WEBVTT - Valentine Holmes (9/4) 0:00:04.320 --> 0:00:07.480 Alright, So the Official Jets Podcast back better than ever. 0:00:07.680 --> 0:00:10.879 We had a video this time. Two thousand nineteen is 0:00:10.960 --> 0:00:14.080 upon us Jets Bills is this Sunday, and we kick 0:00:14.160 --> 0:00:17.200 things off this week with Valentine Holmes, who's really the 0:00:17.200 --> 0:00:20.520 eleventh practice squad player for the Jets. He's exempt because 0:00:20.560 --> 0:00:23.279 he's part of the International Pathway program, which is why 0:00:23.720 --> 0:00:26.920 there are eleven practice squad players and not ten. This 0:00:27.040 --> 0:00:30.320 guy is a fascinating character. He's done a lot of 0:00:30.360 --> 0:00:34.360 things early in his life and he was a star, 0:00:34.960 --> 0:00:37.520 yeah in the rugby league. Yeah. I don't think people 0:00:37.640 --> 0:00:40.920 understand that by the time. Montgomery understands it because he 0:00:41.159 --> 0:00:44.440 did that. Listen. I looked at this guy up after 0:00:44.479 --> 0:00:47.320 the Jets sign him, and he's like Michael Jordan's Okay, 0:00:47.360 --> 0:00:50.840 So throughout the season, we're kicking things off with val Holmes, 0:00:50.880 --> 0:00:53.479 but throughout the season we're gonna be taking fan questions. 0:00:53.520 --> 0:00:55.959 Once we know who's gonna be on the pod, will 0:00:56.000 --> 0:00:58.480 tweet it out if you have questions, tweet at one 0:00:58.480 --> 0:01:01.600 of us will ask the guests on the podcast, and 0:01:01.960 --> 0:01:04.000 where can you find the podcast? You didn't ask that, 0:01:04.000 --> 0:01:07.399 but I'm gonna answer it for you. Apple Podcast SoundCloud, 0:01:07.440 --> 0:01:10.200 really wherever you can find podcasts, make sure to leave 0:01:10.240 --> 0:01:12.840 a review. And now is there anything else you want 0:01:12.840 --> 0:01:15.000 to add in here? Let's bring in Bill all right? 0:01:15.480 --> 0:01:18.200 All right, so we're kicking off the official Jets podcast 0:01:18.280 --> 0:01:21.800 back officially in the two thousand nineteen season with Al Holmes. 0:01:21.840 --> 0:01:24.200 Thanks for joining us. You're batting leadoff for us, so 0:01:24.280 --> 0:01:26.800 that means you're up first and a lot of pressure. 0:01:26.800 --> 0:01:31.319 There's no pressure, A lot of pressure. No pressure. Uh yeah, no, 0:01:31.440 --> 0:01:35.200 thanks for coming on. I think fans have a thousand 0:01:35.280 --> 0:01:38.600 questions for you because your story is just so interesting. 0:01:39.080 --> 0:01:41.199 So I just kind of want to start things off 0:01:42.200 --> 0:01:44.800 by what gave you the itch to want to come 0:01:44.840 --> 0:01:49.440 overseas and pursue an NFL career. Yeah, it's uh probably 0:01:49.520 --> 0:01:53.880 started back in at the end of um myself in 0:01:53.920 --> 0:01:57.520 another playoff from Rugby League go the opportunity to trying 0:01:57.640 --> 0:02:00.200 in l A in front of a few teams. Put 0:02:00.240 --> 0:02:04.440 us through a pretty much like a combined type training 0:02:04.520 --> 0:02:08.120 drills and stuff like that, and our managers had organized 0:02:08.120 --> 0:02:10.240 all that stuff, so I don't know how they got 0:02:10.240 --> 0:02:13.320 in touch with those guys and then um that we 0:02:13.440 --> 0:02:15.080 put us through all that. We've never done anything like 0:02:15.120 --> 0:02:17.720 that before and they were quite happy and pleased with 0:02:17.760 --> 0:02:19.480 how we you know, took overy with the unit and 0:02:19.760 --> 0:02:22.840 did the drills and executed and didn't make really any mistakes. 0:02:24.480 --> 0:02:27.800 And then obviously it's quite big in Australia. You know 0:02:27.880 --> 0:02:30.040 a lot of US boys watch it. You know, everyone 0:02:30.040 --> 0:02:33.680 plays the fantasies and stuff like that, so it's it's 0:02:34.120 --> 0:02:36.360 quite big. Not just you know NFL, you you know 0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:41.000 the NBA, so people watch hockey, baseball, American sports. Did 0:02:41.000 --> 0:02:43.919 they select you to do that combine type training or 0:02:43.960 --> 0:02:46.880 did you and your body say we want to try 0:02:46.919 --> 0:02:48.400 to do this? Well, I had no idea who was 0:02:48.440 --> 0:02:51.520 doing it. My manager coming to me and asked me 0:02:51.560 --> 0:02:53.360 if it was something you know, I was all paid for? 0:02:53.520 --> 0:02:55.680 Is or the trip was everything paid for? And I 0:02:55.720 --> 0:02:57.720 thought might as well. Was the end of our the 0:02:57.840 --> 0:03:01.080 year for us, so were on holidays and um, there 0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:02.959 was always something I would have been interested in doing, 0:03:03.000 --> 0:03:05.040 and um, you know, for the opportunity to come up 0:03:05.160 --> 0:03:07.080 was good. And you know I got to kind of 0:03:07.120 --> 0:03:09.720 experience it's just at a little high school in l a. Um. 0:03:10.040 --> 0:03:11.640 You know, I got to meet some of the scouts there. 0:03:11.639 --> 0:03:12.880 There was quite a few that I think that was 0:03:12.880 --> 0:03:16.040 over about fifteen different clubs there, so it was It's 0:03:16.040 --> 0:03:18.080 probably the most nervous I've ever been for something. And 0:03:18.120 --> 0:03:20.520 I've played in Grand finals, I've played over a hundred 0:03:20.560 --> 0:03:22.519 games back home, and this is that was probably the 0:03:22.520 --> 0:03:25.320 most nervous I've been trying to perform in front of 0:03:26.000 --> 0:03:28.200 with clipboards and someone I didn't know. So growing up 0:03:28.200 --> 0:03:31.200 in Australia, who were the guys that you looked up 0:03:31.240 --> 0:03:35.840 to in the sports world and you said, hey, I 0:03:35.880 --> 0:03:38.240 watched a little bit of American football where there guys 0:03:38.280 --> 0:03:41.320 that you said, I really look up to. The Obviously 0:03:41.320 --> 0:03:43.640 when I was a kid, I had my idols were 0:03:43.840 --> 0:03:46.720 in rugby league. Um, you know, I've got to play 0:03:46.760 --> 0:03:49.600 alongside some guys that I never thought I would would 0:03:49.640 --> 0:03:53.160 have and also play against. But as I got older 0:03:53.200 --> 0:03:55.640 and it was just more so in the last few years. Um, 0:03:55.840 --> 0:03:58.320 I've been watching you know, NFL and basketball as any 0:03:58.360 --> 0:04:02.200 American sport closely most NFL, uh, and I love like 0:04:02.240 --> 0:04:04.880 although obviously the receivers and running backs, you know, they 0:04:05.560 --> 0:04:08.320 their swagger and how they kind of play and um, 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:10.480 you know, treat every game. It's it's awesome to see 0:04:10.480 --> 0:04:13.720 they all got very talented and you know, very special 0:04:13.720 --> 0:04:15.760 in their own kind of way. But my favorite player 0:04:15.880 --> 0:04:18.080 used to you know, kind of watch his slides before 0:04:18.080 --> 0:04:20.560 my games a few years ago is Odell Beckham. You 0:04:20.600 --> 0:04:22.960 know many first time. I'm sure a lot of people 0:04:22.960 --> 0:04:25.560 would have done that, but he's probably my favorite player. 0:04:25.560 --> 0:04:28.840 Any kind of motivated me to try and make the 0:04:28.880 --> 0:04:31.560 move to um come over and pursue something like this. 0:04:31.760 --> 0:04:33.520 But have you had a chance to talk to him 0:04:33.560 --> 0:04:37.080 at all? Nah? No, not at all. I've obviously seen 0:04:37.279 --> 0:04:39.560 I've been watching him very closely. You're gonna tell him 0:04:39.560 --> 0:04:43.120 anything for a game we do probably not listen to 0:04:43.279 --> 0:04:47.000 Green's I think this is a fascinating deal because mixed 0:04:47.000 --> 0:04:53.480 reaction from folks in Australia when you decided to make 0:04:53.520 --> 0:04:55.480 this attempt You're going over to play with the New 0:04:55.560 --> 0:04:59.040 York Jets through the International Bathway program, because a lot 0:04:59.040 --> 0:05:02.360 of people are we'll watch you back right, yeah. Yeah, 0:05:02.400 --> 0:05:04.520 So it was obviously mixed emotions. There was a lot 0:05:04.560 --> 0:05:07.960 of people that were obviously excited and wanted to follow 0:05:08.040 --> 0:05:10.560 how I went because I was a fellow regularly guy 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:13.200 named Jared Haane that cocted the same thing. He was 0:05:13.839 --> 0:05:18.640 the right Yeah, and obviously he did quite well, so, um, 0:05:18.640 --> 0:05:20.320 you know, there's a lot of people that supported him 0:05:20.360 --> 0:05:22.680 and really you wanted him to go well, and they 0:05:22.720 --> 0:05:24.680 probably had the same you know, people wanted to stay 0:05:24.680 --> 0:05:28.080 because he was really good in our sports. You're obviously 0:05:28.080 --> 0:05:31.240 gonna get guys that are disappointed in you're leaving, and um, 0:05:31.320 --> 0:05:32.920 you know, I wanted you to stay for the for 0:05:32.960 --> 0:05:34.680 that team. It was at Sharks, and there was a 0:05:34.680 --> 0:05:36.960 lot of fans that were, you know, not happy that 0:05:37.000 --> 0:05:39.839 I had left. But I'm sure over these past few weeks, 0:05:39.839 --> 0:05:42.719 I've been pretty excited. How difficult How difficult was it 0:05:42.760 --> 0:05:45.400 for you to make that decision? Because I don't know 0:05:45.440 --> 0:05:47.520 if fans know this, but I don't mean to make 0:05:47.520 --> 0:05:50.120 you feel uncomfortable, but you're pretty big deal back home, 0:05:50.640 --> 0:05:53.960 so I don't know what the comparison would be for 0:05:54.440 --> 0:05:58.240 the opposite, like if if an NFL player decided to 0:05:58.279 --> 0:06:01.719 go play in rugby league, But for you personally, how 0:06:02.480 --> 0:06:04.240 difficult was it for you to say, you know what, 0:06:04.320 --> 0:06:06.599 I want to put away what I'm doing here right now, 0:06:06.960 --> 0:06:08.360 even though I'm good at it and I want to 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:12.480 try something. Yeah that's different. Yeah, it was very difficult 0:06:12.520 --> 0:06:15.280 as um. Obviously you'll I felt like I had a 0:06:15.320 --> 0:06:17.040 pretty good come up, a pretty good year, and I 0:06:17.080 --> 0:06:20.080 was coming off contract as well, which you know obviously 0:06:20.120 --> 0:06:22.880 played a part in a little bit of it. Um, 0:06:23.080 --> 0:06:26.320 But I had to you know, the team I was with, Sharks, 0:06:26.320 --> 0:06:28.000 they had offered me a pretty good deal to stay, 0:06:28.040 --> 0:06:30.280 and but it was just something I've you know, I 0:06:30.360 --> 0:06:32.560 kind of lived with his to not have any regrets, 0:06:32.560 --> 0:06:35.920 and I've really felt like I strongly would have regretted 0:06:35.960 --> 0:06:39.040 not you know, given this a cracker, especially with the 0:06:39.080 --> 0:06:42.080 opportunity that came up with that pathway, the international pathways. 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:43.359 You know, I felt like it was just a calling 0:06:43.400 --> 0:06:46.719 for me, and um, ever since I kind of did it. Um, 0:06:46.760 --> 0:06:49.760 you know, I've been excited since being here, and UM, 0:06:49.839 --> 0:06:52.320 I'm pretty happy I made that decision coming over. We'll 0:06:52.400 --> 0:06:55.160 jump back to football in a minute, but Uh, what's 0:06:55.200 --> 0:06:59.920 the biggest difference is as far as living is concerned 0:07:00.160 --> 0:07:02.640 coming over here. You live in New Jersey right now, 0:07:02.680 --> 0:07:05.240 but you've been to New York multiple times. I know 0:07:05.760 --> 0:07:10.840 prior to this you've cited the beaches and the coffee. Yeah, 0:07:11.920 --> 0:07:14.480 obviously Sydney is quite expensive as well, so it wasn't 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:17.000 too much of a of a change, but I had 0:07:17.080 --> 0:07:19.520 my own place there. I was a little bit a 0:07:19.560 --> 0:07:21.440 bit better at a car and stuff like that as well. 0:07:21.520 --> 0:07:23.080 Said it's um, you know, I don't really have all 0:07:23.120 --> 0:07:25.680 that kind of accessories at the moment, but you know, 0:07:25.680 --> 0:07:27.880 I lived quite close to facility at the moment and 0:07:28.200 --> 0:07:31.200 it's quite easy to to get back and forth. But 0:07:31.240 --> 0:07:34.280 there's the most important thing is that like coffee, I'm 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:36.920 really doing this that. And also Bluestone have sent me 0:07:37.040 --> 0:07:38.880 some coffee beans because they must have seen I've said 0:07:38.880 --> 0:07:41.240 that a few times. So it's it's an Australian cafe 0:07:41.320 --> 0:07:44.200 in New York City there and they're doing really well. 0:07:44.240 --> 0:07:46.880 So They've sent me some coffee and I've been having 0:07:46.920 --> 0:07:48.880 it at home. How many how many coffees do you 0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:54.120 have it there? Yeah? I probably have one or sometimes none, 0:07:54.160 --> 0:07:56.400 just because isn't the way to really find a nice one. 0:07:56.400 --> 0:08:01.280 But back on two or three Koree screw up in Manhattan, 0:08:01.640 --> 0:08:04.040 they should have a couple of places for Yeah, I mean, 0:08:04.080 --> 0:08:07.440 I'm not I'm not a coffee drinker though, is that weird? 0:08:07.640 --> 0:08:10.960 I don't drink coffee. I'm a lot of guys that haven't, 0:08:11.480 --> 0:08:16.200 so yeah, to get yeah, you you definitely need it. 0:08:16.240 --> 0:08:18.920 What was it What was it difficult to get adjusted 0:08:18.960 --> 0:08:21.080 to the driving on the opposite side of the road 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:26.120 when you came here. Um, I haven't really, but do 0:08:26.200 --> 0:08:28.120 you understand it would be quite difficult. So how do 0:08:28.120 --> 0:08:30.440 you get to work every day? Um? I'll have a 0:08:30.440 --> 0:08:32.760 little scooter that a rod I love that time Montgomery 0:08:32.880 --> 0:08:38.280 let me borrow Who's Yeah, it's one of the elect 0:08:38.400 --> 0:08:40.679 like the bird scooters. Yeah, it's a Bird's good. It's 0:08:40.720 --> 0:08:45.640 electric on it tastes like minutes. Get short cut through 0:08:45.640 --> 0:08:47.760 the It's like these buildings. You can just cut through 0:08:47.760 --> 0:08:49.280 the It's great. So you don't even need to go 0:08:49.320 --> 0:08:52.160 on the main road. No, he was actually Ryan in 0:08:52.160 --> 0:08:54.040 the locker room the other day. I think I saw 0:08:54.080 --> 0:08:56.880 you riding in the locker room straight to my stright 0:08:56.960 --> 0:08:58.760 to my locker. You know, I was looking. I was 0:08:58.800 --> 0:09:01.679 printing something earlier than I saw someone riding a scooter 0:09:01.720 --> 0:09:03.839 out the window. It might have been you. Would have 0:09:03.880 --> 0:09:07.160 been well, would it be Blake Cashman? Because it I 0:09:07.200 --> 0:09:09.000 thought for a second from a distance it might have 0:09:09.000 --> 0:09:11.280 been him too. He might have one. Were you wearing 0:09:11.280 --> 0:09:12.960 a hat on your way into where? And it was 0:09:13.000 --> 0:09:16.640 definitely you. What does Jamal Adams says he has like 0:09:16.760 --> 0:09:19.440 a motorcycle scooter looking thing. Yeah, I think it's like 0:09:19.440 --> 0:09:24.079 an electric bike. Yeah, an electric bike was pretty cool. 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:28.280 So I want to I mean, I want to touch 0:09:28.280 --> 0:09:31.120 on a thousand things. But in particular, you told me 0:09:31.160 --> 0:09:35.480 this when you signed that you basically casually ran the 0:09:35.520 --> 0:09:38.720 New York City Marathon, like you didn't really train for it. 0:09:38.760 --> 0:09:40.560 You just kind of said, Okay, yeah, i'll do it. 0:09:40.600 --> 0:09:43.240 I'll sign up, and then you ran twenty six point 0:09:43.280 --> 0:09:47.160 two miles or whatever it is. That's psychotic. Yeah, it was. 0:09:47.360 --> 0:09:50.120 Obviously my wife has has done it three or four times. 0:09:50.120 --> 0:09:54.040 In the family fitness freaks, so they love running um 0:09:54.080 --> 0:09:56.760 and I've I've supported them in the past three years, 0:09:56.760 --> 0:09:58.559 and I thought I might as well give it a 0:09:58.559 --> 0:10:00.559 crack if I can. If if I don't finished, I 0:10:00.559 --> 0:10:02.480 could always just bail them, you know what I mean 0:10:02.559 --> 0:10:05.400 him at the end, But like I said, I didn't 0:10:05.400 --> 0:10:08.480 train because I was in season the whole year. I 0:10:08.480 --> 0:10:12.400 couldn't really you literally didn't have any program. No, well, 0:10:12.400 --> 0:10:15.120 I'm because I'm the Sharks at the time. So it's 0:10:15.120 --> 0:10:17.400 not like I could just run for ten days after 0:10:17.440 --> 0:10:19.520 a game or before a game because i'd be stuffed, 0:10:19.520 --> 0:10:22.080 but I's ont me played the next week. So this 0:10:22.200 --> 0:10:24.880 was just treated in season as my training for the 0:10:24.920 --> 0:10:26.480 marathon because I knew I was doing it from the 0:10:26.520 --> 0:10:31.600 side of the year. So New York City Marathons October correct. Yeah, okay, 0:10:31.840 --> 0:10:36.880 so what kind of what was your average mile? Um? Well, 0:10:36.880 --> 0:10:39.120 when I was insted in four and a half hours, 0:10:39.600 --> 0:10:42.480 So what did that? I don't know. I didn't really 0:10:42.520 --> 0:10:45.960 I was just did you run with I'm not going 0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:48.680 to try to do the math, but yeah, a marathon. 0:10:48.720 --> 0:10:51.080 I was just happy I finished it. I did not 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:53.760 think I was gonna even get close to to finishing it. 0:10:53.840 --> 0:10:57.000 But was your wife encouraging you or was she like, 0:10:57.120 --> 0:10:59.320 You're never gonna be able to do this? No, she's real. 0:11:00.200 --> 0:11:01.720 She really happened me out with it. She stayed with 0:11:01.720 --> 0:11:04.440 me the whole time. Um, she could have easily just 0:11:04.559 --> 0:11:08.560 ran off and finished it. What's her best time? She's 0:11:09.080 --> 0:11:13.079 donna didn't like three hours? God, what do you ever 0:11:13.120 --> 0:11:16.679 do it again? No, that's the first and last. I mean, 0:11:16.720 --> 0:11:18.520 I'm happy I did it, get like a gold medal 0:11:18.559 --> 0:11:23.400 and stuff like AE. Okay, but so this is fascinating 0:11:23.520 --> 0:11:26.880 because I'm thinking of you and you're a young guy. 0:11:26.920 --> 0:11:30.640 But I'm saying, bucket list already already did the New 0:11:30.720 --> 0:11:35.199 York City Marathon, You've already played in the National Football 0:11:35.280 --> 0:11:38.360 League preseason action. I mean, what else is on that list? 0:11:38.960 --> 0:11:42.360 As far as Bell Holmes is concerned, it all seems 0:11:42.360 --> 0:11:48.000 to be in New York though. My wife and I 0:11:48.080 --> 0:11:53.400 always said we've lived an extreme roller coast lifestyle these 0:11:53.440 --> 0:11:56.200 past few years, moving from a small town to Sydney. 0:11:57.160 --> 0:11:59.240 I've made some rep teams there and it's just been 0:11:59.360 --> 0:12:01.400 you know, up and one a grand fin. Like I said, 0:12:01.440 --> 0:12:03.320 it's um and she's been there through it all. And 0:12:03.920 --> 0:12:05.920 to move over to New York City and also do 0:12:06.000 --> 0:12:08.480 the marathon, it's um, you know, something that we at 0:12:08.480 --> 0:12:11.040 this age wouldn't think would be here. So it's we're 0:12:11.040 --> 0:12:13.040 just trying to, you know, just have fun while we're 0:12:13.160 --> 0:12:14.800 while we're doing this, and you know, you can get 0:12:14.800 --> 0:12:17.160 one life that lives on. Let's talk about some of 0:12:17.160 --> 0:12:20.640 your country man, country people. I should say a lot 0:12:20.679 --> 0:12:24.480 of people say when we bring up rugby, I say, 0:12:24.520 --> 0:12:29.160 it's not rugby, it's the Rugby League. Talk about the signal. Yeah, 0:12:29.160 --> 0:12:32.400 that's a very big deal because people take that personally. 0:12:32.400 --> 0:12:35.640 People came at US when when you signed here and 0:12:35.679 --> 0:12:39.360 we put rugby, people said no, no, no, it has 0:12:39.400 --> 0:12:42.680 to be rugby league, and you know we had no idea. Yeah, 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:46.760 there's two major there's a rugby union, which everyone calls rugby. 0:12:46.920 --> 0:12:49.640 It's like either fifteen or side or um there's seven 0:12:50.000 --> 0:12:52.720 rugby Um the USA. It seems quite good at seven. 0:12:52.760 --> 0:12:55.599 So that's probably why it gets a bit um confused 0:12:55.600 --> 0:12:58.160 and lost in there. But rugby league has only played 0:12:58.160 --> 0:13:01.800 in England and Australia and New Zealand, so that's probably 0:13:01.840 --> 0:13:05.160 why it's not like worldwide rugby union is and um, 0:13:05.240 --> 0:13:06.640 but I feel like it's getting there. A lot of 0:13:06.640 --> 0:13:08.800 people that's starting to know what hopefully a lot of 0:13:08.800 --> 0:13:11.680 people more in American know it now. And um, you know, 0:13:11.760 --> 0:13:14.400 obviously Jordan my Larder played for the past the Eagles. 0:13:14.440 --> 0:13:17.600 He played rugby league as well. And when I remember 0:13:17.679 --> 0:13:19.480 when he first you know, got drafting and stuff. They're 0:13:19.480 --> 0:13:22.680 saying he's a rugby star in Australia, but it's rugby league. Again. 0:13:23.440 --> 0:13:26.720 Jared Hayne played rugby league. So I feel like it's 0:13:26.720 --> 0:13:29.439 getting out there. It's um, it's just obviously not worldwide, 0:13:29.440 --> 0:13:32.080 like you know, everyone knows that all Blacks, the South 0:13:32.120 --> 0:13:34.880 Africans and all that. So that's all rugby union that 0:13:35.000 --> 0:13:37.079 they play fifteen. It's why we have thirty in aside. 0:13:37.080 --> 0:13:40.880 And the rules are completely different. So but you could 0:13:40.880 --> 0:13:43.360 do both. I mean I used to play rugby union, 0:13:43.400 --> 0:13:45.720 yes in school. Um, I haven't played in a while, 0:13:45.760 --> 0:13:48.240 but it wouldn't be as hard as the transition it 0:13:48.360 --> 0:13:51.080 is to to the NFL. So how many of you 0:13:51.080 --> 0:13:56.079 your current teammates fully understand I know Time Montgomery is 0:13:56.120 --> 0:13:59.439 one of them, fully know about your success in Australia 0:13:59.480 --> 0:14:02.000 because I from where I said, it comes off that 0:14:02.120 --> 0:14:04.520 you came in. He just didn't really say anything that 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:07.360 and your teammates probably thought, oh, it's an Austrailian guy 0:14:07.400 --> 0:14:12.439 trying to come over, not realizing how successful you were overseas. 0:14:12.480 --> 0:14:16.800 So how many teammates fully know and understand? Well, I 0:14:16.840 --> 0:14:19.960 know the whole running back class now because Todd made 0:14:20.000 --> 0:14:23.400 the coach puts in front of everyone. So I blew 0:14:23.440 --> 0:14:26.840 up your spot pretty much talking to a lot of 0:14:26.960 --> 0:14:28.880 a lot of the boys about and um, you know, 0:14:28.960 --> 0:14:34.400 Frankie lub knows, Harvey Bronson, They kind of um you know, 0:14:35.280 --> 0:14:37.160 how for I am just a little bit and obviously 0:14:37.200 --> 0:14:40.920 now um, but there's more so just a running back class. 0:14:40.920 --> 0:14:43.240 I'm not really out here to tell everyone what I did, 0:14:43.800 --> 0:14:46.440 which is very respectable. By the way, I very much 0:14:46.520 --> 0:14:48.920 enjoy the way that you came across that. Yeah, it 0:14:49.000 --> 0:14:51.040 was just um, you know, I was obviously putting that 0:14:51.080 --> 0:14:52.880 behind me. I just wanted to focus on this and 0:14:53.040 --> 0:14:55.120 you know, trying to make a stamp in this game. 0:14:55.240 --> 0:14:58.600 What was your favorite moment over there in the Rugby League? 0:14:58.760 --> 0:15:00.840 Probably been in the Grand Final for my team. It 0:15:00.920 --> 0:15:03.960 was so since we've been It was on our fiftieth 0:15:04.040 --> 0:15:07.200 year that the club has been you know, alive or started, 0:15:07.360 --> 0:15:08.800 and it was on the fiftith year we won as 0:15:08.840 --> 0:15:11.360 the first ever. UM. There's been like so many great 0:15:11.360 --> 0:15:13.400 players I've played at the club and the team we 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:18.520 had was we went We've won fifteen games in a row, 0:15:18.760 --> 0:15:21.520 drew the sixteenth and then lost the Seventever, but to 0:15:21.560 --> 0:15:24.800 win fifteen in a row and that competition is it's 0:15:24.960 --> 0:15:26.720 really hard to do and I just felt like we 0:15:26.760 --> 0:15:28.680 had a great year that year. That was year I 0:15:28.720 --> 0:15:30.240 played for Australia as well. At the end of the 0:15:30.320 --> 0:15:34.480 year UM one of Grand Finals twenty one. It was 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:39.000 my most favorite kind of memorable year a time. How 0:15:39.080 --> 0:15:41.800 much is that free form as far as that game 0:15:41.920 --> 0:15:45.640 is concerned, compared to now you're over here in the NFL, 0:15:45.760 --> 0:15:51.080 where everything scripted, you go huddle up for thirty seconds 0:15:51.120 --> 0:15:56.280 before a snap. Yeah, it's it's completely different. You obviously 0:15:56.480 --> 0:15:58.080 you know this is I feel like it's a real, 0:15:58.480 --> 0:16:01.440 real team sport. Every player literally needs to be in 0:16:01.480 --> 0:16:03.680 the right spot, needs to know what they're doing, needs 0:16:03.680 --> 0:16:06.000 to block the right person or you know, leave the 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:09.440 right person or whatever. And um, that's how you kind 0:16:09.440 --> 0:16:13.080 of get down the field. Where in rugby league it's um, 0:16:13.120 --> 0:16:15.000 you know, if you obviously there's some set plays and 0:16:15.000 --> 0:16:16.840 stuff you got to do, but you know, one one 0:16:16.920 --> 0:16:18.680 or two players, you can kind of open up the match, 0:16:19.040 --> 0:16:21.960 um and every now and then by just breaking the line. 0:16:22.080 --> 0:16:24.640 And you can't LIKEE have blockers for you. So you're 0:16:24.680 --> 0:16:27.040 going to do it, you know, free free hand for yourself. 0:16:27.120 --> 0:16:29.480 You just gotta try and create space and create create 0:16:29.480 --> 0:16:33.760 a whole or line break. So take us through. I 0:16:33.800 --> 0:16:36.000 guess the first time you put on pads and practice, 0:16:36.040 --> 0:16:38.040 you put on the helmet, you buckle up your chin strap, 0:16:38.080 --> 0:16:40.240 you go on the huddle, and you know, the ball 0:16:40.280 --> 0:16:43.480 is coming to you, like what is going through your head? 0:16:43.960 --> 0:16:46.320 And you get hit and you go down or whatever, 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:49.520 you stay up in training camp and just take us 0:16:49.560 --> 0:16:51.800 through your head, your emotions and the first time that 0:16:51.840 --> 0:16:54.560 you got a good pop, like what are you saying? 0:16:54.560 --> 0:16:56.800 Like what are you feeling at that moment? Well, it's 0:16:56.800 --> 0:16:59.160 actually the running back coach help me out for a 0:16:59.160 --> 0:17:01.360 lit while, just to make sure I understand the game, 0:17:01.480 --> 0:17:03.640 understand the play calls and stuff like that, which was 0:17:03.680 --> 0:17:06.240 really good. I needed that. It's probably like a few 0:17:06.280 --> 0:17:08.800 weeks in where I got my first you know, properly 0:17:09.080 --> 0:17:10.680 running and I think it was I don't know it 0:17:10.720 --> 0:17:12.639 was seven on seven off it was actually eleven. I 0:17:12.640 --> 0:17:16.440 guess it waiting about that first scrimmage, right that Saturday 0:17:16.480 --> 0:17:18.520 scrimmage that you guys had out of here. As far 0:17:18.560 --> 0:17:21.480 as that first hit, yeah, that was probably pretty much 0:17:21.480 --> 0:17:23.960 my first hit. And then we've we've always to hold 0:17:23.960 --> 0:17:27.119 each other right in the spring, but first contact session 0:17:27.119 --> 0:17:29.840 would have been that one, and I definitely felt that 0:17:31.320 --> 0:17:32.960 you obviously we've got to try and you know, just 0:17:33.000 --> 0:17:35.600 get up at all times, and you know, because the 0:17:35.640 --> 0:17:38.080 defense obviously you know like to layer up if you 0:17:38.080 --> 0:17:39.520 know the plot for good hit. So I tried to 0:17:39.560 --> 0:17:40.960 just get up straight away, you know, thinking that it 0:17:41.080 --> 0:17:44.280 was nothing. So but I definitely felt how different is 0:17:44.320 --> 0:17:47.720 it hit? You know, that hit like that versus taking 0:17:47.760 --> 0:17:50.960 a big hit back home. Um, it's a little bit different, 0:17:50.960 --> 0:17:53.719 only because I didn't see that coming, so I had 0:17:53.760 --> 0:17:56.439 no idea he was coming. Obviously you lose a bit 0:17:56.440 --> 0:17:59.120 of peripheral vision and he's just come flying in from 0:17:59.119 --> 0:18:00.800 the side and I was all I was focused on 0:18:00.880 --> 0:18:03.159 was trying to get to the end zone. Um. But 0:18:03.560 --> 0:18:06.280 in rugby league, in rugby union, you can kind of 0:18:06.320 --> 0:18:08.560 see who's coming to try and tackle you, so you 0:18:08.560 --> 0:18:12.240 can neither brace for it or you can evade him somehow. Well, 0:18:12.440 --> 0:18:15.479 you know, you can prepare to get tackled. But in 0:18:15.520 --> 0:18:18.159 this in this league, it's they're come and flying in 0:18:18.200 --> 0:18:21.120 the safety. If you're catching the ball facing your quarterback 0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:23.359 and it's safety, you can come and just clean you up. 0:18:23.440 --> 0:18:25.920 Where you can't really do that. Rugby league, it's got 0:18:25.920 --> 0:18:28.600 to be you know, it's all kind of in front 0:18:28.600 --> 0:18:30.840 of you. You mentioned tie a couple of times, and 0:18:30.880 --> 0:18:34.560 you mentioned in your position coach Jim Bob Cooder ti 0:18:34.720 --> 0:18:38.760 kind of taking you under his wings a little bit. Yeah, definitely, 0:18:38.840 --> 0:18:41.879 especially you know in April in our spring camp, he 0:18:42.040 --> 0:18:44.320 was you know, we're all living at the av together. 0:18:44.359 --> 0:18:46.240 Would he would help me out like pretty much every 0:18:46.320 --> 0:18:48.479 day out of training, even we did some study sessions 0:18:48.640 --> 0:18:51.199 at the a F F on our days off. So he 0:18:51.320 --> 0:18:53.919 was one person that you know, really helped me throughout 0:18:53.960 --> 0:18:57.040 this kind of transition into the NFL with the Jets, 0:18:57.040 --> 0:18:59.680 and you know it's um, He's helped me a lot. 0:18:59.680 --> 0:19:03.320 Whether it's because he's obviously transitioned from wing wing so 0:19:03.680 --> 0:19:06.040 receiver to run him back and he knows a lot, 0:19:06.080 --> 0:19:09.760 so he's um, you know, helped me out a lot 0:19:09.840 --> 0:19:11.879 through this, and also the other boys have helped me 0:19:11.880 --> 0:19:13.719 out a lot as well. Leave But since Laveland Bell 0:19:13.760 --> 0:19:16.159 has been coming in, always been saying, is lower your 0:19:16.200 --> 0:19:18.840 pads just because in the first few games I was 0:19:18.920 --> 0:19:21.480 running quite high. You know, the players were getting under me, 0:19:21.560 --> 0:19:23.720 so I needed to low my pads. And I felt 0:19:23.720 --> 0:19:25.320 like in that last game I was doing that a lot, 0:19:25.359 --> 0:19:27.920 and I was just from these guys just keep getting 0:19:27.920 --> 0:19:30.840 into me and help me out. Why the success in 0:19:30.880 --> 0:19:34.000 the passing game because a lot of guys, I would 0:19:34.040 --> 0:19:38.000 imagine might be making the transition and say, well, I 0:19:38.040 --> 0:19:40.560