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Speaker 1: Cameron Sirelder honestly thought he would not even challenge for

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Speaker 1: an URN level. You're not inspiring that Bulldog army, and

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Speaker 1: you can.

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Speaker 2: See it's the sort of side that you'd loved be

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Speaker 2: part of.

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Speaker 1: But he just got better and better as a difference, Steve.

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Speaker 3: We've got.

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Speaker 4: Cameron Sirelder very special guest todayre before we get into

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Speaker 4: the Bulldogs, your playing career, your coaching career. Me and

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Speaker 4: Jack saw you up at Mick Fanning's golf day a

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Speaker 4: few weekends ago, and you were telling us a funny

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Speaker 4: story about I don't know if you know this Matthew,

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Speaker 4: about you and Matthew's first ever interaction when you were

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Speaker 4: just a just a boy.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I was seventeen.

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Speaker 2: Well that's a boy.

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Speaker 3: We better get quicked in the story because people don't.

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Speaker 1: It was actually my first ever time at Nordy's. I

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Speaker 1: snuck in with a fake idea at seventeen, and we

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Speaker 1: didn't have much money to our name. Then we had

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Speaker 1: a good night at Northy's and run our way home

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Speaker 1: and had no money for a cab, so we tried

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Speaker 1: to hitch came and me and me mate, well, all

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Speaker 1: of a sudden, the cab pulls up and says, were

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Speaker 1: you go? And boys jump in, looked around. It's Maddie

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Speaker 1: John's with Trish and so Maddie Drevis home at seventeen,

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Speaker 1: our first night at Northey's and it was awesome, little stoke.

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Speaker 4: What was the conversation like in the car? What's what's

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Speaker 4: he talking about in that? Because Matthew can dribble when

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Speaker 4: he's drunk, youeb I can't remember pretty sure.

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Speaker 2: It's a long time ago. We're talking about twenty three

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Speaker 2: years ago.

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Speaker 4: Well, I thought it might have had a big It

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Speaker 4: sounded like I had a huge impact on him. You

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Speaker 4: can't even remember what happened in the car. All right,

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Speaker 4: We're going to get straight into a bit of Bulldogs

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Speaker 4: chat before we get into your life. A massive successful

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Speaker 4: season for the Doggies this year.

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Speaker 1: How are you.

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Speaker 4: Feeling going into the first finals that the Dogs have

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Speaker 4: seen in a long time.

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Speaker 1: We're enjoying every day at the moment, Just enjoyed every

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Speaker 1: day all year. Actually, it's been a really enjoyable year.

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Speaker 1: We're just We've got a really good crew wet, a

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Speaker 1: group of guys that have come together. You know, we

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Speaker 1: had a we hadn't played together at the start of

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Speaker 1: the year, and the way they've come together as a

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Speaker 1: group and the way they've connected has been I've just

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Speaker 1: been real privileged to be a part of it and

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Speaker 1: witness it. So honestly, we just enjoy going to work

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Speaker 1: every day and having a laugh and the boys are

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Speaker 1: working hard. So yeah, it's been successful so far, but

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Speaker 1: we feel still feel like we've got a long way

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Speaker 1: to go.

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Speaker 2: Jesus players has been impressive away from football too, like

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Speaker 2: their interview, because in recording this, you just packed from

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Speaker 2: New Zealand. He's been the Warriors over there. It's five

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Speaker 2: in a row and after every victory at the moment,

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Speaker 2: there's celebrations in the streets of Bilnemore. It really is.

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Speaker 2: It's awesome. I Mean sometimes you think we're going to

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Speaker 2: keep a lid in it, but when you get the

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Speaker 2: momentum and those fans deserve it. But amongst all the

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Speaker 2: hysteria and fanfare and praise, the players have really when

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Speaker 2: they're interviewed, remain grounded. How have your many set sura.

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Speaker 1: Oh, we spend a lot of time on that. We

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Speaker 1: actually talk about this quite a lot, just embracing opportunities

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Speaker 1: and atmospheres, but also bringing yourself back to staying present

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Speaker 1: and being neutral. And we've done a lot of work

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Speaker 1: on the sort of above the show was and mental

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Speaker 1: skills during the season, and they're really mature, this group,

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Speaker 1: even though they're young, being able to get hyped up

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Speaker 1: and then come back to neutral and go again. And

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Speaker 1: they've really embraced the sort of the scenes we've seen

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Speaker 1: around Belmore's. It's actually inspiring our boys, so why not

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Speaker 1: embrace it?

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Speaker 2: Did it concern you initially when all of a sudden

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Speaker 2: met midway through the season the praise really started flowing.

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Speaker 1: Nah, it didn't. Honestly, it didn't, because it's actually a

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Speaker 1: really unique club. You know, the Bellmore area of the community.

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Speaker 1: It's it's very unique, and it's something this group's had

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Speaker 1: a real purpose on united and inspiring that bulldog army.

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Speaker 1: And you know, they're getting a lot of praise lately,

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Speaker 1: but at the start of the year we actually had

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Speaker 1: to show them the little wins they were having because

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Speaker 1: because there wasn't a whole lot of belief there and

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Speaker 1: everyone no one was praising us. At the start of

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Speaker 1: the year, we lost our first two games and everyone

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Speaker 1: was saying, here we go again. So for us in

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Speaker 1: the background. We were trying to show all the little

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Speaker 1: little wins we were having and all the good stuff.

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Speaker 1: And now it's actually nice that it's coming from the

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Speaker 1: outside in. But the boys are very honest and understand

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Speaker 1: what we're doing well and what we need to improve.

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Speaker 4: How do you do that now, because obviously at the

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Speaker 4: start you're trying to build the team up, show them

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Speaker 4: how good they can be now that they found that

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Speaker 4: groove going into finals, are you know, are you showing

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Speaker 4: them a lot of negative stuff? Are you showing where

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Speaker 4: they can improve on?

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Speaker 2: Well?

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Speaker 1: Honestly, hasn't changed, Like every time we go into a video,

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Speaker 1: here's some things we can do better, and here's some

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Speaker 1: things we're doing really well, and that sort of that

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Speaker 1: sort of style hasn't changed since the first couple of

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Speaker 1: losses at the start of the year and when in

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Speaker 1: a couple of the trot.

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Speaker 2: Now I'm really conscious of this interview not to lead

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Speaker 2: you down the path of praise, you know, because all

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Speaker 2: the hard works still ahead of you, blokes. But what

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Speaker 2: I really like about the Bulldogs this year is that

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Speaker 2: you've got your own unique style I like, and a

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Speaker 2: lot of ways to those Tim Machines tiger size in

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Speaker 2: around two thousand and five, and the fact that it's

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Speaker 2: a high IQ, high skilled game of football. My question

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Speaker 2: to you, Siroh is this, when Chicken All the Egg,

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Speaker 2: did the style of players that you bought did dictate

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Speaker 2: the style or did you have in mind how you

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Speaker 2: wanted to play and recruit according accordingly?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's good question. It's a little bit of both.

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Speaker 1: I don't think we truly found our style until probably

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Speaker 1: six weeks ago. I think it was a lot of

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Speaker 1: try and trial and error for the first probably nineteen rounds.

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Speaker 1: Some things work, some didn't. Then we were able to

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Speaker 1: have the last buy and sort of sit down and

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Speaker 1: have a look at what was working and what wasn't.

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Speaker 1: And yeah, I think we found out group the last

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Speaker 1: six weeks. But we still feel like there's another couple

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Speaker 1: of levels in us that we'd like to find over

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Speaker 1: the next few weeks. But obviously, with the way we

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Speaker 1: wanted to place, especially around defense, we needed guys who

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Speaker 1: were fitting mobile, and you know, our recruitment strategy was

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Speaker 1: more around character than anything. It was all about getting

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Speaker 1: good people who want to work hard but are also

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Speaker 1: good connectors of people. It's very hard to put a

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Speaker 1: group of guys together these days and get guys to

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Speaker 1: become cohesive. So you need guys that are good connectors

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Speaker 1: of people, and that's something that we really looked at

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Speaker 1: in our recruitment. You guys like jam and Salmon and

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Speaker 1: Connor Tracy and Josh Karen and Kurt Man and Jake

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Speaker 1: Turp and Drew Hudgeson, They're all really good connectors of

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Speaker 1: people and that was one of the most important things

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Speaker 1: we were looking for.

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Speaker 2: Gee, you've got them improving. Some of those players, I

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Speaker 2: mean they were you could see there was quality in

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Speaker 2: those players. But you've got them there and given given

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Speaker 2: him consistency. Condor Tracy. It's funny a couple of players

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Speaker 2: that I've seen coming through the grades, it's like they

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Speaker 2: had no breaks and they lacked a certain focus. Connor

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Speaker 2: Tracy Jack played with at Souse Mate it was everything

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Speaker 2: was just me and Miles. Now at Kurt Man at Newcastle,

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Speaker 2: he struggled for focus. He came up with a lot

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Speaker 2: of errors, he struggled for breaks. Were those guys trying

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Speaker 2: to see the right question here? When those guys arrived,

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Speaker 2: you know, what were some of the things you did

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Speaker 2: with them? Sarah to find their focus well.

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Speaker 1: I think I think a lot of them were really

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Speaker 1: good players that had limited opportunities at other clubs. Like

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Speaker 1: Connor Tracy was was a good player, but he was

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Speaker 1: sort of bounce around fullback, center wing at Cranala. He's

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Speaker 1: behind a pretty good back line there. A lot of

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Speaker 1: them just needed an opportunity to play regular first garrade

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Speaker 1: in a regular position and just sort of being able

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Speaker 1: to have that time to build their game. Kurt's probably

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Speaker 1: a bit the same as utility value probably worked against

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Speaker 1: him at times, and we've seen that with plenty of

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Speaker 1: players over the years. So being able to go buy

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Speaker 1: good players out of good systems and just give them

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Speaker 1: a pretty simple role, I think it's benefited them individually

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Speaker 1: and probably benefited us as a team.

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Speaker 2: You can answer this if you want to, and any

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Speaker 2: time through this, I don't want to give away any circuits.

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Speaker 2: But do you place restrictions as the wrong word? Do

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Speaker 2: you put firewalls around players, say, for instance, Kurt, and

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Speaker 2: say I don't want you to go there? Is there

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Speaker 2: a little bit of that.

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Speaker 1: There's a structure that we want to play with, but

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Speaker 1: there's a freedom withinside that as well. And I think

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Speaker 1: that's one of our greatest strengths is we've got systems

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Speaker 1: and structures in place that's best for the team. But

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Speaker 1: if you see something within that, you've got every chance

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Speaker 1: to go with that. And I think Kurt's probably a

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Speaker 1: good exam all that. He's been able to play within

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Speaker 1: the structure at times, but then he can he can

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Speaker 1: fall out of that and do things that his natural

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Speaker 1: ability allows. He's got some of the best footwork I've

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Speaker 1: ever seen, so when he's he's able to do that

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Speaker 1: and move his feed and skip across and find someone else.

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Speaker 1: So that's that's stuff you can't coach, and that's that's

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Speaker 1: where you've got to let him go at different times.

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Speaker 4: I feel like it's funny when you talk about some

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Speaker 4: of those players who now their household names and that

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Speaker 4: bulldog side, but they've been bouncing around clubs for a

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Speaker 4: long time and coming in and out of reserve grade,

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Speaker 4: and once you give him a chance in one position,

195
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Speaker 4: like Tyrone Wishart, for example, this year he's at the store.

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Speaker 4: In the last couple of years, he's not sed up

197
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Speaker 4: fifty games now but played wing Santa forteen hooker and

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Speaker 4: he really cemented a good a good few games when

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Speaker 4: Munster went down at six and his confidence has just

200
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Speaker 4: found his football, Yeah, really found his football. One player

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Speaker 4: I want to ask you about Toby Sexton sex Bomb,

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Speaker 4: who we've had a fair bit to do with. Started

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Speaker 4: the year in reserve grade, but now he's really cemented

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Speaker 4: a spot at half back there. He's been a key

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Speaker 4: part of that squad.

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Speaker 2: Did what did you see?

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Speaker 4: What change did you see to Toby?

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Speaker 1: Well, we're really excited about We brought Toby down at

209
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Speaker 1: the end of last year and you know, there's some

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Speaker 1: good things in his game and he's sort of done

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Speaker 1: the hard part of his career as a half back

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Speaker 1: the first forty games or so, and over the precesson

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Speaker 1: he just had a couple of things he needed to

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Speaker 1: work on and we were lucky enough that we had

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Speaker 1: it drew on him there sort of battling it out

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Speaker 1: for that number seven spot, and to Toby's credit, he

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Speaker 1: went back to New South Wales, worked on those things, relentlessly,

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Speaker 1: waited for his opportunity and when he got it, he

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Speaker 1: took it. His character his first class, like he's such

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Speaker 1: a great person. Never once dropped his lip never. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: just always put the team first. But in the background

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Speaker 1: was just building his game until he got his opportunity.

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Speaker 1: I think he's just a great He's a great example

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Speaker 1: for any kid that goes back to New South Wales

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Speaker 1: Cup and has to work on their craft. But one,

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Speaker 1: you have a good attitude, Two you keep working hard,

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Speaker 1: and three when your opportunity comes, you're confident enough to

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Speaker 1: take it.

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Speaker 2: Assum at the airport once you guys are there soon

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Speaker 2: as put that day and he was playing reserve grade

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Speaker 2: at that point when you South Walls Cup and said,

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Speaker 2: I've been watching play but the Cup you're playing good

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Speaker 2: And he said, yeah, eat Na, I'm really good, said

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Speaker 2: he you keeping up in spirits? He said, no, one

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Speaker 2: as good as gold. He said, I'll get I'll get

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Speaker 2: my start soon.

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Speaker 3: That's a that's a that's a great attitude to have.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, have you got a favorite? Zy Most coaches got

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Speaker 4: like one or two little favorites in their back pocket.

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Speaker 4: It seems like you and Tavia got it. I saw

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Speaker 4: you guys did the fletching, HEINDI on Dad's show, and

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Speaker 4: it seemed like, you know, you gos a lot of

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Speaker 4: good stories and banter between each other.

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Speaker 1: Oh, he's awesome. We've got so many good people. I

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Speaker 1: love them more honestly, like I love going to work

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Speaker 1: every day with this group there. There's such good fun

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Speaker 1: to be around, and the band is good. You feel

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Speaker 1: like you're back playing again sometimes. But yeah, Taby's one

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Speaker 1: of them. Jake Turban's another one that's a real, real

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Speaker 1: good value guy.

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Speaker 2: It's not bitter around the bush. We know who it is.

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Speaker 2: Stephen Krich Mate, SiO mate he has. I mean, you

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Speaker 2: knew you were getting a terrific player when you signed him,

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Speaker 2: but at the back end of the Origin series last year,

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Speaker 2: so and go up a notch and he's just gone

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Speaker 2: up another level or two again when you talk about

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Speaker 2: I look and I think, you know some of the

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Speaker 2: greatest signings of the modern era as far as impact concerned.

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Speaker 2: He's definitely one of him. You've got Laza ninety two,

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Speaker 2: ninety three, he went to the Broncos, had one anything

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Speaker 2: you coop Kronk twenty eighteen nineteen at the Roosters and

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Speaker 2: you got thirst and at the Cowboys. But those clubs

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Speaker 2: were they were ripe ready to go, you know, like Laso.

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Speaker 2: Wayne Benna bought Laso there because he was the last

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Speaker 2: piece of the puzzle. They needed to win where Steve

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Speaker 2: Crichton was that went there. You needed so much from

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Speaker 2: him and he's delivered on it all.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, he's been. He's been unreal. He's just a winner,

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Speaker 1: Like he understands what winning looks like. He turns up

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Speaker 1: wanting to win every day and his preparation feeds into that.

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Speaker 1: And he's just made such an impact. And the scary

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Speaker 1: thing he's only twenty three and he's never going to

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Speaker 1: stop having that hunger to win. Like I just I

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Speaker 1: just know it.

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Speaker 2: Did you gways plan on making him captain when you

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Speaker 2: signed him at all? No?

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Speaker 1: No, the guy the Stephen Krecht and I left at

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Speaker 1: Penrith was he was a good kid and he worked hard.

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Speaker 1: But there wasn't I wasn't sitting there thinking he's going

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Speaker 1: to be a captain one day. But I've got to say,

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Speaker 1: the moment he walked in the doors of Belmore, there

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Speaker 1: was a it was a different Stephen Krocht and the

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Speaker 1: one I've left at Penrith, and it became pretty obvious

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Speaker 1: pretty quickly that he was going to be the leader.

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Speaker 1: Was there? What? What?

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Speaker 2: What did you see it?

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Speaker 3: Truck?

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Speaker 4: Was there a moment when you were like, oh, he's

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Speaker 4: going to be he's going to be a skipper for

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Speaker 4: the year.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it wasn't It wasn't crossing my mind earlier because

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Speaker 1: reading Bird I felt like I had done the first

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Speaker 1: twelve months and done the hard yards and that were

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Speaker 1: going to grow from that. So it wasn't a consideration early.

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Speaker 1: But his first week Stephen was into an army camp

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Speaker 1: and the way he walked into that army camp and

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Speaker 1: just took hold of the team, We're all sitting there going, holy,

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Speaker 1: holy shit, this is this is incredible. But then for

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Speaker 1: the six weeks after that back of training, he just

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Speaker 1: led and he had impact and people followed him. So yeah,

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Speaker 1: it got to the point where we just had to

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Speaker 1: make him the captain. And the guys around that, like

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Speaker 1: reading Bird especially, have been so supportive.

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Speaker 2: Of him because the news all the bad news. Stephen,

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Speaker 2: I'll say the good news, good news is your captain.

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Speaker 2: What's the bad news? Your captain?

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Speaker 3: That sometimes you know it could be a tough job,

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Speaker 3: you get it.

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Speaker 2: I get a real good idea and a feel for

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Speaker 2: players when they come on the show, because you do,

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Speaker 2: you're talking them before the show. In the ad breaks.

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Speaker 2: Crichton had such amazing presence. You know, you sit there

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Speaker 2: and the ad break and you haven't a bit of

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Speaker 2: discussion about things, and he's just steering the street between

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Speaker 2: the eyes. And the other one that really struck me

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Speaker 2: is Jacob kraz was on with him. It was terrific.

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Speaker 2: But when I asked a question, what do you think

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Speaker 2: you know? With the Titans there? Creta would pause and

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Speaker 2: Jacob wouldn't fill the space. So Cretor found himself answering

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Speaker 2: all the time, and I'm sitting there. Asked the question

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Speaker 2: again and there was vision so people couldn't see it,

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Speaker 2: but he slapped kras on the leg and said, like,

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Speaker 2: step up. I thought that's said a lot about him.

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Speaker 1: He just again, for a twenty three year old, he's

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Speaker 1: so mature that he understands, Yeah, when the energy's down,

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Speaker 1: when someone needs to get involved more, how to bring

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Speaker 1: people along on the journey with him. That's incredible.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, Jacob Preston said a funny thing about him the

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Speaker 4: other day. I was like, oh, and he goes. When

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Speaker 4: Stephen Crichton came in, it was so weird. I think

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Speaker 4: Presto's a year under Crudo anyway, but he was like,

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Speaker 4: I've just never seen someone oose so much confidence. He's like,

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Speaker 4: it's obviously come from being at a club that's just

334
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Speaker 4: on a three peat and just won three premiership and

335
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Speaker 4: he's got three premiership rings and he's played Origin and stuff.

336
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Speaker 4: But he said, for a twenty three year old, like

337
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Speaker 4: they're still at a club that hadn't played a lot

338
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Speaker 4: of finals footy, there's probably a fair bit of insecurity

339
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Speaker 4: and stuff around people's football, not feeling safe in their

340
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Speaker 4: position because they haven't been successful. But he said the

341
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Speaker 4: effect that Stephen Krichton effect when they came in, it

342
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Speaker 4: just brought all of their confidence up so much.

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Speaker 2: Sure, A question for you then, a coach and a

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Speaker 2: captain's relationship, particularly with a bloke like Stephen, who's so

345
00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:10,080
Speaker 2: important to get elevating everybody else around My final year

346
00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:11,920
Speaker 2: when I played a Cronulla ud Chris Anders and we

347
00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:15,080
Speaker 2: had Bret Camalley and I'm telling you now if not

348
00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:17,680
Speaker 2: he threw the ball at my ankles and I dropped it.

349
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Speaker 2: He blamed me for it and after a while I

350
00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:22,880
Speaker 2: sat he got it going up there and I remember

351
00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:25,440
Speaker 2: after training session this happened. We do a video session.

352
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Speaker 2: You know, there's always John Z's fault John Z Jesus Christ.

353
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Speaker 2: If she didn't miss me in the meeting, he gets, Madie,

354
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Speaker 2: we're gonna understand is he said. Even the things that

355
00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:36,720
Speaker 2: are not his fault that he said, I'm putting them

356
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Speaker 2: on you because I know you can handle them, he said, not.

357
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Speaker 2: He's almost the center point, center piece of this team.

358
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Speaker 2: I can't I can't afford for him to lose confidence.

359
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Speaker 2: Now I'm not saying Stephen would lose confidence, but how

360
00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:51,800
Speaker 2: do you approach that. You're sitting in the team meeting,

361
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Speaker 2: everyone's there, and all of a sudden, critter does let's

362
00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:58,400
Speaker 2: just say, a costly error. How do you address that.

363
00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:04,240
Speaker 1: On Yeah, quickly, I don't have to. He'll do it

364
00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:07,440
Speaker 1: before I have to. He'll take ownership of it straight away.

365
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Speaker 1: That's the sort of person he is. But it's lucky

366
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Speaker 1: we've got a really good relationship and a long standing one.

367
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Speaker 1: It's you know, I first got into coaching coach and

368
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Speaker 1: his brother. His brother was one of the guys in

369
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Speaker 1: the first sort of team I was involved in. He

370
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Speaker 1: was one of the guys that made me want to

371
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Speaker 1: become a coach, just being involved with the development of

372
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Speaker 1: kids at that age around seventeen eighteen sort of SG

373
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Speaker 1: ball level. So I sort of met Crita through that

374
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Speaker 1: period that was like twenty thirteen, fourteen fifteen s So

375
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Speaker 1: I've known him a long time. We're just on the

376
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Speaker 1: same page with a lot of things, like the trainers

377
00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:42,360
Speaker 1: come back. Sometimes I'll send a message out and the

378
00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:44,400
Speaker 1: trainers will say, crit has already said it out there

379
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Speaker 1: exactly what you wanted. So it's pretty pretty lucky to

380
00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:51,840
Speaker 1: have that long standing relationship. But in terms of your

381
00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:53,920
Speaker 1: story there, like he just puts his hand up and

382
00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:56,480
Speaker 1: takes ownership of things that's sometimes not even his fault,

383
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Speaker 1: but he'll set the time with that.

384
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Speaker 2: Now, you said when you're signed him, you didn't have

385
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Speaker 2: him here mark to be captain automatically when you guys

386
00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:07,480
Speaker 2: signed him originally they were talking about certainly the media

387
00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:09,440
Speaker 2: we're talking about other he's been signed to play fullback?

388
00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:11,080
Speaker 2: Was that the case that.

389
00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:14,360
Speaker 1: Was an option, but it wasn't signed to play fullback?

390
00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:17,640
Speaker 1: We sort of when he came over and we spoke

391
00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:19,880
Speaker 1: about him coming to the Bulldogs, I asked him, I said,

392
00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:22,200
Speaker 1: are you coming here just to play fullback? And he said, no,

393
00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:24,160
Speaker 1: I'll come and do what's whatever's best. For the team,

394
00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:26,760
Speaker 1: and straight away I was like, yeah, he needs to

395
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Speaker 1: come to us, because that's again you don't want to

396
00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:31,960
Speaker 1: say you don't want people coming to your club for

397
00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:35,080
Speaker 1: a for a promise or a this or that. That's right.

398
00:17:35,119 --> 00:17:37,080
Speaker 1: He just wanted to come because he felt like he

399
00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:41,000
Speaker 1: could make an impact at the Dogs and we did

400
00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:42,399
Speaker 1: have a look at playing fullback, but he got a

401
00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:46,639
Speaker 1: quad injury in pre season sort of limited he's amount

402
00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:48,440
Speaker 1: of training, so it was just easy for him to

403
00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:49,199
Speaker 1: start in the centers.

404
00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:52,199
Speaker 2: Okay, second part of that question. When he started the season,

405
00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:55,600
Speaker 2: he was playing left center. Bronson Cherry has emerged and

406
00:17:56,080 --> 00:17:58,320
Speaker 2: been phenomenal and a lot of times I think a

407
00:17:58,359 --> 00:18:00,000
Speaker 2: lot of the things Critter has done is sort of

408
00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:03,160
Speaker 2: a shutout how good Bronson has been. But he automatically

409
00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:04,960
Speaker 2: shifted to the right end side of the field.

410
00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:06,040
Speaker 1: Was that a.

411
00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:10,520
Speaker 2: Conversation between or who initiated that conversation? Was user that

412
00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:12,560
Speaker 2: asked him? Or did he come forward and certain old shift?

413
00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:16,200
Speaker 1: I think yeah, I think I initiated it. But there's

414
00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:18,719
Speaker 1: never been a pushback from Creta on anything. He again,

415
00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:21,080
Speaker 1: he would not care if he was playing right wing,

416
00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:23,960
Speaker 1: left wing, center wing. For he doesn't care. He's always

417
00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:25,480
Speaker 1: been just about what's best for the team. And he

418
00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:27,840
Speaker 1: openly says that, and but he means it like people

419
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Speaker 1: A lot of people say it, but he genuinely means it.

420
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Speaker 1: So as soon as I sort of said Bronson's a

421
00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:35,800
Speaker 1: legitimate left center and that sort of made sense and

422
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Speaker 1: credit was, he was all over it.

423
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Speaker 4: He was all for He's a phenomenal athlete in the

424
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Speaker 4: sense where the old you know, that old coaching saying

425
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Speaker 4: where you say you don't weaken one position just to

426
00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:49,240
Speaker 4: strengthen another, that rule almost completely goes out the window

427
00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:52,080
Speaker 4: with Stephen Crichton because he's not someone that can just

428
00:18:52,119 --> 00:18:54,840
Speaker 4: play left all right, like he can. He can was

429
00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:57,960
Speaker 4: not just a center, play fullbacks, sometimes plays five to

430
00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:00,840
Speaker 4: eight winger, center, any side of the field, and every

431
00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:04,280
Speaker 4: single position you put him at. He does the same job.

432
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Speaker 2: Mate that feet size the foot When I was sitting

433
00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:09,080
Speaker 2: down on the showers looking at his feet, he was

434
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Speaker 2: wearing Addie Dassler's like the sort of street shoes, and

435
00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:15,480
Speaker 2: mate size to the feet, but also the fact that

436
00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:18,320
Speaker 2: how white his feet were. His feet were almost oozing

437
00:19:18,359 --> 00:19:20,520
Speaker 2: over the sole of the shoe like a big pavel

438
00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:22,240
Speaker 2: over and a little plate. It was just I was

439
00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:25,959
Speaker 2: washed it going Jesus massive and shake the hand, massive hands.

440
00:19:26,359 --> 00:19:27,200
Speaker 2: He's terrifying.

441
00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:31,560
Speaker 4: Yeah, he's a big dude, big long rangey dude. Bronson Cherry.

442
00:19:31,720 --> 00:19:33,960
Speaker 4: What's he been like after four years out of the game.

443
00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:36,680
Speaker 1: He's been so good. Honestly, when we signed him, it

444
00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:39,240
Speaker 1: was it was a bit of a project, and honestly

445
00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:42,040
Speaker 1: thought he would not even challenge for NRL level till

446
00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:44,840
Speaker 1: at least halfway through the Yearly, well, I thought, you

447
00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:46,960
Speaker 1: haven't played for four years. It's actually going to be

448
00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:50,239
Speaker 1: a challenge to play eighty minutes. Those speed power guys. Look,

449
00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:52,800
Speaker 1: it's it's a big it's a big effort to get

450
00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:55,320
Speaker 1: through eighty minutes when you're that powerful. And I thought

451
00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:57,399
Speaker 1: him been doing to speed and wait for the last

452
00:19:58,000 --> 00:19:59,480
Speaker 1: four years. It's going to take him a while to

453
00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:01,440
Speaker 1: get the major. His first couple of training sessions he

454
00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:06,439
Speaker 1: couldn't even finish it. Really, Yeah, yeah, yeah, he had

455
00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:07,960
Speaker 1: a couple of issues there at the start, and we

456
00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:10,600
Speaker 1: were doing some some laps one day and he was

457
00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:13,600
Speaker 1: so far behind, And yeah, I was into him a

458
00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:15,080
Speaker 1: little bit, saying, you're sure he still want to do this,

459
00:20:15,119 --> 00:20:16,560
Speaker 1: and he's going, I want to do this, Like he

460
00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:18,760
Speaker 1: was so adamant, he wanted to keep he was he

461
00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:21,400
Speaker 1: was here and he meant business. But he just got

462
00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:23,600
Speaker 1: better and better and better every day and every week

463
00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:25,959
Speaker 1: to the point where we nearly he nearly forced us

464
00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:27,560
Speaker 1: to pick him in round one, but I just wanted

465
00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:29,040
Speaker 1: to see a few more games out of him, and

466
00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:31,000
Speaker 1: I think it was round five he got his opportunity

467
00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:35,000
Speaker 1: and he hasn't looked back. And again, he's such a

468
00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:38,200
Speaker 1: good character. He's worked so hard and he just continues

469
00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:39,439
Speaker 1: to want to get better every day.

470
00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:42,399
Speaker 2: He's such a multi dimensional play in the fact that

471
00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:45,280
Speaker 2: he's terrific finisher and give him the ball early he

472
00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:47,720
Speaker 2: hit a gap for you, but made his working yard.

473
00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:49,520
Speaker 1: He's the tough stuff he's doing that's impressed with the

474
00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:52,920
Speaker 1: like you saw the highlight stuff from him early in

475
00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:55,680
Speaker 1: his career and what he could do. But the yardist

476
00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:58,879
Speaker 1: carries the defense, the effort on kickchase, like that's all

477
00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:01,359
Speaker 1: the stuff he's doing really well that we're valuing.

478
00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:03,320
Speaker 2: And so I one asked you to comment on this.

479
00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:05,000
Speaker 2: I'll talk to Cooper on it. But it was really

480
00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:07,119
Speaker 2: funny when the state of origin stuff was going on.

481
00:21:07,480 --> 00:21:09,640
Speaker 2: I forget what was There was an injury cloud over

482
00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:12,000
Speaker 2: one of our centers. Someone said, who would you put in?

483
00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:14,320
Speaker 2: I said, I you, I'd be tempted to put in

484
00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:16,320
Speaker 2: I'd be tempted to put in Bronze and Cherry. I

485
00:21:16,359 --> 00:21:18,440
Speaker 2: know it's his first game back, but you talk about

486
00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:21,879
Speaker 2: a bloke that's built to play that standard from that left,

487
00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:22,760
Speaker 2: it's him.

488
00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:25,280
Speaker 4: Yeah, that was when I think it was on the

489
00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:28,120
Speaker 4: trail and Bradman were out and there was no one

490
00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:28,960
Speaker 4: else to go in there.

491
00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:30,920
Speaker 2: Well, I reckon, I reckon. He'll be there the next

492
00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:33,520
Speaker 2: few years. I think he'll get a taste. Burda Maddie

493
00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:36,720
Speaker 2: Burton watching him play last year, so at times he

494
00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:41,480
Speaker 2: looked like he looked miserable in himself at the start

495
00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:44,200
Speaker 2: of this, at start the first round or two, he

496
00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:47,240
Speaker 2: again you could see that was almost that the demons

497
00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:50,560
Speaker 2: of last year, and then bang, things have just swung

498
00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:53,280
Speaker 2: for him. He like, he looks a completely not just

499
00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:56,080
Speaker 2: a completely different player, looks a completely different person.

500
00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:59,400
Speaker 1: Yeah, he's he's a lot fitter this year. He come

501
00:21:59,400 --> 00:22:01,159
Speaker 1: off the back of that kangaroo to last year and

502
00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:05,000
Speaker 1: didn't start training till January. Got a little quad strain

503
00:22:05,119 --> 00:22:06,960
Speaker 1: or something, so he had he went into the season

504
00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:10,760
Speaker 1: without enough work and the way we're going as a

505
00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:12,560
Speaker 1: team and sort of on the field and off the field,

506
00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:15,480
Speaker 1: he he had a lot of that on his shoulders.

507
00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:18,080
Speaker 1: But from the day he come back to preseason this year,

508
00:22:18,119 --> 00:22:20,440
Speaker 1: he had a point to prove and he's worked really

509
00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:23,679
Speaker 1: hard to get himself fit and worked really hard on

510
00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:25,879
Speaker 1: his game the whole season. I feel like he's getting

511
00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:28,560
Speaker 1: better every week as well, and he's matured off the field.

512
00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:31,080
Speaker 1: He's got a young family now and he's he played

513
00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:33,960
Speaker 1: his hundredth game last week, so he's really starting to

514
00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:38,000
Speaker 1: feel comfortable at our club and in that sort of leadership.

515
00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:39,480
Speaker 2: Role as well. You can sort of watching new blokes

516
00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:41,360
Speaker 2: you just hid before get some great carriage. Is great

517
00:22:41,359 --> 00:22:43,359
Speaker 2: to turn up to work. You can see it's the

518
00:22:43,359 --> 00:22:44,879
Speaker 2: sort of side that you'd love to be part of

519
00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:48,000
Speaker 2: because he had great characters like Fox. I mean, in

520
00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:51,040
Speaker 2: my opinion, one of the greatest coaches slash managers of

521
00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:54,719
Speaker 2: all time was just Hitting, the great Dutchman. He coached PSV,

522
00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:57,720
Speaker 2: Iron Have and Real Madrid of course, coach soccers all

523
00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:01,240
Speaker 2: the big clubs, and in his book he speaks about

524
00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:05,600
Speaker 2: the importance of rascals. He said, you need rascals and

525
00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:08,800
Speaker 2: characters in your dressing room is because they're the ones

526
00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:11,640
Speaker 2: that elevate the room, get them going. And mate, you've

527
00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:12,400
Speaker 2: got some beauties.

528
00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:12,720
Speaker 1: I mean.

529
00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:15,200
Speaker 4: You've also had too many.

530
00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:18,879
Speaker 1: You can't get away with anything at our joint. No

531
00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:21,639
Speaker 1: matter what I'd wear, I'm going to cop crap because

532
00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:24,520
Speaker 1: someone's got a problem with this or that. And we've

533
00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:26,520
Speaker 1: got some poorly dressed players. But I don't know how

534
00:23:26,520 --> 00:23:29,760
Speaker 1: I'm getting picked up. The number one the football is no,

535
00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:34,680
Speaker 1: that's a dress. He does.

536
00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:40,119
Speaker 2: Actually just on last year, like last season was hard, Jacker.

537
00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:43,680
Speaker 2: Everybody tells you a head coaching job how difficult it

538
00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:47,480
Speaker 2: is at an our roll level, you acknowledge it, and

539
00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:49,400
Speaker 2: you say, yeah, I know, yeah, I know. But when

540
00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:51,280
Speaker 2: once you get in the hot suit, can you tell

541
00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:52,439
Speaker 2: me what it was like?

542
00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:55,400
Speaker 1: Well, look, I think everyone forgets last year. The first

543
00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:57,679
Speaker 1: half of you we actually did some good things. We

544
00:23:57,720 --> 00:24:00,480
Speaker 1: had a pretty high injury toll and a really good

545
00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:02,760
Speaker 1: windown in Melbourne. There's some other games there. We competed

546
00:24:02,760 --> 00:24:04,440
Speaker 1: really hard. I think we'll sort of five from tour.

547
00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:07,439
Speaker 1: For the middle part of the year, we saw some

548
00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:09,200
Speaker 1: things we needed to work on. But it wasn't until

549
00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:11,439
Speaker 1: that middle part of the year that we uncovered some

550
00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:14,240
Speaker 1: cracks and realized we needed to make some change. And

551
00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:16,680
Speaker 1: then there was the day against Newcastle. We got pumped

552
00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:19,359
Speaker 1: and it was like, all right, what we're doing. Yeah,

553
00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:21,000
Speaker 1: we're going to have to change your sort of tacked

554
00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:22,920
Speaker 1: here and when you we're going to have to bring

555
00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:26,800
Speaker 1: in some different people. And yeah, I thought we did

556
00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:28,800
Speaker 1: a good job with that, as we spoke about before

557
00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:32,159
Speaker 1: with recruitment, but yeah, I don't think anything you can do.

558
00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:34,240
Speaker 1: There's nothing you can do that can prepare you for that.

559
00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:36,760
Speaker 1: You just got to go through it and you find

560
00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:38,480
Speaker 1: out if you're really going to stick to your principles

561
00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:39,239
Speaker 1: when you go through that.

562
00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:41,280
Speaker 4: Did you know that going there, Like did you know

563
00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:45,159
Speaker 4: that leaving Penrith as like such a successful club when

564
00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:47,760
Speaker 4: you were assistant there under Ivan, But did you know

565
00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:50,160
Speaker 4: that going there it was going to be a tougher

566
00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:52,080
Speaker 4: year for you or did you have a lot of

567
00:24:52,119 --> 00:24:54,679
Speaker 4: optimism going in coming out of the preseason.

568
00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:58,200
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think yeah, we're all optimist out. We're all

569
00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:00,240
Speaker 1: sitting there thinking, you know, get a bit of and

570
00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:01,879
Speaker 1: this can happen and this can happen. We can improve,

571
00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:04,920
Speaker 1: but you know, again, we put a lot of work

572
00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:07,960
Speaker 1: in and got to that day against Newcastle and I

573
00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:11,680
Speaker 1: realized what a few things that needed to change. So

574
00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:13,879
Speaker 1: we did that, and you know, we could have changed

575
00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:15,960
Speaker 1: a lot more things, but we stuck to the real,

576
00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:19,880
Speaker 1: you know, things that we believed in. And this year,

577
00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:22,800
Speaker 1: you know, especially around our defense, that's been really pleasing

578
00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:25,359
Speaker 1: to see that we stuck to the same system and

579
00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:28,040
Speaker 1: just got people who believed in it and turned it

580
00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:29,359
Speaker 1: around again.

581
00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:31,560
Speaker 2: Citing Chris Anderson, he used to say all the time

582
00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:33,840
Speaker 2: that a coach doesn't know what Tom mccoach's going to

583
00:25:33,840 --> 00:25:35,760
Speaker 2: be until he loses three in a row and he's

584
00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:38,879
Speaker 2: got to find his way out. What did you What

585
00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:41,600
Speaker 2: did you learn about yourself during that tough time?

586
00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:43,639
Speaker 1: We lost three in a row pretty early in the

587
00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:48,120
Speaker 1: season I think last year. So yeah, so Chris told

588
00:25:48,119 --> 00:25:50,000
Speaker 1: me that as well, and so I was thinking, well,

589
00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:52,119
Speaker 1: this is a good challenge now, and you know it

590
00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:54,000
Speaker 1: was okay. We bounced back and want a few more.

591
00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:55,359
Speaker 1: But then the end of the season we finished with

592
00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:57,800
Speaker 1: four straight losses and had to carry that into the preseason.

593
00:25:57,840 --> 00:26:00,959
Speaker 1: There was a lot of noise around and yeah, that

594
00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:02,760
Speaker 1: was that was probably the toughest. People when you're actually

595
00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:05,080
Speaker 1: away from footy and you're not you're not around the

596
00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:07,199
Speaker 1: boys every day, and see when you when you're in

597
00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:08,880
Speaker 1: there and you're working hard and you can see everyone

598
00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:12,040
Speaker 1: working hard, it gives you a lot more peace. But

599
00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:15,679
Speaker 1: when you're away from everyone and you're carrying the burden

600
00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:17,479
Speaker 1: of four losses and what's going to happen next to year,

601
00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:19,080
Speaker 1: that was that was probably the toughest period.

602
00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:22,080
Speaker 2: It's funny, isn't it when you're going when you first

603
00:26:22,119 --> 00:26:23,840
Speaker 2: got the job. And I've seen this million times when

604
00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:28,640
Speaker 2: people go, Okay, Billy Blocks has been given this job.

605
00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:30,920
Speaker 2: It's a tough job. It's going to be a slow build.

606
00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:33,040
Speaker 2: He's going to give plenty of time. And the moment

607
00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:34,800
Speaker 2: you lost three in a row, they'll say, god, he's

608
00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:38,520
Speaker 2: under some pressure now, it's It's just it's just the

609
00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:39,280
Speaker 2: way it happens.

610
00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:42,439
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'd sort of mentally prepared for that though, Like

611
00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:45,960
Speaker 1: I think in explaining it to my kids, like you know,

612
00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:48,520
Speaker 1: there's a lot of people saying I'm getting this job

613
00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:50,399
Speaker 1: now and whatever they're saying on TV, and somedays you're

614
00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:51,920
Speaker 1: going to say I'm hopeless, and I've got no idea

615
00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:54,680
Speaker 1: what they're what I'm doing. Don't believe what's being said now,

616
00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:57,040
Speaker 1: and don't believe what's being said then. And I think

617
00:26:57,359 --> 00:26:59,560
Speaker 1: in explaining it to them and having them prepared, it's

618
00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:00,800
Speaker 1: sort of had me prepared.

619
00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:02,120
Speaker 2: And I was going to ask you about that. How

620
00:27:02,119 --> 00:27:04,159
Speaker 2: tough has have been on the family. I mean at

621
00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:07,560
Speaker 2: the moment, I imagine you know, things that are traveling well,

622
00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:10,119
Speaker 2: but during the tough time to must must take it,

623
00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:11,000
Speaker 2: must take a toll.

624
00:27:11,359 --> 00:27:14,080
Speaker 1: Yeah, the family's been fine. They're actually just enjoying living

625
00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:15,720
Speaker 1: back in the shore and being around the beach. I

626
00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:18,840
Speaker 1: think they give too much thought to footy. My young bloke,

627
00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:21,960
Speaker 1: he's eight. He he's got a bit of a good

628
00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:24,280
Speaker 1: memory of everything that's said on TV, so he hears

629
00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:28,240
Speaker 1: about he hears about coaches being sacked and people bagging

630
00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:29,800
Speaker 1: me and he would just walk around down Dad, Are

631
00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:30,560
Speaker 1: you getting sacked soon?

632
00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:30,880
Speaker 2: Are you?

633
00:27:31,359 --> 00:27:35,080
Speaker 1: Are you going to get sacked? Soon? Get sacked? There's

634
00:27:35,119 --> 00:27:36,240
Speaker 1: a few to go before you.

635
00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:40,200
Speaker 4: We could name him, but is he are your kids dog?

636
00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:41,280
Speaker 1: You support us? Yeah?

637
00:27:41,359 --> 00:27:42,920
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

638
00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:44,800
Speaker 1: They were all to get him over the line, but

639
00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:45,480
Speaker 1: this year's helped.

640
00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:49,240
Speaker 4: Yeah, it would have been. Now what about we spoke

641
00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:52,359
Speaker 4: about him just before Gus good because you had were

642
00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:54,040
Speaker 4: you with Gus at Penrith as well?

643
00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:58,040
Speaker 1: Gus signed me to Penrith as a player, yeah, from

644
00:27:58,119 --> 00:28:00,440
Speaker 1: Newcastle and had two years there and then he gave

645
00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:02,879
Speaker 1: me a job on the coaching staff in welfare an

646
00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:06,000
Speaker 1: education firstly and then into coaching after that. So he

647
00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:08,080
Speaker 1: played a big, big part in my life. I actually

648
00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:12,320
Speaker 1: went down I'd meet him at Gosford Macers from Newcastle

649
00:28:12,359 --> 00:28:14,840
Speaker 1: to talk about coming down as a player, and I

650
00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:16,920
Speaker 1: had to meet him there at one o'clock. Got there

651
00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:20,080
Speaker 1: at ten to one, a bit nervous and and I

652
00:28:20,119 --> 00:28:21,760
Speaker 1: thought I'd better get there on time. So I looked

653
00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:24,160
Speaker 1: over and he's he's in macas eating a big mac.

654
00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:28,480
Speaker 1: I'll walk over and sit down. I sat down and

655
00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:31,840
Speaker 1: he said, right, this is the deal two years and

656
00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:35,000
Speaker 1: I said, sweet, I'll take it, no negotiation, no nothing.

657
00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:36,400
Speaker 1: I was out of there by five to one, back

658
00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:39,000
Speaker 1: on the raid the Newcastle. So yeah, I'm glad he

659
00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:39,360
Speaker 1: signed me.

660
00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:41,840
Speaker 2: Well, it's an important thing matter how old you are,

661
00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:45,520
Speaker 2: any feel your need mentors people to bounce things off,

662
00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:50,160
Speaker 2: you know? How important has was Gus last year to you.

663
00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:54,120
Speaker 1: So important? Yeah, yeah, so important. You know he warned

664
00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:55,880
Speaker 1: me about how hard the first year was going to be.

665
00:28:55,960 --> 00:29:01,280
Speaker 1: And know me, being optimistic and probably a bit young

666
00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:01,880
Speaker 1: in the head.

667
00:29:01,680 --> 00:29:03,560
Speaker 2: I suppose you should be right.

668
00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:07,600
Speaker 1: We'll be right. But he was right. But again in

669
00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:10,520
Speaker 1: your darkest times, that's where he showed his real value

670
00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:14,400
Speaker 1: and great support there and understood he'd been through it before,

671
00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:17,560
Speaker 1: so he understood what was going to happen and the

672
00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:20,120
Speaker 1: support I needed. So it was awesome. You two blue

673
00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:24,640
Speaker 1: all the time, you do what is well, we don't.

674
00:29:24,640 --> 00:29:26,560
Speaker 1: We don't blue, but we don't. But we don't agree

675
00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:30,640
Speaker 1: on everything, but then we're happy to agree to disagree

676
00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:32,880
Speaker 1: and move on. And he's been awesome and that's that's

677
00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:35,520
Speaker 1: the that's the beauty of working together for twelve years

678
00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:39,120
Speaker 1: that you don't have to agree on everything, but we

679
00:29:39,160 --> 00:29:40,560
Speaker 1: agree on on the big things.

680
00:29:40,760 --> 00:29:44,040
Speaker 4: Yeah, okay, who wins those arguments or you just it

681
00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:45,040
Speaker 4: just stays.

682
00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:48,240
Speaker 1: I think, so he doesn't bit a silent treatment. Then

683
00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:49,040
Speaker 1: we get on with it.

684
00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:51,960
Speaker 2: You said before about yeah, if we go back another

685
00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:53,960
Speaker 2: step again, we're sort of doing things and reverse here.

686
00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:56,600
Speaker 2: But you know your time at Penrith in twenty fifteen,

687
00:29:56,640 --> 00:29:59,760
Speaker 2: you coach Penrith under twenty side great Susan you win

688
00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:02,680
Speaker 2: the comp petition win twenty from twenty four games. Who

689
00:30:02,760 --> 00:30:03,800
Speaker 2: was in that side.

690
00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:09,720
Speaker 1: Sarah Moses, Leoda, James Fisher, Harris Jerome Law and Nathan Cleary,

691
00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:14,520
Speaker 1: Brent Naden, Robert Jennings, Edwards, Christon Crichton, Dylan Edwards's head.

692
00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:16,640
Speaker 3: You end up getting a job done twenty from twenty four.

693
00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:22,280
Speaker 1: I was so blessed to my first coaching job to

694
00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:24,040
Speaker 1: be with that crew. And I'm missing a few out there.

695
00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:26,160
Speaker 1: There's a lot of lot more players that played first grade.

696
00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:29,120
Speaker 1: Corey Widell and Christian Crichton and Cory Harrow were and

697
00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:33,640
Speaker 1: Ira Tyrone May but they were. Yeah, they were such

698
00:30:33,640 --> 00:30:34,520
Speaker 1: a good crew to be part of.

699
00:30:34,600 --> 00:30:37,240
Speaker 2: Telling me about Dylan Edwards as a young bloke, he.

700
00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:38,640
Speaker 1: Came down as a five eight. I think he came

701
00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:40,560
Speaker 1: down to play SG ball and he didn't get much

702
00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:43,920
Speaker 1: of a run there, so we didn't see much of

703
00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:46,960
Speaker 1: him plays G ball. But he came into the NYC

704
00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:49,120
Speaker 1: program the next year and he just won everything, Like

705
00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:52,400
Speaker 1: he just fit every fitness drill, every run, he just

706
00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:54,080
Speaker 1: won it. So I got to the start of the

707
00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:56,320
Speaker 1: year and we had I think Brent Naden was playing fullback,

708
00:30:56,360 --> 00:30:58,800
Speaker 1: and we sort of had every other position field, and

709
00:30:58,840 --> 00:31:02,240
Speaker 1: then we needed a wink and said he's got to play.

710
00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:04,360
Speaker 1: He's won everything in pre season, he's just got to play.

711
00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:06,400
Speaker 1: So he ended up on the wing. I think that

712
00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:08,480
Speaker 1: week after he played center, the week after he played hooker,

713
00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:10,480
Speaker 1: the week after he played lock, and then eventually he

714
00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:12,320
Speaker 1: got to go at fullback, and he was like that

715
00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:15,760
Speaker 1: was that was he felt at home. And he's just

716
00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:17,320
Speaker 1: one of the hardest workers I've ever seen.

717
00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:19,920
Speaker 2: One of the reasons I've got so much respress for him,

718
00:31:19,960 --> 00:31:22,000
Speaker 2: not just his work great and his toughness and all

719
00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:24,479
Speaker 2: the things you just spoke about, is I really trust

720
00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:27,400
Speaker 2: and admire players who go through difficult times and have

721
00:31:27,480 --> 00:31:29,720
Speaker 2: the intelligence to come out the other end. I remember

722
00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:32,160
Speaker 2: a number of years ago going to Penrith, he was

723
00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:34,719
Speaker 2: going through a really difficult point. He was playing reserve

724
00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:37,320
Speaker 2: great and he had the yips. The ball went up

725
00:31:37,360 --> 00:31:39,720
Speaker 2: in the air. You could see he just didn't want

726
00:31:39,720 --> 00:31:41,760
Speaker 2: to be under it. At one point the ball went

727
00:31:41,840 --> 00:31:43,560
Speaker 2: up in the air and he actually you could see

728
00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:47,000
Speaker 2: he deliberately moved out of the way. What was behind

729
00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:48,760
Speaker 2: that Sira. How did he get and how did he

730
00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:49,400
Speaker 2: get through it?

731
00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:52,239
Speaker 1: Oh? It sort of. I think it was a game

732
00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:54,800
Speaker 1: against Melbourne where he sort of got the ball strip

733
00:31:54,920 --> 00:31:56,800
Speaker 1: a couple of times and you know, he just lost

734
00:31:56,840 --> 00:31:59,640
Speaker 1: a bit of confidence there. And the credit to him.

735
00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:01,160
Speaker 1: He had to go to New se Well's can't work

736
00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:02,560
Speaker 1: on his game, but he also had to go and

737
00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:05,440
Speaker 1: do a lot of mental skills work and he did it.

738
00:32:05,480 --> 00:32:07,920
Speaker 1: He did the work and came back a bigger and

739
00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:11,959
Speaker 1: better player. And even some of the stuff he had

740
00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:13,680
Speaker 1: to deal with after that, like when we did start

741
00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:14,760
Speaker 1: to going to run and there was a lot of

742
00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:17,120
Speaker 1: commentary around Pendriith couldn't win a camp with Dylan Edwards

743
00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:20,400
Speaker 1: at fullback and Jesus fools, now don't they o?

744
00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:21,320
Speaker 2: Wow?

745
00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:25,760
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean yeah. At the time he was very

746
00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:28,360
Speaker 4: unorthodox for a fullback in the sense where he did

747
00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:30,520
Speaker 4: so much work as kick return, but he wasn't in

748
00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:32,640
Speaker 4: your silky ball player.

749
00:32:33,640 --> 00:32:36,240
Speaker 2: Everyone expected every fullback to be Slater.

750
00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:36,800
Speaker 1: Yeah.

751
00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:39,400
Speaker 4: Yeah, and now he's the mold like you look at

752
00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:41,280
Speaker 4: his mold now, like you know, he's obviously stat of

753
00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:43,240
Speaker 4: origin fullback, but.

754
00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:45,080
Speaker 1: He's also he doesn't get enough credit for his defense

755
00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:47,880
Speaker 1: as well, he's got to be probably the best defensive

756
00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:51,360
Speaker 1: fullback in the comp His organization of the line, the

757
00:32:51,360 --> 00:32:54,120
Speaker 1: way he tried to saves tries, the clean up work

758
00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:55,360
Speaker 1: he does, he's just is.

759
00:32:55,320 --> 00:32:58,280
Speaker 4: He a really good boxer as well? Here I heard

760
00:32:58,280 --> 00:33:00,440
Speaker 4: a few of the boys say he'd win, he'd win

761
00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:03,200
Speaker 4: all the fights. Is there any truth to that?

762
00:33:03,720 --> 00:33:04,880
Speaker 2: The Pioneer Tavern he.

763
00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:07,200
Speaker 4: Came through because I feel that is there not a

764
00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:08,920
Speaker 4: story that Is there a story holding back?

765
00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:09,640
Speaker 2: Uh?

766
00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:14,640
Speaker 1: Nah, No, I reckon there's a few. He does get

767
00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:17,840
Speaker 1: a bit lippy on the pisces. He gets very confident

768
00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:20,120
Speaker 1: and he knows he can throw them. So he's really

769
00:33:20,440 --> 00:33:23,040
Speaker 1: very one of the most polite, well mannered players you'll

770
00:33:23,080 --> 00:33:25,280
Speaker 1: ever meet, gets very confident on the piss and.

771
00:33:29,560 --> 00:33:32,160
Speaker 2: The rise and rise of Nathan What was he like

772
00:33:32,280 --> 00:33:33,720
Speaker 2: as a young Blake in the outher twenties?

773
00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:37,680
Speaker 1: Ah, just polite, very quiet. He was a ball boy

774
00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:40,240
Speaker 1: before that. When I was playing, he was the ball boy.

775
00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:45,200
Speaker 1: Just incredible coming under twenties. I think Jerome was the

776
00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:47,720
Speaker 1: guy that was was touted to be the next big thing,

777
00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:50,760
Speaker 1: and Nathan was was a good player, but he was

778
00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:52,720
Speaker 1: just a bit behind Jerome. But you know in a

779
00:33:52,760 --> 00:33:56,640
Speaker 1: pre season Nathan developed, developed physically and got an opportunity

780
00:33:56,640 --> 00:34:00,440
Speaker 1: a lot earlier. But yeah, speaking of hard work, like

781
00:34:00,480 --> 00:34:03,760
Speaker 1: he's just, he's he's just made himself through repetition, Like

782
00:34:03,800 --> 00:34:05,960
Speaker 1: he's just. The amount of work he puts in in

783
00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:08,879
Speaker 1: the video room, reps on the field, amount of kicking

784
00:34:08,920 --> 00:34:11,920
Speaker 1: he does, he's just. And the work he's done on

785
00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:13,520
Speaker 1: the mental side of the game as well, Like he

786
00:34:13,560 --> 00:34:15,799
Speaker 1: had to deal with a lot of pressure Nathan, you

787
00:34:15,840 --> 00:34:19,560
Speaker 1: know around that twenty eighteen twenty nineteen period when he

788
00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:22,480
Speaker 1: first went into Origin and then we had a pretty

789
00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:26,200
Speaker 1: poor year twenty nineteen, and how he was able to

790
00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:28,359
Speaker 1: come out the other side of that and what he's

791
00:34:28,360 --> 00:34:31,600
Speaker 1: turned himself into now is well again. I feel really

792
00:34:31,600 --> 00:34:34,480
Speaker 1: privileged to witness that from the outside.

793
00:34:35,080 --> 00:34:38,920
Speaker 2: It's amazing that that crop of penrith Umblakes, and we

794
00:34:38,960 --> 00:34:43,120
Speaker 2: spoke about Stephen cricht but Stephen Crichton, Bryan ty Jerome,

795
00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:48,520
Speaker 2: like they're transforming like suburbs out there, you know, problematic

796
00:34:48,640 --> 00:34:50,000
Speaker 2: suburbs like Mount drew It.

797
00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:51,120
Speaker 1: Now, I remember.

798
00:34:50,920 --> 00:34:53,000
Speaker 2: Title of Vasa I was taught to him is Mount.

799
00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:53,399
Speaker 1: Drew It boy.

800
00:34:54,080 --> 00:34:56,279
Speaker 2: And he's and I said, jeez, mate, you Mount Drew

801
00:34:56,320 --> 00:35:00,120
Speaker 2: it like kicking goals. He said, Yeah, it's funny. When

802
00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:01,600
Speaker 2: I was growing up, you know, someone said you're from

803
00:35:01,640 --> 00:35:03,600
Speaker 2: Mount Drewitt, they'd move the other way. Now everyone must

804
00:35:03,680 --> 00:35:05,319
Speaker 2: be from Mount Drew. It's cool to be from Mount

805
00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:08,160
Speaker 2: Drew It which is I mean, understand all those jumblacks.

806
00:35:08,239 --> 00:35:10,160
Speaker 1: Yeah, this shows the impact you can have, Like you,

807
00:35:10,520 --> 00:35:12,440
Speaker 1: when you do go out there and you hold yourself

808
00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:16,840
Speaker 1: as a good person and do good things on the field,

809
00:35:16,840 --> 00:35:18,799
Speaker 1: the amount of people you can inspire. And those guys

810
00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:20,080
Speaker 1: have done that, they've done it so well.

811
00:35:20,640 --> 00:35:24,799
Speaker 2: Ivan. Working with Ivan, what's that like? Because he's close shop,

812
00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:25,960
Speaker 2: you don't see a lot.

813
00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:29,360
Speaker 1: I really enjoyed playing under him. Firstly, it was different

814
00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:32,160
Speaker 1: to coaches I had before. He probably didn't say as much,

815
00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:34,520
Speaker 1: but he actually just let you figure out things yourself,

816
00:35:34,600 --> 00:35:38,000
Speaker 1: and I really appreciated that a lot of the time.

817
00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:39,799
Speaker 1: If he wasn't speaking to you, you were doing a

818
00:35:39,800 --> 00:35:42,840
Speaker 1: good job and that was good. But he actually allowed

819
00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:45,919
Speaker 1: you to freedom to play, whereas other coaches we spoke

820
00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:49,160
Speaker 1: about before, we'll box you into different things and and

821
00:35:49,239 --> 00:35:51,759
Speaker 1: sort of suffocate you a little bit, and I haven't

822
00:35:51,760 --> 00:35:54,399
Speaker 1: gave your freedom to play, and that was a lesson

823
00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:56,480
Speaker 1: I learned out of him. And also, you know, with

824
00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:58,879
Speaker 1: Allwaid coaches that spray, I don't think I ever saw

825
00:35:58,960 --> 00:36:00,960
Speaker 1: Ivan when I was playing. I might have seen him

826
00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:04,760
Speaker 1: have one spray over two years, right, and it didn't

827
00:36:04,760 --> 00:36:06,279
Speaker 1: need to do it to get his message across. And

828
00:36:06,320 --> 00:36:08,680
Speaker 1: I think I took a lot of that off him

829
00:36:08,719 --> 00:36:11,680
Speaker 1: as a coach. And then, yeah, he was the coach

830
00:36:11,719 --> 00:36:14,080
Speaker 1: when I first started coaching and sort of worked under

831
00:36:14,160 --> 00:36:15,640
Speaker 1: him and went away for a bit and came back,

832
00:36:15,680 --> 00:36:19,480
Speaker 1: and yeah, that's sort of three or four year period

833
00:36:19,520 --> 00:36:22,440
Speaker 1: we had there. When he came back again, a lot

834
00:36:22,440 --> 00:36:24,440
Speaker 1: of people will probably forget twenty nine and was hard,

835
00:36:25,520 --> 00:36:28,560
Speaker 1: and you know, we'll getting hammit in the media and

836
00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:31,040
Speaker 1: things like that. But again, watching him just being able

837
00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:34,120
Speaker 1: to stay cool and calm and just sort of ride

838
00:36:34,719 --> 00:36:36,200
Speaker 1: ride his way through that and stick to what he

839
00:36:36,239 --> 00:36:38,800
Speaker 1: believed in obviously took a lot out of that. I

840
00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:40,040
Speaker 1: had him go through that last year.

841
00:36:40,080 --> 00:36:42,719
Speaker 4: Did he did? He delegate a lot of if you

842
00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:45,840
Speaker 4: ever had to spray Nathan for example, because I remember

843
00:36:45,960 --> 00:36:48,000
Speaker 4: we had Nathan on the podcast earlier in the year

844
00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:50,640
Speaker 4: and he spoke that Ivan was never really the one

845
00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:53,440
Speaker 4: that would either would never praise him, or he'd chip him,

846
00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:55,839
Speaker 4: but he wouldn't praise him. If there was a rap

847
00:36:55,920 --> 00:36:58,120
Speaker 4: needed to give to Nathan for something, would he delegate

848
00:36:58,120 --> 00:36:59,320
Speaker 4: that to you as his assistant?

849
00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:03,480
Speaker 1: I don't. He wouldn't. He wouldn't openly go and delegate

850
00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:06,759
Speaker 1: that in terms of in terms of spraying Nathan, and like,

851
00:37:06,800 --> 00:37:09,160
Speaker 1: no one needs to because he just works so hard

852
00:37:09,160 --> 00:37:11,120
Speaker 1: and does all the little things so well. And again

853
00:37:11,160 --> 00:37:13,360
Speaker 1: he's like Stephen. If he he was to make a mistake,

854
00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:15,840
Speaker 1: he put his hand up before anyone else would have

855
00:37:15,880 --> 00:37:18,719
Speaker 1: to do it. But in terms of praising him, like

856
00:37:19,120 --> 00:37:20,919
Speaker 1: the rest of us as coaches would praise him because

857
00:37:20,920 --> 00:37:23,080
Speaker 1: his effort area is always through the roof anyway, So

858
00:37:24,400 --> 00:37:26,000
Speaker 1: Ivan would never have to get any of us to

859
00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:28,160
Speaker 1: do it. It would just would naturally do it because the

860
00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:29,239
Speaker 1: amount of work he puts.

861
00:37:29,320 --> 00:37:31,719
Speaker 2: I think I wouldn't do it, his loveless father.

862
00:37:33,239 --> 00:37:36,120
Speaker 4: Cold, very cold man. I think you told me a

863
00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:40,200
Speaker 4: story one time of when during your COVID time and Ivan,

864
00:37:40,640 --> 00:37:43,040
Speaker 4: Ivan was sick for a couple of weeks, I believe,

865
00:37:43,920 --> 00:37:47,400
Speaker 4: and he wasn't going into training or anything. And that team,

866
00:37:47,680 --> 00:37:50,920
Speaker 4: the team that obviously won three three premierships in a

867
00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:55,480
Speaker 4: row now. But that team ended up basically training themselves,

868
00:37:55,239 --> 00:37:58,000
Speaker 4: is true, Well like doing a lot of the field

869
00:37:58,040 --> 00:37:59,000
Speaker 4: sessions on their own.

870
00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:02,440
Speaker 1: Welln't had a knee problem. He was really banged up

871
00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:05,239
Speaker 1: there for that's right long period. It was twenty twenty two,

872
00:38:05,719 --> 00:38:07,440
Speaker 1: so there was a lot of time that he missed.

873
00:38:07,760 --> 00:38:09,600
Speaker 1: And you'd think it's like it's like the relief teacher,

874
00:38:09,680 --> 00:38:12,320
Speaker 1: right when the when the coach is in there, sometimes

875
00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:16,839
Speaker 1: can run the Asian But this group was just so

876
00:38:16,920 --> 00:38:20,960
Speaker 1: good at just turning up and the standards did not drop. Yeah,

877
00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:22,759
Speaker 1: when when the head coach wasn't there, they just it's

878
00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:25,680
Speaker 1: credit to him. Like the leadership from a and Nathan

879
00:38:25,760 --> 00:38:28,840
Speaker 1: during that time was. Yeah, that's that's pretty special.

880
00:38:31,719 --> 00:38:33,680
Speaker 2: Again, we spoke about Nathany. I want to talk about

881
00:38:33,719 --> 00:38:36,799
Speaker 2: the effect that that twenty twenty loss to Melbourne had

882
00:38:36,840 --> 00:38:39,040
Speaker 2: on that particular playing group. We had Nathan here and

883
00:38:39,080 --> 00:38:42,520
Speaker 2: he said they went away and looked at themselves after

884
00:38:42,560 --> 00:38:45,080
Speaker 2: the game and realized that Melbourne bullied them and they

885
00:38:45,120 --> 00:38:46,799
Speaker 2: made a pack together. We're never going to let that

886
00:38:46,840 --> 00:38:50,840
Speaker 2: happen again. Yeah, it's pretty important that loss. Ye know

887
00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:53,960
Speaker 2: the old you lose one to win one in Penrith

888
00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:55,560
Speaker 2: cases it was the case.

889
00:38:55,920 --> 00:38:59,320
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, we again we had just no grand final experience.

890
00:39:00,920 --> 00:39:03,160
Speaker 1: I'd forgotten, but I think we've won seventeen straight lead

891
00:39:03,200 --> 00:39:07,560
Speaker 1: into the grand final and probably didn't understand what grand

892
00:39:07,600 --> 00:39:10,719
Speaker 1: finals were about and how they worked. And you know,

893
00:39:10,760 --> 00:39:13,080
Speaker 1: we've got to taught a pretty fair lesson that day.

894
00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:16,719
Speaker 1: And yeah, I think that that's a lot of the

895
00:39:16,840 --> 00:39:18,960
Speaker 1: drive behind some of those boys is having to go

896
00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:21,399
Speaker 1: through that Grand final loss. I spoke about kick Out

897
00:39:21,400 --> 00:39:23,880
Speaker 1: played he's one fiftieth the other day and I was

898
00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:27,480
Speaker 1: able to speak at his jersey presentation about his transformation

899
00:39:27,560 --> 00:39:30,239
Speaker 1: over the years, and I really feel like that Grand

900
00:39:30,320 --> 00:39:32,359
Speaker 1: final loss in twenty twenty was the making of him

901
00:39:32,360 --> 00:39:34,880
Speaker 1: as a man. He was so talented coming through and

902
00:39:34,920 --> 00:39:38,160
Speaker 1: he worked pretty hard and you know, to get to

903
00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:40,600
Speaker 1: a Grand finals really hard thing to do. But since

904
00:39:40,680 --> 00:39:42,759
Speaker 1: that moment, I remember looking at him on the field

905
00:39:42,840 --> 00:39:46,960
Speaker 1: and never seeing a more devastated person, but seeing the

906
00:39:46,960 --> 00:39:50,640
Speaker 1: man he's turned into since that time. He's been driven

907
00:39:50,680 --> 00:39:51,480
Speaker 1: by that experience.

908
00:39:51,600 --> 00:39:53,640
Speaker 2: So our question for you there just on Villi Army

909
00:39:53,840 --> 00:39:57,319
Speaker 2: and applies to Matt Burton as well, because things have

910
00:39:57,440 --> 00:40:02,080
Speaker 2: changed now. Could have come across here. But there's an

911
00:40:02,120 --> 00:40:04,200
Speaker 2: old saying back in the day the Scottish Islands. They's

912
00:40:04,280 --> 00:40:06,959
Speaker 2: just say that there was death and a fate worse

913
00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:09,440
Speaker 2: than death was being cast out by the tribe. That

914
00:40:09,560 --> 00:40:12,759
Speaker 2: was the worst could happen for those players to see that.

915
00:40:12,840 --> 00:40:15,920
Speaker 2: When Maddie Burton and Villi Army come over, did you

916
00:40:16,040 --> 00:40:18,560
Speaker 2: initially seek a little bit of that, like there was

917
00:40:18,600 --> 00:40:21,480
Speaker 2: that like a pining from where they come from.

918
00:40:21,920 --> 00:40:23,799
Speaker 1: Oh, but I had already been there twelve months, so

919
00:40:24,200 --> 00:40:26,319
Speaker 1: it was hard to say that. And he was so

920
00:40:26,440 --> 00:40:30,080
Speaker 1: young when he was a Penis so didn't really say

921
00:40:30,480 --> 00:40:32,920
Speaker 1: and really came over again. He came back after the

922
00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:37,440
Speaker 1: World Cup, come back in January, but he came back

923
00:40:37,440 --> 00:40:39,880
Speaker 1: a different person as well. The Villy we had it

924
00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:42,200
Speaker 1: at Penrith was different than the one of Bulldogs and

925
00:40:42,239 --> 00:40:44,080
Speaker 1: he wanted to come in and be a leader and

926
00:40:44,920 --> 00:40:46,880
Speaker 1: really set the intensity of everything we did to his

927
00:40:46,920 --> 00:40:49,279
Speaker 1: own detriment. Look, he actually ended up injuring himself by

928
00:40:49,400 --> 00:40:51,040
Speaker 1: going too hard to train and trying to lead the

929
00:40:51,040 --> 00:40:54,120
Speaker 1: way and show it. And he rode that first year

930
00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:56,359
Speaker 1: last year twenty twenty three really hard. He took it.

931
00:40:56,480 --> 00:40:59,600
Speaker 1: He took it personally. He was really upset at times

932
00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:02,080
Speaker 1: and at different times I thought he was going to

933
00:41:02,080 --> 00:41:03,960
Speaker 1: come to me and say, you know, I don't know

934
00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:07,440
Speaker 1: if I can do this, but he didn't. He knew

935
00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:09,319
Speaker 1: where we'll go and he trusted in it. And I've

936
00:41:09,320 --> 00:41:11,279
Speaker 1: got to say this year he's been outstanding. He's been

937
00:41:11,320 --> 00:41:12,400
Speaker 1: one of our best players.

938
00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:13,000
Speaker 2: You know.

939
00:41:13,360 --> 00:41:14,640
Speaker 1: I think I feel like he's going to be up

940
00:41:14,640 --> 00:41:17,040
Speaker 1: there for one of the awards on dli M night

941
00:41:17,080 --> 00:41:20,200
Speaker 1: because he's been incredible. And again it's not the flash

942
00:41:20,239 --> 00:41:23,160
Speaker 1: stuff and the fans the big runs and the offloads

943
00:41:23,160 --> 00:41:25,120
Speaker 1: that he's been good at. It's been the kick chase.

944
00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:30,520
Speaker 2: The fans watching is the very fact Sah you said

945
00:41:30,760 --> 00:41:34,560
Speaker 2: earlier on sticking to your principles, and that's I think

946
00:41:34,600 --> 00:41:37,400
Speaker 2: teams clubs these days they change their style too often.

947
00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:39,960
Speaker 2: You know they're playing PAYMN this week. You know they

948
00:41:40,040 --> 00:41:41,960
Speaker 2: play certain way, they want to change it all up.

949
00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:45,160
Speaker 2: It makes it very hard, particularly for the playmakers, where

950
00:41:45,200 --> 00:41:48,520
Speaker 2: I can see with your side stuck by principles, everyone's

951
00:41:48,560 --> 00:41:50,880
Speaker 2: for me or what they're doing, and as a consequence,

952
00:41:50,880 --> 00:41:55,400
Speaker 2: you're seeing all combinations starting that the left side combination

953
00:41:55,600 --> 00:41:58,480
Speaker 2: was there from earlier in the season. Berdo Cherry and

954
00:41:58,560 --> 00:42:00,600
Speaker 2: villi army, but now the right side fire and now

955
00:42:00,680 --> 00:42:02,560
Speaker 2: the smaller forwards in the middle or all fire. And

956
00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:05,600
Speaker 2: it's just it's a reward for sticking for those principles.

957
00:42:05,960 --> 00:42:08,680
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, And it's not to say that we're doing

958
00:42:08,719 --> 00:42:09,960
Speaker 1: the same thing as we're doing at the start of

959
00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:12,080
Speaker 1: the year. We've had to evolve and understand what works

960
00:42:12,080 --> 00:42:14,359
Speaker 1: for us and what doesn't, and we're still doing that.

961
00:42:14,880 --> 00:42:16,600
Speaker 1: We might still be doing that for another twelve months.

962
00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:20,040
Speaker 1: But as long as they keep coming into the same attitude,

963
00:42:20,840 --> 00:42:21,440
Speaker 1: that's exciting.

964
00:42:21,600 --> 00:42:23,719
Speaker 2: Right, let's talk about as a player, right as we

965
00:42:23,800 --> 00:42:28,560
Speaker 2: get it's going to sound talk about now this is

966
00:42:28,560 --> 00:42:30,319
Speaker 2: going to be it will sound like a silly question

967
00:42:30,360 --> 00:42:32,960
Speaker 2: to people. But did you enjoy your career?

968
00:42:34,440 --> 00:42:38,440
Speaker 1: Probably not as much as I should have. Well, probably

969
00:42:38,480 --> 00:42:40,160
Speaker 1: enjoyed it too much to start with, to be honest.

970
00:42:40,520 --> 00:42:43,280
Speaker 1: And then yeah, as you start to put more pressure

971
00:42:43,320 --> 00:42:45,839
Speaker 1: on yourself and the anxiety, anxiety that comes we've been

972
00:42:45,880 --> 00:42:49,239
Speaker 1: in and out of the team. No, I didn't know.

973
00:42:49,600 --> 00:42:52,920
Speaker 2: It's funny and like I think often people look at

974
00:42:52,920 --> 00:42:54,640
Speaker 2: it and say it's a dream job, and you know,

975
00:42:54,680 --> 00:42:57,160
Speaker 2: what a what a blast, But I reckon. I think

976
00:42:57,200 --> 00:42:59,400
Speaker 2: if you went to the majority of players, or at

977
00:42:59,480 --> 00:43:02,080
Speaker 2: least half the players, and I said, did you enjoy

978
00:43:02,120 --> 00:43:05,279
Speaker 2: your career? Most will say maybe for a season or two,

979
00:43:05,320 --> 00:43:08,799
Speaker 2: but overall the stress. People don't understand the stress and

980
00:43:08,840 --> 00:43:10,279
Speaker 2: the disappointment all those things.

981
00:43:10,360 --> 00:43:14,399
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's hard, Like it's I'm actually lucky. I feel

982
00:43:14,480 --> 00:43:16,400
Speaker 1: like I'm really lucky to go through it now to

983
00:43:16,880 --> 00:43:18,960
Speaker 1: being in the job I'm in now. But and sort

984
00:43:18,960 --> 00:43:20,440
Speaker 1: of been able to relate to the players that have

985
00:43:20,520 --> 00:43:22,839
Speaker 1: been eighteenth man being dropped going back to New South

986
00:43:22,840 --> 00:43:27,160
Speaker 1: Wales carp it's not easy and all your family.

987
00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:28,200
Speaker 4: Think that's made you a better coach.

988
00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:31,799
Speaker 1: Having that, Yeah, been able to have that empathy to

989
00:43:31,800 --> 00:43:34,319
Speaker 1: go you know, if you have to sit someone down

990
00:43:34,360 --> 00:43:37,560
Speaker 1: and drop them out of the team. I've been through it.

991
00:43:37,680 --> 00:43:39,759
Speaker 1: I know I've been through it more than most, so

992
00:43:39,800 --> 00:43:43,440
Speaker 1: I understand. You just want honesty to start with. You

993
00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:46,280
Speaker 1: don't want to be told bullshit. You just want honesty

994
00:43:46,360 --> 00:43:52,120
Speaker 1: and and help moving forward. So first grade to Burr Yeah,

995
00:43:52,239 --> 00:43:55,799
Speaker 1: Shark Park against Melbourne in two thousand.

996
00:43:55,480 --> 00:43:58,239
Speaker 2: And five, Nice's decided to play first were actually won.

997
00:44:00,320 --> 00:44:02,880
Speaker 1: I think it was forty to sixteen or something. Wo

998
00:44:06,760 --> 00:44:10,239
Speaker 1: I went out went in Northy straight after fusion got

999
00:44:10,239 --> 00:44:11,719
Speaker 1: home when the sun came up that this is what

1000
00:44:11,880 --> 00:44:12,480
Speaker 1: I picked you up.

1001
00:44:13,360 --> 00:44:15,600
Speaker 3: Another who was in that site.

1002
00:44:16,040 --> 00:44:20,160
Speaker 1: Adam Dyke's Naughty, A couple of my mates I came

1003
00:44:20,160 --> 00:44:23,680
Speaker 1: through with Rus Williams and Keith Galloway, Preston Kingston, Presty Campbell,

1004
00:44:25,080 --> 00:44:27,080
Speaker 1: Jason Stevens, Danny Nutley.

1005
00:44:27,360 --> 00:44:33,640
Speaker 2: Oh yes, some terrific blokes. Yeah, you played Cronulla, played Newcastle,

1006
00:44:33,760 --> 00:44:36,200
Speaker 2: played at Penrith. Where did you feel the most comfortable.

1007
00:44:36,440 --> 00:44:40,080
Speaker 1: I think Cranulla being a local junior there and coming

1008
00:44:40,120 --> 00:44:43,040
Speaker 1: through with my mates that were there, Yeah, that was

1009
00:44:43,960 --> 00:44:46,200
Speaker 1: But I was probably too comfortable. As I said, I reckon,

1010
00:44:46,239 --> 00:44:48,479
Speaker 1: I enjoyed the first part of my career way too much.

1011
00:44:48,520 --> 00:44:51,480
Speaker 1: And you know, you play on Saturday and Saturday night

1012
00:44:51,520 --> 00:44:55,799
Speaker 1: and then go out after that and enjoy the things

1013
00:44:55,800 --> 00:44:57,919
Speaker 1: that came with being an RL player. And I think

1014
00:44:57,960 --> 00:44:59,520
Speaker 1: it was the best thing that happened to me was

1015
00:44:59,520 --> 00:45:01,719
Speaker 1: actually having leave Cana and go to Newcastle and learn

1016
00:45:01,760 --> 00:45:05,879
Speaker 1: off Brian Smith and learn different culture and just move

1017
00:45:05,920 --> 00:45:08,000
Speaker 1: out to sit near away from from family and things

1018
00:45:08,040 --> 00:45:10,600
Speaker 1: like that. Was Yeah, I think that was actually a blessing.

1019
00:45:10,800 --> 00:45:14,120
Speaker 4: What age were you when your debut Okay, it's.

1020
00:45:14,000 --> 00:45:16,200
Speaker 2: One, even Brian smith You know, for all Smithie's faults,

1021
00:45:16,320 --> 00:45:18,600
Speaker 2: you know when people get there and he's a quirky

1022
00:45:18,640 --> 00:45:22,960
Speaker 2: cat and about that, but he's certainly a great educator.

1023
00:45:24,200 --> 00:45:27,160
Speaker 1: Still, there's so much I learned off Smithy that that's

1024
00:45:27,200 --> 00:45:30,480
Speaker 1: in what I do today. And I probably learned the

1025
00:45:30,560 --> 00:45:34,319
Speaker 1: most about footy off Brian the technical tactical side of things.

1026
00:45:34,560 --> 00:45:35,680
Speaker 4: Is he the best coach I ever had?

1027
00:45:36,480 --> 00:45:37,919
Speaker 1: I don't have it like I had some good coades.

1028
00:45:37,960 --> 00:45:40,400
Speaker 1: I was Sticky and Ivan and Brian.

1029
00:45:40,760 --> 00:45:43,439
Speaker 4: But if you had to, like you can only pick one.

1030
00:45:43,920 --> 00:45:46,000
Speaker 4: They're all stranded in the middle of the ocean, and

1031
00:45:46,040 --> 00:45:46,919
Speaker 4: you can save one.

1032
00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:49,480
Speaker 1: I'll take bits and pieces out of all.

1033
00:45:50,280 --> 00:45:53,640
Speaker 2: Yeah, calve them up. What about players? Best player you

1034
00:45:53,640 --> 00:45:54,719
Speaker 2: play with, Sarah.

1035
00:45:55,760 --> 00:45:57,840
Speaker 1: Probably Danny Badiris something got one year with him, but

1036
00:45:59,080 --> 00:46:02,439
Speaker 1: just such a good and just played above his weight

1037
00:46:02,480 --> 00:46:02,960
Speaker 1: on the field.

1038
00:46:03,480 --> 00:46:05,560
Speaker 4: Nicest bloke, one of the nicest place for Raugbil league.

1039
00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:09,080
Speaker 2: It's always sorry, so well that is like that des

1040
00:46:09,320 --> 00:46:12,760
Speaker 2: nickname and manly used to be sorry because like, honestly

1041
00:46:12,800 --> 00:46:16,560
Speaker 2: you can stand on Deser's foot and he apologized. Yeah, nickname,

1042
00:46:16,560 --> 00:46:17,280
Speaker 2: he used to be sorry.

1043
00:46:17,360 --> 00:46:19,839
Speaker 4: How times have change. That doesn't do that at all.

1044
00:46:20,239 --> 00:46:21,720
Speaker 4: The boy, one of the boys that have the times,

1045
00:46:21,719 --> 00:46:22,920
Speaker 4: were telling me, and he used to do it at

1046
00:46:22,920 --> 00:46:25,560
Speaker 4: Manly as well, told me the other day, talk about weird,

1047
00:46:25,920 --> 00:46:28,520
Speaker 4: quirky coaching tactics. You might be able to take this.

1048
00:46:29,840 --> 00:46:32,040
Speaker 4: He'd get the boys who were struggled in defense that

1049
00:46:32,080 --> 00:46:34,960
Speaker 4: week into his office and he'd get him on the

1050
00:46:35,000 --> 00:46:37,400
Speaker 4: ground and wrestle them and show them how to practice,

1051
00:46:37,400 --> 00:46:38,760
Speaker 4: show them how to defend.

1052
00:46:39,760 --> 00:46:41,960
Speaker 2: That's not the weirdest thing in the fact they're all nude,

1053
00:46:43,640 --> 00:46:44,600
Speaker 2: but so bizarre.

1054
00:46:44,760 --> 00:46:47,319
Speaker 4: Hamola Ilokawatu told a story at Manly. He was doing

1055
00:46:47,440 --> 00:46:50,400
Speaker 4: video with one of the assistant coaches and he looked

1056
00:46:50,440 --> 00:46:53,000
Speaker 4: behind him and just right behind where they were on

1057
00:46:53,040 --> 00:46:55,320
Speaker 4: the computers to a video des was telling one of

1058
00:46:55,360 --> 00:46:57,239
Speaker 4: the young front rollers to run at him and was

1059
00:46:57,280 --> 00:47:00,239
Speaker 4: showing him how to use his shoulder and defense said,

1060
00:47:00,239 --> 00:47:01,360
Speaker 4: did it like ten times?

1061
00:47:02,440 --> 00:47:02,920
Speaker 1: Is that weird?

1062
00:47:04,200 --> 00:47:07,320
Speaker 3: Is that not weird? What about a Sarah?

1063
00:47:07,360 --> 00:47:09,520
Speaker 2: How would you have coached yourself?

1064
00:47:11,200 --> 00:47:15,279
Speaker 1: That's a great question. Yeah, probably would have tried to

1065
00:47:15,280 --> 00:47:17,520
Speaker 1: help me believe in myself a bit more. And I

1066
00:47:17,640 --> 00:47:19,279
Speaker 1: got to remind myself of that a lot of the time.

1067
00:47:19,360 --> 00:47:21,600
Speaker 1: Like's it's easy to show people what they're doing wrong,

1068
00:47:21,640 --> 00:47:24,120
Speaker 1: but showing them what they're doing right, Yeah, is a

1069
00:47:24,120 --> 00:47:29,000
Speaker 1: lot more powerful sometimes. Yeah, probably, Yeah, I think I

1070
00:47:29,040 --> 00:47:32,040
Speaker 1: can recognize some of the things that I struggled with

1071
00:47:32,080 --> 00:47:35,000
Speaker 1: in a lot of players these days. But you know,

1072
00:47:35,120 --> 00:47:38,680
Speaker 1: you search as a coach, you're always constantly searching for improvements.

1073
00:47:38,719 --> 00:47:40,880
Speaker 1: It's easy to show them things that they can do better.

1074
00:47:40,920 --> 00:47:46,160
Speaker 2: And yeah, decision to retire, I don't.

1075
00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:48,080
Speaker 1: Know if it was a decision that was. I don't

1076
00:47:48,080 --> 00:47:49,719
Speaker 1: think anyone else was going to sign me. And I've

1077
00:47:49,719 --> 00:47:52,239
Speaker 1: been the last year in rehab and my body.

1078
00:47:52,040 --> 00:47:54,400
Speaker 4: Was I had a lot of injuries. Yeah, broken bones.

1079
00:47:54,600 --> 00:47:57,400
Speaker 4: Is that what you struggled with? Mainly bone like bone issues?

1080
00:47:57,480 --> 00:48:01,439
Speaker 1: Yeah, broken bones last rate pancriss in my last ever game.

1081
00:48:03,239 --> 00:48:07,279
Speaker 1: Understand that many different things, But yeah, I probably could

1082
00:48:07,280 --> 00:48:08,759
Speaker 1: have kept playing, but I don't think anyone was going

1083
00:48:08,840 --> 00:48:10,960
Speaker 1: to give me a contract anywhere anyway. So I was

1084
00:48:11,000 --> 00:48:12,600
Speaker 1: actually keen to just get on with the next part

1085
00:48:12,640 --> 00:48:15,840
Speaker 1: of my life. And I could really see the talent

1086
00:48:15,960 --> 00:48:18,880
Speaker 1: sort that the opportunity at Penrith with what Gus was

1087
00:48:18,920 --> 00:48:20,919
Speaker 1: trying to do out there, and so I actually wrote

1088
00:48:20,920 --> 00:48:23,200
Speaker 1: Gus a letter and said, I'd love to be involved

1089
00:48:23,239 --> 00:48:25,279
Speaker 1: in this project moving forward. And I didn't know if

1090
00:48:25,280 --> 00:48:27,880
Speaker 1: it was going to be coaching or rehab or welfare

1091
00:48:28,000 --> 00:48:29,919
Speaker 1: or I just wanted to be involved because I could

1092
00:48:29,960 --> 00:48:32,359
Speaker 1: see the vision that he was putting in out there.

1093
00:48:32,400 --> 00:48:34,200
Speaker 1: And I'm glad I wrote that letter.

1094
00:48:35,400 --> 00:48:37,040
Speaker 2: The pancris I just thought of the old man. The

1095
00:48:37,040 --> 00:48:39,279
Speaker 2: old man's got a bad pan chriss. But of course

1096
00:48:39,320 --> 00:48:42,480
Speaker 2: he drinks. Can't on half of beer a day? Remember

1097
00:48:42,520 --> 00:48:46,640
Speaker 2: the time you remember time Jackson, Remember Tom The old

1098
00:48:46,640 --> 00:48:49,680
Speaker 2: man had an attack with the pancreas. And we got

1099
00:48:49,680 --> 00:48:52,200
Speaker 2: called in there and they said that, I swear to God,

1100
00:48:52,239 --> 00:48:53,759
Speaker 2: we can bring I can put salt and pepper on

1101
00:48:53,800 --> 00:48:56,759
Speaker 2: a story, but bring Tristi Janshaw said. They sat us

1102
00:48:56,760 --> 00:49:00,680
Speaker 2: in a room and the doctor said to myself, and

1103
00:49:00,680 --> 00:49:03,080
Speaker 2: and of your father's phenomenon, the fact he's still alive.

1104
00:49:03,160 --> 00:49:06,560
Speaker 2: His blood fats like nothing we've ever seen. And he said,

1105
00:49:06,560 --> 00:49:09,200
Speaker 2: it's really strange. Because I asked him. I asked him

1106
00:49:09,440 --> 00:49:11,480
Speaker 2: did he drink alcohol? And he said, oh, maybe one

1107
00:49:11,560 --> 00:49:16,120
Speaker 2: or two a day. I said, Doc, I said, mate,

1108
00:49:16,160 --> 00:49:18,080
Speaker 2: it's one or two cartons a day. He said, don't

1109
00:49:18,080 --> 00:49:20,800
Speaker 2: worry I'll feeling full of the a bit of painkilling

1110
00:49:20,840 --> 00:49:22,719
Speaker 2: truth serum. He said, I'll get the best out of

1111
00:49:22,760 --> 00:49:24,839
Speaker 2: the Next day, I said, how'd you go? And he said, mate,

1112
00:49:24,880 --> 00:49:26,400
Speaker 2: he was bragging about how much you.

1113
00:49:26,400 --> 00:49:28,680
Speaker 3: Could drink, didn't he?

1114
00:49:29,160 --> 00:49:31,319
Speaker 4: They started him on. They started they said you can

1115
00:49:31,360 --> 00:49:34,040
Speaker 4: never drink again, and he said, well that's not realistic.

1116
00:49:34,040 --> 00:49:36,480
Speaker 4: What can I do if you drink? You only drink

1117
00:49:36,480 --> 00:49:37,040
Speaker 4: two years old?

1118
00:49:37,120 --> 00:49:40,400
Speaker 2: It's start now. It started. He was zeros and alcohol.

1119
00:49:40,480 --> 00:49:42,840
Speaker 2: He was drinking zeros and alcohol beer. And then what

1120
00:49:42,920 --> 00:49:46,040
Speaker 2: he was doing he was getting zero alcohol beer and

1121
00:49:46,080 --> 00:49:49,880
Speaker 2: a light beer mixing together. So it was like what

1122
00:49:50,360 --> 00:49:53,760
Speaker 2: Then he started going light beer. Then he started going

1123
00:49:54,000 --> 00:49:58,000
Speaker 2: light beer with a dash of super The last shout

1124
00:49:58,000 --> 00:49:59,440
Speaker 2: I'd had with the old man, I said, what do

1125
00:49:59,520 --> 00:50:02,319
Speaker 2: you want? Said Matt, get me are two years old

1126
00:50:02,680 --> 00:50:05,400
Speaker 2: with a dash of light. I said, that is the

1127
00:50:05,440 --> 00:50:08,200
Speaker 2: most ridiculous thing I've ever said. I will not be

1128
00:50:09,120 --> 00:50:14,640
Speaker 2: doing that. But God bless him, God bless him. I

1129
00:50:14,719 --> 00:50:16,480
Speaker 2: was going to the question I was going to ask

1130
00:50:16,520 --> 00:50:20,680
Speaker 2: you there to conclude was basically, what was it with

1131
00:50:20,800 --> 00:50:22,759
Speaker 2: you as a player that has made you not just

1132
00:50:22,800 --> 00:50:25,880
Speaker 2: a terrific coach but empathetic and you've just you've said before,

1133
00:50:25,880 --> 00:50:30,319
Speaker 2: because you've been through that before. What about Sarah? Like

1134
00:50:32,520 --> 00:50:35,600
Speaker 2: I always say, like, I think there's a few factors

1135
00:50:35,719 --> 00:50:39,839
Speaker 2: make a great coach. X's and O's is one, but

1136
00:50:39,880 --> 00:50:42,800
Speaker 2: that gets amplified by number one, people's ability to handle pressure,

1137
00:50:42,840 --> 00:50:45,240
Speaker 2: but number two, the ability to get the message across.

1138
00:50:45,600 --> 00:50:48,480
Speaker 2: You know, the way you talk to a group. Did

1139
00:50:48,520 --> 00:50:50,640
Speaker 2: you have to work on that initially when you first

1140
00:50:50,640 --> 00:50:51,400
Speaker 2: got into coaching.

1141
00:50:51,800 --> 00:50:55,279
Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely, because I'm actually not that extroverted or anything.

1142
00:50:55,360 --> 00:51:00,880
Speaker 1: I don't like talking in front of big groups or cameras, cameras, microphave.

1143
00:51:01,920 --> 00:51:05,520
Speaker 1: But yeah, I just I just had to find my

1144
00:51:05,560 --> 00:51:08,680
Speaker 1: own style, I think, and you know I'm not. Yeah,

1145
00:51:08,680 --> 00:51:10,600
Speaker 1: you talk about Gus before. Gus can come into a

1146
00:51:10,680 --> 00:51:12,719
Speaker 1: room and do a speech at the drop of the

1147
00:51:12,760 --> 00:51:14,719
Speaker 1: hat and have everyone ready to run through a brick wall,

1148
00:51:15,080 --> 00:51:18,040
Speaker 1: and I'd understand, I'm not that person. I'll get my

1149
00:51:18,160 --> 00:51:20,279
Speaker 1: message away, hopefully in a different way. And a lot

1150
00:51:20,320 --> 00:51:23,440
Speaker 1: of that's around humor and theming and things like that.

1151
00:51:23,520 --> 00:51:26,520
Speaker 1: And we know you probably need the right group to

1152
00:51:26,560 --> 00:51:28,279
Speaker 1: do that. And I've been lucky enough to have a

1153
00:51:28,320 --> 00:51:31,279
Speaker 1: really good group of Penrith that's sort of related to

1154
00:51:31,320 --> 00:51:34,240
Speaker 1: that and related to me, and then this group currently

1155
00:51:34,239 --> 00:51:37,680
Speaker 1: working with now feels very similar to that. So I

1156
00:51:37,800 --> 00:51:40,279
Speaker 1: had to work here really harder being prepared and understanding

1157
00:51:40,760 --> 00:51:43,239
Speaker 1: what messages we're trying to get across. And I'm still

1158
00:51:43,320 --> 00:51:45,360
Speaker 1: learning that stuff. Looking forward to the back end of

1159
00:51:45,360 --> 00:51:48,960
Speaker 1: this year, yeah, yeah, looking forward to this weekend, especially

1160
00:51:48,960 --> 00:51:51,680
Speaker 1: getting back to a core and playing home. We haven't

1161
00:51:51,719 --> 00:51:54,040
Speaker 1: been there for a while and those experiences have been

1162
00:51:54,080 --> 00:51:55,839
Speaker 1: really good for us, just playing in front of big

1163
00:51:55,880 --> 00:52:00,879
Speaker 1: crowds and passionate Bulldogs fans. But also yeah, our club

1164
00:52:00,880 --> 00:52:02,720
Speaker 1: hasn't been in the finals for a long time and

1165
00:52:02,880 --> 00:52:05,840
Speaker 1: it's been a long wait and they're really excited. Well

1166
00:52:05,880 --> 00:52:06,319
Speaker 1: that's going to.

1167
00:52:06,320 --> 00:52:09,560
Speaker 4: Bring made on behalf of backstage, Matthew and myself. We

1168
00:52:09,920 --> 00:52:10,759
Speaker 4: wish you good luck.

1169
00:52:10,840 --> 00:52:11,200
Speaker 1: You do it.

1170
00:52:12,160 --> 00:52:13,800
Speaker 3: Jack, don't forget the executive producer.

1171
00:52:13,960 --> 00:52:17,359
Speaker 4: Sorry sorry, and Jack Johnes as well, half back, one

1172
00:52:17,360 --> 00:52:19,600
Speaker 4: of the great Yeah you coached Jack as well. We

1173
00:52:19,640 --> 00:52:20,640
Speaker 4: didn't even touch on that.

1174
00:52:20,840 --> 00:52:27,480
Speaker 2: And Coop joined the Italian camp. I think, took the blazer,

1175
00:52:28,000 --> 00:52:30,799
Speaker 2: took the guernsey, and then basically quit the team.

1176
00:52:31,040 --> 00:52:31,239
Speaker 1: No.

1177
00:52:31,320 --> 00:52:34,480
Speaker 4: I did one training session and the week before I

1178
00:52:34,600 --> 00:52:37,800
Speaker 4: was in talks with I was in talks with clubs,

1179
00:52:37,840 --> 00:52:40,359
Speaker 4: actually nearly went to the Bulldogs with zero and then

1180
00:52:40,360 --> 00:52:41,600
Speaker 4: he stopped returning to my phone.

1181
00:52:42,120 --> 00:52:43,400
Speaker 3: Jude, you missed out there, Sarah.

1182
00:52:44,320 --> 00:52:47,960
Speaker 4: You would have won the preseason as that's one hundred

1183
00:52:48,000 --> 00:52:49,239
Speaker 4: grand you'll never get.

1184
00:52:50,560 --> 00:52:53,319
Speaker 3: But oh pity, you're really missed out of.

1185
00:52:53,320 --> 00:52:57,640
Speaker 4: That one then, I mean it would have been on

1186
00:52:57,760 --> 00:53:00,640
Speaker 4: the nice to be on the end with kick out

1187
00:53:00,760 --> 00:53:03,439
Speaker 4: rather than on the receiving end of him running over

1188
00:53:03,440 --> 00:53:06,000
Speaker 4: the top of me. But what I wanted to get

1189
00:53:06,000 --> 00:53:10,080
Speaker 4: to was great year. It's exciting going to finance for

1190
00:53:10,080 --> 00:53:12,600
Speaker 4: the Bulldogs. Good to see Bellmour in the community getting

1191
00:53:12,680 --> 00:53:16,399
Speaker 4: right behind it. They're probably everyone's really excited talking about

1192
00:53:16,400 --> 00:53:18,440
Speaker 4: the Bulldogs at the moment. They're selling out games. So

1193
00:53:19,400 --> 00:53:21,520
Speaker 4: we love we love you, and we're proud of you.

1194
00:53:22,760 --> 00:53:24,400
Speaker 3: You didn't know where you were going to finish that,

1195
00:53:24,480 --> 00:53:26,520
Speaker 3: did you. You're like a drunk trying to find the

1196
00:53:26,600 --> 00:53:30,360
Speaker 3: du way in the dark. Anyway, Thanks, good on