• 6 months ago
Port Macquarie News sports journalist Mardi Borg. And we had not one, but two Port Sharks in as guests, club president Mick Dormer and first grade coach Matt Hogan.
Transcript
00:00Good afternoon and welcome to a historic on the bench segment today.
00:06For the very first time we've come out of Tahrir, we've gone all the way to Port Macquarie.
00:10We're at the office of the Port Macquarie News.
00:12Port Macquarie News are very lucky to have an office because many of us don't.
00:15That's a story for another time.
00:17We're surrounded here by Sharks people.
00:19Mick Dormer, the president of the Port Sharks.
00:21Matt Hogan, the coach of the Sharks.
00:23I nearly said captain coach there.
00:24And taking Bridges' place there, Gary Bridges' place today, is Marty Borg,
00:28Port Macquarie News sports journalist.
00:30So it's a whole Port Macquarie show today.
00:32Thanks, ladies and gentlemen, for coming in.
00:34Just before we start, we'll just go through the bit of housekeeping here this weekend's round,
00:39assuming all matches go ahead as far as we know they are.
00:42Tomorrow, Tahrir City plays Old Bar at Tahrir.
00:45Warhope plays Port City at Warhope.
00:47On Sunday, Port Sharks host Foster Tongue Curry.
00:50And Maclay Valley meets Wingen at Kempsey in what will probably be the match of the round.
00:56And from last weekend's first round games, the Manning Hotel, Old Bar Tavern.
01:00Player of the week is John Stanley from the Old Bar Pirates.
01:05John wins himself a voucher at either the Tavern or the Manning River Hotel.
01:09This week's games, gentlemen, Port Macquarie hosting Foster Tongue Curry.
01:14Not much to bowl.
01:15Matt, first, do you know much about the Hawks?
01:17Not a great deal, but I have heard on the grapevine that they've recruited really well.
01:25I feel like every game this year, I think you're going to earn it.
01:29It's not going to be there for you.
01:31But yeah, I feel like we've got a turn-up to play, definitely.
01:35I saw the Hawks play last week, actually.
01:37They were getting beaten 32-4 at half-time against a pretty snipe Maclay side, I can tell you.
01:43But they routed him a bit in the second half, and they got beaten 36-10, so they actually won the second half.
01:49But I spoke to Coach Fulton and he said, well, it's virtually a new team.
01:53And like all teams this year, they haven't had any trial form.
01:56Yeah, exactly.
01:57Especially with the wet weather and that, no-one's got to play the trial.
02:01I think we had one trial, and I think I had two of my team in it.
02:06And the rest were along with reserve runners.
02:10Not much.
02:11We showed that on the weekend as well, a lot of ring rust.
02:14So I vouch for where Foster are coming from.
02:17How have you been with your first-up performance?
02:20We spoke about a high length last night.
02:23We'll take the W at any time this year, this part of the year.
02:26But yeah, definitely a lot of ring rust and a lot to work on.
02:30What would you like to work on?
02:32What were those areas that you think will be sharpened up this week?
02:36Definitely rut control.
02:37I feel like we let them off the hook a lot.
02:40And just maybe the ball control as well.
02:42Two key factors in rugby league.
02:45Mick, when you look to put together a side these days in country footy,
02:50the points system, does that influence your thinking?
02:55I really don't know how it works, but I don't think I'm alone there.
03:00Yeah, mate, I'm still trying to get my head around it.
03:03So it definitely does.
03:05You've got to be very mindful if you're bringing in players from within the group.
03:09And it's hard because if you've got, say, someone that lives in Foster,
03:14and moves to Port, they're within the group.
03:18And then they come with points.
03:20So it is difficult.
03:22I understand why they have got it in place to try and stop teams
03:26that might have a bit of cash and a bit of influence
03:29to stop them from buying a comp.
03:31But certainly when you drop down to reserve grade,
03:34there's a lot of circumstances in reserve grade
03:38where players shouldn't come with points
03:40because they just want to keep playing footy.
03:43A lot of them are over the hill and they still come with points.
03:45Yeah, that doesn't make much of a difference.
03:47Nah, so, yeah, look, it could be refined.
03:50I can see how they've brought it in to stop exactly what I said,
03:56but it certainly needs a lot of refining.
03:58Then players, do you get dispensation for a player?
04:01Say he's not from Port Macquarie, but he's been a long service player.
04:03Do you get points dispensation there, or it doesn't count?
04:08Nah, I don't think you do.
04:10It has come back, like been a comeback, or come and gone.
04:13Well, say it came in when you're 21 from Timworth or whatever,
04:16you've played all your footy with the Sharks or the Prakers or whoever,
04:20but are you technically still an import,
04:22or are you going to get, say, 10 points taken off you?
04:25Nah, it'll go back to your history on your junior clubs, et cetera,
04:29and how many games you have played for your local club and that.
04:32We've got that put in place this year, Dennis Jones.
04:36Dennis played a lot of footy with the Sharks,
04:38junior, played a lot of reserves in first grade,
04:41went to pub comp for a couple of years and then come back.
04:44Obviously, we thought he did come with points,
04:46but we obviously put in a...
04:50Not protested, but we asked the question, why,
04:53and then he got reduced to zero, so yeah.
04:55Yeah, well, that's how it should be too.
04:57I mean, you could say, yeah, the person who comes in town,
04:59not for football, but might be a footballer,
05:02and plays for 10 years, and we don't think they should be docked.
05:06You just spoke about the pub comp, or the Hastings Leagues, isn't it?
05:09Is that a big impact on the clubs up here?
05:12Massively, and that's what Mick was just saying,
05:15like, reserve-grade having points, I feel like,
05:18and this is my own interpretation of it all,
05:20I feel like it's ridiculous because that's why we're losing so many,
05:24like, I guess, you know, the on-the-edge footballers to Saturday League.
05:30Sometimes we just can't...
05:32Obviously, yeah, we're blowing the points.
05:35We've got 40 points to play, so a lot of them,
05:37we just can't fit them players in, and they don't get a run,
05:39and they end up playing Saturday comp,
05:41so we're losing a lot of players in First Division to Saturday comp
05:44because of the reserve-grade points this time, I think.
05:46Yeah, because you've got a lot of competition up here from other sports, don't you?
05:50I mean, there's the AFL, there's rugby,
05:52and more so than what we've got down in Tara, eh?
05:54Yeah, no, definitely, like, yeah, it's a big arse,
05:56and there's a lot of, like, local Saturday comp teams around this area,
06:00Cat Eye, Kendall, you know, Long Flat, Beachwood, you know,
06:06there's a lot there, Comboying, so there's a lot in this vicinity.
06:09Yeah, and last year, I think they particularly impacted on Woolhope
06:13because they struggled for the reserve at that time.
06:15Yeah.
06:16We had a guy last year that was...
06:18He hadn't played footy for about four years.
06:20It was in his mid-to-late 30s, just wanted to play.
06:23Obviously, he was only going to play reserve grade,
06:25but he came with 15 points and we just couldn't play him,
06:28so he didn't get...
06:29Yeah, I think he got half a game.
06:31Yeah.
06:32That's about it.
06:33Yeah, but it's bush footy.
06:34It's also none.
06:35We all take it seriously, but it's bush footy.
06:37Yeah, it's ridiculous, especially in reserve grade.
06:39Like I say, I get it in first grade, like, when you're...
06:42Yeah.
06:43Like, within the group, if people are trying to buy a competition,
06:46but, yeah, reserve grade should be just, you know, off the cuff.
06:49I saw the Adelaide Eagles' grand final last year
06:51between your team and, let's see, the Braves,
06:53and I thought it was a great game of footy.
06:56Very good game.
06:57I mean, I know the score ended up pretty big,
06:59little boys waiting in,
07:00but 10 minutes ago it was still only one game.
07:02It was a high-quality game of football, I thought.
07:04And then it was a hot day, of course, as you guys will remember,
07:07and we sat down and watched the reserve grade game,
07:10which was a reserve grade game,
07:12and that's as nice as I can say about it.
07:14It's not taking anything away from the players involved.
07:17But...
07:18And it's been a long-term thing about mine.
07:20I've always said, come semi-final time,
07:22the 18s should be the main prelim to the first grade.
07:25What do you guys think about that?
07:26Yeah, I definitely...
07:27I'm from out west, my group four area,
07:30and from semi-finals onwards, that's the way it was.
07:35Yeah, and these days too, the argument put...
07:38I put this forward, I reckon, when I was 64 yesterday,
07:42so I was about 23 when I first put this up,
07:44and the argument was that,
07:46oh, we need players to be fresh from reserve grade,
07:49we don't want them sitting out for an hour.
07:51But that doesn't happen anymore, does it?
07:53You'll mix 17 players.
07:54Not in semi-finals.
07:55Not in semi-finals as well.
07:56And you fix it, you're fresh as anyone.
07:58Yeah, exactly.
07:59In semi-final football,
08:00you wouldn't want to have anyone backing up
08:02for all the grand finals.
08:03No, no.
08:04And if I remember last year,
08:05you were there, Marty,
08:06the crowd was on a high after they'd run out of the gate.
08:09It was such a good game of football.
08:10Lots of energy.
08:11Yeah, yeah.
08:12That sort of brought it into the crowd as well,
08:14and then it sort of dippered,
08:15and then we were back in the first grade, so...
08:18But it's great for the bar takers,
08:19because everyone knew everyone was on.
08:21That's a good question.
08:23It's a hard one, though,
08:24because I can see what you're saying,
08:25but if you have the 18s first,
08:29you get a decent crowd coming in to watch them.
08:32They're not going to go home.
08:33They'll hang around.
08:34But if you don't,
08:35then they might just decide not to come
08:37and watch the reserve graders
08:39and turn up a bit later.
08:41So for the atmosphere of the whole day,
08:45it's probably better having the 18s first.
08:48But it's not talking about the semi-finals,
08:50not club games.
08:53No, I'm thinking about the grand final.
08:55Just in terms of the atmosphere of the whole day,
08:57it's possibly an argument there to have the 18s first.
09:02Just speaking of crowds as well,
09:04you were talking about it after the game,
09:06how impressed you were with the first home game
09:09and how many there were.
09:11What do you think has contributed to that big turnout?
09:16The main factor is obviously success.
09:18Like making the grand final last year,
09:20although we fell on the final hurdle.
09:22But definitely the hunger.
09:26I guess the word travels fast as well.
09:29If things are happening and things are happening good,
09:31people will follow.
09:33So I feel like just good things are happening.
09:38I feel like good things are happening.
09:40It was a beautiful day,
09:42first home game of the season.
09:44So obviously we can build off that as well.
09:47I can vouch for that.
09:48I was at Wingham on Saturday
09:50and it was a huge crowd there.
09:52Absolutely massive crowd.
09:53Admittedly they had the naming of the grandstand.
09:55That was obviously a detraction.
09:57Congratulations to Jake Kennett and Alan Skinner
10:00for the grandstand.
10:01Their names now appear on the grandstand.
10:03But I went to Tunkurri on Sunday
10:04to watch the Hawks and the Mustangs
10:06and it was a massive crowd there.
10:07The Hawks didn't hardly win a game last year.
10:09And Kim's the Aunt Rene on travels.
10:12And it was loud.
10:14The loudest crowd I've heard ever.
10:15That's good.
10:16And I was talking to Robbie Payne after the game
10:18and he said they got a big crowd back to their sponsors,
10:21the Tunkurri violin club, afterwards.
10:23And all the spectators were positive.
10:25Yeah, that's great.
10:28That's good to hear, isn't it?
10:29Yeah.
10:30And as I was touching on earlier,
10:32I feel like every game,
10:34you're going to have to work for it this year.
10:36I feel like it's going to be probably
10:37one of the closest competitions for a long time.
10:39Yeah, well last year.
10:41I thought it was a good comp by and large.
10:43But I mean, it wasn't.
10:44Warhope obviously struggled.
10:46And the Hawks were lucky to make it through there.
10:49So there's gimmies there.
10:52Yeah.
10:53Well, what I can tell you is that
10:55the crowd activity from the weekend
10:59was the biggest we had
11:02in comparison to any round game last year.
11:04Really? Yeah, right.
11:05It beat the Breakers,
11:06it beat the local derby with Warhope.
11:09Like Taree,
11:11so we played Taree just before the semi-finals
11:14and both teams were flying for spots in the 70s,
11:17you probably remember.
11:18And we nearly doubled that.
11:20Yeah.
11:21Wow.
11:22So if all the other grounds have got big crowds too,
11:25it's looking good for the season.
11:26And is that, do you think, Matt,
11:27because you guys have got a women's team,
11:29a women's tackle team,
11:30do you think that's had an impact?
11:32Yeah, look, I thought about that.
11:33It's probably, I reckon that would have added
11:35maybe 20% to the day.
11:37But overall, in crowd volume and activity,
11:42but I just think it's the momentum of football in this area.
11:46I think there seems to be some momentum going on.
11:49And even in the pre-season, wasn't it, mate?
11:52You could just feel it.
11:54So there's something going on that's good for rugby league.
11:57Yeah, because I guess there's a problem with your round.
12:01Wonderful facility that it is,
12:03and I'll come to Taree and go to the Jack Mill Outlet
12:05in the second week, which is the worst ground ever.
12:07No, it's the worst ground.
12:09I played football there in,
12:10I went to the first game of football there in 1968
12:12when I was eight,
12:13and nothing much has changed.
12:15Maybe coat of paint.
12:16Oh, no, they've got the grandstand where the,
12:19or the stand where the roof goes down the wrong way,
12:22but anyway, that's another story.
12:25But it was, oh, yeah, I thought,
12:26yeah, sorry, it's poor quality.
12:27You would have played on a few others
12:28that were worse than that, wouldn't you?
12:29We're playing on a lot worse than that, trust me.
12:31Oh, but the field itself is magnificent.
12:33The facilities for spectators are dreadful.
12:36But anyway, what I was getting at was
12:38the Fort Macquarie grandstand,
12:39which is a magnificent complex, but it's so big.
12:42Is it hard to get an atmosphere there?
12:44Well, yeah, if the crowds are down,
12:47which we started off that way last year,
12:50yeah, you might have 100 people there,
12:52and it feels like 10, so definitely that.
12:55But like I said, we had bums on seats on the weekend,
12:58which was a really good feel.
13:00There's been a couple of Dream Finals there at the stadium,
13:03and it's such a big place.
13:06It just never had that vibe of a Dream Final.
13:08But last year's was great,
13:09because there was more approval there.
13:12It was great, yeah.
13:13Webbins footy, rugby league.
13:14Marnie, what's your thoughts about that?
13:16Are you a fan?
13:17Yeah, yeah, 100%.
13:20Because it's a bit slow on the uptake around here,
13:22certainly around the southern part of the group.
13:25Yeah, no, I think there's definitely room
13:27that it could grow,
13:28but I think that if people buy into it a bit more,
13:32the fact is, even with, I know with AFL,
13:36if I can jump codes for a bit,
13:37like their forum numbers.
13:39So it's just a matter of actually promoting it a bit more
13:42and getting people to buy into it.
13:44I know Mustangs, they're big with trying to get in
13:49that women's tackle in rugby league and everything.
13:51So yeah, I think the comp is definitely there,
13:54and the foundations are set, which is good.
13:56It's just a matter of getting more players on board.
13:58Yeah, because I was speaking to Warren Blissett,
14:00who's the president of the Group 3 Junior League,
14:02before the season started.
14:04Well, it hasn't started yet either, actually.
14:06But anyway, I said,
14:07what are the girls' league tag numbers down?
14:09He said, they've gone through the roof again.
14:11Absolutely.
14:12I said, what about the girls' tackle?
14:16He said, oh, it's about on par.
14:18He said, it's not bolting ahead.
14:20When you think of the pathways you've got now
14:22for women's tackle,
14:23compared to when there were no pathways at all for league tag.
14:26Yeah.
14:27No, I think it's definitely a thing that needs to be set a bit further.
14:32But I think it's definitely there.
14:33Talk about women's pathways and everything.
14:36You really need that.
14:38Even with the Sharks test, McWilliams,
14:40how important those pathways were for her to be able...
14:43She's now in the Tasha Gale with the Roosters in Sydney,
14:47and that was due to the pathway set.
14:50She actually just made the Roosters top 28 in NRLW.
14:54So she's being picked as one of the four development players.
14:57Oh, wow.
14:58In their top squad.
14:59Brilliant.
15:00And yeah, she was running the Sharks club and everything.
15:02And so that support within women's teams and everything,
15:07and players,
15:08that's really important to develop them as well
15:11and get them into where they can be,
15:13which is really good.
15:14Yeah, because we're down our way from Hollywood, of course,
15:16one of the top NRLW players for a number of years,
15:19and still is.
15:20And, of course,
15:21Corley Hill is the coach of the State of Origin side,
15:23so all good.
15:24Yeah.
15:25And you've got your semi-hawkies this week.
15:27Matt, you're full strength?
15:29Nah, not as yet.
15:30Yeah, we've still got a few away.
15:32We've still got big Mitchie Smith.
15:33He's still got a week to serve.
15:35Scotty Grant's celebrating his honeymoon.
15:38He's still away.
15:39He's been married in football season.
15:41Yeah.
15:42What do people think these days?
15:44He had a legit big juice this time,
15:46so yeah, which is good.
15:48Got September to March,
15:49so he's married.
15:50But anyway,
15:51happy having a good honeymoon, Scotty.
15:54Yeah, no,
15:55he's enjoying himself in Bali as we speak.
15:58But yeah,
15:59picked up another new lad through the week,
16:03so I feel like he'll be definitely a first grader.
16:08But yeah,
16:09just trying to put our combos together.
16:11Like I said,
16:12I think I was talking to a couple of people
16:14through the week as well.
16:15We've probably got nine new faces
16:18from the grand final side last year.
16:20Which grand final side last year
16:23to next first comp game in the following year.
16:25Nine new faces.
16:26I was expecting a lot of ring rush,
16:28so yeah,
16:29that was the case.
16:30Do you have many 18s from last year
16:32in your first grad squad,
16:33or are they still there?
16:34No,
16:35I have one up,
16:36but like I said,
16:37a bit unlucky.
16:39A lot of the top age moved away to union,
16:42et cetera.
16:43I feel like,
16:44well,
16:45Ben Aguirre.
16:46Ben Aguirre's just played SG ball with St. George,
16:51which they won the comp.
16:53He's still down there.
16:54He's home at the moment,
16:55but he's still down there.
16:56He's probably going to go down
16:57and try to test the waters in a flag side pending.
17:01But yeah,
17:02a bit unlucky on the pickups on the top age guys,
17:05but yeah,
17:06I picked,
17:07I got one young fella,
17:08like Will Rosenbaum.
17:09He's been part of the Knights for the last few years,
17:13and he played on the wing for me on the weekend,
17:15and hopefully he'll remain there.
17:17That's the thing with bush footy these days.
17:20I'm going back a long time,
17:22but when I was young,
17:23the club had a good under 18 side.
17:25Two or three years' time,
17:26they usually had a good first grad side,
17:28because the kids stayed around and worked.
17:30Now you can have the best under 18 side
17:32in New South Wales country this year
17:33and get nothing out of it at all.
17:35They go to work,
17:36the better players get picked up by the NRL team,
17:38and the rest of them go away for work or for uni.
17:40So you need a lot of dumb blokes, really.
17:42You do.
17:43Trainees, all trainees.
17:45I'm not a dummy.
17:46We've just been from way off.
17:51The club's looking against.
17:53Matt, who do you think is going to be the sides to beat
17:55other than you guys?
17:57Definitely Old Bar.
17:59They'll be there.
18:00I feel like Kempsey's recruited really well.
18:04As I said, Mick,
18:06I don't think there's going to be too many easy games this year.
18:09Like I said,
18:10even though the score didn't reflect that way
18:12against Foster and Kempsey on the weekend,
18:14I feel like the Turin City Bulls,
18:18I thought they would win the majority of their games this year as well.
18:23That score didn't reflect the game either.
18:25They were riding it right to the end.
18:27I think we just probably took our moments a little bit better,
18:29but they've got a lot of football in them.
18:32They had a few upsets last season as well,
18:34so if they can latch onto that mentality this season,
18:38then they could cause a few headaches for the Turins.
18:41Exactly.
18:42I feel like they're a much better side.
18:44Two Hazard brothers.
18:46They're quality footballers, them two.
18:49Trey Clarke was a handful in the centres,
18:51and I feel like their forward pack,
18:53they rolled all day.
18:56Probably a little bit of match fitness come along the way.
18:58They'll just get better each week.
19:00They had a couple of horror years, the Bulls.
19:03They won the comp in 2007,
19:05that beat the breakers,
19:07and they haven't had a good year yet.
19:09They were right at the bottom,
19:11so they're slowly but surely building up.
19:13They had a good year last year,
19:14that caused a couple of upsets.
19:16I reckon after the first round,
19:18I know a lot can happen, form drops, injuries, a whole lot,
19:21but I reckon the top four were you guys,
19:24McLean, Wingen and Alba, not necessarily in that order.
19:27The other four-all fight for that fifth spot,
19:30any thoughts on that?
19:33I hope you're right by having us there.
19:35That would be a good start.
19:42I'm not too sure I haven't seen War Hope play.
19:45I think they're at a rebuilding stage.
19:48Breakers have got a lot of young guys coming through.
19:51I've said to a lot of people as well,
19:54we don't take that for granted as well.
19:56Young fellas getting an opportunity,
19:58they can just grab it and run with it as well.
20:01Although the result didn't show that way on the weekend.
20:04I see what you're saying.
20:06Definitely Wingen, they'll be good,
20:08which they were good last year.
20:10I thought they were very unlucky to miss out on the fight,
20:13in the top four anyway,
20:17to get a couple of bites of the cherry.
20:20Tari, I think he wouldn't be far from the money there.
20:26In the greens?
20:28I've put them in order.
20:30Sharks, Old Bar, Wingen, Kempsey and Tari.
20:36That's all it says, Phil.
20:39The Sharks, most people told me on launch night
20:44that you guys had got sides to beat.
20:46Of course, Old Bar, as we found out that night,
20:48had lost so many players.
20:50They lost a lot for Old Bar.
20:53What do you think, Ma, in the greens there?
20:55Yeah, I agree.
20:56There's always going to be switching and changing,
20:58but I reckon that could be.
21:00I was speaking to a lot of coaches in the pre-season,
21:03and one key thing that nearly everyone said
21:05was about the positive culture,
21:07how that's the key ingredient,
21:09and that reflects onto on-field.
21:11How important is that to have a positive culture
21:13at the club and within a team?
21:15Is it a matter of players buying into it,
21:17or how can it make or break a team?
21:21It's probably the key ingredient to start with.
21:24Obviously, you need talent as well,
21:27but it's a key ingredient to attract talent
21:31and attract a whole raft of people to the club,
21:34not just players, but volunteers, supporters.
21:41Probably started last year,
21:43Matt and I both came in on the back
21:45of what was pretty diminished culture.
21:51You would have known some stuff went on at the club,
21:54and I think players were going to leave in their droves,
21:58and I think Simon and Matt was pretty critical
22:02because people knew of him,
22:04and they wanted to come and see what he was like as a coach,
22:07so that brought a lot.
22:09It kept a lot of people at the club,
22:11and it brought others.
22:13No one knew me from a bar of soap, really.
22:15I was only on the committee then,
22:17so I had nothing to do with it, really.
22:22Last year, the committee president,
22:24last year, Mick Gilmore,
22:25they did a good job of rebuilding that culture,
22:28and then we just jumped in on the floor.
22:30Matt did a great job of it,
22:32and then we just jumped in on the back of that
22:34and reinforcing how important it is.
22:37I think what happens is,
22:39if you've got a really good culture,
22:41if you only get one or two people that turn up,
22:44players, even people trying to get on the committee
22:47and their default is negative
22:50and they're a little bit cancerous,
22:53they get extinguished.
22:56They probably feel a bit uncomfortable
22:57and they don't hang around,
22:59and they'll leave.
23:00So as long as you can maintain
23:02that really high level of positivity,
23:06I think you can keep it going
23:08because those other people that might come into a club
23:11and actually start to diminish that,
23:13they won't hang around.
23:15Because that's the thing,
23:16you need the players to want to keep turning up to training
23:19and to keep having that,
23:21to keep that momentum going.
23:23It's a long season,
23:24so you want to be peaking at the right time,
23:26and with that comes the players
23:27wanting to buy into that as well.
23:30Yeah, a big part of it,
23:31as you touched on, Marty,
23:34my terminology is,
23:36a winning side is a happy side,
23:37a happy side is a winning side.
23:39It goes hand in hand.
23:41And that's bush footy.
23:43You're playing with your mates, aren't you?
23:44You want to be able to footy with your mates.
23:46Exactly, enjoying it.
23:47Do players still go to the pub after training?
23:50Yeah, we try our best on a Thursday night,
23:53try to get the majority of the boys to come over.
23:56Hibbards are nice and close,
23:57and we pop across there after training.
24:00We have a meal and a couple of beers
24:03and try to get the half-time to footy,
24:05then we bolt,
24:06and watch the second half.
24:09I play for a club called Taranaba,
24:11which is now extinct,
24:12but we train from six or seven
24:17and get down to the pub at eleven.
24:19That was back in the 80s,
24:20you could do that.
24:21That was the days, mate.
24:22Blokes could drive home too.
24:24Yeah, a lot of us done that, yeah.
24:26You guys have been lucky up here.
24:28The Sharks and Warhead,
24:30for years and years and years,
24:31were bitter rivals,
24:32and now you've got the Braggers
24:34and Braggers are starting relatively new.
24:36What's the rivalry right there
24:38between you guys and the Braggers,
24:39and also with Warraps,
24:40is it still as tough as they're used to?
24:43Yeah, it's as passionate as ever.
24:46You definitely dot that down in the calendar.
24:50I feel like a lot of the players
24:52grew up through this part as well.
24:53Like I said, I went away from coaching footy
24:57for a long time
24:58and jumped back into it last year.
25:01Obviously Mick said it's his first year,
25:03so we haven't felt,
25:05like we don't feel that rivalry,
25:07but we've all come from them parts of life
25:09where you've had your arch rival and that,
25:11but it's definitely there, mate.
25:13There's blood wanted, so it's good.
25:15You played Warrap, though, didn't you?
25:16Yeah, I coached Warrap, I know five,
25:19so I've come across from all y'all, so yeah.
25:21So how'd that church at Warrap, wouldn't you?
25:24I got a couple of nasty receptions
25:28going through the gate,
25:29but anyway, I had the Sharks
25:32I had the Sharks shirt on,
25:33but I have been coaching the Junior Sharks
25:36for a long time.
25:37We're a young fella coming through,
25:38so I think I got a giddy-up card on that one.
25:41What about when you play the Breakers?
25:43Is that the big one?
25:44Yeah, there's a lot of talk there,
25:46so a lot of smack talks.
25:48Everyone's wanting to win that one,
25:54so yeah, definitely good.
25:55You can't beat a local rivalry, can you?
25:57It'd be pretty good for the balance sheet too,
25:59wouldn't it, Mick, when you play those games?
26:01Well, when you look at the gates last year,
26:05they were the two biggest days,
26:06which is why we were pleasantly surprised
26:09on the weekend that the game against Tahrir
26:12was bigger than both those days.
26:14So we're expecting if the sun comes out
26:17on those two days this year,
26:19especially after you're telling us
26:21about the crowds at the other grounds,
26:23that the gates on those days,
26:25we need to be prepared for that,
26:27because they're probably going to be
26:28both pretty big days.
26:29For many, many years,
26:30when you guys come back in,
26:31or even before you guys come back in,
26:32the Coppenlands, I've been grouped too,
26:34sort of the big brother, little brother thing
26:35with the Breakers and the Sharks,
26:37because the Sharks are obviously the big brothers,
26:38because the other guys are new kids on the block,
26:40but they've all probably gone backwards
26:42a bit this year,
26:43but the last few years,
26:44they've probably been the tall poppers, haven't they?
26:46Yeah, they've been going good, yeah.
26:48Well, they've been good for the last 15 years, right?
26:53They've been there abouts every year, so yeah.
26:57And Kempsey, I'll say, McLean,
26:59I think they're going to be a handful.
27:02I think so.
27:03I think just with Bo's sprinkler dust,
27:07the professionalism, et cetera,
27:09I expect big things from Kempsey this year.
27:12And they defend fairly.
27:14Kempsey's sides have always been renowned
27:15for being wonderfully attacking sides,
27:17but sometimes a bit suspect and defensive.
27:19They defended fairly well last week.
27:20Did they? Yeah, okay.
27:21And they had some big poppers
27:22in the forwards there too.
27:23Have they?
27:24I don't want to hear that mix.
27:27You'll see in a couple of weeks.
27:29How's the ground looking?
27:30How much rain up here?
27:31Yeah, we got shut last night,
27:33which we didn't get to train,
27:34but hopefully a crazy wind comes
27:38and picks it up and takes what weather
27:40is meant to be coming this weekend
27:42so we can get on the fields this weekend, yeah.
27:44Oh, absolutely.
27:45The forecast was looking pretty ordering,
27:48but that's changed a fair bit.
27:50So two days ago, talking to council,
27:54it was looking likely.
27:55If that forecast had stayed,
27:56I would say that certainly up here,
27:59our ground and Warhol's ground,
28:01but even down your way,
28:03if they had hung around,
28:04I'd say the round would have been cancelled
28:06and it would have been changed
28:07to probably two or three weeks' time
28:09when we got that weekend off.
28:11But it's looking like it'll be on now.
28:14But looking at, say,
28:15the next couple of weeks' time
28:16when there's a buy
28:17and there's a couple of general buys this year
28:18because of the nine sides and the 18s,
28:21is that hard?
28:23You're not playing that continual football?
28:26Yeah, you got me.
28:27No, you go.
28:28Either or.
28:29No, definitely, definitely, yeah.
28:31You don't like to break that continuity.
28:33You know, you try to, yeah,
28:36obviously keep the ball rolling.
28:38You know, you get rusty.
28:40You start to feel like you're getting in the groove.
28:42That's just any sport as well,
28:43but you feel like you're just starting
28:44to get in the groove
28:45and then you have a couple of weeks off.
28:47It's like semifinals always.
28:48I don't like that week off
28:50if you win that major
28:52and then you have that week off.
28:53I just like to keep the ball rolling,
28:54so that's my interpretation of it.
28:56But, yeah, definitely does affect you.
28:59I think we've got three of them throughout the year.
29:01Is that right?
29:02Yeah, yeah, yeah.
29:03And speaking as an administrator,
29:04Lake Kaddai has come into the competition this year,
29:06and underrated exactly.
29:07Do you think it's a good thing?
29:09Oh, you know,
29:10there's obviously a bit of a two-edged sword.
29:12Like, I can see it from Lake Kaddai's perspective.
29:14They obviously want to get into the group,
29:18so I'm assuming that they've got plans there.
29:22Over the next few years,
29:23to try and have a first-grade side in the group.
29:26And I don't know for sure,
29:28but I would say that they're having conversations around that.
29:31Bringing the 18s in first,
29:34as Matt just touched on,
29:36it's thrown a bit of a spinner
29:38in the works with the whole competition,
29:40so I don't know that that's a good idea.
29:43I think it probably would have been better
29:46for them to wait until they had their first-grade side,
29:51so that the draw didn't have to get changed
29:54to suit the 18s.
29:56But, you know, there's obviously arguments for it,
30:00and there's arguments against it,
30:01and I can probably see both of them.
30:03So, yeah, I don't know.
30:05I would be very surprised
30:06that you'd get a first-grade club out of Lake Kaddai
30:09at that moment,
30:10because that's three or four clubs
30:12all fairly close to one another around there.
30:14And they've expanded it too,
30:15so it's Lake Kaddai, Bonnie Hills,
30:17so they're trying to make that a little bit...
30:19I guess the talent pool
30:20has sort of expanded within that as well.
30:22There's a lot of development going on down there too.
30:24And, you know, we could be talking five, ten years away,
30:27but there's certainly a fair bit more population
30:30to come into that area,
30:33because there's a lot of land zoned for development.
30:36So, you know, who knows, mate?
30:38But we went out to the day
30:42where they had all the 18s playing on the same day,
30:45and obviously that's going to happen
30:47on a number of occasions this year,
30:48and, you know, that was a good day.
30:50Yeah, it was.
30:52I just don't like the meaning to...
30:55Like, we might be playing Wingham at Wingham,
30:59and, like, our juniors are sitting out,
31:02like our 18s are sitting out,
31:03and then Kaddai's playing Wingham.
31:05I don't like that.
31:06I just feel like it throws...
31:08That's my thoughts on it all, but, yeah.
31:11And not only that, like, I know...
31:14I'm from, like, a small town,
31:16so I've, you know, applauded Kaddai
31:19for getting their team going,
31:21but, like, in saying that, you know,
31:23there's three clubs within the vicinity
31:25of playing 18s as well.
31:28You've got us, Breakers and Warhol, you know,
31:30so it wasn't as if there was nowhere for the footballers to go.
31:33That was my thought too.
31:35Yeah, anyway, that's...
31:36Everyone's got their different, you know, thoughts on it.
31:38So we'll see how...
31:39Yeah, so I'll put the three on the spot.
31:41Who are the Sharks going to play in the grand final?
31:43Mick?
31:47Yeah, I think it'll be a rematch.
31:50The old bar?
31:51Yeah.
31:52Yeah, probably a roll.
31:53I'd agree with Mick, yeah, a rematch,
31:55but, yeah, hopefully a different result, mate.
31:59OK.
32:00And maybe a different ground,
32:01maybe playing at OI this year?
32:02No.
32:03We'll stay here.
32:04We'll stay up here.
32:05It'll be much better.
32:06I'll agree with you there.
32:08I would love to see a rematch and, yeah,
32:10bring the trophy back to the north and that, but...
32:13We've had it up for 15 years, haven't we?
32:15No, no, I feel like it needs to come back again this year.
32:17It's too cold down there, eh?
32:19It's 40 minutes away.
32:21I'd be frost off.
32:22But I'd also...
32:23I know I'm interested to see how far the Mustangs can go this year
32:27and I think that would be a massive grand final as well to see that.
32:30I mean, yeah, even this game against Wigan this weekend,
32:33I think it's going to be great.
32:35You know, they play...
32:36Both clubs, they play with pride and passion.
32:38You know, that's their jersey.
32:40So, yeah, I reckon that would be great.
32:42And to see them in a grand final would be an awesome day as well.
32:45Hopefully, if they're there, hopefully they're there with them.
32:48Yeah, exactly.
32:49It should be a good little encounter this week in between Wigan and...
32:53Yeah, that's matching around, yeah.
32:55...Kemp C, especially what went down last year as well.
32:57Oh, yeah.
32:58That'll be good.
32:59They always say that other teams I've spoken to
33:02is that they hate playing in Kemp C
33:04because of the home crowd and the turf and how they play
33:07when they get the ball rolling within that momentum.
33:10How is that for other teams?
33:12I definitely like...
33:13Yeah, they're...
33:14Yeah, you know, some of their guys are very talented
33:16and, you know, once they get that roll on, it's very hard to stop.
33:19So, yeah, and the crowd gets behind them.
33:21Yeah, it's massive.
33:23It's a great little ground they've got there too, isn't it?
33:25I went there last year for the semi-finals.
33:27First time in there for...
33:28So I don't know when.
33:29Yeah.
33:30And I was amazed at how good it was.
33:32And, again, I'll compare you to Tara Earle.
33:34She's...
33:35Kemp C's got to do some ground work on this.
33:37But anyway...
33:38Well, my young fella done all the training there on a Saturday morning
33:40with the Bulldogs and that this year and et cetera
33:42and a few games, et cetera, you know.
33:44But it's an awesome turf.
33:45Yeah, yeah.
33:46It's great, yeah.
33:47All right, old Marty.
33:48Thanks for coming in.
33:49Marty, if I was Gary Bridge,
33:50I'd be very, very concerned about his spot on the pitch.
33:53I'll tell him that too.
33:54Thanks, Matt, for coming in.
33:56Hopefully we get footy this weekend and hopefully it dries up.
33:59And, yeah, again, thanks to the Pork Sharks guys for coming in.
34:02We're back here a couple of times this year to Port Macquarie.
34:06It's made us very welcome.
34:07And, yeah, as I say, if you go under footy this weekend, enjoy yourselves.
34:11Thanks, fellas.
34:12Thanks, Marty.
34:13Thank you.

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