#54 | Jacob Preston

Thanks guys, thanks so much.

No, we love you.

I had nothing to do.

With that, mate, No, who cares.

Hey, Jacob, thanks for coming over me. No worries, mate, thank you going me on and finally got out of you.

Yeah, yeah, that's yeah, it's a big talking point. Presto. My message Pressto reckoned a month ago, just before his suspension. He was like, yeah, bloody, he only lives up the road.

Bloody.

I THO keenurs come on? And then and I was like, he's keen to go on. Sometimes you get the vibe where someone's not yea, Presto, mate, let's get over, let's get in there. And then boss, it was like the earth had just ended and Presto had gone underground.

Or suspensions do that?

Yeah, well I don't know if they do. And then he he must be you must be a hard blow to date.

Yeah. I think I text my misses a bit better than I've got back to you.

So I was gonna say, if you're better than doing that, because she would have left you pretty.

Quick if I tear what YouTube blokes in the same room. Wow, I mean I remember the day Bo, what you was that made both for manly you and yeah.

Yeah, Brook, you over your bulldog's day. Mark. Yeah, he come on off the bench and you sub someone off quite quickly too. They must have blown out of steam. Joey Simpson, Nah, I think Ray might have gone to the middle.

And then I moved into the.

Of course, and your parents were sitting next to me. That was a weird thing. Yeah, I'm in there watching and then I heard him. Your mum must have mentioned your name and I looked over and someone told me, oh, that's Jacobs. Yeah, played well too. He did play well. He played really really good.

Didn't didn't break any tackles.

It was a tough day, but you guys prettle bit of a score on us.

But isn't it funny how far the club has come. I remember that that first day it was like Ciro's. It was Siro's first game. He charged with all this hope and I thought you guys were strong in the first twenty minutes, but you just sue the combination. They hadn't form like Berdo and Villi Army were oil and water. They couldn't get their combination going. But usually come a long way to see them.

Jacob, Yeah, definitely. I think the obviously we didn't start too well in twenty The first game wasn't too good, but I think the first five rounds of twenty twenty three after that we actually played some half decent footy. We beat Melbourne and Melbourne and that.

But yeah, that's right.

Then the year kind of went downhill from there, But twenty twenty four and onwards it's, yeah, it's definitely gone up here.

You can see like it takes people sometimes when they get like a star player overt all club or like a new coach and they want instant success. It's like, we've got this boat, now we're going to kill it. That was a bit like that year with the Dogs, where it was like you guys had Foxy come over, Birdo kickout and everyone was like that, they're going to make an instant impact. But it takes. It takes at least a couple of years to get like combinations people.

Yeah, definitely, I think that twenty twenty three year it was a lot of kind of learning new systems. Obviously some of the boys had you've been under zero at Panriff but for a lot of the boys at the club, there's a lot of learning the system and some kind of I guess couldn't really get their heads around it. But yeah, another year on twenty twenty four, it kind of started to click. And now this year it's got even better.

Jacobs and guys. It's not just even like understanding each other's games, understanding the angles to run, how you like to receive the ball, all those things. It's as very simple sometimes as just catching another person's pass. I always say a pass every playmaker's pass has. It's like a thumb print. Everyone's just slightly different. And I remember playing for it with Andrew for a long time and then go to a different halt for inormation and the ball

Yeah, even some hearts like catching a little bit wider or closer to the rock. So just been tough sitting on the sidelines.

I imagine I'm telling you they're missing you that that last game,

Yeah, and I'm definitely missing being out there and I can't wait to get back when you got one more game now. But yeah, because it's quite a long stint.

I didn't think they gave you enough suspension.

Anyway.

Yeah, the eye gouging.

Because it was quite a long stin kind of been like a little mini preseason, I guess. So the boys got a couple of days off during the by round last week, but I've been in most days training hard and Travy Tumar.

Oh it's bloody tough, isn't it. Rehab rehab trainings is a lot harder. I mean, sorry, suspension training overheal training. When you're not trained with the main group a lot of the time because they're playing, it is to they

They might match them, so like it's pretty much like planning getting the same columber as you're doing the game. But you're just doing like.

Aimless running and I put it up a little bit closer to the Yeah there, I'm really on the bit.

My radio sensibility is kicking a big game against Paramounta two traditional rivals up against each other. You know a lot about the history of these two clubs up against each other.

In the eighties.

Yeah, a huge and the massive battle the including.

The fact that when Paramuter won the first premiership in nine to eighty one, the fans burnt the old Cumberland Oval green Sea into the ground. So that's when they had to build so where Paramount of Stadium was now it's so combank. Yeah there used to that used to be a ground called Cumberland Oval, had a green sea in there and it was it was run down, it was like decrepit and when they won them their first ever competition, the fans just burnt it to the ground.

So it's like what it's like Penrith and Power this year right come back? Yeah, Wow, Wow. Who would you say is the biggest rivalry, like, because it feels like Bulldogs have a rivalry like everyone.

Yeah, a lot of clubs, but I'd say probably Big Power.

Yeah.

And then obviously Good Friday was always a big game.

That's a big it's a Jacob. It's such a great club. And I'm saying that because you're here, say the people, it's such a great club. When the Newcastle Knights coming in ninety eight, we stole your players, we stole your coaches, We tried to steal your culture, everything about it, like the Newcastle Knights, the foundations of that club. You know, we're if you had an architecture looking after but we had the same architect as you, Blake, So we tried

Yeah, Bellmore was incredible. I've played a couple of games, been lucky enough to play a couple of games there now, and it just seems every time we like every game, next time we play at Belmo, it gets bigger and bigger. There was a game there against Camber last year and look,

Yeah, do you find that, Like you're a kid from the northern beaches, Like you see the scenes over in Belmore after you guys win and it's just like DJ's in the streets, like Belmore is basically shut down. It's like every week's a Grand Final like it basically it looks like how Liverpool is at the moment when they when they win the football, like they shut the streets down. There's like flares going off, like it's insane. Is that like just crazy for you being out there?

It is, It's crazy. It's definitely different what I've kind of grown up. But then go on and get and be part of it. It's so special and I say it all the time, but we have the best fans in the game and to make them happy. It's unreally, they are.

A loyal fan. Like someone was telling me the other day one of the boys who went to the Bulldogs and then a few years later ended up leaving. He said, when he went to and this is a very modern take on this, when he went to the Dogs, he gained like twenty thousand social media followers straight away and he said when he left, they all unfollowed him. Yeah, it shows how loyal these fans are, like to get

They support you no matter what. Yeah, they're very loyal. But yeah they give your stuff, They give your presents and stuff at fans honey stuff. I got given a shirt the other day, like just at a fan signy. Think it's crazy.

That's good. So that area defined by the football team in a lot of ways, you know, and vice versa is the fans and the people of that community they draw, they draw a steam soff esteem by how the football side's going. It's just it's just insane and do you know what pressure There's been a lot of tough years with the Bulldogs and it's not nice going, you know, when you've got the foot in your throat all the

Yeah, definitely for sure. Like like I was saying in twenty twenty three, it's kind of the opposite end of the spectrum. It was very very much as struggle towards the back end there. We had a game against Newcastle sixty six nil and that was definitely tough times. But to see where we've come come from and who we're at now, and then the crowds and stuff slowly built up along the way, it's very special.

You see. Like those young blokes who like the Boys, are the young fellows that went into that Penricide who started winning comp like Burdo Critter, they come into a team where you almost expect every year it's going to come kind of easy and you're going to win a Grand Final every year, Like a lot of you guys at the Dogs have come in at a time where you understand how hard it is to not just make the top eight, but to like get to a Grand final,

Nah, for sure, we know we've done nothing yet, like kind of learned a lot from last year. We kind of went on a bit of a run there and got to the finals and we kind of burnt out. I guess a little bit. It wasn't really how we wanted to end the year and to kind of put a fire under our belly to go bigger and better this year. And I think it's pretty evident with how we're training and you're not getting complacent at all.

This is going to be a mega game against Earls because Eels are really starting to form. You can see that, Rosies, all the stuff that Rosey tried to put in those early rounds with Mitchell Moses coming back in the side, you can see that, you know, all the things like something last week, you know, Jacob looking at some of their little attacking sequences and players were very very classy. Yonge's starting to really pick up and find himself. It's

They're trying to beat the Good Friday crowd, which was sixty five thousand. That's their goal. Well, they're doing the ten dollar tickets again did on Good Friday. That's their goal wherever they get there, and I'm not too sure, but it would be pretty crazy to see that was the biggest regular season crowd ever?

Is that at a call, wasn't it?

Yeah?

Yeah, you don't get like they get it at Origin and Finals, but you'd always see when you watch a cor on TV and you see like half one side's full, the camera goes the other side, it's just completely empty. That game when you just played Good Friday, that was chaos A like, yeah, it was.

It was incredible. We kind of we kind of walked out of the hotel as well as before the game, we stayed at the Pullman and the Bulldogs kind of organized a fan get together like, so we walked out the hotel when the scenes were incredible, it was like see your people one hundred meters worth of people just fully bulldogs, kid it up, cheering us on. And it was very cool experience as well. And we're told you kind of just.

Embrace it the call walk. So what happen on day game?

Yeah?

Okay, and then so that you're starting that tradition where you walkers turning through the fans to the stadium.

Yeah, yeah, Well that was for Good Friday. We don't do that every week, okay, but yeah, that was obviously a big occasion and we wanted to embrace the big crowd and kind of get a taste of it. So yeah, that was very special. And but yeah we do we stay out there before games as well.

Ye right, yeah, it's a good policy. I just love staying away the nothing. It's YouTube and I love you.

I think it gets you a good night's sleep. Do you have a roomy? Do you guys do roomy? Still?

Yeah?

I haven't had a roomy, kind of swapped and changed a couple, but.

I've had who's been this year?

Harry Hayes is how interesting character, but he's a great.

So Harry Hayes, He's he's not the one who only debuted this year, right.

He debuted last year, but he's been in the team ever since. Yeah, yeah, he's been going really well. Actually he's actually living at Baga.

So you see other the Northern Meachs as well.

Yeah, he's a Central Coast boy, but he's he's moved down to here and moved to Canal for a bit, but he's living Baga.

Now what's he what's we about him? He's got any

He's just an interesting.

Humor.

Yeah said humor, but is talking about weird sense of humors? Max King one of the great How he is so undercover funny, Like he's so funny for a bloke who kind of like seems unassuming and very quiet, and then once he gets comfortable in a group, you can't stop him from talking.

Can't he spin a yarn? But like, honestly, I was quickly say I want to give a massive shout out to Maxie because he's origin Deaby. Was so good to see Bloody on real and yeah, so happy for him.

Got it wrapped for him too when Laurie put him on, like the first was first change. Yeah, he came on. Of course I didn't kick off to Spencer, kicked off the Max. He says, I don't know what it says more about Spencer Max but less. But he's terrific.

Oh man, he's such good and we were at Melbourne together. But he when he heard his achilles, it was like borderline retirement, like king, he was. He was so like low mentally he was. He do like nine months of rehab, come back first run and he just gets so much pain in it again that he couldn't even like they just couldn't. They just had him on a what bike for so long and he was like so the physios didn't even know what to do. They were like, we

You know.

The other thing about Max is and everybody's different, everyone has their different bullies. But he is a man of faith. He says that all the time. For him to go through a really difficult period like that, there must have been times that he was questioning going, oh like you know what I mean?

Yeah, to help me or what yeah, yeah, I know what you mean, I know what you mean. He's a big believer. I think he gives a lot of Well I've seen his partner come out even when he made his day Bill and was like, obviously they're very into their faith and they gave a lot of that sort of gratitude back to God.

Good on him.

Since you've been to church, me in school, probably since school. We impressed. They went the same school. It was a Catholical Christian.

Ridden right yeah, okay, well okay, what were.

You doing rest? They can't read all right?

Catholic school.

Yeah, you're a few years younger than me because I was in your brother's year.

Dana was in your ye.

Yeah, actually saw your old man at seven eleven the other day. Yeah, but your you have a youngest brother as well.

Yes, it would have been my stepdad.

Yeah but yeah, yeah, yeah he would have come up. I was young in him for ages.

Yeah he's a good fellaw.

Yeah, yeah, I was for you. Hey, what's ages for you?

The chat? Yeah, we sat there probably forty five minutes in the seven eleven minutes are.

Forty five minutes and the seven eleven Yeah, we're there for mate.

We were there for ages. We were literally spinning yards for so long like that with people because we just filled up and there was cars like banking up behind where our cars were filling up and just like waiting for us to leave.

Okay, let's the conversation, can you.

Yeah.

A lot of it was about Jacob, and then we started talking about Dane, who I went to school with. He was in my age. And then we started talking to your youngest and he was telling me how much you love footy. He had like footy he had. I think he had bulldog shorts on.

Actually he actually last year was the ball boy for the dogs. But was he He actually tackled at Streaker, but yeah, it was funny.

Streaker like he's like eight or nine? Though?

Is he he's fifteen?

Now fifteen? She's not a bad judge of I cannot pick kids age anymore. I was watching these kids trained down at Cholera the other day and I was watching train for ages and I was like, how good are these guys going? Like I thought they were under seventies because they look quite big. They were like under eleven's The kids are getting bigger and bigger.

Sure yeah, yeah, sure good on them.

Yeah.

Eating the old church talking about that before, I just I think the only time I go to church to these days is funerals, even weddings. I sort of way to get there, sort of stayed head towards the back.

Yeah, pretty morbid, pretty morbid thing to bring up your.

Sure, you know, as you get older, you know, as you get older and you sort of you get off more of the depressing sort of things. I find drinking after a funeral is actually fun the way I wouldn't say the word be fun. I'd probably get more of a shine or a buzz, like you know, they get that sort of feeling that comes of it's hard to explore.

Well, I suppose, like me and pressed those age right now, it's like birthdays and weddings is like the big events I suppose for you, Like you're done really celebrating birthdays and weddings. Your only real time to get together as a group is funerals. So that I suppose is like your weddings now.

Right, man, that's true, It's it's actually it's actually very very true. Yeah, yeah, it is actually quite depressing. You get there sometimes. But but I didn't mean that when you go to twenty first or stuff there or weddings and that you have a beer afters. But when you go to a funeral and everyone's emotions are on edge and things are down there. After a few beers, everything just really starts to pack up. Well, Hence wedding crashes. Wedding crashes compared to Chaz, you.

Haven't seen wedding crashes.

I have, But yeah, Will Ferrell's characters, so Vince fitz Vawn and Owen Wilson their characters. They crash weddings to pick birds, ladies and uh, and they come across Will Ferral. He's a bandoned weddings. He goes, man, I've got a funerals. He goes, women there are so hard.

I should watch it. Press that's good.

I did I remember watching him?

I was, yeah, watching tonight watch last Treament watch it is.

Now impressed it now pressed her. Let's now, let's keep this tight. You know, I absolutely understand. I'm just going to ask you this. I'm not going to ask you about what position he may play against Paramatt or anything like that. Lachlan Galvin, how's he how's he doing?

Yeah, he's only been in for a couple of days, but he's been really good. He's a really nice fella. He's been ripping in at training and he's really can learn all the systems and stuff, and yeah, he's a really good kid.

Impressed her with the football.

Yeah, definitely lots of skill there, lots of it.

Looks like you played against him a lot.

I actually had never played against him. Last time we played the Tigers, I was injured, which was last year, and I haven't had the chance.

You didn't play one thirty. A lot to you more three o'clock.

What's because he's got what I want to talk about it because you've you're known, you had a lot of great haircuts and the Bulldogs, right, you have an excellent haircut. The Northern Beach is mullet, it's great. A bit of blonde through it. I'm sure you squirt lemon and when you're when you're home alone. Lachlan Garvin's haircut now it's making a lot of headlines at the moment. Is is he copying flak at training because he looks at it's like the bowl cut.

Is it too early to take the fish out of it?

Yeah?

I saw that picture with the ball cut, but it doesn't look that bad in person.

So yeah, yeah, might have just been a bad day.

Yeah, it might have been a bad Engle woman too, sure of view commercials, you.

Know, but yeah it looks like Lloyd Christmas Fro dumb and dumber.

He does.

He's got that in there.

He does. Any of the boys, like any any piss take or anything like that going on in practical jokes on him?

Yeah no not yet, Yeah, now yet they'll come. Yeah, they'll come, for sure, they will.

Yeah, who gets who is like the practical joker in the squad? Who gets on top of like like those are kind of awkward situa iss when everyone's like, oh hey, Lachla must whos the one that breaks the ice?

For sure?

Yeah? Creat is a man and he's awesome and kind of breaking the ice and making everyone feel comfortable. We think he's done amazing jobs since he came in doing that and he connects the group.

Is Turps there, Jakie Turpin as well. He's one of the great ice breaker.

I've never met him before. And then I was at a at a pub in Brisbane. There was a long lineup and Coopers Mate, there's bloke just out the front of Mate out the front. He wants he wants to know can you get him in? I looked out and

Okay, So I think that was a magic round or something and weird, weird sort of night for Terps, dad and I. It was karaoke at this bar and brizzy and it also managed to come inside with sex Bow.

A strange conclusion to reach one a northern hotel.

But we were sitting around having a beer and then like this guy she was asking terms like how long we'd be together, and I was like what, and Turfs goes, oh, like just to start coming because they're all in there, and like the kinky sort of couples and terms have been saying the medium been dating for like three years.

Yeah, that was. It happened to me and Joey once. We were out once and Blake come up and go, you guys partners and we're like, what, I've got a better taste than that. I mean, we have sex, but we are from cesnoch.

You know that is very true.

Last thing, unlock you can. I asked you did he has he did? They ask him to address the group? Do you address the group in any way, shape or form, not asking for the contents? No, no, no, no, just got on.

Gott got in and trained and yeah, it's been been really good.

Look do you look nervous?

Yeah, I think it would have been. It's like anyone's first It's kind of like your first day of school. You're always nervous. But the boys got around him and.

You guys got like a pretty mad It looks like from the outside looking and he's a mad close group, particularly this year. It looks like you celebrate every wind, you celebrate all the tries. It looks like anyone gets pushed over, you guys back them up and try to fight whoever it is is. Do you like I suppose it's a professional sport, Like you all get on with it. But do you feel like is that like putting is Galvin coming like affecting anyone's like head or anything. Everyone's pretty sweet.

Yeah, everyone's sweet. Everyone just gets on with it. Yeah, Like like you said, we're really connected and we're just welcome in, welcomed him in. So yeah, it go out there and ye're welcome and it's been really good.

You get there sometimes within clubs and people on the outside will say, oh, mate, this is what's going in the club is obviously really expecting the group. From my experience, players just get on with it, you know what I mean. Yeah, you just you get on with the game.

It's like when it's like when players, it's like when fans go, how could he sign for this club in twelve months time? But all the boys are off him and it's like no one, no one ever cares.

You all getting a new contract, that's fine, No one ever.

I've never seen someone go, mate, go up to someone and go like pressed, I can't believe you signed for them next year. That's it, Like no one ever really gives the ship's.

Yeah a presser, how's Cameron how's coach soeraldo going? Has he turned into a coach? Hit? Yeah, because I don't think you're not a first grade coach unless you become angry and paranoid.

Is he is?

He same old sera, same old zero.

Definitely not angry your parently with it all.

Yeah.

Yeah, he's very calm and collected. And yeah, he's been awesome so far. I've kind of had him my whole career.

And yeah, I was talking to Maxi King and Toby Sex when they come on the Sunday Show about a month or so ago, and was after the Broncos game with a bad loss, and he said at halftime, which you know, thirty odd thirty od neils how Siro and he goes, mate, he was that calm. She was that calm. In fact, he was so calm and talking about what we had to do on the second half. He said, we came out after half time went ashually, we can turn this around and maybe be these blokes now that's yeah, yeah,

We had full confidence we could have come out in that second half and won the game. And I think we put eighteen points on in that second half, and we fully believe you could. And yeah, just the way he addresses the playing group really simplifies it, dumbs it down, and it was just on us to go out there and do it.

What about the Raiders game?

That was incredible?

It was incredible?

Yeah, do you play that? Was that your first week?

First week's?

Oh wow?

Yeah, it's considering like, how could the Raid particularly like Raiders. They're in the top four, Raiders aren't. They're on a team that they're out of the bottom ete and they're beating you by eddy and you come back. Raiders are a proper Premiership contender now this year.

Turn our men up here for a second. We'll tell pressed about what took place. Give me five jackair mate. Me and Jack got a story about the Raiders Dogs Remember that night.

Yeah, they are leading to the game.

The old man just kept saying to me, I've got a really good feeling that the Dogs this weekend because I think Camera were favorites and it was a big game Camera. It was a big crowd, A lot of Doggies fans came down and at half time, what was the scored half time?

It was just full half time? Were down about twenty or nails. Yeah, And something happened in the game and I bumped Jack and run a couple of mates and said, just get on the dogs straight away thirty one dollars. And they were like, mate, don't be stupid, and I said, just do it.

And Jack at his birthday right, and they had We're in We're in BONDI I believe it. Of all places, we never go there. And you look over and on the screen you see first try from across the room, the old man just dead eyed me. Second try, dead eyed me, and I've gone the bus is going.

To get it. We're just dead on across the road. I just Ricky raising the overse goun hmmm.

Put on a bit of a show, didn't you.

Oh yeah, yeah?

He played out Who was seb Chris?

Poor Chris.

You'll have nightmares about him?

What about? What about him? Before we talk about critic you went into Origin camp.

Yeah, I did. Yeah, I got the chance to go in. It was really cool.

What was that?

What what'd you take that?

Yeah? It was awesome. It was awesome to kind of get to know all the boys, kind of kind of soak up the experience and just.

Kind of learn off Hawley what a champion.

Yeah, he was awesome. He's such an easy blot to kind of talk to and he did a great job.

What about Craig Bellamy? Do you have a conversation with Craig?

You had a brief convert not too much, but he seems really cool as well.

Let me get a bit. You come up there, shook your hands to congratulations where you're going.

That's exactly what he said.

Yeah, that's the kind of guy he used.

I could see you now, he would love he'd love to coach you, like you're right up his alley as a player. But you know, I had dinner with Himole last night as well, and he'd never even spoke to Craig, and he said the exact same thing. He was like, I didn't know how to take him or approach him because I've watched him for so long and kind of being like he's got a bit of a scary aura. Yeah, definitely, you know, like you don't know how to cop him. And he said the same thing. He's like that come

Yeah, well, you've been coached against him, and you've also kind of grown up watching him coach all his dominant teams, So to kind of be able to meet him and understand how he kind of works, it is pretty cool.

Was he very hands on? Did he get his hands or did he kind of sit back like was he talking in video? He just like just kind of sit back and just let Laurie do his thing and then just chime in if you had to. Yeah, it was more so he just sat back and chimed in every now and then. Laurie and the assistant coaches did the thing.

Did you have the game pressod? They take you to the game?

Na, So I left.

I was there from Tuesday to the Saturday a though, and then they left to Brisbane on the Sunday morning.

So you you blokes were in there, of course for the experience. You stand its cord. Did you do a post against the team? Did they have you blows here?

Yeah? So we kind of did a couple of opposed sessions.

The weather.

The weather. The first couple of days was horrendous at Blue Mountains, and then we actually had to move training to Penriff on the fourth day just because the weather was so bad and we got some sun and some sun finally and we got to They did like a post session against Ride and I just jumped in the right side and played against him.

Yeah, right, Yeah, when you're on the camp sometimes you get a whole new appreciation of the guys you play against. Who did you when you went in the camp firstly on the field, who did you look at and just go man like, who really stood out for you?

Yeah? It was obviously all of the boys are pretty impressive, but I think Nathan Cleary the way he goes about his business is pretty special. And Isaiah how he kind of addresses the group as well, and yeah, summarizes everything. It's pretty cool.

Nathan lots of extras.

Yeah, Yeah, he's the last man on the field always.

What about like, because you said I've got so many good backroll Like you were before your suspension, you were being tossed up to be in the side as well, you know, Angus Crichton, Liam Martin, Hudson Young was on the bench, and then yourself and Dylan Lucas were kind of being tossed up as well. What did you learn from some of the other experience background was in there.

Yeah, just how they train as well, how they prepare training like Angus Kricht and he goes one hundred percent at everything, which is yeah, which I actually really like it. I embrace that and probably take that to my training now and kind of try and make sure I do that as well. Yeah, cool to see.

Paul Samuel Walker Apparently it's just just hate it every day because every day there's always someone at club level who just goes like you want to go in and you do your body sore, and there's always someone that's going one hundred and ten percent when you're wanting to go fifty At our club at Melbourne, it used to be Dalphanuken would just like on a day where everyone was sore, he just would still be sore, but he'd

And Harry on well unusual man.

Yeah, he's quirky individual, but same thing Bull. I've never seen anyone score so many tries at training, but they're not in the game as many.

Tries, but Make scores a lot in the garden he does.

But at training. Mate, if you if if you watched him at training, you'd think he's going to go out and school eight tries.

He scores a lot like push your support.

Yeah, yeah, because he reads me. You read he's a stock man. You'd see he's a full stock man figures. Yeah, he loves numbers.

What about blakes. Whenever you going to camp, you always strike up a really good relationship someone like I'm in Origin camp. I room with Lorry a couple of times and made he was a dream roommate. Apart from the fact used to walk around naked all the time. I heard, Yeah, neist, total nudist. What about yourself when you went to camp, was there anyone you really sort of went, yeah, you didn't think that, Like, well, you're surprised. What a good bloke they were.

All the fellows are really good fellas to be honest. Yeah, yeah, everyone was really good fellas. I was hanging out Obviously the Dogs boys are fair bit Gritter and Maxie King, but I got to know all the boys really well, and yeah, they're all really good fellas. And yeah, just tried to take a lot from what they did at training and their preparation and.

Who wasn't who wasn't a good fellow. I'm a pretty easy go I know, impressed those two. He's too good

That Stephen Crichton, I think he has got the his trajectory at the moment, twenty four years of age. What he's doing, he's on the trajectory to be like a Malma Ninger type figure for you, Boke something his leadership. Can you just give us some insight in the leadership day by day?

Yeah, we'll get to experience origin camp kind of see where he kind of picked some stuff off Yoe and stuff, And I'm getting to see him do that at Woodogs in Clubland every every day. Is pretty special. The way he kind of connects the group through his through his words, obviously, but also for his actions. Yeah, it's pretty cool to be a part of.

When he first went to the club, did he walk Did he walk in straight away just have a presence and took leadership.

Yeah. I think he kind of came in a little bit later just because of how Penrif had gone the year before. But he walked straight into an army camp. And I guess we were like we had captains and like our leaders read in Berdo and stuff, Kingy, but then Creator at the army camp just kind of just blew everyone away with how he kind of handled it all. And yeah, from there it's just yeah, I guess it's that aura we.

Had zero on the potty. Uh that year after he named Cruder as captain, and he actually said that army camp. He'd never even thought Creta was in contention to really be captain. He was looking at Berdo and Marnie and then he said that army camp when he when he watched him, how he came in, how we had the group, how we communicated with everyone. That was when he was like, well, I think credit has got to be our skipper.

Yeah he was. It was actually incredible to kind of kind of witness it and be part of it. He kind of just brought everyone together, got everyone for everything. And just like I said, connection, connection, like the way he connects the group. I haven't really been I haven't really experienced that before. I don't I don't know really how to explain it. But he understands each individual for who they are and knows how to get everyone connected.

And it isn't so important like not just on the field, not just some dressing, but even just when you're out on the training field, that connectivity, because when you're doing fitness, I remember, if you got good leadership out there, everyone

That connection. It makes everything easier, but it also holds everyone accountable. I guess that just rises the intensity and I guess the level of fitness. Everyone's kind of get into and yeah, it's something he's done.

Yeah, he seems like it seems like a bloke that rarely gets tired. Like you can tell he's trained at a high intensity for a long time. The difference between the best teams and the worst teams is how the best teams react when they're tired and under fatigue, right, Like the communications. The first thing that goes when anyone's tired, and you can tell crit is the blow that is just he drills it into himself every day when he's tired in pre season, he just forces himself to talk.

He's constantly communicating at training or on the field like it's just yeah, it's next level communication. And I think that comes out on the field the way he defends. I think you know that Origin most recent Origin game, how he defended was pretty incredible, and I'd say it's up there with one of the best Origin. You depend alongside you heart yeah, oh yeah too.

Yeah. Yet he what blows me away is sometimes a ballger pinned out and the critter and and you winger carraz and it's two on two with them and they're on the attack, attack and him it'll be over like a thirty minute space. A lot of times, you know, players will feel rightfully feel isolated. He just goes bang, goes up there and just hits them.

No hesitation, doesn't panic, just back himself, which comes from his preparation. He does it at training so he knows that when it's time to do what he has to do, he just use it backs himself.

It's pretty sick like going historically, going from a lot of the boys that left Penrith or even back in the day that you would have seen like blokes that used to leave like the Melbourne Storm when they had the Big three there. They usually go. When they signed a different club on more money, people go, oh, you know they're going to make a big difference, and then they kind of fall off a cliff. They rarely do

Yeah. Just I think he's put it down to his work ethic, how hard he's willing to train, the amount of preparation he does, the amount of a video he does. Also, it's yeah, it's that elite level. And yeah, I guess when he goes down in the field, that shows.

And the bloke, as far as performance is concerned, in the last thirty months, it's not too far off him.

Who.

I think he's been a revelation. In fact, I think he could. I think he could play Straight of Origin. State of Origin now if you needed him. Was Bronson Cherry Bronson, Cherry has burned. He's just Buren fantastic for you blokes, great finisher, great work ethic, you know, obviously a bloke who works hard off the field.

Yeah, definitely, Bronson has been awesome. Obviously, he came back from Fay to time out and as soon as he got to the club he just had this willingness to rip in and he got he got there, he did all the hard work and then I guess critic came a couple of weeks later and has helped him heaps as well in terms of defensive movements and stuff. But yeah, he's been great for us. He does a lot of the dirty work people don't really see at times, but us players on the field do see that, and we

We had just had a car a few weeks ago on the potty, and you just sparked my memory of

Yeah, definitely. I feel like in twenty twenty three, some of us trusted the system and I was probably didn't showed enough respect, I guess. And the system relies on everyone going after it and everyone kept doing their job. But then when Critic came, we kept working at it, and we had players buy into it at all, players brought into it, and for it to work, everyone has

So it's very honest for Josh Josh Josh Ocari gas men were working on it, gains, but even I wasn't sure I was going. I was just gonna it. But he certainly he certainly turned that around a couple of those us. I'm gonna ask a few questions here before I do. How's Gus going good?

I was good.

Yeah, he's done. He's done a remarkable job now with a number of clubs club He doesn't get credit for the Wars. Remember he had about six months of he went over there. He was that behind the scenes, did recruiting for him and tidy a few things up in their organization and left. But he had a fair impact there. Does when the boys have a win? Does he ever? Because what we used to do in Origin it sounds weird.

Really?

Yeah, great tracks was for it was at least sick for sing along.

I'd love a sing along. But it hasn't.

He hasn't done it.

No, no not.

You got to get on to it. Yeah, get on him, say Gus, come on mate, he made his You got to get the piano and do some single.

Where did you get the piano from? That's a good question.

You're in Belmore. I'm pretty sure they can find it.

Is he is?

He kind of scary?

Oh, he's one of those guys that has that aura about him some other I guess Craig Bellamy, you kind of grow up in their massive figures in the game. And I remember when I first met him when I was I was at the Roosters at the time, and he's looking to bring me able to the dogs, and I remember how nervous I was walking into Jabelle's Cafe, which is in Bellmore there, and I was just like well, it's sat down with him and feel good. Yeah, it's crazy and he still has that aura to this day.

You could give a blasts coach ninety five origin third game, we're playing them up in Queensland and they'll beating us at halftime, and I've beat us at full time. But

Is it?

And just took everyone and he went to a million and goes, mate, have you ever fucking done a two on one? You're fucking out there, you're going through it's a fuck on two and one, and to give it early and he just goes round, just giving it to Blakes. And he got to one of the players last and he goes, and you last, He said, yous mate, I sit there every fucking morning and once you come downstairs for breakfast, your fucking hair's never done, your breath steaks.

Do you have any silf respect at all? Jesus nippicking towards the end.

Well, a black guy played with a Newcastle who ended up going down in there Penrith. He had a tough time, he didn't play well, out of form and he wasn't he admits himself. He said he wasn't really toe on the line. And he said he got there once playing Newcastle at Penrith and Gus just come into the sheds at halftime and he goes, he come here and pulled his wallet out, got a heap of coins and just threw the man and said, get the fucking train back to Newcastle.

You're done.

I remember the year when I left Melbourne and signed it. Mainly right before I signed it, mainly I met with Syra camp Serroundo at that cafe.

Mate.

It was how stupid, zero, how dumb of you. Anyway, he goes, mate, me jo Bell's tomorrow, me and Gus will be there and I was like sweet, and I was kind of like and I don't know. You used to work with Gus quite a bit at Channel nine, but I don't know if I if I met him. I was really young. I can't remember meeting him. So I was kind of nervous because obviously he's I got an aura around him, and I was like, sort of hype myself up all day. I don't get too nervous

Said.

I was like, okay, so Ciro's just CIO's just taken. This meeting is a charity meeting, and there's no chance of getting you signed to this club. To be fair, they had thirty two players signed in their top thirty at this stage. They actually had to cull two or three people.

Isn't a wonderful, but that's a wonderful excuse in this surly cap age. Mate, we're desperate to sign you, we can't fit, we haven't got a spot left or the salary cap iss squooze are hard, brother.

Yeah, it's the best way you can get away with murder.

Okay, on your teammates, yep, give us some insights for the Doggies fans. Who's the fastest in the squad?

The fastest? I think Bronson, Yeah, I think in precesson you've got the fastest time. Roger for bree take a bow, Roger strongest, Oh, pound for pound to be Curtis Myron. Oh, yeah, he's Yeah, he's little beast. He's a little beast in the gym. You met the old man, you met his dead his uncle Brad, his uncle Brad.

Good here. He's a tough player, very very good player. Good fella too, really good fellow, bad head, bad head on it. But you don't get a little Blake. Look at Blake's head and you don't like. But he bucked that train. He was a good fella.

Most annoying team mate, Oh, most annoying. Like I said, I'm pretty nice. I just throw Harry Hayes under the bus we drive together, so you can be honest. I love listening to Maxicans.

Sometimes I've got I went back to you know, when you go back to your camera roll, just go back and just like reminisce on some years.

Mate.

We've just got some the funniest videos of King. He just in his budget smugglers in the sheds, just chewing everyone's ears off. He was just reminded me how big a pest he was when we all went on a team trip to Bali as well. Yeah I've heard about I really have heard about that trip. Yeah, yeah, those were Nelson started to punch someone's face. Mate, King he was he was, he was so funny man, he was just he was driving him. He's such a good good

Who's the most okay, who's there's obvious places who are really skillful. Who's a bloke that would who surprises you? Trained with the dogs as far as their skills consumed, I.

Say it wouldn't surprise me. But Bailey Hayward's very skillful and he puts a lot of work into it. He's a good touch footy player, right, yeah, he was growing he growing up is really good. Yeah, I've heard stories.

Got played against him back in touch.

You've played against everyone in touch.

Footy though under fifteens or something, because one of the boys said, we was playing the other day and they were like, we played against him up at State Cup somewhere.

Yeah, up in Port Macquarie. Skillful player, very skillful and yeah he's obviously he was a touch back background. It kind of kind of helps.

Yeah, skill, but he should tip offizes those players in your middle field and like Kurt that can do a bit of everything.

Yeah, can play a variety of different positions, and he's been doing a really good job for us this year.

How's Kirk going, Jack is a question because I know Kurk, but I don't know him well. Killer a bit of an odd ball Jack, odd ball.

No, No, he's a good fella, Kurt. He's a good fella. A bit old school Killers old school that's what I me and him got along with it well because he's he's he's yeah, he's a bit more old school. He's funny, sort of lad. He's maybe getting on along in the tooth now. He might be one of the oldest in the club.

He's the oldest. He's the oldest. He was actually my roommate last year, was Killing. He's from the middle of nowhere in Queensland.

Yeah, yeah, from Collinsville.

Yeah, well, I know is there's like a dinosaur museum there.

That's a random thing, Jack. Can you google where they might be a dinosaur museum in.

Queen Winter Winston, that's the one Winter.

And you know he's a good bike and a good teammate because he's always been want to help his teammates out, you know, I mean up in Newcastle, was helping Kat a couple of times.

Less leave that one alone. Teachers pet like zero apart from Critter, who's like, who's always.

You know, teachers pet. I wouldn't say that teachers teachers Petre's there's a couple of boys are really good relationships, like his son.

Who's the whol now? Who is a term using used in wrestling, which is someone who is the bad guy or people take the piss out of all the time, who's the who's the whipping boy?

Yeah, I'll cop I'll cop that wrap myself. I find myself under the bus?

Are you joking? How dare they do that to the nicest guy?

Sometimes I probably deserve some of it, but it's good.

It keeps right now just quite just up that you know how everybody says, oh, you know, who would you want to date your sister? Who's a nice spoke in the NL, and everyone goes Jake Turovitch all the time. I'll tell you right now, Presto, after this, I think you're going to take that title. I didn't realize just how nice you were until we've come on.

Here, let's bringing a Let's bring a cousin, Kate.

It's actually a dating show.

I just finished, just to finish with Presto. Now a little bit more about yourself. Who's support growing up?

Yeah? I was a Manly fan obviously, growing up on Norm Beaches. So and me and we were very dominant at the time. Kind of seven to thirteen fourteen was kind of the peak of their power.

It was your favorite player.

I used to love Bred Stewart obviously and Jamie Lyon, but then I got to know Chuck everything what mos throughout the years as well.

He took Quirky cat.

A good players during that here were fifty fifty's Jamie Lyne. You talk about, you know, best presence being coming. I don't know it's going to say ugly wrapping. It's not the right but you look at him and you go and then as soon as the ball hits his hands and everything, he's just yeah, junius football.

He would have played a lot more kind of rep games. I think he stopped playing for a bit there as well.

He just he just got to the point he said, I don't need it and he was happy being a club football. I got a bit of criticism at the time, but at the end of the day he just goes. I just I love playing football, love playing with the mates, and that's why I did. I mean, he quit Paramatta and went for twelve months, went back to we War and just did pig shooting and played for the local side.

I think I think Bozo and those books at Manley basically had to go out there and convince him to come to Manley. I think he was happy just.

To not to stay out there.

I'm pretty sure he was happy.

Yeah, he came back to Manley. He went to St Helens. Yeah, yeah, James Grahams so he turned up and they went look at this bloke like he's he's been basically strapped himself to the Sizzler buffet for the last six months. And then they he said, mate, listen'd fitness nearly lapping him, and as soon as they started to do boor work and everything, they just went, oh my god, look at this guy.

Because you're a man. You played Did you play Howard mats and SG ball at Manley?

No?

I played all my junior reps for the North in the beersh did you play it?

But they didn't get you here.

I played one development game and was ball average and really didn't really get an opportunity.

It seemed like there was a late developer, right, Yeah I was.

I was for sure.

Yeah.

Yeah, probably didn't start growing that much until I was about sixteen seventeen. How Matt's at the time was sixteen. But I was definitely smaller kids.

Manly's all but always been in love with. They love the biggest kids at the younger stage. Sometimes they missed, they missed some blokes falling through the crack.

So that's pressed her talk a couple before who they've missed out on, who they've missed of late that's gone.

Through the Sammi v Sami Verrels.

Semi Verels. But who was just before to Marlay?

Yeah, I didn't even know he was a local until until recently.

Cramer Kingfish.

I didn't, Yeah, because his mum has the barbershop. She cuts, she owns a barbershop, she does Auntie Yeah, yeah yeah.

And Keyle Weeks, Yeah he was he was a manly played first grade so my first yeah, they let him go. Yeah, my first ever Bears game. Me and Kyle were halves, half partners really under fifteen. Yeah you play half. I was playing five at the time. I played how Mates at five eight and I broke my leg.

And you know what press out when you just said that about North Sydney. I've soon you play for North Sydney somewhere. I don't know where it was, but I actually when you say about North Sydney, I've soon you play. Yeah, soon you played there. I don't know where it was.

You might have been at Harrod Matt when I was at s G Ball maybe.

Yeah, I played all my actually played power Matt's STU Ball flag and then Cup with North Sydney, so played he might have.

You might have had a call from the Bears.

Yeah mate. Yeah, what a great advertisement. Twenty seven ladies. In January, the Dogs Tical Sun returns.

Stay of the Dogs. I think you're about to win a few Premiership a pressed Thank you so much mate, and we said this before your congratulations mate, on what's going on in your career, how you handle yourself off the field, and mate, good luck against the Earls.

Thank you so much for Thanks Christo, thanks for finding replying, thanks for having me on list.