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.
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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.