Alastair Lynch - The 10 year deal

I was in that mental state where I was going to have tests done, hoping I had a positive test.

I was going to.

Scans brain scans, I was hoping.

I had cancer. It's ridiculous that was a state of mind.

I'm John Ralph and I'm Glenn McFarlane.

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The ten year deal with Alistair Lynch. The dire state of affairs that was Fitzroy in the mid nineteen nineties is hard to fathom in this billion dollar AFL era, but Alistair Lynch was right in the middle of it.

A kid from Tatty who became.

A bankable star with his own fan club, Lynch broke Roy's fans hearts when as the best in Farrest and all Australian.

He shocked No. One by signing it.

Then ten year, two million dollar deal with the Brisbane Bears. The greatest irony was to come three years later, when his past and present merged and Lynch was too unwell to become a significant part of it. And yet his story was still not done. The third chapter of an extraordinary league football journey featured three premierships and one of the more brutal and out of character full stops a footy career has had.

Alista Lynch.

We've lured you under false pretenses because this podcast is called Sacked, and I don't think you've technically ever been sacked well wherever.

That concerns me greatly. Now I'm concerned you work in at Fox. Maybe you know something I don't know. I'm about to get the CoCN. But no, I don't think I've been sacked as yet. So we'll see how it goes. But no, good to be along.

So what an amazing career. So I called you up. I said, there's no controversies that you dropped the ze bomb.

Accidentally, not the sea bomb that was Jared was the f bomby.

Sorry, let's be very specifical about that.

And lets be serious, it wasn't My f bomb was more dirm. It's contorted face looking at me and not giving me anything.

We'll get to that era and you through a few homemakers.

But but apart from that, it's a career of just extraordinary and unrivaled achievement.

You must be so proud of it.

Yeah, it's when you well, you don't reflect too much.

But I'm supposed to have opportunities like this and you think, oh, it was pretty amazing, It wasn't. It wasn't a smooth like so many journeys. I suppose it wasn't just a smooth run to success. There was ups and downs throughout, whether it be personally or as a club or as a family. But I suppose that's what makes the special moments so great. I would have thought, and I think you look at the two main groups that I was involved with sort of Fitzroy as a young kid and

I mean, you're into TV wherever I hate you. No, We're pretty good. Is a pretty good camaraderie at Fox as well.

Just in terms of where you're brought up, Lincha, it was a Bernie you spent You're basically brought up in Bernie and that and tell us a bit.

About your family background there.

So born in Bernie pretty much early years were Bernie. Probably primary school was Wind just fifteen minutes drive. And sort of left school so when you're primary Sunset Primary, Bernie High School with a stint at St. Pats in Lon system that his parents went their separate ways, sort of went to Lone system for a year as well, and then sort of got to year eleven halfway through year eleven at Hellier College in Bernie, and just felt that I was an overly academic and probably didn't work

The gravel.

If people haven't seen the gravel, got a google the gravel.

I've seen it. It is literally, yeah, what's gravel?

Yeah, but the gravel is the best place to land if you're going up because there's gravel, there's a concrete wicket in the middle and there's an ashvielt by tracker aund the outside.

So I went.

So I worked with a couple of guys that played with Lyle Gormy in and so I went to training a couple of times and I thought, you know what, I'm just going to stay down here, play basketball during the week with my mates from work, play footy of the weekend, rather than traveling the two and a half hours back to the coast every weekend.

And so I actually signed a form.

I signed a contract with Lyle Gormanston Football Club and I reckon before the season started a couple of weeks training in, the coach actually said to me, look, we just recommend maybe it's best you go back to Winyard and play with the wind nineties. I think he identified. I was petrified, so he's actually there you go. You got to Actually he does claim, and I'll allow him this. He does claim he thought it was the best for my development, and I think I felt it was the best for my life.

So West Coast of tazzy hydro scheme.

These days you'd be getting a scholarship to Scotch College.

That would have been what would he doing? That would be pretty rugged.

I was pretty rugged.

I lived in a single man's quarters, so just watch TV, have a few beers afterwards, and he played with the basketball just to keep you busy during the week as well. That was that was great experience. So I finished from there and went back to the Northwest Coast and.

I picked up a job.

Feeding wet veneer sheets into a dryer and on night shift, so I was doing that as well, and I think I think Dad identified after about three months. There was probably an idea to try to get me somewhere else to probably put my head down. I was probably mixing with the older blokes. Yeah, I was probably, I mean, not a rat bag, but I was doing job. Yeah,

And he's a hard bugger haddo as we know. Was he particularly hard on you as well? Oh yeah, I mean he was great, superstar, but it could be hard.

Fans is great for me from the day I arrive to now seeing Hoday tonight. He's a great friend mentor the whole family is. But yeah, some of the training we'd have a skool session. Basically the difference between our running sessions and the school session was would carry a football in our running session, blood like after after training, and again I'm so fortunate that I had this investment

And in a few months before, as you know Glenn's amazing research, you'd been drinking and turning around way too fast in your dilapidated form Corolla, so you know you were doing that stuff and all of a sudden You're like, no, I'd.

Like to be of VFL footballer.

Yeah, And I don't know whether it was I wanted to change that was and the Corolla station wagon I was driving to work because you leave Winyard early, so you leave when you'd at four point thirty and head head west and during the winter it was obviously pretty icy, dangerous conditions, and yeah, put the station wagon into the war Mount Black, probably going a little bit quick, and yeah, that shook me up a bit, and so rebuilt that car, mate and I rebuilt it.

It was a white station wagon.

We put an orange bonnet and orange front left pandel on it. And I think we missed a few bits. I reckond because it didn't go too well after that. But that period and with Dad suggesting let's go play footy, and if I was okay at footy, I was more the athlete rather than the footballer, and I thought, oh, that's a good opportunity. So I worked as an underage barm and at Harda's Pub out of the Granada Tavern.

So made your life in a lot of ways, of your life really in a sense, didn't it.

I think I think I worked reasonably hard. But I was so lucky. I was so lucky that you know, Dad saw enough or had the relationship with Huddo. It's about a hand over to Huddo and Huddo to feel invested enough to push me hard. I wasn't just a normal football at Hobart. I was almost like one of his sons or a nephew or something like that. So he pushed me hard, and then you know, jumping ahead, he sort of handed me over to David park And at fitz Roy, and so there was that sort of

Robert Shaw as a coach.

Right through my playing days, I had some great coaches that were that were invested in their players, and I was probably fortunate that they took an interest in me.

What was it like when you first ware to fitz Roy. There's a huge dames there, a lot of really good young players Roosy and Osband and Perty, and then you've got the older blakes like Mickey Conlin and those sort of it. What's it like walking into that sort of environment.

I was great, You're sort of pinching yourself, just training every night and called ross lyon too.

Ross Lyn.

Ross Lyn was was fantastic for me and has always been a great friend through those times.

We'll take us through this way. I don't know whether this is true or not. Your first goal was a drop kick goal? Is that true?

That's true.

That's an amazing deliberate Was it a soccer background or as an idiot at the Western Oval? The Western You've got to lift out there. I think with Mick Gail was it.

So we lived together, so there was so I think first game of the year. So there was Michael Gaile, Matthew Armstrong, Darren Kappler. I'm not sure Brendan Gaale might have lived with us at that time as well. But anyway, we've so we've first first game there in the one. I'm in the twos. That's Princess Park. I borrowed Butcher's cab. Michael Gay was old Kingswood, got lost, got a arrived to the Princess Park late, got a cook from Flee

So I just dropped kicked a little dart.

Running in twenty minutes out from goal.

Yeah, And there was became a bit of a habit over those next three four or five years. So if it was anywhere near the goal square, I was kicking dropkicks.

So adding games in your first year, ten goals in your first four games.

Eighty nine.

Rodster takes over as coach, so you start forward in round three, but you've got to go back after Gary Purtin poorus get injured.

What happened then, well, yeah.

That was now.

So that was the game against Sekuila out of Waverley, and I think I think I'd kicked two or three goals and so again I was mostly playing half four flank and my first game was half four flank and then got to this stage in my career, I still floating around the half forward line with mainly Richard Osbon and Roozy sometimes was coming forward. But I think i'd

You're going to fall.

Back and those blocks have just been beaten. They hadn't been injured, pologies yet.

And they and like Perty is the best fullback in the game and Victorian full back and just plug was at the peak of his powers, and they said sit down, you're going on the Plugger and I felt violently ill. I'm a skinny kid just trying to get a kick. He's a man, mountain and nasty.

Not overly enamored with humans. At that time, he wasn't a fan.

I genuinely wanted to hurt people, and even my brief time in the VFL, I'm thinking, no, he doesn't like people, and so they sending me out there and I'm seriously thinking, well, I'm genuinely scared, and I'm thinking, I've just got to survive this game. I reckon I can get another game next week at half forward, but I've just got to survive. And so I adopted the tactic of planning from about three meters behind and thought I was always fairly quick.

So yeah, that was a that was a memory. Yeah, it's still.

Well and truly act he had a big relationship with Plugger. You played on him a fair bit and Jason Dunstall as well later on. Just tell us about that Mark of the year, Roughie. You've seen it. It's a sensational kick on Maddie Rendell. You know, I think Stroops is in it and Rosy and Ben Buckley and Johnny law is in that sort of sort.

Of the Sydneys one's coach. I think I was right on top of of course.

Yeah it's on long mind. Tell us about that.

Randall hops it back in front of God, here's danger.

But let at the top of the pack.

I don't know.

It was just one of those ones. So and if people will have a look at the vision and we and even at us as commentators, we talk about the condition of some grounds. So eighty nine, you'd remember eighty nine the grounds were rolled mud. The MCG where this mark was taken was absolutely rolled mud. I remember playing at Princess Park. We kicked one goal one day because it was just that muddy was hard to score. But yeah, I can't remember. I reckon, I reckon. I was playing

So that was beautiful. That this dismount would have worked as well because it was you're up high, but it wasn't. It wasn't extraordinary, but it was just beautiful, fumbling, bumbling, stumbling dismount.

Well, I think you've got to if you're going to secure a mark of the year, you can't land on your feet.

I reckon, You've got to make it a little bit awkward.

So Touches goes for Lynch, gets him. Where's he playing?

Don?

In the runner?

Ruck?

Lynch at fifty meters is a thumping kick?

Could he kick it? Could he kick at captain's goal?

Len's back girls kicks off scores a level.

When Brisbane came to you and when did they come to you? During that season?

I feel it was probably mid year, imagine it was. There was an approach from Scott Clayton X teammate at fitzroy Tasmanian from the Hobot Footy Club where I played as well.

Knew Scotty really well.

He was working for the Brisbane Bears and I'd had a few offers previous to that, and realistically it was just it was just get the free dinner, free game of golf, and that was basically it. Let him down gently and and no real intention because Fitzroy was my life love. Fitzroyal very as was talking before, very tight with all the players there. The coaches didn't want to go anywhere. And then Scotty played, I reckon inviters invited me to play golf. I reckon, Roosy came, my captain came,

So went to went to Brisbane in the middle of that year.

So yeah, it.

Must have been, yeah, it must have been.

Remember with the golf course during which golf course you played it?

It was one of something down the sand belt.

Yeah it was down the yeah, and yeah, I don't know which one it was. Went to Brisbane, had a look at the facilities, which so they had already made the move to the Gabba. So the facilities, relatively speaking to what we had at fitz Roy, were great. It was felt like you were going up a couple of divisions with the facilities. So I looked through there and

A servieta the Gold Coast Chinese restaurant like Mark on blit.

How was it coming out?

I can't remember, and I can't remember actually when that discussion actually happened, whether it was whether it was that weekend or it was post that, but I remember it was this ridiculous amount of money and my reflex was, oh, well, I need directors guarantees. It's all well and good to promise that. And they said, yeah, nose director's guarantees.

So that we got used to this.

I have to get paid every month. Yeah, yeah, we'll do that too, not once a year. To need a long term deal and said, yeah, you will do that, they said, and that's when they basically said we'll pay you. We'll give you a ten year contract. I'm sure I laughed and said I won't play ten years. What I was twenty six at the time, and we won't play ten years. And that's when sort the punchline was or you misunderstand what we're saying we'll give you a ten

Wow, so you had to.

Clarify if I play for three years, you'll pay me for ten. Yeah, so that's ten years. It's done, and that's yeah. Sort of took my breath away, and again you're sort of that anxiety of things. Actually, I'd never considered leaving Fitzroy, So yeah, that was a it was an exciting challenge, but it was it was a tough time at the same time because what Fitzroy had been going through and what Fitzroy were and what they meant to me.

And what was the figure it's been Everyone said two moon bucks has been reported here one point eight.

What was the actual figure? I think it was. I think it was the plane contract was one point eight. There was a job with Coca Cola for thirty five, so yeah, so it would be that two fifteen. So, and how it panned out is I went up, I worked for Coke. It was a genuine job. I actually had to.

Go like some of the Brisbane those days.

Yeah, oh really, yeah, Now I had to work for mine. And but then with my illness coming on. I was still at the Coke at the time. They they just rolled that into my plane contract and didn't make me pay for that.

I worked for that.

So you had to tell the Robert Shaw's of the world. I think you basically said I'm going and this is the reason why. And how did they react? And how tough was it to tell you a club that you loved so deeply and dearly.

Yeah, that was that was tough. I think there's I think there's some vision around. There was a supporter group called the Lynch Mob Atroy, so there's and these loyal started as a loyal bunch of mates would come along that have their sign the Lynch Mob and maybe their

I will never be the I don't think.

I can't see how it would be possibly the same at another quote.

Then I'll go, I'll go to prison and give one hundred percent want to I want to.

Perform well each week, but I can't see how it can be as tonally as and it's amazing.

It was a good thing.

So obviously there were supporters there that were pretty pissed off with me. It's fair to say that's understandable. So I I asked to speak to the group. So I got on stage and the pub's chockers. I got on stage and I couldn't get a word out to start with. Really, it was very very emotional time and thoughts shit, so I think, I don't know, I wouldn't have probably got half a word out and then I'll be back.

In a minute.

So I went back up there and and didn't try to ask for forgiveness or anything like that. I said this is the reason why, and yeah, and that was it. So I'm glad I did it. I don't know how well I did it, but I sort was clear. Well yeah, no, it still wasn't. It still wasn't clear because I'd let down a lot of Fitzroy people.

So I thought oh shit, but yeah, I'm glad I did it.

Yeah, so early on you were injured in your first year at Brisbane, obviously greater challenges ahead.

It was a pretty rocky start. Yeah.

Yeah, it didn't go well. And I think the part of me coming up was that I hadn't missed a game through injury or something like that in the first six years. I think I was rested for a game once all got dropped to twos. But yeah, it was just a good athlete that was not missing games. And I think first practice match I broke mccullu.

By collided with rookie Cameron Bennett ninety seconds before the end of the intro club match.

Yeah, and it was probably I was probably feeling that I hadn't had a kick. We're playing at Broadbeach and it was an intra club game and there was some top up players there as well, and I don't know

Nice to do, though, eight goals? Could you have played the week before? I think you might have played Fitzroy the week before? Was that there was some suggestion we're going to hold him back, not play against fitz Roy.

Yeah, I can't recall.

Yeah, but eight goals first game against Yeah, against the Saints.

Yeah, think how good is this going to be? Yeah?

It probably was a good start. My shoulder wasn't right because you had problems for the rest of the year. Yeah, really didn't you? And it probably when it actually fixed itself was when I broke it again thirteen games in. Yeah, so it just got actually got pinned in a marketing contest and I shot arms got pinned together and just popped my shoulder again, which actually made it feel better. So I broke it. So I had to have the rest of the year off. But from that time on

I'm not sure.

Graham Downey in nine and oh five said, when Lynch he was home sleeping and we were losing games, we were saying, where's this bloody Lynch? We paid all this money for him. The poor bluff was in bad shape. Tell us about chronic frontigue.

Well those sort of well, basically what happened at the end of that first year. It was a It was a difficult year on the field with the two broken coal bones, knee operation as well, because some niggly things going on. I left knee and got to the end of the season and I was determined to actually get back and make up for that last ground of the frustrating first year. And I just had stuff going on off the field as well, just stuff that we all have.

And I went.

From you know, super fifty twenty seven year old that could do whatever you wanted to do, whether it be train hard, play hard, whatever, to being bed ridden and sleeping twelve fifteen hours a day and waking up more tight than when I went to bed. So I didn't know what was going wrong. I felt that so I'd go to the doctor. So I remember the first day I woke up and I was like the worst hangout

I sent most of the time, you know, like I looked.

I probably looked pale, probably looked like dark around the eyes from poor quality of sleep, but essentially I looked fine. So on the days where I felt okay, I'd try to go to training, and as you do, you try to make up for lost ground.

So I'd try to train.

That was the worst thing I could have done, and so then I'd be bedridden again and sort of this you know, ebbed and flowed through the preseason. I played a couple of practice matches. I played the first game.

Yeah, Colin advice president after that.

Yeah, he was on the board. But he's an ant specialist. He knows and throat specialists. I had a sinus issue going on as well, So the hope was I'd go see doctor Kennedy and he would look at my sinus issue and hopefully that was the precursor to all this fatigue that I was experiencing. And this is six months down the track, and so he eliminated that as the precursor to the chronic fatigue.

Shot me to all the.

Specialists around town, and even that was a strange experience because all their families have been impacted by horrible diseases and that sort of stuff, and cancers and that sort of stuff. I was in that mental state where I was going to have tests done, hoping I had a positive test so you can know what it was. So yeah, so you tell me what it is and less the treatment.

So you were thinking all sorts of yeah, negative things, but saying, at least I'll know what I've got, hoping and hoping and hoping if cancer all absolutely, I.

Was getting through brain scans, I was hoping I had cancer. It's ridiculous. That was a state of mind because I wanted something to fight. I had no idea what was going on.

I don't know.

There's these conversation going along that he's pulling the piss and I get that. Probably at the time I didn't quite get it, but because I was right in the middle of it.

But I understand that.

And then yeah, to get to that stage where I just wanted to fight something. Sat down with doctor Kennley at the end of that week and it was almost through a process of elimination. He said, you've got something that's called post viral syndrome, or you may have heard of chronic fatigue syndrome. I don't know whether I had it or not. I'm not sure, but instantly then beauty, I've got a name. Now let's go get the chronic fatigue treatment, which be buggered. There's no real treatment. So

People didn't really understand chronic fatigue. Then this was it was called the yuppie flu for a while.

Was that as well?

Yeah, like people you know, questioned, you know, whether it was real or not. At that time, I.

Went into some doctors and they said, you know what, I don't believe in chronic fatigue. And I said, well, I couldn't give a stuff. I know what's wrong, so I didn't give myself that title. I have some sort of illness. I've got no idea what caused it, but no idea how to fix it. I'm just asking for help. I can't get out of bed half the time, so I just want some help. I don't care what you're called. And I remember I was, and obviously there was that mental health challenge through it as well.

But I was sitting down, was.

Psychiatrists talking about whether it's my relationship with my father when I was younger. I'm I was getting treated the look looking for what's the precursor to this depressive state, and I was My answer was absolutely, I'm depressed, but I'm depressed because I'm stuck in bed with an illness. I've got no idea about that's that's that was the precursor.

So eventually you were taking some medication for the chronic fatigue, and then it was put onto the band list and then you self reported tell us about it a pretty traumatic chapter.

Yeah.

I was been treated by a chronic fatigue specialists in Brisbane and part of his part of his treatments with all his chronic fatigue patients was raising there there very low testosterone levels.

But in the sport we can't do that.

Obviously, I had very low testosterone levels and precursors to that, and so he he prescribed to me a precursor hormone DHA. I was taking a herbal extract to help promote that hormone and that I went to pick up my medication pharmacy one day and the guy who had normally picked it up from he said, this has just been listed on the band list. So I spoke to the club straight away. I rang the SATA or as there it might have been at that stage as the hotline.

Spoke to the guy that I spoke to a lot.

He told me what to do, told me, yes, it has been on the band list, but ring the AFL putting an application to take it as part of your medication treatment.

And I suppose because.

Of that gray area around having a recognized treatment for chronic fatigue. I sat down and it was with Ian Collens for one afternoon at the game. I went through exactly what I'd been doing for the couple of years prior and put in the application. I asked them at the time, do I keep taking the medication? They said, absolutely,

From the AFL from the AFL.

From the AFL that because of the self reporting, because there was no evidence that I was taking the medication outside me saying I was taking it. So yeah, I got charged, which was just staggering.

You've gone through all that heartache earlier to try and get back on the field and then this happens. How deflating is that? And how traumatic was the next period of time? It was traumatic, And then there was a good moment.

I think we just after I had been charged, we played against Sekulda out of way and the Seculta players and the Seculta supporters were incredibly.

Supportive, so that was good. That gave me some confidence.

So normally, whether you're playing at full back or full forward, or you're getting advice from the opposition cheers squad, that particular day, the Securita supporters and cheersquad were incredibly supportive, as were the players. Now that changed over time, but I think at the serious pointy end of that I had the support, so I felt well, I felt that I did.

How long did it take to be resolved?

We know that ASDA and Asada and then Spots Integrity of Australia didn't normally work very quickly.

I think the hearing went for a couple of weeks. I reckon.

And I was well represented by David Gailbali.

Yeah, and you've got to cut another Hollingwood connection there too. Yeah, as of a concern, so they want to change a couple of years later when the flags come in.

Yeah, it was great support, great support from the club and yeah, when from specialists around the world, there was a I think they've got evidence from a doctor I'd seen at UCLA who'd recommend the same treatment actually, so he was involved in that, So yeah, I was.

I was cleared and allowed to play on.

Over the tribunal finding tonight that Alistair Lynch could not be branded a drug cheat because he was given the wrong information from as did the Australian Sports Drug Agency.

Alisa joins us, thanks for coming in obviously extremely relieved, happy and feel indicated.

Yeah, I certainly it's been a very stressful period, especially over the last three to four week but for it to come out with a not guilty verdict tonight has certainly taking.

A huge weight off my shild. If it bleeds, we can kill it.

So dominating team lose one game the two thousand season, you're the up and coming team. Lee Matthews finds a way to pitch that extraordinary narrative. How did it happen? Well, we know in public, behind the scenes there.

My take on the whole thing was a little bit like we're talking about with my health challenges before. I think Lee sort of spoke to us that can we beat Esdon? Realistically you're thinking, not that anyone's going to articulate that we can't, but you're thinking. You almost felt like saying, have you seen us over the last few weeks? And have you seen them over the last few years? No one's beaten them, really, I mean they got knocked out in the ninety nine Prelium finals, the more dominant

To win the flag.

It was almost like the siren of go and oh shit, we won because we had enough people doing their role as well. So that's what I took out of that media on that particular day. And I do remember him saying, I think he showed the video. I can't remember that. The boys talk about it that if it bleeds it, we can.

Kill it from really, but do you think he showed the video from because obviously said it in the media as well.

Creaded up movie that Arnie Schwarzenegger started and there was this monster from the alien monster from out of space that was killing all these people in the South American jungle and all of a sudden, they shot this monster and they discovered its bled and Artis's classic line was if a blueds we can kill it and we reconnizzl and can blute.

Yeah, so he went straight back out. So he'd have that was our Tuesday meeting, I'm sure. So we'd have that meeting and then he'd go out and do his press are straight afterwards. Yeah, and I think and I can't remember the video, but I think the boys talking about the video was there. But yeah, he went straight out and said it in the press conference.

That's a great streak. You get it. It is amazing, isn't it. And you get on that grat street.

But you you're suspended for only the second in the qualifying final.

Did you miss the preliminary final that year against Richmond? Yeah, so, Darryl wakelm.

So how difficult is that you're sitting there watching I was fairly nervous. That thing is not that you didn't have a lot to be nervous about in the end, but to miss a big final of that.

You know you're a serious chance to win a flag.

Yeah, and you're going out of the side. So there was two So that was that was an unusual day. So I've got reported for striking. I know I've done the wrong thing, and then we've gone to Melbourne to be face to face in the tribunal hearing. Ironically, Matthew Lloyd is up for striking as well, so we're both at the trigeneral.

I I've got the one week suspension. Could have easily been too.

You were concerned about the two because you've been spended once before. Oh really yeah for charging, which is you know, no, that's all right, should be fine. So I've got the one week suspension. Darryl, help you out or I can't recall.

I think I'd imagine, so I'd imagine so, but I can't recall. So but I've We're flown home and again I'm missing a prelim final.

It could have been a lot worse. I'm missing a prelim final and thinking how how bad is my day? Going got home?

Back in those days it was General ten's Sports Tonight, where you've got all the sports news. I got home remember walking into the house, chucked on Sports Tonight to watch and there was the broadcast of the Twin Towers. So that was the Twin Towers and so I just turned the TV on when the report was of the first tour getting hit and sitting there and as most of us did, watched the second plane going in and thinking, hang on, that's another one. So yeah, everything got flipped

You had the ball in your hands at the end of the two thousand and one Grand Final, take us through your members of that game.

Going to score.

So I've done it.

But he's had a ball in his hands, Bruce. I've been a history here these.

Matthews has been to the top of the mountain for a.

Second time as coach, once a Collegwood and now he's done the impossible Brisbane.

I have won the Premiership the game.

Just on reflection, what a what an experience to run out on the grounds in front of packed mcg So we got off to a reasonable start. A few of us, sort of me miss missed a few shots early.

When in halftime down I can't remember.

What the what the score was at three quart a time, but we started to kick ahead and you would have heard that theory that Lee has that if you're more goals in front than there are minutes remained on the clock, you've won the game. I reckon late in the game, we're trying to work out at Harway Home, and thing yes and kicked a couple more goals.

I got.

I got moved, I think because like I was the oldest in the field, Brownie was the youngest. Brownie was the only teenager that day. So I got moved up the field and I took a mark in front of the worn stand and remember looking inside. I remember seeing Chris Scott and I thought, no, I could slaughter that.

So I'm not going to.

I'm not going to check that.

And I think I was just going to boot it long to the punt road end goals just kicked as long as I could. I don't know whether in my mind I could see the scoreboarder. I don't know where that's a figurement of my imagination, but I knew it was late.

New was late in the game.

And with that thought, the final siron went, and that final siren just had eclipsed everything I'd ever experienced in sport. And I think same for my teammates. For fans, because to get to that stage all everyone.

Has their ups and down.

So I'd had mine, all my teammates that had theirs, the passionate Fitzroy supporters or the Brisbane Bear supporters, with all their turmoil. They'd gone through the fact that it was nineteen forty four sinto the last Fitzroy flag, the ups and downs of the merger. That final siren just was such a great sensation, an adrenaline rush. And Lee Matthews always said that with team success, the individual get rewarded as a byproduct, and it's sort of we're all committed.

So to have that.

Experience with that group of individuals that had invested in the team plan, it was amazing, amazing experiences.

Tell us to Lynch of Darrel Lakeland, they're old enough to know better. There's Murph Williams just to say they're throwing them from the two bard seats.

Tallis to Lynch, just defend the trainer's gone out to him.

And this is how it all started.

Ship How oftrome do people say, Darrel Wakelan tell me about it daily.

Weekly.

Without exaggeration, be weekly.

How do you reflect upon it?

Given it was quite quite and you go, I need to find my way to influence this contest somehow.

No, I don't think it was that.

I think i'd Warren Treed, Druid marked the ball center wing or half of our halfward flank in front of me. I think it was ridiculously I've tried to get there. I was never going to get there. Popmquad, which I don't think was an issue going into the game. They actually going into that game, although I had some back issues, it was the best I felt going into a Grand final. So I felt fine. But then I snapped my quad and my games are over. I'm done. It's a bad snap.

Well, you weren't that player, as we said, you know, a single charge for striking and a single charging charge, so it was it like you were a thuggage player in anyway.

It was just again, we have things in context, and we talked about nine to eleven and then twiny hours and all that sort of stuff. In my own little mind at that time, my world was ending, because you know, you're thinking of this dream of four flags in a row, and wouldn't it be great to be out there and play well and then snap of the quad, my game's over. And yes, just yes, My injury in that context was enormous. In the context of life, wasn't that big. But yeah,

Seven charges, ten weeks, fifteen grand. Did you you knew you're retiring? Did you pay the fifteen grand? I found to pay the fifteen grand?

Yeah, well, I don't know whether I had to, but.

It would have been an interesting test case if you retired. It isn't it?

It was raised, really was.

It was raised because of the attempted strikes being included that we challenged it and I don't think there was a case or QC back in the time offered to fight it for me, and I just said, nah, how about we just accept it, pay the money and sort of just drift off. So yeah, there was there was no thought from me of challenging it or I just yeah, capt the cup, the.

Fine I think I I think I rang Andrew Demitrio and apologize for it, because yeah, you don't want that.

The ironic thing was the next year, I did a couple of speaking gigs the Grand Final week for the AFL and they'll roll on that footage out.

You didn't get paid fifteen grand out of it?

No, I did not.

I didn't.

I got a little something, but I thought it was a bit of a contradiction to find me then use that vision.

So you knew you were retiring leading in I think AKA might have revealed it in a column, but you wrote when you Craig McCrae was also retiring, you wrote a lovely letter to him. Just take us through the timing of that, you know, basically saying to him, my love you, but this is my last game.

Yeah, So he said that Grand Final week last year, I was in an interview I'd completely forgotten about that. Yeah, I can't remember it, but he told me about it. I think that was and that's just a reflection on the bond that we had as a group. So, yeah, it was hard to step away, but I'd sort of just got to that stage where I felt that I'd given everything to be I mean, you can pull the piers and probably just coast along, but I think I'd invested everything in the people around me.

And I used to love training.

Although some of my teammates might argue that, but I used to love going to training. But when I started driving home from training and think, oh I'm cooked, and he was time to give it up. And so but it meant a lot to me all those people around me that had helped me. And again I was sort

A lot of marks.

Tell us about Tasmania because you you are the football director of the Tasmanian Devil's team.

It's great. I think it's great to be a part of it.

I think Tasmania being one of those states that is passionate about its AFL footy. It's been enormous contributor to the game over one hundred and fifty years. Some of the iconic games of the national game are Tasmanians. We only got to look at the team of last century and Darryl Bordock and Ian Stewart and Royce Peter Hudson, Royce Hart and to the modern players of the Roye Waltz and Maddie Richardson and Rodney ed and Darren Pretch.

But we've got to be true.

To that history and recognize that Thanks for listening to SACKED.

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