27.080 So on the eve of one Hundreth game in nine 0:06:27.080 --> 0:06:28.680 and eighty six, you teld Brian whilst she's now the 0:06:28.720 --> 0:06:31.960 AFOLS corporate affairs boss formerly herold Son, if fritzro has 0:06:31.960 --> 0:06:33.880 the opportunity to go to Brisbane, they have got to 0:06:33.920 --> 0:06:34.240 do it. 0:06:35.040 --> 0:06:35.240 You know. 0:06:35.400 --> 0:06:37.719 We asked Els toll insist, you know, tell us the 0:06:37.800 --> 0:06:39.599 times and people say, now, how can a team go 0:06:39.640 --> 0:06:41.680 out of business? But you know, for those that are 0:06:41.720 --> 0:06:44.320 younger and watching listening to this podcast, what was it like? 0:06:44.640 --> 0:06:48.240 Hawpercurious was it? And why was eighty six a tipping point? 0:06:49.360 --> 0:06:51.479 Yeah? So I think it's about six or seven games 0:06:51.480 --> 0:06:53.119 to go, and we were on the I was driving 0:06:53.120 --> 0:06:54.560 past the other day when I was in Melbourne. I 0:06:54.640 --> 0:06:56.479 pointed out to my son, I said, there is the 0:06:56.880 --> 0:06:59.680 that's the tennis court on a Sunday morning at Wesley 0:06:59.680 --> 0:07:03.479 Coley down Punt Road. And I told Tyler the story. 0:07:03.480 --> 0:07:06.640 I said, that's the tennis court that Leon Wiga walked 0:07:06.680 --> 0:07:09.160 on with about seven rounds to go in nine and 0:07:09.200 --> 0:07:11.320 eighty six and said, guys, we've got three options. We 0:07:11.360 --> 0:07:14.000 can fold, we can merge with the Melbourne based Cluber, 0:07:14.080 --> 0:07:16.160 we can go to Brisbane, and we all voted to 0:07:16.200 --> 0:07:19.160 go to Brisbane. And then I started having meetings with 0:07:19.880 --> 0:07:22.240 myself and Perty and a few other started having meetings 0:07:22.280 --> 0:07:25.160 with Ironically, I think it was Ronnie jophas Joseph who 0:07:25.200 --> 0:07:28.400 was running one of the syndigoates. So we started having meeting. 0:07:28.520 --> 0:07:31.280 We won six out of our last seven games we played, 0:07:31.280 --> 0:07:33.720 and we got to the primary final that year. And 0:07:33.760 --> 0:07:36.200 then probably the worst thing that happened was that hecron 0:07:36.280 --> 0:07:37.800 I think it was a building company came in and 0:07:37.840 --> 0:07:39.800 saved this at the time. And when I say the 0:07:39.840 --> 0:07:41.640 worst thing that happened, because I think they went broke 0:07:41.760 --> 0:07:45.760 not long after. And we really struggled, guys, We really did, 0:07:45.760 --> 0:07:47.920 I mean struggled to party players and it was a 0:07:47.920 --> 0:07:51.040 great club and everyone did as best as they possibly could. 0:07:51.440 --> 0:07:55.800 I nearly got traded, Heardy did get traded, Richard Osband 0:07:55.880 --> 0:07:58.800 left and it was just it just fell apart from 0:07:58.800 --> 0:08:01.000 eighty six and I think again you asked me if 0:08:01.000 --> 0:08:03.680 I had won the premiership in eighty three. If we 0:08:03.760 --> 0:08:07.600 had gone to Brisbane in eighty six, I think they 0:08:07.960 --> 0:08:12.440 had the two Jarmans, Mark Leslie. I think they had 0:08:12.520 --> 0:08:14.840 three or four of the best players in Australia all 0:08:14.840 --> 0:08:17.600 lined up who I think Mark Leslie did. The two 0:08:17.680 --> 0:08:20.720 Jarmans didn't go, And I really believe it would have 0:08:20.760 --> 0:08:23.440 been a powerhouse football club from day one because we 0:08:23.440 --> 0:08:26.840 would have kept all the great players that eventually left 0:08:27.360 --> 0:08:29.320 and we would have added some really good players. So 0:08:29.360 --> 0:08:32.040 it was a really big mistake in hindsight, but I 0:08:32.120 --> 0:08:36.839 know why. The Fitzroy faithful continued to do what they 0:08:36.880 --> 0:08:39.080 did and we all worked really hard and it just 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:40.679 fell apart in ninety six. 0:08:40.920 --> 0:08:43.040 Just in eighty that's saying me. You're talking about nineteen 0:08:43.080 --> 0:08:45.080 eighty six to Brownlow Medal. You're going to the Brownlow 0:08:45.080 --> 0:08:46.400 Medal as favorite. 0:08:46.120 --> 0:08:47.040 The hottest of favorite. 0:08:47.080 --> 0:08:49.200 Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's quite incredible. 0:08:49.200 --> 0:08:53.080 And your poll exceptionally well through the year, maybe not 0:08:53.120 --> 0:08:56.160 as well as most media pundits thought you would. And 0:08:56.200 --> 0:08:58.400 you're lose by a vote and you don't get I 0:08:58.440 --> 0:09:01.400 think most everyone the last game, I think everyone thought 0:09:01.400 --> 0:09:02.400 you were going to get the three votes. 0:09:02.400 --> 0:09:03.920 He didn't get any, and a. 0:09:03.920 --> 0:09:06.439 Kid called I think it was that Mark Dwyer from 0:09:07.360 --> 0:09:11.839 Style a few, the Corot Flyer Style a few towards 0:09:11.880 --> 0:09:13.560 the end of the year tell us about the pressure 0:09:13.559 --> 0:09:15.720 of going into a you know, a brown lockout and 0:09:15.840 --> 0:09:16.880 how stiff were here then. 0:09:17.920 --> 0:09:19.400 Yeah, well, I mean there's a little bits the same 0:09:19.440 --> 0:09:21.320 that there is now. I mean, you know, most of 0:09:21.320 --> 0:09:23.240 the time we go into brown lows, and even back 0:09:23.240 --> 0:09:25.080 then you go on to browns because the Age had award, 0:09:25.080 --> 0:09:28.079 the Herald Sun had award, Inside Football had an award 0:09:28.559 --> 0:09:29.080 channel set. 0:09:29.160 --> 0:09:31.200 Yeah, so there's everything I think, didn't your Rosie you 0:09:31.200 --> 0:09:32.520 pretty much want anything that year. 0:09:32.559 --> 0:09:34.400 Yeah, I think I won all the awards that year, 0:09:34.520 --> 0:09:37.880 and I think I won the MVP of the Players Association. 0:09:38.040 --> 0:09:40.400 So you're going in there's a there's a favorite or 0:09:40.440 --> 0:09:43.439 clear favorites or whatever, and I remember I think, yeah, 0:09:43.480 --> 0:09:46.280 there was one vote behind. They always leave the The 0:09:46.360 --> 0:09:50.520 last game was Fitzroy person. Yeah, fitz Robert Sydney. I 0:09:50.640 --> 0:09:53.520 just remember this likecus that happened yesterday. So last round 0:09:53.559 --> 0:09:56.520 Fitzroy v. Sydney that there was so many cameras come over. 0:09:57.080 --> 0:09:59.480 They pointed at me, and I'm sitting there going I 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:01.280 think I'm going to win this, This would be pretty cool. 0:10:01.640 --> 0:10:03.800 One vote, two votes. I think Smirky dw Ive got 0:10:03.800 --> 0:10:06.880 three votes. I can't believe how quickly boys the cameras left. 0:10:06.880 --> 0:10:09.600 It was one of the manhole opened up and they 0:10:09.720 --> 0:10:14.320 just disappeared. Like I've looked around and going, wait, what's 0:10:14.360 --> 0:10:17.240 going on? You know? I finished the finished sequels a 0:10:17.360 --> 0:10:20.240 third or second or because there was diesel and dip 0:10:20.280 --> 0:10:22.400 of both wanted together, but they disappeared. 0:10:22.400 --> 0:10:32.400 That versus Sydney Swans, Sidney Swans, that's right. One vote. 0:10:33.280 --> 0:10:41.680 Fitz Roy G. Perch two votes, fitz Roy W. Logans 0:10:41.960 --> 0:10:42.600 three votes. 0:10:42.920 --> 0:10:46.800 Equal winners Williams of the Swans. 0:10:46.920 --> 0:10:51.760 Deep Pierre Dominica of Hawthorn, both on seventeen votes. 0:10:54.040 --> 0:10:58.120 Bernie, but also remember who was pretty tall and I 0:10:58.160 --> 0:10:59.920 didn't know these boys that well. I think it was 0:11:00.320 --> 0:11:02.920 and there's Craig Bradley and Stephen Kernan came over to 0:11:02.960 --> 0:11:05.120 me later in the night, which was really nice of 0:11:05.160 --> 0:11:07.800 him just to say, look, Brusy just wanted to reach out. 0:11:08.760 --> 0:11:10.599 And then I remember going to Fitzroy function. I was 0:11:10.600 --> 0:11:13.360 probably more disappointed for the Fitzroy fans. I was for 0:11:13.480 --> 0:11:18.600 myself because they organized the celebration, thinking, I felt really 0:11:18.640 --> 0:11:22.400 bad that going back there, not without the Brownlow metal, 0:11:23.360 --> 0:11:25.840 but you realize, you know, you can't control anything, and 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:28.439 it would have been obviously nice, but that's the reality 0:11:28.480 --> 0:11:30.000 of the other Brownlow really. 0:11:30.400 --> 0:11:33.480 Glen mcfhalan's research is, as always is extraordinary. This is 0:11:33.480 --> 0:11:35.960 a quote from Lion's captain Paul Ruse. How can clubs 0:11:36.000 --> 0:11:39.440 expect player loyalty when things like this happened? The shock 0:11:39.480 --> 0:11:41.720 of the merger with foots Gray as a playing group 0:11:41.760 --> 0:11:44.520 was absolutely blindsided. Give us a reflection on that. 0:11:44.800 --> 0:11:47.600 Ladies in gentlemen, the VFL Commission and the boards of 0:11:47.600 --> 0:11:51.360 the Fitzroy and Footscray football Clubs are very pleased to 0:11:51.360 --> 0:11:54.920 announce today the formation of a new force in VFL 0:11:54.960 --> 0:11:58.160 football called the Fitzroy Bulldogs. 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:01.160 Yeah. I mean there's a lot of you know, a 0:12:01.200 --> 0:12:04.880 lot of stuff that happened during that period. You know, 0:12:04.880 --> 0:12:09.160 it was pretty difficult. It's sort of hard to put 0:12:09.200 --> 0:12:11.360 it on the context now because when you're going through it, 0:12:11.400 --> 0:12:14.760 To be honest, it's normal, you know, when you when 0:12:14.800 --> 0:12:18.560 it's happening, because as you guys would know, is like 0:12:18.679 --> 0:12:21.480 we would there were things like we would get paid 0:12:22.280 --> 0:12:25.640 first of March, first three payments a year, so first 0:12:25.640 --> 0:12:28.600 of March, first of July, first of December, and I 0:12:28.600 --> 0:12:31.440 would bring up every payment time and I'd say, look, 0:12:31.480 --> 0:12:33.320 and I was a pretty good player, and I would 0:12:33.320 --> 0:12:35.440 bring up and I think I was captain in eighty eight, 0:12:35.480 --> 0:12:37.559 so it wasn't like I was Joe Blow the forty 0:12:37.559 --> 0:12:39.160 second plan on the list, and I would bring up 0:12:39.440 --> 0:12:42.040 the accounts and I would say, oh gods, you're going 0:12:42.080 --> 0:12:43.680 to get my money, ol Ruzie and your way to week, 0:12:43.760 --> 0:12:47.520 and it just became normal. And it's funny. Even the 0:12:47.640 --> 0:12:51.720 mergers just sort of became normal. But probably the worst 0:12:51.800 --> 0:12:55.920 part out of that is we became like Footscraye really galvanized, 0:12:56.280 --> 0:12:58.880 and they really sort of got money together and they 0:12:58.920 --> 0:13:01.200 sort of got their act together, and it just seemed 0:13:01.200 --> 0:13:05.040 to be one other hurdle that fits I couldn't overcome. 0:13:05.640 --> 0:13:08.520 Whether it was right or not, I don't know, you know, 0:13:08.559 --> 0:13:11.160 I think there was a thing. There's a photo, no Mackie, 0:13:11.200 --> 0:13:15.160 you might Dougie Hawkins with a jumper on the front 0:13:15.160 --> 0:13:18.319 part of the Herald. The irony of that when I'm 0:13:18.320 --> 0:13:20.360 first met my wife. You love this story. So I 0:13:20.360 --> 0:13:23.720 first met my wife Tammy in San Diego and she 0:13:24.720 --> 0:13:26.040 asked me what I did. I say I was a 0:13:26.040 --> 0:13:30.360 professional surfer, so anyway, I couldn't get away with that 0:13:30.400 --> 0:13:33.240 because it was it was the era where in Australia, 0:13:33.320 --> 0:13:36.240 in Melbourne you had to wear like suit pants and 0:13:36.280 --> 0:13:39.080 a colard shirt to a nightclub. So I thought the 0:13:39.080 --> 0:13:41.040 same thing would happen in San Diego. So me and 0:13:41.040 --> 0:13:45.600 Brett Stevens looked like two accountants going two surfy pubs. 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:48.120 I'll walk into Tammy's gone, There's no way known your surfer. 0:13:48.160 --> 0:13:50.480 Have a look at the way you dressed. Anyway, I 0:13:50.559 --> 0:13:52.840 then told her now I played Australian rules football, and 0:13:52.880 --> 0:13:55.719 she didn't believe that, so that she arrived in Melbourne 0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:59.560 the day the Herald Son really had the photo of 0:13:59.600 --> 0:14:03.840 me on a front page with Dougie Hawkins, and then 0:14:03.920 --> 0:14:06.079 finally realized, yeah, maybe I was telling the truth, but 0:14:07.480 --> 0:14:09.880 it was. Yeah, it was. There were huge stories. But 0:14:09.920 --> 0:14:15.040 because again putting in context, I think because the way 0:14:15.120 --> 0:14:17.439 the media is now compared to what it was then, 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:20.160 it was sort of one big story in the Herald's done, 0:14:20.240 --> 0:14:23.960 one big story in the age. It wasn't like Instagram, 0:14:24.200 --> 0:14:28.680 you know, all the mediums we have now websites all 0:14:28.680 --> 0:14:31.400 that sort of stuff. So it was big for that moment, 0:14:31.800 --> 0:14:33.800 and then you'd go to training and you train and 0:14:33.920 --> 0:14:36.440 you play on the weekend. So it didn't it sort 0:14:36.440 --> 0:14:39.760 of didn't carry over, which is quite it's quite different 0:14:39.800 --> 0:14:40.720 to the way it is now. 0:14:40.840 --> 0:14:42.240 So I suppose I was going to ask you, you know, 0:14:42.320 --> 0:14:44.240 if the AFL should have done more and Ross Oakley, 0:14:44.280 --> 0:14:46.360 you know, killed a football club and I moved on. 0:14:47.120 --> 0:14:49.080 But it feels to me like you're saying it was 0:14:49.160 --> 0:14:50.960 you know, it was dying, and it was dying, and 0:14:50.960 --> 0:14:52.840 it you know, it probably didn't need to be resuscitated 0:14:52.840 --> 0:14:55.120 at times, and what happened to it was the best outcome. 0:14:56.600 --> 0:14:58.400 I think they should have gone in eighty six. That 0:14:58.440 --> 0:15:00.360 would have been the best outcome. But I I think 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:03.240 not many people know this. I've said this maybe privately, 0:15:03.480 --> 0:15:06.160 and I think publicly. We were going to boycott a 0:15:06.160 --> 0:15:07.400 preseason game one. 0:15:07.320 --> 0:15:08.920 Year wow because she is done? 0:15:08.960 --> 0:15:14.480 Because great question. So there was a lot of senior 0:15:14.520 --> 0:15:17.120 players coming to me insane Rousie, We're hearing we're not 0:15:17.160 --> 0:15:18.800 going to get paid, We're hearing going to get fold. 0:15:18.840 --> 0:15:21.680 It was the start of the season and Ralphie because 0:15:21.680 --> 0:15:24.320 the reason I'm mentioning this because you said, did the 0:15:24.320 --> 0:15:26.320 AFL did enough? We actually went to the AFL and 0:15:26.360 --> 0:15:29.400 asked them from a manager, Damian Smith, if they guarantee 0:15:29.440 --> 0:15:32.760 our contracts. They said they wouldn't, so we actually as 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:35.800 a group, there's probably ten or twelve or maybe more 0:15:35.880 --> 0:15:39.400 senior players that got together and said, guys, this is 0:15:39.440 --> 0:15:43.360 not good. We could actually fold and not get paid. 0:15:43.960 --> 0:15:46.360 So the club, I think the club got pretty shitty 0:15:46.400 --> 0:15:48.640 for us doing it, and we came to a compromise. 0:15:48.680 --> 0:15:50.680 We end up playing, but we were legitimately not going 0:15:50.720 --> 0:15:54.080 to turn up for a preseason practice game. So I 0:15:54.160 --> 0:15:58.400 don't think the AFL did enough, Ralphie. But was it 0:15:58.600 --> 0:16:04.280 inevitable anyway? Probably? I mean, if you look at South Melbourne, 0:16:04.840 --> 0:16:07.160 it was sort of the same, wasn't it really, And 0:16:07.200 --> 0:16:11.720 it wasn't until many many years later and when Plugger 0:16:11.760 --> 0:16:14.000 went up there and it seemed to get a bit on. 0:16:15.120 --> 0:16:17.600 Hafey did a great job with Diesel and Jared Healy 0:16:17.680 --> 0:16:20.000 and but that was a bit superficial. I suspect just 0:16:20.320 --> 0:16:23.200 had a lot of great players and private ownership. But 0:16:23.880 --> 0:16:26.400 I don't know, it's probably hard. It's a bit harsh 0:16:26.440 --> 0:16:28.400 on the AFL or the VFL. Back then, no one 0:16:28.400 --> 0:16:31.040 really knew what to do and I obviously want to 0:16:31.080 --> 0:16:32.960 expand it. And when we look back on it now, 0:16:33.480 --> 0:16:35.480 it was probably a good thing the Brisbane lines, but 0:16:35.520 --> 0:16:37.320 I think if that they should have gone in eighty 0:16:37.360 --> 0:16:39.360 six and that would have been you know, the Brisbane 0:16:39.400 --> 0:16:43.040 Bears were terrible for many many years because it was 0:16:43.080 --> 0:16:45.400 tough for them. But if fitz Roy had a relocated 0:16:45.880 --> 0:16:47.480 I think that would have been a really good result 0:16:47.520 --> 0:16:47.880 back then. 0:16:48.160 --> 0:16:50.360 So Freeman was an option, Adelaide was an option. There 0:16:50.400 --> 0:16:52.560 was an Adelaide trade there and then at the end 0:16:52.560 --> 0:16:54.600 it was Sidney became obvious to. 0:16:56.040 --> 0:16:59.000 Yeah, well Adelaide couldn't get anyone to go to fitz Roy. 0:16:59.080 --> 0:17:01.440 So Robert Shaw wanted me to come. And I knew 0:17:01.480 --> 0:17:04.119 Tony McGinnis really well. I knew Greg Anderson really well. 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:07.520 I played Gaelic football with him, knew Chris McDermott really well. 0:17:07.520 --> 0:17:09.520 I was pretty excited to go to Adelaide. And Ronnie 0:17:09.560 --> 0:17:12.560 Joseph was fantastic because Ronnie Joseph was working with Sydney 0:17:12.840 --> 0:17:15.120 and he was amazing. He would bring me all the time. 0:17:15.200 --> 0:17:17.720 So Rusie, it's probably not fair for you to come 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:20.880 to Sydney as a thirty one year old by yourself. 0:17:20.920 --> 0:17:23.440 But we think if we can get Tony Lockett, we'd 0:17:23.480 --> 0:17:25.439 love you to come as a package. We love you 0:17:25.480 --> 0:17:27.560 to come with Tony and we think that'll make a 0:17:27.560 --> 0:17:29.760 big difference. So he was amazing and I was talking 0:17:29.760 --> 0:17:32.600 Adelaide at the same time. Free I was interesting. Jared 0:17:32.680 --> 0:17:35.720 Neisha was an interesting cat. He was pretty funny. But 0:17:36.359 --> 0:17:41.000 so those were the two main ones, was Adelaide and Sydney. 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:43.320 And as I said, Ronnie was great. He talked me 0:17:43.320 --> 0:17:45.600 through the whole thing. But in the end Adelaide couldn't 0:17:45.600 --> 0:17:51.159 get anyone to go to Fitzroy and then Tony. If 0:17:51.200 --> 0:17:53.199 you guys would remember, remember Tony like at the end 0:17:53.200 --> 0:17:56.360 for hour the trade was done right before the deadline, 0:17:56.400 --> 0:17:58.560 which is not unusual now, but back then it was like, 0:17:59.000 --> 0:18:01.639 where's Tony Lockett. I'm the biggest name in the game, 0:18:02.119 --> 0:18:03.720 Where's he going to go? And I I don't know where. 0:18:03.720 --> 0:18:06.119 It's two o'clock, but it won fifty nine and fifty 0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:09.080 nine seconds it was Tony Lockert and r J was 0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:11.200 on the phone to me at two o one and said, look, mate, 0:18:11.359 --> 0:18:13.399 we'll get you in the March draft. I said, no worries, 0:18:13.440 --> 0:18:16.080 I'm going overseas. I said, yeah, you can't start training 0:18:16.080 --> 0:18:18.720 with us anyway. Come back in January, start training with 0:18:18.720 --> 0:18:20.359 the Center. We'll pick you up in the March draft. 0:18:20.400 --> 0:18:23.000 So yeah, so that's all how that all happened. Yeah, 0:18:23.000 --> 0:18:26.120 in the year in which Fitzroy eventually emerged. Their last 0:18:26.119 --> 0:18:29.000 game in Melbourne and of course over in the West. Yeah, 0:18:29.160 --> 0:18:32.159 you're ahead in the Grand final, so Glenn Freeborn position 0:18:32.200 --> 0:18:35.639 to move there, David King act of violence and all 0:18:35.640 --> 0:18:36.919 of a sudden the ebs away. But it was an 0:18:36.920 --> 0:18:38.640 amazing year for you, and it was obviously a great 0:18:38.640 --> 0:18:42.000 Grand final, twenty five touches for yourself. Yeah, it was great. 0:18:42.040 --> 0:18:43.760 But I didn't go to Sydney, to be honest, thinking 0:18:43.760 --> 0:18:45.760 I'd playing a Grand final. You know, I sat there 0:18:45.800 --> 0:18:48.960 on the bottom of the ladder. Obviously Tony came, yeah 0:18:48.960 --> 0:18:51.359 this is how this is my second year. So ninety 0:18:51.359 --> 0:18:53.119 five I went there, ninety six I Rodney. He did 0:18:53.160 --> 0:18:56.280 an amazing job, like to get us to a Grand Final. 0:18:56.359 --> 0:18:58.440 So when I signed with Sydney for three years, I thought, look, 0:18:58.440 --> 0:19:01.960 if we can get to laying finals, that would be amazing. 0:19:02.400 --> 0:19:05.120 But we played some incredible footage like during that year 0:19:05.160 --> 0:19:08.920 we beat North Melbourne at Princess Park. We just belted them. 0:19:09.960 --> 0:19:12.720 We came back to the SCG and there was forty 0:19:12.720 --> 0:19:15.439