WEBVTT - 🎙️ Mason Cox - 100th Game Special 🥳 0:00:06.320 --> 0:00:09.760 All right, ladies and gentlemen, this is a very special episode. 0:00:09.760 --> 0:00:11.920 We've got the hundredth game coming up, so Brandon and 0:00:12.039 --> 0:00:14.800 myself I thought we'd deep die tell you some stories 0:00:14.840 --> 0:00:17.919 about my career, stories about the last one hundred games 0:00:17.960 --> 0:00:20.239 that maybe you haven't heard yet. And that's what we're 0:00:20.280 --> 0:00:22.960 here for. It's gonna be an interesting chat. I'm not 0:00:23.000 --> 0:00:25.120 sure where this is gonna go. There's gonna be some 0:00:25.160 --> 0:00:28.480 funny stories, some interesting stories, ups and downs, don't get 0:00:28.520 --> 0:00:31.560 me wrong. But it's gonna be exciting, I can promise 0:00:31.560 --> 0:00:33.920 you that. So listen, and it's gonna be good fun. 0:00:39.440 --> 0:00:42.920 All right, everyone, very very special podcast that is about 0:00:42.960 --> 0:00:45.440 to get underway. Mason Cox, as you all know and love, 0:00:45.520 --> 0:00:50.760 the great man, A hundred game special now, very very 0:00:50.760 --> 0:00:54.080 big accomplishment. I think we all know the journey, but 0:00:54.760 --> 0:00:56.800 we'll go through the first part really quick. I don't 0:00:56.800 --> 0:00:58.920 know if you guys know this, but he was born 0:00:59.040 --> 0:01:00.480 in a America? 0:01:00.640 --> 0:01:01.639 Was it American? 0:01:01.680 --> 0:01:04.360 How am I? Yes? So he was born in America, 0:01:05.120 --> 0:01:08.560 found out about the game around twenty two, came over 0:01:08.600 --> 0:01:10.919 here and the rest is history. 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:13.200 Do I talk about college, na, No, I'll say that 0:01:13.280 --> 0:01:16.560 for another podcast after dark episode. 0:01:16.400 --> 0:01:18.840 So we've been through the early stuff. Now we're just 0:01:18.920 --> 0:01:20.959 going to get right into the nitty gritty, the nuts 0:01:21.000 --> 0:01:25.200 and bolts, the one hundred games. So one hundred games 0:01:25.200 --> 0:01:29.080 for the Collingwood Football Club. Now it almost wasn't for 0:01:29.160 --> 0:01:31.720 the Collingwood Football Club. If you if you're judging by 0:01:31.800 --> 0:01:34.880 North Melbourne's videos that they put out there, head to 0:01:34.880 --> 0:01:37.479 toe North Melbourne kit, you could have been playing down 0:01:37.520 --> 0:01:42.400 in tazzy. I'm lucky got the game for Collingwood. Now 0:01:42.480 --> 0:01:47.280 talk us through this, because you know it's pretty head 0:01:47.360 --> 0:01:50.560 to toe. You had the polo, you were out there, 0:01:51.160 --> 0:01:54.200 out they were doing. They got Brad Scott doing interviews 0:01:54.240 --> 0:01:56.240 about you, going like, oh he's the next big thing, 0:01:56.320 --> 0:01:58.200 Mason Cox and we're going to snap him up. How 0:01:58.240 --> 0:01:58.880 close was it? 0:01:59.160 --> 0:02:01.000 Not even remotely close? 0:02:01.480 --> 0:02:05.880 I think look, North Melbourne, maybe just turn off the 0:02:05.920 --> 0:02:07.760 next if you're a North Melbourne fan, t off the 0:02:07.760 --> 0:02:10.639 next to being a minute of this podcast. North Milan 0:02:10.840 --> 0:02:11.200 walked in. 0:02:11.680 --> 0:02:12.040 Brad. 0:02:12.120 --> 0:02:14.000 You know, he's a coach of a football club, right 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:16.440 the enact that decision. It's not on him what goes 0:02:16.480 --> 0:02:20.560 on behind the scenes and their club Arden Street beautiful, 0:02:20.600 --> 0:02:23.160 don't get me wrong, but whenever you go to calling 0:02:23.200 --> 0:02:25.240 a football club and then you go to Arden Street. 0:02:25.280 --> 0:02:27.400 You see the vast difference and the big kind of 0:02:27.440 --> 0:02:30.120 carrot they had. They had Eric Wallace there, absolute legend 0:02:30.160 --> 0:02:32.160 American that was playing for them on their list at 0:02:32.160 --> 0:02:34.200 the time, and they had the idea that he could, 0:02:34.280 --> 0:02:36.400 you know, grow me as a player and teach me 0:02:36.440 --> 0:02:37.760 how to play the game because he had been through 0:02:37.760 --> 0:02:40.880 it himself. That was their biggest carrot, and it just 0:02:41.040 --> 0:02:44.960 it just comparatively, it was tough, Like sorry, North Melbourne, 0:02:44.960 --> 0:02:46.560 but this is We've talked about this on the podcast. 0:02:46.600 --> 0:02:48.280 It's very hard to keep up with the top tier 0:02:48.360 --> 0:02:50.360 echelon clubs that have the facilities. 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:54.320 But where you're coming from though, is also college basketball 0:02:54.440 --> 0:02:57.600 college in the States. It's it's a bit different, right. 0:02:57.639 --> 0:02:59.799 We come over here and we're like, oh, Collingwood's the 0:02:59.800 --> 0:03:00.680 big byss. 0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:04.880 But my basketball university university that I played basketball for, 0:03:05.080 --> 0:03:09.000 their locker rooms five x what Collingwood was So coming 0:03:09.040 --> 0:03:11.720 into the country seeing Collingwood's I wasn't to be honest, 0:03:11.760 --> 0:03:14.360 I wasn't impressed. I was kind of like, yeah, like 0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:17.160 I've just come from a way better facility, Like we 0:03:17.200 --> 0:03:19.800 had a half a million dollar marble staircase going from 0:03:19.840 --> 0:03:22.359 the top level to the bottom level of our locker room. 0:03:22.760 --> 0:03:26.359 We had just the cowskin rugs everywhere because we're in Oklahoma. 0:03:26.400 --> 0:03:30.320 I had the twelve TVs all lined up, custom pool table, 0:03:30.520 --> 0:03:33.680 like custom seats for the for the vision room. All that, 0:03:33.720 --> 0:03:36.920 you know, just stupid cash. There's a guy that donated 0:03:36.960 --> 0:03:39.920 over half a billion dollars to our university so you can. 0:03:40.200 --> 0:03:41.720 Buy the whole afl exactly. 0:03:41.960 --> 0:03:44.320 That's it, Like we all know it's I'm not getting 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:47.440 into that, but there's just there's so much money that's 0:03:47.440 --> 0:03:50.520 influxed into this thing that, yeah, the facilities, because you 0:03:50.560 --> 0:03:53.280 can't play players, the facilities is where the money went. 0:03:53.640 --> 0:03:57.040 So it was always topp tier, top echelon type stuff 0:03:57.320 --> 0:03:59.800 and that came to here and everyone's like Callingwood be 0:04:00.720 --> 0:04:02.840 baddest in the land, you know, and to be honest, 0:04:02.840 --> 0:04:04.520 and you know, I love calling it obviously, don't get 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:06.880 me wrong. But like whenever I came in, they were like, 0:04:06.960 --> 0:04:09.240 we have custom weight sets. 0:04:09.800 --> 0:04:11.760 I was like, yeah, cool, bro. 0:04:13.240 --> 0:04:16.600 There was things like that that were probably very impressive 0:04:16.720 --> 0:04:20.919 for Australian sports, but compared to the US side of things, 0:04:20.920 --> 0:04:24.320 it was almost below what I expected. 0:04:24.120 --> 0:04:26.960 Yeah, and you would have been like, can these guys 0:04:27.000 --> 0:04:30.800 pay the check every month? You would have felt like 0:04:30.839 --> 0:04:32.080 it's a People told me that. 0:04:32.120 --> 0:04:33.800 People told me, if you go to North Melbourne or 0:04:33.800 --> 0:04:36.800 someone else, you're not financially guaranteed to get your paycheck 0:04:36.880 --> 0:04:38.640 in the end of the month. And I was that 0:04:38.680 --> 0:04:40.720 actually scared me, being someone from half a world away 0:04:40.800 --> 0:04:43.200 thinking because I heard about AFL, I thought it'd be 0:04:43.200 --> 0:04:45.679 an Eastern European kind of like basketball that I didn't 0:04:45.680 --> 0:04:47.240 know if it was going to be successful or not. 0:04:47.560 --> 0:04:48.960 I'm just hoping to be able to make it out 0:04:49.040 --> 0:04:52.039 of the country, like if things go shit right, And 0:04:52.080 --> 0:04:54.120 that was like a big fear of mine. So someone 0:04:54.279 --> 0:04:57.600 I can't remember who it was, but someone could tell you, yeah, 0:04:57.600 --> 0:04:59.560 well seriously, I had no idea, so I believe whatever 0:04:59.560 --> 0:05:00.320 people to. 0:05:00.440 --> 0:05:04.039 Now you arrived at Collingwood. Did the full signing got 0:05:04.040 --> 0:05:06.839 you over that? Had you know a big hand to 0:05:06.880 --> 0:05:10.719 play in that? How was the pitch in getting you 0:05:10.800 --> 0:05:11.240 over here? 0:05:11.720 --> 0:05:14.479 There was a massive sales page, not only from the 0:05:14.520 --> 0:05:17.520 Collingwood and Derek Hines, but also the AFL, and they 0:05:17.560 --> 0:05:20.640 put a lot of a lot of media into this 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:24.360 big American coming over to Australia and playing because I 0:05:24.360 --> 0:05:27.799 remember before I made my decision. Right last day in Australia, 0:05:28.279 --> 0:05:30.839 they take us out for this five star dinner. AFL 0:05:30.880 --> 0:05:33.640 shout out to the AFL, take us out to this 0:05:33.839 --> 0:05:36.479 five star dinner and they've got the agents. I'm gonna 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:38.840 sign with her. There we get the beers a flowing. 0:05:38.960 --> 0:05:41.200 You know, there's Corona's on the table, There's you know, 0:05:41.279 --> 0:05:43.600 all these I couldn't fathom at being a kid that 0:05:43.720 --> 0:05:45.480 was eating Ramen noodles from college. 0:05:45.520 --> 0:05:46.960 I was just like, what the fuck? 0:05:47.560 --> 0:05:50.640 This is awesome red carpet treatment, right because they flew 0:05:50.640 --> 0:05:52.960 you around, flew me around everywhere, just you know, I 0:05:53.080 --> 0:05:55.599 was essentially media darling for them for a week and 0:05:56.560 --> 0:05:59.080 got these other beers flowing. You know, everyone's there that 0:05:59.080 --> 0:06:01.520 I kind of met throughout the week, and we get 0:06:01.560 --> 0:06:03.520 to the nitty gritty and stuff and they're kind of 0:06:03.520 --> 0:06:05.680 trying to get me to sign a contract. This is 0:06:05.680 --> 0:06:07.400 I don't know if I've ever actually told this story, 0:06:07.440 --> 0:06:11.719 but I am blind drunk, like blind drunk at this point. 0:06:11.800 --> 0:06:13.560 So it was like all the you know, all this 0:06:13.560 --> 0:06:15.400 stuff have been done for the week, Like we were 0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:18.280 very into this trip, hadn't had any enjoyment as far 0:06:18.320 --> 0:06:20.000 as like going out, having beers in a night out. 0:06:20.040 --> 0:06:22.279 So this was our night and we get up to 0:06:22.320 --> 0:06:24.720 this sports bar at the Crown. I'm sitting there in 0:06:24.760 --> 0:06:27.400 the two agents at the time that the AFL had 0:06:27.400 --> 0:06:29.440 given to me, you know, showed me because I hadn't 0:06:29.440 --> 0:06:31.560 seen any of the contracts beforehand. They showed me the 0:06:31.600 --> 0:06:33.640 different contracts. Port Adelaide, I think, was the only one 0:06:33.640 --> 0:06:35.520 that didn't give me a contract that I would look at. 0:06:35.800 --> 0:06:37.960 So you had like North Melbourne, Freemantle. I told them 0:06:38.000 --> 0:06:40.080 I wasn't going to go to Fremantle. So it's either 0:06:40.120 --> 0:06:42.360 North Melbourne, Richmond and Collingwood. Right, puts all three in 0:06:42.400 --> 0:06:44.000 front of me. You look through the details. Some are 0:06:44.000 --> 0:06:45.960 giving you a car, some aren't. You know, there's little 0:06:45.960 --> 0:06:49.640 details in there. I was so blind drunk, couldn't even 0:06:49.640 --> 0:06:53.280 read the lettering. I was hammered. And I'm at the 0:06:53.360 --> 0:06:56.159 sports bar and with the agents and we're finally getting 0:06:56.200 --> 0:06:59.520 down to business, right, business of like signing a contract 0:06:59.640 --> 0:07:02.359 come to the country or not. And I am so 0:07:02.600 --> 0:07:04.920 blind drunk, and I just look at my brother and 0:07:04.960 --> 0:07:06.640 I look at the agents. I go, can we just 0:07:06.680 --> 0:07:09.080 have five minutes please? Can we just have a little 0:07:09.120 --> 0:07:10.840 chat My brother and I just want to talk through 0:07:10.880 --> 0:07:13.520 some of the details here. My brother, no one who's 0:07:13.520 --> 0:07:15.760 been on the podcast. Great, great conversation if you have 0:07:15.800 --> 0:07:18.560 and go back and listen to it. And we kind 0:07:18.560 --> 0:07:20.640 of sit down and said, I'm I'm hammered. I can't 0:07:20.640 --> 0:07:22.640 read anything on this thing. Can you read this now? 0:07:22.640 --> 0:07:24.640 There's no chance for making decisions here. So we went 0:07:24.680 --> 0:07:26.880 back to the agent and said, we'll go to America, 0:07:26.920 --> 0:07:28.480 We'll talk to the fan, we'll sort it out, we'll 0:07:28.520 --> 0:07:31.320 sober up or than anything. Yeah, And it was like 0:07:31.360 --> 0:07:33.600 the IFL and the agents were like trying to get 0:07:33.600 --> 0:07:36.280 me to sign then and there before I left the 0:07:36.280 --> 0:07:38.520 country because they were worried if I left the country 0:07:38.560 --> 0:07:40.679 I wouldn't come back. Yeah, so it was a really 0:07:40.720 --> 0:07:46.080 interesting last night in Australia around it, and yeah, they 0:07:46.160 --> 0:07:48.000 kind of I feel like at times, looking back on it, 0:07:48.000 --> 0:07:49.480 I feel like they tried to dupe me into signing 0:07:49.520 --> 0:07:53.120 a contract I wasn't prepared to sign. Luckily, left my 0:07:53.400 --> 0:07:55.920 drunk conscious state, I was able to make the decision 0:07:55.960 --> 0:07:58.120 not to sign that. But I obviously went back to 0:07:58.160 --> 0:08:01.400 America and call up all the different clubs that thank you, 0:08:01.440 --> 0:08:02.440 and then talk Colin. 0:08:02.560 --> 0:08:04.920 I was going to to go and play for them. 0:08:05.320 --> 0:08:11.520 You have your very experienced agent Nolan. Nolan working old 0:08:11.600 --> 0:08:16.720 times tonight, he'll show up. Now let's jump into the journey, 0:08:16.720 --> 0:08:20.520 because it's a fair journey at that. So you fly, 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:25.520 you know, halfway across the world and then you meet 0:08:25.600 --> 0:08:27.160 up with the team and you go on a pre 0:08:27.240 --> 0:08:31.360 season camp to Falls Creek, beautiful place. Beautiful place. Normally 0:08:31.600 --> 0:08:34.040 it's snowing there, but this time of year, you just 0:08:34.080 --> 0:08:37.880 go in the summer, so you're really you know, meeting 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:40.920 the guys for the first time and battling it out 0:08:41.120 --> 0:08:45.200 in these really weird circumstances. What did you kind of 0:08:45.240 --> 0:08:49.320 take from that first big preseason training camp and in 0:08:49.360 --> 0:08:53.199 particular kind of meeting up with Brodie Grundy and kind 0:08:53.240 --> 0:08:57.240 of he really set the tone most years at preseason camps. 0:08:57.240 --> 0:08:59.440 He was a beast, So, like, what did you learn 0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:00.880 like getting into that. 0:09:01.000 --> 0:09:02.520 I think the cool thing about that that was probably 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:04.200 the first time I got to really get to know 0:09:04.280 --> 0:09:06.240 players because like we're all staying in the same hotel 0:09:06.280 --> 0:09:08.040 and stuff. You know, you're playing card games at night 0:09:08.040 --> 0:09:09.560 and all that kind of stuff, and you just get 0:09:09.559 --> 0:09:11.840 to know people on a personal basis because a lot 0:09:11.840 --> 0:09:13.560 of the guys played growing up. You know, I played 0:09:13.559 --> 0:09:15.600 against each other in different leagues and stuff here and there, 0:09:15.600 --> 0:09:17.760 and I'm just this token American and it's rolled up 0:09:17.800 --> 0:09:19.720 and you know, it's a first of four years camp. 0:09:19.760 --> 0:09:21.840 So these people are eighteen to like twenty two. Max, 0:09:21.880 --> 0:09:24.400 I think there was Sam Dwyer was like thirty. I 0:09:24.559 --> 0:09:26.959 rolled around. It's like, dude, you should definitely not be here. 0:09:28.160 --> 0:09:29.800 But I remember that was like kind of the big things. 0:09:29.840 --> 0:09:32.160 I kind of felt like I was just kind of 0:09:32.200 --> 0:09:33.840 like on the side because I was older and all 0:09:33.840 --> 0:09:35.719 these guys who are a younger kind of group that 0:09:35.800 --> 0:09:37.600 were coming in and trying to sort themselves out. And 0:09:37.840 --> 0:09:39.559 you think about, like how much you change between eighteen 0:09:39.600 --> 0:09:40.600 and like twenty three. 0:09:40.640 --> 0:09:41.319 There's a lot of. 0:09:41.280 --> 0:09:43.480 Life changing that happens between then and a. 0:09:43.440 --> 0:09:45.240 Lot of these kids, you know, we're eighteen, We're trying 0:09:45.280 --> 0:09:46.720 to figure out what they're going to do and thrust 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:49.559 into this AFL lifestyle and everything else. And that was 0:09:49.640 --> 0:09:51.320 kind of my way of getting to know people like 0:09:52.120 --> 0:09:53.600 Marley was a guy I got to know early. 0:09:53.720 --> 0:09:54.600 Darcy obviously. 0:09:55.120 --> 0:09:57.040 Brody was the main person that I think I looked 0:09:57.080 --> 0:09:59.439 to and you kind of look around and you go, Okay, 0:09:59.520 --> 0:10:01.680 who can I become close with I know he's gonna 0:10:01.679 --> 0:10:04.040 get me to the best part, sorry, get me to 0:10:04.080 --> 0:10:05.640 be the best player I can be. And Brodie is 0:10:05.679 --> 0:10:07.480 one of those people. He's one of the hardest work 0:10:07.520 --> 0:10:10.440 ethic kind of people, and he's a beast in the gym, 0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:12.559 like he works his ass off, and he's one of 0:10:12.559 --> 0:10:14.080 those people that never gives up. So I kind of, 0:10:14.520 --> 0:10:17.160 you know, you're right on the coattails of other people, 0:10:17.200 --> 0:10:18.640 you know, and you want to help them bring you 0:10:18.679 --> 0:10:20.520 to a certain level. And Brody was that person for 0:10:20.600 --> 0:10:23.120 me for a long time, and I still very close 0:10:23.120 --> 0:10:25.600 to them obviously, but we always kind of have those 0:10:25.600 --> 0:10:27.840 competitions going against each other, and I'd always try to 0:10:27.840 --> 0:10:30.160 be the guy that was trying to prove his you know, 0:10:30.320 --> 0:10:32.400 prove his worth. And we had Jared Witz also there, 0:10:32.440 --> 0:10:35.520 you know who's you know, yeah, big winners, Captain of 0:10:35.559 --> 0:10:37.200 Gold Coast. So it's there was a lot of guys 0:10:37.200 --> 0:10:38.760 in there that were big men that you know, are 0:10:38.880 --> 0:10:41.000 quite successful. Now that I was able to kind of have, 0:10:41.320 --> 0:10:42.960 you know, show me the ropes as far as what 0:10:43.080 --> 0:10:45.440 was appropriate and you know what you had to give up, 0:10:45.520 --> 0:10:47.520 what he had to sacrifice, and the effort you had 0:10:47.559 --> 0:10:50.160 to put into it. So yeah, those Falls Creek camps. 0:10:50.160 --> 0:10:51.600 That was kind of I think the biggest thing I 0:10:51.600 --> 0:10:53.960 got out of it. And and I remember back to 0:10:54.000 --> 0:10:55.840 the days of the some of the you know, the 0:10:56.280 --> 0:10:58.000 I guess the challenges Brodie and I you know, and 0:10:58.000 --> 0:10:59.840 he used to do like the boxing, and Brodie would 0:10:59.840 --> 0:11:02.640 just be the living shit out of you. Like that, man, 0:11:03.320 --> 0:11:05.440 No one wants to go up against me. Even whever 0:11:05.480 --> 0:11:08.040 he warms up for games. He is the most aggressive 0:11:08.200 --> 0:11:11.000 like bumps and tackles person before the game that I 0:11:11.000 --> 0:11:13.120 would always just like end up in the bathroom somehow 0:11:13.160 --> 0:11:16.120 magically because like we're the same height, so instantly you 0:11:16.160 --> 0:11:17.080 go with each other. 0:11:17.800 --> 0:11:18.079 Freak. 0:11:18.120 --> 0:11:19.880 But anyway, we used to have battles here and there. 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:22.320 And there's one there's a famous photo whenever I look 0:11:22.360 --> 0:11:24.079 back on my career, all the different photos and stuff, 0:11:24.080 --> 0:11:26.839 and there's one of myself and Brody and I'm a scrawny, 0:11:26.880 --> 0:11:29.600 scrawny kid at this point and Brodie's the big human, 0:11:29.679 --> 0:11:31.760 you know, and we're running down this massive mountain after 0:11:31.800 --> 0:11:34.680 a full day of training. We're doing like ice bass 0:11:34.679 --> 0:11:37.520 in this like you know lake with snow on the 0:11:37.559 --> 0:11:39.800 ground and push ups all the way up this mountain 0:11:39.800 --> 0:11:40.959 and everything else to get to the very top, and 0:11:40.960 --> 0:11:42.800 there's a sprint down the very end to try to 0:11:42.840 --> 0:11:45.560 like win it because everyone's on different teams, and Brody 0:11:45.600 --> 0:11:47.680 and I were just in this dead heat and I remember, 0:11:47.720 --> 0:11:50.520 like coaches on like this is fucked, Like these two 0:11:51.320 --> 0:11:55.200 full momentum, like no stopping, pushing each other, trying to 0:11:55.200 --> 0:11:57.920 make sure like one one like well one one over 0:11:57.920 --> 0:12:01.319 the other. And there's this photo and we're dead even 0:12:01.800 --> 0:12:03.240 and I don't even know who wanted, but I just 0:12:03.240 --> 0:12:04.760 remember at the end of it, we were so fucked. 0:12:04.760 --> 0:12:06.680 I just laid on the ground so exhausted, and I 0:12:06.760 --> 0:12:09.120 was just like, this is the guy that I want 0:12:09.120 --> 0:12:11.120 to be able to push because I know if I 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:13.520 push him, that's gonna be pushing myself to the limit also, 0:12:13.800 --> 0:12:16.080 and I'll be a better player for it. So yeah, 0:12:16.120 --> 0:12:18.040 big shout out to Brodie is one of those people. 0:12:18.080 --> 0:12:20.520 It's definitely made me a better human off the field 0:12:20.600 --> 0:12:21.959 and also a better player on the field. 0:12:22.040 --> 0:12:24.160 It's a sketchy on that one running flat out down 0:12:24.160 --> 0:12:24.840 a gravel hill. 0:12:25.200 --> 0:12:27.840 There was no like if I wanted to stop, I couldn't. 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:29.719 The momentumly just carried us because it was such a 0:12:29.760 --> 0:12:32.559 steep hill, Like we just kept going. It was almost 0:12:32.600 --> 0:12:34.760 as though like the finish line was there and we 0:12:34.880 --> 0:12:37.920 just kept running down the hill another thirty meters past 0:12:37.920 --> 0:12:39.839 it because there's no stopping us. The cool thing is 0:12:39.880 --> 0:12:41.720 you've been here for a lot of these early moments too, 0:12:41.760 --> 0:12:43.319 like you were at the club seeing some of this 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:44.400 as it was playing out. 0:12:44.480 --> 0:12:47.320 Yeah, I felt like at the time we all knew 0:12:47.360 --> 0:12:50.480 that we were watching something that was significant. A lot 0:12:50.480 --> 0:12:52.160 of us like looked over stop what we were doing, 0:12:52.320 --> 0:12:54.360 kind of clapping you guys running in a lot of 0:12:54.360 --> 0:12:57.160 people shouting out and stuff like Yeah, and that what 0:12:57.200 --> 0:13:00.400 you said about that photo, it's almost defining of both 0:13:00.400 --> 0:13:02.880 of your journeys moving from forward from there. 0:13:03.240 --> 0:13:04.920 Either one of us over fucking give in. But there 0:13:05.000 --> 0:13:07.160 spent so many times where it' be like sprints on 0:13:07.200 --> 0:13:10.080 the treadmill and staff and he sits there and he goes, 0:13:10.080 --> 0:13:12.360 I'm going to put it to thirteen. I'll put it 0:13:12.400 --> 0:13:15.160 to fourteen because I'll put it to fifteen or fifteen 0:13:15.200 --> 0:13:18.400 and a half. Yeah, he's such a hard worker. Yeah, 0:13:18.440 --> 0:13:21.080 he just doesn't. He's always the biggest man of the gym, 0:13:21.120 --> 0:13:23.319 always benching, the most, you know, squat and the most 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:26.000 all that kind of stuff, and yeah, he just always 0:13:26.000 --> 0:13:27.800 wants to be better. And it's someone you always want 0:13:27.800 --> 0:13:29.480 to have, you know, in your in your corner, and 0:13:29.480 --> 0:13:31.200 someone you always want to have you know, helping you 0:13:31.320 --> 0:13:32.760 to be, like I said, the best player you can be. 0:13:32.960 --> 0:13:35.160 And it is a difficult thing as we touched on 0:13:35.240 --> 0:13:37.959 we'd probably touched on it a fair bit in last 0:13:37.960 --> 0:13:40.760 week's episode, that it's your best mates with some of 0:13:40.760 --> 0:13:42.720 these guys. Yeah, and then fighting for a spot the 0:13:42.760 --> 0:13:46.000 players that you draw for the rough position. Brody Grundy 0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:49.720 arguably the competition's best, and then Jared Witz goes on 0:13:49.760 --> 0:13:51.480 to have a career as Captain of the Gold Coast 0:13:51.480 --> 0:13:54.719 and you're still here, so credit to Yeah, the hell 0:13:54.760 --> 0:13:57.640 I'll last at both of them. But the thing is 0:13:57.960 --> 0:13:58.640 one of those. 0:13:58.440 --> 0:13:59.920 Moments I think in my career that I had to 0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:02.200 pick and choose was like I looked at it and 0:14:02.200 --> 0:14:05.160 I said, Brodie Grundy's rock, Jerry Witz's rock. I knew 0:14:05.160 --> 0:14:07.240 the coach's trust and faith was in them too. And 0:14:07.240 --> 0:14:08.480 then we're fighting it off to see it would be 0:14:08.480 --> 0:14:11.280 the number one rock at the time, and I was 0:14:11.280 --> 0:14:13.720 obviously like, you know, third fourth string as far as 0:14:13.800 --> 0:14:15.920 rocks to that point. And I kind of made the 0:14:15.960 --> 0:14:18.000 realization early in my career and lucky for it, and 0:14:18.120 --> 0:14:20.360 probably through some guidance of some coaches of saying like 0:14:20.800 --> 0:14:22.640 if I wanted to get playing time early in my 0:14:22.680 --> 0:14:24.480 career and make it in the AFL, I had to 0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:27.520 have something they didn't have, which is being able to 0:14:27.520 --> 0:14:30.600 play forward. So I made that commitment for a year 0:14:31.400 --> 0:14:33.000 to say I was going to learn the forward craft, 0:14:33.200 --> 0:14:36.280 learn different like leading patterns, everything else to get used 0:14:36.280 --> 0:14:37.920 to that, and then that would allow me to slide 0:14:37.960 --> 0:14:40.760 in be a second rock slash forward, which was somewhat 0:14:40.760 --> 0:14:43.000 of a spot we didn't have at the time, and 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:44.760 they tried. Whenever they tried to play two rucks, it 0:14:44.760 --> 0:14:46.960 didn't work because it was just neither one of them 0:14:46.960 --> 0:14:48.240 who go play forward. So I was like, if I 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:50.760 can fill that gap of something they're looking for, change 0:14:50.760 --> 0:14:54.320 the total trajectory trajectory in my career, and like so 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:56.640 grateful for it because even now it's like we're playing 0:14:56.640 --> 0:14:58.960 with Darcy and myself, caring to myself and like both 0:14:58.960 --> 0:15:00.440 of us can go forward, and that it gives us, 0:15:00.480 --> 0:15:03.080 you know, gives us a bit of options in the rock. 0:15:03.160 --> 0:15:05.240 Whenever someone's playing good or bad, whoever it is, we 0:15:05.280 --> 0:15:07.080 can leave people in certain positions and the other one 0:15:07.120 --> 0:15:08.120 can still fill another role. 0:15:08.320 --> 0:15:09.920 And as we go through there'll be a lot of 0:15:10.000 --> 0:15:13.680 sliding door moments very much similar to that. But we 0:15:13.880 --> 0:15:17.920 jump into your I guess it's technically your first game 0:15:17.960 --> 0:15:19.040 of footy. 0:15:19.000 --> 0:15:20.680 First time organized football. 0:15:20.840 --> 0:15:25.640 Yeah, so VFL Round one twenty fifteen in Ballarat, River 0:15:25.760 --> 0:15:27.080 of a game, real rough one. 0:15:27.280 --> 0:15:29.960 Everyone wants to do play the first game in Ballarat. 0:15:30.040 --> 0:15:31.960 Surely that's a bit of a tester. It's like, let's 0:15:31.960 --> 0:15:34.400 send the big yank out to VFL in Ballarat and 0:15:34.400 --> 0:15:35.520 see if he survives. Yeah. 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:37.760 I moved to this country and I was like beaches, 0:15:38.040 --> 0:15:41.600 beautiful women, beautiful weather, and you throw my ass into 0:15:41.760 --> 0:15:46.920 Ballarat where it was raining, sleeting, sunny, windy all in 0:15:46.960 --> 0:15:49.600 one game so bad that we had buckets of hot 0:15:49.640 --> 0:15:52.040 water on the sideline just whenever you came off. You 0:15:52.040 --> 0:15:53.960 could just put your hands in there, get a bit 0:15:54.000 --> 0:15:56.480 of feeling back in the extremities, go back and play. 0:15:56.520 --> 0:15:58.800 And I was like imember going to this game thinking, 0:15:58.840 --> 0:16:01.080 what the fuck have our decided to do with my life? 0:16:01.240 --> 0:16:05.480 Yeah, driving away out there now, shout out, and I'm 0:16:05.480 --> 0:16:08.680 sure there's plenty of beautiful women out of Bellerratt, but 0:16:09.040 --> 0:16:12.040 you weren't alone out there. You played your first game 0:16:12.320 --> 0:16:16.040 Darcy Moore, Jordan de Goie, Brandon Maynard, Mason Cock. So 0:16:16.880 --> 0:16:19.760 it turned out in order to found out to be 0:16:19.800 --> 0:16:24.760 a pretty good little drafting period for them. Apparently you 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:25.360 kicked the goal. 0:16:25.760 --> 0:16:26.840 Yeah, I don't really remember it. 0:16:27.040 --> 0:16:31.480 Yeah, and we don't remember but vision, but we'll take it. Now. 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:35.160 Another obscure first game, which is probably your first game 0:16:35.920 --> 0:16:39.800 in the actual AFL squad, took place in Bendigo pre 0:16:39.960 --> 0:16:45.440 season against Carlton. Now this would have been you've had 0:16:45.440 --> 0:16:48.400 the experience in the VFL or whatever. Now this is 0:16:48.400 --> 0:16:51.360 a moment of yeah, am I ready to step up 0:16:51.400 --> 0:16:52.840 and play with the big boys. 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:56.320 This is about three to four, maybe probably about four 0:16:56.320 --> 0:16:59.360 months into actually landing in Australia and learning. 0:16:59.040 --> 0:17:00.560 The game, knowing what a is. 0:17:00.600 --> 0:17:02.560 Yeah, I was real nervous because I mean, like, at 0:17:02.560 --> 0:17:05.920 this point I'm playing a game I'm still questioning whether 0:17:06.040 --> 0:17:07.840 with an umpire points certain way of what the hell 0:17:07.880 --> 0:17:11.200 that means, Like I didn't know details of the game 0:17:11.240 --> 0:17:12.720 that people knew their whole lives, and I was just 0:17:12.800 --> 0:17:14.879 kind of like, all right, just run the same direction 0:17:14.920 --> 0:17:18.639 as the other ruckmen, follow him around, and you're surely 0:17:18.720 --> 0:17:21.320 just try not to make an ass to yourself. I 0:17:21.359 --> 0:17:23.480 did that, Okay. I will say I played a half 0:17:23.480 --> 0:17:26.520 a game. I came in at halftime, played against their rockmen, 0:17:26.560 --> 0:17:28.480 and yeah, it was all right, Like I got a 0:17:28.480 --> 0:17:30.080 few different hitouts. I think I showed it be enough 0:17:30.080 --> 0:17:32.000 promise to say like, oh okay, like he actually has, 0:17:32.359 --> 0:17:34.520 you know, a bit of coordination that like we might 0:17:34.520 --> 0:17:36.520 be able to work with. And I just remember it 0:17:36.560 --> 0:17:38.280 like the game was a bit crazy in that sense 0:17:38.320 --> 0:17:40.720 of like getting there, the bus ride up, and I 0:17:40.760 --> 0:17:42.320 remember getting to the locker rooms and it was like 0:17:42.400 --> 0:17:44.440 local footy of the locker rooms. I was like, life 0:17:44.520 --> 0:17:47.520 is really taking a real shit storm. Like it was 0:17:47.600 --> 0:17:50.800 just like grade six, like you know, school lockers, and 0:17:50.840 --> 0:17:51.200 that was. 0:17:51.160 --> 0:17:54.560 The locker room. Yeah, concrete flaws, yeah, brick walls. 0:17:54.880 --> 0:17:57.480 Like putting on booty shorts and a sleeveless jumper for 0:17:57.520 --> 0:17:58.160 the first time. 0:17:58.359 --> 0:17:59.960 This is something that I want to ask you because 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:03.920 obviously shorts above the knees in America really far, very 0:18:03.960 --> 0:18:06.320 for So what do you are you telling your mates 0:18:06.359 --> 0:18:09.320 back home what you're actually doing? Are you just telling. 0:18:10.960 --> 0:18:12.119 Cherry picking the best parts? 0:18:12.440 --> 0:18:14.359 And they were just like you're playing soccer, and I 0:18:14.400 --> 0:18:16.320 was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah soccer. 0:18:16.400 --> 0:18:17.280 We're playing soccer. 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:19.600 So you even think, like soccer players have larner shorts 0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:22.280 in the AFL players, yeah, it's a real it's embarrassing, 0:18:22.280 --> 0:18:26.040 but anyway, I digress. It's very unique IFL to wear 0:18:26.119 --> 0:18:28.760 sleeveless in the middle of winter and shorty shorts in 0:18:28.760 --> 0:18:30.800 the middle of winter, but this is the way the 0:18:31.160 --> 0:18:34.560 world works. And even wearing speedos, like speedos you can 0:18:34.640 --> 0:18:36.840 imagine in America not a thing. So when I came 0:18:36.840 --> 0:18:38.639 over here and i'd wear my first speedos, it was 0:18:38.640 --> 0:18:40.560 a real kind of like cover your nuts moment, you 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:43.600 know of like walking around and people just sitting there 0:18:43.640 --> 0:18:46.280 with the shit out and you're like, Okay, I guess 0:18:46.280 --> 0:18:48.120 this is going to be normal for the next few years. 0:18:48.160 --> 0:18:51.199 And unfortunately, every time you're in speedos it means you're 0:18:51.200 --> 0:18:52.440 getting in and out of cold water. 0:18:52.560 --> 0:18:55.120 Yeah it's not a pretty side. 0:18:55.480 --> 0:18:58.440 No one's walking around strutting after getting in the ice bath, 0:18:58.480 --> 0:18:59.399 I'll tell you that, Brandon. 0:18:59.760 --> 0:19:03.160 So there was plenty that came out of this postgame interview. 0:19:03.320 --> 0:19:06.439 You said it was your best and worst game of 0:19:06.520 --> 0:19:06.960 your career. 0:19:07.320 --> 0:19:11.480 Yeah, so I never played any other game. It was hilarious, 0:19:11.520 --> 0:19:13.080 Like I had no idea what I was doing. And 0:19:13.080 --> 0:19:14.680 I remember, like one of the big things I remember 0:19:14.720 --> 0:19:17.919 from the game was walking off and you shake everyone's hand. 0:19:17.960 --> 0:19:19.520 One of the last people I shake was this guy 0:19:19.560 --> 0:19:21.280 and he had that much fucking. 0:19:20.960 --> 0:19:23.040 Tape on him. It was just like, what are you doing? 0:19:23.480 --> 0:19:24.320 And I was shaking us. 0:19:24.280 --> 0:19:26.760 And he was the nicest guy you ever met. He's like, mate, 0:19:27.040 --> 0:19:28.840 great story. When I was shot all the best in 0:19:28.880 --> 0:19:32.240 your career. Really you admire what you're doing over here 0:19:32.280 --> 0:19:33.639 and like giving you a crack And I was like, 0:19:33.800 --> 0:19:36.399 that goes so nice, you know. I walked off, has 0:19:36.440 --> 0:19:38.399 like thanks buddy, and then like next thing I know, 0:19:38.440 --> 0:19:40.879 I turn I turn around and he's getting interviewed by 0:19:41.200 --> 0:19:43.440 Chance seven. Where it was now I look at Darcy 0:19:43.480 --> 0:19:45.080 and Darcy was probably the person I was closest with 0:19:45.200 --> 0:19:47.600 this time. I said, I see that guy was super 0:19:47.880 --> 0:19:50.480 like who is he? He goes, that's Chris Judd. He's 0:19:50.480 --> 0:19:52.199 like one of the best players ever played? How do 0:19:52.240 --> 0:19:54.119 you not know who that is? And I was like, 0:19:54.880 --> 0:19:57.600 he's not the rockman. I don't know And still to 0:19:57.680 --> 0:20:01.760 this day, same problem. Now, twenty guys all around. I 0:20:01.800 --> 0:20:04.160 got no idea I'd recognize Chris Judd. Now, don't get 0:20:04.160 --> 0:20:06.400 me wrong, but there's plenty of other midfielders rolling around 0:20:06.440 --> 0:20:06.879 the AFL. 0:20:06.920 --> 0:20:08.959 I got no damn clue. I often think that that 0:20:09.000 --> 0:20:12.360 you're really learning everything from scratch. I've been surprised over 0:20:12.400 --> 0:20:14.399 times when I make a reference and you're like, you 0:20:14.480 --> 0:20:18.480 know that situation, because there's there's a lot of history 0:20:18.560 --> 0:20:21.040 in the AFL, and I mean, you've only had a 0:20:21.040 --> 0:20:22.840 limited time to catch up on it all. I think 0:20:22.880 --> 0:20:25.520 it probably helps that your dad's a bit of a 0:20:25.600 --> 0:20:27.280 nut job with the oh my. 0:20:27.200 --> 0:20:29.600 Gosh, my dad. Literally this is a funny story. I 0:20:29.640 --> 0:20:32.840 came I came home the first time after playing my 0:20:32.880 --> 0:20:34.600 first year. I came home in the off season. I 0:20:34.680 --> 0:20:38.320 walk in on our dining room table. Is Australian rules 0:20:38.320 --> 0:20:40.840 football for dummies. You know the big yellow books with 0:20:40.880 --> 0:20:43.880 like the black out lining, and he's written, he's read 0:20:43.880 --> 0:20:46.800 the whole thing, He's tabbed and like folded the paper 0:20:46.800 --> 0:20:50.080 corners of everything. He like about Collingwood, essentially everything about Collingwood. 0:20:50.520 --> 0:20:52.600 He's read the thing front to back. He would know 0:20:52.680 --> 0:20:57.320 more about AFL than ninety nine percent of fans. And 0:20:57.359 --> 0:20:59.760 he's from America. Stays up at like four am to 0:20:59.760 --> 0:21:01.960 watch every single game. Last night after the Carlton game, 0:21:02.080 --> 0:21:07.240 give me tips that I'm like, dad, No, just no. 0:21:07.600 --> 0:21:10.040 I felt like giving your tips when I saw your 0:21:10.040 --> 0:21:14.040 set shut goal kicking. Now we're getting into the real stuff, 0:21:14.440 --> 0:21:17.280 and we've talked about this a lot, but twenty sixteen 0:21:17.359 --> 0:21:21.199 rolls around very you know, timely interview last week with 0:21:21.359 --> 0:21:23.639 Travis Klark, who made way for you to play your 0:21:23.680 --> 0:21:29.520 first game being picked, let alone picked for your first 0:21:29.520 --> 0:21:32.240 game to be an Zac Day. Yeah, did you know 0:21:32.280 --> 0:21:36.199 what you were getting into or was it just you know, 0:21:36.320 --> 0:21:37.960 you're just excited to play your first game. 0:21:38.440 --> 0:21:40.280 It was a shit storm that week. I had no 0:21:40.440 --> 0:21:42.800 idea what to expect, what was going to happen. I've 0:21:42.800 --> 0:21:45.240 only experienced one Anzac Day before, and that was the 0:21:45.320 --> 0:21:48.440 year prior. I didn't I didn't really quite understand a 0:21:48.480 --> 0:21:50.560 lot of the stuff around it. Like I'd gone to 0:21:50.600 --> 0:21:53.280 the to the shrine, understood the history of like you know, 0:21:53.320 --> 0:21:56.119 the ANZACs but I think around the game and the 0:21:56.160 --> 0:21:58.080 history of it and the big spectacle that it is. 0:21:58.119 --> 0:22:02.239 I didn't quite understand until after the game, probably, but 0:22:02.480 --> 0:22:04.440 a lot of it, like there was so much I guess, 0:22:04.440 --> 0:22:06.600 like commentary around whether and I'd play my first game, 0:22:06.680 --> 0:22:08.280 you know, for the weeks prior and all that kind 0:22:08.320 --> 0:22:10.760 of stuff, and even the year prior, like we didn't 0:22:10.800 --> 0:22:12.600 make finals, and the club was talking to me about 0:22:12.600 --> 0:22:14.520 whether or not because Jason Holmes the debut is the 0:22:14.520 --> 0:22:16.960 first American ever born born and bread American never play 0:22:17.720 --> 0:22:20.240 and he played his first game. The club was like, oh, 0:22:20.280 --> 0:22:21.600 do we want to you know, do we want to 0:22:21.600 --> 0:22:23.439 try to give Mason that kind of same credit to 0:22:23.480 --> 0:22:25.200 be like the first one to ever play a fell 0:22:26.160 --> 0:22:28.639 And they kind of gave me the They said to 0:22:28.680 --> 0:22:30.199 me essentially like we don't want to rush this. We 0:22:30.200 --> 0:22:32.040 see a future with you, you know, we want to 0:22:32.119 --> 0:22:33.800 make sure whenever you play, you're ready for it and 0:22:33.800 --> 0:22:36.240 we're not just throwing this out there. And Jason played 0:22:36.280 --> 0:22:38.399 really well, so credit to him. And I always have 0:22:38.440 --> 0:22:40.880 to say on the second born and bread American ever play, 0:22:40.920 --> 0:22:43.560 and Jason hangs out on me a bit. But yeah, 0:22:43.560 --> 0:22:45.480 going into that week, like my parents found out I 0:22:45.520 --> 0:22:47.560 was playing for I did, got the Flights book and 0:22:47.560 --> 0:22:50.520 everything else, and then the brothers came over and it 0:22:50.640 --> 0:22:53.239 was just chaos like and the same thing whenever, like 0:22:53.240 --> 0:22:55.440 twenty eighteen and things like that around the Grand Finals, 0:22:55.480 --> 0:22:56.720 Like you look at the whole week and it's just 0:22:56.960 --> 0:22:58.679 like a bit of a blur, Like you do remember 0:22:58.760 --> 0:23:01.199 like little moments other things here there, but there's just 0:23:01.240 --> 0:23:04.000 so much going on that I don't know. It was 0:23:04.080 --> 0:23:06.159 kind of nice because once the game got there, you 0:23:06.240 --> 0:23:08.639 kind of were like, all this stuff that's been in 0:23:08.680 --> 0:23:10.720 my mind and happening here and there and everything else 0:23:10.840 --> 0:23:12.560 is just kind of doesn't matter anymore. It's like you 0:23:12.560 --> 0:23:14.879 can just focus on the game, and that was kind 0:23:14.920 --> 0:23:17.040 of relieving, to be honest. More than anything, it was 0:23:17.119 --> 0:23:21.440 just a crazy, crazy week. And then, yeah, Darcy Moore, 0:23:21.640 --> 0:23:23.320 who we talked about, you know, was one of the 0:23:23.320 --> 0:23:25.560 first friends I met in the club and his family 0:23:25.640 --> 0:23:27.159 kind of took me in. He looked after me and 0:23:27.359 --> 0:23:29.760 super super grateful for what he's given to me over 0:23:29.800 --> 0:23:32.399 my career. He actually gave me my jumper. And you 0:23:32.480 --> 0:23:34.520 think this kid's nineteen years old probably at the time, 0:23:35.440 --> 0:23:38.479 and his maturity he had to be able to do that, 0:23:38.560 --> 0:23:40.200 and that's like a special moment that people don't forget 0:23:40.240 --> 0:23:42.359 in their lives. And at nineteen to give a jumper 0:23:42.400 --> 0:23:45.320 to a friend of yours is pretty cool and it's 0:23:45.320 --> 0:23:47.080 a sign of you know, where he's at now. It's like, 0:23:47.119 --> 0:23:48.760 it's pretty cool to see him this captain and something 0:23:48.760 --> 0:23:51.879 I always kind of saw the opportunity for him to 0:23:51.880 --> 0:23:53.119 be able to do that if he wanted to, and 0:23:53.160 --> 0:23:55.760 he's taken it by the horns now, but to have 0:23:55.840 --> 0:23:57.520 him giving him my jumper and then be the person 0:23:57.560 --> 0:23:59.000 that kicked the ball into me, it was just kind 0:23:59.040 --> 0:24:01.920 of a pretty amazing moment, Like I don't even know 0:24:01.960 --> 0:24:03.840 that you can't really describe it. I'll never be able 0:24:03.880 --> 0:24:07.240 to fully describe it to someone. But take the Marc 0:24:07.359 --> 0:24:09.000 kick the goal and then have the whole team that 0:24:09.440 --> 0:24:11.200 iconic photo on my mind, if the whole team jumping 0:24:11.200 --> 0:24:14.240 on my shoulders, like it was just crazy, like fuck man, 0:24:14.320 --> 0:24:15.760 Like I never thought it would happen. I didn't think 0:24:15.800 --> 0:24:17.760 I'd ever really play an AFL game at times, and 0:24:18.400 --> 0:24:20.399 had been through some shit and then came out the 0:24:20.400 --> 0:24:21.800 other end of it and then kind of had the 0:24:21.840 --> 0:24:23.800 opportunity and took about the Horns, and luckily it was 0:24:23.840 --> 0:24:26.960 successful enough in it to get some more games behind that. 0:24:27.080 --> 0:24:29.240 And yeah, it was just cool to have the family 0:24:29.240 --> 0:24:31.480 there and Darcy be a part of it, and you know, 0:24:31.800 --> 0:24:33.920 everyone else be there. That kind of was through my career, 0:24:33.960 --> 0:24:37.359 and yeah, it's like so fortunate. This is the thing 0:24:37.400 --> 0:24:39.239 I think about mostly when I think of that day 0:24:39.280 --> 0:24:41.920 of just having everyone there and to wear decided to 0:24:41.960 --> 0:24:43.480 have the whole family in Talent once and then for 0:24:43.520 --> 0:24:44.960 them to be there on that day and experience it 0:24:45.000 --> 0:24:46.600 with me and just meant the world to me. 0:24:46.840 --> 0:24:49.400 You kicked your first goal with your first kick, which 0:24:49.440 --> 0:24:52.800 is the first goal of the game. Crowd erupted. Then 0:24:52.920 --> 0:24:55.480 from there was it hard to kind of settle because 0:24:55.640 --> 0:24:57.520 you got around, you took some more marks and stuff, 0:24:57.520 --> 0:24:59.439 you finish out the game. The whole thing would have 0:24:59.480 --> 0:25:00.920 just been like a willing. 0:25:01.119 --> 0:25:03.040 Yeah, the whole thing is a whirlwind, Like I didn't 0:25:04.040 --> 0:25:05.920 even looking back now, I think there's maybe one other 0:25:05.960 --> 0:25:08.480 play I really remember from the whole thing. I think 0:25:08.480 --> 0:25:10.600 I like tapped it down Alex Fasoldo and he had 0:25:10.600 --> 0:25:13.399 a shot for goal. But the funny thing is is 0:25:13.400 --> 0:25:15.080 looking back now and a lot of people talk about 0:25:15.080 --> 0:25:16.600 that game. They're like, oh man, you kicked like what 0:25:16.800 --> 0:25:18.840 five on An's act day first game. You know, it's 0:25:18.880 --> 0:25:21.159 like very Australian that they start blowing things up to 0:25:21.200 --> 0:25:23.200 be like bigger and bigger, and I'm like, yeah. 0:25:23.000 --> 0:25:24.399 I did kick five. Maybe I don't know. 0:25:24.440 --> 0:25:26.240 It's like you just kind of like it's your story, 0:25:26.240 --> 0:25:29.800 you're telling it, but you know, it's just the whole day. 0:25:29.800 --> 0:25:31.280 It was a bit of a whirlwind. And then like 0:25:31.320 --> 0:25:33.800 coming off and I remember some I've never talked about. 0:25:33.800 --> 0:25:35.919 I guess was Anthony Rocker, who was, you know, one 0:25:35.920 --> 0:25:38.720 of my coaches that really kind of showed me ifl 0:25:38.760 --> 0:25:40.639 and taught me through the early stages of my career. 0:25:40.680 --> 0:25:42.240 And he just came out to me and he's like, 0:25:42.280 --> 0:25:44.720 let's make sure this isn't a one off. And in 0:25:44.760 --> 0:25:46.920 my mind I kind of was like so excited about 0:25:46.920 --> 0:25:48.080 everything going, I was like, what the fuck is he 0:25:48.119 --> 0:25:50.760 talking about. Then kind of you get back to the rooms, 0:25:50.800 --> 0:25:53.560 you kind of think about it. You're like, okay, like yeah, 0:25:53.600 --> 0:25:55.920 it's you know, it's it's a great story and everything 0:25:55.920 --> 0:25:58.240 and now, but it's like this can't be a flash 0:25:58.280 --> 0:26:00.159 in the pan. Make sure it's a long career. This 0:26:00.200 --> 0:26:02.720 is just the start of it. So really good advice 0:26:02.760 --> 0:26:06.680 from Pebs in the moment, which was amazing. But yeah, 0:26:06.720 --> 0:26:09.639 it's just like it's a credit to him and in Craig, 0:26:09.680 --> 0:26:11.520 and it's like every time I play and do something good, 0:26:11.560 --> 0:26:14.520 like it's it's just cool to have them, I guess, 0:26:14.560 --> 0:26:16.159 like someone I can kind of go back to and 0:26:16.160 --> 0:26:18.240 think and be like, yeah, the reason I'm here, Like 0:26:18.400 --> 0:26:21.000 I don't exist, I don't have the experiences I've had 0:26:21.359 --> 0:26:23.760 without Craig and Pebs and Derek Hines and there's people 0:26:23.760 --> 0:26:25.280 are you know, stuck their neck out for me and 0:26:25.280 --> 0:26:29.160 the times that they didn't really have to, and it's 0:26:29.240 --> 0:26:31.120 cool to kind of have these memories with them to say, 0:26:31.200 --> 0:26:33.320 like they're the reason I'm being successful, and like all 0:26:33.359 --> 0:26:35.000 the credit kind of goes to them. I'm just there, 0:26:35.320 --> 0:26:38.480 you know, doing my job, but without them going to 0:26:38.520 --> 0:26:40.280 me in the right directions throughout my career, I don't 0:26:40.720 --> 0:26:41.719 get to one hundred games. 0:26:42.160 --> 0:26:43.520 So it's cool. 0:26:43.520 --> 0:26:45.119 But yeah, on the day, it was kind of crazy. 0:26:45.119 --> 0:26:48.720 And even after the game, I remember walking the streets 0:26:48.720 --> 0:26:50.359 trying to go find my parents and trying to go 0:26:50.400 --> 0:26:52.520 to dinner with them and stuff, and had all these 0:26:52.600 --> 0:26:54.240 essident people come up to me and they're like, I 0:26:54.400 --> 0:26:56.840 fucking hate Colin wed don't get me wrong, but what 0:26:56.880 --> 0:27:00.440 you did today was amazing, like something I'm so credible 0:27:00.480 --> 0:27:02.520 to be happy to be like a part of them 0:27:02.560 --> 0:27:05.240 to see it. And Asinth was going through their saga 0:27:05.240 --> 0:27:07.720 stuff and everything else and weren't probably the best team 0:27:07.760 --> 0:27:09.600 if they had ever put out on the park, but 0:27:10.560 --> 0:27:12.800 it was cool to see fans from an opposing team 0:27:12.800 --> 0:27:17.760 who hated cong with so much still be appreciative and like, yeah, 0:27:18.200 --> 0:27:20.919 like just sort of complimentary of the I guess thing 0:27:20.960 --> 0:27:21.679 that transpired. 0:27:22.040 --> 0:27:24.480 So it wasn't just smooth sailing from that point on. 0:27:24.640 --> 0:27:28.000 It was game one, you know, the fairy tale start 0:27:28.320 --> 0:27:31.840 ninety eight games ago. It's game one of the rest 0:27:31.840 --> 0:27:34.359 of your career, and a lot of people start to 0:27:34.400 --> 0:27:37.119 then go okay, like start to pull you kind of 0:27:37.200 --> 0:27:40.280 down kind of mentality. How much did you feel like 0:27:40.320 --> 0:27:42.240 there's a chip on your shoulder that you have something 0:27:42.280 --> 0:27:43.840 to prove over the course of your career. 0:27:44.160 --> 0:27:45.719 Oh, every day I walked into the club, I had 0:27:45.720 --> 0:27:47.879 something to prove. You can be American coming into a 0:27:47.920 --> 0:27:50.199 club not knowing what AFL is, and no one's going 0:27:50.240 --> 0:27:51.960 to give you any time of day thinking that you're 0:27:52.000 --> 0:27:54.160 going to be successful, no reason for them to think 0:27:54.200 --> 0:27:56.480 that was going to be successful. So I mean I 0:27:56.560 --> 0:27:58.359 really strugled with it for the first probably like three 0:27:58.440 --> 0:28:00.720 or four years of trying to roof to everyone that 0:28:00.760 --> 0:28:02.199 I gave a shit about AFL and I was going 0:28:02.240 --> 0:28:03.800 to be successful in this. And it was a grind 0:28:03.840 --> 0:28:07.320 mentally at times, and Craig Craig talked about it and 0:28:07.320 --> 0:28:09.120 stuff and breaking down out on the field and stuff 0:28:09.640 --> 0:28:11.760 and him kind of consoling me through those kind of times, 0:28:11.800 --> 0:28:14.160 which was amazing. But yeah, I remember it the first year, 0:28:14.160 --> 0:28:17.120 like I played that Anzac Day and played maybe six 0:28:17.200 --> 0:28:19.120 or seven games after that, and then Trav came back 0:28:19.160 --> 0:28:22.080 into the fold, and I essentially took a week off 0:28:22.080 --> 0:28:23.960 because my mental health was just shit ass. 0:28:24.040 --> 0:28:26.760 Like I went to the alls for the thing I was. 0:28:27.400 --> 0:28:29.960 I went to Dallsford with a girlfriend at the time 0:28:30.000 --> 0:28:31.440 and just kind of got away, and I think Jesse 0:28:31.520 --> 0:28:34.160 came back, Jesse White came back into the team, and 0:28:34.280 --> 0:28:36.280 I just was all over it mentally, like I just 0:28:36.400 --> 0:28:38.200 broke down. I think it was after Carlton game. I 0:28:38.240 --> 0:28:40.600 went into the rooms and we've got like a taping 0:28:40.920 --> 0:28:42.240 kind of corner and I just went in there. I 0:28:42.320 --> 0:28:43.680 just broke down, just like show crying. I was like, 0:28:43.760 --> 0:28:45.920 I can't fucking take this, Like I'm so far away 0:28:45.960 --> 0:28:48.040 from any kind of support. I wasn't playing perfect at 0:28:48.040 --> 0:28:50.440 the time. It was really hard on myself and I 0:28:50.440 --> 0:28:52.520 still am today. But that was kind of one of 0:28:52.560 --> 0:28:55.520 those really like learning moments in my career of like 0:28:55.920 --> 0:28:58.440 being able to deal with adversity and like people were 0:28:58.440 --> 0:29:00.360 on my ass about not playing well and like that 0:29:00.400 --> 0:29:02.400 and the media pressure and everything else that came with it, 0:29:02.960 --> 0:29:04.240 and I did. Yeah, I had to take a couple 0:29:04.240 --> 0:29:06.280 of weeks off just because I wasn't mentally in the 0:29:06.360 --> 0:29:09.320 right place. I've never really told anyone about it, but yeah, 0:29:09.680 --> 0:29:11.040 and I went away and came back and played a 0:29:11.040 --> 0:29:13.880 bit of VFL and then continued on with my career. 0:29:13.920 --> 0:29:15.480 But I think that was like one of those learning 0:29:15.520 --> 0:29:17.840 points of a real kind of like point in your 0:29:18.080 --> 0:29:20.080 career of whether it's going to go one way or 0:29:20.120 --> 0:29:21.920 the other, and whether you know you kind of sold 0:29:21.960 --> 0:29:23.840 the future and wanted to go through the stresses of 0:29:24.040 --> 0:29:26.760 AFL life and having a career in nex it's not 0:29:27.040 --> 0:29:30.120 it's not always rainbows and daisies, and in a beautiful time. 0:29:30.120 --> 0:29:32.080 There's a pressure that comes with it and everything else 0:29:32.120 --> 0:29:33.880 and not being able to get away from it, and 0:29:34.800 --> 0:29:36.280 you just had to sit down and say, do I 0:29:36.320 --> 0:29:38.720 want to make the sacrifices to have a successful and 0:29:38.720 --> 0:29:41.800 full AFL career? And luckily enough, you know I made 0:29:41.840 --> 0:29:44.600 the decision to make those and continue on. 0:29:45.040 --> 0:29:48.960 It's very rarely sunshine and rainbows, even for the best 0:29:49.000 --> 0:29:52.000 players out there. And you said your mum said that 0:29:52.080 --> 0:29:54.400 you probably described you as like someone that won't give up, 0:29:54.480 --> 0:29:57.400 like someone that just keeps forging ahead. What was it 0:29:57.440 --> 0:30:01.480 that kind of got you back on track those situations 0:30:01.520 --> 0:30:05.160 being so far from home and not really having a 0:30:05.200 --> 0:30:07.200 family support network around. 0:30:07.240 --> 0:30:09.440 We used to is like I said before, a lot 0:30:09.440 --> 0:30:12.320 of it goes to credit goes to Derek Hines, Anthony 0:30:12.440 --> 0:30:16.040 Rocker and Craig McCrae. Like Craig used to come over 0:30:16.640 --> 0:30:19.040 every single year for Thanksgiving. That was a massive thing 0:30:19.040 --> 0:30:21.240 for me, And I was in a shitty two bedroom apartment, 0:30:21.520 --> 0:30:24.560 like and we're make shifting at ikea table into the 0:30:24.600 --> 0:30:27.440 Thanksgiving table and putting all his turkey and everything else down. 0:30:27.480 --> 0:30:30.560 And yeah, it's just moments like that. Well, like Craig 0:30:30.600 --> 0:30:32.000 doesn't need to do that, but he goes out of 0:30:32.040 --> 0:30:34.360 his works. He knows that what's that's what makes me comfortable, 0:30:34.360 --> 0:30:36.440 and that's a big deal for me and to have 0:30:36.520 --> 0:30:39.520 him their mental lot. And you know, Pebs, I remember 0:30:39.560 --> 0:30:41.960 so many times going over to his house and hanging 0:30:41.960 --> 0:30:43.680 out with his family and like getting to know them 0:30:43.720 --> 0:30:45.400 and just having dinners with him, and that was kind 0:30:45.440 --> 0:30:48.000 of my home away from home, was going to his 0:30:48.080 --> 0:30:50.800 place and looking after me. And you know, you look 0:30:50.800 --> 0:30:53.000 at so many players that come into the system, and 0:30:53.840 --> 0:30:55.720 you know, not every coach can devote that kind of 0:30:55.760 --> 0:30:57.959 time and that kind of effort into into players, but 0:30:58.000 --> 0:30:59.960 they did, and like they kind of saw I guess, 0:31:00.600 --> 0:31:02.960 and the opportunity of myself and where I would go 0:31:03.000 --> 0:31:05.280 on life. And I'm forever grateful for what they've done 0:31:05.320 --> 0:31:08.360 because those tough times were made easier by them being 0:31:08.400 --> 0:31:09.880 there for me and me being able to trust them, 0:31:09.880 --> 0:31:12.360 because yeah, I think you go into a country, into 0:31:12.720 --> 0:31:15.880 a football club, and you've got no inner circle to 0:31:16.000 --> 0:31:18.280 bitch and complain about things whenever theo's shit, and like 0:31:18.320 --> 0:31:20.040 you don't want to complain to a coach because then 0:31:20.040 --> 0:31:21.400 you look like you don't give a shit or wherever 0:31:21.400 --> 0:31:23.120 it is, you know, and like you just don't have 0:31:23.160 --> 0:31:26.200 your like thing to Everyone goes to work, they go home. 0:31:26.240 --> 0:31:28.080 They usually release their stress when they go home to 0:31:28.120 --> 0:31:29.800 their partner or their family, wherever it is. I didn't 0:31:29.800 --> 0:31:32.400 have that, and like Craig and Anthony are the only 0:31:32.440 --> 0:31:34.520 ones I really could so to have them there and 0:31:34.560 --> 0:31:37.040 knowing they're in my corner and be able to kind 0:31:37.040 --> 0:31:38.960 of talk to them through things are the tough times 0:31:38.960 --> 0:31:40.600 and you know, I guess let out a bit of 0:31:40.600 --> 0:31:43.400 steam whenever I needed to and then not you know, 0:31:43.560 --> 0:31:45.200 referred on to a coach that was going to be 0:31:45.200 --> 0:31:47.200 detrimental to my career. Was something that you know, it's 0:31:47.280 --> 0:31:49.000 the inner circle and the people you really trust at 0:31:49.040 --> 0:31:50.400 the end of the day, and they were They were 0:31:50.400 --> 0:31:54.160 those for me and continue to be so I think 0:31:54.240 --> 0:31:56.240 then that was kind of like the thing that got 0:31:56.240 --> 0:31:57.800 me back on track was just having them as a 0:31:57.840 --> 0:32:00.400 support group. And I've got a lot of friends outside 0:32:00.440 --> 0:32:02.160 of football. People always ask me, oh, you're best friends 0:32:02.160 --> 0:32:03.600 of everyone at the club, and I'm like, I'm friends 0:32:03.640 --> 0:32:05.080 with everyone at the club. Don't get me wrong, but 0:32:05.120 --> 0:32:08.000 like my weekends aren't probably spent with them besides playing 0:32:08.000 --> 0:32:11.560 on the weekend playing football but I've never really done 0:32:11.640 --> 0:32:15.440 many trips overseas with them. I've never been a guy 0:32:15.480 --> 0:32:17.520 that probably goes out to lunch and coffees with the 0:32:17.520 --> 0:32:19.240 boys and stuff like that. I've always kind of done 0:32:19.240 --> 0:32:21.800 my own thing, and I've had my support group away 0:32:21.840 --> 0:32:23.680 from football because football takes up so much of my 0:32:23.720 --> 0:32:25.840 life and there's the media side of things and things 0:32:25.880 --> 0:32:27.680 I do there and the more attention from that and 0:32:27.680 --> 0:32:30.520 everything else that comes with it. And I've found an 0:32:30.560 --> 0:32:33.720 amazing group of friends internationally. They've come over here from 0:32:33.720 --> 0:32:36.640 the States and Vietnam and Sweden and all this kind 0:32:36.680 --> 0:32:39.000 of stuff. That those are my people I probably hang 0:32:39.040 --> 0:32:40.600 out with, and those are the people I put my 0:32:40.720 --> 0:32:43.600 time to. And yeah, it's it's an interesting thing because 0:32:43.840 --> 0:32:46.200 you're an American that plays AFL and you're so foreign, 0:32:46.320 --> 0:32:49.160 you don't have any experiences. They're similar to anyone else there, really, 0:32:49.720 --> 0:32:52.120 and you always feel like you're a little bit the 0:32:52.120 --> 0:32:52.760 odd one out. 0:32:53.160 --> 0:32:55.160 Most of those guys, if not all of those guys, 0:32:55.200 --> 0:32:57.480 are on a very similar journey. Like a lot of 0:32:57.520 --> 0:33:01.760 them go through high school with the idea of getting drafted, 0:33:01.920 --> 0:33:05.040 go through the draft, get picked up from eighteen, and 0:33:05.080 --> 0:33:07.120 they go through the whole journey by themselves. Like some 0:33:07.240 --> 0:33:10.960 might drop short, some might get rookie listed, but the 0:33:11.040 --> 0:33:14.120 path is pretty similar, so it same goal. Yeah, so 0:33:14.120 --> 0:33:16.320 it'd be very hard for you to come in outside 0:33:16.320 --> 0:33:19.160 of that mold and just try to slot straight in 0:33:19.440 --> 0:33:23.040 and fit in with you know, a bunch of guys 0:33:23.080 --> 0:33:26.240 that haven't experienced anything that you've experienced. I mean, no 0:33:26.280 --> 0:33:29.640 one's really experienced anything that you've experienced. Now I will 0:33:29.680 --> 0:33:31.880 touch on it seems you're mentioning all of these guys. 0:33:31.920 --> 0:33:35.920 Eddie maguire. Yeah, you've had like a really tight relationship 0:33:35.960 --> 0:33:39.280 with him over the journey, and it sounds like over 0:33:40.160 --> 0:33:44.240 your time he's done a lot for you. How is 0:33:44.360 --> 0:33:47.000 that relationship with Eddie and and what's it mean to you? 0:33:47.080 --> 0:33:50.200 Yeah, all Dad, he's a legend, him and Carlo's wife 0:33:50.200 --> 0:33:53.480 and his kids, Joan Xander. It's even like over the 0:33:53.520 --> 0:33:56.240 weekend he was up at the Carlton game obviously as 0:33:56.280 --> 0:33:58.280 you expect that to be, and he was up in 0:33:58.320 --> 0:34:01.360 his box and off the ground just kind of giving 0:34:01.400 --> 0:34:02.040 a wave to him. 0:34:02.040 --> 0:34:03.560 And yeah, he's been massive. 0:34:03.640 --> 0:34:05.600 Like I remember my first medad, I'd know you who 0:34:05.640 --> 0:34:08.120 he was, Like I was getting recruited and he's in 0:34:08.160 --> 0:34:09.880 the room and he's talking about this that and pumping 0:34:09.920 --> 0:34:11.440 up calling with such and such. My brother and I 0:34:11.520 --> 0:34:13.600 getting the taxi after the meeting and he's sitting there 0:34:13.760 --> 0:34:15.520 started getting that uber or whatever's after the meeting. Is 0:34:15.520 --> 0:34:17.000 a taxi in front of us, and his face is 0:34:17.000 --> 0:34:18.239 on the back of it. For who wants to be 0:34:18.239 --> 0:34:20.440 a millionaire at I've gone to my brother is he 0:34:20.480 --> 0:34:22.880 a big deal? And they're like, yeah, Eddie's like one 0:34:22.880 --> 0:34:27.040 of the biggest media moguls in Australia. So that was 0:34:27.120 --> 0:34:29.319 kind of like wild and just like me and my 0:34:29.400 --> 0:34:31.239 ignorance coming in here, you know, like i'd know who 0:34:31.320 --> 0:34:33.520 Nathan Buckley was. I didn't know any of these people 0:34:33.520 --> 0:34:36.080 were and I just kind of, you know, was just 0:34:36.080 --> 0:34:38.040 like all right, sweet, let's just figure it out as 0:34:38.080 --> 0:34:40.880 we go. But yeah, Edie's been he's been amazing. Like 0:34:40.880 --> 0:34:42.719 he's someone that on a weekly I'll probably send a 0:34:42.760 --> 0:34:44.600 message to and you know, talk about the game or 0:34:44.600 --> 0:34:46.360 talk about life and things like that. And he's a 0:34:46.400 --> 0:34:49.319 guy that's one of the most probably busy people in Melbourne, like, 0:34:49.400 --> 0:34:52.600 but he's always shown time for me and in every 0:34:52.600 --> 0:34:54.880 single year during Christmas, he's always looked after me and 0:34:54.960 --> 0:34:56.879 you know, had me over for dinner and stuff because 0:34:56.880 --> 0:34:59.319 obviously I'm that far away from home. And he's just 0:34:59.320 --> 0:35:01.200 one of those people, always been a support network and 0:35:01.200 --> 0:35:03.040 someone that's always you know, helped me out. Like I 0:35:03.120 --> 0:35:06.000 understand what's happened in the media and stuff with him, 0:35:06.040 --> 0:35:07.520 but I think I always try to judge people on 0:35:07.520 --> 0:35:11.520 my own interactions and he's just always been there for support. 0:35:11.600 --> 0:35:14.160 And yeah, it's it's it's good. 0:35:14.160 --> 0:35:14.440 It's good. 0:35:14.600 --> 0:35:16.400 It's amazing to have those people there because like you 0:35:16.520 --> 0:35:18.400 value those people so much. I remember back in the 0:35:18.480 --> 0:35:19.680 day and we'll talk about it. I'm sure with my 0:35:19.800 --> 0:35:22.560 eye injuries and staff, like he was the only person 0:35:22.600 --> 0:35:25.600 from the colleing football club that checked in on me 0:35:25.760 --> 0:35:28.719 on a regular basis. And it's like this guy is 0:35:28.760 --> 0:35:31.520 the most he's the busiest out of anyone else there, 0:35:31.600 --> 0:35:33.399 and he's the one sending me a message making sure 0:35:33.400 --> 0:35:36.080 I'm okay, asking him find you need food, whoever it was, 0:35:36.800 --> 0:35:38.560 and it just it just kind of those moments where 0:35:38.560 --> 0:35:41.040 you're really in the you're really in the dark times, 0:35:41.280 --> 0:35:43.680 you realize who really is in your corner, and that 0:35:43.800 --> 0:35:46.680 was someone I think that I became so much closer 0:35:46.840 --> 0:35:48.400 with and so much more grateful to have in my 0:35:48.400 --> 0:35:50.320 life after that experience. And he was just the person 0:35:50.320 --> 0:35:52.279 that kind of always made sure I was all right 0:35:52.280 --> 0:35:54.200 and you just kind of, yeah, you have those moments 0:35:54.239 --> 0:35:58.160 of depression everything else, and you realize he's the He's 0:35:58.160 --> 0:35:59.800 one of those people that's always gonna be in your corner. 0:36:00.200 --> 0:36:01.799 Yeah, there's a lot of people that will always have 0:36:01.880 --> 0:36:05.440 their opinions of Edin without knowing that's understandable who he is, 0:36:05.560 --> 0:36:09.279 like what's happened. But yeah, there is certain things like 0:36:09.360 --> 0:36:12.359 that that there's plenty of stories like that out there 0:36:12.520 --> 0:36:15.280 from times that he's reached out and helped help people. 0:36:15.360 --> 0:36:18.719 And yeah, it's great to see that the relationship you 0:36:18.760 --> 0:36:22.360 too have and obviously means a fair bit now. It's 0:36:22.520 --> 0:36:25.239 one of the standout highlights to me. Twenty sixteen, so 0:36:25.440 --> 0:36:29.360 still really young in your footballing journey. You get a 0:36:29.440 --> 0:36:33.080 ball straight up the guts Mason Cox just outside fifty 0:36:33.440 --> 0:36:37.160 and then a paddock. Fuck, they're all the guys in 0:36:37.200 --> 0:36:40.439 front of you, so Collingwood vg along. They're all kind 0:36:40.440 --> 0:36:43.440 of running away from you, covering up, leading up shopping. 0:36:43.480 --> 0:36:45.040 They're chasing me to Alans. I don't have to do 0:36:45.120 --> 0:36:46.200 this yeah. 0:36:45.840 --> 0:36:48.919 And off you go run take a bounce slot one 0:36:49.000 --> 0:36:52.439 from probably about forty on the run. What was going 0:36:52.480 --> 0:36:54.080 through your mind that whole journey? 0:36:55.080 --> 0:36:59.000 Yeah, Bo gets switched outside, I'm in paddocks and I'm gone, shit. 0:37:00.600 --> 0:37:02.239 And it's not like you can come off the mark. 0:37:02.280 --> 0:37:04.400 There was that much space you hadn't take. You had 0:37:04.400 --> 0:37:06.120 to take the mark. Sorry, you had to play on 0:37:06.160 --> 0:37:08.680 the mark. There's those moments in your career you don't forget, 0:37:08.719 --> 0:37:10.040 and it's like the funny moments and all that kind 0:37:10.040 --> 0:37:12.120 of stuff. And I remember just sitting there and I'm going, 0:37:12.200 --> 0:37:14.439 I'm gonna have to bounce the ball for the first time. 0:37:14.560 --> 0:37:16.960 I think everyone was thinking it and we have all gone. 0:37:16.880 --> 0:37:20.080 Has he been taught this yet? And literally, I think 0:37:20.080 --> 0:37:22.440 it's maybe like weeks or a months prior. Pendles taught me, 0:37:22.560 --> 0:37:24.800 Like there's little things that people will teach you throughout 0:37:24.800 --> 0:37:26.319 your career, right, and Pendles taught me He's like, you 0:37:26.360 --> 0:37:28.560 have bounce it on the lass because the lasers get 0:37:28.680 --> 0:37:30.560 more grip on the ground. That fought it poss back 0:37:30.640 --> 0:37:32.840 up and doesn't skid out like it would whenever it's wet. 0:37:33.640 --> 0:37:36.640 It's smart man, Pindles. And I remember getting it and 0:37:36.680 --> 0:37:40.040 going like all right, cool, this is it? Bang as 0:37:40.040 --> 0:37:41.560 soon as I let it go, and I was like, 0:37:41.880 --> 0:37:44.479 oh that's good, that's good. 0:37:45.040 --> 0:37:46.080 It bounced back up. 0:37:46.360 --> 0:37:49.120 And then you go look up and then the players 0:37:49.160 --> 0:37:51.359 like Trav Varka and ever get trad Varco has gone 0:37:51.360 --> 0:37:54.160 and he's linked in to the goal square. Their player 0:37:54.280 --> 0:37:57.720 who I was hoping came to me goes with Trav. 0:37:58.200 --> 0:38:01.040 You know, I've gone, fuck more paddocks. 0:38:01.560 --> 0:38:03.920 It's a real dropping off the three point shooter that 0:38:04.040 --> 0:38:05.359 can't shoot it is. 0:38:05.360 --> 0:38:07.359 It's a real disrespectful kind of thing. 0:38:07.480 --> 0:38:07.640 Right. 0:38:08.400 --> 0:38:09.839 He goes back and traps kind of he's like coind 0:38:09.840 --> 0:38:11.560 of in between, So traups in the goal square and 0:38:11.640 --> 0:38:13.920 like I had the balance and I kind of run 0:38:13.960 --> 0:38:16.279 in and I'm like, I look back, Matlop's giving up. 0:38:17.160 --> 0:38:19.520 He's got this. I had to be a side to see 0:38:19.800 --> 0:38:21.960 and he's got He's gone back there. So I'm just 0:38:22.040 --> 0:38:24.960 jogging in and I'll slut the goal and then I think, 0:38:25.080 --> 0:38:27.320 thank fuck, because I would have got the biggest spray 0:38:27.320 --> 0:38:30.279 from Trav Varker and the goal square. But yeah, that 0:38:30.400 --> 0:38:32.279 was that was That was a funny moment of being like, 0:38:32.360 --> 0:38:34.480 you know, there's some things you know that I can 0:38:34.640 --> 0:38:37.080 pick up that probably aren't part of my repertoire as 0:38:37.080 --> 0:38:39.320 a recommend that you would think that I can figure 0:38:39.320 --> 0:38:41.480 out on the run and sort it out. And that's 0:38:41.480 --> 0:38:43.239 one of those moments of like doing something for the 0:38:43.280 --> 0:38:45.600 first time. And it was so funny, like I think 0:38:45.719 --> 0:38:47.879 everyone was giving me ship after it thinking like there's 0:38:47.920 --> 0:38:49.520 no chance in hell I thought that was going to happen. 0:38:50.080 --> 0:38:52.799 And yeah, I think speaking of Trev Varker, you can 0:38:52.800 --> 0:38:55.759 see there's a moment when he can see it's going 0:38:55.800 --> 0:38:57.840 through and he just opens his arms out and throws 0:38:57.840 --> 0:39:00.520 his head up like looking up to the even it's 0:39:00.520 --> 0:39:04.759 like miracles happened. Miracles. So I just want to touch 0:39:04.760 --> 0:39:07.240 on this real briefly. But you have bounced the ball 0:39:07.480 --> 0:39:09.439 a handful of times in your career, and you four 0:39:10.320 --> 0:39:13.000 you said that you could remember. Yeah, I want you 0:39:13.080 --> 0:39:14.080 to run through them for us. 0:39:14.520 --> 0:39:18.120 The Geelong one, I think we've got one. I want 0:39:18.120 --> 0:39:20.680 to say Gold Coast on the wing came in as 0:39:20.680 --> 0:39:21.440 a substitute. 0:39:22.120 --> 0:39:22.919 No one out there. 0:39:23.160 --> 0:39:25.359 Paddocks gets the ball kicked to me, I've gone ship, 0:39:25.560 --> 0:39:26.120 got to bounce it. 0:39:26.160 --> 0:39:29.440 Here the Gold Coast bouncing goal on the run. 0:39:30.160 --> 0:39:33.040 Gold Coast bouncing goal on the run COVID times. That's 0:39:33.120 --> 0:39:38.440 the other one. And then there's one more that was freemantle. 0:39:38.560 --> 0:39:40.359 Maybe I can't kick. 0:39:40.280 --> 0:39:42.520 A goal on the run. Yeah, free mantle. But I 0:39:42.560 --> 0:39:44.160 don't know if you bounce it. It was a bounce. 0:39:44.200 --> 0:39:45.480 There's another bounce. I can't remember it. 0:39:45.560 --> 0:39:48.920 But they also it's funny that like that little thing 0:39:49.000 --> 0:39:51.239 sticks out a bounce and it's like of all the 0:39:51.280 --> 0:39:53.399 things in the hundred games or only one games, whoever, 0:39:53.440 --> 0:39:56.440 it is like anytime I bounce, the ball sticks out. 0:39:56.680 --> 0:39:57.680 It's just rare stuff. 0:39:57.719 --> 0:39:57.839 Now. 0:39:57.880 --> 0:40:00.279 I guess we're probably in a great spot to just 0:40:00.400 --> 0:40:03.640 ask you a few little quick fire ones. Yeah, what 0:40:03.880 --> 0:40:06.480 is your favorite goal from your career? 0:40:07.600 --> 0:40:13.760 Favorite goal? O. That's a tough one. Fifth goal Queen's 0:40:13.760 --> 0:40:18.640 Birthday that's up there. That was like took a mark 0:40:18.800 --> 0:40:22.719 about fifty out I think on the angle, goes through 0:40:22.800 --> 0:40:26.280 for the bag, big day, Queen's Birthday lock and sealed 0:40:26.360 --> 0:40:30.839 three votes, get the trophy type deal. I knew it too, 0:40:31.000 --> 0:40:33.319 knew it. That was good fun. I want to say 0:40:33.320 --> 0:40:36.719 that was the fifth the Melbourne goal few I. 0:40:36.640 --> 0:40:39.799 Think it was like a year ago. The center Ye. 0:40:41.200 --> 0:40:45.360 Didn't do anything literally hit out bang, I'm jogging in 0:40:45.400 --> 0:40:48.680 the middle, just the dickhead on the outside. One person 0:40:48.680 --> 0:40:50.200 gets tackled, another person flicks. 0:40:49.920 --> 0:40:50.359 It over the top. 0:40:50.480 --> 0:40:52.279 I'm just there and I'm just like the ball just 0:40:52.320 --> 0:40:54.440 gets in my into my lap and then just kick 0:40:54.520 --> 0:40:58.440 the goal. That was a good one. On the boundary 0:40:58.520 --> 0:41:01.359 versus Geelong Snap, Yeah, that's a good one. 0:41:01.400 --> 0:41:01.520 One. 0:41:01.560 --> 0:41:02.360 I'll never forget. 0:41:02.360 --> 0:41:06.160 That is port Adelaide in the corner trying to do 0:41:06.280 --> 0:41:10.880 a check sid or banana, and it's like, maybe like 0:41:10.960 --> 0:41:13.120 second year, I want to say, I'm in the corner 0:41:13.200 --> 0:41:16.240 on the boundary and I'll never forget because I'm sitting 0:41:16.239 --> 0:41:18.439 there and I'm like a year or two into a rite, 0:41:18.480 --> 0:41:21.319 so I've not done many of these. But I was like, fuck, 0:41:21.360 --> 0:41:23.840 it's no expectation. 0:41:24.120 --> 0:41:25.359 They had no expectation. 0:41:25.520 --> 0:41:27.160 No one's thinking a chance. 0:41:27.200 --> 0:41:29.920 This is going in, even to the point where Pindles 0:41:30.280 --> 0:41:34.520 never Forget this comes over cheekly, acts like he's trying 0:41:34.520 --> 0:41:36.000 to talk me through. He's going to give me the receive, 0:41:36.080 --> 0:41:38.360 give me the handbover, receive, give me the handover, receive me. 0:41:38.680 --> 0:41:40.680 The audacity goes, oh my. 0:41:40.600 --> 0:41:43.879 God, I got this, Pindles, you gotta step off right 0:41:44.640 --> 0:41:50.239 spread went through it for a point, Pingels just gives 0:41:50.239 --> 0:41:53.560 me the daggers after I'm just looking away, like nope, 0:41:53.719 --> 0:41:56.080 don't see, you don't see, you don't see Pendles. 0:41:56.960 --> 0:41:59.520 Yeah, retrospectively, should have gave the handball receive. 0:41:59.840 --> 0:42:04.279 My favorite Top of Mind Richmond, but not pre Limb 0:42:04.480 --> 0:42:07.719 twenty nineteen. In traffic, there was about five of them 0:42:07.760 --> 0:42:11.560 around you. No one comes at yourself, candy, candy, candy, 0:42:12.000 --> 0:42:14.560 and then just slots it, snaps it through. It's like, 0:42:14.800 --> 0:42:18.799 come on, leave him alone alone. Oh, it's just out 0:42:18.840 --> 0:42:21.320 of nowhere. But that one is one that it doesn't 0:42:21.320 --> 0:42:22.719 get hold up. It was cool too. 0:42:22.800 --> 0:42:25.760 Yeah, celebrations around a Kiss FM, getting around it, donating 0:42:25.800 --> 0:42:27.280 money for a good cause that was good. 0:42:27.120 --> 0:42:28.880 For and out the back just the cheeky one on 0:42:28.920 --> 0:42:29.640 the road like. 0:42:29.719 --> 0:42:32.360 Barreled someone into Jamie. Jamie turns on. What the fuck 0:42:32.440 --> 0:42:33.200 is that all about? 0:42:35.000 --> 0:42:38.359 Okay, Now, this was probably in one of the more 0:42:38.400 --> 0:42:40.840 obscure things, and I assume you get asked about this 0:42:40.960 --> 0:42:46.000 a fair bit. But Joe Biden meeting the president, well 0:42:46.080 --> 0:42:48.360 he was like he was the vice president at the time, 0:42:48.840 --> 0:42:52.799 But how did that all come about? And what was 0:42:52.800 --> 0:42:53.959 he saying during the game. 0:42:54.600 --> 0:42:56.080 I had no idea what was going on. It was 0:42:56.120 --> 0:42:58.600 what we what he called murder ball, which is essentially 0:42:58.680 --> 0:43:00.440 we called it something else that's in a appropriate to 0:43:00.440 --> 0:43:04.120 say on the podcast being from Texas, but essentially tackling 0:43:04.200 --> 0:43:06.200 one with the ball. It's like a game and the 0:43:06.200 --> 0:43:08.520 recess whatever. Everyone will play. But now that that was 0:43:08.560 --> 0:43:11.120 a wild experience. One of the coolest things I think 0:43:11.239 --> 0:43:14.960 experience was that's come from AFL was that Dad knew 0:43:14.960 --> 0:43:17.400 before I did, because, like I told, my dad was like, oh, 0:43:17.440 --> 0:43:19.319 the US consolated asked me who I've got a really 0:43:19.320 --> 0:43:21.440 good relationship. They're like, we need to get a background 0:43:21.520 --> 0:43:23.799 check on you. We've got high profile person coming into 0:43:23.840 --> 0:43:25.799 the country. I had no idea who it was. At 0:43:25.800 --> 0:43:28.600 that time. They hadn't released it, and they can't release 0:43:28.600 --> 0:43:30.640 these things until like kind of pretty close to it. 0:43:30.719 --> 0:43:33.560 So the media got onto a Dad knew that that happened. 0:43:33.560 --> 0:43:35.560 And then my dad, who listens to like Triple M 0:43:35.560 --> 0:43:37.360 in the morning, and it's like, yeah, I think this 0:43:37.440 --> 0:43:40.360 is like what three pm US time, like six am 0:43:40.520 --> 0:43:43.279 Australian time. He's listening to like Triple Them in the morning. 0:43:43.360 --> 0:43:46.280 They said, oh, Joe Biden's coming, So my Dad calls 0:43:46.320 --> 0:43:49.640 me at like eight am and he's like, Mason. 0:43:49.320 --> 0:43:51.000 Are you are you hosting Joe Biden? 0:43:51.080 --> 0:43:51.640 Is that who it is? 0:43:51.680 --> 0:43:51.800 You know? 0:43:51.840 --> 0:43:53.279 I know you got the clares ball. I was like, 0:43:53.320 --> 0:43:54.239 I don't fucking know. 0:43:54.520 --> 0:43:58.600 Like he's smart man, Old Phil Cox and surely enough 0:43:58.600 --> 0:44:00.960 forget to call maybe an hour later like, hey, just 0:44:00.960 --> 0:44:02.520 the heads up. This has gone into the media. Joe 0:44:02.560 --> 0:44:04.719 Biden's coming to town and that's who you're kind of looking after. 0:44:04.920 --> 0:44:07.600 So to say that you kind of like that was crazy. 0:44:07.640 --> 0:44:10.400 And I don't think people here understood how much of 0:44:10.440 --> 0:44:13.239 a motorcade and experience and everything else that comes with 0:44:13.280 --> 0:44:15.760 the person of that kind of status coming to Australia. 0:44:15.800 --> 0:44:18.600 They shut down the streets. You know, They've got two 0:44:19.120 --> 0:44:21.719 like two massive airplanes just full of equipment to bring 0:44:21.760 --> 0:44:24.759 in just for one person. Obviously the people come with them, 0:44:24.760 --> 0:44:27.239 but like just to show one person there, and that 0:44:27.360 --> 0:44:30.160 was an amazing kind of life moment I'll never forget. 0:44:30.200 --> 0:44:32.399 Like hosting a vice president. That's pretty crazy to think, 0:44:33.040 --> 0:44:34.960 and he had no idea what was going on. They 0:44:34.960 --> 0:44:38.600 had the secret service, nicest people they ever made, but 0:44:38.640 --> 0:44:42.560 one of them like full trench coat earpiece like matrix 0:44:43.160 --> 0:44:45.400 who you would picture to be Secret Service was not 0:44:45.480 --> 0:44:49.239 trying to blend in whatsoever, just stood next to you know, 0:44:49.360 --> 0:44:51.600 next to our aisle the whole time or a row 0:44:52.280 --> 0:44:54.480 and it was just the whole thing was pretty wild 0:44:54.520 --> 0:44:56.360 because you just don't realize, I guess how much it 0:44:56.440 --> 0:44:59.400 goes with it. And like there was Secret Service everywhere. 0:44:59.440 --> 0:45:02.120 They had wept the whole MCG beforehand make sure there's 0:45:02.120 --> 0:45:05.640 no issues, Like there was police, like fifty police policemen 0:45:05.640 --> 0:45:07.839 and women, you know, outside of the room to make 0:45:07.880 --> 0:45:10.680 sure there's no issues. Like it was crazy. And then 0:45:11.120 --> 0:45:13.840 there was like secret Service like dotted in the seats 0:45:13.880 --> 0:45:17.440 that we didn't know secret secret Service. Yeah, and then 0:45:17.560 --> 0:45:19.880 like we go in and then there was like different. 0:45:19.880 --> 0:45:22.520 Then they had like a swap of Secret Service at 0:45:22.560 --> 0:45:25.120 like halftime or like a quarter time or something like that, 0:45:25.160 --> 0:45:28.080 and there was like so many things in motion behind 0:45:28.080 --> 0:45:29.960 the scenes just for this one person to be there, 0:45:30.000 --> 0:45:32.760 and it was so cool, and yeah, that's that's a memory, 0:45:32.880 --> 0:45:34.520 Like that's up there with anything I've done in the 0:45:34.560 --> 0:45:38.839 AFL field. And shout out to colinwa because I had 0:45:38.840 --> 0:45:41.560 to have a very stern conversation with them whenever I 0:45:41.640 --> 0:45:43.280 was told I was going to host the Vice president. 0:45:44.080 --> 0:45:47.440 We were playing a big game Frankston Dolphins in the 0:45:47.520 --> 0:45:51.719 VFL that week and sends up fins up, fins up 0:45:51.800 --> 0:45:55.040 told frang At and yeah, so I had to ask 0:45:55.080 --> 0:45:59.120 the club essentially permission to skip the game to go 0:45:59.200 --> 0:46:00.520 host the vice Isn't it. 0:46:00.680 --> 0:46:04.279 A note from Joe being like, please leave him, Please 0:46:04.320 --> 0:46:05.399 let him come out and play. 0:46:05.600 --> 0:46:08.800 He's a sitizen of us, not yet you and I 0:46:08.800 --> 0:46:11.000 remember Neil Baum was the gym at the time, and 0:46:11.040 --> 0:46:12.560 I had to because I knew Bucks is a very 0:46:12.560 --> 0:46:14.480 stern man. I loved Ducks, but I knew neil Baum 0:46:14.520 --> 0:46:16.799 was a bit softer, you know, I could get into 0:46:16.840 --> 0:46:19.360 Neil Baum a bit. So went into Neil's office and 0:46:19.360 --> 0:46:21.440 I said, look, this opportunity has come up. This is 0:46:21.480 --> 0:46:23.839 what's happening. You know, it's just something that I could do, 0:46:24.080 --> 0:46:26.160 skip this Frankston game. And he goes, I'll have a 0:46:26.160 --> 0:46:28.880 conversation with Bucks. He doesn't have a conversation. 0:46:28.960 --> 0:46:29.240 Bucks. 0:46:29.239 --> 0:46:31.440 Box comes back to me because I understand what this means. 0:46:31.560 --> 0:46:32.279 We'll let you have it. 0:46:32.400 --> 0:46:36.520 So create to the club the coach Neil and sorry 0:46:36.600 --> 0:46:39.279 Bucks and Neil at the time for let me do that, 0:46:39.320 --> 0:46:41.640 because it was a moment I'll never forget my life and. 0:46:42.120 --> 0:46:43.799 Really cool, just really cool. I still about the pin. 0:46:43.840 --> 0:46:45.400 I've got a little coin from him and stuff like 0:46:45.440 --> 0:46:48.360 that too, And now he's President of the United States 0:46:48.360 --> 0:46:51.640 and it's just a crazy cool life experience story you 0:46:51.680 --> 0:46:52.280 can tell people. 0:46:52.760 --> 0:46:55.000 And the Secret Service couldn't have stopped you if you 0:46:55.040 --> 0:46:55.440 wanted to. 0:46:55.800 --> 0:46:59.600 I literally could not have been more immobile in my 0:46:59.719 --> 0:47:02.920 life because I knew there was a sniper rifle at 0:47:02.920 --> 0:47:04.879 my forehead quick all the time. 0:47:04.920 --> 0:47:06.040 It was legit though. 0:47:06.080 --> 0:47:08.440 It was me and Matt just sitting there like just 0:47:08.600 --> 0:47:10.839 you know, like in the airplanes here this armress question 0:47:10.880 --> 0:47:12.480 marks like he got the armrest for sure. 0:47:12.800 --> 0:47:15.480 There was no doubt Joe Biden is getting the arm wress. 0:47:15.680 --> 0:47:17.279 And it was just one of those things like it 0:47:17.360 --> 0:47:19.920 was so like nerve wracking that kind of made it 0:47:19.960 --> 0:47:22.520 awkward and like I had never been in a position 0:47:22.560 --> 0:47:25.200 of something like that right, Like that was next tier, 0:47:25.640 --> 0:47:28.640 top tier type stuff that was going on, and I 0:47:28.800 --> 0:47:31.719 just felt so he made it really comfortable. Like as 0:47:31.719 --> 0:47:33.920 far as charisma, he is an amazing human. I get 0:47:33.920 --> 0:47:35.879 why he's a politician because he just fits the bill 0:47:35.920 --> 0:47:39.160 really well. He can maneuver in and out of conversations 0:47:39.160 --> 0:47:41.719 a bit like Eddie does, you know, and he makes 0:47:41.760 --> 0:47:44.480 everyone feel valued that he talks to, which is really 0:47:44.680 --> 0:47:48.000 it's a very very good and tough skill to learn, 0:47:48.520 --> 0:47:50.480 and damn he was. Really he's really good at that. 0:47:50.520 --> 0:47:51.919 But I still to this day I think the reason 0:47:51.920 --> 0:47:53.759 he came out to Australia obviously he opened up a 0:47:53.760 --> 0:47:55.600 part of the hospital his son had brain cancer, I 0:47:55.600 --> 0:47:58.360 think was the reasoning he opened that up with the 0:47:58.440 --> 0:48:00.960 ribbon cutting. But another reason he brought his granddaughters and 0:48:00.960 --> 0:48:03.880 they wanted to see a koala and a kangaroo. Because 0:48:03.880 --> 0:48:06.640 at halftime like, oh, where's the you know, where's the 0:48:06.640 --> 0:48:08.160 granddaughters over there is? And he's like, oh, they're in 0:48:08.239 --> 0:48:11.120 Heelsville already, like pat and kangaroos and koalas they wanted 0:48:11.160 --> 0:48:13.120 to go see. And into this day I still think 0:48:13.160 --> 0:48:15.719 that was a main draw factor for him to come 0:48:15.719 --> 0:48:16.040 out here. 0:48:16.080 --> 0:48:17.920 You should have went out and did that one Now, 0:48:18.160 --> 0:48:22.160 from one experience, go to the Killsville or the or 0:48:22.760 --> 0:48:23.520 the granddaughters. 0:48:24.000 --> 0:48:25.319 Okay, I just want to clear that out there. 0:48:25.480 --> 0:48:28.279 Now. One experience of Joe Biden at the g to 0:48:28.320 --> 0:48:33.359 another experienced tenant creek in the middle of nowhere now 0:48:33.840 --> 0:48:36.520 amazing journey. And we went on this trip together and 0:48:36.560 --> 0:48:38.920 it was it's always a real eye opener and anyone 0:48:38.960 --> 0:48:40.400 that works at the club, it's like, you got to 0:48:40.400 --> 0:48:43.319 get on this trip. Yeah, talk to us through that trip. Yeah. 0:48:43.400 --> 0:48:44.680 And the effect that it had on you. 0:48:44.800 --> 0:48:47.040 Yeah, it's it feels like you're in a different country. 0:48:47.320 --> 0:48:49.719 It really does. And the vast difference in the way 0:48:49.760 --> 0:48:53.520 of life between you know, the city to the outback 0:48:53.680 --> 0:48:55.320 is it's pretty crazy. 0:48:55.400 --> 0:48:55.640 It was. 0:48:55.680 --> 0:48:58.160 It was a very you know, like confronting at times, 0:48:58.200 --> 0:49:00.600 but also like I remember, there was a lady there 0:49:00.640 --> 0:49:03.319 that took us through and talked about some of the 0:49:03.360 --> 0:49:05.160 negative things that were happening in the community and the 0:49:05.160 --> 0:49:08.840 tough things that were happening because of situations, and. 0:49:09.200 --> 0:49:10.960 It was it was very eye opening, it really was. 0:49:11.000 --> 0:49:12.880 And I think just because I had gone straight to 0:49:12.920 --> 0:49:14.920 Melbourne and I was just known the city life, really 0:49:15.000 --> 0:49:18.319 I didn't realize just exactly what was happening outside of, 0:49:18.600 --> 0:49:22.120 you know, the bubble of Melbourne. And I've always been 0:49:22.160 --> 0:49:25.080 a massive advocate for the digitous community and had some 0:49:25.160 --> 0:49:27.160 amazing experiences with them over the years, but I think 0:49:27.200 --> 0:49:29.880 that Tenant Creek one was the one that really opened 0:49:29.880 --> 0:49:32.680 mars As to one of the power I think that 0:49:32.800 --> 0:49:35.879 AFL has as athletes and what we can do to 0:49:35.960 --> 0:49:38.640 help influence people in the right way. And being in 0:49:38.680 --> 0:49:42.440 those very remote communities, it was like waterloo downs we 0:49:42.440 --> 0:49:43.080 were talking about. 0:49:43.120 --> 0:49:45.600 We had to like walk through like floodwaters to. 0:49:45.560 --> 0:49:48.920 Get to and the head I remember sitting on the 0:49:48.920 --> 0:49:51.080 hood of the land Cruiser are like going through it. 0:49:51.080 --> 0:49:53.600 There's just like these really remote places and you know, 0:49:53.640 --> 0:49:56.040 the one thing that brought everyone together was sport, was 0:49:56.080 --> 0:49:59.960 football and you just realize. I think that twenty eight 0:50:00.080 --> 0:50:03.040 team trip to Tenant was just one of those realizations 0:50:03.040 --> 0:50:05.480 of just the power and impact you can have as 0:50:05.480 --> 0:50:08.640 a sports person. That kind of made me realize it. Yeah, 0:50:08.640 --> 0:50:11.360 it's a beautiful thing that that got me really invested 0:50:11.360 --> 0:50:13.919 into the indigenous side of things. And like I said, 0:50:13.920 --> 0:50:15.879 I've gone up to Tivy Islands and don't community work 0:50:15.960 --> 0:50:18.200 up there and doing community work all the way from 0:50:18.480 --> 0:50:20.120 Gold Coast all the way up to the very tip 0:50:20.120 --> 0:50:23.440 and Bamagay up in k p Ork and something very 0:50:23.520 --> 0:50:26.120 passionate about to help change the futures for the better 0:50:26.160 --> 0:50:27.920 for some of these some of these people that are 0:50:28.280 --> 0:50:31.040 you know, living a bit tough for limited remote communities 0:50:31.040 --> 0:50:34.040 and you know, to try to give them opportunities elsewhere. It's, 0:50:34.800 --> 0:50:37.640 you know, something I'm very passionate about. Yeah, that Tenant 0:50:37.680 --> 0:50:41.279 Creek definitely changed me. Yeah, just some amazing people you 0:50:41.320 --> 0:50:45.640 meet there and just what the community does and how 0:50:45.680 --> 0:50:48.239 sport brings everyone together is it's such a powerful thing. 0:50:48.760 --> 0:50:49.839 And I can talk about tee wee. 0:50:50.920 --> 0:50:54.279 They were nuts up there, like walked into the like 0:50:54.360 --> 0:50:56.279 there was kids and they found out that I was there. 0:50:56.320 --> 0:50:58.360 We're waiting for us at the dock as we went fishing, 0:50:58.719 --> 0:51:00.480 waiting for us at the dock every sing all day. 0:51:01.080 --> 0:51:03.640 And there's kids walking the fence line trying to get 0:51:03.640 --> 0:51:05.440 a glimpse of moon, or there's crocs in the water, 0:51:05.960 --> 0:51:08.560 Like just some stuff you just wouldn't think in Melbourne 0:51:08.560 --> 0:51:10.920 would be happening in the same country. And you go 0:51:10.960 --> 0:51:14.800 to the local pub and they're they're throwing the Callingwood 0:51:14.840 --> 0:51:16.840 theme song on for like an hour straight on loop, 0:51:17.160 --> 0:51:19.200 just whenever I'm there, and like people are hanging off you, 0:51:19.239 --> 0:51:21.080 and kids are hanging off you and they can't believe it, 0:51:21.120 --> 0:51:24.160 you know, and talking about we're always you know uncle 0:51:24.280 --> 0:51:25.880 and you know brother and all this kind of stuff, 0:51:25.880 --> 0:51:29.200 and it's just such a cool experience to be in 0:51:29.239 --> 0:51:31.920 these remote communities that like, you know, that is what 0:51:31.960 --> 0:51:36.000 they live and breathe as if l and like I 0:51:36.040 --> 0:51:38.600 didn't know it existed, you know. And yeah, I don't 0:51:38.600 --> 0:51:41.200 know if I've ever told this story of There's a 0:51:41.320 --> 0:51:43.959 lady I met on that trip up to the TV 0:51:44.040 --> 0:51:47.120 on and she was one of the last elders I think, 0:51:47.640 --> 0:51:49.520 or one of the living elders of their tribe. 0:51:49.560 --> 0:51:52.720 And she was there and met her. 0:51:52.760 --> 0:51:55.719 Very lovely lady, older, older lady, and I've gone back 0:51:55.760 --> 0:51:59.360 to Melbourne and then really really Junior actually sent me 0:51:59.400 --> 0:52:01.120 this and I feel people sent me this and it 0:52:01.160 --> 0:52:05.759 was she had unfortunately passed away, and that he was 0:52:05.760 --> 0:52:08.080 telling the story of how she flew an American flag 0:52:08.360 --> 0:52:11.160 outside of her house, mad Collingwood fan flew an American 0:52:11.320 --> 0:52:13.480 flag outside of her house because she like was a 0:52:13.480 --> 0:52:16.000 massive fan of myself. And I was thinking, me impacting 0:52:16.040 --> 0:52:18.600 someone in a remote community on the TV Islands enough 0:52:18.640 --> 0:52:20.359 for them to fly an American flag outside of their 0:52:20.360 --> 0:52:24.480 house makes no freaking sense whatsoever. But this lady was 0:52:24.480 --> 0:52:26.080 the most lovely human. I met her when I was 0:52:26.160 --> 0:52:28.560 up there, and she like I said, she unfortunately passed away, 0:52:28.560 --> 0:52:30.239 and then he's sent me this photo and I was like, 0:52:30.960 --> 0:52:34.440 I was blown away and it was her casket and 0:52:34.480 --> 0:52:38.000 the casket was in collingwood stripes, then had the logo 0:52:38.040 --> 0:52:40.000 in the middle, and then it had Mason Cox's forty 0:52:40.000 --> 0:52:43.440 six on it. Crazy on a casket in the TV Islands, 0:52:43.560 --> 0:52:45.680 And I've asked them, they said, it's fine for me 0:52:45.719 --> 0:52:49.040 to tell the story. But that was a moment of 0:52:49.080 --> 0:52:52.160 just like, yeah, there's a twenty eighteen Intennant Creek. But 0:52:52.160 --> 0:52:53.799 I think that was another moment where I was like, 0:52:53.920 --> 0:52:58.160 holy smokes, like what we do we probably take for 0:52:58.200 --> 0:53:01.800 granted of like what we do day and it's pretty 0:53:01.800 --> 0:53:05.759 phenomenal how much people love it and breathe it and 0:53:05.880 --> 0:53:08.200 just live it and you talk about, you know, bleeding 0:53:08.440 --> 0:53:11.000 for your team and stuff like that. Like there's people 0:53:11.040 --> 0:53:14.040 that that is their life and that is their happiness. 0:53:14.080 --> 0:53:14.880 There's their joy. 0:53:15.480 --> 0:53:17.359 Is the one thing they look forward to every single 0:53:17.400 --> 0:53:20.960 week is watching comould play and it just makes you 0:53:20.960 --> 0:53:23.040 have a different perspective to footy. Well, it really does. 0:53:23.160 --> 0:53:24.920 And that was, Yeah, that was one of those moments 0:53:24.920 --> 0:53:28.880 that I'll never forget. And it's just like a crazy 0:53:29.160 --> 0:53:30.799 life experience for me to think back on. 0:53:31.320 --> 0:53:35.200 And yeah, you leave that just the joy in their faces, 0:53:35.239 --> 0:53:38.919 seeing their faces and like genuinely light up, especially you 0:53:38.960 --> 0:53:42.919 because you're even more foreign. You're over two meters toll. 0:53:43.080 --> 0:53:45.720 They're like sitting on your shoulders and stuff running around. 0:53:46.280 --> 0:53:48.200 But yeah, it's also like a carrot to get them 0:53:48.239 --> 0:53:50.759 to go to school and keep attendance up. And it's 0:53:51.120 --> 0:53:54.680 genuinely life out there, like they live and breathe it, 0:53:54.880 --> 0:53:57.480 and it's yeah, it is awesome to go out there 0:53:57.480 --> 0:54:01.040 and see firsthand how much it does mean into them 0:54:01.160 --> 0:54:04.360 because it gets thrown around a lot, like footy is 0:54:04.400 --> 0:54:08.560 everything to some people, but like it genuinely is out 0:54:08.560 --> 0:54:10.760 there and it makes a massive difference to those trips. 0:54:10.840 --> 0:54:14.319 Now another we're getting into some good games and we 0:54:14.400 --> 0:54:17.560 actually have proof that you can play more than one 0:54:17.600 --> 0:54:18.000 good game. 0:54:18.440 --> 0:54:21.840 Yeah, can you tell the people on social media. 0:54:21.640 --> 0:54:27.000 That now twenty eighteen Queen's Birthday, shout out to the og, 0:54:27.560 --> 0:54:32.000 Prayers to the Queen. Five goals still your best to 0:54:32.080 --> 0:54:35.919 date goal holes? Yeah, yeah, you have kicked a bag. Yeah, 0:54:35.960 --> 0:54:37.680 you've kicked a bag. You go on to win the 0:54:37.719 --> 0:54:42.640 Neil Danaher Medal Trophy. But yeah, talk us through that game. 0:54:42.840 --> 0:54:44.399 So I was thinks, like Brody and I are playing 0:54:44.440 --> 0:54:46.200 the rock against Max Gone, and that was kind of 0:54:46.200 --> 0:54:48.440 one of those moments, I guess, going against one of 0:54:48.440 --> 0:54:50.200 the bigger ruckmans and then one of the better rockmans 0:54:50.239 --> 0:54:52.759 in the camp, whether an idea would stack up, and 0:54:53.520 --> 0:54:57.160 luckily enough that that worked out. And there's another moment. 0:54:57.200 --> 0:54:59.319 I'll talk about this because the Melbourne game, right, so 0:54:59.560 --> 0:55:03.319 let's talk about sliding doors moments into my third year 0:55:04.440 --> 0:55:07.200 twenty seventeen, it would have been very last game we 0:55:07.239 --> 0:55:11.120 played Melbourne. Melbourne's has to win to get into the eight. 0:55:12.040 --> 0:55:13.680 We win, we knock him out of the eight. We 0:55:13.680 --> 0:55:14.960 weren't making finals, right. 0:55:15.040 --> 0:55:18.200 Lindon Nunn goes nuts on the side. 0:55:17.960 --> 0:55:21.640 Of nuts and I remember after the game, he goes nuts. 0:55:21.680 --> 0:55:23.680 I remember going over actually remember going over to Dunny 0:55:23.719 --> 0:55:25.319 and I just said to him, I said, man, I 0:55:25.360 --> 0:55:28.800 appreciate it. It's been a good ride. I'm appreciure all to 0:55:28.840 --> 0:55:30.920 help you've kind of given me and whatnot, just kind 0:55:30.920 --> 0:55:31.960 of giving thanks. And he was kind of like, what 0:55:31.960 --> 0:55:33.560 are you talking about you now? And I was at 0:55:33.600 --> 0:55:37.759 that point I kind of already had something in the 0:55:37.800 --> 0:55:41.000 mix as far as me going to another team, and 0:55:41.239 --> 0:55:43.799 because the club hadn't given me a contract, another team 0:55:43.880 --> 0:55:47.600 had come to the table and given me one, and 0:55:47.760 --> 0:55:49.040 I thought that was the last game I was gonna 0:55:49.040 --> 0:55:52.480 play for Collingwood. I remember getting to the end and 0:55:52.960 --> 0:55:55.480 going to the post match and that was the wild 0:55:55.480 --> 0:55:57.319 thing is is like that was the big question mark? 0:55:57.360 --> 0:55:59.480 Can we played Brodie Grundy and Mason Coxon the same 0:55:59.520 --> 0:56:02.920 team In that game? We dominated Melbourne, we won, everything 0:56:02.960 --> 0:56:04.440 was on the line for them. We ended up winning 0:56:04.440 --> 0:56:06.719 that game and it was kind of proof that we 0:56:06.760 --> 0:56:09.840 could and the club probably had this moment. I was 0:56:09.960 --> 0:56:11.320 ship like this might be the future. 0:56:11.400 --> 0:56:11.880 Who knows. 0:56:12.000 --> 0:56:14.279 And I hadn't had a contract there from the club. 0:56:14.280 --> 0:56:17.239 I had a contract from another team, and I was 0:56:17.480 --> 0:56:18.960 mentally I was out the door and I was like, 0:56:19.000 --> 0:56:20.600 it's been It's been a good ride. Yeah, I'm going 0:56:20.640 --> 0:56:23.080 to move on to another chapter in life and I'm're 0:56:23.080 --> 0:56:24.600 getting to the end of the game. You talk about 0:56:25.000 --> 0:56:27.880 people in your life, and Eddie he always talk funny. 0:56:27.920 --> 0:56:29.440 I we always talk about the funny moment of him 0:56:29.440 --> 0:56:30.600 finding out and he came up to me and I 0:56:30.680 --> 0:56:32.160 just said, look, I appreciate all the help you've had 0:56:32.160 --> 0:56:34.960 over the years and everything you've kind of given to 0:56:35.000 --> 0:56:36.279 me and the support you've kind of given to me. 0:56:36.320 --> 0:56:37.759 And he's like, what are you talking about? What are you? 0:56:37.760 --> 0:56:38.960 You're not leaving us, so are you? And I was like, 0:56:39.280 --> 0:56:40.799 I'm not going to say anything, but like it's just, 0:56:41.000 --> 0:56:42.200 you know, I just want to say thank you so 0:56:42.239 --> 0:56:45.000 much for everything you've done. And he talks about going 0:56:45.000 --> 0:56:46.600 home and I'll talk to his family about this. But 0:56:47.320 --> 0:56:49.720 he goes home and throws his jacket on the countes 0:56:49.719 --> 0:56:50.440 and what the. 0:56:50.239 --> 0:56:51.080 Fuck have we done? 0:56:51.120 --> 0:56:53.680 Are you kidding me? We're losing Mace. Mason's not going 0:56:53.719 --> 0:56:56.040 to fucking say this. He goes this huge tyrant for 0:56:56.080 --> 0:56:58.080 the whole line, and he's on the phone with you know, 0:56:58.160 --> 0:56:59.800 with all the different people at the club saying you 0:56:59.800 --> 0:57:04.719 can't and yeah, Like in my head, I'd already kind 0:57:04.719 --> 0:57:07.080 of made the commitment. I'd verbally committed to another team. 0:57:07.080 --> 0:57:09.840 And there was some things that happened behind the scenes 0:57:09.840 --> 0:57:11.920 around visas and stuff that I'll talk more about at 0:57:11.920 --> 0:57:14.719 some point in my life. But things have happened, and 0:57:14.800 --> 0:57:16.840 over the next few weeks, I guess I don't know 0:57:16.880 --> 0:57:19.600 if Eddie made phone calls. I don't know the details 0:57:19.600 --> 0:57:22.800 to this, but miraculously, all of a sudden, the club 0:57:22.880 --> 0:57:26.160 came to and came to me with a contract that 0:57:26.200 --> 0:57:29.720 matched the other one. That was the reason I stayed. 0:57:29.840 --> 0:57:33.640 So yeah, it happened very quickly. But I think that 0:57:33.760 --> 0:57:36.800 sliding Door's moment of me coming back into the team, 0:57:37.040 --> 0:57:38.800 it was in my mind the last game I was 0:57:38.800 --> 0:57:41.440 ever going to play for. Collingwood played really well with 0:57:41.480 --> 0:57:43.560 Brody and they sold a future of us playing in 0:57:43.600 --> 0:57:45.880 the tandem, and that kind of got me to stay 0:57:45.880 --> 0:57:47.400 at the club, which is kind of crazy to think. 0:57:47.680 --> 0:57:50.920 And some massive things happened throughout the twenty eighteen season. 0:57:50.960 --> 0:57:53.680 I will say that Queen's Birthday was my last game. Yeah, 0:57:53.720 --> 0:57:56.240 and it didn't look like a lot was going to 0:57:56.280 --> 0:57:58.960 happen with Collingwood to that point. I was like, I'm 0:57:59.000 --> 0:58:03.120 getting off this sync. But there's also something else bigger 0:58:03.320 --> 0:58:06.880 at play than that. Murray Swinton, who came through the club, 0:58:06.960 --> 0:58:10.080 who was suffering from M and D, was just a 0:58:10.120 --> 0:58:12.440 massive Collingwood man. Got around with your scrapbook full of 0:58:12.480 --> 0:58:16.280 Collingwood moments and stuff, had a really powerful impact on 0:58:16.320 --> 0:58:20.040 the club through that twenty eighteen season. 0:58:20.800 --> 0:58:23.240 Murray was most people like you'd been diagnosed with M 0:58:23.240 --> 0:58:25.240 and D was going through this rough trial of treatment 0:58:25.240 --> 0:58:28.040 and everything else. To have him there as part of it, 0:58:28.080 --> 0:58:29.400 we really kind of took him in as our own 0:58:29.480 --> 0:58:32.400 his family also, and you know, you talked about the 0:58:32.680 --> 0:58:34.640 scrap books and stuff like that, we talked about and 0:58:34.720 --> 0:58:37.600 everything else, and it just one of those people just 0:58:37.720 --> 0:58:38.280 loved Colin. 0:58:38.360 --> 0:58:39.320 I just loved it. 0:58:39.480 --> 0:58:41.960 And that I think brought us back to, just like 0:58:41.960 --> 0:58:43.840 I said before, the influence we can have on people, 0:58:43.840 --> 0:58:47.040 on how much it meant to other people and our fans, 0:58:47.080 --> 0:58:49.320 and it really kind of brought us to this realization 0:58:49.400 --> 0:58:51.600 of it's bigger than just us as a group. It's 0:58:51.760 --> 0:58:53.640 you know, we bring the community with us and everyone 0:58:53.680 --> 0:58:56.000 else and it provides so much happiness for so many people. 0:58:56.080 --> 0:58:58.560 And Murray was a big reason I think we had 0:58:58.760 --> 0:59:01.480 successful on Queen's Birthday only wrong, but also throughout the 0:59:01.520 --> 0:59:03.120 rest of the year, and we put quotes up on 0:59:03.160 --> 0:59:06.160 the board from him and you know, throughout the year 0:59:06.200 --> 0:59:09.280 and talking about like how fortunate we should be, how 0:59:09.320 --> 0:59:11.120 great grateful we should be of what we've been able 0:59:11.160 --> 0:59:13.040 to do, and you know, the opportunity to side in 0:59:13.040 --> 0:59:14.800 front of us. So Murray was a big reason I 0:59:14.800 --> 0:59:16.200 think for a lot of success in that year. 0:59:16.640 --> 0:59:18.920 And yeah, he came through the club. We did a 0:59:18.960 --> 0:59:21.520 story on him and he was very selfless, like he 0:59:21.600 --> 0:59:25.480 wasn't really thinking, he was thinking about everyone else before himself, 0:59:26.640 --> 0:59:29.920 and yeah, it's such a touching story. Obviously Bucks went 0:59:29.960 --> 0:59:35.200 down the slide wearing Murray's Firefighting Kid and yeah, it 0:59:35.240 --> 0:59:38.640 definitely had a big impact on Bucks as well. So yeah, 0:59:38.800 --> 0:59:42.920 a very touching story and just a reminder to support 0:59:43.040 --> 0:59:48.000 M and D danaher foundation. Get on the Beanie is 0:59:48.000 --> 0:59:51.840 ahead of this year's King's Birthday game now the big 0:59:51.840 --> 0:59:55.640 one heading into the pre Limb twenty eighteen. It all 0:59:55.680 --> 1:00:02.400 culminated in essentially you stopping Richmond from getting the four feet. 1:00:02.480 --> 1:00:05.360 We all say, yeah, we got teammates or whatever whatever 1:00:05.400 --> 1:00:08.960 people say, it's all not in this case, it was you, 1:00:09.200 --> 1:00:09.640 Mason c. 1:00:09.960 --> 1:00:11.200 I already had a good game too. 1:00:11.480 --> 1:00:14.040 Was there anything different about this game that set it 1:00:14.120 --> 1:00:17.160 up to be what it was or did it all 1:00:17.200 --> 1:00:19.760 just fall into place at the right time. I kind 1:00:19.800 --> 1:00:20.120 of think it. 1:00:20.280 --> 1:00:21.600 It kind of marries up to the rest of my 1:00:21.680 --> 1:00:24.680 career of just being an underdog at every point, and 1:00:24.720 --> 1:00:26.120 that's what we were on the day. Like no one 1:00:26.160 --> 1:00:29.120 expected us to win. I think Richmond had how many 1:00:29.160 --> 1:00:31.600 games they wanted to row a d MCG blah blah, 1:00:31.680 --> 1:00:34.240 this massive streak and I had won the two previous 1:00:34.320 --> 1:00:36.600 years in the Grand Final, Andy all this kind of stuff. 1:00:36.640 --> 1:00:38.040 No one gave us a chance, and I was like 1:00:38.520 --> 1:00:40.840 we were playing pretty well, but like obviously Richmond was 1:00:40.880 --> 1:00:43.840 just at their peak, the peak of their powers, and 1:00:44.120 --> 1:00:46.280 yeah it was. It was interesting, like I think going 1:00:46.320 --> 1:00:48.560 into it, like I had an epidura on my back 1:00:48.640 --> 1:00:50.760 the week before, so that kind of put some I 1:00:50.760 --> 1:00:53.400 had some issues, I guess health wise and whatnot, and 1:00:53.800 --> 1:00:55.439 got the epidura and that kind of made me feel 1:00:55.440 --> 1:00:57.640 back to normal. And then kind of was like, well, 1:00:57.960 --> 1:00:59.760 you got nothing to lose here, like no one picture, 1:00:59.840 --> 1:00:59.960 no one. 1:01:00.040 --> 1:01:02.920 Things you don't when so you're playing against arguably one 1:01:02.960 --> 1:01:06.800 of the best defensive lineups, like going around like Alex rant. 1:01:08.160 --> 1:01:11.640 Like it was They're a good, good outfit, and yeah, 1:01:11.640 --> 1:01:13.080 it just was one of those things like you just 1:01:13.200 --> 1:01:14.920 the whole it wasn't just myself either, it was the 1:01:14.960 --> 1:01:16.720 whole team was in flow state, like it was just 1:01:17.440 --> 1:01:20.200 it was wild, Like it's similar to essential the first 1:01:20.240 --> 1:01:23.440 half of the Grand Final until we lost but everything 1:01:23.480 --> 1:01:27.320 seemed to be working and everyone was clicking, everyone was 1:01:27.320 --> 1:01:29.880 on the same page. And I think I was probably 1:01:29.880 --> 1:01:32.280 just the benefactor of that, like just being the person 1:01:32.280 --> 1:01:33.840 in the forward line that we kind of looked to 1:01:33.640 --> 1:01:35.480 to kick a goal and you know, was on on 1:01:35.520 --> 1:01:38.000 the day and kind of got I guess the the 1:01:38.120 --> 1:01:41.800 credit in the sense of everyone else is good doings. 1:01:41.840 --> 1:01:44.800 So you look on those games in their career defining 1:01:44.800 --> 1:01:47.400 moments and stuff like that, and everyone will always mention it, 1:01:47.440 --> 1:01:49.360 which is awesome to have that, I guess in your 1:01:50.000 --> 1:01:50.919 in your memory bank. 1:01:51.040 --> 1:01:52.400 But yeah, it was. 1:01:52.440 --> 1:01:53.600 It was a wild scenario. 1:01:53.640 --> 1:01:55.400 I hope like mom and Dad were there, and I 1:01:55.520 --> 1:01:57.920 talk about like one of my favorite memories from the days, 1:01:58.360 --> 1:01:59.760 I used to kind of I can't do anymore. 1:02:00.040 --> 1:02:00.760 It doesn't lie me, but. 1:02:00.680 --> 1:02:02.080 I used to go up to the edge of the 1:02:02.200 --> 1:02:04.880 MCG at the race after games and just see, like 1:02:04.920 --> 1:02:08.320 the MCG is an empty kind of like coliseums. It's 1:02:08.320 --> 1:02:10.720 a it's a like kind of a weird feeling and 1:02:10.800 --> 1:02:13.160 eerie feeling, but like really cool at the same time. 1:02:13.720 --> 1:02:15.200 And I used to do that as just a coming 1:02:15.240 --> 1:02:17.880 down moment from like the craziness and the you know, 1:02:17.960 --> 1:02:20.080 the atmosphere and everything else from games and you're up 1:02:20.080 --> 1:02:21.720 all night, you know, thinking about this, that and the other. 1:02:21.760 --> 1:02:22.880 And that was kind of my way of just like 1:02:22.880 --> 1:02:24.440 taking a breath, was going up there and just kind 1:02:24.440 --> 1:02:27.400 of looking around, being like, life's pretty fucking crazy. And 1:02:27.760 --> 1:02:29.840 went up there, and the thing I remember probably the 1:02:29.880 --> 1:02:32.040 most from the whole game is like being up there 1:02:32.080 --> 1:02:34.680 and my mom. I wasn't aware of it until she 1:02:34.680 --> 1:02:36.040 she had walked up the race and put her arm 1:02:36.040 --> 1:02:37.240 around me, and she just kind of said, like, you know, 1:02:37.280 --> 1:02:39.040 I'm so proud of you and and what you've been 1:02:39.040 --> 1:02:39.320 able to do. 1:02:39.360 --> 1:02:41.000 It's pretty crazy where life takes your. 1:02:40.920 --> 1:02:41.360 Kind of thing. 1:02:41.640 --> 1:02:44.479 And that's that's the number one People can talk about 1:02:44.480 --> 1:02:46.600 goalsy kick, talking shit to whoever it is, this and that. 1:02:46.640 --> 1:02:48.240 But that's the one thing I remember the most and 1:02:48.760 --> 1:02:51.000 probably tells you how much, Yeah, that means to me 1:02:51.040 --> 1:02:55.040 as far as family, But yeah, there was a career 1:02:55.040 --> 1:02:57.040 de finding moment, I guess. And to think that like 1:02:57.360 --> 1:02:59.160 the guy who was four years and knowing what the 1:02:59.200 --> 1:03:00.959 sport was about, to you're playing to a Grand final, 1:03:01.000 --> 1:03:05.040 it's just absurd. And just the absolute storm that came 1:03:05.080 --> 1:03:07.640 after that week of just everything that is a Grand 1:03:07.680 --> 1:03:09.920 Final was such a learning moment for me, I think, 1:03:10.240 --> 1:03:11.080 And how would. 1:03:10.880 --> 1:03:14.920 The attention post that You're playing the biggest sport in 1:03:14.920 --> 1:03:19.160 Australia on the biggest club in the land and you 1:03:19.320 --> 1:03:22.920 just taught to pieces the prelim final. How is the 1:03:22.960 --> 1:03:27.080 attention after that going into a Grand Final? Oh? 1:03:27.080 --> 1:03:30.600 It as wild, like just yeah, I don't I don't 1:03:30.640 --> 1:03:32.120 even know how to describe it, to be honest. I 1:03:32.160 --> 1:03:35.000 remember we had our media day at the club. I 1:03:35.000 --> 1:03:36.480 think I was there for an extra hour and a 1:03:36.520 --> 1:03:40.160 half or two hours after doing interviews with people, and 1:03:39.720 --> 1:03:41.520 I wasn't happy with that because I was trying to 1:03:41.520 --> 1:03:43.720 focus on the game and it was just kind of 1:03:43.720 --> 1:03:45.880 this whole thing of like trying to make the club 1:03:45.920 --> 1:03:47.720 is trying to make the most of the opportunity of 1:03:48.040 --> 1:03:50.160 being in a Grand Final. I understand that, but also 1:03:50.200 --> 1:03:53.760 the players were, you know, in a unique standpoint of 1:03:53.800 --> 1:03:56.320 like just you know, the situation beating Richmond, going into 1:03:56.360 --> 1:04:01.200 Grand final versus West coastin you know, been what eighteen 1:04:01.280 --> 1:04:03.680 years since the last Grand Final and being such a 1:04:03.680 --> 1:04:06.800 big club brings a lot of attention, So yeah, it 1:04:06.640 --> 1:04:08.600 was it was a whirlwind of a week, like so 1:04:08.680 --> 1:04:11.000 much happening. The brothers started like flying in and then 1:04:11.120 --> 1:04:13.240 you know, surprise the parents and mom and dad were there, 1:04:13.280 --> 1:04:16.680 and then trying to organize tickets and everything goes with it, 1:04:16.760 --> 1:04:19.000 and then they got the parade and it's just literally 1:04:19.040 --> 1:04:20.880 every day is like something new, and it was just 1:04:20.920 --> 1:04:24.200 like just chaos, absolute chaos, and it was cool. Now, 1:04:24.280 --> 1:04:26.120 Like I mean, I look back and so fortunate to 1:04:26.120 --> 1:04:27.880 be able to experience that. I always kind of say 1:04:27.920 --> 1:04:30.360 it is everyone talks about that year. Oh, you're so 1:04:30.440 --> 1:04:32.360 close to like winning the whole thing ball bah, you know, 1:04:32.400 --> 1:04:33.919 you're one kick away and all this kind of shit. 1:04:34.000 --> 1:04:37.280 But to be honest, like me from an experience standpoints, 1:04:37.320 --> 1:04:40.000 like I've experienced everything, but carrying a gold medal around 1:04:40.000 --> 1:04:43.720 my neck and life is a bad experiences. You know. 1:04:44.400 --> 1:04:46.040 I can tell you most people I probably won a 1:04:46.040 --> 1:04:48.160 Grand Final and have a Premiership medal don't see it 1:04:48.200 --> 1:04:51.080 every day. I probably would think about that, you know, 1:04:51.320 --> 1:04:53.240 every day of my career and what I've been able 1:04:53.240 --> 1:04:54.920 to do and some of the experiences I've come through it. 1:04:55.040 --> 1:04:58.960 So I'm very fortunate in being able to experience that 1:04:59.040 --> 1:05:01.520 what I've loved to win it. Yes, well, I hopefully 1:05:01.560 --> 1:05:04.480 win one in the future, yes, but looking back, I 1:05:04.520 --> 1:05:08.040 can't be upset with the opportunities of come my way 1:05:08.520 --> 1:05:10.760 from the decisions I made. Same I mean looking back, 1:05:10.800 --> 1:05:12.200 I mean I could have sung with Richmond or I 1:05:12.200 --> 1:05:13.920 first came to the country, and I could be sitting 1:05:13.920 --> 1:05:18.240 here with three medals, maybe even four exactly. 1:05:19.000 --> 1:05:21.760 Oh well, there was one piece we won't touched too 1:05:21.840 --> 1:05:23.320 much on the Grand Final. 1:05:24.280 --> 1:05:26.680 Don't remember it locked that out of the memory. 1:05:26.680 --> 1:05:29.439 But you did talk about seeing your old man while 1:05:29.480 --> 1:05:32.920 you were up on stage. Just after the parade. 1:05:32.960 --> 1:05:36.240 Is the funniest thing. So you got in the parade, 1:05:36.280 --> 1:05:37.240 roight slot parade in. 1:05:37.400 --> 1:05:39.800 So you go up onto the stage, the captains both 1:05:39.920 --> 1:05:41.640 touch the cop and hold it up whatever it is, 1:05:41.640 --> 1:05:42.960 show it to the fans, you know, and then it's 1:05:42.960 --> 1:05:44.080 the awkward who lets go of it? 1:05:44.160 --> 1:05:45.120 Last? Bullshit? Whatever. 1:05:46.040 --> 1:05:48.000 I get on stage, and I'll never forget because I 1:05:48.040 --> 1:05:49.720 knew my parents are there, my brothers are coming to town, 1:05:49.800 --> 1:05:51.800 like it was a big house. And then like I'm scanning, 1:05:52.120 --> 1:05:53.840 you know, trying to find my parents in the crowd, 1:05:53.840 --> 1:05:56.520 and I see my dad. My dad is wearing one 1:05:56.520 --> 1:05:59.920 of me the most horrendous kits you've ever seen. He's 1:06:00.040 --> 1:06:04.080 got the big Cockzilla shirt, which is the hilarious love that. 1:06:04.280 --> 1:06:07.360 And then he's got this like hair piece that like 1:06:07.000 --> 1:06:09.840 it's like a mohawk three sixty round the head. We'll 1:06:09.880 --> 1:06:12.840 shirt on social but it's like hair piece up and 1:06:12.880 --> 1:06:14.960 he's got it. He's just grinning from here to hear 1:06:15.000 --> 1:06:17.040 it is like he's loving it more than I am. 1:06:17.560 --> 1:06:20.800 He's just living the absolute dream, this man. 1:06:21.400 --> 1:06:21.800 And it was. 1:06:21.880 --> 1:06:23.480 It was one of the funniest moments of my life 1:06:23.520 --> 1:06:25.440 because I couldn't stop laughing the whole time I was 1:06:25.440 --> 1:06:25.720 out there. 1:06:25.760 --> 1:06:29.800 I was like, that's my father, doesn't everyone knowing? 1:06:30.280 --> 1:06:33.600 Everyone doing everyone, Let's go. 1:06:34.080 --> 1:06:37.600 He's so high. It reminded me of the photo's hilarious, 1:06:37.600 --> 1:06:39.680 but it reminded me of like a preschool of going 1:06:39.720 --> 1:06:42.240 to primary school for the first time. Like just proud 1:06:42.280 --> 1:06:45.479 as punch, Proud as punch. It was great. Great to see. 1:06:45.560 --> 1:06:49.000 Now let's flick through the tail end of this because 1:06:49.000 --> 1:06:52.280 we're getting lunk. There's a bit of a downside coming 1:06:52.280 --> 1:06:53.960 out of the back end of this, and it's your 1:06:53.960 --> 1:06:58.640 eye injuries now injuries, because there's a whole heap of them. 1:06:58.760 --> 1:07:02.760 They're like hardly hanging in there inside your scale, so 1:07:03.000 --> 1:07:06.080 talk us through this. You copped finger to the eye, 1:07:06.200 --> 1:07:08.240 went all the way to the back of the scale. 1:07:08.360 --> 1:07:12.280 You got detached. Retina's coming out of the wazoo dark rooms, 1:07:12.360 --> 1:07:16.520 laying on your back, can't do anything, can't see anyone, 1:07:17.560 --> 1:07:20.760 frustrating recovery because it's not just like a standard ankle 1:07:20.840 --> 1:07:24.480 or like a hamstring or something. It's your eyes. And 1:07:24.600 --> 1:07:28.280 also fearing that this could be it for the future 1:07:28.280 --> 1:07:31.000 of your football, but also your vision. Like there's a 1:07:31.040 --> 1:07:35.360 lot going on in your head. What's this rollercoaster journey 1:07:35.480 --> 1:07:37.480 been about? And this is before we get to your 1:07:37.480 --> 1:07:39.800 stuff about playing in goggles in front of hundreds of 1:07:39.800 --> 1:07:40.720 thousands of people. 1:07:41.240 --> 1:07:44.400 Yeah, the eye injury by far most depressing dark times 1:07:44.400 --> 1:07:46.520 in my life, Like can safely say that. 1:07:46.760 --> 1:07:47.880 And it's the whole thing. 1:07:47.880 --> 1:07:51.560 Being away from home, Yeah, your work and your job 1:07:51.960 --> 1:07:53.920 and being not being able to do that and not 1:07:53.960 --> 1:07:56.880 being able to show up to work, and then you 1:07:57.000 --> 1:07:59.400 lose one of your senses and you're just essentially putting 1:07:59.400 --> 1:08:01.240 full faith in doctors and you have no idea what 1:08:01.240 --> 1:08:05.920 to expect, and it was it seemed somewhat innocuous, never happened, 1:08:06.160 --> 1:08:08.600 and didn't think any of it, and then whenever I 1:08:08.600 --> 1:08:10.520 went and saw the doctor essentially not only that, but 1:08:10.720 --> 1:08:12.840 had the two detached threaten as I came out of it, 1:08:12.880 --> 1:08:15.760 and it was blind for a decent chunk and one 1:08:15.760 --> 1:08:17.800 of the worst things I probably don't talk about too much. 1:08:17.840 --> 1:08:19.200 One of the worst things about it is you come 1:08:19.200 --> 1:08:21.040 out of there right And I remember going to a 1:08:21.080 --> 1:08:24.280 game and playing like Geelong and a semiar prelim, I think, 1:08:24.280 --> 1:08:26.000 and I couldn't see anyone on the field. I was 1:08:26.040 --> 1:08:29.000 just sitting there and just thinking to myself like, probably 1:08:29.040 --> 1:08:30.960 never going to play this game again. I probably never 1:08:31.000 --> 1:08:32.160 going to be able to go back out there and 1:08:33.240 --> 1:08:35.639 be able to perform on the big stage. And yeah, 1:08:35.640 --> 1:08:37.720 it's quite depressing times You're thinking, like what do I 1:08:37.760 --> 1:08:38.400 do next in life? 1:08:38.439 --> 1:08:39.680 Like what's what's the next thing? 1:08:39.680 --> 1:08:39.760 Is? 1:08:39.760 --> 1:08:41.240 What can I do? Can I even write an email? 1:08:41.280 --> 1:08:42.479 I can't see at the moment, So like, am I 1:08:42.520 --> 1:08:44.120 ever going to be able to work a normal job again? 1:08:44.160 --> 1:08:46.280 Am I ever going to be able to, you know, 1:08:46.400 --> 1:08:47.880 do the simple things in life that I took for 1:08:47.880 --> 1:08:48.679 granted for a long. 1:08:48.560 --> 1:08:50.080 Time, and I didn't know the answers to it at 1:08:50.080 --> 1:08:52.519 that point. And get to the next scene. 1:08:52.560 --> 1:08:54.920 I think it is progressively get better, but obviously you're 1:08:54.920 --> 1:08:57.639 waiting on time because you can't just flick your fingers 1:08:57.640 --> 1:08:59.639 and go, okay, everything's back like to normal. 1:08:59.720 --> 1:09:02.200 It was. It was a long process. I'm still going 1:09:02.200 --> 1:09:02.679 through it now. 1:09:02.720 --> 1:09:05.800 But I got to the next year, and it would 1:09:05.800 --> 1:09:07.280 have been in the best shape of my life going 1:09:07.280 --> 1:09:11.400 into that next year, and we unfortunately I couldn't see, 1:09:11.400 --> 1:09:14.640 which doesn't help. It was in the best shape of 1:09:14.680 --> 1:09:18.200 my life and going into like twenty twenty, was really 1:09:18.200 --> 1:09:20.000 looking to have a great year, but just like physically 1:09:20.000 --> 1:09:21.800 couldn't see anything. Like I think I've talked about it 1:09:21.800 --> 1:09:24.559 as like I was going into marketing contests. The ball 1:09:24.640 --> 1:09:26.479 was coming in, I would just engage with the defender 1:09:26.520 --> 1:09:27.760 because I had no idea where the ball was going 1:09:27.800 --> 1:09:30.200 to land, and I was just essentially hoping that he 1:09:30.280 --> 1:09:31.800 knew where the ball was going to go, and I 1:09:31.840 --> 1:09:33.720 could just last second kind of put the arms out 1:09:33.760 --> 1:09:36.479 and take a mark and wasn't launching the ball whatsoever. 1:09:36.520 --> 1:09:38.840 And it was essentially half lined out there trying to 1:09:38.840 --> 1:09:42.760 play football, which is impossible say tackle. On the fact 1:09:42.760 --> 1:09:45.840 that we're going through a pandemic. I can't even see 1:09:45.880 --> 1:09:48.840 doctors to get properly like looked at I'm essentially just 1:09:48.880 --> 1:09:51.639 going off phone calls at this point, trying a bunch 1:09:51.640 --> 1:09:54.599 of different options as far as contacts, and nothing working. 1:09:55.439 --> 1:09:58.439 It was just frustrating, like so frustrating because you just 1:09:58.479 --> 1:10:01.640 you felt physically like I'm the shaped my life. But 1:10:01.760 --> 1:10:05.920 then you have something that is so necessary and it's 1:10:05.920 --> 1:10:08.160 such a necessity to football you can't fix and you 1:10:08.200 --> 1:10:11.599 can't do anything to make better, and you're sitting there 1:10:11.600 --> 1:10:13.680 and that's what's holding you back, and that was like 1:10:13.720 --> 1:10:15.920 the shittiest thing. Like it was not only that the 1:10:15.960 --> 1:10:18.920 covidself obviously everything else of the chaos and stress of that, 1:10:19.000 --> 1:10:21.760 but the fact that you couldn't properly do your job 1:10:21.800 --> 1:10:23.760 and you had these high expectations of yourself, wanted to 1:10:23.800 --> 1:10:25.920 be successful and felt like you're in the best shape 1:10:25.920 --> 1:10:28.599 of your life, and your body was just not allowing 1:10:28.640 --> 1:10:32.880 you to actually complete just sacked as shit. And you 1:10:32.920 --> 1:10:37.439 go through that year and I'm one, so I SENTI 1:10:37.479 --> 1:10:38.880 had to play X amount of games to be able 1:10:38.920 --> 1:10:43.400 to get into another contracted year, And there's stories behind that, 1:10:43.600 --> 1:10:45.320 I'm sure I'll tell at some point in my life. 1:10:45.360 --> 1:10:49.160 But eventually ended up getting the extension, which was massive 1:10:49.160 --> 1:10:51.320 for me because I wasn't really sure what the future 1:10:51.400 --> 1:10:53.479 was going to hold, and everyone's in this depressive state 1:10:53.520 --> 1:10:56.200 of being, you know, absolute shitout, and I think we 1:10:56.240 --> 1:10:59.800 were like I can't remember what we were in the hub. 1:11:00.080 --> 1:11:03.040 We went, you beat West Coast which was one of 1:11:03.080 --> 1:11:05.599 the old time finals, and then came out and couldn't 1:11:05.640 --> 1:11:06.640 back it up. Unfortunately. 1:11:06.760 --> 1:11:08.439 Yeah, West Coast goes out and that was kind of 1:11:08.479 --> 1:11:11.599 like I think went into that we were fucked after 1:11:11.600 --> 1:11:12.280 that game. 1:11:12.080 --> 1:11:14.479 But because that was the one where they had you 1:11:14.600 --> 1:11:18.240 sleeping in caravan, all of that stuff outside. 1:11:18.200 --> 1:11:21.160 Like just shamble shit show trying to get it together 1:11:21.360 --> 1:11:23.560 in West Coast, you know, with Mark McAllan essentially a 1:11:23.560 --> 1:11:26.120 different country at the time, not wanting us to win 1:11:26.200 --> 1:11:27.960 that game, did everything in his power to make sure 1:11:28.000 --> 1:11:29.879 we couldn't. And it was kind of like this bullshit 1:11:29.920 --> 1:11:31.960 of politics and sport that kind of ran through and 1:11:32.520 --> 1:11:34.680 it was like, we're looking from the other side. It 1:11:34.720 --> 1:11:38.280 was embarrassing the way that like politics handled that and 1:11:38.320 --> 1:11:40.840 we were putting the worst situation essentially handcuffed the whole 1:11:40.880 --> 1:11:42.200 way through. And then we got to the game and 1:11:42.240 --> 1:11:44.440 just gave a big fuck you to West Coast. 1:11:44.640 --> 1:11:45.639 And when by one point. 1:11:45.720 --> 1:11:48.519 That was one of those moments I think where myself 1:11:48.520 --> 1:11:52.000 and DC were playing at the time together and. 1:11:51.479 --> 1:11:52.160 It clicked again. 1:11:52.360 --> 1:11:54.200 Last game of the year, last game of the year 1:11:54.400 --> 1:11:56.280 and or second to last game of the year, and 1:11:56.320 --> 1:11:58.800 you kicked three, kick three, and there was a guy, 1:11:59.479 --> 1:12:01.840 never forget it, this guy in the stadium or in 1:12:01.840 --> 1:12:04.679 the stands. He's this big, overweight fella in the cheer squad. 1:12:04.920 --> 1:12:07.040 And I'm on the line, I think I'd kicked one, 1:12:07.080 --> 1:12:08.880 and he's there just giving it to me, saying, you 1:12:09.080 --> 1:12:12.439 fucking Trump supporter in American piece of ship. 1:12:12.560 --> 1:12:13.479 Oh, going at me. 1:12:13.520 --> 1:12:16.800 I'm looking at this guy must be the wildest human 1:12:16.800 --> 1:12:19.599 I've ever met, you know. He's like, oh you're gom Yeah. 1:12:19.479 --> 1:12:20.120 Missing that, you know. 1:12:20.200 --> 1:12:23.320 And then kick the second kick the third gave him 1:12:23.320 --> 1:12:25.880 the sh and told him to sit his ass back down. Yeah, 1:12:26.000 --> 1:12:28.880 and that man just didn't say a single thing the 1:12:28.880 --> 1:12:30.559 rest of the game. And it's those it's those moments 1:12:30.600 --> 1:12:32.200 where like you want to prove people wrong, you know, 1:12:32.280 --> 1:12:35.439 and that's what that gets me up. And about touch you, 1:12:35.560 --> 1:12:37.760 I'm like, all right, I'm to just put people back 1:12:37.760 --> 1:12:41.160 in their fucking place. But yeah, that that game was amazing. 1:12:41.240 --> 1:12:43.479 I think in my career looking back, in some of 1:12:43.479 --> 1:12:45.120 those games that you're up against the wall, no one 1:12:45.160 --> 1:12:47.000 expects you to win and you somehow come out on 1:12:47.040 --> 1:12:50.719 top and the situation and of course taked onto it 1:12:50.520 --> 1:12:52.439 is something you're kind of, I guess, proud of how 1:12:52.439 --> 1:12:56.439 you're able to handle it as a club. Also tacked 1:12:56.439 --> 1:12:57.880 onto the getting to win over there, and. 1:12:57.840 --> 1:13:00.639 We will touch on him. The goggles side, A lot 1:13:00.680 --> 1:13:02.599 has been said about them over the journey. 1:13:02.760 --> 1:13:06.479 Signed a poster to have your goggles coxy after the 1:13:06.479 --> 1:13:07.160 game last week. 1:13:07.640 --> 1:13:08.639 You probably need them. 1:13:08.720 --> 1:13:10.760 Yeah, they're way too custom for everyone else to have, 1:13:11.400 --> 1:13:12.040 But what was. 1:13:12.160 --> 1:13:14.760 The whole experience like playing with them for the first time, 1:13:14.840 --> 1:13:17.639 even getting them past you know, the AFL, to getting 1:13:17.640 --> 1:13:18.719 them out onto the field. 1:13:19.240 --> 1:13:21.960 The little thing was so AFL had never really seen anything. 1:13:21.960 --> 1:13:25.599 I think someone else supposed glasses once before. But yeah, 1:13:25.760 --> 1:13:27.800 I'd done all on my own. We did all the 1:13:27.800 --> 1:13:30.880 research to find them on my own. So I had 1:13:30.960 --> 1:13:35.760 multiple trials with contacts and then googled sports glasses and 1:13:35.800 --> 1:13:37.680 I saw some NBA players wearing them stuff like that. 1:13:37.960 --> 1:13:38.439 Just googled it. 1:13:38.520 --> 1:13:40.360 There's one person out in col ac i Sports Dot 1:13:40.360 --> 1:13:43.000 Condo you shout out to them who have helped me 1:13:43.000 --> 1:13:45.280 through the journey, and just kind of drove out to 1:13:45.400 --> 1:13:48.160 coal Ak. It's funny, ever, drove out to cool Ac 1:13:48.200 --> 1:13:50.320 and they had different tints of different colors and we 1:13:50.360 --> 1:13:53.000 sat there and put them into the into the frames, 1:13:53.760 --> 1:13:56.320 had to kick with his kid on the ground out there, 1:13:56.360 --> 1:13:58.200 and just kind of decided which tints I wanted, you know, 1:13:58.280 --> 1:14:01.320 And we went through this whole process of darker and medium. 1:14:01.320 --> 1:14:03.280 And people will notice all my glasses, there's one that's 1:14:03.320 --> 1:14:06.519 darker than another because the injury, and it just really 1:14:06.640 --> 1:14:09.320 kind of honed in and just knutted down this thing 1:14:09.320 --> 1:14:11.040 of like trying to figure out the details of what 1:14:11.080 --> 1:14:13.760 would work the best, and and it was it was 1:14:13.800 --> 1:14:15.479 interesting went and did that. No one really knew about it, 1:14:15.479 --> 1:14:17.040 and I just shut up one day at training and 1:14:17.040 --> 1:14:18.920 I was like, well this is It was a really 1:14:18.960 --> 1:14:21.679 kind of like moment of nervousness. Like I remember like thinking, 1:14:21.720 --> 1:14:23.320 like what are people going to say? Like what's going 1:14:23.400 --> 1:14:23.759 to happen? 1:14:23.840 --> 1:14:24.000 You know? 1:14:24.080 --> 1:14:27.120 And I think players were aware of how bad my 1:14:27.200 --> 1:14:30.000 injuries were, but until I started wearing the glasses, I 1:14:30.000 --> 1:14:31.719 think the story kind of came out of how properly, 1:14:31.800 --> 1:14:36.400 like how properly like bad the actual injury was. And yeah, 1:14:36.439 --> 1:14:39.200 the first time wearing a lot of Hakeem Elijah Won 1:14:39.360 --> 1:14:40.960 comments and stuff that, you know. 1:14:40.880 --> 1:14:42.760 And Kareem comments and things like that. 1:14:42.840 --> 1:14:45.599 But that was a real nervous moment in my whole career. 1:14:45.600 --> 1:14:47.920 And it's I kind of bring those out and being different, 1:14:47.920 --> 1:14:49.719 like I've always been different, but I think it's always 1:14:49.760 --> 1:14:52.200 been different for positive reasons. And then that was the 1:14:52.240 --> 1:14:54.960 first reason of I guess, like someone making fun of 1:14:55.000 --> 1:14:58.920 me in a different sense. But yeah, after the first 1:14:59.000 --> 1:15:01.680 like training, so essentially it's just normality after that, so 1:15:01.760 --> 1:15:04.280 people stop wearing them. And now Bobby Hill tries him 1:15:04.280 --> 1:15:06.000 on before every game, I feel like, and he's. 1:15:05.960 --> 1:15:08.040 Like, oh the speed Dealers by that he's just sick, 1:15:08.080 --> 1:15:08.599 you know, and. 1:15:10.000 --> 1:15:11.559 Just stuff like that, and like one of the cool 1:15:11.560 --> 1:15:13.479 things that's come from I never expected it, but like 1:15:13.960 --> 1:15:16.920 you know, it's nowadays probably on the weekly I would 1:15:16.920 --> 1:15:19.720 get a message or a comment from someone saying, you know, 1:15:19.760 --> 1:15:22.440 my kid never felt comfortable wearing you know, protective. 1:15:22.080 --> 1:15:23.160 Gear wheneber he was playing. 1:15:23.720 --> 1:15:25.400 And now because he has someone to look up to 1:15:25.439 --> 1:15:27.920 and idolize in a sense, that's doing it at the 1:15:27.960 --> 1:15:30.320 highest level, like now he feels comfortable to play on 1:15:30.439 --> 1:15:33.160 his kick and I don't know, one of these days, 1:15:33.360 --> 1:15:35.479 maybe you know, one of those kids turns into being 1:15:35.520 --> 1:15:38.040 an AFL footballer who knows and that story kind of 1:15:38.080 --> 1:15:39.639 links back into me, which wuld be pretty cool. 1:15:39.680 --> 1:15:41.200 But yeah, I've had a lot. 1:15:41.040 --> 1:15:44.519 Of amazing just kind of connections that have come from it, 1:15:44.520 --> 1:15:47.240 an amazing kind of comments around it. And yeah it 1:15:47.280 --> 1:15:50.360 was tough. I mean, the AFL essentially almost didn't allow 1:15:50.400 --> 1:15:52.880 me to do it, and they told me I couldn't 1:15:52.880 --> 1:15:54.599 wear him for a preseason, even though I'd warn them 1:15:54.640 --> 1:15:57.880 all preseason, all training during the presee and they're very 1:15:57.920 --> 1:16:00.840 well aware of it. They sent me essentially a letter 1:16:01.439 --> 1:16:04.120 saying that I'd have to sign it so I had 1:16:04.160 --> 1:16:06.879 to be able to play the next day versus hawthorn 1:16:06.920 --> 1:16:09.439 out and like I think Moe it was. They sent 1:16:09.479 --> 1:16:11.040 me a letter it said I had to sign it, 1:16:11.160 --> 1:16:14.400 saying that they don't want any legal liabilities if something 1:16:14.439 --> 1:16:16.840 happens because of them. I had to go and find 1:16:16.840 --> 1:16:19.800 a lawyer within twenty four hours to get them ticked off. 1:16:19.840 --> 1:16:21.960 And then they said you need to sharp you out 1:16:22.000 --> 1:16:24.160 any advertising that might be on the side of them, 1:16:24.200 --> 1:16:25.720 so this is like F five I think or something 1:16:25.720 --> 1:16:27.080 like that on the side of it, which is just 1:16:27.120 --> 1:16:29.600 the model of the glasses. It doesn't even say like 1:16:29.680 --> 1:16:32.040 Rexpex or anything like that. And they're like you have 1:16:32.080 --> 1:16:33.880 to sharp you out every single little thing. They just 1:16:33.920 --> 1:16:35.439 made it really pain in the ass to wear, and 1:16:35.479 --> 1:16:37.879 I was just like, this is a medical thing. 1:16:37.920 --> 1:16:40.320 Which was so bizarre, because one, it's a tool of 1:16:40.400 --> 1:16:41.840 the trade. You need it to be able to play, 1:16:41.960 --> 1:16:44.080 like any boots. You're allowed to wear any brand of 1:16:44.120 --> 1:16:46.640 any boots, even if they clash with your team, sponsors 1:16:46.720 --> 1:16:52.519 or anything. And then they came out and celebrated it 1:16:52.560 --> 1:16:55.160 the whole weekend, taking photos of your videos, put it 1:16:55.200 --> 1:16:58.160 on social and it's Mason with these goggles all that stuff. 1:16:58.439 --> 1:16:59.320 It was bizarre. 1:17:00.080 --> 1:17:02.679 AFL is a bizarre place. We'll say that. 1:17:03.000 --> 1:17:04.840 On top of that, we were talking about so your 1:17:04.880 --> 1:17:07.759 eye injuries. It's were you still going back to your 1:17:08.320 --> 1:17:11.160 the key forward at times in one of the biggest 1:17:11.160 --> 1:17:13.800 clubs in the land. All the pressure, like all the 1:17:13.840 --> 1:17:15.680 good stuff that comes with that when you're winning the 1:17:15.720 --> 1:17:18.160 prelimp for it, and then you get all the bad 1:17:18.200 --> 1:17:21.920 stuff when you're underperforming. It's all tenfold, so the pressure 1:17:21.960 --> 1:17:26.200 comes on Bucks out Fly in real crazy period of 1:17:26.200 --> 1:17:27.360 time for the club. 1:17:27.560 --> 1:17:30.040 I think at that time in my career, I was 1:17:30.080 --> 1:17:32.320 ready to call it quits. I was like, this is bullshit, 1:17:32.560 --> 1:17:34.840 Like I'm just so stressed out, I'm not enjoying life, 1:17:34.880 --> 1:17:37.080 Like this is not what I was made, you know, 1:17:37.200 --> 1:17:39.040 to do for the rest of my life. I was 1:17:39.040 --> 1:17:40.320 ready to call it quits and it was just done 1:17:40.360 --> 1:17:42.040 with it, and it was probably gonna go to a 1:17:42.080 --> 1:17:44.320 different team if there was an opportunity, But got to 1:17:44.360 --> 1:17:46.479 that off season without a contract, don't really knowing where 1:17:46.479 --> 1:17:47.840 I was going to go, what was going to happen, 1:17:47.880 --> 1:17:50.920 and kind of come to I guess groups with the 1:17:50.920 --> 1:17:52.720 fact that our career is done and like it as 1:17:52.880 --> 1:17:55.000 it is. It was fine. We move on, we try 1:17:55.040 --> 1:17:58.160 to find out who the next chapter is. And I 1:17:58.160 --> 1:18:01.760 remember before I left, being on the sprung floor doing 1:18:01.800 --> 1:18:04.200 some kicking and stuff and Craig came in. It was 1:18:04.280 --> 1:18:05.559 kind of like the day that he was kind of 1:18:05.560 --> 1:18:09.360 announced as head coach, and in my mind, I'd already 1:18:10.120 --> 1:18:12.479 I had already committed essentially in my mind, like and 1:18:12.560 --> 1:18:14.280 confirmed that I was dying, like I was going to 1:18:14.320 --> 1:18:16.559 play there again, like i'd really bad taste my mouth 1:18:16.600 --> 1:18:18.240 from everything that kind of happened in the years before, 1:18:18.280 --> 1:18:20.960 and wasn't really happy with where things were, and there's 1:18:21.000 --> 1:18:22.479 a lot of change, and I thought, you know, maybe 1:18:22.479 --> 1:18:24.960 it's just time for me to move on. And I 1:18:25.000 --> 1:18:27.840 just remember, like Craig walking in, I go, fuck you, dude, 1:18:28.320 --> 1:18:31.840 You're the only person, the only person in this whole 1:18:31.880 --> 1:18:34.599 world that would get me back to this club probably, 1:18:35.040 --> 1:18:37.880 And he walked in and he did his speech of 1:18:37.920 --> 1:18:39.519 what he wants to do as a coach and anything else, 1:18:39.560 --> 1:18:43.760 and I remember sitting there going, this fucking asshole, like 1:18:45.040 --> 1:18:47.439 I actually want to I want to play for you, man, 1:18:47.479 --> 1:18:49.040 and like what you've been able to give to me 1:18:49.600 --> 1:18:51.120 to be able to set up my career was like 1:18:51.240 --> 1:18:53.200 something I've always wanted to repay him. And I thought, 1:18:53.240 --> 1:18:56.040 fuck man, Like if there's ever an opportunity, it's it's now. 1:18:57.000 --> 1:18:58.280 So in my mind, I was kind of like, I 1:18:58.320 --> 1:19:00.120 hope hopefully they kind of give me a gig, and 1:19:00.160 --> 1:19:01.960 Craig was like, look, it's not my decision, it's the 1:19:01.960 --> 1:19:03.439 club decision where they want to keep you. And he 1:19:03.479 --> 1:19:05.519 was not part of me signing another contractor what they 1:19:05.560 --> 1:19:08.920 gave me, and offered me, and fortunate enough they did 1:19:08.920 --> 1:19:11.880 offer me something, and yeah, it's kind of cool. 1:19:11.960 --> 1:19:12.200 Now. 1:19:12.439 --> 1:19:14.160 I think it's one of the biggest reasons I still 1:19:14.240 --> 1:19:15.920 am playing and still want to players. Like I always 1:19:15.920 --> 1:19:17.920 talk about what I want to do and wanting to 1:19:17.960 --> 1:19:19.720 repay Fly for what he gave to me. So, like 1:19:20.240 --> 1:19:21.800 I think over the last few weeks, you've seen some 1:19:21.840 --> 1:19:23.679 of the stuff that's on the inside of people's jumpers 1:19:24.560 --> 1:19:27.280 on the neckline, so you've got like I think Brandon 1:19:27.320 --> 1:19:31.920 had like competitive beast, right, like Jack had entertainer or 1:19:31.960 --> 1:19:35.040 something like that, right, like mine says repay flight, And 1:19:35.120 --> 1:19:37.280 like that's kind of something I've always been in my 1:19:37.400 --> 1:19:40.519 mind everything every time I go about like play, that's 1:19:40.640 --> 1:19:42.640 I always think about him, what he's given up and 1:19:42.720 --> 1:19:45.880 the opportunities he's given me, and thought, how cool would 1:19:45.880 --> 1:19:47.760 have been now to like full circle this thing for 1:19:47.920 --> 1:19:50.680 like the universe kind of coming back on itself and 1:19:50.720 --> 1:19:52.880 be able to give him, you know, success and be 1:19:52.960 --> 1:19:54.600 part of that and help him kind of reach what 1:19:54.640 --> 1:19:56.760 he wants to wants to accomplish as a coach. So 1:19:57.560 --> 1:19:59.040 that's kind of one of the reasons I still do it. 1:19:59.040 --> 1:20:00.639 One of the main reasons I'm still playing. 1:20:00.479 --> 1:20:03.000 But yeah, that year I was I was ready to 1:20:03.000 --> 1:20:03.439 call it quits. 1:20:03.439 --> 1:20:05.600 And then Fly came in and that was kind of 1:20:05.600 --> 1:20:07.599 the only person probably in this world that could keep 1:20:07.600 --> 1:20:10.920 me at the club and had some serious conversations throughout 1:20:10.960 --> 1:20:14.320 that first year of getting dropped after playing a few 1:20:14.439 --> 1:20:16.559 terrible games at the beginning and then coming back and 1:20:16.560 --> 1:20:18.639 then like the game I came back, we won eleven 1:20:18.720 --> 1:20:22.400 straight and talk about sliding doors moments like you know, 1:20:22.920 --> 1:20:25.960 at that point we started this podcast whenever I started 1:20:26.000 --> 1:20:27.439 playing VFL I think it was, and I was like, 1:20:27.479 --> 1:20:29.519 you know, this is probably it, Like I'm not playing, well, 1:20:29.600 --> 1:20:33.200 it's not it's not working, like just gonna have to 1:20:33.200 --> 1:20:34.639 try to move into the next phase of life, which 1:20:34.680 --> 1:20:36.519 hopefully would be media. So let's start this podcast and 1:20:36.520 --> 1:20:37.640 see what we can do with it. And it's been 1:20:37.680 --> 1:20:39.839 awesome to be to be enjoying it and now obviously 1:20:39.840 --> 1:20:42.040 still playing. It's it's cool to still kind of everything 1:20:42.120 --> 1:20:45.000 essentially is extra now. But I remember we're coming back 1:20:45.000 --> 1:20:48.280 and sliding doors moments of Brodie gets injured does his 1:20:48.280 --> 1:20:50.439 potelton and I think it was or something like that, 1:20:50.560 --> 1:20:53.439 and I get an opportunity to come back or Beggy 1:20:53.520 --> 1:20:56.439 actually coming back. Aiden Beg comes back and plays before me, 1:20:56.520 --> 1:20:59.160 and I was pretty filthy. But look back at the 1:20:59.200 --> 1:21:00.840 traft Cloak thing, I was like, well, maybe this is 1:21:00.840 --> 1:21:02.760 my moment of trev klok, you know, like maybe this 1:21:02.800 --> 1:21:04.599 is me passing the torch on to someone else. And 1:21:05.200 --> 1:21:06.960 he played a really good game. And then yeah, a 1:21:07.160 --> 1:21:09.680 couple down down our games compared to that first one, 1:21:09.720 --> 1:21:11.400 and then got the opportunity to come back up and 1:21:11.400 --> 1:21:12.240 play with DC and we. 1:21:12.240 --> 1:21:13.040 Want eleven straight. 1:21:13.080 --> 1:21:15.759 And you know that kind of changed probably the opportunity 1:21:15.800 --> 1:21:17.760 because we talk about, you know, if we lose some 1:21:17.800 --> 1:21:21.200 of those games, you know, maybe we go into rebuilding 1:21:21.240 --> 1:21:23.160 mode and we go some of the older guys, we'll 1:21:23.160 --> 1:21:24.840 start playing the younger guys, and the older guys get 1:21:24.840 --> 1:21:28.040 pushed out and we start revamping. And everyone no one 1:21:28.040 --> 1:21:29.960 would have asked a question of that. Everyone would gone, well, 1:21:30.000 --> 1:21:32.040 call him as a young team, new coach. You know, 1:21:32.240 --> 1:21:35.280 he wants to revamp everything, like that's just part of 1:21:35.280 --> 1:21:36.599 the process. And I would have been one of those 1:21:36.600 --> 1:21:39.800 players that would just go moved on. And luckily enough 1:21:39.880 --> 1:21:42.479 the young guy stepped up and kept us old boys 1:21:42.479 --> 1:21:44.360 around a little bit longer. And we want eleven straight. 1:21:44.479 --> 1:21:46.880 So it's you talk about the sliding doors moments. There's 1:21:46.880 --> 1:21:48.040 a lot of those in the career, and that was 1:21:48.080 --> 1:21:50.840 definitely one that looking back, it is like if Roady 1:21:50.840 --> 1:21:52.759 doesn't get injured, and obviously, like good friend of mine, 1:21:52.760 --> 1:21:54.880 never would want that upon anyone. But if he doesn't 1:21:54.880 --> 1:21:57.880 get injured, he doesn't get moved on, his contract doesn't 1:21:57.880 --> 1:22:01.320 get taken up by another person, and I am no 1:22:01.360 --> 1:22:02.400 longer playing for Collingwood. 1:22:02.680 --> 1:22:04.680 Yeah, it is a twist of fate that it just 1:22:04.720 --> 1:22:07.559 happens to be Fly that comes in. Now. You did 1:22:07.560 --> 1:22:10.519 the sixty minutes feature, big feature over in the States, 1:22:10.520 --> 1:22:13.559 and there was some great stuff in there about well, 1:22:13.640 --> 1:22:16.320 Fly being there from the start of your career, getting 1:22:16.400 --> 1:22:19.920 videos back from you overseas see that you can't really 1:22:20.000 --> 1:22:23.920 kick for shit. There was the statement that you saw 1:22:24.040 --> 1:22:26.719 Fly sitting on the Richmond bench in the twenty eighteen 1:22:26.800 --> 1:22:29.400 prelim and you said you did this, you did this, 1:22:29.400 --> 1:22:32.040 this is your fault, which is great, and it is 1:22:33.479 --> 1:22:35.760 just the fact that it was him that came in 1:22:36.560 --> 1:22:38.720 and like you said it literally, I feel like it 1:22:38.760 --> 1:22:41.479 could have only been one guy, and he had a 1:22:41.560 --> 1:22:44.720 great impact on everyone to date. You guys go on 1:22:44.760 --> 1:22:47.960 the fairy Tale run. A lot of people see Fly 1:22:48.240 --> 1:22:50.800 externally and say, jeez, it must be great to play 1:22:50.840 --> 1:22:53.360 for a lot of guys want to come into the 1:22:53.360 --> 1:22:56.360 club rejuvenated. You got all these young guys playing really 1:22:56.360 --> 1:22:59.599 great footy with a really healthy mix of like older 1:22:59.720 --> 1:23:03.800 mature your heads in there, and the club's in a 1:23:03.800 --> 1:23:07.640 great position. So like, it's been really good to have 1:23:07.680 --> 1:23:10.679 the podcast here to kind of write it every week. 1:23:10.760 --> 1:23:14.479 Last Every week last year was like, god, it dusted 1:23:14.520 --> 1:23:18.080 it by six. It's like can you can you get 1:23:18.120 --> 1:23:21.080 a big win? But it was just so fun and 1:23:21.160 --> 1:23:23.400 everyone talks about how fun it is and the amount 1:23:23.439 --> 1:23:26.120 of messages that we get through the podcast where it's like, 1:23:26.240 --> 1:23:28.600 I'm a Richmond supporter, we're having them down year. I 1:23:28.680 --> 1:23:31.000 never thought i'd say it, but I love watching Collingwood games, 1:23:31.080 --> 1:23:34.240 or like Essenon supporters or you know, all these big 1:23:34.360 --> 1:23:39.120 rivals that would always hate Collingwood. We're getting so many 1:23:39.120 --> 1:23:42.599 messages just alone saying how much they're enjoying watching Collingwood play. 1:23:42.840 --> 1:23:46.400 You play in particular, like it's a crazy thing that 1:23:46.439 --> 1:23:50.000 you guys are doing and it must be fun. Again. 1:23:50.080 --> 1:23:51.920 You talked about the last few years that you went 1:23:51.960 --> 1:23:55.760 through injuries, ups and down. It must be fun to 1:23:55.760 --> 1:23:58.439 play this footy again. And it's been reflected outside of 1:23:58.439 --> 1:24:03.439 Spleen injury, You've played a really good, solid year of footy. 1:24:03.840 --> 1:24:05.160 Yeah, it's it's it's good. 1:24:05.200 --> 1:24:07.800 I think I've talked about people as of recent because 1:24:07.800 --> 1:24:09.400 a lot of people have been talking about how good 1:24:09.439 --> 1:24:11.240 the culture is in credit to Craig and the coaching 1:24:11.280 --> 1:24:15.160 staff and everyone else that's created it, and it's totally 1:24:15.240 --> 1:24:19.040 changed the place. And whenever you go through the tough times, 1:24:19.120 --> 1:24:22.400 the dark times, the challenging times, and then you have 1:24:22.479 --> 1:24:26.120 experiences like now or it's you know, exciting, everyone's enjoying it. 1:24:26.280 --> 1:24:29.200 Like when you're in a happy place, like you kind 1:24:29.200 --> 1:24:30.920 of you want to soak it in and like really 1:24:31.000 --> 1:24:33.680 enjoy it as much as you can. And it's it's 1:24:33.720 --> 1:24:35.519 one of those things like whenever you the older you get, 1:24:35.520 --> 1:24:37.600 the more you have these experiences of the highs and 1:24:37.600 --> 1:24:39.599 the lows and everything else. And whenever you have an 1:24:39.600 --> 1:24:43.040 opportunity as to be able to recognize a high, you 1:24:43.200 --> 1:24:45.200 really enjoy it that much more. And I think that's 1:24:45.200 --> 1:24:46.679 what a lot of us are doing at the moment, 1:24:46.960 --> 1:24:50.519 especially the older guys. I'll talk about like after games 1:24:50.520 --> 1:24:52.120 like I never we'd always just go down. You know, 1:24:52.280 --> 1:24:53.840 you win the game, you lose game, can earn the race, 1:24:53.920 --> 1:24:55.960 sing the song, or you don't. Whoever it is, move on. 1:24:56.080 --> 1:24:58.679 And now it's like you kind of like after every 1:24:58.680 --> 1:25:01.360 single game I'll finish. I'm just kind of like three 1:25:01.439 --> 1:25:03.400 sixty the MCG and I'm just kind to think, like 1:25:04.080 --> 1:25:06.120 how crazy is this man? Like a crazy as life, 1:25:06.120 --> 1:25:09.360 And it's like soak in as much as you can 1:25:09.439 --> 1:25:12.439 because you know that this is a fleeting time career 1:25:12.479 --> 1:25:14.879 could be done in a game. With my eye injuries 1:25:14.920 --> 1:25:17.160 and stuff, I realize like every game could be my last, 1:25:17.320 --> 1:25:18.600 and you just want to make sure that if it 1:25:18.680 --> 1:25:21.160 is your last game, you got to enjoy it for 1:25:21.200 --> 1:25:24.880 the forest amount. And like looking around seeing people chant 1:25:24.960 --> 1:25:27.120 USA as you're going through the cheer squad and then 1:25:27.280 --> 1:25:29.960 down into the rooms and stuff, and everyone had a 1:25:30.000 --> 1:25:32.080 smile on their faces, like you just you really kind 1:25:32.120 --> 1:25:34.160 of enjoy those moments now, I think more than I 1:25:34.160 --> 1:25:37.439 ever probably have before. And yeah, it's a it's a 1:25:37.479 --> 1:25:40.639 really good time and everyone's really enjoying. I think what's 1:25:40.640 --> 1:25:42.560 happening at the Corn Football Club at the moment. 1:25:42.760 --> 1:25:46.639 And whatever happens from this point to your last game, 1:25:48.000 --> 1:25:51.760 you've left the mark. Now there's there's no it's undeniable. 1:25:51.920 --> 1:25:55.040 You've left the mark. You've had massive games along the journey. 1:25:55.680 --> 1:25:58.280 You're always going to be that the first American. You 1:25:58.400 --> 1:26:01.800 talk about not being the first like native porn in 1:26:01.800 --> 1:26:05.000 America to play, but you're definitely going to be the first. 1:26:05.040 --> 1:26:08.120 It hits one hundred games and you might hold that 1:26:08.160 --> 1:26:11.360 record for hell of a long time. So there's plenty 1:26:11.400 --> 1:26:14.479 that you've done throughout your career and from the impacts 1:26:14.479 --> 1:26:18.840 that you had on people all across Australia. It's just yeah, 1:26:18.880 --> 1:26:21.880 it's a massive achievement and a massive accomplishment for what 1:26:21.920 --> 1:26:25.639 you've done. And yeah, it's it's it's a real credit 1:26:25.680 --> 1:26:27.519 to you. One hundred games, There's going to be more. 1:26:27.640 --> 1:26:30.160 That's the next question. What's next for Mason Cox? 1:26:31.240 --> 1:26:34.200 Hopefully Premiership? It round it off pretty well. 1:26:34.240 --> 1:26:37.720 I think you talk about windows and opportunities and I 1:26:37.760 --> 1:26:39.360 think we're definitely in that window at the moment, as 1:26:39.360 --> 1:26:42.120 a lot of people would probably agree. And yeah, it's 1:26:42.160 --> 1:26:45.320 it's exciting because yeah, as a certain point, probably the 1:26:45.360 --> 1:26:47.800 beginning of last year, you didn't you thought, you know, 1:26:47.880 --> 1:26:49.920 you come to realization and grips you probably won't ever 1:26:49.960 --> 1:26:51.880 won a Grand Final and that twenty eight team probably 1:26:51.880 --> 1:26:53.519 sticks out and your head a lot, a lot stronger 1:26:53.560 --> 1:26:55.800 than other days, and now you can't look at it. 1:26:55.800 --> 1:26:57.720 You're going, well maybe you maybe we're in that kind 1:26:57.760 --> 1:26:59.840 of you know, those few years wherever it is we 1:26:59.840 --> 1:27:02.920 can actually you know, win this whole thing. So yeah, 1:27:02.960 --> 1:27:05.120 it's it's it's it's hopefully what's next. I don't know 1:27:05.160 --> 1:27:07.160 if it'll be you know, this year, next year and 1:27:07.479 --> 1:27:10.880 not happen, whatever it is, but I think having that 1:27:11.080 --> 1:27:13.920 would be something to add to the journey, to say 1:27:14.360 --> 1:27:18.080 it's it's dying. You've experienced everything. You can't look back 1:27:18.120 --> 1:27:21.120 and fault anything you've you've been through it all the ringer, 1:27:21.200 --> 1:27:23.559 the ups, the downs, and you've made the most of 1:27:23.600 --> 1:27:25.679 it and you've got to experience everything you could possibly 1:27:25.880 --> 1:27:28.320 do over here in Australia. So that'd be a great 1:27:28.360 --> 1:27:30.839 ride round it off. Whether or not it happens, we'll see, 1:27:31.360 --> 1:27:33.639 but it's something that is probably what's next, and then 1:27:34.240 --> 1:27:37.479 post career, hopefully media hopefully's podcast launches and we can 1:27:37.520 --> 1:27:40.240 do some cool stuff around it. Shout out to people 1:27:40.240 --> 1:27:42.519 like Dylan Buckley, are I guess like paid in the 1:27:42.560 --> 1:27:44.759 path for ex athletes and doing these kind of things, 1:27:44.760 --> 1:27:48.400 and you know, hopefully this leads to media opportunities post 1:27:48.479 --> 1:27:50.680 career and stay around football and then maybe bring the 1:27:50.720 --> 1:27:54.719 exposure of IFL to international market. Who knows, but there's 1:27:54.760 --> 1:27:57.840 there's definitely hopefully opportunities there and hopefully I get to 1:27:57.840 --> 1:27:59.720 to stay here in Australia long term and do some 1:28:00.200 --> 1:28:02.280 stuff and continue to push the boundaries in the future. 1:28:02.760 --> 1:28:04.919 And I think we have the name for the episode 1:28:04.960 --> 1:28:09.680 Mason Cox's a career of sliding doors. But yeah, one 1:28:09.720 --> 1:28:14.479 more time, congratulations mate, and big juicy contest coming up 1:28:14.479 --> 1:28:17.960 on the weekend against North Melbourne if they don't stop 1:28:18.000 --> 1:28:21.040 you at the gate with their pitchforks after all the 1:28:21.040 --> 1:28:24.000 shit that you talk about them. But are you looking 1:28:24.000 --> 1:28:25.040 forward to it? I am. 1:28:25.240 --> 1:28:27.240 It's gonna be a good day, I think, Like I said, 1:28:27.280 --> 1:28:29.160 not only is it my hundredth, but more important only 1:28:29.240 --> 1:28:32.080 it steals three hundredth and to celebrate him what he's 1:28:32.080 --> 1:28:34.400 been able to accomplish is pretty cool. He's done a 1:28:34.400 --> 1:28:36.880 lot more than I probably have very different journeys, don't 1:28:36.880 --> 1:28:39.800 get me wrong, but it'd be a great day to 1:28:39.840 --> 1:28:43.679 be able to celebrate him myself and just be able 1:28:43.720 --> 1:28:47.040 to really soak it in. Like I don't know, I 1:28:47.040 --> 1:28:48.559 don't know what's going to happen on the day, whole 1:28:48.560 --> 1:28:50.479 families coming out. I don't know what to expect, but 1:28:51.760 --> 1:28:54.320 I know there'd be some pretty cool experiences looking back 1:28:54.360 --> 1:28:57.240 and getting to reminisce with some people on the journey 1:28:57.240 --> 1:28:59.759 and bringing them into the rooms and get to experience 1:28:59.760 --> 1:29:01.559 a whole thing. And some of the videos people probably 1:29:01.560 --> 1:29:04.320 sent through dumb shit I've done throughout my career, funny 1:29:04.320 --> 1:29:07.519 experiences and things. It's it's all as cool moments in life. 1:29:07.560 --> 1:29:08.960 You get to really kind of look back on what 1:29:09.000 --> 1:29:10.840 you've been able to accomplish. And that's kind of one 1:29:10.840 --> 1:29:12.120 of the things I'm going to look forward to the most, 1:29:12.160 --> 1:29:12.840 I think, And. 1:29:13.160 --> 1:29:14.439 I think that wraps us all up. 1:29:14.560 --> 1:29:16.840 To wrap it up, massive game coming out the hund Earth. 1:29:17.240 --> 1:29:19.599 So thankful for everyone that's you know, been a part 1:29:19.600 --> 1:29:21.800 of it, including yourself, Bradon. It's been amazing to share 1:29:21.840 --> 1:29:24.760 experiences throughout this whole process and even the early days 1:29:24.760 --> 1:29:27.320 to talk about back then and how things have changed 1:29:27.360 --> 1:29:30.280 so much. But a massive thank you to everyone who's 1:29:30.280 --> 1:29:32.880 one tuned into this podcast and supported us in the 1:29:32.880 --> 1:29:35.600 community that's here, and too to everyone that's supported me 1:29:35.680 --> 1:29:38.960 personally throughout my career and everything that's happened. It's it's 1:29:39.000 --> 1:29:42.960 amazing to have amazing supporters like everyone out there, and 1:29:43.080 --> 1:29:45.200 you know, through ups and downs, always having my back 1:29:45.240 --> 1:29:48.639 and the club's back. It's pretty incredible to be able 1:29:48.640 --> 1:29:50.600 to share this experience with so many different people, and 1:29:50.920 --> 1:29:54.240 I'm extremely grateful and humbled to have so many supporters 1:29:54.240 --> 1:29:56.519 out there. So massive thank you. Hopefully you get to 1:29:56.600 --> 1:30:00.240 enjoy the day just as I will, and yeah, go past. 1:30:00.600 --> 1:30:02.799 Can it stand extended? Sand