S1: Hi everyone. Welcome to our Monday edition of the Mark
S1: My Words podcast. Hope you enjoyed the rugby league over
S1: the course of the weekend. Our Monday edition is always
S1: a little bit different story time answering some of your questions.
S1: Still no M.G., the great man tonsillitis so he's late
S1: scratching again.
S2: We've had to just rest him up again. It's like um,
S2: you know the a key player in your team throughout
S2: the season and you've just gotta because we're already up
S2: the top of the ladder with this podcast. We've just
S2: got to manage him through the back end of the
S2: season to get him ready for finals.
S1: Oh, so you're running with that? I was actually going
S1: to run with the fact that we've paid, um, we've
S1: paid Gus. We've paid him 100,000. Put him on the
S1: Gus podcast.
S2: Right.
S1: So we've done like a Louis situation.
S2: Oh, right.
S1: So I think your one's better. We'll run with yours.
S2: Yeah. Let's run with mine.
S1: Just resting.
S2: Him. We're arresting him up for a big run into
S2: the final series.
S1: Although Cameron Munster I mean he's he's out for six weeks.
S1: He's done a knee cartilage problem. Let's just hope he's
S1: out for the week.
S2: Yeah, it's just this week. We'll get him back in now.
S1: Um, piggy story time. I was thinking right, story time
S1: this week. Um, we've just had a wonderful Harvey Norman
S1: women in league round. Yes. And women play an important
S1: role in our game, the NRL w which you're involved
S1: in with the Saint George-illawarra Dragons. Um, and then if
S1: I'm to think back to your illustrious career and your
S1: life now you've got the beautiful Carly Riddell, your darling wife,
S1: former Miss Australia. That's a miracle in itself. How piggy
S1: married a former Miss Australia.
S2: And this turned.
S1: Into how the hell did you get.
S2: From.
S1: Australia? Unbelievable. Um, but one of the things that our
S1: listeners won't be familiar with. What's that? Is that throughout
S1: your illustrious playing career, there was another very important woman
S1: in your life. Mhm. And that was your mum.
S2: Sandy still is old Sandy.
S1: What did mum Sandy do for you when your football.
S2: Well mate, I um well my mum and dad, Sandy
S2: and Alan, Sandra and Alan Riddell, they uh they were
S2: the typical parents of when you, you know, went to everything,
S2: went to every rugby league game, drove me everywhere, did
S2: everything for me, mate. I didn't move out of home. Right.
S2: I didn't move out of home till I was 25. Right.
S2: And this is no bullshit either. Me and my older
S2: brother Shane, old Shane, we shared a room.
S1: Excuse me.
S2: We shared a bedroom till I was 20.
S1: Until 25.
S2: He was 27.
S1: What if you've gone down to the pub and you
S1: know you've gone successful and there's a lovely lady. Hello.
S2: Hello, hotels.
S1: Oh.
S2: Mate, I don't want to pump my own trumpet here,
S2: but they used to call us the two richest blokes
S2: in Risby. That list shared a bedroom together. That's a
S2: true story, mate. He used to. Shane. Oh, my brother
S2: is a, um. He's a crane driver, right? He lives
S2: on the Gold Coast now. Drives all the big cranes
S2: that builds all the high rises on the Goldie in Brisbane,
S2: but he was working in Sydney and he was a
S2: heavy like, big time worker. Right. So they do long hours.
S2: But he was also a big drinker. Right. So he
S2: would like get home at midnight and he'd be up
S2: at three four in the morning back on the train
S2: going into work. So like our, our paths didn't really
S2: cross too much. Um, because I was obviously playing footy
S2: and going to training every day and, and, but literally we, um,
S2: we lived at home till 20, I was 25. He
S2: would have been older, he would have been older than me.
S2: I then moved out, I moved out into a unit
S2: I bought over at um Alloway over Kogarah and um.
S1: But did you live in that with Daniel Wagon?
S2: No. Wags lived around the corner. Wags lived down at Ramsgate.
S2: I lived that on live there on my own first,
S2: and then I lived with the great Leigh Bennett.
S1: Leroy Leigh. Well, the reason I asked you about Daniel wagon, I, um,
S1: and I'm digressing here. We'll come back to your darling
S1: mum in just a second. Sandy, I was stopped recently
S1: by a gentleman who used to be the licensee at the.
S1: What's the name of the pub?
S2: Intersection.
S1: The intersection. Was it the. Anyway? Hotel.
S2: Intersection. Tavern. It's the intersection tavern.
S1: And he. Let me just say, ladies and gentlemen, told
S1: me some very interesting stories about this man and Daniel.
S2: Well, that's where we used to drink. Well, the wine
S2: I used to call it The Wire. The Alawa Hotel
S2: was literally 200m from my place. But then Wag's place, um,
S2: it was his. He was right near the intersection, hotel, intersection,
S2: tavern or whatever it is. So we used to drink.
S2: Excuse me. We used to drink between the two, uh,
S2: the guru Eric Grothe Jr, um, Peaky Adam Peak. He
S2: was over that way as well. Peaky actually saw Peaky
S2: on the weekend at the Bulldogs. Uh, old boys day,
S2: him and his old man Johnny Peak. Um, but yeah,
S2: that's that's where we used to drink. So we mate,
S2: we had, we had a great time. We had an unbelievable.
S1: I wasn't going to share this story, but this is
S1: probably the cleanest one that I can share. This particular
S1: gentleman told me there was one night that you boys
S1: were playing a poker machine, and you may have won
S1: a jackpot or something. He said, one of my lasting
S1: memories is to walk into the poker machine room and
S1: find first grade footballers effectively patching the screen of a
S1: poker machine. And he said, Mark, it was the most
S1: revolting thing I've ever seen, knowing full well that we
S1: hadn't cleaned the screen of that poker machine for about
S1: a month.
S2: Well, I can't I can't confirm or deny because I
S2: can't remember. Mate, we had the best time down there. We. Yeah,
S2: it was a great time, whether it was at the
S2: Y or at the, uh the you know. Well that's
S2: what we used to call it the, you know, the,
S2: you know, back in the day. Um, yeah, some great times,
S2: some very funny times. Back on to.
S1: Back to Sandy.
S2: Yeah. Because we got we digressed. We get women in
S2: mate mine. And I'm probably a little bit ashamed to
S2: admit this, but I don't really give a shit. Um,
S2: my mum used to pack my footy bag every week.
S2: Like obviously from when I was a little kid, she'd
S2: pack it and I'm talking Math, God, boots, socks, shorts, towel,
S2: you know, whether it's polo or jacket.
S1: Or every week.
S2: Every week. That didn't change until I moved out when
S2: I was 25. So I was playing in the NRL.
S2: I started when I playing, I was playing 1920 when
S2: I made my NRL debut. My mum would pack my
S2: bag every week for the NRL, right? No bullshit. And
S2: every time I'd come home from NRL, my mum would
S2: clean my boots. Like not not like just, oh yeah,
S2: give him a dust off. And that my mum would
S2: take all the laces out, clean all my boots, replace
S2: them all, wash all the, soak the laces in the
S2: sink like in the laundry. And every week I'd have
S2: a brand new fresh pair of boots every week if
S2: I liked a pair because I ended up, you know,
S2: I was sponsored by sponsored by Puma for my whole career.
S2: But if I liked a pair of boots and I
S2: kept wearing them every week, my mum would clean them
S2: until I was 25.
S1: She deserves a medal. Your mum.
S2: My unbelievable mate. She deserves a medal for having to
S2: put up with me for 46 years. I guarantee I
S2: will guarantee you that.
S1: Was there ever a moment like because you were a
S1: bit of a party boy and a bit of a character.
S1: Were there ever moments where. Let's just say Piggy Riddell
S1: would feature on the back page of The Telegraph or
S1: dare I say it, the front page and, um, mumma,
S1: just walk in and maybe just leave the paper on
S1: your bed or something.
S2: Yeah, yeah, that or she would send me a text
S2: and I'd just say, what have you done now? Hey,
S2: here's one for you. Here's one for.
S1: You. What have you done now?
S2: Done now. No. Are you okay? What have you done now?
S2: I reckon that's what it would have been back in
S2: the day, mate. Here's one that my mum did to me.
S2: And it's a it's a little bit off topic, but
S2: it's got to do with living. I was living at
S2: home 2005. I was playing at Parramatta. I just moved
S2: over there, uh, sorry to the club. And it was
S2: before I'd moved out and we went really good that season.
S2: We were minor premiers. And anyway, we got bundled out
S2: of the finals. I went on the biggest bender ever,
S2: like end of year Mad Monday, all of that. I
S2: came home, I think it was like the Tuesday or
S2: the Wednesday, obviously, you know, had a big, big whatever
S2: few days. And on my bed was back then a
S2: CD and it was a CD of the song by,
S2: I think the guy's name, Daniel Powter. I don't know
S2: if that's his name or not. You've had a bad
S2: day and you've had you've had a bad day. That
S2: was on my on my bed and that was my
S2: mum gave it to me after we'd got beaten by
S2: the Cowboys 29 nil in the preliminary final to go
S2: into the grand final. My mum bought me that CD
S2: and put it on my bed. You've had a bad day.
S1: Haggard. Sandy Riddell you know what? We needed a fill
S1: in for me if he's off next time. No. Um,
S1: I don't know whether you're comfortable sharing this, but I
S1: think we've spoken about it on air before. Um, you're
S1: so obviously as a as a highly paid NRL player, probably,
S1: you know, not at the top level but you know,
S1: middle of the ground sort of player. Is it true
S1: your so your NRL salary got paid to mum and
S1: dad and then they paid you a wage.
S2: Oh no. So what they did was right. So when
S2: I yeah. No I don't talk about mate.
S1: I'm 46 now but I. But I think it's I
S1: think it's very very smart on mum and Dad's behalf
S1: just to control how much and to help set you
S1: up for post-career for.
S2: That's right. Yeah. And I'm. Yeah. At the time I
S2: was ropeable and filthy. I wanted all the money, you know,
S2: but now I look back and I'm like, oh, thank God,
S2: thank God they did what they did, mate. When I
S2: first came into the NRL, um, I wasn't on a
S2: lot of money, but I was on a lot of
S2: money if I played and I played the whole season.
S2: So I was getting a lot of money that I
S2: wasn't used to getting. Um, before I played in the NRL,
S2: I was, I was an apprentice horticulturalist doing in my apprenticeship,
S2: and I was getting 250 bucks a week, but I
S2: was obviously getting paid an amount of money from, from
S2: the Dragons. But then I played 26 games. So I
S2: ended up making well over six figures in in my
S2: first year. Well, that was mate. The talk about poker
S2: machines spinning. Well, that's what they were doing. And I
S2: had a gambling problem straight away. In my first year.
S2: I'd spend after the game, I'd spend the whole night
S2: in um in, in clubs and, and pubs playing pokies.
S2: Oh really. Yeah. And I was dropping anywhere from, I
S2: don't know, 5000 to 10,000 in a weekend. Oh wow.
S2: Um so my mum and dad went and put me
S2: and it didn't last long. It wasn't like it was
S2: a long thing where it was probably like over a
S2: couple of months and they saw it straight away and um,
S2: we fixed it, uh, went to, I remember going to
S2: my accountant, um, and we set up an account and
S2: that account, uh, could only be um, withdrawn from if
S2: my and back then you had to sign for it.
S2: So my accountant and myself had to sign to ever
S2: take money out of that account. So what we did
S2: is every month my football money would go into that account.
S2: No one would touch it. And then each week I'd
S2: get paid like an apprenticeship. So the first year I
S2: think I was on like $400 and I get 400
S2: bucks a week and everything else was covered. So like
S2: everything was paid for my mobile phone and all those
S2: sorts of bills were covered. But I got $400 a week.
S2: And then I think the second year was $500, and
S2: the third year was $600. And then when I got
S2: to 25, 26, then obviously I took took back over of,
S2: of all the all the money. But that's how that's
S2: how it all started for me.
S1: Smart, wasn't.
S2: It? Yeah. There you go.
S1: Hey, I wasn't aware of the gambling issues. I'm glad
S1: you your mum and your.
S2: Yeah. Look and I don't want no one needs to
S2: feel sorry for me. It wasn't bad. It was just that, mate.
S2: And I guarantee you all kids would do it. They'd
S2: get this big money. All of a sudden I think,
S2: how good's this? And and I was only over. I
S2: was only over probably a 4 to 6 week period.
S2: I was spending a lot of money and my mum
S2: and dad saw it in the bank account, hey, what's
S2: going on here? And then we nipped in the bud
S2: straight away and sorted that out, set all that up
S2: and I never oh like, I still gamble but no,
S2: never with an issue.
S1: Um from from Sandy and shout out to Sandy superstar.
S1: We go to Cali Rydell.
S2: Is this this feels like.
S1: This is your.
S2: This is your life.
S1: It's the Harvey Norman women in league round. Piggy. We're making.
S2: No. And we've got no bloody m g.
S1: We're celebrating. Yeah. Energy could tell us about his darling wife. Yeah.
S2: That's right.
S1: You know, these kids and all the people that have
S1: played a role in his career. So it's just me
S1: here grilling you now. So but um I, I thought
S1: for the, and for those who listen to our radio show,
S1: they've probably heard this story, but our podcast listeners may
S1: not have, um, the day at Rosehill Racecourse.
S2: Yes.
S1: When you spotted the love of your life.
S2: Well, mate, first of all, before I tell the story,
S2: Riddle's got a fair strike rate at Rosehill Racecourse. Well,
S2: my brother Shea know that. I was just talking about.
S2: He met his missus at Rosehill Racecourse as well. What
S2: about that? I just remembered that then. Um, mate, I did. I, um,
S2: I met Carly at Rosehill Racecourse. Right. So this is
S2: what happened was again, I was playing at Parramatta, um
S2: and I played the Canberra Raiders at Parramatta Stadium and I.
S2: He took a bloke, hit him high. Broke my thumb
S2: and you can see the scar. Had to have this
S2: operation so I had the operation the next day. Literally
S2: plate nine screws was out for a few weeks. I
S2: think it was was out for three weeks and the
S2: boys the next week were playing. This is how professional
S2: I was. The boys the next week were playing the
S2: Gold Coast and the Gold Coast. I had nothing to
S2: do because I was back in there. So I was like,
S2: so me and my late great mate Chad Robinson, who's
S2: no longer no longer with us now, but me and
S2: Robbo were like, well, let's go to the races. Here
S2: we go. Anyway, we hired we hired a corporate box
S2: and there was a fair few of us there. And um, yeah,
S2: we went down to the normal area, you know.
S1: Oh, down, down to the normal area.
S2: We went down to the concourse or whatever it is.
S2: And we were down there for a while. And then
S2: I was standing there and I saw Carli and might
S2: have been a friend with her. So I just walked
S2: up sort of behind her with a drink and my
S2: betting slip and I'm like, uh. So, uh, what are
S2: you backing in this race? And that's how that's how
S2: it started. We went from there. Then we obviously talking,
S2: then we took them, they came up into our, uh,
S2: our corporate box. And then we ended up going, you know,
S2: you go across the road to riches. There's a bar there.
S2: We went there and then off into Parramatta.
S1: Not upstairs. Hello?
S2: No, no, no.
S1: Just.
S2: Just out that night. Leaving. Thank you.
S1: She's she's a she's a wonderful woman.
S2: She is.
S1: She does a lot another wonderful woman. And um and
S1: now of course your involvement in NRL w um it's
S1: it's great to see isn't it. The um the rise
S1: and rise of the women's game and you know like
S1: there's a long term strategy here. A lot of people one,
S1: one thing that a lot of people say to me is, Mark,
S1: how is it sustainable when you turn on the TV
S1: and there's no one in the stands? I agree, but
S1: there's a long term vision for this, right? Like Rome
S1: wasn't built in a day. It's going to take time.
S1: And now that there's a pathway and the the real
S1: moment where it sort of opened my eyes was when
S1: we covered a women's origin game and I looked down.
S1: I remember at Commbank, I looked down and there were
S1: young girls lining the fence ten deep to meet these players.
S1: And I thought to myself that that's the next generation
S1: of NRL players. So, um, it's only going to grow
S1: and grow. And you know, it's, it's the reason why
S1: I applaud people like Katie Page for, for investing money
S1: in it through Harvey Norman, but also the NRL and
S1: the commission for backing what we're doing. And you're at
S1: the coalface.
S2: Yeah. Look, I thoroughly enjoy my role with the Dragons
S2: in the NRL space. I'm the assistant coach and I'm
S2: also the head of recruitment and pathways. So I look
S2: after all of that. Um and you're right like the
S2: game is still the female game has still got a
S2: long way to go. And I've got my own opinions
S2: on what sort of needs to happen. It's probably not
S2: the right day for that, but, uh, you're right. Um, what,
S2: what we are getting is we're getting young girls that
S2: are growing up and not only are they watching the
S2: men play, but they're watching the women play and they're
S2: wanting to be those women, and they want to one
S2: day grow up as an NRL player. How we get
S2: to that point is obviously a conversation for another day
S2: in terms of, um, professional contracts and structures of how
S2: many teams and how long the season is and how
S2: the players can handle it and whatnot. But, uh, it's great.
S2: And what, what we, what we will see in the
S2: next probably 5 to 7 years is we're going to
S2: start seeing girls that have played rugby league from when
S2: they've grown up. And by that, I mean you'll see
S2: girls that have actually gone from under six seconds played
S2: with the boys and then had their own teams with
S2: the girls that come through under 12 seconds, under 14 seconds,
S2: under 16 seconds, under 18 seconds into the junior reps
S2: and then play NRL debut. And that that's probably yeah,
S2: that's probably 5 to 7 years away where we're going
S2: to start. And then what you'll see then is you'll
S2: start to see a real, uh, increase in the standard
S2: of play again, because those players have been coached from
S2: their whole career, because we hear the stories now and,
S2: you know, you think of someone like Kezie apps, you know,
S2: had to stop playing when she was 12 because she
S2: couldn't play with the boys anymore. Well, that's changed now. Um,
S2: all the female players are able to play right through. Uh,
S2: they've got their own competitions once they get to the
S2: age of 12. Um, and that's going to have a
S2: huge impact on the women's game.
S1: Fantastic. All right. Well, let's get into the, uh, the questions. Um, geez,
S1: with that spiel there, I'm just thinking, I hope the
S1: NRL's not listening. They might try and recruit you to
S1: be the head of the NRL.
S2: W well, do you want to get onto that subject?
S2: I don't know why there's not a head of the NRL.
S2: W it's an issue in the NRL w space that
S2: if for the life of me, I don't understand why
S2: there isn't somebody that is leading and running the NRL
S2: w game.
S1: Hey you don't get any ideas. I want you here.
S1: You're very important.
S2: PVL if you need me I'm a phone call away.
S1: No, you just keep lobbying PVL for your bloody tickets.
S2: PTL you just zip it and keep going, please. Part time.
S1: Part time, part time. PVL is a bloke has a
S1: week off from working six and a half days a week. Oh,
S1: and these blokes are into me.
S2: PTMG.
S1: TMG. Um, first question from Sam and, uh, and reminder,
S1: you can leave your questions, um, in the, the little
S1: box underneath or wherever you leave your questions. Um, and
S1: we'll get into them. We'll ask the first one from Sam.
S1: Then I think we might have to take a quick
S1: break and we'll come back to the rest. Um, who
S1: are the fittest players you played with? The ones who
S1: would um, win all the time trials in preseason and
S1: put you to shame piggy. I know, not my strong point.
S2: Yeah, not not probably my area of expertise.
S1: How'd you go on the beat test, mate? Hated it.
S2: Hated it. Um, I used to actually do a right
S2: in it. Not too bad, not too bad. But it
S2: just depended on what stage I was in. November. Probably
S2: not the best by January. February. Probably a lot better,
S2: mate back in our day. And oh, I hate saying that.
S2: But all all the talk from all the clubs was
S2: Kurt Gidley. Um, that he was the fittest by far
S2: that he um with the beep test and all those
S2: things everyone used to talk about Gids and, and how
S2: fit he was in terms of my clubs, I'm trying
S2: to think like blokes like the Dragons, Mark Gasnier just
S2: naturally fit and mate. He could, he could, he could
S2: go out on a night out and then he could
S2: turn up the next day and just absolutely shred the fitness,
S2: the the training, everything. Um, I'm trying to think who
S2: else in the in the eels, mate. Heidi wasn't sort
S2: of even though Heidi was so fit in the games,
S2: Heidi wasn't great in the fitness. I'm trying to think
S2: of the eels.
S1: Is it fair to say the more leaner type blokes were. Yeah, well, the.
S2: Blokes like Lukey, Bert, Lukey, Bert, Bert.
S1: He would have been fit. I always look at the
S1: front rowers and I think, you know, the poor buggers
S1: in the middle of a pre-season in the summer like
S1: that must be torture for them.
S2: Yeah, well, I know one bloke that I played with,
S2: the guru, he, he wasn't that wasn't his go guru.
S2: Shout out to guru. I've been speaking to the guru lately.
S1: Oh was it a function last year where his dad's
S1: band performed.
S2: Oh yeah. Senior.
S1: Um what's their name. Is it, is it um.
S2: Isn't it Eric Grothe and the gurus.
S1: That might be it up all night thinking of the
S1: name of it. Um, they're very good.
S2: But I'm trying to think I'm racking my brain. Who
S2: would be the fittest blokes with what I played at
S2: guys is massive. He was great. Benny Hornby probably would
S2: have been at the Dragons. Um, at para.
S1: What about Nathan Brown or someone?
S2: Nah, browny finished when I started. Oh, okay. Yeah, he's
S2: lucky too. Otherwise he would have finished his career in
S2: reserve grade. No, I always tell, I always tell browny
S2: that one. I've said that one to you before. He's
S2: lucky we played the same position. Would have been terrible
S2: for him to finish his career.
S1: Didn't you replace him at the Dragon?
S2: Yeah, I did, that's what I'm saying.
S1: Okay. Fair enough. Um, do we need to take a break, Jules,
S1: or keep going? Okay, we'll take a quick break. Come back,
S1: we'll take a break, and we'll come back with more
S1: of your questions right after this. All right. Let's keep
S1: going with these questions. We got some good ones again
S1: this week, our listeners and viewers on fire. Thank you
S1: for all of that.
S2: What do you got for me, Levi.
S1: From Margaret Boys massive Sharks fan here. Gavin Miller was
S1: my favorite player, but with his head taped up and
S1: the shoulder pads, it got me wondering which player took
S1: the longest to get ready for a game.
S2: Oh my God, we're going down memory lane here, mate,
S2: I can't remember. I know that sounds terrible.
S1: Well, I don't think we've mentioned it on the podcast
S1: you used to.
S2: I'll tell I'll tell you about my preparation. I used
S2: to come in to the dressing sheds I used to
S2: rip off.
S1: After eating the barbecue chicken.
S2: No, that's bullshit.
S1: Chris.
S2: Okay. That's okay. That's how Keith tossing him.
S1: Up, mate. He's I I've challenged him. I said to
S1: him because he he swears by this. I know as
S1: a young dragons fan at Kogarah, I watched piggy in
S1: the players enclosure eat a whole barbecue chook.
S2: I don't think I did.
S1: Before kick.
S2: Off. I don't know if I did look, I'd be
S2: impressed with myself if I did.
S1: That's no denial.
S2: But I love to get in the sheds and I
S2: strip off, have a shower, cold shower straight away. Then
S2: I go and get my strapping, uh, done, my ankles
S2: and whatnot. I used to always have the same Aussies
S2: Speedos to wear. I put my Speedos on. Put my shorts,
S2: my sock, my sock, my boot, my boot. Um. And
S2: then yeah, like I'd have all my drinks that I'd take.
S2: I've told, I've showed you what I used to do.
S1: Drinks.
S2: Yeah. So I'd get a Powerade and a water bottle
S2: and I'd pour half the um, drink half the water,
S2: pour half the Powerade into the water, then get another
S2: water and pour half the power, half the water into
S2: Powerade so they'll half diluted. And I'd drink them. And
S2: then I'd have like my Red bull, my Sudafed and
S2: everything like that that I took right before a game.
S2: And I'd have all that set up there. But then
S2: just as we ran on the field every time before
S2: I played and this was even when I was, I
S2: was young, like, even when I was playing junior reps
S2: Cup of Water. And as I ran on the field,
S2: I always pour it on my head. And that was
S2: like my sign to write. I wake up, you got
S2: to be ready to go. And then I wash.
S1: I start doing that before the tube morning show. Just
S1: sip a cup of water.
S2: We have a cold shower, mate, just before you go
S2: on air. Then you'll be able to just bang, bang, bang.
S2: How about those politicians more?
S1: Do you know how cold it is at 3:45 when
S1: I get up? MM.
S2: Very very cold.
S1: Whoever invented those in the in the ensuite for the
S1: main bedroom. My joint. You got the heat lamps in
S1: the ceiling.
S2: Oh.
S1: Whoever invented them in.
S2: Your castle, is it. Yeah.
S1: No, it's not a castle. Not a castle. Although it
S1: has appeared on the front of a few newspapers or
S1: inside newspapers lately. Anyway, thank God that's all over. Um,
S1: from Dean High marks. Ray Stone is one of my
S1: favourite players. He has that bit of crazy about him.
S1: But I wanted to know in your day, who were
S1: the guys that were really quiet off the field but
S1: turned into a maniac on the field?
S2: Oh, one comes to mind straight away. I'm not. I
S2: don't know if you remember him. Levy. Craig Smith he
S2: was my first ever captain at the Dragons New Zealand
S2: International front rower. I felt safe when Smithy was on
S2: the field. Um, he was the nicest. I still remember
S2: him taking him, taking me under his wing. He flogged
S2: absolute crap out of me fitness and everything like that. Training.
S2: And then on the field, he just turned into a lunatic.
S2: He actually got I remember he got stung. He got, um,
S2: went to the judiciary for the knee lift. That's right.
S2: That many times lifting the knee and. But mate, he
S2: was he was a machine.
S1: I've got one for you.
S2: Who you.
S1: Got? Um, Josh Morris introduced me to him at the
S1: airport magic round last year. Jared Waerea-hargreaves.
S2: Oh, yeah. Quite nice bloke in the world.
S1: I couldn't believe that I was standing there. He kept
S1: asking me questions about, like, what I did and, you know,
S1: the politics and all that sort of thing. And I
S1: just thought to myself, this bloke is one of probably
S1: the most intimidating and ferocious blokes I've ever seen on
S1: the field. And here he is as nice as part
S1: of me at an airport. I'm thinking, what the hell's
S1: going on here? So would he be up there?
S2: Yeah, yeah, Jared would be for sure.
S1: Great, great lunatic on the field.
S2: Not that. Not that I know Jared really well, but
S2: my great fellow. And then on the field, just a machine.
S1: Machine from Keith. If I can say this politely. Uh,
S1: you boys struggle a bit up with the hairline. I
S1: remember David Barnhill being bald his whole career. Were there
S1: any former teammates who were losing it at that? Were
S1: really sensitive about.
S2: It, mate. Hey.
S1: Good question.
S2: I'm gonna I'm gonna. The old nickname. We had a
S2: bloke at the at the Dragons. I won't mention his name.
S2: And we used to call him 4020 because he looked
S2: 40 and he was only 20.
S1: Are you talking about.
S2: I'm not gonna mention his name. I'm not gonna. I'm
S2: not gonna mention it. He played. He played for the Dragons. Played.
S2: I think he played a few games for Souths as well.
S2: I won't mention his name, but anyway, you won't. You won't,
S2: you won't. You won't get him. You won't get him.
S2: He only played a few games, but his nickname was
S2: 4020 because he was pretty much bald. And uh, look forward.
S2: He was only 20.
S1: It's a it's a pretty ruthless mate.
S2: I'll tell you a story about the hair. Right. I
S2: was playing at Parramatta, right. And I got this phone
S2: call one day from a hair mob like, you know,
S2: stop it. Yeah. True story.
S1: Or something.
S2: Well, one of those, um, one of those companies got
S2: and they're like, mate, we want to pay, we want
S2: to give you the full treatment because you know, you're
S2: not thinning, but you know what, you got your hair,
S2: but you're starting to thin, you know, like, and if
S2: we get it early enough and. Oh yeah. Right. Oh
S2: how much? Yeah. Okay. What have I got to do?
S2: So anyway, I had to go to this place in
S2: Parramatta and have like the treatment, you know, when they
S2: put like a, I don't know, some sort of light
S2: or something on there and they rub stuff in your hair.
S2: But I had to go to it every week. And
S2: then they gave me shampoo and these oils to put
S2: in my hair. And I went once and then I
S2: was just like, hey, guys, you know what? I'd rather
S2: be bald. And I never went back. It was good money.
S2: I never got paid a cent. And I was like,
S2: I'm not coming here every week for however long. I said,
S2: that's all right, guys. I just go bald. And that
S2: was it. Never, never, never went back.
S1: Another good story. Uh, one last one from Kel. Were
S1: there any coaches you could play practical jokes on? They
S1: had a really good sense of humor. Well, um, we
S1: work with Cooper Johns on the weekend. Him and Brandon
S1: Smith pranked, uh, Craig Bellamy by putting the rocks in
S1: his bag. Remember when they were going somewhere during Covid?
S1: I think it was.
S2: Yeah.
S1: Coach's pranks.
S2: Um, mate, I am sure you know who I caught
S2: up with. Not that I did any pranks on him.
S2: Andrew Farrell on Saturday. Well, Pops.
S1: Farrell.
S2: He's good. Uh, Andrew Farrell, obviously he played with the
S2: big man, um, back in the 80s at the Bulldogs. But, um.
S1: I heard him give one of the greatest sprays of
S1: all time. I was back refereeing this. This. I did
S1: a game at Kogarah. Yeah. Um, and I did the
S1: game before. It must have been before their game or
S1: whatever it was. Um anyway he's just come storming in.
S1: It was half time because I was on standby for
S1: the next game. I've never heard anything like it. It
S1: was one of the greatest sprays of all.
S2: Well, he he gave me he gave me a spray
S2: over over the years when I got sent off. Anyway,
S2: story for another day. Um, no, but I, yeah, I
S2: got to see pops. Pops gave me my NRL debut.
S2: That's why it was great to see him. Um, but
S2: coaches that we played mate I'm sure I did play pranks.
S1: On coach Brian Smith.
S2: So I had uh. Andrew. Farrah. Yep. For a couple
S2: of years and I had Nathan Brown for a couple
S2: of years. And I just thought of a story her brownie.
S2: But it's not fair. Um, Brian Smith then I had
S2: Jason Taylor for a year, then I had Michael Hagan
S2: at Parramatta as well. And then.
S1: Easy to prank the, the.
S2: Mate. Well JT was I, we only had him for
S2: half a season 2006. JT was great. Um picking up
S2: from from Smithy when Smithy left, but Michael Hagan, mate
S2: Hayes was unreal. Michael Hagan he was such a such
S2: a great man manager and um, mate, when I was
S2: out with the boys it'd be three in the morning,
S2: I reckon, four in the morning, and I'd ring him
S2: and I would ring Breathe.
S1: You've done that to former broadcasters of this radio network.
S2: Oh, mate, I would ring him and tell him where
S2: we were and sing songs to him and everything like that.
S1: How did he handle that?
S2: He loved it, absolutely loved it. And shout out to
S2: Hayes if you're watching or listening, because mate, he's one
S2: of the greats. He was a great fellow and I'm imploring.
S1: I used to.
S2: Mate.
S1: I used to talk to him.
S2: My phone's off. I'm not that silly. Um, but yeah, mate,
S2: he was unreal. We used to ring him at whatever hour.
S1: And.
S2: Spray him. It was great.
S1: Well, there you go. There's the questions. There's the podcast
S1: for this Monday. Uh, we'll have another one dropping on
S1: Thursday to preview the next round of the comp. As
S1: we get closer and closer to the finals, M, G
S1: will hopefully be back with us as well after his
S1: bout of tonsillitis. Piggy go world champion.
S2: See you later. Bye bye. See you guys.
S1: Piggy Riddell. This has been another edition of Mark My Words.
S1: Make sure you subscribe, like write some questions and we'll
S1: put them to the boys here on the podcast. Enjoy
S1: your week and we'll talk to you on Thursday.