From Logan, to the Queensland under 17s, playing alongside the likes of Ben Iken and Darren Lockyer, Tooks went on to become one of the biggest cult heroes in the game from the moment he ran onto the field for his beloved South Queensland Crushers.
Moving on to the Parramatta Eels and New Zealand Warriors after the Chrushers folded, and being in the final team to win the president’s Cup, Mark Tookey carved out a career where he was known for destroying opposition defensive lines with his powerful runs, playing plenty of finals footy for the Eels, and going all the way to the Grand Final in 2002 with the Warriros, and finishing up in the UK for both the Castleford Tigers and London Broncos.
These days Mark Tookey is happily married and running events with his company, Big Tookey Sports, and has the most incredible journey that will fill you with joy, and make you realise how incredible this human being is.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give to you, the one and only, Mark Tookey.
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Chapters
0:00 – Intro
2:17 – The early years
8:00 – Signing with the Crushers
16:00 – Off to Parramatta
24:00 – Signing with the Warriors
35:20 – 2001 – Playoffs
39:25 – 2002, going to the GF
49:28 – 2003
55:05 – 2004 – Off to England
1:02:24 – Fan Q&A
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Hey 40 fans welcome to the point of different track me League podcast I’m your host Dave and today we’ve got an absolute Legend on the show he’s the eills and warriors cold hero it’s the Man Mark turky how you doing big brother good mate how are you thanks for having
Me on it’s my pleasure man I’m doing great and um I’m sure everyone else is doing fantastic now I got you on the show a lot of very happy people out there nce it’s good to be on here mate I love doing these podcasts so um yeah far
Away with anything you want to know all right man let’s do this okay so a lot of people want to know what is the great Mark took you up to these days post footy mate I’m down on the Gold Coast um I’ve been down here now for about five
Years living with the wife and uh yeah just doing some disability support stuff for here on the go Coast um been doing that now for about four years so uh really enjoying that very rewarding job um I still run a little bit of um Big T
Sports so we do still do the marathon and golf events and all that type of stuff as well so I’m getting into the boxing as well now doing a bit of promotion in that kind of area um and uh yeah still playing in a lot of these
Charity uh rugby league um games for um you know a beon foundation I’m doing a bit on that we’ll touch on that a bit later but um um yeah and know I’ll just do a few other charity events um as many as I can while the body still that’s me
Yeah man that’s the way so you said you talking a bit of marathoning are you actually running marathons or you just getting people to run marathons uh both I’ve uh in the past I’ve done eight marathons since retiring wow um yeah I thought I needed to get me
Ass into gear so I uh started doing a bit of training and yeah I’ve done eight marathons now um I in that with that I I’ve run my own um events business and we we um put Marathon events on as well so I coordinate them and um plan them
And yeah do all the timing and get the medallions and the shirts etc for that type of thing so yeah it’s a bit of it’s AIT bit of fun well I’m a marathon so uh dude I’m going to have to come over and do one one day absolutely I I’ll let you
Do one for free mate oh that’d be good I’m over in June with the misses um so yeah yeah it’ll be good cool man okay so let’s go all the way back to the beginning Mark turki as a young fell where did you grow up what was life like
For you as a young lad um I grew up I was born down in Sydney um to my my mom was 14 when she had me so um it it was very uh um early stages of life it was a bit tough and uh you know Mom was still put pretty much
At school so um we had a pretty modest upbringing to be honest with you we moved to Logan um oh when I was about five or six or seven year years old um I ended up down in Logan and uh basically lived in Logan my whole life went to
Woodridge High School went to Woodridge uh um primary school um and then yeah I was lucky enough um when I left school I was lucky enough to get a contract with the Crushers South Queensland Crushers I see the shirt you got on there so I got
Picked up uh basically out of school and uh you know the rest is kind of history from there really okay so so you said you played for Logan and there’s another team you played for sort of on your way to rip footy um what was that other team
You played for Springwood Tigers that’s the one yeah yeah so I was at Logan and um Springwood had a um a premier grade team and Logan Brothers um Brothers Pauls back then um they didn’t quite have a premier grade team so I went over to Springwood and did two years in
Spring at Springwood not many people actually know about that I I just kind of went there to to try and you know better my football career and from there I actually got picked up by by a talent scout um named Brian Edwards who’s now at the the Dolphins so that’s where it
All started to be fair oh that’s cool I love the Dolphins by the way definitely uh my well I like the Warriors of the Dolphins but so my dad’s from Brisbane but I’m kiwi so I get to go for both I’m lucky nice so um uh so as a young follow
Uh what were you like as a trainer and what made you uh fall in love with the game like did you played from a young age I imagine um what was it that made you back you know yeah I started I started playing actually for a rugby
League team when I was four years old um was it was whing United down in Sydney and uh The Story Goes I used to Chase my mate shadow around we used to race to the crossbar up the goal post uh when I was four years old and then by the time
I got to seven and I was actually in the under sevens I was a bit of a gun by then because I’d had three years of uh tackling the big boys and uh so yeah my pop was a coach uh my my stepdad was the
Coach was a coach of another team and I used to play three games in one day kind of thing I’d you know fill in for all the grades above me as well once I hit seven um and yeah from then I yeah did a Missy year I I play I’ve played for my
Whole life basically so started at four wow and and were you a good trainer as a young fell what did you have to like really work hard um how did it go oh mate I always had to work hard I uh I’ve always had the good a good training
Attitude but um yeah I’ve always just loved food I’ve always been a bigger kid I was always a bigger kid um and but I could run I was I could actually move pretty well and um as I went through school primary school high school I you know be finishing first second or third
In the 100 and I’d also have a crack at the in high school I used to have a crack at the um the 2K the 10K walk um I do everything to get out of school to be honest yeah you and me both it was all
About PE for me at school absolutely I used to compete in every event just because I was out of school yeah me too so uh so fast forward a little bit you got selected for Queensland under 17s what was that experience like and who were the players coming through around
That same time that you thought might go into bigger things yeah yeah so through uh throughout my whole career I played with the guys like Ben ien um Darren loia those guys were in they were the same age as me um and they were but they
Lived kind of out out I’m like obviously Darren luy was from up at one or something so um we used to kind of all come together John Budig was another guy a lot yeah big butsy I I boted him in one about the under 15 uh rep side he
Brought they he came down with the Townsville side to the state Carnival and yeah we bued him so um you know I grew up I I played a lot of footy and I knew a lot about big butsy but yeah those type of guys um I’m just trying to
Think of who else was around there um oh I played a lot with Kyle web obviously soul but um yeah those kind of guys all around my era oh cool and so what was the experience like playing in that um under 17 Queensland side was that like
Boosted you to the next level yeah absolutely so in the under I think it was um the next year so under seven I had all those guys I made the Australian um side as well and we toured FG that was um during the co h no sorry during
Super League era y yeah so we couldn’t play at certain parts of fij and we ended up playing over there but we had um yeah like I said um Darren loia they were all in my Australian side we had a Trent Barrett he was again oh wow
Barrett um so we had a really good side and yeah just playing in that Queensland side was amazing and what I found funny the next year Benny ien went and played when we were all kind of 18 Ben iin went and played the state of origin so the
Year before we were playing uh I was playing origin with Ben iin and the the next year he’s up there in the big boys so it was really good to see him go on and do something like that and and again those kind of we just enjoyed footy when
We were back then 178 so it was uh you playing with your mates and it was awesome yeah man so um I bet not every everybody knows this especially Warriors and neels fans who are more know you for those times of your career but you you got your debut with the South Queensland
Crushers hence why I’m wearing the shirt today um so so how did you get recruited to The Crushers like tell us how that all happened especially being in the Super League era which I’m G to cover shortly um yeah yeah how did you how did
You how long have we got how long have we got oh it’s long as you are I got all day back no so I I’ll try and do it as quick as we can so as I when I was at Springwood we um we we got put into
About 120 man Brisbane Squad um for this uh South Queensland Crushers development kind of system uh there was 120 of us selected there was 120 selected in the far North Queensland area as well um and so there’s 240 and we had um separate camps and we went through all our Paces
They waitest did speed test fitness test I hand coordination test um oh yeah there was so much with I think they took some blood tests on lactic acid and all this kind of thing um they narrowed it down to 120 after that so they cut kind
Of 60 from each group they narrowed it down again we went and did more tests and I think we might have even had a trial couple of trial runs um and that we they got it down to about 60 and between the two groups and then they
Brought us all together for one weekend or something like that and um they narrowed it down to I think 30 35 and I kept making the cut um and the story goes actually one of the guys that was markk Johnson was a a guy that was
Working with The Crushers at the time he he was the one who kind of like said this guy goes all right you know and and and uh they kept having to reassure that the fat kids goes all right you know and so that there was a lot of uh big musly
Adonis looking BLS back then as well and they just kept have to keep um saying pick the fat kid he does all right so um yeah I got through a few of the uh few jumped through a few of the hurdles and yeah finally got p
Okay so that was a like a development contract or was that straight into the crush’s top Squad No I um I signed a uh contract so it was just a um well I think we might have got $2,000 to play in that for the whole season oh um and
Then yeah I signed my first contract uh at the uh at the end of 95 and I remember sitting next to David Miles and his mom and me and my mom and we signed a $5,000 contract um for the to be in the NRL system I don’t even
Think it was top 30 or anything back then so we yeah that was me first ever contract was a nice $55,000 nice work so like what’s it like when you pull up to South Queensland crushes trading for the first time there the likes of tror gilm and you know all
These big guns um Dale Shear is at the club at the time as well like what’s it like for absolutely that we had Trevor Gil Meister Mario was there as well Mark hone uh and then um that first year so they were all legends of the game and
Then um that first year in I think it was 96 when I debuted the we had the five um five players go on and play state of origin the nuffies um when they went out and beat New South Wales 3-0 so that was again when Ben ien fatty didn’t
Even know who Ben ien was in the in the lift and but we had Craig T Terry cook they all kind of made the origin side from the crushes Craig T um so yeah we had um we had five NL leg or origin Legends in our team then and U yeah I
Was lucky enough to debut that year 96 nice nice so um so what were the things um like that kept you coming back to training fired up you know you’re a young fellow you know you’ve got this opportunity was it was that what was driving you to keep going to pursue like
A professional career yeah absolutely if even during school I knew I wanted to be a professional rby League player um probably didn’t realize how hard it was to uh get get get to be a professional rby League player um but yeah I just I’ve always I always had the drive to
Train hard I’ve always had to train hard to you know keep it stay ahead of the game so I the training part wasn’t my problem I used to love it but it was hard but I used to love it I wasn’t good at it but I used to love getting out
There and having a crack with the boys um uh but it was more around my my food um I had a bad relationship with food to be honest with you and uh that was what kind of help me back a little bit right okay so um yeah I was got to ask what
How did you get through preseason like did like was it just grueling very very very difficult yeah I’d almost love to be a fly on the wall and watch you get through pre-season training like I hate training but like I love running but the training you have to go through to get
To a certain level is super tough and I’m just a runner um I I just appreciate like what you would have to physically go through let me just tell you I am not a runner no so so running was uh one of the hardest things that I I have could ever
Have done and preseason training is all about running so yeah you could imagine the uh challenges uh there was lots of uh chafing H lots of Blood Sweat and Tears let me just say that J F that’s cold oh god um okay so I really want to
Ask you because you’re in that perfect era of player that was in the Super League War um that’s one of my favorite question to ask anyone who was involved in that how did it affect you what were your thoughts on the Super League split um you know
Go well to be honest with you I was uh I made the Queensland under 18 ins side the year of um the year of Super League War so um we got offered $10,000 every player in the Queensland under 18s got offered $10,000 to play um for Queensland under the ARL so if you
Wanted to make the Queensland side they said you is $10,000 you can play if you don’t want to take that and you want to go to Super League well you’re not playing in the Queensland state of origin team so we all just took $10,000
Well that was kind of a it was a blanket kind of every player um if I was a year later I would have been on probably $500,000 because both both myself and Billy Weeoo was another kiwi front row he was at Manley we were the two front
Rowers coming through in that era we were the next two guys already well um down to play NRL basically and uh yeah we just missed out but yeah I I actually went obviously with the ARL because I was at The Crushers um Super League yeah
It it it it did its job it kind of shook the system up a little bit similar to what Liv’s doing now with the golf I believe so um yeah it had its place um everyone was a winner in the end and the um you know everyone got a bit of money
And um we all come back to reality and join forces and the game is what it is today yeah I think good goodness for that everyone saw sense um and that um also worked out for you because 1998 you signed with the Paramount eels so obviously the crushes folded so how did
How did that affect you like were you left without a club uh did you have the eels deal already signed um how was that process for you yeah well during that last year that the crushes folded they announced that they were folding they couldn’t pay us any more money they run
Out of everything so we actually had to go and fundraise cuz I was in the under 21 President’s Cup team and we won the Grand Final that year against param so while all the clubs folding around us and we’re we’re still trying to win a Premiership with the and we ended up
Beating paramat in the in the Grand Final on Grand final day so you know real fun memories there with that we were the last team to win the President’s Cup the South Queensland crush is under 21 so good um yeah so w war that was happening um I I don’t I
Don’t remember the timing but um yeah I got we got an opportunity and um me Troy pette and um CL shikovski all basically were targeted by param and we yeah got a deal oh he was a gun player Old Clinton he was great um yeah he ended up at the
Rangers didn’t he yeah he did yeah he did um okay so you made it to the eels for 98 the NRL was born and basically you became a cult Hero at param everybody loved you what was it like having the crowd CH your name every time
You took out the ball yeah absolutely it started at the crushes to be honest with you the crowd kind of cheered it up and um at at the end of the day I looked back on it and I was just a player that didn’t fit the mold of you know um
Six-pack and and ripped up and and lean and mean so I had a little bit of fat on me I was a little bit rot tunders and a bit rounder and um I used that to my advantage to be honest with you so um yeah they couldn’t get get get me down
Quite easily enough so yeah I just get off The Back Fence get up a headful of steam and crash into some one and uh the crowd seemed to like it and uh yeah I could hear him cheting and it’s awesome I loved it um I remember the first time
They did it at param my mom’s kind of like why are they all booing you like why are they and I’m like Mom no sty the surname and she’s like oh okay yeah I get it now so um but yeah it was uh it’s it was awesome and again I think the
Game’s kind of losing those kind of crowd um favorites um f Moy was another one that comes to mind and big fena but other than that you it’s and maybe Georgie Rose there just those guys that don’t don’t fit the mold of the Adonis rug League
Player so um but yeah no it’s it was really good I loved it Yeah you sort of stound me watching the likes of yourself and George Rose like I couldn’t believe the motor you guys had on you like the minutes you could play and you actually
Had some pretty good twinkle toes if you ask me a little bit of a side step I know you got a couple of tries stepping some followers before the line at your warriors days yeah that was just out of fear mate I was just getting out of their way
Didn’t really have too much of Aid step it’s called a swerve yeah we’ll call it a swerve we’ll go with that so yeah 98 you had an amazing season at the eels um you finished fourth on the ladder you had 10 starts seven Off the Bench as well and you
Actually beat the eventual Premier twice sort of towards the middle and back end of the season um but it was against uh in the semifinal 1510 you beat the Broncos and um but and and you sort of became a bit of the bogey side like what
Was it like getting up and knocking over the Broncos twice in the season yeah we uh we had Brian Smith was our coach and he he was a very smart operator and we I remember that I remember playing the Broncos every time with Pera we yeah we beat them all the
Time and um we just went in with a game plan they had two Wingers they had L teiri Wendell sailor Darren Lo here at the back they had like they had strike power everywhere Ren off and everyone like that so we just kicked the ball out
That’s all we did we we’d get to the end of our set Kick It dead kick it into touch so whenever they were restarting their sets that was from a scrum or from a tack so it was a it was a it was a steady restart rather than an active
Rolling one so we just had a really smart game plan and we executed that pretty well and um yeah and we had some good we had a good team as well but um yeah the Broncos just couldn’t couldn’t beat us so I remember the likes of John
Simon I think Stuart Kelly and J Smith they were just in Sublime form sort of towards that back end of the season I remember they really stood out in those particular matches against bronos remember John Simon I think some of the best footy he ever played was for you
Guys at that stage wouldn’t you agree absolutely yeah mate I played with him at the Warriors as well mate he’s an absolute legend Johnny Simon but when I went down to param meta I was uh I was like a new front rower I took I actually
Came down to param because um the fell with had the brain um brain injury the big uh what was his name I I’ll think of it in a minute but we had um Dean pay Jason Smith Jim dimmick Jared McCracken Mick V Nathan High Marsh Nathan kis me
So this was our pack you know and fro Brett horel in there um yeah so we had a gun we had a gun pack I remember going there as kind of you know I’d played kind of 10 or 15 NL games by then um I’m like like look what I’m standing here
With and these guys were all my heroes so um to be alongside Dean P and those boys in the middle there it was just you know it was pretty easy to be honest with you it was you know when you got all those guys around you doing it
Pretty easy oh that’s brilliant so you guys made the prelim against the Bulldogs after knocking over the Broncos and it seemed like you guys had the match sewn up at 182 with like 11 minutes to go or something like that and unbelievably the Bulldogs ran in three
Quick tries I’ll never forget it it’s one of the it’s one of the standout finals matches I’ve ever seen I know you were on the losing side in the end but like what was it like you know watching darl hel knock these conversions over from the sideline
And what was the the talk behind the posts like what’s going on there well I was actually I was on the bench when all this was happening actually I I come off with about 15 to go and history has it mom was mom was ringing all all me
Relatives let’s go we’re off to the Grand Final you beauty up by what 12 or something and yeah darlan actually kick that one to tie the game from right in front of our bench and we’re just sitting there behind it and it was never going to miss we could see it from
Behind and we’re like you bastard and uh and then uh yeah and then once they once they drew with this it went extra time yeah they put us they put 10 on us I think in in the 5 each way extra time so um yeah we’d kind of fired all our
Bullets we couldn’t stop the momentum and big DJ was on fire like always yeah it was um Craig palan it’s the one game I remember from his career he just went crazy in that last 10 minutes and then extra time I’ve never seen him play like
Such a good game in his career yeah Paul Carriage did that chip and Chase and uh Paul Mana pted nearly potted the field goal from 55 it went under the crossbar but but yeah poor old um Paul Carriage has never lived that down I don’t think
It still scars him now you know when I was talking a bit of research for this his name was the one name that popped up about that match basically he lost the game and it wasn’t his fault no oh it’s unbelievable that was a hell of a game
Um so we’ll put a line through that we’ll go to 1999 and you guys um you had another amazing season you finished um second on the ladder second on the ladder absolutely cruising knocked out by the storm was it yeah you got knocked out by the storm who the team that just
Wouldn’t go away you know they’d always be down at half time and they just find a way to come back in the second half and you guys felt victim to that in the semi-final again so oh I think it was the second round of the playoffs sorry
And uh yeah storm went through and obviously won the grand finals so what was the feeling like through the squad in that season like you guys were like you were up the top yeah we were we we were good we were a good team we knew we were good um
Everything we had a we everything went to plan other than you know we just got rolled at the last hurdle every time but um yeah we had a well rounded Squad like you said um we had a couple of players in a few positions that were probably
The best in the competition at the time you know Jimmy demick and that was at the top of his game plan lock and Jason Smith I think was at 5’8 at the time as well so yeah we had some we had we had a real red hot side but um yeah Melbourne
Storm that they had um really they had a really good side as well they Glenn Lazarus and all that back in those days and Rodney Hal was like on fire that year as well so um you know those games you just you know you they go 5050 and
You either get them or you don’t so um but yeah I had two really good years at param the the fans down there were amazing um you know I um I met some one of my best mates John Wilson’s from well I met him Matt param as well he works
Now at the NRL so um you know I’ve made some lifelong friends down there and obviously that’s where I first met Daniel Anderson as well so I’ve been lucky enough to you know have some good friends from down at par yeah interestingly uh Johnny Simon um he left
Mid-season to go to the Warriors and then you linked up with him the next season so how did that all come about why did you leave the eels and what was it about the Warriors like why did you go to the Warriors because most players
When they get off in contracts to go to the Warriors especially good Australian players they not on your life like why are the Warriors so The Story Goes when I um sign with param there was an option for me for the third year and uh Brian
Smith come to me at one training session and he said oh can we have a chat and he pulled me aside he said mate we uh we’re not going to take up that option for that third year and I’m like oh okay I think it might have been 100 Grand I’m
Not too sure uh so I’m like oh okay and I didn’t really know what to do I’m like oh so what do I do now do I am I free to look around or what happens and he said yeah mate yeah no you’re free to look around
You know but um he and his and his um reasoning for it was that this was when the um unlimited interchange was coming in before previous to that I would just come on and off willy-nilly um he said the game’s gonna yeah the game’s going
To pass you by because um you know it’s going to be unlimited interchange and you’ve got to have some sort of stamina now and blah blah blah and I’m like oh okay so I I contacted my manager and basically said man what’s what’s going
On now and um oh I don’t know what the time frame was but um hum had made contact with my manager and said um we want to have a chat and so I actually met him in the city somewhere down in Sydney um yeah we just had a chat and
Kind of look um talked about you know Sig him with the Warriors and and I didn’t really talk to any other club from that time after parrow and I’m like oh okay and then um um I think it was might have must have been around origin
Time maybe um or we had a buy or something like that and um The Warriors flew me and my family over to New Zealand and my manager to um have a look around basically see what’s going on over there and have a chat when we got
Over there they winded on us a little bit and um took us up the Sky Tower and everything like that in New Zealand and then um then come to my manager and said what’s it going to take for him to sign uh before we before you leave the
Country like oh gosh so we they basically put it in our court and and me and the manager sat down and went well we need this we need that and we put a you know bit bit of cream on top and they went y done they said we’ll sign
You so I signed there and then basically wow I can’t believe there’s no interest from other clubs or did they or did you just go first dibs on the Warriors for showing interest first yeah well I never went to Market no it was kind of not
Known that I was on the market um uh the warrior the Warriors just human just touched Bas with my manager I think I believe my manager Jim benan at the time he um had some players at the Warriors already um so they were probably in in
Contact a bit more anyway and um but yeah it all happened pretty quick M I could not believe it um because you know big a Warriors fan back then like I was I was probably at work listening to it on the radio and I’m hearing the guy who
The crowd always chanted for back Tui you know he’s coming to the Warriors and I couldn’t believe it you know so I was like what a massive and Ivan clear had signed and you had Scott coxon and Matt Spence and David Miles and Benny Li you know there were some good players Scott
PR bridel they were all coming over with you so I thought holy crap the Warriors they’ve signed really well here they looking pretty good for year 2000 yeah yeah absolutely yeah Jason De and Robbie Ms they were already here so it was a few um yeah there was a few good boys
Over here yeah man so we had a really good site actually in 2000 it was you did like you guys had like really high expectations actually from the NRL and the and the Warriors fans and the NRL in general um you know you arried in New
Zealand what was it like coming to New Zealand were you nervous uh and what was it like coming to a new country do you want me to tell you the truth oh I’d love to hear the truth I’m not sure whether I just signed or agreed
To sign or or not but I’d watched once were warriors yeah very recently in that year and I’m like I was expecting to come over there and see facial tattoos marri’s everywhere killing people and everything like that and I’m like oh my God what am I what’s going on here and
When I arrived I stayed at mang out there out near the airport yeah and um there was nothing like it it was there was a lot more Puck of white people and I’m like oh okay this is this is New Zealand so um I soon learned about you
Know South ockland and the areas and where it was made and everything like that but um yeah the first time we actually got over there very very early November maybe even late September sorry October late October and uh because uh I had Scott coxon and David Miles with me
Y and we went down to the pub to put on our bets for Melbourne cup day on the first Tuesday of November yeah well that’s when we saw the crat beer with Tes on there and we’re like oh my God this is once Warriors so we uh we just
Kind of put our bets on and got out of there quick smart and uh again we were just a he’s never seen none of this before none of this Heritage type stuff so we’re just like spinning out and um yeah but never had any trouble not one
Bit of trouble while I was in New Zealand ever it was uh such an amazing place oh that’s awesome man yeah that was uh a question from uh Charlie Ras you really want to know your first impr I know Charles there you go so you’re you’re at the warriors were
The Warriors coaches tough on you because you would have had Mark Graham in your your first season um oh yeah yeah let’s hear about it man what was Mark gra like with Mark Tiki so Mark graah M he was an absolute legend of the game he was an absolute Legend of a
Bloke my memories of Mark Graham were him having a dart on the sideline having a smoke while we’re getting smashed flogged and when we’re hurt and he’s laughing at us and uh it was a rough year that year we didn’t do too well he
Did the first year um but uh yeah he was a great Lo up as far as coaches go he was a tough bugger um but I’ve had better coaches than Mark graah but he was a champion of a BL yep did he um punish you guys like because I know that
You had a couple of massive losses like some 50 point drubbings there was at least one I remember like did he like punish you guys for that sort of thing yeah absolutely yeah yeah we’d get smashed every time yeah and he’d take pride in loving it now we had um there
Was a couple of really good trainers there too as um there was Trevor oh what was his surname there was yeah was Trev was there and um and Sam pipa okay the old kiwi great as well Sam I think that wasn’t Sam Stewart there was yeah there two trainers there and they
Used to just fog the hell out of us that was back when you us you know do 400s and the the science hadn’t really Creed into the game just yet so yeah we’re still getting punished a lot but um yeah that was part and parcel of the
Offseason okay so I got another fan question uh which fits in perfectly around here from Steven Conroy he’d like to know uh your thoughts on when the Warriors trimmed you down and waight and how it changed your playing style Yeah well yeah the Warriors yeah they everyone tried to trim you down and
What I found when I trim down so let’s define trim down first I I I played mostly at around about 118 to 120 and when they trim me down I’d get down to about 114 113 um when I was that when I was around that
1134 I was a little bit too light um I was very mobile I was more mobile than what I was um but I was a little bit light and I just lost all my bump and all my power I wasn’t a very strong as um you in comparison to the weights
Numbers um than some of the boys but um so I used to really rely on me weight to bounce a few plays around so I just lost that that ability to you know bounce a few off and get through the line a little bit um whereas if I had that if I
Was about 118 be a little bit less agile but you definitely had a bit more Steam and a bit more power to get through the line a bit so yeah you could Skittle thanks for that question Steve Conroy I do a bit of coaching with him at the uh
Titans disability side so he’s a good mate okay so uh end of 2000 you guys have had a little bit of a shocker of a season I think you just avoided the spoon by like one win something like that um but the Warriors actually like fell on their sword they basically
Dissolved as a club you’ve got no contract there’s no money there’s no coach there’s no gear how was that for you man like what did you go through man this was hectic so I was getting married for the first time at that stage and uh they stopped paying us for three months
Or two months or something and I’m like oh my God I had a wedding to play for and everything like that while all that was going on all our basically the whole Warriors team was in the Kiwi side so they were in England so we couldn’t even
Communicate and see like what’s going on so um all our boys were like Logan Swan Stacy all those boys had gone away with the kiwis we were in Australia G like gone home for Christmas and all the other Aussies as well and we’re like and
We had a stale mate because the tyi went broke or yeah they so they um rescinded the club and we’re like we didn’t know what was going on no contracts all contracts were null and void because they hadn’t so we no one knew whether we had to leave the club find another club
Or stay strong we’re going to you know all come back together no one kind of knew anything and then um so and we’re kind of in contact with our managers like what’s going on no one knew anything this went on for weeks and months and then eventually well long The
Story Goes that they got old of Stacy over there in New Zealand and a couple of the influential guys I think maybe Logan might have been in there as well and maybe one of and Nigel Vaga maybe I don’t know and uh they kind of were the
First ones to go right will get back on board with this new venture something going on so then then all the cards started falling into place again so we all kind of resigned we all had to sign you so like I said I signed a really
Nice deal with hum Gan for a three-year deal and I only got through about eight months of the good deal and then had to renegotiate so but yeah it was all a bit of turmoil bit of craziness going on um sense prevailed in the end and I think
Um that’s when um Eric Watson came in you know brought a club on its knees and yeah turned it around so yeah it was interesting times let’s say that yeah did you find it quite stressful like with just your home life and everything that must have been tough man absolutely
Yeah I was an Aussie living in New Zealand yeah didn’t know what was going on where we going with this but um yeah like as said it’s all kind of part of the history it’s makes you who you are and um you know there’s always a few
Bumps in the road on the way through so this was just one of them yep well played so 2001 kicks off the Warriors Rec recruited the likes of Kevin Campion and a few other players came in that year but you guys finally beat the Broncos for the first time like how was
That celebrated as Club I know the whole country was in raptures 1312 you let’s just say the Mad Butcher made a poster for us we uh celebrated in the sheds and there’s a real pretty good photo with us all on the beers and everything going crazy there and champagne bottles were
But yeah that was the first time we beat him and we beat him pretty well too I think um we had a really good year that year we um did Eric Watson now came in and really just changed the attitude of everybody um at the club um we had a
Really good uh mix skill mix of young talented kiwis with the Ali laties and that now were you know a year older in NRL kind of Standards um and like you said we brought Campo and he brought um a whole different um concept around the training you know it was really hard
School tough no one got let off the hook you know so um our discipline was really good in that offseason we trained really hard and you know we got the rewards really absolutely did because I remember um in the year 2000 I think the like to Francis Melly Clinton torpy and Henry fa
They sort of got blooded into the Warriors Squad um I remember there was a game against the sharks in 2,000 you guys beat them and I remember the liks of faf had a pretty decent day out scoring the trial to and that was like the start and then 2001 they really
Kicked on the likes of um faili Mali Tori coming from the back that unbelievable and then Ivan clear is studing the ship at the back yeah yeah we had a really we had a brilliant back five to be honest with you yeah they were on fire that was during the tri
Celebration uh era and yeah they were breaking open coconuts and listening to music on them yeah so they had a really and that was again that that kind of time in rugby league is when the Wingers were wedging in and just absolutely um killing our centers and taking their you
Know taking them out like big time so and now that our two Wingers love doing that so you know Francis Melly has got a pretty good highlights for with some big shots does um smash Brent tapes Nick pretty sure it was I think it could have yeah
It probably would have been him yeah because he was doing killing a lot of them out there the for fun there at yeah Brent Tate’s highlights are being smashed by Fran m is pretty awesome getting folded oh I love it um so you guys made the playoffs for the first time like
Finally longsuffering Warriors fans they’ve gone from on their knees to in the playoffs not quite sure how you managed to turn that around in one year that’s amazing like absolutely amazing and you guys come up against your old side and you got telled but what was it
Like playing for the Warriors in their very first playoff match yeah well we um we got I think it was the second last round of the Season we play Melbourne in Melbourne you did and now we have to we have to win that game to finish in I think it was eighth
Place or seventh or eighth place like we had to limp in and um Melbourne scored on the hooa to to um I think it was either draw the game or down by two yeah and then they had the kick from the sideline and and he
Missed it so I think it was MD guy missed it or something so yeah that’s how we scraped through I remember that then I remember our last game was against the Cowboys and we had to try and back up from the emotional high of making the semi for the first time
Knowing that this game against the Cowboys is just a nothing game we were we wereing about semi-finals so it was uh yeah it was a roller coaster year that year for sure but um yeah lots of highing that year we um yeah like I said we were very successful and the crowd
Just our supporters just went nuts they um they’ve been crying out for the Warriors to be successful and you were lucky enough to be a part of that one on the F the first year that they made the semis and then obviously the grand finals so yeah man yeah so let’s go to
2002 uh pretty amazing season like minor Premier just scoring Trice from nowhere Al tities on fire Stacy Jones just had his obviously his best season in my opinion he was unbelievable the whole team was on fire um I I I always remember you and Kevin Campion embracing
You know that that piece of footage when you beat the Sharks you know you’re go to the Grand Final in a Warriors I just think that speaks volumes like what was it like for you man like we’ll talk a bit more about the game but what was that moment like realizing you you’re
Going to the Grand Final oh yeah I just got goosebumps talking about it it’s uh yeah it’s a emotional it was an emotional time um just the whole the whole event um going to that crala game um Eric had just purchased 30,000 tickets for xack kwis that live in Australia just present your
Passport and you get two tickets or something like that so when we went when we got to the game there was we had two W in the crowd it was just and it was a canala home game it was just like surreal and um before the game there’s
Like there was about 15 hackers going around the whole stadium like we’re just sitting there watching the game before and there’s there’s there huers going on everywhere and um there was flags and everything so we definitely had the momentum um going into that one and um
Yeah just at the end of the game like we we we played pretty good in that game too I um Motu Tony I think um scored a try in the corner and T and that so yeah we um yeah with the emotion and just the
Relief that we got there you know it was uh cuz the hype back in New Zealand the hype was like crazy is this our year and all that stuff and we’ve finally done it and all this so um yeah and we we come back um straight after the game I think
It was I think it was straight after the game might have been the next day there was about five or 10,000 people at the airport you know it was they had to usher us through a tunnel because there was like people everywhere they’ll go on ballistic so um the the memories of that
Was crazy then for the Grand Final they put out a thing over the news and everything don’t go to the airport we’ll we’ll bring the players back to the back to Ericson stadium so we they all come well they still had a couple of thousand at the airport but most of them went
Back to the um Stadium after the Grand Final but yeah that that one that konala game was the game that you know I remember most I don’t remember too much about the actual Grand Final to be honest it was a bit of a blur that whole
Week so yeah so um there’s two moments I want to talk about in that sh game one Stacy Jones makes like a bit of a line break and then kicks ahead for Francis Melly who Sprints down the field and I think it’s Paul M kicks the ball out of
His hands he’s about to pick the ball up and score and my heart like jumped out of my chest what was it like for you guys I thought he was going to score for all money you know oh mate honestly I don’t even remember that type of stuff
It was uh the games were so quick I was probably just breathing heavy back on the back under the go place to be honest um but yeah I I I do remember I do remember that vaguely uh and then the other one too was um when Carlo scores
The try that was the other moment Big Johnny car yeah so I actually chased that kick as well believe it or not and he he was just about 10 meters too fast for me how good was John Carlo That season ion that goes right under the radar and
It annoys me because he was such a good player that season came from nowhere you know he was a fine NRL player been to a few clubs but I’ve never seen him play such a solid season and and yeah disar yeah yeah yeah I don’t know where he
Went after that to be honest with you and I still don’t even know where he is now so but yeah I uh yeah he was definitely a good player yeah man he was Unreal okay so Grand Final we got to talk about the Grand Final a little bit
It’s kind of the biggest moment ever so what was the week like you had Billy Idol you’re training on the field with Billy Idol singing in the background like do you remember much of the week at all oh yeah I remember the week um it
Was uh it was there was not much footy training going on um we we came back after the canala game um and then we basically had recovery and then a media session uh and then we had to get back on the pl I think we might have had
Might have been massages and all that type of stuff got all the media done had to get back on the plane to go to the Grand Final breakfast on the Thursday um and then I think Thursday afternoon we had our only one session for the whole
Week yeah um maybe we did some weights and then Friday might have been the captain’s run um and then Grand Final basically so yeah and then there was more media and all that type of stuff so it was pretty hectic um it was pretty hectic week um buildup to the game
That’s for sure and again lots of Media stuff and um lot you know a lot of hype talk and stuff David tour actually come over as our uh Mentor he was U yeah come and spoke to us on the day before the game I think or the night before the
Game and yeah so we had a few um inspirational kind of people com hanging around with us at the time mean so you started the Grand Final didn’t you I think you did starting prop yeah I H believe it or not I I received the first kickoff and I returned the ball again
Until I watched the replay I didn’t even remember it to be honest with you so I’m like oh really I didn’t really I didn’t I can’t even remember like that being being a thing but yeah they kicked off to me and I yeah I started the in the
Grand Final nice nice so what was it like honestly what’s it like running out to this ridiculously full Stadium hearing the crowd what mean you dream of that as a kid right this is the moment like what’s it like right there was 82,000 people there and uh like I’ve
Never played in front I think the konola game was 46 or something and then there was 82,000 absolutely full Stadium uh again um even when we come off the bus to get into the ground there just thousands of people everywhere you know high five and you’re wanting an
Autograph and everything like that and then um the thing that I remember most was we standing there on the on the staring into the crowd um we’re all kind of looking for our families and things like that but when the both anthems were sung We Could Feel the vibration on your
Skin like it would it would Reverb around you and I’ve never felt anything like that before and it was just the whole the whole um scenario and we were standing out there in front of 80,000 people all singing the New Zealand national anthem and the Australian one
It was just um yeah something to remember and then obviously yeah the game um yeah I received the kickoff returned the ball and the game of the rest of his history and you guys were right in the fight to about 20 to go I mean just before halftime Francis Melly
Was unlucky to not to to pick up that beautiful kick from Stacy Jones in the corner oh who was the fullback um from The Roosters I can’t remember his name top my no it wasn’t burn it was burn wasn’t burn he was on the wing was the fullback
I can’t remember off the top of my head but uh he was quite an underrated fullback because Mullins was on One Wing burn was on the other you had higy and hoders with the two centers I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the fullback is it
Not Reeves no was it someone Reeves or something that no no anyway he he saves the day he he he saves the ball Melly doesn’t get the try but then obviously the great Stacy Jones try off the great jury cuu Tri assist what a try what was that like how
How did the team what was the team chat after that try H we we just knew were in the arm wrestle we just we were never complacent or comfortable at all we all just knew that you know we’re in this we’re in the arm wrestle Now new Beauty we I think we
Hit the lead there 86 or something like that so um um yeah it was just game on basically for us it was a tough day at the office and the roosters that year were renowned for their line speed they’d get up in your face and just try
And Bash you so um you know we were just trying to weather that for the whole game to be honest with you and you know the 4020 by Brad fitler was probably the um the game changer I know they got the penalty and the you know you got hit
Across the ey by with vill and wangi coru and that but um he kicks a 4020 they score off that one puts them back in front and we again couldn’t stem the momentum really yeah fitler turned it on to be honest yeah Craig wi he really stepped up Flanery
H oh Fitz Fitz Gibbon another one like they all just sort of they had a good side score and tries yeah you know going into the final when it was against the roost I like that’s the one side I didn’t want the warus to be playing same
In 2011 when they played Manley it’s like always a bogey side you know it’s like because the’s defense was unreal in 2002 I was just like it’s the side that’s hard to score points against you know yeah yeah no they’re a good side what’s it like going into battle with
Kevin Campion on your side like he’s tough that must have been great for the likes of the forward pack you know absolutely he’s probably the one Warrior that I out of that O2 side that I see the most and I and I you know I’m I’m always catching up with him here on
The go Coast he owns a cleaning business down here so um yeah I uh i’ catch up with him great and M he’s if you when you he’s one of those players when you look around the around the change room around the room and you see him over
There and Stacy Jones if those two are in your side we were confident we can win any game so um you know that he’s the type of player that you just look across and get the confidence that he’s on your team and uh yeah thank God he’s
On my team so um yeah like I said he’s a champion of a Blok and he’ll do anything for you he’s a really nice bloke and um I keep in touch with him quite often to be honest with you oh that’s awesome man so 2003 you guys went close again got
All the way to the semifinals um but what a season you guys were pretty impressive and Brent web came into the siid of the starting fullback and he really lit it up and you guys it seemed like business as usual Warriors are going to go all the way
This time you’ve learned from last year but just falling short what was it like you know for the team that season and for yourself oh same thing I think um I I think uh looking back on that 03 season it’s very tough to back up after a grand
Final win or loss um so we were trying to be better um I don’t know if we got better we just maintained it and again in this in that um era you know there was a lot of sides that are even um it could have go either way every single
Time kind of thing so um to say like you know we we did we overachieved again um we just yeah we didn’t just get to that final hurdle you know yeah because you had some cracking playoff matches like you smok the Bulldogs Francis Melly five
Tries hell of a game but the one that iin goes under the radar again is the 1716 Victory against camra like that was tough you guys were behind like 10- n or something right no I didn’t I wasn’t playing there at that time I’m not too
Sure I might have had an injury at that stage okay I’m not sure but I didn’t play in that Panthers semi-final yeah yeah that was tough it was tough because I thought you guys are honestly you’re got go all the way I think that was the thing because you made the final the
Year before looked like business as usual yeah you guys were unbelievable he like like SI fena and all these guys all the ball skills did you guys like train like to to play like that what was the training style like Daniel Anderson had you guys doing something
Special yeah well Daniel Anderson was a really good coach he um he basically let those guys the alities and F winers and that just do their thing um they had their attributes that were good even Ali Lati you know he um he was uncontainable and um they Daniel Anderson just had to
Kind of teach him when and where and how to do it but just you know do it when at will whenever you want kind of thing so we weren’t afraid to throw the ball around um we just had to learn how to control the ball better and you know we
Really focused hard on skills um just because you know if there’s going to be an offload in our own half catch the bloody ball don’t so it’s not a risky offload it’s just an offload so play on so um I remember yeah we had a real good offseason with like around the skill
Element of it and the offload and you know just sticking to your strength basically so um yeah yeah that he never never once coached um you know don’t do that early or anything like that it was always you know go play your footy this is our game plan how we get there you
Know who cares you know okay I thought it was amazing um you know I’ve heard stories of the sandpit or want don’t know what’s the sandpit there’s probably a lot of people who don’t know and I know you didn’t enjoy it what’s the sand pit and why do you hate it so
Much well I have a not a phobia but I have a big hatd for sand and I don’t like it on my body so um yeah the sand pit was um it was a punishment kind of um area when we weren’t defending well
As a team um but it was also a now they have the foam all the foam padding rooms and all the soft and stuff so we used to just get in the sand it was um it softened it up for you so not not you
Didn’t get hurt as much but you seem to go harder and get hurt more so it was a real Catch 22 uh they they built a s pit underneath the southern stand at Ericson were before they did all the renovations and um it had like a nice little cover
Over it and everything like that so it was always looked after and uh yeah you J basically got in there got three or four meters apart and then just RI shreds off off each other so uh that was basically in a nutshells just tackle Tech and you just flog each other
And you couldn’t get as fast a run up because you’re on Sand so that was the behind the we go in the sand pit and make it a little bit easy for you which it wasn’t and um yeah the coaches just loved watching us go nuts and just smash
Each other in there and one one memory I was just telling this story to a couple of mates the other day um there was a guy named Frank Paul nasala oh I remember him and also the late Sunny far these K two kids were kind of 18 17 18
In the academy Squad and they brought them into train with us every other every other week and uh Frank Paul just absolutely flogged all us old BLS and just was hurting us and we’re like mate what are you doing calm down and uh yeah we we he just went hard and that’s just
How we trained and then know he went on and you know done some amazing things in league as well so but yeah the S pit is definitely torturing I don’t wish any upon anyone to go in it oh you guys were pretty hard forward P so did it work
Because I I did I he something like um then answer said if few forwards didn’t get suspended at least once a season you weren’t doing your job is that true absolutely yeah I had Brian Smith tell me once Mark your job is to hurt people yeah um so can you please start
Doing that I’m like oh okay Brian sorry mate but uh but yeah I uh you know back the game’s changed a little bit and my job was obviously to wear people down um and you know be an enforcer and also protect Stace in the halves so the
Game’s changed a little bit in that aspect but um it’s definitely um it was definitely a tough job and uh yeah but I enjoyed it I wouldn’t change I think nice man okay so 2004 it didn’t go well for the Warriors at all I had Caesar tickets too for the
New East stand but it wasn’t finished so I had to sit on the other side watch you guys I think you only got about six wins that year narrowly avoided the spoon by four and against uh so what happened man because because you sort of left that season Aly left
Was there any in particular I was G I was going to say I don’t know where where they end up finishing because I was overseas but uh yeah I left I left uh with 10 games to go the reason I left was um back then when you go when you
Got super when you want to go to the England Super League you had to be to be a professional rugby league player you have to have um played uh 75% of your of your NRL games most recently and as soon as you wer playing you’re starting to
Lose your percentage um so yeah I had to leave then at the time I I got notified that England were interested cuz Castleford Tigers were going to get relegated um and they needed some Aussie guys one of their Aussie guys had just done his ACL so his season was over so
They needed to replace an Aussie so I I got notified that maybe there might be somebody over there and I was playing um I was playing in in in Australia at New Town Jets yes cuz I couldn’t get a run I was on the outou of there at the
Warriors and um yeah there was a little bit of turmoil um Ali Ali got his marching orders and he walked out of the club pretty much on the day y yeah he got he went in had an interview had a chat with um um not Eric Watson Mick
Watson the CEO at the time and then Mick walks him out to the change rooms he gets his stuff and walks out through our weit session and we’re all like what is going on here and then we all just thought oh he’s got to go to you know go
And have doing something else and then word got around he just been marched out out of the club and we were all just like what and then that was pretty much there was a Snowball Effect after that to be honest with you I I don’t know if
Daniel Anderson was told to leave or asked to leave or Daniel Anderson left I really don’t know his situation he went uh and I I think I was just after that so um once he left um Kempy was in charge Tony Kemp took over the coaching role and then
Um I think the opportunity had come and I just went and had a chat with Campion said mate what’s me chance is a player and he’s like not much uh so I just said okay sweet as I’ll take up this opportunity and go to England so I had
To kind of pack up a house and get over to England and within about 11 days or something before before my Visa was uh didn’t work or something like that so it was all a bit of a snowball but yeah it was a tough year in uh’ 04 uh could I
Tell you what happened no not really they they tried to maybe you know go one better and try and change things up and it just didn’t work and um I don’t know if they were trying to be better and they put pressure on Ali or what it was
But um yeah that was kind of The Snowball Effect after that tough year after so much success you know so you you wind up at Castleford Tigers what’s the experience like going over to the UK and just trying something different it was it was hectic I i’
Never in my wildest streams had even thought of the UK to be honest with you um well truth be known if the crushes didn’t fold I would have been a one club man I would I was never gonna leave so I was very loyal in that aspect so I um
When I went over to Castleford I was like wow so I went over by myself uh my wife stayed in um in Australia at the time and um I was there for I got over there during um during summer where the sun didn’t go down till 11:00 at night
Oh you’re kidding so I’m like going what is going on here I didn’t know I didn’t know nothing what was going on like with how it all work so I ended up having 10 SE 10 games over there in in at Castleford trying to get him out of
Relegation myself Steven Crouch uh we went over there as these two Aussie guys trying to get him out of relegation we won we had to win seven of our last 10 and we ended up winning six of them so and they’d won one game in the first 18
So it was really you know it was high pressure high stakes cuz they ended up getting relegated that’s why I went down to London but um it was uh very close with we had to beat um oh I can’t remember we had to beat sford let’s say
It was sford U but we also had to have Wakefield Trinity lose so there was a few things that had to happen our way and we ended up um losing anyway and then Wakefield won so okay it was a relegation I had a really good time over
In Castleford it’s a just a you’re in the boiler made it everyone in the the crowd know who you are that you can’t go shopping without them knowing who you are you they’re right in your grill so um I went down to London and then no one
Knows who you are in London it’s a big place down there so so uh what Memories did you have from London and the UK was there any particular standout moments was London in the the Top Flight like in first division yeah I enjoyed my time at
London I just found that it was a little bit too teared the comping over in Super League um the top six eight teams were very good NRL quality and then the bottom four to six te team were struggling um maybe average NRL team maybe Reserve grade at best kind of
Thing um but they were were all scrapping we had a really good time I was living in London obviously and uh you know you could get overseas to all the little places uh uh in your weekends off or whatever so if you had a buy so
Um in that aspect it was really good I I just um it was uh really different the offseason training was in the winter so you started training at minus 6 degrees zero you know um you’re you’re running around in mud um with three layers of
Clothes on and then by the end of the training session you’re in a shirt and shorts because you’re you’re you’re gassed you know so um just that aspect you know we’re used to training in 40 degree heat here in Australia and you go over there and training in minus one or
Two and couple of training sessions got canceled because um the ground was frozen so we had to kind of wait an hour for it to throw out things like that so those kind of things were all Novelties um I remember my first one of the first games I played for um
London Broncos I it started snowing while we were while we were playing so that was like I’m just like I remember sitting on the bench looking around going oh Snow’s falling uh and then the traino says to me it was actually Rowan Smith Brian’s son was our assistant
Coach he’s like get ready you’re ready to go and I’m like are you serious no one mate so we went out there we played Wakefield Trinity uh and it was at brenford um in at our home ground and we won 72 nil oh wow our goal kicker kick
12 from 12 in the snow and that was that was Paul Sykes I remember that game pretty vividly but again I didn’t get to appreciate the snowfalling as a Noy down there in London so but I had plenty of really good times over there and um you
Know again get to see the world from over there as well so yeah that’s amazing good way to sort of finish off the career know you played in three different countries at that point that’s pretty cool yeah it’s awesome AB quick fan questions that we put out on the
Facebooks and social medias today um what was your favorite Club to play for so this is from Ashley Pope was it the Crushers eels or The Warriors n definitely the Warriors 100% yeah I was there for five years um very successful the people there are amazing and I i’
I’ve married a kiwi girl now as well so I love the kiwis over there and they’ve um taken me in with open arms and um yeah I I’ll get back to New Zealand as much as I can whenever I can so um yeah absolutely love the place lovely okay so
From t f sorry if I pronounce that wrong who do you rever as the toughest to tackle coming off The Back Fence um Ruben Wiki was always the hardest for me um he was definitely the when I’ve been asked this question about a thousand times but yeah definitely
Ruben Wiki he was um when you tackled him he hurt you when he tackled you he hurt you so um yeah and then again the obvious ones are the web keys and the Pedro s receivers you at the Broncos they just were Relentless as well so there’s plenty of players that you hated
Tackling but um Ruben Wiki definitely stands out he ended up he was a center ended up in the front row and he was so fast and Powerful was ridiculous and he’s worse now he’s bloody bigger than he was when he played oh hell good okay so Troy Warner
From the parac cave podcast he wants to know more about the work you do uh with the disabled sport Sportsman women what do you do there yeah absolutely so uh how it all basically started my daughter I’ve got three daughters and my middle daughters got severable py in a
Wheelchair um fully Able Body fully able minded but she’s just um confined to a wheelchair obviously with the legs so um being around that and then um I I was doing a bit of cading for a blind golfer as well so um between the two of those
During covid I’m like I might as well just get involved in blood disability stuff so I became a support coordinator um a support worker sorry and um I I work I got a job with CPL down here and I basically motivate um athletes or even young people with a disability to get
Keep keep active you know so um don’t worry about what you can’t do it’s more about what you can do and let’s kind of roll with that so I I got involved with that as much as I could um I’ve been running the Big T Sports kind of event
Stuff so I went into doing a little bit um more activity with the with the um disability side of things um I now caddy for um blind golfers so I travel around Australia um um cadan for those guys my fell at the moment’s doing really well
Um I coach the Titans disability side so um I I know I I um uh what’s his name Craig Wallace Jared Wallace’s Dad I’ve known Craig during the footy times and uh he was uh he contacted me and said I I do some stuff at the ‘s disability
Stuff are you interested to come and help and I’m like hell yeah so I went down there and I kind of assist with one of the sides there and that’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done is to see um these young um men with um all men
And women with disabilities um having a crack at rugby league it’s just impossible to Fathom kind of thing when you see them do it and it’s so rewarding and I I get out there and play as the able-bodied player sometimes so I just you know pass the ball to him and help
Tackle and stuff like that so and it’s just uh unbelievable so along all those kind of lines yeah that’s what I’m doing now I do a lot of the disability I just hosted a boxing event like I did the promotion of it and two uh two clients
From the footy actually jumped in the ring and had a fight and uh you know again they had no boxing experience whatsoever I just said let’s have a go what’s what do you got to lose and they really put on a really good show and had fun stepped out of their comfort zone
And I and I’ve opened them up now to Being Fit healthy and trying to you know do other things and challenge themselves so you know I love doing that and that’s the most rewarding part of my job at the moment it has to inspire you like every
Day just to get out of bed and get every day yeah it’s they never cease to amaze me mate every single day crazy so awesome um okay uh Joey from The Rock infringement podcast just want to say toes I assume you know what that means that’s all how you going Joey okay uh
Okay this one’s really important you’re not allowed to get this wrong from R Dempster Tiki do you credit your wife I know her she’s looking at me do you credit your wife’s cooking for looking Slimmer these days so answer very carefully I’ll answer very diplomatically she’s gonna throw
Something at me if it’s wrong but um it’s her lack of cooking actually that uh has slim me down we uh yeah no she’s uh yeah I’ve been married to re now just over a year we just celebrated our uh anniversary our first year anniversary and uh
We’re we’re a pigeon pair to be honest with you we um we’ve been together now five years and we uh we she absolutely loves rugby league and we we love the motor cars uh the V8 Supercars and that as well so we have a very um you know
The same interests in um yeah it’s um but yeah her cooking is um very average and um if I want anything cooked I have to do it myself bit smaller all right couple more we got Dean Clark Who was the player you feared most during your
Career um well the player I feared most not because he was going to hurt me or anything it was more Joe Andrew Jones he was a pain in my ass he uh he used to pick on me all the time whenever I got tied he’d let me know and he you know
He’d be sledging me um he was he’s the greatest player I’ve ever played against and uh he used to scare the [ __ ] out of me to be honest so uh um not for any reason that he’s going to hurt me or but he would he could smash me tooo he a he
Was a great defender but um yeah Andrew Jones is the greatest player I’ve ever seen closely followed by um Jonathan s um Jonathan firsten that’s an awesome answer okay last one uh who was the person you owe that gave you a Kickstart to your career oh I’d have to be Brian Edwards
Um Brian Edwards is um a really really really good friend of mine um he was uh the recruiter man for the crushes at the time he did his trade underneath um the great serial Connell um so he he’s been now recruiting I reckon for 40 years uh
Brian um he founded me um way back in the day again I was just a little rly poly fat kid who could run a little bit in pass and um he he actually saw you know what I could do and um he was a big
Big reason that I’ve gone on to where I am now obviously my mom and my stepdad um you know they did take me along and I I really think they living in Logan obviously there’s a lot of um disruption and you can go down the wrong path very
Easily but um they they when I look back now they kept me very busy um and you know I love doing footy and if I wasn’t doing footy I was doing cricket and if I wasn’t there I was little Athletics or whatever so they kept me busy and I you
Know kept me out of harm in other ways uh and um you know I have to credit um especially like Mom for you know doing that and leading me down that path but um but yeah Brian Edwards would be the most influential person he he was the
One who founded me and it’s funny after I retired I came back and I contacted Brian and he got me a job with the caters in the end so I was a recruitment man for the in the camp Raiders for eight years as well so um yeah he’s been
Very influential in my life that’s awesome well that was asked by Alicia Edwards so sorry Alicia I forgot to mention your name there so great question um okay so friend of mine Alicia I have to shout out TOA how are you awesome I’ve got a few fun questions
That I always ask uh my guests on the show who’s going to win the comp in 2024 well Warriors of course mate good answer who else they’ll play penth in the final okay what’s your favorite TV show my favorite TV show well me and the misses we have a really good uh What
Would you call it we play Coronation Street oh everyone loves but but bbl’s getting a good flogging at the moment too so she doesn’t really like the cricket but um yeah I’m I’m uh I’m watching The Cricket at the moment a good stuff man any sport to be honest
Any sport oh you got a lot Sports mate very last question if you were on death row and this one’s so appropriate for you if you were on death row what would your final meal be my final meal the final meal wow I I want I want to answerer my final
Day of life I would love to go have a game of golf in the morning y go to bingo at night have a game of Bingo and then I’ll finish with ice cream oh any kind of ice cream will do me oh that’s amazing oh thank you so much man it’s
Been absolute pleasure uh hearing about your career getting to meet you how good is that um I’m sure everyone’s enjoyed hearing all the little details and paths and Journeys you’ve taken to become the amazing fan favorite you’ve been throughout your career so thank you so much for your time man
A awesome M an absolute pleasure and hope to see us all over there in New Zealand when we get over there um I’m hoping to get over there for a couple of the games so yeah come and say good day oh good stuff man so thank you everyone
For watching thank you for your questions for Mark Tuki um get amongst the social platforms uh get on the Facebook group it’s growing like wildfire uh point a difference rugby league so I’ve been your host Dave this has been back in the day with Mark Tiki
And we’ll see you guys next time for kickoff thanks f full time
1 Comment
Great career may you succeed in your next venture in life big Tooks