S1: Monday edition of the Mark My Words podcast. You know
S1: what that means. Ladies and gentlemen, story time. Your questions.
S1: Piggy MJ, we are back. How are we boys today?
S2: Levi? Happy Monday a m g.
S1: Happy.
S2: Monday.
S1: Happy Monday, great weekend of footy. It was nice to
S1: be out at Canterbury Leagues on Saturday with a continuous
S1: call team for the 40 year celebrations, reminiscing and looking
S1: back on all of the great moments over the years.
S1: But of course, this is our brand new podcast, so
S1: let's get into it. Story time. This week we're talking about, um,
S1: great pump ups, um, inspirational, um, speech, excuse me from
S1: coaches and leaders and teammates and everything else, boys. And
S1: he spring to mind over the years.
S2: MG you want to go first or you want me
S2: to go first. Have you got one. Yeah, I've got
S2: a couple. Okay. Have you. I'm going to tell you
S2: a story. Sit down kids get comfortable. No. Um, I'm
S2: going to tell you the story about when I played
S2: at Wigan under Madge and what we did in grand
S2: final week, uh, to pump us up. So I think
S2: it was on about the Tuesday or the Wednesday. Um
S2: Madge had us all in the team meeting and he
S2: said I want you to go away and on a
S2: bit of paper and pen, a pen and a piece
S2: of paper, I want you to write about your why.
S2: Why you do what you do, why you play rugby league,
S2: what it means to you, what it would mean to
S2: you if you won the competition. So we all went
S2: away and we all wrote, wrote down what we, what we, um,
S2: you know, our why and why we played it and
S2: what it would mean to us if we'd win on
S2: Sunday night at Old Trafford. And we got to the
S2: captain's run and he took us all into this, uh,
S2: old change room at Robin Park. I think it was
S2: where we used to train. Um, and there was just
S2: all the players and Madge and there was an urn
S2: in the centre of the the room.
S1: Who died?
S2: No. No one. So the urn was in the centre
S2: of the room, and one by one, everyone stood up
S2: and read what it meant to him if they'd win
S2: the grand final, what it meant, their why and why
S2: they played, and why they were doing what they were
S2: doing and why they were needed to win. And da
S2: da da da. Blokes were in tears crying. Everything. All
S2: that sort of stuff. But every time every person finished
S2: what they were saying, they folded their piece of paper
S2: up and put it in the urn. And then at
S2: the end, um, Madge said, look, boys, no one will.
S2: No one will ever know what each of us has
S2: said other than the 1718 blokes in this room. I'm
S2: getting goosebumps. Um, so um yeah, he said that, he
S2: said you'll, you know, like no one will ever know.
S2: But it's all between us and it's all up to us.
S2: We're the only ones in this room that can have
S2: an effect on the outcome, you know? So he put
S2: some lighter fluid on it and he lit it and
S2: he let it. And we all sat there and watched
S2: it burn and closed the lid. And then we went
S2: out to the ground and on the ground the day like,
S2: you know, you go to the ground two hours before
S2: the game and we sprinkled the ashes, ashes of everything
S2: that we'd said that day and we said, well, we're
S2: going to leave it out here today. This is it.
S2: We're going to leave the what we've set out here
S2: and it's this 80 minutes.
S1: Oh my God.
S2: So then yeah, then we.
S1: That's so good.
S2: Then we went then we went into the sheds and
S2: we came out and played and we won the grand final.
S1: Oh wow.
S3: Well yeah, that's, it's very similar to mine. Um Grand
S3: finals kind of invoked that day because, you know, it's the,
S3: it's the last game of the year. And basically there
S3: is no tomorrow. Rocky. You know it's yeah. You know
S3: that that's it. So. Well, after we got beaten in
S3: 1990 we were very lucky to, you know, turn it
S3: around and win in 1991 or to get there. Um,
S3: and we had probably Gus Gould is the, the most
S3: motivating coach I've ever had. Like, he'd only probably do
S3: it once or twice a year when he'd really rip
S3: in and yeah. And go on one of them, them
S3: chats that you had you mesmerized. Yeah. Um, but otherwise
S3: you'd just go, oh no, not again. Like it's just
S3: so he saved one for the grand final day. We
S3: met at um, Bondi, a place called the Greyhound Inn.
S3: It was like a motel where you park your cars in, and, uh,
S3: guy said. So we're leaving for the ground at one move.
S3: Everyone in my room at 1230 in Gus's room.
S2: So this is game day.
S3: Game day, game day about 1:00 before we, uh, and
S3: that was early 1230 before we'd leave at one. So
S3: we're ready with our bags, our kit, and we're in
S3: like a semi circle. And he very similar to what
S3: magic did with you guys, but this time we had
S3: to verbal it, you know, go around the circle. What
S3: this what would it mean? Like, what would you feel
S3: for this to be the time that you win the
S3: comp and everyone was similar. We were, we were we
S3: got to the ground. We went into the game. Um,
S3: it was 126 at half time, exactly the same score
S3: as the year before. And Canberra are leading again. As
S3: we were getting ready to knock on the door two
S3: minutes before we got on the door to go out
S3: and we thought, oh fuck, let's go. Come on. What's.
S3: Gus said Royce wants to say something because Royce wasn't.
S3: Captain Brandy was because I saw that through the halfway
S3: we were getting, you know, all looked at and I
S3: saw Royce go over to Gus and and Gus said, yeah.
S3: So as we're about to run out, Royce had the
S3: the floor and he said, boys, I've been with this
S3: club for, you know, 15 years and this is my
S3: last game of rugby league, he said. And if I
S3: don't win today, he said, I will never be fulfilled
S3: in my life about being at this club. He said
S3: this club is everything to me. Um, I want everyone
S3: in this room to feel the love that I'm going
S3: to feel once we beat these bastards out there. So
S3: we're all pumped like it's half time. Let's get out there,
S3: let's get amongst them. I run out, get beat in
S3: ten minutes. And I thought, I've just fucked everything up. Yeah.
S3: That's it. Gus came up to me in the, um,
S3: in the room. He said, mate, these blokes are bashing
S3: the fuck out of Canberra like they weren't you. When
S3: you come back out, you've got to help them win. Yeah,
S3: because they're doing everything they can to hang on while
S3: you're in here? So I run out with about 20
S3: to go, and I just saw that our forwards were gone,
S3: and they were kind of getting a little bit of momentum.
S3: And I was in this play that I wasn't supposed
S3: to be in. And I gave a flick pass. And we,
S3: you know, but Royce Simmons, the speech he gave that
S3: day is the reason we probably won because we were
S3: in similar tiers. And, and I was probably too emotional
S3: because I said, yes, come on, let's do it for Royce.
S3: And I went out the field and then I caught
S3: a touchdown to cheat. I was too emotional, you know,
S3: like it was I went, fuck, I need to find that.
S3: That was a story of my life. Yeah. On the
S3: footy field.
S2: Yeah.
S3: But um when we won the comp. Yeah, we looked
S3: back on that we, we spoke about it the next day,
S3: um about Royce, what he said and everyone said the
S3: same thing. He goes, we weren't losing for Royce you know,
S3: we weren't going to lose for him ever. Yeah. Like
S3: it was just a um.
S2: What about the way that it happened? Like the game. Royce.
S2: You know.
S3: We scored the first try for our first try. Scored
S3: in five years. Yeah. And then he played a full game.
S3: Never hadn't played a full game that year. He played
S3: seven first grade games. And then, you know, I was
S3: with was 13, 12. And then, um, I saw the late,
S3: great Scotty guy was about to do a grubber kick
S3: to try and get the ball back. And I thought, okay,
S3: I'm just going to dive on this bastard. And I
S3: saw it coming towards me. So I went, oh shit.
S3: So I started sprinting towards the ball because I think
S3: it was going to bounce. I thought if it bounced
S3: over my head, I'm going to go like a wank.
S3: All this is going through my head straight on the chest,
S3: and I had the try line wide open. I thought,
S3: I'm going to score a try in grand Final. Mal
S3: was back there. Bastard tackled me about a metre from
S3: the line as I was going down. I'm g. I
S3: looked a little Barney Rubble with his little legs.
S2: Yes.
S3: Sprinting. Gave it to him in the corner and that feeling.
S3: Wow when he scored that try. I say a lot
S3: when I speak at functions that I said, I've got
S3: five beautiful kids and a wife and grandkids, and I
S3: love every one of them to death like more than life.
S3: But that feeling I got But when Royce put the
S3: ball down, that corner was like nothing I've ever experienced
S3: before or have again. That euphoria that you feel when
S3: you know you've done something that not many other people
S3: have done in your, or are lucky enough to do. Yeah,
S3: I screamed that loud of jubilation. I fractured my larynx.
S3: Couldn't speak for two weeks. Oh, really? Yeah. Just just like.
S2: Oh, wow. Letting it all out.
S3: We've done it like it's wow. We won the comp.
S3: And because I think it made it so special because
S3: the year before we we got beat and I was I,
S3: I used to always one of them blokes who watched
S3: grand finals and see players sitting on the ground crying
S3: and go, fuck no, what are you doing, mate? It's
S3: a game. Until I was in that situation, I couldn't
S3: stop it. Yeah, I couldn't stop crying. I'm going. What
S3: the hell? I apologize to everyone else. I'm back because
S3: here I am. I'm just sobbing.
S2: Oh.
S3: And then we went away to the kangaroo tour. And
S3: you know, you out of all the coaches, Bobby Fulton
S3: didn't have to say much because he was, you know,
S3: immortal coaching you. Um, Tim Sheens was very analytical and,
S3: and would would, you know, get speeches that he'd kind
S3: of be like Churchill, you know, like we're from Penrith.
S3: No one gives us any chance, like all this shit
S3: we buy into the narrative. And, uh, then he was
S3: just old school. Let's fucking knock these bastards out. Like,
S3: it's it's amazing the difference in coaches, isn't it? Over
S3: the years. Yeah. Um, but that's when you talk about Madge.
S3: That's why he wins comps. Like, that's why when he
S3: was coaching the Blues, he went around to like 30
S3: or 40 old boys matters for coffee. And while we're
S3: having a coffee or had breakfast, he had this bag
S3: in front of in the middle of us. And I went,
S3: I wonder what this is for. Like, and it wasn't
S3: until we, uh, we finished our coffees and our breakfast
S3: that he goes, okay, m g I'm going to put
S3: I've got something on the table here. Um, I'm going
S3: to pull something out of this bag. And the first
S3: thing I want you to do is give me your
S3: first impressions of what it is. So you put the
S3: bag down under the table and he pulled out a
S3: Blue Origin jersey. I went, wow. And I went, goosebumps firstly. Secondly,
S3: fucking passion and pride and mateship. He goes, that's all
S3: I want. He goes, that's. I'm just going around asking
S3: everyone about it. I want to put some pride back
S3: in this thing. And it was he's just such a
S3: great motivator. Like I'd run over coals for him like I'd.
S3: There's some coaches in my life that I would love
S3: to be coached by, like Bennett, Bellamy, McGuire, you know?
S3: I just think it would have been fantastic to see
S3: the different spectrum of, of analytics they've got or the.
S2: The way they go about it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
S1: I got, I got to see the, the video that, um,
S1: Madge played to the New South Wales origin team in
S1: the week leading up to right there.
S3: So that's a good motivator.
S1: So that conference I alluded to in the podcast about
S1: um league clubs Australia up on the Gold Coast with
S1: Dawn Fraser and Kenneths and all that sort of thing there.
S1: Dave trodden gets up and the boss of the Queensland
S1: Rugby League get up and do a spell to all
S1: the league's club bosses and trot. I got up off
S1: the back of winning the origin series and said, look,
S1: I'm going to show you something that no one else
S1: has seen, mate. I was ready to go and play.
S2: Play football.
S1: Yes it was, and because it was all around Steve
S1: Mortimer and mate, it was like, I still get goosebumps
S1: just thinking about it and the music and the oh,
S1: it was so good.
S3: So while we were up there, we, we, we discussed having,
S3: you know, the, the statues at around the Olympic Stadium.
S3: I mean, they've got 5 or 6 Queenslanders. Why haven't
S3: we got Tommy Raudonikis. Why haven't we got Steve Mortimer.
S3: Why haven't we got Laurie Daley. Why haven't we got
S3: Brad Fittler. Why haven't we got these legends of origin
S3: immortalised in statues around a stadium that when you go
S3: into the game, it's just kind of a bit more
S3: of a feel. You know, everyone's getting photos with it.
S3: Every time we go to magic round.
S2: The.
S3: Photos.
S2: And everything. Yep.
S3: I mean, it's.
S2: Just.
S1: Maybe we should start a campaign on our podcast.
S2: And especially with the New South Wales Rugby League headquarters
S2: there as well. That's right. Right there.
S3: Like it's a no brainer. It's a no brainer.
S1: Mhm. That was a good story.
S3: Yeah. I love getting fun. I love.
S2: I love, I.
S3: Love getting pumped up. I was one of them players
S3: who would look to the coach and if he was nervous,
S3: I would. I would be nervous. But if he was
S3: walking around with a smile on his face, I'd go.
S3: He knows today.
S2: It's.
S3: On. He knows it's on. Like someone like Peter Mulholland. He.
S3: He was. He couldn't hide his emotions when we went
S3: to Perth because he kind of went from schoolboys to,
S3: you know, um, to first grade and sometimes you look
S3: really nervous. And I go skull. And I had a
S3: chat to him. I said, you've got to be more of,
S3: you've got to be making sure that everyone knows that you're.
S2: You're confident or whatever.
S3: So then the next week, he's walking out like that.
S3: I said no too much. Yeah. But then he got this.
S3: Then he got the hang of it. Especially the way
S3: games coming to Sydney from Perth. Like I'd go, you know,
S3: even on the plane.
S1: So it's it's interesting, like just listening to your stories, boys.
S1: I think about the season. We got 27 weeks of
S1: rugby league before finals at the moment. Right. So from
S1: a from a coaching perspective, how do you get that
S1: theme over such a long period of time? A lot
S1: of week to.
S2: Week or week to week. A lot of coaches, I
S2: think will have different themes, different games. Um, they'll lean
S2: on milestone games for players like really lean into that
S2: sort of stuff.
S1: And you got to get buy in.
S2: Because you've got to find different ways to motivate the
S2: players week in and week.
S3: Such a hard job.
S2: Yeah.
S3: Like I suppose to piggy, they'd ask a lot of
S3: their assistant coaches these days more they do. You know,
S3: it's like when you win a sometimes bad cop good
S3: cop is is is perfect what they need. And I, I,
S3: I think the lead man has got to show that
S3: he can give the assistant as much responsibility as he's
S3: got to give everyone that kind of let's go together. Yeah, yeah.
S1: Great stuff.
S2: Nice.
S1: I'm ready to go.
S2: Ready to play. Let's go.
S1: Referee! I was all right.
S3: You're offside.
S1: Get off! MJ, you're.
S4: Off. Oh, no, not again, not again.
S1: Let's get into the questions. Tony's first up with Jerome.
S1: Luis form currently under fire at the Tigers and legends
S1: like Gordon Taylor's calling for his famous on field energy
S1: to return. Is it fair to place the weight of
S1: a struggling club's dressing room morale? Speaking of all these
S1: stories and themes entirely on a marquee player.
S3: Oh they are. They contribute. I mean, the marquee player
S3: is exactly that. The marquee. The number one. You know,
S3: if you've got 2 or 3 of them, you're looking
S3: at them for motivation. And I don't think. But as
S3: far as you know, this is your job now rugby
S3: league players. That's your job.
S1: He he he's the he's always been the chief energy.
S3: But he's always he's always up. I you know Jerome
S3: is a player who basically not the most skilful or
S3: rambunctious rugby league player we've ever seen. But he's always up.
S3: Yeah he's always up. And that's one of these. That's
S3: one of his trademarks. He gets others around him to
S3: play better. And yeah look I think there's some suggestions
S3: um yesterday that um you know would you drop Jerome
S3: from the Tigers. I went why Yeah. Why would you
S3: drop him?
S2: I don't understand.
S3: It's not the first to sign with the club midway.
S2: Through the season.
S3: Yeah, and if he's in, he's. If he's in my
S3: top 13, he's playing.
S2: That's right.
S3: He's playing every day.
S2: Every week. They're paying him the money. He's got to
S2: play and he's got to perform like the other 16
S2: players have got to do. They've got to take accountability
S2: for their actions as well and not just think, oh,
S2: it's all Jerome's fault. We'll just lump it all on Jerome.
S3: The better play with him, aren't they?
S2: And he says, yeah, no doubt.
S1: But he's the sort of player two boys. And I
S1: always use the the lesson that I learned a long
S1: time ago. You never knock champions. He's a champion. Football
S1: champions will always come out and make you look like
S1: a goose if you want a bag.
S2: I think I think the whole team, and they're all
S2: going to take some accountability for how they're performing at
S2: the moment.
S1: We spoke last week about Tom Trbojevic and that hamstring injury.
S1: Um maybe a bit go a bit deeper on this.
S1: Um is it time for the Sea Eagles from George
S1: to transition him to the centres to prolong his career.
S1: Or is his game breaking ability at fullback worth the
S1: constant injury risk?
S2: Ah I would I'd be thinking about seriously thinking about
S2: moving him to centre. Um, and I think the other
S2: thing with that is, is that it's not like they
S2: don't have other options for fullback. The Manly Sea Eagles
S2: today they got Lehigh. They got cola. So I think
S2: you know when he comes back next that that that
S2: that may be the path that they go down.
S3: Because Garrick is going the Roosters.
S2: He's going the Roosters.
S3: There's the center spot. Yeah. Um I I'd go one closer.
S3: I'd go five eight.
S2: Yeah. I, I don't even mind that either.
S3: Like then he's like less likely to one like I
S3: think he's got good ball skills and I think he'd
S3: stand in tackles. Um, obviously got to do more defense
S3: which is par for course. But look I just think
S3: Turbo's days at fullback are done.
S2: Yeah. Yeah. It'd be very surprising I think, given the
S2: fact that they've got other options that if they go
S2: back there again.
S1: Uh Jenny's been in touch. The wires genuinely the biggest
S1: threat to the Panthers dynasty this October. Can they go
S1: all the way and win the premiership? Who else could challenge?
S1: And does it matter if they finish outside the top four?
S1: Good question.
S3: Yeah great question, I don't know.
S2: Well, I think it does matter if they I think
S2: you've got to finish in the top four. History showed
S2: you got to be there. And I know teams go
S2: on runs, but you've got to be in that top four.
S2: I think they can. And the reason I think they
S2: can is because if they finish in the top two,
S2: they're playing in New Zealand two.
S3: Weeks away.
S2: And if they win that, their prelim finals in New
S2: Zealand as well.
S3: I like Melbourne for the last decade.
S2: Yeah. And they can set themselves up beautifully. So that's
S2: why they're going to be a threat.
S3: Yeah. Look I think genuinely they are the biggest threat
S3: to Penrith at the minute. Um but I think Penrith
S3: have always got going to have their measure. I don't
S3: think maybe it's because Ivan spent so long there that
S3: you know he's he kind of. And he's got Andrew
S3: Webster as his assistant coach for so long. He's I
S3: don't know. But I think the Roosters are the biggest
S3: threat to Penrith. I think the Roosters and maybe the
S3: Cowboys are that team that could go on a run.
S3: I it's hard to say but it's one of the most.
S3: After the Penrith lost last week to the Broncos, it
S3: still remains one of the most open comps in the.
S3: In a long time.
S2: I like the Dolphins. I like the Dolphins still still
S2: like the Dolphins. If they can get themselves in the
S2: top four and they're all healthy. I think they can
S2: make a run.
S3: I'll tell you what, Sharky. That team.
S2: Shark. Yeah.
S3: Yeah.
S1: Wow.
S2: See.
S3: I think they're about to turn the grid around to
S3: say that they're that team.
S2: But that's how everyone thinks about them. They. They do
S2: because they've been in the prelim finals for 3 or
S2: 4 years in a row.
S3: It's time.
S2: It's time until they make a grand final. I think
S2: a lot of people aren't gonna. Yeah. Do you know
S2: what I'm saying? I'll be like, oh, it's just the
S2: sharks again. They're gonna get there and then they're gonna.
S1: It's the same every year. They go into that little
S1: bar area down at Shark Park and they go, oh,
S1: this is the room. This is our year. It's the
S1: same every year anyway. It's up. That's the challenge.
S2: Yeah, that's a great one.
S1: From Damien Cook. Blow up at the refs.
S2: Did he. Yeah. He had a little crack at him.
S2: Did he after the game.
S1: Well Tom says. Tom says following Damien Cook's break the
S1: refs claiming teams lower on the ladder don't get 5050 calls.
S1: Does he have a valid point? Do the top teams
S1: subconsciously get the rub of the green from the whistleblowers?
S2: No doubt.
S3: Yep. We spoke about that last week in our podcast.
S3: Of course they do. It's it's just human nature.
S2: Titans as well this year. Dragons as well. Like out
S2: and out howlers.
S3: Eels.
S2: Yeah.
S1: All right. Well continuing the referee theme. Bev the last
S1: one a player's crossing a line by quoting past bunker
S1: rulings at referees during a live game. Big Tino blew
S1: up at Adam Gee over a try, directly comparing it
S1: to a ruling made against Max Plath in origin.
S3: Yeah, what's the question? Yes, they are, uh, players crossing
S3: the line by quoting it. Yeah, of course you are.
S2: Yeah. But that's I actually think that's smart from Tino
S2: to know he can remember that and bring it up
S2: on the field.
S1: I'm impressed that he remembers.
S2: During the game. I'm like, oh, that's impressive.
S3: The referee went, uh, hold.
S2: On, hold on. Let me think about that for a second.
S1: Especially in a losing, losing origin side. You put that
S1: behind you.
S2: Yeah. Um, yeah, that's an interesting one.
S1: Did you pass on my feedback to Clint Gutherson this week?
S2: What's that?
S1: All he does is whinge at the referees. He did
S1: it at Parramatta. Oh well I said.
S2: It.
S1: But I said in the call I said look I
S1: can speak from experience, right? If a player gets on
S1: your nerves you're not going to help them.
S2: No, no, I know just the.
S1: And that's where the 5050 calls and the Dragons whinge
S1: about the 5050 calls. Well, there's a hidden reason for that.
S1: If you're constantly in the face of the refs and
S1: just constantly whinging and carrying on.
S3: Well they talk.
S1: The refs aren't going to help.
S3: You. Refs talk like players do. Well, they're at training.
S3: They go, what about me?
S2: No, you tell him.
S1: Well, you tell me.
S2: You tell him.
S3: Now look down the barrel and tell.
S2: Tell him now. You know what? The balls.
S1: You know what I mean. You know what? You.
S2: Come on. Put it on me. Put it down the camera.
S2: Now tell Gutho.
S1: Righto, Gutho. Game number 250. ZIP it, bro. You can.
S1: You can remonstrate with referees. Be respectful. Don't whinge about
S1: every decision because they're not going to help you, mate.
S1: 5050 calls. You wonder why goes to the opposition. Calm down.
S1: Take a big deep breath. Ready? 250. You might even
S1: get to 300 if you stop whinging. So I'm just
S1: trying to help you, bro.
S3: Yeah, it's all love.
S1: Why don't you tell him you were down there?
S2: Yeah, yeah. What was that? You're soft, you soft.
S1: But you won't even tell him. And I'm.
S2: Soft. Well, because I don't need to.
S1: I've got the kahunas to mention on a podcast. Any
S1: other things doing down there with the dragons?
S2: No. Not much. Huh?
S3: Are they signing?
S1: Yeah. Who are they signing?
S2: I don't.
S3: Know. You said earlier that last week you said a
S3: four to a back. You said a hooker.
S2: That's right. Can't remember.
S3: Yeah, I think it's, um. I think it's Nathan Cleary.
S1: Are you hanging around.
S3: Healy from the Warriors?
S1: Are you hanging around to do the, um, audition with
S1: that other host of the podcast? Yeah, I am. Yeah. Cool. Yeah. Good.
S2: That's good. I gotta get home. Gotta pick up my
S2: son from school.
S1: Oh, why can't he walk?
S2: He's got footy training.
S1: Fair enough. All right, boys, you better go, CMG.
S3: Bye bye. Mark.
S1: Bye bye.
S2: Bye, Levi.
S1: We'll be back. We'll be back on Thursday. More of
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