People of the Pirates with LA
A behind the scenes podcast sharing stories, characters, and community that make Noosa Pirates RLFC more than just a club. From players and coaches to volunteers and local legends, hear the voices driving the pirates forward.
People of the Pirates with LA
NOEL GOLDTHORPE
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Noel Goldthorpe
Some players are born with natural talent. Others earn every inch through sheer determination.
Noel Goldthorpe built his rugby league career on grit, resilience and a never-say-die attitude that earned the respect of teammates, coaches and opponents alike.
Making his first-grade debut with the Western Suburbs Magpies, Noel went on to join the St George Dragons before discussing one of rugby league’s most turbulent periods during the Super League era, representing both the Hunter Mariners and Adelaide Rams. He also reflects on kicking the match-winning field goal to seal the Tri-Series for New South Wales, before finishing his NRL career with the North Queensland Cowboys—a first-grade journey forged through relentless hard work, toughness and leading by example.
Following his professional career, Noel arrived at the Noosa Pirates and became the driving force behind one of the club’s greatest eras. As captain and leader of the ship, he guided the Pirates to an incredible three consecutive A Grade premierships in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Chasing a historic fourth straight title in 2009, the Pirates’ remarkable run came to a heartbreaking end in the semi-finals, closing the curtain on one of the most dominant periods in the club’s history.
Still driven by his competitive spirit, Noel made a comeback in 2013, but his return was cruelly cut short by a shocking act of foul play that prematurely ended his competitive playing career.
In this honest and inspiring conversation, Noel reflects on the highs and lows of professional rugby league, the sacrifices required to compete at the elite level, and the setbacks that shaped both his football career and the man he is today.
Away from the field, Noel opens up with remarkable vulnerability about the health challenges he has faced since retiring from rugby league, the impact they had on his life, and the habits, mindset and support network that now help him maintain both his physical and mental health.
A proud member of the Noosa Pirates family, Noel shares why grassroots rugby league remains so important, the value of strong club culture, and why resilience, mateship and community continue to drive him every day.
A raw, authentic conversation about perseverance, leadership, purpose and finding strength through life’s toughest challenges.
Enjoy, legends. 🏴☠️💙💛
This episode has been brought to you from the DGMS studios, the home of Don't Get Me Started, Lethal and Money Live, and SurfTown. Found at Spotify, Amazon, Apple Music, and wherever you listen to your podcast.
SPEAKER_01G'day and welcome to People of the Pirates with LA. This is a feature of some of the amazing individuals we have around the Noosa Pirates Rugby League Club. Enjoy their stories. The opinions voiced on this podcast are our own and not the official position of the club or the league. And there is a mild language warning. Enjoy, Legends. Alright, legends. Welcome to episode 10, Noel Goldthorpe. How are you, Goldie? Welcome in, mate. Liam, how are you? Good brother. That's the way. How's life in the Goldthorpe house, mate? How's everyone going?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, we're good. Everything's good. Family growing quick. Got seven grandkids now. I'm getting called Poppy, so I'm starting to feel a bit older.
SPEAKER_01Keep you young, wouldn't it?
SPEAKER_03Well, it is at the moment. It is at the moment. So it's beautiful, mate. They're watching the boys raise their own kids. Now they know what it's like to be a parent.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I've heard being a grandparent's a pretty special, special relationship.
SPEAKER_03Kids they love coming around Poppy's house, Jules and I always entertain the kids, so we fire them up and then send them home.
SPEAKER_01Perfect, mate. Yeah. Yeah, good. Do the kids go to school just across the road or are they based all over the place?
SPEAKER_03Some up Corroy and down at Coulomb. So the two older ones are at school at the moment, the rest all babies, so yeah, no, it's a good time.
SPEAKER_01Awesome, mate. Just made on a footy front. 20 years since the 06 grand final. What a spin-out.
SPEAKER_03Mate, time flies, eh? When you look back at times and grand finals and stuff, you know, 06 was a special time here for the Pirates and myself. I always say, like, even my football career here, the Pirates hold a very special time in my heart. You know, we had some great success here, we had some awesome times. Very fond memories there, that's for sure.
SPEAKER_01Your first year was it 2005? You played a a little bit of footy at Pirates or was it straight in 06? Trying to remember.
SPEAKER_03I think I have five. Like I moved from North Queensland down to Noosa, you know, and I had the kids in football and I was adamant I wasn't playing footy again. Yeah, so I end up going, taking the kids to football and just sitting back and just let the kids do their thing. And Damien Maholland came over and said good day and uh asked if I wanted to help out with the A-grade. So I sort of was a bit hesitant, but I said, oh yeah, I'll come down and give you a hand. So six weeks later, after helping the A-grade, I thought, fun playing again. Yeah. So I started playing with the boys. Yeah, we made the grand final. I think it was uh was that 06?
SPEAKER_01Uh so we got beat in the grand final by Nambo. At the showgrounds, yeah, that was 05. That was uh my first year coming through.
SPEAKER_03I think it was at Kwana, the grand final, and I got sent off, yeah, for a high shot, and it was only we were only like 15 minutes into the game, and yeah, that sort of ruined the whole game. Nambo ran away with it by 40 points or something. Uh yeah, and then the following season, Damien asked me if I was interested in coaching the A-grade, and I said, Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll I'll um do it. And then I I end up playing for the next three years, you know. It was I couldn't help myself and I was having such a good time. When I retired at the Cowboys, we were getting beat more times than not, like than winning, and knocks your confidence around, mate. And like and I've said the whole time, if you're a footballer trying to play football with no confidence, you must not even be out there. It's like a very tough game to play with no confidence, and uh that sort of sap my confidence in town. So the losing all the time. But when we got to the pirates, you know, some victories, wonders for me, and I just got a new lease on life. It was a challenge that I was up for. We had some great times.
SPEAKER_01You're a competitor, it doesn't matter if it's touch or all stag or league or masters, you rip it in, hey yeah.
SPEAKER_03I'm out there surfing at Noosa Mate, I'm I'm out there competing for waves and stuff, so yeah, it doesn't matter. My wife says I'm terrible. Like we play uh cards or snooker or anything, I've got to win. We're playing, I'm winning.
SPEAKER_01Does Poppy let the grandkids win a game something? No way.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, no, it's something that from my background, I you know, we had nothing growing up, so you know, anything you wanted you had to go and get. So that was my motto, mate, and that's how I've always been. If I want something, I've got to go get it. That's how I roll.
SPEAKER_01Do you mind if we talk about when younger days a little bit more when you're a kid? So tell us about what it was what it was like as a young man.
SPEAKER_03Well, I grew up in Botany in Sydney, and you know, for us, my dad's one of eleven, and uh, we had a big family, and remember Saturdays, special days for us, because we'd all go to grandpa's house, and all the family would be there, and all my cousins would be there. We end up playing uh backyard footy, you know. So I'd a couple of my cousins, Mark Waters and Darren Waters, and my brother Barry, so we the the four of us, and we'd have like mini state of origins in the backyard. Nan and Pop would have the old toilet out the back, and Mark and I would be one team and my brother Barry and Darren were the other team, and Mark was the oldest, so mate, he always got his way. We used to run out of the like the shitty house. Like we'd come out like we're coming out of the tunnel and he'd be commentating. They were great times, you know. Their memories that for me is vivid, and I remember them like fond fond. And we talk about it all the time with my cousins about playing backyard footy.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, good.
SPEAKER_03I don't know if you remember, but one of our cousins, Darren Levell, played with South, alright. One Saturday, Daryl played on uh no, it was a Sunday, and Daryl played on for Souse at the Sydney cricket ground against I think it was St. George in a semi-final and the next day he turned up at our grandparents' house. One of the I think it was Darren couldn't play footy, so we said to Daryl, you're playing backyard footy, you know. So he's got crooked ribs from the night before, and so here he is playing backyard footy with us after playing in at the Sydney cricket ground with South Sydney. Like he said, just watch me ribs, you know, you boys, like just take it easy. My cousin Matt's he pulls me aside and he goes, We'll go straight for his ribs. So uh, like I was only a young fella, but these uh that were great times, you know, and like I take my head off to my cousin Daryl. I know what it's like to step off the field after a first grade game, and then he steps in the backyard footy. I reckon the backyard footy was a bit harder anyway. Growing up in Botany made it, we were just working class. It was I got great memories as a kid. I said that to my wife Julie, you know. I said, all I remember as a kid having fun, just being a kid, just being a kid on your bike, kicking footies, you just doing all that stuff, which unfortunately we don't see these days. Yeah, just being a kid and having fun.
SPEAKER_01We've got to make sure we give our kids and grandees a bit of room to go out and be kids still.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, let them be kids and let them have fun, you know, and get them outside and have fun with them. And I think it's important for parents to get out and generate the fun with your kids.
SPEAKER_01Definitely.
SPEAKER_03Go and have fun with them and just take them to the park, take them anywhere. It doesn't cost money to have a good time, and you don't have to take them anywhere where it's costing you money. Kids anywhere, down the beach, down the park, anywhere.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and we're blessed here to be surrounded by so much beautiful nature, parks.
SPEAKER_03Oh, it's a beautiful place, isn't it? Yeah, it's so good. There's so much to do here if you if you're active. There's plenty to do if you want to do it. Balumba up at the dam is like a beautiful spot as well. So we go up there regularly, so we're always in and around the place, making the most of it where I can.
SPEAKER_01What was your um your junior footy club? Where'd you first start?
SPEAKER_03Body juniors, yeah. I was I started at two and a half. Yeah, seriously, I was I got pictures at a home of me, like the ball, the old leather balls. It was bigger than me now. It was crazy. But I started around two and a half playing and continued right through to and retired at 42, so I did pretty much 40 years of it. Good times. I was always small too, Liam, so probably uh I didn't really was any good really because I was small and you know, being smaller, I was probably not the bravest kid. But once I got to the 16, 17 year old, I started lifting a few weights and getting in the gym and like just stories. I used to put house bricks on poles, man, to lift them, and that that's how I was doing my weights back in the days. Sounds like dinosaur times, but that's how I trained because we had no money to buy stuff.
SPEAKER_01Mate, when there's will, there's way, hey.
SPEAKER_03Ah, and I just used to come up with all these ways to do weights without having weights. I'd have house bricks and doing all this stuff with them, and um that's how I first started, and then I saved up and bought myself some weights and got into it that way. And by the time I I played up a year or a couple of years when I was at Botany with Steve Maven, he played with South Sydney as well. I stepped up and played an an older age, but like I said, I was only small at the same time as well. So yeah, I wasn't I was there, but I just loved being around the football. It's a game I've always been involved in and didn't really take off until I started, as I said, training hard and lifting some weights, getting some strength. And once I had the strength, I started to get the confidence and it just rolled from there. Yeah, happened pretty quickly.
SPEAKER_01Funny thing with junior sport, eh? Everyone develops at different times, different speeds. You get the massive kid that's young a lot of the time. They don't necessarily go on with their footy, but someone that's a late sort of bloomer has to work a bit harder, always got the footy in their hand.
SPEAKER_03And it's like um young Tyson, he's he was saying to me about uh he wanted to have a real dig at the footy, you know, and I said, Well mate, if you can have a go, I said it's either all in or all out. I said, You can't think that you can do halfway. I said, if you want to go have a go at the NRL, I said, it's all in. All chips are in. Otherwise, mate, you're wasting your time. He listened to me, he obviously chose a different path. Yeah. It's a tough grind. You get a lot of times when you know you feel dejected and like you're not good enough, and you just keep fighting and fighting and fighting, and then and the mind's a powerful thing. I've worked that out over the years too. The mind's very powerful. So if you're positive and you want something enough, you'll get it. It's just it's how much how bad you want something, I think it is.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, mate, for sure. Botany is a junior coming through, late developer, always had the footy in your hands. Was there junior rep pathways and stuff, or did you sort of graduate to senior sort of men's footy and then start making some rep sides and find your way to the NRL from there?
SPEAKER_03I played when I was at St. George, because we moved when I was about 12 years old, we moved over to the St. George area, a place called Hurstville, and that's where I'd done my schooling as well at Hurstville Boys High. I moved over that way to Hurstville and ended up playing with Kaima and Penzhurst as well, two local clubs. I ended up making SG Ball Jersey flag teams at St. George. Trialed for the under 23s that was back in the days, and I didn't make it. I got a phone call from a bloke called John Bailey, used to be an ex St. George 5.8. He was coaching Western suburbs at the time, and he said to me, Would you be interested in having a trial at West? And I went, Yeah, well, no worries. My cousin Daryl Neville, he actually said, I'll take you down. So we drive to Campbell Town from Sydney, which is back in the day, it's a fair hike, like an hour and a half, two hour drive. So we get down there, um, like with the games finished, and then I realized Daryl Neville's on the field, and I'm thinking, what are you doing? He said, Come on, we're going. Like he just grabbed me and said, We're going. And I go, Oh, right, eh. So anyway, we jumped in the car and he just got me out of that field really quickly, and I just didn't know why what he was doing. On the way home, he said, mate, they'll ring you tomorrow. And I went, You reckon? And he goes, Yeah, I'm telling you. He said, They'll ring you tomorrow. Sure as shit, mate. John Bailey rang me the next morning and said, We're interested in you come and play with us for three years. Uh, I signed a three-year contract with him and started playing out there for three years. My first year was under 23, so I sat on the bench for 90% of the year. The hike from Hurstfield to Campbelltown was like an hour and a half each way. At the time I was working as a baker, so I'd start work at 11 o'clock at night. I'd finish at 8 or 9 in the morning. I'd try and sleep through the day. I'd get up at 3 o'clock. My mum would get home from work, wake me up, I'd jump in the car, I'd drive to Campbelltown, get flogged, drive home, try and get some sort of sleep before 11 o'clock, have dinner, do it all over again, mate. I'd done that for three years. And when you look back at it, I'd look at probably look at my kids now and think, would you just do that? You know what I mean? Like, would you do really do that? That was my determination. I was told the first year that I was too small. For me, that was just that just lit my fuse. So I just worked harder and harder and harder. The following year I was playing reserve grade and constantly playing reserve grade. My third year at West, I was playing full-time reserve grade, and then I ended up playing five first grade games with Western suburbs. So played, it was my first grade debut was against Manley. So I was playing against blokes like Desi Hasler, Jeff Tuvey, Michael O'Connor, 20-year-old kid playing against these guys, and I used to watch them all on TV. I had David Gillespie in my team, I had Andrew Farrow, Graham Wynne, like these guys I was watching on TV two or three years before. And it was just it happened so quickly and made it was the biggest buzz of my life. My first year, um, it was just awesome feeling. I remember playing my first first grade game. I this is a great story because I was always told first grade's so much quicker, and I'm thinking, yeah, I'm fit. I've been trained hard, I'm working hard, you know. So anyway, we get in first grade kicks off. I'm about 10 minutes into the first half. My asshole is hanging out so bad, and I'm just thinking, holy fuck, I've got 70 minutes to go. Like it was so much difference from reserve grade to first grade, the pace, the intensity, it was just next level. So I remember tackling Des Hasler. I tackled him around the quads. Couldn't believe how hard his legs were. Hey, I just thought they're like cement. Like it was just these are the things going through my mind. Like I'm tackled Des around the legs and he was like a rock, and I'm thinking, this is crazy. But then for me, I'm thinking, well, I got a lot of work to do. That's what I've got to get to, you know, to match these guys or be as strong as these guys. Like to dig in and do some really hard work. We did that at West. Like we had some good conditioners and lifted some heavy weights, and I got stuck into it. Things just rolled from there.
SPEAKER_01So that was 1990, 1991.
SPEAKER_03That was yeah, that was 91. So it was 89, 90, 91, yeah. At the end of 91, um, Warren Ryan was coach of Western Suburbs, and he said we want you to stay, but there's no money. I was getting about $5,000 a year. I just thought I can't do this. Like this is killing me the trips. An hour and a half each way, get flogged, and then I just said, ah, I'm gonna go play local footy at St. George with my mates. That's where I was going back to play local footy and just have some fun. And then a friend of mine said he knew Brian Smith and he said, Do you want to have a meeting with him? And I said, Oh, you know, I thought, yeah, whatever, if he rings me. Anyway, a few days later, Brian Smith rings me, come and have a meeting with him. So I uh I go in and um met Brian. Brian's only a short guy, but his handshake, you know, these blokes just shake your hand and shake it off like he was a big strong grip. Anyway, I sit down and we just talk a bit of shit and just talking a bit of fun stuff, and then he just he's he looks at me and goes, No. He goes, Why do I not need another halfback? And in my head, I'm thinking, Will you tell me to come here? Like it's so I I didn't really know how to answer that. And I was still only uh like sort of immature young man sort of thing, so I didn't know how to answer that. He goes, I've got four halfbacks. He goes, Why do I need another one? And I went, Oh shit. I wasn't prepared for this. I don't know why I said this, but I said to him, because this is usually not me. I'm a quite humble sort of a guy, and um it took me by surprise, but I said to him, Yeah, I know. I said, I know we're your halfback. I said, I played against all of them. I said, I reckon I'm better than all of them. And he goes, if we sign, you're gonna be starting in reserve grade off the bench and blah blah blah. And I said, I think yeah, I said I'm easy, mate. I said, I just want an opportunity. And he goes, Yeah, but if we'll start you off the bench and blah blah blah. So he was just negative negative at me and just probably he was testing me, I think. And I at the time I wasn't aware of what he was doing. He was just testing me to see what how I was or how my resilience was or whatever. And I just like he just kept hitting me with negative stuff and negative stuff, and then in the end I said to him, Listen, Brian, I said, if you give me an opportunity, I said, I will not let you down. And he looked at me in the eyes and he stood up and he lean across the table and he goes, I'll see you Tuesday at six o'clock at Cast Park. So that was it. Yeah, the following Tuesday I was at training and head down, ass up, got flogged in the in the preseason. I'm training with these guys who I watched on TV, you know, Mark Coins and Brad McKay's and like all these superstars, Mick Potter, and here I am training with these blokes on uh Tuesday night. Andrew Walker, I remember Andrew Walker was uh he was in a similar boat. He me and him arrived to the same time, and me and him played the charity shield, was our first game. Me and him were the halves in the reserve grade. So we played reserve grade that day, and I think we had a win. And then the following week he uh Brian Smith said, You're in the first grade squad. I'm gonna take you up to Rockhampton to play uh trial up there with us. No problem. So I played trial in Rockhampton, first grade, from then on, mate. I was first grade halfback. Yeah, I didn't look back. It was yeah, it was a quick rise for me, and it was a real eye-opener. But like I was playing for no money, and I didn't care about the money. I was playing in front of big crowds. Like I was just loving it, mate. It was just playing footy, having fun. Then yeah, it had some up and down times, don't get me wrong. I was about six, seven weeks in and Brian Smith dropped me. Because, you know, he's just clipping my wings. I'm a young bloke thinking I'm killing it. He just drops me back to reserve grade because we had a couple of losses, and then I remember walking out into training field one day and I just give him the filthiest look. And uh he looks at me and he goes, Oi! And I look over at him and he goes, He goes, Don't look at me like that. He said, I'm not the one playing like you. And under my breath I said some nasty stuff, and then yeah, but he was just testing me and making sure I'm not on a he just keep me on a tight rope.
SPEAKER_01Keeping the ego in check.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, yeah. I knew what he was doing. I didn't at the time, but when you look back, I knew exactly what he was doing, and he only kept me in reserve grade for a week, and then I was back into first grade, so yeah, had some great times there, that's for sure.
SPEAKER_01Were you a St. George fan as a kid?
SPEAKER_03Nah, South Sydney, mate. I wanted to play with South. I was South Junior. I would have loved to play with South Sydney. They didn't get that opportunity and don't regret playing for the Dragons, that's for sure. They're great club, great people. Uh yeah, certainly the best time of my football career was at Dragons, that's for sure.
SPEAKER_01What's it like inside St. George? Like such a rich history, so much success over a long period of time and stuff. Is that pretty surreal being inside the setup there?
SPEAKER_03Oh, for me, like Lamb, I was, yeah, you know, Johnny Raper and Reg Gaznia and Norm Proven, these blokes are in our dressing room. Like, and for me, I'm sitting there. I remember shaking Norm Provin's hand one day, and no bullshit, his hand come up to my elbow. Like he's he's got the massive hands. But all these guys like Robert Stone, Rod Reddy, these guys are always Billy Smith, always in the dressing room. Like, and they were legends, mate. They were such good men, and they always give us the support. You know, it was real special time, and that club's special club. And I know they're doing some tough time at the moment, but they will certainly bounce back.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, they'll come out the other side of that. Do you still catch up with many of those blokes in Legends of League circles or yeah, yeah, we could see a few of the boys.
SPEAKER_03I was away a few weeks ago up in Weapon, and we had a game up in Weaper last uh week, caught up with Kevin Campion on the S Dragons 96 team. We got some good memories there. It we have a special bond. Now I'm mixing in the Legends games with uh Hoppwarty, um Cliffy Lions, so many different players from other teams, and when you play against these guys, you don't really know them. But after you like I say to most people, like your footballers, mate, 99% of them are down-to-earth great blokes. You won't mean better blokes. So yeah, they all gotta we all share a common interest and have some great stories.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, my well, you I don't know, it's a saying you're a long time retired, hey. So being around the brothers and being around that sort of collective group of men, it's it's important.
SPEAKER_03Uh it's so important for us now because as we get older, the mental health side of it's a um massive thing, and there's so many ex-players going through some tough times and we rallied together, mate, like blokes that we didn't play with, we don't really know, but the support amongst our boys is pretty special. There's some boys doing some tough times and so yeah, the boys weigh in and help out and we help where we can and it's a special feeling they've was there any sort of I suppose financial education or anything when you were coming through and playing NRL? It just you played as long as you played and you played, you've done your own money, like yeah, you just looked after your own stuff. Like unfortunately, it's a lot of our guys who all my day and pre-my time, they're some of our great players that fall on some tough times as well. So I know these days the players are well educated and um they've got a lot of financial support steering them in the right direction, so that's one good thing. But sort of the Ray Prices, the Peter Sterlings, all these guys, that's where our game was built, and uh yeah. Unfortunately, the money wasn't what like it is today back in their day.
SPEAKER_01And organisations like Family League is probably the only one that springs to mind that really supports ex players from previous generations and stuff. Is there anyone else that's sort of out there really helping the players or it's just sort of the boys banding together?
SPEAKER_03Oh, it's mostly the boys banding together, I think. It's tough because once you're not in in the scene and in that sort of limelight, then it you sort of just went. Lead and that and for me at once I sort of finished playing that's a part of the game I wanted to sort of let go. I had no ambitions to coach at a higher level or the Pirates was probably for me that was it. Once I finished here, I was done with the football. So I never really had that ambition to coach at a higher level. Like I didn't have the hunger to do it. I probably, if I really wanted to, I could have had a dig at it. I really wasn't interested. I know what it's like. I used to train like and I know the commitment we used to put in for training, and I know the coaches are there double the time we're there. And I'm just thinking I'm not a 70, 80 week hour a week work and family suffer. Everything suffers when you're a head coach of a club, and it's not something I was interested in doing.
SPEAKER_01Tell us about state of origin. What was that like? Obviously, origin game two was last night, and yeah, you had three games for the blues in '97.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, 97. Um, the tri-series it was when New Zealand went in on it as well. And mate, I got picked in the New South Wales team, and I was like, I'm standing there with these like Laurie Daley, Glenn Lazarus, Bradley Clyde, E.T. like, and I was just I was overawed really. Like I'm these legends of our game, and Timmy Sheens and uh Craig Bellamy were our coaches. It was a special time, mate. We had it was a good time to be around them sort of guys to see how they operate, how they prepare and do their stuff. So I learned a lot out of that, and the way it finished was something special for me. It was one of my greatest highlights to kick that field goal. I always say there's a story behind that because I had two previous attempts and they were just Queensland was sweating up on me. They knew I was the one gonna do it. So I said to Laurie, I said, You set up the other side, and we had a break and play, and Luke Prittus was the hooker. So the three of us in, I said, Well, set up Laurie, go to Laurie. I said, they're sweating on me. I said they're just hounding me. I said, So we'll go to Laurie next one. So anyway, sweet. We get in a position, we're working down the field. Luke Prittus the before the field goal, Luke Prittus took a run. Robbie Ross jumps into dummy after. Me and Laurie are set up either side, and I'm looking at Laurie saying, Sweet, go. I'm looking at Laurie, and then all of a sudden I turn around and look at the dummy half, and the ball's floating towards me. And I just went, oh shit. You know, I didn't have time to think. It was just all instinct. I just dropped it head down, just kicked it. And I knew from the moment I touched it off my foot, it was going straight over. Yeah. So I you just know as a kicker, you get a feel of the ball on your foot and stuff, and I knew, mate, I hit that sweet as a nut, and uh that was going. And then we celebrated that that was a pretty special time. That was a for me, my mum was at that game. That was probably one of the last games she watched me.
SPEAKER_01So special moment.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, very, yeah, very special.
SPEAKER_01Awesome. And that was so that was Super League, wasn't it? Yeah, that was Super League, mate.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that was Super League. So yeah, we got our own rings and stuff, and yeah, no, it was a pretty special time. The good thing was after the game we all went out for a few beers, you know. We went to City Rowers in Brisbane there, and all the Queenslanders were there. So we all just mixed and drank with each other and just had a good time, mate. It was such a good moment in my career, and you know, to mix with the greats was special for me, that's for sure. Was everyone pretty good at leaving footy on the field and like obviously ripping and then like he was he was pretty brutal, some of the sledging going on. Like, I don't know whether it still happens now. I watched the boys and they're all palli palli, but you know, they're all friends now. I uh what I see, they're all buddies amongst each other in each team and stuff. It wasn't like that back in our day. If you played against that team, then mate, we haters. We don't talk to you after the game, nothing, but yeah, the state of origin thing was different. Yeah. Yeah, we intermixed with everyone, and all the boys had a few beers together, Alfie and that. Like it was good fun, mate. Yeah, always good time with them boys.
SPEAKER_01So with Super League, sure you were probably given some big promises to go to the Hunter for the season, and it was supposed to be the big revolution in rugby league and stuff, and then all went tits up after one year. What was it like going through that experience in Super League?
SPEAKER_03When it started to break it, like all our sort of key players at Saints, they were signing deals with ARL, and I was just still playing, and I hadn't heard from the ARL, I hadn't heard from Super League. My manager at the time was Wayne Beavers, and then yeah, and I was sort of feeling a bit ejected, like I wasn't wanted by Eitler. Like, and I'm starting to think, yeah, no, like because they're calling out Mark Coyne and they're bringing Scotty Gooley and they're Brad McCoy and they're doing all these all our top players. And at the time I thought I was one of our leading players, and I was nothing. Then all of a sudden, um Wayne Beavers, my manager, rings me and he goes, Hey, he goes, Super League want to have a chat to you. Do you want to come and have a chat? And I said, Yeah, let's go. So anyway, he organized a meeting in Sydney and I walked in. Snoz was working for Super League. And we sit down at the table and Snoz is done his spiel and we're gonna play this, we're playing there, we're playing all around the world, and we're gonna do this and do that. So, um, and made he had a contract in front of him. He told he spun the contract around in front of me and he said, This is what we can offer you. I looked at the contract and it was like five or six times what I was getting at St. George. Wayne Beavers just jumps in and he goes, Oh, oh, he said, Oh, can we have a uh like an hour we can have a discussion about the contract? And so we Michael O'Connor goes, yeah, yeah, no, no problem, head outside. So we get outside and I said to Beavers, what the fuck you doing? And he goes, Oh, I settled down. I said, uh mate, let's sign it. And he goes, Yeah, yeah, we're gonna. He said, just settle down. He said, it's all good. I instantly become a millionaire like signing this deal. And I didn't really think about like I just signed it because I've never seen that sort of money before, number one. And number two, if the ARL had spoken to me, I probably wouldn't have gone. So I just it was a sort of a rush decision for me, but in the end, I'm glad I signed that contract. And I went back to St. George and told the boys what I've done. Mate, they're all pretty most of them were pretty happy for me. There was a little bit of friction amongst the team at the time. Um I know Mark Coyne had signed with with the ARL and I remember Gordy was signed with Super League. There was a bit of uh tension amongst a few of the boys at the club, and I remember one game in Adelaide we were playing in Adelaide, and yes, we were weren't playing good. We weren't playing our best footy and we were getting a touch-up. I remember the opposition team scored and we're all behind the post, and Mark Coin here is the lover blow up, you know. So he he comes charging into the huddle and he goes, Oh you fucking super league blows. He goes, You can get your money and you scan it, like head off, like F off, you know. And I looked at him and Gordy looked at him, and I just looked at Gordy's, Gordy's had smoke coming out of his ears. Yeah, but uh that was all sort of just heat of the moment stuff. Um yeah, it caused a little bit of friction amongst the boys. It probably tore the dragons apart. But I've done interviews before speaking about that Super League war. I was one of the blokes that said I went for the money, and I said if everyone was honest, they everyone did what they did for the money. If they stayed loyal with the ARL for money, they got paid well to stay loyal. And if you went to Super League, you got paid well to go super league. So and none of the boys that come out and say, Yeah, well, I stayed with the ARL for the money. Like they use the word loyalty, which is a cop-out.
SPEAKER_01Probably the start of the modern game because it's a business, and you do get a degree of loyalty in the NRL, but not like it was 30 years ago. No, 25 years ago.
SPEAKER_03Like it's a business, mate, and they it's sad, but it is a business. There's a lot of money involved in the game now, and you're made or broken from wins and losses, which is sad. Shane Flanagan was a prime example as a coach. He got the rough end of the stick, and I know they hadn't won, but you go back into my time when I was playing, mate, the coach should still be there. I think it's easy for the players to blame the coach these days. They're always looking for someone else to blame, but the coach ain't out there running the ball, dropping the ball, making silly errors. That's that's on the players.
SPEAKER_01A real accountability problem with life these days, isn't it? Oh, 100%. In all facets of life. Everywhere.
SPEAKER_03And I that's something that stands out like dog's balls, you know. Like accountability instead of just, yep, we're at faulty, we need to fix this, not the coach. Like I think it's pretty ordinary to hang a coach out to dry.
SPEAKER_01Mate, and then from Hunter up to the cows for a few years.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that was good times too. You know, Tim Sheen's from the Tri-Series, we got uh build a relationship and he he said, Come up, the cowboys. And I go, Yeah. And he goes, Yeah, yeah, I'd love to have you up there. And I wanted to leave because the hunter after 97, they shut them down. And and I wanted to go to the Cowboys then, and Tim Sheans rang me and he said, Oh, mate, I can't have you next year. He said, But I'll take you in 98. He said, I can't, they won't let me, Super League won't let me have you up here in 97. Thinking, oh and they were pushing me towards Adelaide, you know, and I'm thinking, I don't want to go Adelaide because all the boys were arguing when we were I knew there was sort of a bit of tension with the boys with Rocket up there, and I'm thinking, I don't want to go Adelaide, no way. They kept bringing me that Liz Dawson was the CEO at the time in Adelaide, and she she rang me a few times, and one of the uh CEOs from Super League, he rang me and said, mate, we need you to head up to uh Adelaide and I go, I said, I don't really want to. I said, the boys are arguing with Rocket. I said it's just gonna be a shit show. And I said, I don't want to be there. Like, if I'm if that's gonna be the way it is, I don't want to be there. He goes, No, no, it'll be good, mate. You'll be right, you'll be right. And I'm going, nah nah. I said, I I said, you boys are gonna pay me anyway. I said, I'll just sit out for the year. And he goes, Oh, that won't be good for you. And I go, I wanted to play footy, I was just calling his bluffs, see, and I I wanted to go to Cowboys. Yeah, Liz Dawson rang me, and it was probably a month before their preseason started. She said to me, uh, no, we really want you up here. Rocket wants you to come up and blah blah blah. And so I'm thinking I want to play. So I got I was living in Newcastle at the time too. Uh, because uh we built a house in Newcastle and I was all set to play with the hunter and for five years, and um that got tipped on its head, and then yeah, so I said to Lyds Dawson, yeah, okay, I'll I'll come to Adelaide. I said, but I need a few things before I come in. She goes, What do you need? I said, Well, I'll need a house to live in, rented, fully furnished. I need a car, I need some flights for my family back and forward to Sydney. And I said, I'll need a hundred grand on top of what I'm getting as well. And she goes, Done, when can you get here? It was just done, when can you come here? And I went, Oh, I said I'll get there in seven days. So yeah, it was a crazy time with the Super League, like the money was just crazy at the time. But yeah, so we I took the family down to Adelaide for nine months. Like, I really enjoyed my time in Adelaide too, don't get me wrong. Uh it was good. I knew Rocket, Rod Reddy, and uh Tony Smith was here. I played with Tony at St. George, his brother Brian. It was a good time down in Adelaide. We enjoyed ourselves, but uh in my head I was always going to the Cowboys in '98. So that that's where I wanted to be, and that's where I wanted to finish.
SPEAKER_01Do you think we'll see an NRL team back in Adelaide anytime soon? Do you think the town, do you think it's the right place to sustain an NRL team?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, future I don't think so. Uh like they did love their footy, but when you go into a town now, Liam, I think it's important you're gonna go in with a strong team. You need to win. As the modern day shows you, if you're not winning, people turn off you real quick. Tigers are a perfect example. They come out of the blocks and then all of a sudden, what's your name? Lulai goes to the Chiefs. Yeah. Hasn't played really well since, and then they've lost a few games, and so the knives are out then. So uh it's a uh real cutthroat business. So if you're not ready for it, good luck.
SPEAKER_01How do you reckon the Bears will go next year?
SPEAKER_03I think they're gonna be competitive. They still don't have that big signing. But you know, they it'll take them a few years. They'll they'll be competitive, but it's the depth that's gonna be the problem. Definitely. You know, they'll have a good probably 15 to 20 players, but then the depth is gonna hurt them guys. If they get some key plays, go down with injuries, then I think they'll be in all sorts of trouble.
SPEAKER_01Did you have much to do with Dane Campbell at the Pirates?
SPEAKER_03No, Dane came after like Dane was after you, yeah, yeah. He turned up after me, Dane, yeah. So he done a great job at the Pirates, and then you know, he's moved up the Cowboys. Yeah, yeah, so he's done well. I I know he had his own health issues resources, so yeah, it's he's still involved and loving his footy.
SPEAKER_01He's the head of recruitment for the Bears. Yeah, yeah, so best of luck to Dane and Mal and all the boys over West.
SPEAKER_03It'll be a tough grind for the boys, it always is with the new club. Even the Chiefs are like they'll want to come out and be competitive straight up, but depth will be the problem for them as well.
SPEAKER_01I was actually on Kokoda when Lou I signed with the Chiefs. Oh, yeah. So yeah, we got back into Moresby and the town was just buzzing about the Chiefs. Yeah, yeah. And yeah, Lou I'd signed and AJ was signing, and the god the town was getting around it. Hey, it's gonna be a big, big thing up there.
SPEAKER_03I played football over there, they're crazy, mate. It is a crazy joint, and the atmosphere in there will be crazy. I'll be like gods over there to footballers. Definitely.
SPEAKER_01What was it like moving up to Townsville after being around sort of Sydney, newy sort of metro kind of areas for the most part?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well I got up there and mate, I couldn't believe it, like how laid back everyone was. It was crazy. It's like 'cause coming out of Sydney, it's just a rat race, and then yeah, you go to Newcastle, it's a little bit easier, but when I hit Townsville, it's like I just pulled back about three gears. Everything's we'll do it tomorrow, and like you can see how it's sort of it's a real laid back joint. I loved it. I really loved my time up there, and 'cause I reckon in my previous life I I come from the bush because I love going out west and yeah, I just love being out in the country. So I reckon my previous life I was a bushy somewhere.
SPEAKER_01Did you first start surfing in Sydney or when you were there's not really any surf up in Townsville? Hey, you gotta go to the island.
SPEAKER_03When I moved to Noosa and met Jules, I um that's when I took up surfing because Jules has surfed her whole life, you know. And uh I remember my first session with Julie down here at at Noosa. Um I'm on this longboard and I'm still training and I'm still muscled up and I'm thinking, yeah, this paddling will be easy shit, you know. Mate, uh five minutes in, my shoulders were just burning so bad. I said to Julie, I can't. And she goes, What are you talking about? I said, My shoulders are gone, like they're blown out. And I'm holding her feet getting towed out the back, and I was embarrassing. But mate, it's something I've picked up and I'm really troffing it. It it's awesome, mate. I love it. For my mental health, it's it's amazing. Like you get in the water feeling a bit shitty, and you get one wave, mate. It just everything just goes away, and it's the best feeling. Just riding the wave for me.
SPEAKER_01I love it. So for mental health, it's getting a bit of salt water on the skin. It's a salt water nature, nature exercising.
SPEAKER_03It's the best thing for you. If you if you're struggling with mental health, go for a walk through the bush and just listen. Listen. Don't have earphones on, listen to nature, mate. And Jules and I hike a bit, we've been through Tassie, we do stuff all the time. And that if you just listen and look, mate, the world's a beautiful place. Just gotta look after it and appreciate it. And that's we I think these days it's we're too busy looking at stuff that ain't real.
SPEAKER_01Screens. Screens, bullshit. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Like uh I reckon if we stopped the screens, just stopped them dead today, there'd be so many people in trouble. They wouldn't know how to entertain themselves. Yeah, it'd be crazy. We lived that old school life, so yeah, we know how to entertain ourselves without the screens, so yeah, not hard.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that connection with nature, just being out, breathing fresh air, being out in the sticks, getting your feet in the dirt, swimming in the ocean, it's yeah, it's wholesome hay.
SPEAKER_03You go up to Balumba and jump in the waterfalls, mate, it's the best thing ever. I'm a pretty simple creature, mate. I'm yeah, I'm easily pleased. We can just go surfing, we can go out in the bushwalks. It's awesome. Can't wait till the grandkids get a bit older, we'll shoot them up the boomba, take them out 10k walk out in the bush. Yeah, and beauty. Get them in waterfalls and stuff, and that's living.
SPEAKER_01We were talking off mic before we sort of kick this off about your health scare last year. So obviously, really fit rooster. Like you're still doing plenty, you still look great. So tell us about what happened last October.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, it's a shock to me, mate. We were just at home, Jules and I, and we're just about to sit down to have some dinner, and I just started feeling a bit shitty and not well. And I just said to Jules, I feel a bit hot. I just said to him, like, Jules touched my head, but I had no shirt on, and she said that I had all uh all my pores had a beat of sweat in them. She said it was weird. She'd never seen that before, and then I started to tighten up in my neck and shoulders. I said to Jules, she said, You sure? And I said, Yeah, yeah, yeah, ring, hurry up. Within, I reckon was in 20 seconds of me telling the ring an ambulance, I got this massive chest pain. Yeah, it was horrendous, mate. It was the worst pain of my life. I said, I joke around with the boys, I said, I've been hit by some big blokes, mate. I said, none of them eat me like this. But yeah, it was excruciating pain in my chest, and it lasted for about well, the paramedics got they started doing their stuff. I know they hit me up with four shots of ketamine, and yeah, so I was then they shot me off down to school, obviously, and um put a stent in, like in it was all within when I hit school, spoke to the cardiologist, Stuart Cox, and he just said, mate, you're having a heart attack. He said, We'll take you in, we'll get you sorted. And I I went within half an hour it was all done. They put the stent in. I watched it on the screen actually, and uh yeah, I was back in recovery, like within half an hour. So but it was the longest hour from my house to school. Yeah, I'm just thinking, I'll hurry up and get me there.
SPEAKER_01That's incredible. So local anesthetic, you're awake the whole time, just procedure while you're you're sitting there watching on the screen.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, no, it was uh it was like some um yeah, like I was speaking to you about my body just wanted to shut down and go to sleep, and I was having this internal fight with myself to stay awake because I knew if I went to sleep that might have been it, you know. It still affects me now.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, man. Oh mate, it's brave. I'm I'm glad you're talking about it. Because like we we were talking about just before that one of your mates went and got a check up done, he's got a pacemaker now, probably saved his life having this conversation.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, Glenn Gower, mate, he I spoke to Glenn and he had he went and got checked for his heart and he found out he'd needed a pacemaker. So if we never spoke, he mightn't have been so fortunate. So I save a wombers at least. Yeah, yeah. So mate at least one guy's benefit from what happened to me, so yeah.
SPEAKER_01And full recovery now?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so far, it's good. It's always on your mind, but uh it's something I'm living with.
SPEAKER_01I don't know, like every every health care that I've had, like that morality check that you get, it brings you back to earth, eh? When you realize you're not invincible.
SPEAKER_03You see life different now. I see life different. You know, for me, every day's a blessing. So I don't look too far ahead now. Just make the most of what the day I'm in, be as happy as I can, spend time with the kids, the grandkids. Because, you know, we don't know what's around the corner. I didn't. I thought I was fit and I was invincible. And I'm sure the kids thought their dad was invincible, but they realised that's not the case either. So uh yeah, we I'm back doing everything, I'm back playing footy, I'm back surfing, I'm doing everything, I'm training. And the cardiologist told me exercise is your new medicine, and uh, you know, I'm not gonna train like a lunatic, but um I'll just do enough to keep me in shape and give me the best chance.
SPEAKER_01We'll have to get you down to the pirates gym. You'll have to come check out the new setup.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, come down, train with the boys. Are you an early morning trainer or yeah, I'm up at we're up at four o'clock and I sort of I train before work and uh Jules and I all jump in. I got my own setup in the gym and in the garage, and we do our own stuff in there and I just just low key mate. I just do my stuff in the background, do it, keep yourself in shape. You never know when I'm needed to step up and have a run somewhere.
SPEAKER_01That's it, mate. That's it.
SPEAKER_03We're going good. I'm I'm happy, everything's going good.
SPEAKER_01Awesome. Let's get back to the the golden years, the three peak with pirates. So we touched on sort of 06 and the reunion. I hope I've got the date right in my head, but the 17th of July, we're doing a reunion for the 06 grand final. Yep. Yep. That'll be when we play Cool Em at Home, Brick of Kavanaugh Shield, Old Boys Day reunion. It'll be a massive day at Pirate Park. So make sure if you're listening to this and your old teammates aren't on social media or wouldn't see it, reach out, send them a message, give them a call.
SPEAKER_03I'll be there.
SPEAKER_01So obviously, 06. That was the first time Pirates had won the premiership in A-grade since 97. I think it was. It had been a bit of a drought.
SPEAKER_03It was been a while, yeah. So 10 years or something. Yeah, mate, it was a special time. And the good thing that happened with that team was we had Greg Christensen still playing Russell Britton. We had some old heads amongst the younger, uh a few younger boys, Maddie McCooks, and we had Gus, a lot of senior boys, and the good thing for me was these boys bought into what I wanted to do. I didn't want to be the one beating the drum with them. I didn't want to be getting up them. I want these guys to this is your team, boys. If anyone need their ass kicked, use do it. I don't want to be doing this. Because I'm coach and I'm gonna be playing. So that's a real fine line to have. Like, so I just thought if I can get the boys to do my dirty work and ride the boys, not me doing it, them doing it. They take some ownership in the team, and I think it worked worked the treat for us.
SPEAKER_01You've always been one to lead by example, Goldie, eh? Yeah, well, uh you rip in and set a good standard.
SPEAKER_03That's what a leader does. You know, if something's gotta be done, something's gotta change, we've got to make something happen. So that's how I thought, and there was times when we sailed close to the wind and stuff, and but you know, something needed to be done and upset someone, and that's what we did.
SPEAKER_01When you started this cap and coaching journey in 06, would you have ever thought That there were three premierships coming.
SPEAKER_03Not my wildest dream, you know? Like, no way. Like, I was because I played with St. George, I played three grand finals. I lost three. So I hadn't won a grand final, mate. And don't worry, our first grand final with Noose was in my back of my mind that am I going to lose another one? That was uh I never said anything to anyone, but in the back of my mind is I haven't won a grand finally. I need this is one I want to get. There was extra motivation for me. We ended up having a good win. That was down at showgrounds, wasn't it? In the mud, was that that day?
SPEAKER_01Mate, I I missed the three feet. I was down in Canberra.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was down the showgrounds in the mud. It was raining and it it was muddy. And uh I remember I think their second rower midway through the first half, he punched me and like he split my lip. It was wide open that needed stitches, but they laughed and like they were laughing, the Calandra boys, and uh they thought I'd just I'd go off, but nah, no way. And uh said, no way, I'm not going off. So I just stayed out there with this lip, was hanging open, and and every time that fella that got me ran out, mate, I was charging at him, and he by the end he was looking for me. Yeah. So I think I surprised him that I didn't go off the field, and mate, I played worse than that, and like it's only a split lip, we get it fixed up after the game. So yeah, it was a special one. It was in the it was pouring rain, mate. It was a heavy track. We had Wayne Bartram playing with us that day year. So I brought Bardo into the team and just to bring another pla a Ford into our team, and then like I know I knew how Wayne played, and I think he's gonna he's gonna rip this tournament apart. Like he's just powerful, fast goal kicker, and he was just perfect for us, mate, at the time. So yeah, and he enjoyed himself too, you know. We didn't have the pressure of playing at the high level, so yeah, we just had fun.
SPEAKER_01And it would have been a different feeling around the side with a local footy team, lads that want to bleed for the jersey, love their town, want to be there with their mates.
SPEAKER_03It was so good for the local like area here, like because we're all most of the boys are all locals. I bought Bardo in and all the other boys. We had a couple of Noosa always had this we always had drifters come in. Like someone had just come in from out of New Zealand or wherever, and they'd just come in for one year, and we had a few of them in the three years. There was a few boys that just popped in and helped us with win premierships and done a great job for us. It was a special time, mate. I know the town was buzzing, like and the club was really firing. I remember we used to go everywhere we used to play, it was packed, and they just thought, you know, everyone thought that Noosa had all this money and were paying everyone a fortune, you know. It wasn't like that, mate. We weren't getting paid a fortune. I think it was fifty bucks a win or something, and yeah, they always thought that Noosa was getting paid a fortune, which I loved it. They just let them think what they want. We just worked hard. We worked hard. I knew, like, and the one thing I made sure that our team was was fit. And that I knew it. I said, if we could I said to Kenny Bryant, because Kenny Bryant was my conditioner, I said, mate, we get the boys fit and we're gonna be fitter than anyone. I said, we got the talent here. I said, and we'll just roll over the top of teams at the end, and that's exactly how we we won it, mate. Our fitness at the end just just annihilated them. They just couldn't stick with the boys and for three years they couldn't stick with us at the end, and that's where we were doing all our damage.
SPEAKER_01And oh eight was the year lots of the young fellas came through, wasn't it?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, um, yeah, we had a lot, or it might have been the oh nine.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_03Oh nine. Oh eight was with Jakey, I think your friend. And we still had this the nucleus of that 07 team or 06 team, and then uh yeah, it was the third year. That's when we had all the young boys. Yeah, so that was even more special, you know, because we're Nick Melmouth, all those boys, Roddy Mac. Aaron Fuller and Roddy Mac Fish and uh mate, the Dylan Dylan.
SPEAKER_01Dylan McPherson, Cougar.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and also uh the two brothers.
SPEAKER_01Oh yeah, yeah. I've got a mental blank there, too.
SPEAKER_03Gilbert and Dale and Dale and Dylan Gilbert. So mate, we had like in Little Red on the wing and like mate, we had some Bradman. Yeah, so it was so good. Like just to see these boys pretty much, because they were all playing eighteens, you know. So to see 'em come out of eighteens and turn into men and like get some belief into these boys. Their levels just rised. And of course, obviously, when they stepped up to the first grade, there's a different standard when they're playing reserve grade, because you know, obviously we work hard up here. I think they bought into that. The young guys enjoyed the working hard and they they reaped the rewards when they did. Yeah, it was a really, really good time. And uh for me as a coach and a player to play with the young boys, it was the buzz, yeah, especially playing with Jakey and to see what Jake went on and done, it's pretty special. He was I knew he was a good kid from the Star Mate. I played him at grade at 17. I wouldn't have done that to him if I didn't think he could do it. He was special.
SPEAKER_01I was thinking the other day, yeah, I don't know how, I don't know when the last time we debuted a 17-year-old, but Blakey Wilson played as a 17-year-old in 2017 before he went down to the dogs and stuff. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03So yeah, Blake's another one. He's he's doing really well at the moment as well. So yeah, that's good. Yeah, so then one of the years, I think it was 08, we went through undefeated, and that was a uh that worried me, the grand final. Yeah. Because so that was on my mind to go through. I didn't want to go through that whole season undefeated and then get rolled in the final. I just knew the boys were they were humming, mate. Every time we stepped up for a grand final from 07, 06, 07, mate, they were humming, they were they were good to go. They knew what we needed to do, and yeah, it was done.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, looking back for a fair while now, when pirates make it to the grand final, normally get the job done. So yeah.
SPEAKER_03And especially to do one, two, and three, like it was uh that was a massive effort from the club, I reckon. And uh and like it wasn't just it was a vast array of players that we used, local boys too. Like, even though I used a lot of the older guys, there's a lot of young kids that kept playing reserve grade, and they they're all benefiting from what was happening and they contributed as well. So it was a massive club effort, rubbed off on all the juniors as well, you know. The kids used to the good thing is the kids used to look at the A grade as like their first grade, and that for me, they used to line up and high-five the boys and like it was a really special time for the Pirates.
SPEAKER_01The club's feeling really connected at the moment. We'll have to get you down to a senior game because yeah, juniors and seniors are really interwoven with each other, and yeah, there's a really good whole club mentality and stuff going on.
SPEAKER_03So that's the way football should be made.
SPEAKER_01100%.
SPEAKER_03When I was back in like before um I speak about this regularly, like when I was a growing up as a kid, football was a a get together with families. It was a family thing where we all come together and the kids are playing footy and the like when the games are on, the other kids are playing out the back oval, running around, and mum and dad are socializing with parents and having a couple of beers or whatever they're doing. But yeah, unfortunately, it's it's not exactly like that anymore. We should get back to that and make it a real family thing and everyone be involved.
SPEAKER_01We're working on it. We're doing our best. We're doing our best. But yeah, it's it's one of those things you can always tweak things and do them a little bit better.
SPEAKER_03Obviously, but yeah, it's uh it's a um football's a good uh bringing people together and it's a community, man.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03It is, it's a great community.
SPEAKER_01So after 08, we attempted to go round more years after that.
SPEAKER_03Well, I um I retired or I said to the boys, I'm done. I'm done. I I can't do that. I used to play on the Saturday or Sunday. I was still sore the following week. Yeah. You know, I just my body was still sore and I was just I was struggling to recover. I just think it and I'm getting to I was getting close to 40 and I'm thinking, what are you doing? But I still loved it, and I still today I play Legends, I still love it. There's no need to stop. I'm gonna I said to the boys, I'm gonna get as much as I can out of these little legs. I'm gonna milk them for everything I can get out of them. Yeah. Yeah, no, it's where were we? What was I talking then?
SPEAKER_01We're just talking about hanging the boots up in so it was 08 grand final. Yeah, boys know you were singing them up.
SPEAKER_03Well, I just said I'm done, I'm done. And then we had a Beckman's Green were our sponsor, you know, and Bob Borger. I don't know if you remember Bobby, God bless. He was a big supporter of the club at the time, you know, they're doing that big development there, and he was our major sponsor. So he was a great man, and me and him used to have some good chats about the club, and he obviously put a lot of money into the club as well. And he said to me after the 08 grand finally, I just got a call from Bob and he said, Oh, can we catch up for a coffee? And I said, Yeah, mate, yeah, no worries. So anyway, we we catch up for a coffee and he says to me, I want you to do one more year. And I yeah, oh Bobby, I can't, mate. I said, I'm struggling. I just like I said to you, I said, Oh mate, I'm sore still the following week when we're playing. And he goes, Oh, just listen to me, listen to me. So anyway, he sells me this dream, all right? So I said to him, Maybe I can get one more year out for you, mate. I end up going around again, okay. So and then there was another goal for me to chase because no one ever done four years in a row to win the grand final. There was three. I think Dan Board done it. That was another fire that got lit in me when I knew that no one ever done four. So I'm thinking, oh, maybe, maybe we can do this. Anyway, so away we go. I commit, we're into another season. We're leading the comp. It was three quarters of the way through the season. We're leading the comp. We're playing good, we're gonna everything's fine. And then I went down to Beerwood to watch the reserve grade team play. And I turn up and I I got I'm with my wife, and I turn up and we're just watching then one of the managers come out to me and goes, Oh, the boys are only got 12 players. I go, Really? And he goes, Yeah. I went, Oh my god. So I'm I didn't say nothing, I'm just sitting there thinking, thinking. Thought, oh fuck it, I'll just go play with the boys. Because you know, a lot of these boys have been helping me throughout the year, and when I'm bringing them up, they're doing a job for me, and I'm thinking I'm I'll jump in and help the boys. So I I come back out and I tell Julie I'm gonna I'm gonna play. And she goes, Don't be stupid. I go, no, no, I'll be right. I said I'll be right, I'll just uh I'll play 5'8, I'll just stay out of the way, and next thing you know, I'm in there, got my boots on, and I run out. I didn't know, but they had a couple of blokes, beer were they had a couple of blokes that just come out of jail. So I've got two blokes calling me every name under the sun, they're gonna kill me, they're gonna do this, they're gonna do that. And I'm going, oh my god. So anyway, we're getting through the game, and yeah, and then one of their front rowers chased me hard, and I stepped inside him. When I stepped, he stepped on my foot, and then uh I got tackled and I think, oh shit, my foot's a bit sore. So I just backed off to the short side, and then I'm looking, and we got two plays here, and they only had like one play on the short side. So I called uh like an overcall to go down the short side, and as I pushed off my foot, I just heard that snap, and I know, and I just said, Don't throw me the ball. So anyway, I go off to the bench and I said, I think I broke my foot. So we go off, I take my shoe off, and there's a bone sticking up the top of my foot. I broke my bone in my foot, my toe, one of my toes, a broken up height. Oh, I know. Anyway, so that puts me out of first grade for um eight weeks. In the meantime, the boys, our first grade team never won another game until we get to the semifinals. And uh, we actually went from first and we finished fifth. So we just scraped into the semis. I come back a week early because the semi was on, and I'm thinking I'm coming back, I'm playing. Oh, I'm gonna win this grand final, you know. But we end up playing Kabulche at Kabuche, and um, yeah, they end up getting us on that night in the semi-final. So I missed that opportunity to play four. But I look back on the day where um I broke my foot as well. Mate, if you asked me again, I would have done the same thing with the boys. It wasn't a matter of like mate, I was captain of the club, I was coach of the club, and I wasn't gonna let my troops run out with 12 players. So yeah, I just stepped up for the boys. Uh in hindsight, I should have said no, but nah, that competitiveness, and uh there was no way I was gonna leave them boys with 12 players. And so shit happens.
SPEAKER_01That's footy.
SPEAKER_03That was footy, and I apologised to Bobby Bush. I said, sorry mate, I couldn't get you four. We got to the semis in four years, mate. We'd done really well.
SPEAKER_01And then you hung the boots up again, had a couple of years off, and how did you get dragged back in in 2013?
SPEAKER_03Well, the club, I was I was sort of watching the club and it sort of it wasn't going real well, and I said, uh, I'll come back and like I just I think who was running the club then, Chris O'Grady, I think, was my running the club.
SPEAKER_01I'm trying to think.
SPEAKER_03I said, I'll come back and I'll do one more year, try and get the club on track again, and I end up getting Scotty Hill to have a run. So mate, same thing. Pre season was awesome. We got some blokes from Brizzy, yeah, like some good players from Brisbane come into the team. A few drifters come in, so we put together this team, and mate. We were just annihilating team in the pre-season stuff. Anyway, we end up playing the uh the Falcons in the final.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03So the Falcons back in the day, they had a team in A-grade, blah blah blah. So anyway, we're playing these Falcons and um yes, we're ten minutes into the game. We tackle the front row, and next thing you know, he jumps up and he just king hit me, you know. And and he got me twice. Yeah, I I just I think it was the hit didn't knock me out, but it sort of my neck, it ruined my neck. My neck was killing me real bad. So yeah, so I went off the field, I couldn't get back on, my neck was killing me, and um yeah, from that day on, mate, I just yeah, that was a little bit disappointing for me that day, and I just I thought it was a sign from the big fella upstairs going, mate, enough's enough. Yeah, so I just thought, yeah, that's enough. The boys are the younger boys are getting stronger and faster and bigger, and I'm just thinking, mate, I might I'm just hanging on too long here. I wanted to finish that year with the boys, but um mate, I couldn't do it, eh? I just wasn't in a mental state to do it, and I just couldn't finish the year with the boys, which was a real shame because that team just dissipated and everyone sort of stopped playing. Scotty stopped playing, sort of turned to shit that year, so that was a little bit disappointing.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, because I came back in 2012. So yeah, played with your three seasons.
SPEAKER_03You would have seen well.
SPEAKER_01Mate, I was actually in the tackle, I was in the tackle with you when you got hit. And then the the team sort of, like you said, disintegrated after that. And then yeah, 2014 was here right captain coached, and yeah, yeah, it was pretty lean times after that.
SPEAKER_03But um, yeah, like I made up like I look back on my time, like the king hit and the bloke at Dunner made it. That's not tough. The king hit someone, yeah, like especially the smallest bloke on the field, and he was the biggest bloke on the field. So he was massive, yeah. It shows you like sort of ticker of that bloke. But um, yeah, in the end, uh it was probably yeah, I took it as a sign from the big man to say, hey, enough's enough. And that that's the way I sort of it wasn't the way I wanted to finish. It would have been great to finish that year on another premiership. That would have just topped it off. But mate, you don't always get to have your fairy tale, do you?
SPEAKER_01We went on to win that game. So you won the preseason challenge. We did win, we did win. So you went out, you went out on a winner.
SPEAKER_03We did win that game, which wasn't uh wasn't the way we wanted to do it, wasn't the right winner. No, but it were like I would have loved to win the premiership, but we did win that game, and that sort of pissed them off as well. Yeah. That was a when I knew we won, that was awesome. But yeah, I was I was in a little bit of stress at the time. So but no, there was good times, mate. Like Pirates are a great club, very fond memories for me. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And mate, you've oh you're such an integral part of the DNA of the club and the club's history. So, mate, thank you for being such a good leader for the club. And mate, the door's always welcome. Anytime you want to come and play a little cameo or be back around, not expecting you to bring the boots down, but anytime you want to come and be around the club, mate, always doors wide open.
SPEAKER_03And the funny thing is, I pr I feel like I could still play. Yeah, but yeah, mate, I don't want to. I don't there's no way I'd play competitive again, and I don't want to be doing that. So uh in my own head I think I could still do it, but I always stupid, yeah. I'm getting older now, I'm a grandfather and a poppy, so mate, I don't need to be hurting myself anymore.
SPEAKER_01Mate, yeah, keep filling the bucket up with the Legends games and Oztag and touch and all the stuff that you do, mate. You still rip it in.
SPEAKER_03Keep active and yeah, help out where I can.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, sounds good. Yeah, we'll have to have a couple of sherbetts and celebrate the good times on the 17th of July and Yeah, we'll talk about how good we were and Yeah, let's get the boys all back together.
SPEAKER_03Uh some good uh yeah, some good good lads around the pirates, mate. Yeah, yeah. There's some good boys and guys are doing a good job at the moment, I hear, and the club's strong. So, mate, that just makes me uh happy to see the club doing well. I just love the club. I d even though I'm not around the club, it doesn't mean I don't think of the club, and I just anytime I can support the pirates, I'm definitely there. You know, if I talk to other radio stations or whatever, mate, uh they ask about the pirates, yeah. I talk about it with great pride.
SPEAKER_01Awesome, mate. It's been so fun having you on and mate, it was an honour playing with you, and it's great for some more people to hear your story and hear about what the little general's all about. So, mate, appreciate you being vulnerable to you've been really open and honest on this.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, mate, I am yeah, I'm a pretty personal bloke. I don't uh give away too much, but when you ask me to do it, when it's for the pirates, yeah, I'm happy to do the podcast for you guys, share a bit of insight into my into my life. Thanks for having me, mate. I appreciate it.
SPEAKER_01Thanks, mate. Just before we wrap up, have you got any little tips for aspirational kids coming through that want to follow in your footsteps and play NRL, mate?
SPEAKER_03Seriously, it just comes down to how bad you want it. Determination is a a massive thing. And what I used to do, I used to, when I was younger, I used to really see myself, I used to do a lot of visualization. I used to do a lot and see myself doing things good, like doing plays good, running good, making a good break, you know, and I I just see these things and visualise this stuff. And mate, it is amazing how it works. But one thing you gotta have a you gotta be a bit determined, you gotta have a little bit of mongrel in you. You just gotta want it. You gotta want it. If you wanna do it, you gotta want it. And that's sacrificing everything. Especially these days. It's hard these days. If you want it, you've got to sacrifice everything, and that's a commitment in itself, because there's a lot of temptations out there now.
SPEAKER_01There is, mate, there's a lot of distraction.
SPEAKER_03A lot. That's one thing I'd say. If you gotta be uh determined and cut out all the shit and stay focused.
SPEAKER_01Good stuff. All right, brother. Well, mate, it's been an absolute pleasure. Thanks for coming on, Goldie.
SPEAKER_03Cheers, Lam. Thanks, mate.
SPEAKER_01Thanks, mate.