Welcome back to part two of our twenty twenty five best I hope you're having an excellent drive walk wherever you are starting.

Off this one.

I mean, I think this is the highlight of my podcasting career, being joined by Gary and Gail John's for some family storytelling, three generations of John's and just an all round good laugh.

What about the day Joey got out of bed the shit under the tree?

That was matt again.

Yeah, tree kicked a bit of sand over poor al Shane ferned across the road.

Next day He's climbed up the tree.

When he jumped out, he jump straight in the ships got it all through his stares and.

Oh my when you look back on you had obviously Kate as well.

But I imagine Matthew and Joey would have been the two hardest work or naughtiest.

Who would have been the hardest to race?

Out of those two joe Joey was.

He wasn't frightened.

If anything he do anything?

Would he?

Yeah, would do anything.

It was about a ten foot serfety one day and all the other guys are out in the water the time of the life.

I had Kate and I'd taken for a walk.

I walked up the headley and have a look, and he's Joe.

He's about nine year old on that green board.

He's out the surf.

So this old guy was here, and I knew he must excuse me?

Would you take Cake back to the caravan, Garlice?

So I'm going to go out.

My young black's out in the water.

Go I'll get him.

So I swam all the way out there's through the waves, got out of there, exhausted, and he said, Dave, what are you doing out here?

I said, you know, on the beach, what are you doing out here?

With with mining up there?

There was just an enormous drinking culture.

Uncle Herby Herding Pearson.

Herby Pearson, what all legs?

You know they used to drink.

They used to go to Foster, all the miners and says stock Curry Averer, main Western.

They'd all going to Foster holidays.

So the culture was two o'clock they'd head down the pub.

They'd all come home for two seven.

So that had five hours of solid drinking.

I'm talking about drinking half a dozen of skewters an hour.

You know.

One day Herbie drunk fifty four sconers went.

He went down there at two o'clock and there was a dance on that night.

Said all the other boys left to about five, because they will come back to dance.

And Herbie said, now, I'll say just Selfie's wife get dressed and come down.

We'll go to the dance.

So behind the bar, the barman every day used to mark every scoon of Herbie had.

He had fifty four for the day.

And then went to the dance, to the dance, and now they dance.

I MEAs you would have been hard to hold up.

You get a hold of God.

Honestly, you wouldn't have to think out to.

Drink, because isn't there a story of how he drank the like a couple of blokes in there because.

He was renowned for how many schooners you could drink?

And that way.

Bloke put a challenge up to him.

He was a timber cutter from Kreua.

He heard about Herbie's reputation as a drinker, so he come up here to Foster waited for Herbie come in and he said, I've got a challenge for you.

And I heard you can drink.

He said, I bet you can't drink ten scooners in an hour.

Herbie said, well, I'm not going to try it now because I'll go in here all day, he said, but I'll.

Come back tomorrow.

You be tomorrow will try it.

Boys used to go out too, So Herbie left the ten utlast twelve and he's coming passed out.

He said that, man, I'm going a bit early today.

He says, oh jeez, I'm not going early.

He said.

Now, I've got a couple of things to do.

So he set it out hour.

So he went to the pub.

He drank the ten scooters are there, just to test himself, and he went up and he said right over, said the blake right, I'll take the chal and then knocked it out.

The next day he'd done another ten, so he went to the pub first all just to see if you can do it.

Yeah, you tell him.

Gary followed up next with Scotty drink Water and Jason Ryles.

Have a listen to these two.

This was This was a real highlight.

Scotty drink Water has one of the great laughing sagas in this episode, which you're about to hear, and Jason Rowles gives us a good insight into Paramatta twenty twenty six.

Another Grand Final story.

It was twenty twenty seventeen when they wanted we're drinking that and then one of the brom Winches had vodka.

Anyway, I go to the toilet, Curtis is in there.

Anyway, Curtis walks out, goes back to the room.

Coper Cronk walks in the toilet and I'm fox to beuled in the toilet.

And he goes me drinking.

You've just spewed up all over the carpet.

I was that drug.

I went out there and.

Picked it up.

Now thought it was.

Curtis was like, I was so rading from Coop Spaby.

It was goe next, what are you so cruel?

What it's going to make your m just.

Thinking about it?

What imagine you.

Don't spew on your jack?

I was so rattled, rattle.

The Curtis w was here, and then I was like when they went away on that, you.

Don't swinging your water just for the listeners didn't know that.

Just nearly vomited laughed.

Probably a minute.

There.

One of the biggest we've ever had.

What's the biggest I've ever had?

When they went and had tie a tire meal.

I had a box.

He's got the laughing bog.

Did you just water?

Just rent?

The wrong way goes?

I'm going to tell this story.

I got to brace myself because I could every time.

Maybe I want to got some some tie up in North Sydney, and I've got it.

You know, they get the tie in the box.

You the bosses takeaway and I've gone.

It was the chicken pad tie and I've gone.

Next minute, I've gone.

You know something really chilly and I looked at it was a bend d.

What the hell I want?

Two?

Three four?

Honeyway calling me?

So, I don't know.

I guess it's kind of hot talk right now.

Well, my girls in the next room.

Something that this song?

After all.

The waste of knowledge facility?

Do you remember the Addie dasl story?

And you don't know?

Mate?

The chip is full twenty nasty things.

Do you sell me on the field?

Uh?

No, No, he was good.

He's very encouraging because he knew we needed our help where he got four If we didn't, then yeah.

It was very encouraging.

Did you room together in origin across.

From each other?

So id room with bedsy?

There are a couple of times yeah, and then throw harness was across from us.

Oh, your majesty welcomes.

Yeah, he was good value.

Whatever he used to get there, and that time's up in Origin camp.

He's had your fund for a couple of days now, no more boosts to the game.

So Joey would walk around with the teacup and it just be full spirits.

Yeah, wasn't it.

Wasn't there a thing like come to my room for a tea party.

Tea parties in Joey's room and everybody have robes on.

Yeah, Joey had a robe on.

He had a notebook and pen, but I'm not sure.

That was.

Is my favorite, my favorite every moment in a video session, I reckon.

So Belly's got this story about Brett White which he loves to tell, loves to tell, and it's essentially the messaging of it is He's got all these big stars in the room, Cameron Smith, Cooper Krome, Billy Slater, and they're trying to work out how to win this game during this tough time where they've lost a few on the trot and Brett White gets up and he goes, guys, I don't know much about Rugbilly, but I know it an easy game when everyone does their jobs.

Now Belly has simple game when everyone does their jobs.

And he has told this relentlessly, like every year you get up and tell the same story to everyone.

And Smithy one day, I think it was cheese.

Cameron goes cheez in this meeting today, just because we had a bit of a tough period in preseason.

I think we're getting kind of sledge for dropping a heap of ball.

And Brandon just Brandon gets up randomly in the middle.

Of the session and he goes Bill like, can I just say something?

And he goes yeah, Britton, and he goes guys.

I don't know much about rugby league, but I but I know it's a simple game if everybody does their job.

You know, if you're talking.

He doesn't get mentioned who's the best player in the game.

A lot of times he'll get a mention here and there.

But know he like Nathan, But to what made his He's going neck and neck with Nathan this year.

He's he's been fantastic.

Yeah, he's a competitor.

Obviously got really high footy IQ and I think there's still a little bit left in his game in regards to like next year we want to try and evolve our middle third of the field in regards to our playing off nine and those combinations at the halves and the full back out through the middle of the field.

So you know, I think his game will go to another little bit of a level in regards to having that string to his bow.

And then I think as a kid, is a really natural support player, but it kind of you kind of didn't hasn't done that for a few years, and that's something that we're trying to encourage him to do as well.

It's just that I think you've seen in the Nights game early in that third try, I think it was the break was made on the left Mitchell come from the right score to try, so we had We're just trying to brand in that.

I've been trying to encourage him to do that.

You're just like, we need to score more ad lib tries in regards to instead of just trying to manufacture everything.

So that's that's a hard things.

Half that's most compartmentalizing to gain, Right, I'm going to steer the side and push around the part, but at the same time going to play in the front foot.

Yeah, and just being really clear with if you get tackled on play for we'll work it out.

Yeah, you know what I mean, Like there's times where you really need to set up for you, but then there's other times we're going you keep going.

And up next we had Jerome's Hughes and none other than.

Gal Paul Gallon.

This was a really good little catch up with these boys.

Take a listen, I'll ask both of you.

Blake's what's the best pray you've ever copped off him?

Yeah?

The main one was probably into twenty eighteen.

I went on the Keys camp over to England, so I went over there.

I didn't play any games, aiding man pretty much the whole whole trip and enjoyed the tripping.

So I come back to pre season later that year a little bit late and got my time off and then I come back underdone as ever, running shit times.

My weight was just like I was heavier than I normally am, and skin folds her up and he just absolutely ripped into like prop like calling me like fatsy.

Like was that privately, No, it was like we were actually like you know, you know, he pulls you aside when you're out training if he's got something to tay.

He's like, oh, just come over here quickly, like you thought, Yeah, you know, got a bit of experience under my belt, you know, being picked in the keys or like, might have some some choice words for me.

But he just absolutely ripped me one.

And I've tried to come back after every tour pretty decent now.

Because I remember that preseason because at the time we obviously had you drink Scotti, drink water and perhaps as the fullbacks, and I don't think you got one rapper as first choice fullback the whole preseason.

That's actually the funniest thing because I started Round one only I was third string only because the other two points were injured.

Drinking did Yeah, he does pecking.

Like the last trial against Cowboys, I think I was pretty sure Paps was injured and then yeah, I was, he had to play me.

I don't think he was very happy that he had to play me either.

After the pre season, I just had.

Do you remember also talking about a blast from the past, the only other bloke who probably was always on Bells's bad side in preseason, and I think he always had it he head, No, he's not going to play in Round one.

I'm not going to play in round one always ends up playing round one.

Back in the day, Chase Blair.

Chase Blair was the exact same.

He would always come back like twenty kilos overweight, and I think it.

Was because the way Chase was he was just so cruisy, like just that was just his manner.

He just cruised through everything, like training, just life.

Was that your first ever Grand Final loss last year?

Yeah, it was tough, you know, getting so far and end up losing, and we were confident we had the team to do something special.

The learnings is just the way we play with you know, we probably try to play their style of footy against them who were the best at doing it.

I felt like we sort of fell into that trap a little bit.

And tricky week for you, Jerome.

I was feeling for you.

Firstly, at the start of the week, you win the Dallym, so this enormous high and like one of the best moments of your career you'll look back on.

But then the next day you've got to get up and you've got to do breakfast radio, breakfast TV and everything while you're still trying to prepare for the Grand Final.

That must have been at times a little difficult.

Yeah, that was pretty tough, and I kind of feel like I probably didn't handle it very well, Like not an excuse, but probably went into the game a little bit drained from what happened during the week, and that's my own fault.

That was just the way I handled it.

I feel like, you know, I tried to go to the Dalliams with no expectations.

I didn't want to think about it, like overthink it too much.

But the time I got it, when I was up there and ended up getting the Dallium, I was you know, obviously it was a lot to take in and I was really pretty proud that I won it.

It's a pretty tough, tough medal to win, and you know, a lot of great players out there that wanted and a lot of great players in our game they could have won it that year.

So and then I feel like I just didn't handle the rest of it that well, Like, you know, it kind of drained me that that night.

I couldn't sleep obviously, it was a lot of adrenaline going on, and then had to be up early the next morning and do a few different interviews, and subconsciously that just drained me.

That it was still a while away from the game, so I can't make that an excuse, but I think that just just took a little bit out of me, especially earlier in that week.

Long time in the making this one.

Why so long, mate, I'll answer and see something.

I have a different opinion, But I just don't think you ever wanted to do it till probably twenty nineteen twenty, when I started saying, look, this is going to happen.

Let's let's brand this up bit.

So I'd often say on TV, let's do it.

I'd last Sonny Bill, let's do it, and he said, Mate.

The first time I went, when I stayed back in the square circle, he quarter, you'll be the first person I ran.

He fought for twenty twenty twenty one, twenty twenty two.

He had three fights on ever a single phone call.

I started ringing Coder, his manager.

So I met with Coder a couple of occasions.

Last I met with him was at Brighton the Sands and basically said, mate, we're not going to give fifty fifty.

I said, it's got to be fifty to fifty and then he said, how much do you want?

Do you want of new Zealand.

So what happens with boxing?

Everything goes into a pool, you get a percently split and it goes out.

He said how much one New Zealand said, well, whatever the spliitze it is fifty to fifty.

Heys, you're not getting one cent in New Zealand.

I said, mate, you don't want to do this fight.

He's a full of shit.

You don't want to do it.

I'm out.

So Someny's going to wait till I retire.

He's going to wait till I finish up, and well pass my best fri.

He says he wants to fight me.

And sure enough, around the twentieth and May, I've got the emails.

I've got an offer from Stand to Fight's Only Bill twenty May twenty twenty three, and still I said, seven months after I retired, and still I said, look, I'll fight him if I get a guaranteed figure.

I want to guaranteed figure.

Sony can have every dollar up until I guaranteed for and then we go fifty to fifty from there.

So it's going to be a fifty to fifty fight, but I want one guarantee.

They said, no, that's not fair.

On something I said, Sonny, I said, maybe he's waited this all this time.

I told you, Zackly, what would happen.

I told you back in twenty twenty one, he'd wait for this for me to retire.

If you guarantee me the figure, I'll do it.

If you're not, I'm retired.

They said, we can't guarantee the figure.

It's fifty fifty all the way.

That's the way we're doing.

I said, well, I'm retired.

Two and twenty four odd around watched Mike Tyson fight Jake Paul.

Jake put don't getting near Mike Tyson when they're doing it properly.

We all know that.

And I was that way Graham's house and I thought, you know what, tomorrow, who's going to remember this thought?

You know, if I give me forty three years old and make a dollar, I'm going to do it.

So I rang stand.

I said, it's this fight stile possibility.

And they said we'll ring Sonny.

We'll let you know.

So they rang Sonny.

He said, yes.

This this was in November last year, got Texas starting about negotiation.

So I actually wanted to have to fight over in Vegas for the NURL.

Oh yeah, and he said, no, I'm not going to be ready, so I wouldn't do it.

Obviously, here we are in July.

He's a good negotiator, coder, good negotiator for his fighter.

And that's what frustrates me that, like you know, when two blocks are telling a different story, that the stories are similar, and then you know the truth summer, they really got to work it out.

I mean, we are so far APay in what we say, like he like, so far apart.

We're not even on the same page, like he says.

We were just about to sign a contract in twenty twenty two.

I've said to him, I've said publicly, I said, show me one bit of correspondence from me to you or to your manager or to stand or whoever from from twenty twenty two.

Just one email.

I've got seven months of emails for this fight, seven months worth of emails in Texas.

I said, just produce one email about me you fighting you in twenty twenty two.

Yeah, so generally sign for Manly.

At one point, yeah, I was very close into two thousand and seven, got the dial from Many, which was significantly more than we had at Cronulla.

I was all but done.

I was I was pretty much.

I hadn't signed the contract obviously, but I was all but done.

Me and my wife now it was my part of the time.

We come over here for the weekend, to spend some time over here for the weekend, just check it all out.

We went back home and she goes, you know what, I really don't like people to own and I was like, oh, okay, So I listened to her.

Was that enough?

Well, that was enough?

Fair enough to so.

We didn't sign then, mainly with the comic two thousand and eight, I'm kicking me so but I was trying to get me yeah.

Yeah.

And the funny thing was Boso had a fair bit to pull out mis bars in origin.

And when I met Ricky Stewart it was a Crenel occasion at the time.

He said, mate, if you leave the club, I'll be filthy, And he goes, what do you want to about red footy?

And I said, what do you What.

Do you mean?

I want to play red foot He games, but if you leave, you plan any brit footy And I was sort of believe him at the time, and I thought, well, now I realized Boo was the one to try to get me probably looked after me anyway.

But then then I had to get out cause in my contract, if the coach left the club, I could leave the club.

So Ricky Steell gets sacked in twenty ten, mainly popped back up again.

Now the money was no different at this stage I've been money wise was okay Cronel at the time, Like back in two thousand and seven, it was a lot double but significantly different.

Twenty and ten it wasn't pretty much a saying.

But my missus said again, no, I don't want to go.

People to Rae who won the compic twenty eleven.

Yeah, mate, And then all of a sudden two thousand, everything happens at and I'm just sitting there, Missus surely could have people would have run two comps with me going for all this crap.

And it was just like, given the fact that when you won the cop at twenty sixteen, to even think for a second that you might have missed that would have absolutely killed me.

I'm so happy I stayed And I think I was just true to myself too, like I like to think I'm a little guy, and I stayed true to the club.

And I remember when I signed that contract that that contract twenty ten.

I promised myself, so I promise myself, IM going to beat this club when we win.

To calm, I promise myself and from a strapp I'm going to beat this club.

We turn it around and we got the job on in two thous and sixteen, which may have absolutely made it all worth it.

So glad to stay.

Now the next two guests, you're going to be joined by none other than Alex Twile ral Dahl.

He joined us the Prince of Lebanon.

He come over for a bit of a chat and so did my biological father, Kurt Gidley.

Take a listen, David.

Play Long Time Together Us.

Yeah, still over there playing not for is one of the strangest blokes.

But he was such a breath of fresh air from like the people that Melbourne usually recruited.

Let me just tell people, nothing wouldn't have been the normal bloke that Craig Bellamy with a sign, but noer.

He was so different to everyone that he like kind of it was refreshing to the group and he fit in really well.

He is so he's so like, he's not he's not arrogant, but he would just say the funniest ship to belly Ache and that Bella could go, no, fa mate, great work on those plus one carry mate, we need more of it from that, and he'd be sitting at the back of room video session.

You go, belly A, come on, I'm the office.

He goes, I'm opening three hundred and sixty five days a year, no public holidays.

I remember one year twenty I think you got Winger of the Year and come here, come in a full time.

I said, you killed it.

He goes, It's just another.

Day in an office, bro.

It just just do some okay.

And then there was another game.

This is another story.

I don't know.

We we verst rabbit O's and we got pumped and then a social media did its thing and whatever and come after him.

And then it come out on Twitter and said it wasn't my fault.

It was the forwards had.

Long said, because he's because he's such a good bloke, like we just we just it.

Just goes down.

I was in the middle of that day.

I just let it go in my head.

Were you coached by Michael Checker as well?

Nah?

So the last World Cup I missed, But yeah, checks a good blog.

I have a really good.

Lad should with the image tremendous.

Yeah.

Fellow Maronite.

Yeah, he's a fellow Manonite.

Yeah, and people people get surprised on to people he's Lebanes.

But the other thing checked and Son's highly like.

I think he actually coach on the NRL these days as far as assistant to a lot of work the head coaches like the real figurehead.

He's a great presence.

I think he could.

I think that check where he made his money the clothing industry in fashion really.

For bloke, the dresses so poor, he's made some money.

I'll tell you that.

One time he invited us to his house and I was thinking, maybe fellow Lebo will be in greenacher erily and something like.

That sent me that I could you.

I was like, oh, go up there.

They mentioned Tony twenty one man.

I probably I would have played maybe four first grade games.

I get a call from a random number and it was Michael Checker and he was Japanese rugby at the time over Bantus Anyone.

And we're staying up in Noosa and he was like, mate, what's doing And I said, oh, no, not much and he's like, mate, I'm over coaching in Japanese rugby.

I'm thinking about getting I need a new fly half or seeking about maybe bringing a legie over if you're interested.

And I was like, oh mate, check, and I didn't get the message clearly.

He thought like, oh mate, my time in the interl was done.

And I was going, oh, you know, check, I'm still quite young.

I'd love to chance my hand still here in the nner round and he goes, oh, really, is that funny?

Is that?

I appreciate you not laughing twily?

And one start like he's known for saying ship before he even thinks about it, and he always wants to have the last word in, like right before warm up, and always I always.

Don't know why he wanted to.

The boy's going right, take him into a grind, will beat him in the back end of the game.

They want to do the flashy stuff, let's do it, and monster right before he goes bloody oath boys, he goes and guess what, it's too bloody hot for him up here.

They can't handle the heat.

And everyone just went and so they've come down from Townsville.

We're a bloke outside.

I'm not going to say who he is because it highly embarrassing for him.

We're playing one day, the coaches left two minute warning, ready to go, and everyone and the chief Paul Harry and the captain goes right, anyone got your final words?

Who's got something to say?

And this blake So yeah, I have.

I don't know about you, blokes.

I have a really bad feeling about today.

Kurt Goodley here, Kurt, I brought you down here for the DNA test mate nervous a.

Couple of days for me, and we actually do have a swab test that Jack has brought in that we're going to get.

You can go mouth or nose or if you're as it doesn't matter, and then we're Jack's going to fire this off and then at the end of the potty you're going to have the results for us.

Jack.

Yeah, perfect.

I mean a lot of people pull me up on the street around this story.

I mean, since you went live on air with that phone called the Very Honest Phone call Mate that you had to make.

Yeah, that's those people that haven't seen it.

Did a prank call on Matthew about probably four five years ago, pretending because I was getting a lot of people mess like commenting on my photos on Instagram with that being like, you look like a giddling.

So I was like, well, Lisa is starting to catch legs.

I'll run with this, and then prank Dad saying that it was starting to get to me, and then I genuinely was starting to believe it.

Yeah, I was manifesting ever since that, mate, even when I go to games still do particularly up a Newcastle, people sledging me, just going you're a giddy.

You're a kiddy.

Similar playing skills in like engine endurance too.

Didn't we pick me up?

If you think I'm wrong here Matthew.

But us Giddley's we're all hard.

Last word to you.

You've got the test results.

Yeah, test results here.

So they do a cross check with the system that has people's DNA.

A lot of the people are people that have been locked up before.

Here we go, Oh, who's Matt hoy That form of drug taking surf.

I was talking about the surfing.

Belly puts you to the bench, but you you stayed as captain.

And I remember at the time it was it was quite a big thing going.

So they've put Kurt on the bench, but his skipper what were the conversations Joan, Yeah, fell out around.

I remember pretty clearly, really, I mean the captain from the bench.

It was it was a scene next to my name on the team shoet when I was on the bench.

Hainesy was on fire that year and like he was, he was unbelievable.

So I was fullback for game one.

We were bringing Hainsey off the wing because we want to get him involved, and Joey said we need more involvement from Hainesy.

But it never I knew and Belly knew, and the pressure from the outside was probably Haines it needs to play fullback, and I was all, we want to win the game, we need the best player and the best position.

So Belly come and spoke to me about pushing me to the bench and bringing Haines to the full back and I'm like, yeah, sweet, let's let's get the best team out there.

And he said, well, I still want you as captain because you're only going to start fifteen twenty minutes on the bench, then you're coming on for the rest of the game.

And I'm like, yeah, I don't know.

Is it going to bring a bit of pressure and just be another headline?

But he was pretty firm and didn't want to take the captaincy off me and wanted my leadership, you know, in two meetings and training sessions and during the game for that sixty minutes.

So it become more of a headline than probably what we what we needed at that stage.

Yeah, it just it just become a distraction, I guess.

But again, I'm not going to challenge one of the best coaches in the game.

Again, I'm very honored to be captain and for Craig to keep me as captain.

And he's right, you're on there after fifteen minutes.

It's just the nature of state of origin.

Yeah, is that anything that happens that could happen at club level?

Your nice captain begin to start from the bench.

It might be a byline.

Yeah, but when you're new Southwest state of origin captain is staff from the bench just explode.

It's almost one of the things similar to Aaron Woods come out and calling Billy Saya a group.

You give, you give the Queensland to something that they can kind of run with as motivate.

You know what it's like inside a team.

You can sit there and camera smith, you get up and go right.

They've dropped their captain to the bench like.

You know, they're they're scared of us.

Yeah, they're scared.

They're turning on each other.

What I've taken from that is, and I've just written it down, is Craig Bellamy.

He's got no idea.

It's not going to work.

You will never be in an elite coach.

He went around the back of the winger, flicked it.

Now we just pinned them.

They got named number one game of the nineties.

We were different players, like Matt was.

Matt was a five eight to start with, then pushed the center, and I was a different player to Matt.

Matt was more naturally skillful for sure than me.

Like his footwork and that that flick passy.

He had a great combination with all his winning, his carneeus.

You know you've had an impact when they named something after Still to this day, if someone does that reverse flick, they always go to Gidley.

Mat He just he had the wingers being boozled.

You know, they either stay out and you go himself or they bid in, and he just flickered.

Had great wingers that could just finish the one whe we played, we beat some George, George that's out at the moment, that footage off the scrum.

You threw the ball off the str Darren Albert.

But he went, he went, He done me.

He went around the back of the winger, flicked it.

Now we just pinned them.

They got named number one game of the nineties.

That's a Fox Sports did it and last Play the Game, Last Player of the Game.

Rounding out part two of our twenty twenty five Best of we were joined by none other than Destroyevich, Jake Tarroyevic and Connor Willie Watson.

Take a listen.

How do you as a leader to push a lot of the off field distraction aside to just get on with your job.

I don't know.

I stress out of it, if I'm being honest.

Does it?

That's what captains do, don't they all leaders of the team.

Yeah, I don't know.

It's hard when it's not going well.

I'd like to say I've got better at it.

I thought I had, but then this year, I don't know.

Times is quite tough because.

You wear losses quite like, they affect you quite happy.

Yeah, well, like I want merely to go well, you know what I mean with I'm out there, anyone's out there.

I want the club to go, well, I've been there since I was fourteen fifteen, you know, so it is tough.

It's amazing in a team, isn't And I think you're the best example of Jake.

People just some people on the side, and everyone should just care so much, you know.

And I've seen you sometimes being in tears after a loss, so disappointed and deflated by it.

I don't want you to comment on this, but there's always one or two, sometimes two or three blokes in the team which, and I'm not exaggerating, just don't care.

Right for them, It's just a game and they get paid for it.

And in the.

Really good sides, those players don't so much get don't hide.

They get converted, you know that.

You know they get converted by the strong leadership in the bad clubs, you know what, you their attitudes just you know, spreads like covid through the team.

And so we were in lockdown with the manly boys.

How did you guys find it living alongside the coach every day?

I'll tell you a funny story.

So I've been out for a month.

I told my loop believe it, I'm not power athletes.

How have you ever done a soft tissue in.

Power athlete come back, right, and we played the Tigers and we won.

We actually won quite convincingly, but I defended very poorly, right, and just like I'm talking on the ground that sort of stuff, right, anyway, I was.

I was literally I went through mile I'm going to retire stages, right, And I went up to Deser's bungalow.

He was on his own.

Christine hadn't moved up there yet, and we went through every tackle, watched every tackle with men.

At one stage, you have me on the floor in his bungalow showing me the wrestling move and how to sprawl.

Like I'm literally on his floor and he's sprawling on me, like teaching your hands on me and him in his room.

It was like.

Walked in OUs just it.

Jake, sit down here, Jake, and they go, do you like red Wine?

I hate red.

Have you with the Big Three?

Then?

Yeah?

I played one game against Scotland that tour, as I started the whole time.

Funny story, right, I got caught in late to the camp, played in Perths.

I got there for game day and then we went out that night.

I like lost everyone, right, I didn't really know anyone.

I felt out of my depth right, and like I was just like very awkward.

I'm like, I'm doney right as in like I sort of went back to the hotel as I do back door.

One of the greatest smoke bombs of all fell out.

Of the depth.

I'm a great smoke woman, but this time I just didn't feel any I walked back and sitting in the four our Mountain Inger Camerin Smith, Matt Scott, Sam Thiday and Craig Cadderick from the night and I was just going home to go to bed, right, and they were going to Jake, sit down here, Jake, and they go, do you like red wine?

I hate reder?

I hate I said, I love it right, red wine.

Anyway, they drank red wine the whole night.

They just played a test in there.

I'm getting that like pretending I liked it.

I started liking it by the end.

My cat reckons by five point thirty.

Whenever my teeth are all red, I've never.

Been so hung over the next day.

And I mean me and cat.

Every time I see a cat up at Newcastle.

If you ask me like.

Two years after going back to the Roosters, I would have been like, why did I come back here, yeah, because that was when I had that first year.

Didn't realize that one of my last games at the Nights, I'd done like a little tear in my pateel attendant.

And then so that next year at the Roosters kept just hurting this ptel attendant, and then that next preseason then I ruptured it.

And then I've missed the whole year at the Roosters because like after that year when I had the knee, like it almost looked at one point that I was going to have to go to the Super League too to keep playing, because it was honestly, like I remember one day, so the Roosters are essentially said to me, you know, like there's not we don't really have space for you here.

Next year, Sandon was going really good, so I sort of thought he was going to be in that utility role with Luke still being there in the halves.

And then I remember was like, god, an off from a Super League club by financial advisors, Like, mate, you got to take it, You've got to.

Wid this sort of stuff.

I was like losing my mind.

And then so I've rang Chimesy.

I'm like, mate, like surely there's an NRL club out there, who's willing to take a chance on me?

I remember he texted me and he would just like send me screenshots of the text messages.

From the club, from the club.

That's I said.

It was like kicking a man while he was down.

I kept getting like, no.

We're all good.

Thanks, No, we're all good.

Thanks, No, we're all good.

Thanks.

We're supposed to protect.

Yeah.

Well he was just like, I guess this is this is the reality, Like this is where you're at.

It's honest.

Yeah, yeah, it.

Was only really that dust Good was like I went and sort of had a chat with him, and then the dogs were like looking at bringing me over there.

And then from there the Russes did manage to find this.

We'll sitting outside it started pouring rain.

Then this group of girls just come out.

They're just sitting there like waiting for anu.

But we didn't pay too much attention to it.

And then turned around, I was like one of the girls almost died.

She's like passed out in the in the gutter.

Told me yees kissing down on her like the rain was she was nearly drowning in the rank.

Yeah, so then we're trying to move her under the cover.

There's a few of us that have gone over to grab her, but because she's full passed out, she was heavy, dead, like dead way yeah.

Yeah, We've moved onto the seat and she wakes up and Cooper's there like helping her.

First thing she like looks up and she goes, is that Cooper John's.

Her uber rocks up and me and Connor put her arms over each of us like we're carrying off our bloke who just hurt his knee off the field, like two yellow shirts.

And remember she was like she must have been a massive footy fan.

She kept saying to Connor.

She kept going like, Connor like been loving and loving.

What you're doing this Seasonind's like, yeah, good on, you're good on your buddy.

Trying to push her in and she's going, do you see yourself as a nine?

Or coming into Game three Decider Sydney, big occasion, it's.

Been a big builder.

What do you learn from game two?

How do you say it?

I just think, you know, like we just got to be disciplined, Yeah, not give them, not give him a chance because or in that second half when we got into the sort of.

More of the live war style of footy.

You know, we were able to come up with a lot of points there and almost win the game.

But as disappointing as it is to lose there, like we would have loved to wrap up the series, and it was like a chance for us to be maybe the fourth or fifth team to win four games in a row in like an Origin series, and there's a big chance, like big chance for us to go back to back and then to be able to actually do it in New South Wales in front of all of our home fans and to have a lot of mates and family and all that stuff there, Like it's pretty exciting.

So take the lessons out of that game, be hungry because we did lose it like from the start, be a better team, but also to be really excited about this opportunity to go to a core and essentially win a decider in front of all our friends and family, Like it's pretty happy.

Just questioned the game two in that last trainee Sesson, when Nathan is practicing his kicking and just twiks he growing a little bit?

Did that such an important player in so many aspects, the fact that you know he wasn't one hundred percent fit, did that did have any impact on the group before the game, you think.

We sort of spoke about it and come up with a plan, you know, around our yardage kicking and all that sort of stuff.

But it's yeah, it's hard to sort of because nath one of the best parts of his game is his kicking game, and then you go and lose that.

So how does he talk?

How does he organize?

Yeah, he's so detailed with everything.

Been one of the cool things to be part of this Origin team is just to come in and see how other guys work.

Just remember from like my first camp, the way, Yeah, you can take so much out of different people's way they approach games, and you know, like all that whole Penrith crew, the way that all Americans and they all just take the piss the whole time.

But then as soon as they train, it's like high expectations, you know, now everything Once we train, we train hard and we're focused, and as soon as we're off it, it's just back to take and everything again.