Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome back to the Mason Cox Show. Today. We've got a special guest, a very good friend of mine who I'm excited and I'm sure he's a bit nervous to be into this, this fan on the podcast, but we'll go through his resume. He's got Dancing with
the Stars contestant. I know there is the highlight of your career, mates, but there is other things to do with foot eat a two time All Australian calling which best best first year player in twousand and five, calling with leading goal scorer on four occasions, calling best in the first two thousand and seven, twenty ten permiship player and the big one. I know you're super proud of the twenty eleven Nab Cup champion. It's a really good resume and I'm excited to have you on the podcast.
So off, so welcome Trav Cloak.
Thanks mate. Fun fact three grand finals we played in in six months. Yes, there was a win, a lose and obviously another winner the NAB Cup. So there's only like ten of us to do it. Mate. It's pride and enjoying in my cover with a NAB Cup Premiership medallion. Yeah, it's one one to always get who's still hanging on to that? Actually don't know where it is.
Yeah you got medallions?
Wow did you ever? Because I know back in the day, if you kicked on like beyond fifty or something, you got to like donate. Yeah, you have to donate like a grand to your local.
Food, local footy club. Very thankful mate, because I can't kick inside fifty es ied to kick them outside and they made some good calls. How much money did you make for me? Again? Enough?
Enough enough, they've got plenty of football's there. Well, man, we'll get into it. I'm going to start it with something and we'll get into the football career. But in March of twenty twenty, your career was really a crossroads and dancing with the stars Judge Craig made it official. Craig Craig made official by saying, I think both couples are absolutely terrible for different reasons. I have to pick the best one I think out of them. For me, yes, Damie awful to be in with, but you tried to
collect yourself. I think hard choreography lads with the woman in particular sense. For that reason, I'm voting DAMMI in Shae, which meant see you later, trave It was a sad moment, mate, But how was that feeling? I've been I've been shocked down a few times. I'm nationaltle TV. No, but.
Gee, that was so much fun dance with stars. If you ever get an opportunity to do a reality TV maybe not do dancing because I don't think you could dance either. What would you say?
I should do S A S.
That's up on my to do list.
I reckon you'd be really good at it. That.
Yeah, I need time. I don't have time and family, man, kids working.
We have Matt Preston's gone on to he was on the podcast and he's going on Dancing with the Stardes this week.
He's got rhythm though, he can move. Yeah.
Did you have no no rhythm feet?
Mate? I am useless.
Oh gosh it it was like five hours a day training. I remember you told me.
Working at the club doing development. I was the only one on the show'd have a full time job. And I'm dancing full time, not a full time job.
Well, he.
Took the piece out of people, all right, that's what he does. By Ryan was too busy travel around the world for filming his show as well. So we had good fun on set. Don't keep me wrong, But Eddie's one of the funniest guys I've met. And he does not work. No, it doesn't worry. He's like doing this. This is his job. This is not a job, man. This is fun.
This is good fun. Yeah, this is good fun. We'll get into it.
Mate.
There's a lot to have. You've done a lot in your career. It's not only yourself. Your family's got a lot of history. And I'll talk to a few people down the road. You know, You've had a few people I know over the years that we have mutual friends of and one person I want their names. But he told me about a work experience. Was the first real time you'd met you and you're doing equipment management with Disco.
Yes, I was like a young fourteen and fifteen year old young part mate. Tell you he told me you did fuck off. He said, I don't know who you got it from. So I worked with Neil Bam right arm. He was a footy operator inspect human. Yeah, great guy and I still love him. But he used to tell me is like it's it's lunch trap and I was like, it's nine point thirty. Mate. He's like, now you're on lunch break, off you go and this is where a big park the time, I'm like this fourteen fifteen year
old kid in Colleen. We're going. Where do I go? What I do? I used to just walk to the fish and ship shop and sit there for three or four hours and wander back again training would start to go kick footie with the boys. And that was my work experience for two weeks.
So do you hate much?
Yeah? Five bucks a day, five bucks a day? Yeah, I think it worked out right. That gave me a contracting to your time. But yeah, I did not think Rowan Bounds was working at the club. So's to hang out with him. He's given you all the inside. Not much has changed, to be honest, Like, let's be honest. I don't work too much. I worked just to survive and that's about it.
Now, well, there's a lot we'll go into that side of it because you are working. We're at Essenon Football Club right now, which is kind of Yeah, it's very interesting to be in there. A parking light that we'll go back to. I want to ask you what your favorite football memory is because we'll go into the full kind of career and everything else. But I want to just start this off with one of your favorites.
You can't go past obvious. Your premiership, like that's a good one, but sentimental, Like I did play one game with both my brothers, so that was pretty nice to have for Mum and dad, like for them to see the three of us running out, like that's good, but premiership is still better. Let's be honest.
Your mom's the most lovely human too, by the way, shout out to mothers on Mother's Day last week. But I sat next to your mom at a football game maybe a few years ago, I think, and she was you're off for a game. I really got worried. She was so loving. She was give me financial advice, just tell me to buy houses.
She came on the other week. She must have seen you somewhere. She's like, Todd Mas to buy a house. I'm like, Mum, he's doing his own thing. He's old enough to make his own right and wrong choices. She's a good lady. She means well. She's got a heart of gold. Now she's the full time babysit of mate, so she's trying to look after you as well. That's it.
She's got a third kid. She didn't even more.
I'm not forcing him on to five. You're the six mate, You're jump in line.
We're going to your dad. David Cloke played for seventeen years, two premierships of Richmond, and I've got to ask the question because he played for Richmond and Collingwood. Obviously you your brothers are played for Colinwood. Why is the reason that you chose Collingwood as a family over at Richmond. The team was success.
We don't have time for that. But dad played two hundred for two plus for Richmond, one hundred and twenty for colling So technically, on the on the numbers like we should have favored Richmond, but for some reason we all end up at the Pies. The reason I went to Colin was they were transitioning from Big Park to the Holden Center at the time. Richmond we shit out like, let's be able to sell their bottom of the ladder.
Collingwood kind of on the rise, so it made a bit more sense, even though Richmond actually offered more financially benefit to go there, like apartment's houses, that type of stuff. But I thought the fun of playing with me brothers was more important at the time. Maybe looking back now, financially it would have been better, but footy did a right for me. So I'm still happy, mate. And I was.
So you were seventeen when we started playing, which is kind of like wild idea. Yeah, you were still year twelve. And then like if you're seventeen where you played Anzac Day in your first gat, you.
Have to turn eighteen by round one. So I was March fifth, I was eighteen. You were right on the cuss and then I played an Zac Day twenty fifth of April. So what I'm eighteen and five weeks before I played my first game of foot year.
The debut game. Both debuted Anzac Day. How's the feeling Well?
I had blonde hair, mate, Yeah, like the Red Birds blonde hair. I think even more. My socks up because Mick did the minute silence and the bounce goes, and Mix sent a message like pull your socks up, look like a football, and I was like, what he's watching me? So I whacked your socks up and for the first twenty minutes of socks are up, then all of a sudden they're down again. Around my ankle, so.
Did every player. I have to have the socks up.
Well, mixed mentality was like look like a football, to play like a football, like fake it? Do you make it?
And people make fun of me for socks up now, Yeah, but you're a rock.
Meet you wear shing guards, so it's you're a weird character anyway. So I didn't wear shin guards, mate. I'm reready big enough and thick enough. I don't need to look look thicker by wearing socks. Yeah, that was mixed mentality. So that was the number one thing you took out of that day is Mick telling you to pull your socks up. So I was petrified ever wear them down again. But after a while I let me wear them down.
So seventy thousand Anzac day debut, the one thing that comes out of is pull your damn socks up trap.
And then I think that was on a Wednesday or a Thursday that year, and I have to go to school the next day.
That is insane. So you surely come back and you're just king of the class.
No, not really, Like I'd been at school since I was like year seven. People knew me by the middle of the year or the end of the year, like I had enough of school, so sometimes I'd roll in all use, excuse, I've got training. I can't make it the class. But I manipulated my way through year twelve. Put it that way.
Yeah, ok, yeah, yeah that was me in my last year of college. We go through is there's some stories about you getting drafted, right, and there's there's rumors that they drafted your brothers. Your brother's are good players too, but someone told me they mainly draft of your brothers to try to get to you. I don't know if I four had them simplive that. It's a bit of a pop up.
It is a big bow, don't get me wrong, but hey, who knows, maybe pop Cavia Jason the way through.
But now both you are right. Is there any stories from you getting recruited? We talk about Eddie and Derek Hines at the club. There was apparently a horse involved at some point. You give us a little insight.
Sounds like a really weird king porn a horse like your house, Like, what's going on? Yeah, we're sitting around kitchen table a little bit like this's be a bit bigger, not the fan, but sliding door, a little pony nugget. He just like nudges the door open his nose if he goes wander is inside just click clip clip reach it out in these in the living room. Yeah, I think it was Eddy, Army might have been there, Dairy
Kine and maybe Mick. I don't know Mick was there or not, but yeah, like the powers to be of the footy club back then, sitting there Mum and Dad, I think my brothers might have been around and like sisters. And all of a sudden this horse like walks through like fifteen meters through the kitchen into the living room, reaches up to the table, grabs at apple and then just wander us back outside again.
Surely people looking around like.
Yeah, I was looking around like is this a dog? Is it a horse? Like? What is it? Because he's only like labrador high. He's still kicking around at mom and Dad's house. Actually he's still you're still telling that story to all the different horses. Don't get me wrong, it's grown some legs as story like everything else in life, a bit like the smoking shadows. But it's it's an urban myth. Now, it's a great one, and you know what, it'll never be like topped. I guess is the best way to put it.
Yeah, I'll say that she said the smoking shadows. And I talked to lock folks and he said one of the greatest quotes he heard from you was you can't lead a horse to water. You could lead a horse to water, you can make a drink.
What's the point of getting these analogies right? Like, that's the old skill, mate, You've got to come up with your own ones. It's modern times. Mate.
Like if I someone that's going to tell you if I could lead a horse or order, and it's going to be your I.
Can tell you can lead them to water and you can make him drink. I've done both of them. Sometimes that rich you is. But you can just like, come on, mate, we little splash in the face and up you go. Oh that's so good.
Now, well we all get into the farm and the life that you're living now. But I want to ask you, playing alongside your brother is a colon, how was that year you're talking about being one of the best kind of experiences in AFL.
I was twenty when they delisted both brothers. So when we won my best at first when I was twenty, I think I'm like the fourth or fifth youngest player. I thinks actually might knock me back a couple of pegs this year, you might win his first one. But yeah, I learned that year. It was like, it's a business. It's not just a hobby anymore playing footy. So I got told like, hey, by the way, your brothers are delisted, can you tell them? You had to tell your brother Well,
it was a message they ended up telling them. But I found out and I was just like, this is something I'm not saying.
You knew before they knew.
I did because my meeting was like a couple before them on the exit day. So and then that afternoon I found out to win the best in ferraor so at the age of twenty, I was like, oh, it's the business, not only just a hobby anymore. But at the same time, I had what three years with both of them to be blank and obvious. Mate. I took Cam spot like by coming to the club. So that's what it was, to be honest with a better foward than him. So that's why he was a RK on forward.
But we took that. But yeah, it was good fun. Like Cam used to drive me to training for the first twelve months, or because I only had my license for a while, so that was good. But Cam Jason I were thick as these were still we're obviously brothers, but we're best mates. It was fun because you always had someone to d have you back, I guess at the footy club. Footy clubs are amazing places, different things happening and stuff. To have your two brothers by his side.
We were at lockers thirty two, thirty three to thirty four, so oh really we could always steal each other shit. Dad always did our washing, so if you brought the wrong shit, just handed over to your brother and go, this is your your training top or shorts or whatever.
So that made it easy, though it was rumory. Pipes came in and gave us spray to I think Cameron. I think I got in trouble for missing something and your dad came in gave us spray to some of the Collingwood staff.
No, no, Cam or Dad. I got in trouble for taking someone's parking sport one day, but that was a different.
Storyties, wouldn't it CEO's parking spot just decided to right mate, I'm like, I need ten minutes to part the truck somewhere.
I'm taking your spot. I leave your keys with your receptionist. I got to check to Foxy Foxy on the City. I've got to pick some shoes up, mate, I'll be back in an hour. I also their started.
I've done that many at times, late at night after games or something like that.
But the CEO is like out the back. No, no, like two o'clock afternoon, like real power move. This is Travis's car. I just you couldn't miss. It's a big black truck as well, so they couldn't. I just say, oh, this is Coxy's car. Parts here, I've got the same car. No, that was a bit different.
But there's a few stories, mate, Like, let's be honest, I was a walking billboard for what twelve years? Oh my gosh, I made the footy. I made footy fun.
Yeah you did more than that. Yeah, you made entertaining for a lot of people. And we'll go through a lot of it. But I want to ask you this, what was your welcome to AFL moment? I know you played your first game Anzac Day whatnot, But.
Oh you just big crowds. I guess you pull the cling with John Bryan, Like, I think I played on an average of sixty thousand people and week to week, so that's pretty cool. But as a kid like growing up in footage like dad played, my brother's played, My uncle's actually an AFL umpire, my mum's father, so my pa was on the board at Richmond, so footage for the family. So for me to pull on an AFL jumper to be a part of it as well was
nice tradition. And then now like I'm a thirty six year old washed up has been football now with a two year old son and a five year old daughter, Like now, my journey is to pass the knowledge onto them and also working pathways, Like part of my role now is to build a better program for women's football. So when my daughter gets to the other age, if she wants to play football, there's a there's a great industry for her to be a part of it. So I'm going full circle and I'm enjoying it more now
than I over did as a player. What's the biggest thing you learned from your family? Ah, They're always got your back, that's for sure. Blood's thick them and water. But at the same time, you have your and down. Do you have your times where family shitcher times you don't want to talk to them, but when the times are bad or of grief, you always fall back to them,
no matter how good or bad it is. And I guess that's what it was like when I was had my fallout of football, Like when I actually moved on from the Pies in sixteen, that were the first people I called and said, I need change, I need to move or I'm just quitting today. So it was nice to have on there in my corner when I need it. And it was the same twelve months down when I actually finally I've made that decision, like I'm done with footy. It's not getting better for me, I'm not enjoying it.
I'm out the door, and they were there, you know what, fine there to support you. So it worked in good. I'm glad I did what I did. My relationships got better with my coaches, my players, the staff at both clubs because they respected my decision. Because of it, I was open and transparent with with micking Bucks into sixteen the whole way through the year. They knew where I stood and where I was at, so it was enjoyable process for the last eight months of my footy career.
We'll go through it a little bit more in death, but I want to ask some stuff that happened before then, Like I feel like you were one of those players loved loved a big game, Anzac days your Carlton's.
Yeah, I love big games. Crowd hated me, so it was always more fun.
What's the best game you've enjoyed as far as atmosphere.
Day's the best? No better day on the calendar is Anzac Day. Like you, you're there because it's fun, passion, the support of what we stand for. An Anzac Day, it's the best. And I guess the leader Mick. Mick was a motivator. He taught your history about what it was about. Bucks was a was an educator, so the vice versa and different personalities and loved them for different reasons. But A day's the best game of footage. Now it's pretty much the only game of footy I watch live.
Now you go to the game every year.
I don't go. When I say watch live, I watch it on TV. Yeah, the home. But it's it's a game that I enjoy like even not to even like now, Yeah, I work at the enemy of vested in here like as such as a player, but it's the beauty of what it stands for. When we were playing in it, and it didn't matter how good we were or they were, it was always a close game. Queen's birthday was similar.
Now the back end of my career had more meeting Queen's birthday because of the MMD with with the Dan and her family, So it meant something that way because what he had given the football. And then you go the other ones. It's like you always love playing against Richmond. It's the history of the historians that really sell the story of what AFL's about. And they're the games that you love. And then finals, well nothing better than finals,
your long Hawthorne. These type of games we had, especially in like seven oh nine, ten, they were good, one hundred thousand people cheering and screaming. They're the only moments I remember of my wholefully career. Yeah, those games. It's funny how like I look back and I think you're like comparatively with your like your career, my career and everything else, and it's like those big games, there's so much in between that just kind of filters into the same memories. Fluffed.
Yeah, and then you have those big games. There's big moments that you enjoy and yourself and you're like, that's the one.
I remember. We had one more big game we haven't talked about, like Round one twenty seventeen against the Pie. So I've got the blue jumper on I'm lining up against I will get into it. My best mate, Benny Reed, We've had dinner like a few times, reading nine error and come around and every so often he's sitting there on the couch. I just air drop him that YouTube cliff of me king and a goal on him and
sits here. Yeah. I'm like sitting there watching him air drop and he seas and you see his face drop. He's like, you're an asshole. Like mate, if we weren't mate, that's not funny. Because we're mates, it's funnier. It's yeah, that's up there in my footy moments of like pleasure, but at the same time, it was more why it's pleasurable. It's like you got joffer and the goal square for
thirteen years. He cheers me on and supports me. Then all of a sudden, I sink this long bomb and he just sits down and has a silk about it, so to me, it's like a bittersweet. It's like, mate, I looked after you for many years and now you're trying to give me ship. Will you sit back down and enjoy that seatment.
I want to bring something out because there's a lot of things that happened in your career, and there's someone wrote up when like I came a bit later into your career where I came here. But like, there's been a lot of things that have happened I guess away from the field to you personally, and like like your residence was shot out in two thousand and nine, Like what the what happened? Did you ever find out what happened? Like what the reason? We're not in America? Guns uneasily
exactly when? So maybe he's got a little American tom Nah.
There's three bullets, bullet holes or punctures through the house, all through windows and stuff. Get your truck or you're about drive. It was like three hundred meters long, so you don't know if someone shot it from the street or in our drive or whatever. They found a couple of slugs in the wall in one of the rooms.
Were you awake, It was the middle of night, mid the night, but.
We didn't realize like the next day when you're like, oh, why is that window got a break in? And then you're like you you didn't wake up nothing. We just have people comeing like egger house and stuff. And there's a few other stories about like following people down the street when they try to smash windows in our house and just said hello to them. But yeah, what I made a house just get vantasized all the time just because you played for Congle, yeah, and just people knew
where you lift. Yeah, it was a fairly home. We've been there for fifteen years.
And the story on you're getting your Cora broke and then turns windows smashed and spray plane everywhere.
That was when I lived in Richmond. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that happened so many years, mate, good old hay.
Just hold on the loot here and casually like, yeah, these things happen, you know, it's part of footy.
It's like what no, some of these cars I didn't own, so I had to bring up hold and and to be like so, mate, I'm really sorry, Like ads, your car's been broken into again. He's like made two weeks ago. I was like, well, it's not my fault. Here's the vision of it. Oh my god. So yeah, I still have like security cameras at home and I did always growing up, So you've got vision of all these little clerky things that happened all the time and people don't believe it. And I was like, I didn't need you
to believe it. I've got the footage of it.
So what's the worst thing someone's done six years?
Six six times in one year. I had my car broken into it six times in a year. Yeah. So I lived outside your house. That's where I lived in Cremona, and that's why I moved out of Chrimon. And that's why you live in Kangaroo.
Somewhere else. We will not devote where that is.
Yeah, yeah, like, yeah, I had some weird things and people are like how and why does his head? I was like, well, I don't know. Like I didn't have a sticker on my car and said Travis close car. But club people loved it or they hated this, And that was like my whole motto of life, of like I lived to be the best version of myself and I enjoyed myself while I did it and just you know, sometimes shit happened.
There's other crazyest thing. Someone's broken your car five times in a Yeah, that's pretty good. Yeah that's insane to me. And you just casually like this thing's happened. I guess if you were paying for it, it might be a bit different.
I did have to technically pay for it. I had to drive down the Eastern Freeway with a broken window the winter. The trash bag I got this downpack used to be able to put your wind sheeter like along the door and then just tied around like headstall. So I had it sorted. And you how to do it.
One of the many lessons you didn't think you'd have to learn from football, Like.
I've got some life lessons. I'm a very good life motivator, that's for sure. Now teaching you how to get through shitting.
Gosh, I don't know how you deal with it or going to the premiership?
Here?
Can you can you tack us through from starting to finish? Kind of how the feeling was around the club going into finals, winning a Grand final.
That just missed out like into nine I think it was Geelong or Hawthorn one or two like beat us and they went through I think it was nine, I think Geelong one. So we had like good form, good mentality going through twenty ten. Like we had a mindsets like no matter how good or bad we played, you give me ten minutes and we'll beat you. That's literally what the boys believed, like all you needed was ten minutes,
and we did it. And sometimes it was for the better officusly someone on the worst, so somebody would played bad foot and then all a sudden we just turned it on and off we went. So that was nice, but it was a journey, like we probably knew we always had that grainny in us after the draw purely because we addressed it. We went to the function after the drawing Grand Final, we trained as normal and we recovered really well enough. We went well I think halftime
we knew we had in the bag as well. So the bit of enjoyment factor such a great feeling it was, And looking back at it now, like I was, what twenty three or something like that, so I didn't really enjoy even the celebrations and what it meant. You probably just thought I would happen again. Yeah, And that's probably the one the regret I have, he thinking it would
and like. To be honest, we got there pretty close in eleven, but there's no guarantees in foot in I probably should have enjoyed myself a bit more even after the game with the guys and it's not celebrated. We just soaked it all in a little bit more. But now it's it's the one thing I really love about foot is every year now we catch up. Yeah, and that's the beauty. You don't see each other for a whole year and you come together. We catch up in
December and it's the best time. Guys come share stories. Kids got other kids now telling us about it and what they're doing in business. So it's a real connection piece and forever we'll have that, that data share. That's so good.
What was the I love to get into people's heads whenever, like momentous things happen right in their career. Siren goes drawing, grand fine, you probably don't even know what the hell will do next? What's going on? I thought's what's going through your mind in the drawer? Yeah, Like whenever it happened, like the siren goes and it's tired.
I reckon MAXI was kind of running around going like it's five minutes and I'm like, I don't know what's going on, but I think it was. There was definitely like a minute or of like everyone's like what do we do? But then it was like not regroup, off, we get and that was what it was. So it was good. I think I think it came from Maxie in the end or someone from the bench and say like no, that that's it, Like just get the hell out of here. You have a postmass function.
Yeah, we did.
We went to like after they had a big function on with like five six hundred people there, so we still went to it as we like guys might have had to add a wine or whatever, like, still went to it since La chose not to. They actually had the function still but none of the players went. So I think for us it was like we actually like mourned it the draw and then we could regroup on the Monday Tuesday go again. I don't know, hindsight is
like at work for us. Maybe it wouldn't have worked in the beauty, but foot is a weird game man who knows like it could have pissed down with rain and you get done. The ball might have bounced a certain different way and the drawer and Steven Mial kicks a goal. He doesn't smother the ball like all these type of things we can talk about forever in a day, but in the end of the draw and we come back seven days later. It cost me a fortune though, because I had to move me holiday mate.
To rebook the flights. I was gonna hold you you're most upset about it.
I was only going to all right, But yeah, I lost like four nights accommodation flights. It's it was worth it, That's all right, it's worth It's probably the best my best money I've spent my whole career.
I've wasted money before. That's not a waste. That's not a waste. What do you Where is your Premiership medal?
Out? Did the heme, No, it's at the footy club, that'd say, yeah, with my boots, my glove, my jumper and another medeonia like I donated the club for their ten year reunion. Yeah. Well we're in twenty twenty three now, so it's been there for three years. Yeah, I'm getting renovated. So I don't know where the in a box, I don't know, but someone's got someone's got it. They can look after it. I'll get it in due time. I
don't need it yet. I'm living in a caravan, so to be honest, it'd be in a box at my property. So it's best that someone else looks after it.
We talked about this before. Trevor is actually living in a caravan at the moment, he's renovating the house. He's going, ok.
Shows him to do this.
He chose to do it. He's gonna have a beautiful house once it's all done. But yeah, now how wild? It's okay? So I've got to because you brought it up. The glove. Everyone talks about this thing. Who dubbed you out? I think there's rumors a.
GWS player might have I did take sixteen marks, and I think six contested the day you had the silk. But anyone can wear the glove still, really, so I wore it because my intuity in my hands, my thumb's like, don't look now, they're dirty. I've been working, man, but my thumbs used to slip out. My fingers still do. I'll have arthritis in due time with my hands. So that's the reason I wore it. Did it help me? Yes?
It did? Anyone that knows me. I'm a sweaty pig, so to be honest, on hot days or wet days, no, it didn't help me because it used to like reversal. But I did have two different versions. There was a leather one and then obviously there was the one that did have the sticky fingers. But the one that actually put on that day on the footage show wasn't the glove. It was a model of the glove, but that was actually the NFL version, so very sticky one. But it
definitely did work. But it didn't help my goalkie, and that's for sure. But yeah, I didn't feel might. I got a bit angry that day. I kind of pulled him apart. So this is a real there's a real L. J. Simpson type scenario here.
It's the club doesn't fit because it is.
To be honest, I took the idea of Adam Goods. Adam good wore it and it was exact same glove that Goods he wore for many years. And no one's anything, No one say anything. I just got in trouble originally before I got it, got banned or looked at the club used to find me five hundred dollars a week because it had a Nike tick on it, and obviously I was sponsored with Nikes for years and they still look after me. Still Nike, you know, still a big man.
Coincidence they sponsored the club, so you can talking about I thought.
I'd better take my essen. But yeah, so the club used to find because at the time, with Star Athletic and Start, tried to make a glove for me to wear, but it just wasn't up to what I wanted and it fell apart. So the club said, well, you can either remove the tick from the glove and put a Star Athletics on it, or you'd be fine five hundred bucks. So I said, oh, I'll take the fine. And I remember talking a Nike about and they said, don't worry about it. Pay for it next time your contracts up.
Just whack another fifteen twenty grand each year in your contract. Well that's what I did, and I love me for it anyway, and they still do.
So it's a little MJ kind of like, pay for the fine every single time you've brought too many colors on your shoes.
About this stuff. So it's U, You're the MJ.
The AFL it was.
Like people say, oh, that's that's a laugh. Well I can. I can give you my deduction build from the food club sands Fine Glove. But for the description of that one, yeah, I think I might have claimed as a tax. Did actually like one stage for the t But I had a lot of weird moments in my career that.
I'm amazed that the club's finding you in the AFL because remember I wore my goggles. I have to sharpe you out the sides of them because the AFL doesn't want any branding on them.
Well, technically it's tools of the trade. You can't. It's a medical thing. Now you look handsome with glasses. I look terrible. I have glasses now, but I only use them for my laptop. Can't geting old. Yeah yeah, and I still don't wear them. But anyway, wearing glass in a game of footy though, cocko, it's very interesting.
It's different. I think everyone knows I like to do things differently. It's pretty well now you're giving shit about me from my celebration last year, last week.
So like like it's very composed.
Like mate, you want the double covers, you know what you want. So if I keep go this weekend, I get the double covers to just go.
Are you playing, Carlton?
I tell yeah, easy, Oh mate, you're right. I can't say anything, drave I can't say anything. Free game. You know how these things work.
You're getting dropped after after your career best game?
Is that what it means? You never know? You never know. We'll go into twenty eleven. I want to ask you about this because Colonge was twenty two and three and one of your best years every playing career. How was the feeling then, like you have the confidence going, the team's going really well. You're kind of like the image of the Conga Football club. And I tell people this all the time because you played the main forward and the biggest club in the country in the most scrutinized position.
I don't think people understand kind of everything that comes with that.
What do you think I've retired at age of thirty man, Yeah, monly, it took a toll of me in the end, But no, it was like as a twenty three, twenty four year old boy, I wasn't a man that I was still a boy. I thought it was the best. Yeah, to be honest, I mentally didn't mature it. It was like twenty seven, twenty eight, and then I realized, like what am I doing this for? This is not who I
am as a person. When I used to pull the jumper and across the line, I was my alter ego and that's to be honest, that's what beat me up by the age of thirty. That's why I retired at such a young age, because I didn't have the mental resilience to go again. So I didn't realize what it was doing to me by being that role model or being that picture of the biggest club in the nation.
So looking back at it now like I should have done things to probably better resource myself with the mental tools or resilience and had better things to do away from the footy club as well. Like everything I did was around football. I lived and breathed it. I didn't realize un till maybe I was like twenty six twenty seven. I was like, these other things to do, Yeah, you have to And that was probably now Like now, in what I do in life in coaching, it's like, no, no,
it's all about managing. I don't refer myself as coach. I'm a mentor. I want to help educate on and off, but I don't look back at it and regret anything, and that's the best thing. I love my footy career for what it was, my childhood for what it was, and now where I am now when I retired at thirty, this transaction, transaction and next phase has so far been the most enjoyable. I've got married, I've had two kids. I'm starting to build now a brand of who I
am and doing authentically. I'm not being who other people thought I was. Like, I had some of the best cliches I ever said in my footy career, and this is the smoking shadow stuff because I was trying to
be someone I wasn't. Now, you know what, I'll say stuff and I learn and I'll still make mistakes, but this is who I am now in my brand, I've been authentic, and I guess now the modern day of athletes were seeing more of it because they're realizing you can't form to what the normal is because the normal isn't normal anymore. We see that in society more and more and more. But at the same time, I will stuff up. I will make good decisions and bad decisions.
My wife's the first person to tell me what would I do good and bad? But I love it for that as well, because she holds me accountable. Now, so life's pretty good. Now, wait to the kids, so doing it.
Now?
That's five and archies two and a half and they already tell me Dad no. I was like, oh man, I can't be losing arguments to what? But no, I roll over and admit defeat pretty easy with the kids. They've got to me wrapped around their finger.
Yeah, no, it's it's beautiful, man.
I think.
I think one thing people will probably look at you and realize is kind of whenever our first came in, you were kind of person I'd never really experienced anything, and I was kind of similar to what you were, kind of that younger years of not growing into a man yat and like you'd gone through that kind of the whole process of what you're going through, and I was like, fuck, man, this guy is so in tune with what's happening and something like I can't even fathom
having to go through. And then it's like, think of how many people since you went through that have been able to you know, you talk about like Tom BOYD and stuff, who went through his kind of thing and and every other kind of player that's come out and had their kind of mental health issues, like that was
something that people didn't do before you. I feel like, yeah, and you had to take that really hard, like smash of media criticism and everything else, and people don't understand exactly how it, you know, took a toll on people before. Now that we get to this point now where people I guess I've got more understanding of it.
So sixteen I leave the Pies. That year, I think you actually got your first game Nsact day. It was the first time my whole career had been dropped so till now you to have a game. It's a right. I love looking back. What are this Clay with? Faithful? Thank me? But for me it wasn't a reality, but it was more like perspective in my life to go like what do I want to do and where do I want to go? Like I already knew that year, like I was up with contract, had another year ago.
I was like, what what does next year look like for me? What do I want to do? And this is as a twenty eight year old, I'm like, what I want to do in foot year? It was like, to be honest, they should have been the peaks my powers of my career, but I was un till he drained, and I didn't know any of this because we didn't talk about mental health and not depression, like resilience, about balance. These things weren't talked about. So for me at that age and being naive, I didn't know what it was.
It wasn't until I actually left Collingwood that I started to do other things and do things differently, Like even conversation before like getting throught with Mick, sorry with Barks and Edie was like, what does my future look like? And even for them, they're like, what do you mean? I was like, well do I progress past his career of this, like at the age of thirty to my contract go further? What do I do? Like looking back at I should only retire two three years ago instead
of seven years ago. But I don't change anything now, Like I'm thankful I did what I did. I went through what I did because now I realized it was normal. If I've kept continuing going through that and forcing myself to do it, I don't know where and what I would have ended up doing. Like I wasn't in a bad place, but at the same time, I didn't enjoy footy. I remember at the Dogs like I loved my time at the Western Bulldogs at a successful six months transition,
really enjoyed it. Got to know some good players started playing good footy. On my two hundred and fiftieth game, which was on Good Friday, I broke my chest my intercostals external Soach's zach Zebel lined me up and broke it on me, so thanks technically thanks to him. I realized like, life's better than just playing footy. So I had six weeks off with that to rest up, and through that I started to transition and realized what does next year look like. I was still contracted, but I
was like, Footy's not really for me anymore. The love, the drive that you need as a professional athlete wasn't there. So when I rushed back to play because I wanted to play footy, I couldn't do what I used to do because of the injury I had. And then that probably was a bit of a spiral for me. I realized like this is not really it. End of this season comes the Dogs say, mate, you still got twelve months, we want you to play. What do you want to do?
And At this stage, I hadn't really thought too much about it, and then it got to like October. We were chatting like list Lodgment's got to be done. And I retired on October thirty one or October thirtieth, at like four point fifty eight and list lodgments at five o'clock. Three days later, my daughter's born. So to me, the realization of why I retired was because you know what I want to do the next transition of my life, and that is, you know what Skelets could. At the
same Scolet was gonna be born. Becky and I just been married what ten months. Life was different, and I wanted to put my time and effort into that. And looking back at it now, it's the best thing I ever did. I love my footy time as a player, but now I love the next phase even more as a father, as a husband, now, as a mentor, as a coach, as a hobby farmer, like these other things.
You can't miss them. So I'm really thankful for what foot he did, but I'm so thankful for this next phase and next whatever looks like for me.
It really does seem like you're really at peace and happy and I'm so happy for you man. I've been to two games since I retired, mate pretty well what games were? They only went to one of them back what I mean just no. One of them was Grand Final day last year and I did leave it for the Grand Final started because I coached the kids beforehand and left.
But the other one was there. It was a game only went because of the President's luncheon. I was sitt in mind glass that's a bit nicer, and I actually didn't watch a minudle of the footy. I sat the whole day there talking to Mick Mick Myldhouse and we just talked rubbish and caught up. So to be honest, I should get back more to catch up some old
friends and older teammates. But food, you just don't have time for me to sit and watch a three hour game of footy now, especially when you're work in it. Last thing I want to do is now watching you guys run around and more work and support. It's not the enemy.
Well, I want to go back because you kind of we briefly talked about this, and this is something that I kind of went into this interview wanted to chat about this because I've never actually talked to you about it, and it's that twenty sixteen stuff. When I played my first game you originally got dropped. I was shitless of you.
I remember coming back to the club thinking like I want to get my head bashed in by this man, like and then I remember the day I came back, you were so like loving and kind and just like so congratulations and like you had no reason to like no reason to like say, you know, congratulations, you random
fucking American who has no idea what he's doing. It was just it was kind of a moment of like just I don't know, like admiration from me, of like you putting aside kind of everything that was going on and being a genuine fucking human.
So pretty different. It's a team sport and we're meant to be like so supportive and whatever, but at the same time, you're competing against one another and that's technically that Like we would have trained for months on end together against each other to be better, and I would have taught you different tricks that I know. So for me as an athlete to be disappointed for someone that I've worked with to get a game, in my eyes, is pretty poor on my behalf. So that's why I
always like try to be the other way. I was like, no, no, compassion's great, like supportive for someone else's dreams being around it. Did I realize at the time that that was what I was doing, Probably not to be honest, I was probably bitter as all hell inside, but at the same time, I was like thankful to see like a friend perform and do well. Like I remember kicking the goal and I think two on the day and had fifteen like
an outstanding debut pretty similar to mine. Don'ty about it is like if you're not like appreciative of your of your teammates getting opportunities. I got my first game of football when a close friend of mine, Anthony Rocker, went down the injury. So it's a bittersweet where a competitive sport at the same time it happens. It was probably just more of a shock because I'd never been dropped
for in my career. That's like thirteen years and you're like, this doesn't happen, But the reality is is it's probably the best thing that happened for me. I remember I didn't go to the game. I remember we just moved from living in town to buying a property. To be honest, I reckon. I had seven bomb fires going on that day, so I was having a really good day. But yeah, I refreshed, I got all that anger out. That's why I said I could come on the Monday and give
you ahargain say congratulations. So it's I don't know, it's probably something that never has been spoken about, and to be honest, it probably hasn't really been something I needed to talk about because I know what foot is about, and this is the thing You've got to be accepting
of what other people do. And now I sit back is a hide player of the club and I look now going you know what that was the hating of the bat and of the transition of your career, and you look back now it's like when they were sitting in a bus talking about the Mason Colch Show, like how things.
Have changed got you on as a special guy.
Yeah.
No, it's very interesting because I think like there's there's moments of like you talking about like Pebs and then yourself and then like myself and then Brody and like I'm looking at now and like I'm kind of towards the back end of my career I'm kind of looking at who's going to be that person I guess to be that next story. It's like, you know, I guess Ford or Rock or whatever. It may be a big
guy essentially of Collingwood. And it's it's interesting because I've like, whenever you put yourself back and you look at other people that have done it before you, and now you're in that position, You're going, fuck, Now, I get why he felt that way or why he was acting that way, or why he was so nice, and I feel like I need to do that, you know, and make sure I give the same kind of credit to the next person.
It's kind of like you're a bit of a bit of a father figure at times with the career stuff.
But now use me as a father figure.
That's all right, because I remember after like you, I'll never forget you. And Jesse White would just go Monday after games come in and it would be your dad and he'd go, yep, go run like five hundreds and four hundreds, and you two would just go dead sprints, like dead sprints around the oval after a full game, just cook it. There's no chance anyone was keeping up to it. Was just like you were just both letting your anger out and just smashing four hundreds or it
was like just insane. And yeah, there was just so many things. I feel like I learned over my years playing next to you, and like, I'm so appreciative to have a bit of a mentor like yourself as one because.
I only worked hard because I had to work off the food that ate on the weekend. Right.
Well, I've been told you, actually this is your pregame meal fish and chips.
Is this thrue Hamburg of the lot Hake? Yes? And ice cream and ice cream?
Yes, this is what. Oh my gosh, someone told me. I think Pndall told me this.
He goes.
But one thing you have to know is he can finish a tub of ice cream quicker than any other person you could possibly fab him.
Still still is on my on my menu in the freezer tubs kind of one lead tub. I'm all over it, like all of them. But you only buy the when they're on sale because they're like four ten barks and seven. You're like six of them in the trolley. Off you guy, there's mid weeks ice cream. Yeah, I'm all over. You don't. And this is ice This is a fun fat ice cream. You don't buy low fat or any of these. You got to get the full cream, all the flavors, because
you're in there for the enjoyment exactly. If you want all these like healthy stuff, have frozen yogurt or something else. I still now like smash my ice cream, and Becky like looks at me and like repulsed by how and why? But it's my guilty pleasure. Or you a whole tube in one setting, Yeah, because there's no point wasting. Like if there's a little bit like what are you gonna do with itprastic?
The next time you open it, you're like.
More if you do leave a little bit, you've got to leave like three tubs with that moch so you can like combine it. So you've got like a full tub that like three times. Do you have like a whole freezer just of ice cream? There's a tray, a tray with just like ice cream and desserts. I like my ice creams and desserts.
Oh good, now can I can I bring this back? I want to take this back to Mick the Mauhouse now twenty twelve, Right, you have a really good year. Meck goes and gets moved on. Now you sign a five year extension with Colin Wood and your dad's your manager who actually signs.
This was just pretty cow within itself.
How was your relationship, I guess towards the end of Mick Malhouse's career and what were some of the I guess the life lessons you learn from because he's such a person in.
The and this is the way he coached. He earned the respective you as a player but also as a person, but he wanted it back ten folds like you respected him as a person. So Mick played with my father for many years at Richmond, so I knew who he was and what he stood for. I knew his shortcuts two a player, like he used to jump on the tram when they used to do the ten and like cut half the tracks. Yeah, Mick, because the sneaky bases. I knew this type of stuff and I knew what
he stood for. And we were really respectful of my work ethic and what I thought I deserved and vice versa. He really looked after me as a person. He gave me an opportunity. So I always have the most respect for Mick and his family do when we don't talk enow, But when we do. It's like we saw each other yesterday, and I guess that's the friendships that you build. So I was sad when he moved on, but I knew what the club was doing and how they were going
about it. Like obviously Barks, I had him as a as a player, as my captain, I had him as my forwards coach, and then all of a sudden, I have him as a senior coach, and now I have him as a friend. We still talk, probably not as regulous we should also, but it's like we saw each other last week, a message here and there, social media text here and there. We still talk. And that's what footags about, like building lifelong for ends. There is.
I feel like there's a bit of like a community within the footy world of people have had these experiences and similar ones. And I want to ask this because there's rumor that Mick Mahouse trate a JEVI to Carleton.
Is that true? It didn't really. He obviously asked a question, but the WUS was going for you too. There's a couple I was in that stage where like I didn't I don't like traveling. I hate sitting on planes. There was an offer from one of the Western Suburbs teams to go and we use that as a bit of leverage the club I'm working, the club i'm working.
At now too, Like I've been there with Brisbane.
We utilize this club here to a good friend of mine and the family worked in recruiting, might have been Adrian. We have a joke about it still now we cross pass in the coda and it's like you owe me. I was like, I know, but yeah, that's that's the beauty of it. And even now I look at like players when they negotiate these contracts and we're also outlandish that Brodie Grandy signs a nine year deal. I was like, well,
to be honest, the club committed to it too. So I get disappointed with the media of like we hold we hang players out to dry with this, but it's exactly what I did what ten years ago, and I was extracided because I was going for a five year contract. Now five years is like the two year contracts. It's a base minimum.
So and if anyone had the opportunity, they'd sign that contract. And I hope you too.
Yeah, And like we weren't talking about twenty cents here like we're talking about some good money here that were lifelong decisions to set up. And I was willing to take a financial pay cut to state calling and like people go, what's a pay cut? Well, a pay cut's ten thousand dollars, or it might be a million dollars. It's still a pay cuts. It's different, like we're probably looking in the north of the of the other one.
But it wasn't going to change my life at the time, and still wasn't going to change my life now, Like where what I did in footy helped me with the transition of learning and developing for three is away from proper having a job. So I'm I was thankful. I was never going to leave. Did I think I was going to even go to the Western Bulldogs? No, I didn't. I want to be a one club player, but if I didn't try something new, I would have always had that regret, and now I don't have any regrets by
trying that. Twelve months of the.
Dogs, Ian, I go back to my house getting the sack, move on to Bucks, who was a teammate of yours. How was it having a teammate that would turned into an assistant coach into a head coach I had.
I had had teammates turned to assistants, but not to a senior, so it's definitely different. Was our relationship pushed through parts of it bloody oath that was like I remember sixteen, like having conversations with Bucks that I never had before and literally sitting there with coffee with him and till I was like, mate, I am at the end of the season. I'm leaving and he was like, but why and what are you doing? I was like, well,
if I don't try, I'm going to retire today. So he knew what I was wanting to do and why I was doing it. It wasn't because I was bitter at the club or pissed off. It was because I was trying to find the love for footy again and that competitiveness. So if I didn't do it, I would have been annoyed with myself. And that's probably the outside noise people didn't realize this. My relationship with Mick and
Barks wasn't tethered the whole way through. Our conversations changed because became not just personal became business and personal was always we always knew where we stood that way, but when you talk business sometimes and you're going to personal relationship, you can take your fans. We never did and still to this day now, like Bucks challenging me on certain things or opinions that I might have, but it's not because I disrespect him or disrespect me. It's because it
is for the betterment of us. If I'm not getting challenged on a daily basis, like am I really growing a learning No, So I respect the opinion and to be honest, Like Bucks taught me so much as a player, as an assistant coach, but also as a head coach, but also as a friend. And I think we as footballers and athletes, we forget how much people can teach you as a friend. Where young boys going into this world of footy. I was at I was a seventeen year old, never had a job before. Footy is my
first job. And I get to the age of thirty, I've never had a job. I'm like, well what do I do? And here I am now still working in footy, Like it's it's a dream, but it's not a reality. I still want to be a five man. That's the dreams you have as a kid. But I still want to do that. Like is that something I do down the line, like I still want to do that, bloody Oh is it? Is it in two years time or
five years or ten years? I don't know, but it's definitely somewhere on my like, on my plan I want to do That's.
So I can see you being a fiery actually take the hat off. Yeah, let's go, boys, sliding down that pole.
Just CROs come on house. That's all I want to know. There is nothing fancy, It's just just necessities. Mate.
Oh gosh, okay, Well we're going to the next kind of phase.
You.
Buck's a great man, Love him to death, like, and he's an incredible human. Speaks so well. I think people don't realize how well he speaks and how well he's articulated and what he talks about. You get to move to the Bulldogs. Luke bav I was a transition from Bucks to bav was it different?
Coachevo as an assistant coach like in five or six or something at Collingwood. So, And to be honest, I only had him for like twelve eighty months and didn't really get to know him too much. It was he floated in and out. I met with him in sixteen probably middle of the year when I kind of in my mind, I was like, I'm going to move on. I met with a few different AFL clubs and senior
coaches probably had four or five from the clubs. Bevo was the one that stood out to be most his relationships, his connection piece, his philosophy of what he wanted out of his team, and to be honest, when I was making this decision, I didn't want to go to another Collingwood so Richmond Carlton like these two A clubs, they're big clubs. I wanted someone small and go under the raidar and just enjoy the twilight of my career. Yeah.
I met with Bebo. I shared stories and talked with him and you know what, we here and Shade and said, yep, done, let's do this end of the year.
And this is like August before the finals. Yeah, it's crazy, how like you can still be in season. They're having conversations behind doors. Twenty sixteen Dogs win the Grand Final. So I remember each week at the final Bevos called him. He's like, well, catch up next week.
Travel. I was like, yeah, yeah, And in my head, I'm like, the dogs just won the Granny. I was like shit, Like the one thing I didn't want to go to was the Big Mat club. He's Western bod. I was never want a flag. In fifty something years, they win the flag and I'm walking into the door. I was like in my head, I was like, this is not what I want. But the club was so good, Like I really loved it. The people, they're what it's dood for their values. I genuinely had the love for
footy again. But I got in jad like that's just what footy does. God's getting the way in. But he was different. He rocked up like one day in his timberlands, his flannel, he was on a skateboard, Like could I imagine Bucks doing that? I couldn't, But I guess now, like I've learned so much from those two men of like who they are and what they stood for, and
now that's who I am now. I was like, I want to be authentic, and those two guys are extremely authentic, Like Bevo grows the most amazing Like mos Now I'm just like this is a fantastic, Like it's so good to see. So I respect him for different ways. I'm thankful for the dogs and obviously forever for giving me that opportunity didn't work out, probably not, But at the same time, none of us really lost and we really gained anything. It's just an opportunity. You enjoyment out of it,
and that's an important thing. I freed up some money for the pies, right, other stuff for.
Them didn't go into my contract. Unfortunately. We'll talk about this game. So on the time of the game, you play the Congo Football Club, you kick one from outside fifty on radio, as you mentioned, feeling of that, like.
Well, let's get back with so much history. We have never played Western Bulldogs in round one ever. I get traded, traded, leave whatever you want to say to the Dogs and final of them winning too, And that's like the biggest story I play pass well. I was like when this came out, I was like, if you try to tell me this is not a publicity stunt, so but in my head I was like, you know, it was probably the best thing to do. You get over and done with.
You're not waiting to a round five, round six, round seven, like whatever. So it was good. I enjoyed it. It was definitely strange, Like the guys that were playing, I knew them more intimately, like I knew everything about everyone. I'm still learning my teammates, like and that's the weird thing. But it was really nice to play against READI like, to be honest, We've trained on each other for ten years plus, so I knew everything about him. He knew
any thing about me, Like did we both have great games? No, we didn't. But there was obviously the one moment that keep the goal. So if it didn't happen, would there be regrets. Probably. It's just a nice little story now when you sit back and have a laugh. But as I said, it's a little reminder I give to REDI every so off and we catch up for dinner. I just air drop it. I don't send it to him, air drop it, so he has to accept it except phone.
So it's strategic, don't get me wrong. But it's got like the Titanic music to it now on the YouTube, so it just.
It's got time and the favorites ready to go whenever you need to fall it out.
It's the first search that comes up comes up. But yeah, it's it was funny. It was interesting, don't get me wrong. There there was definitely some moments in the game from a couple of past players that said some things where I probably should have pulled them up at the time, but that's footy, like it's competitive things that exchanged in
the moment. Has it changed some relationships over Bluddy either did? Yeah? Yeah, my opinions of like a two minute or a one minute thing that somebody might have said on the field, Like it's changed ten years in my perspective of them one hundred percent did. And friendships with certain individuals at the same cost of it. But it's not going to
change you. I'm not going to when I see that person, it's not going to make me change who they are, Like I'll say hi and acknowledge them, and we're probably just not going to be close and go on holidays like we used to. That's all. Yeah.
Or you look back your career, who's the people you're closest with and you've got like tubes in Goldie, Yeah, this was.
Talked about like cam Wood, Alan, Tuby, Entice girls say we were close when we've played. I still talk to Goldie all the time. He's obviously living in Adelaide, So with can different ones too, like Jordi Degoie, like Heat we're eight years different in age, but when he came through, like I spent a lot of time with him, the utmost respecting him. He came and hang out with my family and my daughters and my wife and then Brodie
Grundy the same thing. Like when he got drafted. Pronunce lived at my house for the first couple of months, so like he's just what he did, and he literally ate me out of house at home, like he's the biggest to eat it. Bro I used to come home some days from training. He's just like sitting on the couch. I'm like, what are you doing it? That's bros, And like its ice creams. Yeah, that's the relationship we have now.
Like I love him for it. And even when he moved on to the dis I literally said it was like this is the best thing for you, mate, like the irrelevant footy, Like this is the best thing for you. And he's really loving it. I still talk at Pendles like not a lot, but when we talk it's got meaning behind it, like we spent so many years together. It's probably the players that have moved on now that
we talk to like a bit more. You cross paths with and I've said, like that Premiership team of twenty ten. We catch up each year. That is the best day in the calendar, obviously, apart from my children's birthdays, my wife birthdays. Man, have that catch up, you.
Really tug yourself out. I can see your head. God, wait, no, I need to say something else.
But it's just like I love it because like last year only went for like two hours, but I was in if I was in the out saw them had to feed and I had to go and do a couple of things. So I look for I sometimes like that was the first one we've had in like four years. So who bring a nice, nice drop of venail. Well, normally you got to bring a bottle. You got to bring a bottle or something. And it's a share thing
we do and that's just what it is. So yeah, a few boys flex their muscles with a few different bottles. Some carry on a bit longer than others. Maxi Cuddy's hand open like five minutes into the day, like trying to having a bottle and being a big, big dick. So it was kind of funny because we spent the whole day potting him in a WhatsApp group because he was in the hospital having sernery. So it's it's ongoing. But even like this WhatsApp, we have a WhatsApp group
with it. The chat it goes all year. There's always random things put in there. We're taking the piss out of one another, We're carriaging one another. It's business opportunity or someone's new business. They share and we get around and support. So it's a really cool little community we've got now. I think we had like seventeen or eight End of the Boys rock up to that one last year. Staff members that were really influentially in that period as well show up as well. Mick Normy comes and has
dinner all lunch, say with Eddie. Like people go there, relationship must be tethered. Eddie drove me home on this commitment like last year, so like is that a relationship tethered? I don't think so, But it's just perspective. It's all story for most people. Any tight asses.
I've heard there's a fixed I've I've heard Mick once and tried to get a receipt for like fifty cents worth of eyes so you could claim it on taxes.
I have heard this, I haven't seen it.
I feel like you're an absolutely motivised. These are rumors I've heard over the years.
Yeah, like rumors of Greyhouse man like you got to make and they've got to get stories and get legs and go further. Oh, I believe it did happen. I don't know if it's fifty cents. Maybe's three and I was fifty. I don't know. But there's different stories with Nick and other individuals. The more you get paid, the more tight you begin. This is my philosophy. Some of the people I know they got paid big bucks their whole career. You go for lunch. I don't have my card.
Get me, I can't pay for a cop I'm like, mate, it's a three dollars fifty and a ten dollar a sound. He's like fifteen bucks. I'm going to break your bank all right? Like why, But it's the same bloke Ready Reedy like always known. I don't have my wallet. I was like, mate, this is where you get your phone, now, mate, your cards on that. You've always got your phone. I know that, really I haven't. I haven't paid it yet.
I'm like, come on, I'll buy you lunch. He came to my house like two months ago, hit a wine wedding in the winery country of the Old Valley. He came to mind and he's like, I'll pop in. I have lunch here, cool cut the bottles of red cheese played. I'm just going to go. It's like, ready, you got to fix up lunch. He's like, no, you got. I was like, nothing's changed, has it? But yeah, football is the tight asses, Like they want free shit like any restaurant,
car deals, clothing deals, like we all want it. And then all of a sudden, to be honest, it doesn't stop. They still do your free shit. But yeah, I've seen some of the best, mate, and then it will continue. So I was the transition out of football.
You're now doing the VFLW with us and you're doing some coaching with the men's side and stuff like that. And how are you enjoying it now? Like I know you're kind of at peace with everything that's happened over the years and you're in this really exciting I think, like happy time of your life years.
Post retiring, Like I'm thirty six, so it's gone quick. For the first couple of years, I to be honest, I didn't work. I literally had two years off because I wanted to my daughter was born, I want to spend time with herbie present. And then I did a couple of days here and there and I didn't know what I wanted to do, so I technically went on workplacement. I went to New Zealand with this National Australian Academy of the AFL and that was kind of the moment
where I was like, shit, I really like development. I love footy, but it's a different side, like I really want to work with the younger generations, the next phase of what footy could be. And from that Collinwood did reach out and said can you come run out of National Academies the NGA's your father shn working some women.
So I was like, yeah, you know what wicked. I didn't do it for the money, Like to be honest, I could have stayed home and probably made more money, but I did because I wanted to learn and find out what I want to do in this next phase. So I did it. COVID hit we looked at relocating
to Queensland. My wife and I in this stage, obviously we're pregnant with a youngest archer but he gave birth and really struggled with that transition of COVID and becoming much a second time, so we relocated the Queen that we did two weeks quarantine in a hotel. On day eleven or day twelve, I got a call from the AFL saying, mate, come back to Melbourne. We've got a job for you in the NAB League running Eastern Ranges.
And I literally said, I was like, you're going to give me a couple of weeks here because we're looking at the house tomorrow when we get out and all this, and they're like, no probs. We stayed in Queensland for three months. I did accept the job and I was like I'm coming back at Chrissy. I'm not coming back now because we've done the two week quarantine. I was like, we're not wasting this. But it has been a blessing.
I thoroughly enjoyed the last two years working for the AFL and the Eastern Rangers in the NAB League, working with boys and girls from sixteen through to eighteen. From that I got to learn different processes, do things my way, program plan, put training plan things I didn't know how to do. Yeah, so I went on like six year work placement. Last November I took a role here at the Essen Footy Club. Like was I nervous, bloody like this, this is the enemy for so many years, but it's
been the best thing. Like good people I work with. I've joined a coaching staff that I technically knew. Brad Scott takes a role. He coached me back in my early days at the Pies left me with a motto and I've stuck with this through my now coaching careers. Never forget what it's like to be a player. Yep, to be a player. It's extremely hard to be a Coach's easy as a coach. You demand so much in your players, with recovery, execution, physical attention, with just time
as well from your family. So now as a as what I'm doing the other side, I really had that in front of mine. Blake Carrosara, I played with him. He was also my coach now he's our defensive coach here Dale Tapping was my coach at Collaywood as well. Forward. He's doing well. He's either good mind. He's still nice and tanned all over, so I still believe he's got a slare him at home. He said no, I say yes,
We'll wait and see. Do we see you next, and then Daniel, Jerry and c Accusa Like I had him at the Dogs as well for twelve months, and to be honest, I learned so much in him in that twelve months. So to come here with four coaches I've a technically worked with in my career has been outstanding. And then to have a footy ops or a GM a footy of Josh Marney. He's been outstanding for me, Like he was the person that really made me want
to come across to take this role. And he's been the almost one number one supporter that I've made mistakes in this program running like working with women's of how do you educate and progress them through? But we're taking step backs, but he's always been there to make sure I stay true to who I am, to the way I do it and the way I teach. But it's been a beauty. I get to work with the men and do the things I know well body work aeral mar contested Mark I could do with my eyes closed.
So I teach them that and then I get to see it behind a computer and program and plan and code for my women's program. And now we're getting the results that I thought we would have, but maybe in round one. We're getting him now. So it's been a bit of a learning for me at that next transition. But life's good. Footy is good and still always will be, but it's not going to be my number one priority forever. Family is that. And whenever I now look back at
like what what does my footag journey look like? I missed the family connection in my when I was playing. So now as a coach or a mentor, I'm front of mine. I want to be there with my kids in the morning, make sure I'm there where I can for bed and bath time, knowing I work with programs after hours. At his heart but obviously supportive wife and I'm with Becky. Some days it gets a bit hard.
Right at the moment, it's did getting extremely hard. We are living in a caravan, so two kids and a wife in a caravan is tough, but it's a short term pain for the greater good of a renovated.
Property in the near future. So how many horses and to you either on the tractor with the kids sitting in front.
Of I left today to come to work and Becky had two horses on the float. One was her, that one was coming another one to our property, so bye. She just bought another one a couple of months ago, but one did go out and she brought another one back.
Gets to the point where you're kind of like, there's another horse on the property.
Boom Teddy cameo to But I've got a cut of cows too, got a sheep, got some turtles, guinea pigs, chickens, darks my mini highlands, so they're cows many highlands there shaggy ones with horns, but they're only like waste waist high okay, And I think they're pregnant at the moment. So nine months time from now, I should have some baby calves. And that's what I'm excited about. The kids weren't enough. You needed some more babies. I'm done with kids.
Two is enough. I'm really happy back you were like another But baby cows, man, when they're when they're born, that's when you're coming out mast of the farm. You see them, and I reckon, you'll be living in town with a little baby calf next year, little cow going the factory grouse. I love that shop, but it's big, like, yeah, I lived in Richmond Cramre like concrete jungle for five years, lived in Richmond for like so q for an I was six years.
Have a hummer in Cremorn. I remember, like worst carr you could possibly have in the city. You're like, I'm driving a hummer around. I don't care.
Reverse part that and put that between anything, and I still can. It's actually my my dad's play. Still. I might have gone a big car again now, but I don't live in town now, so I can take up as much room as I want these days. How good? And you still got the motorcycles. No bikes are all gone. I'm on the dirt bikes now, not rode bikes. I just didn't have time to ride them. They're sitting in the garage getting dirty. Becky was cracking the ships because I never used them, so I got rid of them.
She got another horse. I got a dirt bike, and all the dirt bike sits here as well. So she's what life does. Mate. If become a father, you buy a land. I got two low bowlers now, mate, that's for the new John Dear got a tractor to matey about it. Don't don't start with me. I've got I've got all the gear and no idea.
You're on a good starting.
It's going like it's beautiful, mate, looks good, grass is nice and green and maintain. The animals are happy, the house is getting done, the kids are healthy, and I think in the fans, so it's lives are right, mate.
It sounds like it's going well.
Man.
We'll end it that there's I'm glad to hear that life is good. The girls are they're going well, and the kiddos are good, and the families all right, and you're in a happy place, man, because that's what's important.
Oh, the best of the rest of you, mate, come down and support our girls. Probably, I know it's the self position. We're five in the trut, we've had five in VFL. Come watch our girls play. One day. Who knows, maybe one day you want to work in women's footy.
Maybe I'll be assistant coach to the truck Cloak.
No, I don't want you to everything.
You know, I tort you.
You can't teach me anything.
It's no cross over here.
Two.
I appreciate you coming on an absolute legend that is truff Cloak and a great chart.
Appreciate it, mate, Thanks buddy,