On the bench with Mick and Gary 16.08.24
Club president Nigel Wallis is the guest today On The Bench. Wallis concedes this year hasn't gone as planned for the Bulls, with the reserve grade side the only grade still in line for a top five berth.
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00:00Good afternoon and welcome to this week's edition of On The Bench, of course sponsored
00:05by Classic Design Journals, and we have Nigel Wallace, the president of the Tarry City Bulls
00:10in with us today.
00:11Thanks for coming in, Nigel.
00:12Thanks, guys.
00:13Thanks for having us.
00:14And, of course, Gary Bridges, a regular pundit in the group through his most expert expert.
00:17Hello, Bridgie.
00:18Much appreciated, Michael.
00:19Thanks, mate.
00:20You had a big week and a big day last, Bridgie.
00:21We'll talk about it a bit later on, but big day.
00:22Oh, big day, mate.
00:23As I said, the community gets behind the day, and what a day it is.
00:24It was beautiful weather, once again, with people walking around with t-shirts on in
00:25the middle of winter.
00:26So, no, great day, Mick.
00:27Great.
00:28Well supported, and, yeah, it's something I look forward to every year.
00:29Good day financially for the club, too, Nigel, if not necessarily on the field, but you had
00:30a good day.
00:31Yeah, the results weren't great to go our way, but, like, it's good to see both communities,
00:32not only Tarry, but Wingham.
00:33They get out there and they get behind it in a big way.
00:34So, yeah, it's a good day.
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04:46Get a bit more involved with the club again, which is good, they're starting to, and we're
04:50also looking at what's about, what's still in the area, and what our options are to,
04:58what we'll put together for a senior squad, and also continue to grow our 18s again, get
05:03our 18s coming through.
05:04Because you've got a very young 18s side, haven't you?
05:07Yeah, we lost, what we've rebuilt, we lost the majority of the core, which was what we
05:15were thinking on.
05:16Some of those boys would have been playing first grade this year, off the back of what's
05:19happened.
05:20So we put together an 18s again, which was a put together side, which they were, they
05:27are very young.
05:29Not a lot of experience in amongst some of them, and both Doug and Sean have done a good
05:36job to get them in most games to compete.
05:39They were a side which they thought would have got a toweling each week, as in that's
05:43what we were getting back from other areas.
05:46But they've competed in most games this year, as in put it to sides, and that's with a few
05:52of those 18s backing up every week too, to run in first grade.
05:56So they've put the hard yards in there.
05:58I think it's been hard some of the weekends where we've had to play a Saturday and a Sunday,
06:03but we'll see what comes the next year with that.
06:06They've had a lot of games this year, those young fellas.
06:10Speaking of under 18s from the Bulls, Gary, you got a bit of news about a former Turkey
06:14City under 18 player?
06:15Yeah, it looks like a Telegraph paper today, second page in from the back, which is all
06:19the sports sections.
06:20Young Nav Willett, he was with the Tigers this year, he's just gone down this year and he's
06:26off to Manly.
06:27He's got a training trial next year and then top 30 the year after I think, so that's really
06:34good.
06:35I sent him, he was at the footy last week and he's had a hamstring injury at the moment.
06:38He's had that all year hasn't he?
06:39Yeah, he had the hamstring injury then come back and then he's got it again.
06:43He was at the game last week.
06:45I've not seen, fair fair, he should be a basketballer shouldn't he?
06:49The size of Nav and once they get him to fill out his body with the strength and muscle
06:55that he needs for the footy, he should be a really good player.
06:59I think he played state primary skills basketball actually.
07:02I remember we had him here last year for last year and apart from the F-bomb every second
07:07we were there he was driving.
07:10The Swans were chasing him as well.
07:12Yeah, well he'd go well in that too wouldn't he?
07:15Yeah, you could see why they chased him.
07:17He could kick the ball out of sight and also he's height.
07:21He's height and that.
07:22Good luck, obviously he probably won't be back for this year I don't think Nav with
07:27his hamstring.
07:28I don't think he'll get any more games in the shoot with him.
07:31Yeah, so let's wish him all the best and good on him.
07:35Your old club loses another one Gary.
07:38Yeah, but they go to me.
07:41I don't mind Manly, it's on the beaches isn't it?
07:44The suburbs over there.
07:45I've got a lot of Balmain players that I played with in the 80s, they live in Manly.
07:51Mal Crockin's there, local boy, he's over there.
07:54So Nav will meet up with him a couple of times.
07:57Mal was involved last week with the corporate box tickets for tonight's game.
08:05Still keeping contact with him.
08:07Yeah, good luck Cocko.
08:09Oh, you're still going on and on.
08:12What year was that, 79?
08:1478.
08:15That's right, 78.
08:16Yeah, great year.
08:17You lost your mouth going to TV.
08:20Sad day, sad day.
08:22I've got to move on.
08:24I haven't got over losing under 10 Greenfield in 70 years.
08:27I've got a long way to go under 18.
08:30Back to the Bulls.
08:34Some bright spots for you Nigel.
08:35A couple of young blokes that have come through the first grad this year from under 18.
08:39Matt Burns, is it?
08:41Matt Burns jumped in there, he's done a great job.
08:45He's football's going head as he leaps and bounds.
08:50The two, Tyler and Tash.
08:52It's a shame Tash broke his hand or thumb or whatever injury is in his hand.
08:57But he was just really starting to hit his traps as that villain in his fullback
09:02or taking that fullback position in first grade.
09:05And Tyler, well, last couple of weeks with Tyler.
09:09He was a little bit quiet on the weekend.
09:11I think he suffered a bit of an injury in 18.
09:13But the two games before he was just exceptional on that wing.
09:17He sort of gave it to the other sides, flying high above them and scoring tries.
09:22So that is a good sign.
09:25A couple of those young fellas coming through.
09:29There is some boys in reserve grade there with opportunity.
09:33They'd be a country rugby league first graders.
09:37Because they're a bit like the Wingham side, which just grinds it out all the time.
09:41And that's what we've got to bring back to the club.
09:44We're playing for Tara E and let's grind it out and have that intensity of why we want to win.
09:50It'd be a bit like Foster-Toncurry.
09:53We had Robbie Parnia at the start of the year, the Foster-Toncurry coach.
09:56He said this thing is not going to turn itself around in a year.
09:59It's a longish term thing.
10:01He said we've got to get people wanting to play for the club again.
10:05And they're a bit lucky there because they're sort of on their own.
10:08Whereas around here you've got three clubs they can pick from.
10:11We were hoping that, as I say, we got depleted this year with some 18s going to other clubs.
10:16A few of those 18s should have been bordering on goals.
10:21A lot of them would have been training in the first grade squad.
10:24And the way it's been with injuries, a lot of them would have had opportunities
10:27and maybe even cemented spots into that first grade.
10:32But we'll rebuild again and see what we can bring again for next year around that.
10:36Because you're getting a bit to the crossroads.
10:38You're getting those stalwarts that have been in the club for a few years now,
10:41the Northern boys, Matt Torpoy, the Trey Clark.
10:43They're all getting around that 30 mark, aren't they?
10:45So they'll be, if not next year, the year after they'll be all given away, you'd imagine.
10:50You've got to refresh sort of thing, haven't you?
10:52Yeah, it's going to be a bit of our discussions over the next couple of weeks, I'd say.
10:55We'll start catching up with guys one-on-one and having a chat where they think they're at.
11:00And then we can see what holes we're going to have to fill and build around.
11:05The Pirates in particular, and a lot of country clubs now look overseas to New Guinea or Fiji or wherever.
11:13The Bulls haven't really done that. Is that something you might consider?
11:16It's been thrown on the table a couple of times.
11:19One of our biggest problems in town here is finding employment.
11:23It's all great to bring in three or four blokes or whatever,
11:27but one of the first questions we discuss when it does get thrown around is,
11:32where would we employ them?
11:34So one, they're going to be paid reasonable money,
11:37and then you've got to find them a gig in Tararee with a job,
11:41and also compensate it somehow with accommodation.
11:46It will get discussed at a meeting, to what we will do and what our resources are.
11:52It has been thrown up.
11:54There is some ex-juniors or, again, ex-players out of Tararee,
11:59which are kicking around in Newcastle comp.
12:02Some are probably done to what they'd like to have done down there.
12:06Maybe we need to put the heat on some of them so we can get them back up here.
12:12Fortunately, there isn't a solution yet, but it will be discussed.
12:16Buying a player from Overseas isn't a magic wand.
12:18Williams had all sorts of trouble the last couple of years.
12:22That hasn't been really a joy for him.
12:24We've had Mitch Collins who basically said that he doesn't think they'll go down that track again.
12:28It's the same.
12:30They just don't get these guys in, and all of a sudden you start winning footy games.
12:33We don't know what to do.
12:35First of all, the solution is to find a group,
12:38a solid group of players who want to play first grade,
12:41and then hopefully get that into them about the heart and the grinding it out
12:46and not relying on the same blokes week after week after week
12:49just to try and make the magic happen on the field.
12:52We started this year with what we thought was a reasonable-sized group, around the 20-odd.
12:59As I said, through the year, we've had up to 10 out of first grade for long periods of time.
13:05I know when you took over as president you thought one of your main jobs
13:08was to try and mend the bridges between the senior club and the two junior clubs in town.
13:13That seems to have worked.
13:15There seems to be a pathway there for those young kids who've come through the 18s.
13:19Yeah, definitely.
13:21Well, our 16s, well, when I say our 16s, Rovers and Panthers' 16s this year
13:27is under the Bulls banner.
13:29They play in the Bulls jersey.
13:31They're known as the Bulls.
13:33They've worked together between Sean and Steph and Melissa and Hollis.
13:40We've worked in with them.
13:43Rovers trained on our field yesterday.
13:45Panthers talked to us about training if their fields are closed, which has been a fairly regular scenario.
13:50Look, it's about juniors wanting to play football.
13:53They've got to want to stay in Taree to play football.
13:55We don't want them to be attracted to the outskirts and to the other sides which are around us,
14:01which makes it hard.
14:02Will that be a thing every season, under 16s will play for the Bulls?
14:06That's not my call at the moment.
14:09That'd be because they're both stand-alone clubs.
14:12It'll be up to Panthers and Rovers to discuss what they do there.
14:15Well, they're a bit short on numbers, both clubs.
14:18Yeah, the year before they struggled to put a 15s together, as in both clubs.
14:23They brought it together.
14:24They played in a Bulldogs jersey, which was the North Coast Bulldogs.
14:30They played in that, and then I think both clubs got together and asked,
14:34well, why don't we play under the Taree jersey or Taree banner?
14:38It got put to the group juniors, Group 3 juniors, and we said, yeah, good idea.
14:45So that's when we pushed through it.
14:48Those blokes trained with us at the start of the year.
14:50They've got a big squad.
14:53I think they started the year, they've had their highs and lows for the year as well,
14:57that under-16 side, but I think there's a 15s side coming through.
15:02Reasonable quality as well in both Panthers and could be Rovers as well.
15:10So hopefully they continue to stay with the club and come along to us.
15:15We are attracting that by trying to put back to them and help.
15:20Yeah, that's it.
15:21So it makes it a lot easier if they see that pathway.
15:25Yeah, yeah, yeah.
15:26As I say, there was that little bit of a scene to be that disconnect there in the previous year.
15:31Hopefully now for you guys, it's on the men, so that's a good thing.
15:35Yeah, look, I'd like to see, as I said at the start of the year,
15:38you're two different clubs, but white line, go across the white line, play hard, play strong.
15:43Come off, we're all about Taree.
15:46You've got a big game this weekend against White.
15:47They're going to be tough.
15:48I think the biggest game of the season might be the week after against Foster-Toncurry.
15:52You'd like to win that one after losing the first round game in the last couple of minutes?
15:56Yeah, no, definitely.
15:58War Hope will be a big game.
16:02They'll turn it around up there.
16:04It also helps them move up the table, lock themselves into, I'd say, fourth position.
16:10Foster, yeah, fourth.
16:11Okay, so yeah, but Foster against Foster.
16:14Foster and Taree.
16:17The following week will be, yeah, we'd like to get the points back,
16:21which we believe we should have had to start with.
16:24But yeah, that's the way it rolled out there, and yeah, it'll be a good game.
16:30Good game.
16:31Both sides will want to prove who they are,
16:33and both sides will be trying to set up for next year as well.
16:37Because Foster's got a couple of big games themselves.
16:40They play Port City this weekend.
16:42Port City, of course, were thrashed.
16:43They were just absolutely gobbled by Old Baja last Sunday at Old Baja.
16:47They need to win, beat Port City, and then probably beat you guys to not finish last.
16:52I said to Robbie Payne earlier on, he said,
16:54it's important that we don't finish last because we're trying to attract players still,
16:57and it's difficult to attract players when you come last.
17:00Yeah, no, you've got to get some runs on the board now for this time.
17:04So the boys are talking to us to see the results.
17:06So yeah, we'll see how it goes,
17:09and hopefully we've got some boys back by then as well.
17:12Some of the boys which have been out for long periods now
17:14might be hopefully back on the field then as well just to finish the year off.
17:18So we'll see how it goes.
17:19And Gary, Sunday, Kempsey, Pirates and Maclay, that's going to be a big match.
17:24It's going to be a cracker of a game, that one.
17:26Obviously, Albert and Mohamed are in front on for and against over Port Shark.
17:33So they need to keep winning, keep building, and finish in the top of the table.
17:38Yeah, they've got a pretty tough run in Albert.
17:40I mean, they're quite capable of winning them all,
17:42but they play Kempsey, then they play Wyngham,
17:45then they play Warhapen all the way through.
17:49So all those games mean something to every club.
17:52They've got to win them to, well,
17:54Wyngham and Warhapen fighting out for that fourth and fifth, which is a home semi.
17:58So yeah, games towards the end of the year, sometimes they don't mean nothing,
18:03but they'll mean something to all the clubs.
18:06Yeah, well, Albert's a little bit ahead on, like, 50-odd points.
18:09Are they 50-odd points now?
18:10Yeah, yeah, because they had a big win last week.
18:12Yeah, no, but it'll be a tough game.
18:14If they beat Maclay on Sunday, they'll certainly finish on top.
18:19Then they'll come down the difference,
18:20because they'll have a bit of a cushion over the breakers.
18:23But no, it should be – you're going to Kempsey too.
18:25Yeah, it's a long trip to Kempsey.
18:27So it's only 45 minutes, isn't it, 50 minutes?
18:29Yeah.
18:30It could be an hour.
18:33I'll probably get lost anyway.
18:36Bridgie, we'll go to your big day last week.
18:38How much have you been uproading?
18:39Mick, the final number hasn't come in yet, but it's mid-20s, 1,000.
18:46And we've still got the Turrey Race Club that put on a day
18:50for the Christaloo Bridge Cup day.
18:54An all-money race there that day is also going to Canter Sisters as well,
18:58and that's on the 26th of August.
19:01What the community has done and what the community keeps doing
19:04every year for Canter Sisters,
19:06and especially the day that Wingham and Turrey put on,
19:10it's a credit to the community,
19:13and it's a credit to the people that come out there and supply,
19:18support what's a good cause for the local area.
19:22This is the second year the Christaloo Bridge Cup's been run,
19:25is that right, the race club?
19:26The race club.
19:27But this year, all our sponsors,
19:32the races are named after the sponsors that have come forward
19:35who want to sponsor a race,
19:37which last year was just the cup that they meant,
19:41but this year they're going to donate all that back to Canter Sisters.
19:46It's a fantastic community, and that's what they're doing now.
19:51I think the race club has come on and said,
19:53well, we're part of this community,
19:55so very much appreciate it for what Damien and the race club are doing.
20:00That's Monday the 26th,
20:02and on the 24th the Wingham Tigers have got a day for Canter Sisters.
20:06I think they've got a ball or something.
20:09Yeah, and Albarra also done something earlier in the year for Canter Sisters,
20:14so they can see now what Canter Sisters do for the area
20:19and the support they give families that need it and struggle with it.
20:24We all know the bit about cancer that everyone might have it,
20:28but it affects them in some way or another,
20:31and the community is getting behind it.
20:34So on behalf of the Bridge family,
20:36I'd like to thank everybody that's participated
20:39or coming to be involved in these sort of days.
20:42It's fantastic.
20:43I was a bit lucky, actually.
20:44We had Mitch Collins the other week there.
20:46I was going to bid him $50, but I honestly forgot.
20:49You're not allowed to tip anymore.
20:51No.
20:52You got us a couple of weeks before.
20:54What we've got to do next year is the group has got to put
20:57Wingham versus Taree.
20:58They've got to play each other.
20:59The first game they play each other has got to be on the Christy Lee Day,
21:02which is towards the end of the year,
21:04and then they've got to play each other in the last game of the year
21:06because we always beat them in the first game,
21:08but we can't beat them on the Christy Day.
21:11Change it around.
21:12The score now is 10 to Wingham and 1 for Taree.
21:16That's amazing, though, really.
21:18Not as though Wingham have always been that dominant over Taree in that time,
21:21but yeah.
21:24As I said, to still have your nephews involved,
21:28they're playing for Wingham.
21:30They definitely want to do it,
21:32but the commitment that Taree guys show every year,
21:36they turn up to play.
21:38At the end of the game when they lose,
21:40you can just see it in their faces that they're disappointed,
21:42but they're not.
21:45They're doing everything they can.
21:49Well, I'll tell you, a good example of the commitment,
21:51Christian Hazard.
21:52There's no one rule he should have played there last week.
21:54He was out, was he?
21:56Yeah, he was out.
21:58He was out as of Friday morning,
22:00and then Friday night he went to training,
22:04and all of a sudden halfway through training
22:06we saw him doing a bit of a warm-up on his own,
22:08and that's actually when Nav said to me,
22:10he said,
22:11oh, what's Christian doing?
22:13I said, well, he's probably got that bug, mate, that's in him.
22:16So yeah, look, it's a shame he's carried that injury
22:20for, again, last year, but into this year.
22:23We thought we got it fixed in the off-season,
22:25but yeah, tremendous player, him and Jake.
22:28Got some great skill on them,
22:30so you'd like to have them both fully fit
22:32and 100 per cent going around together year after year.
22:35I wouldn't like to run into either, would I?
22:38If they were on opposite sides of the field,
22:41you'd probably want to be on the wing, wouldn't you?
22:43Because two of the best defensive players,
22:47and they're not big in stature,
22:49but they certainly know how to hit.
22:51Well, that's what you should do next.
22:53You get Nav bringing a couple of blokes with him from Manly,
22:55that portability thing.
22:57Yes, we can do that.
22:59We'll definitely be looking at that, Nick.
23:02Because you're allowed two, I think.
23:04And I'm pretty close to the...
23:06Don't muck around with these two ballplayers.
23:09Get one of the Drovibis brothers.
23:11It's just up for the day.
23:12Get Tommy Turbo.
23:13He did cause a bit of trouble up here.
23:15Yeah, good on you.
23:16Mitch Collins tackled Turbo, didn't he?
23:19Who do you think wins a comp, Nigel?
23:21Who do you think will take it out?
23:23Look, I think at the moment it's the Sharks and Pirates,
23:28they're both up there.
23:29But look, I've watched one or two games with the Mustangs.
23:33Mustangs up there, I think they're a smokey.
23:36OK, they turn it on on the day.
23:38They can upset one or two players.
23:42So it'll depend on what happens out of that
23:45major preliminary semi-final,
23:47which I'd say will be, as I say,
23:50the Port or Olba versus Kempsey.
23:53And, yeah, look, probably out of the top two there, mate,
23:57at this stage.
23:58They've got the runs on the board both those sides.
24:00And, yeah, hard to say.
24:02Hard to say.
24:03It'll be depending on the day
24:04and what they've got in the way of injuries.
24:05But, yeah, I think Olba has had a few
24:07out over the last couple of weeks.
24:09If they can put their full complement back together,
24:11I think one of the boys,
24:13one of the outside backs is out for the year.
24:17But I'm not sure there.
24:19Allegedly.
24:20Allegedly.
24:21Folks change pretty quick in this local comp.
24:23But, yeah, at full strength,
24:25they'd be pretty hard to beat.
24:27But it doesn't mean sharks won't pull something out as well.
24:30But I'd like to see.
24:32Look, Kempsey, I looked at them when we played them
24:35a week ago, two weeks ago.
24:38And not knowing all their players,
24:41majority of them are local players, community guys,
24:44and it'll be good to see them go as high as they can again
24:47this year because they put that effort in.
24:49But it just depends on the day with Kempsey.
24:51Look, Kempsey can either put you out the door
24:53or they can have a shot for themselves.
24:55Yeah.
24:56All in the one game.
24:57Yeah.
24:58Well, don't worry.
24:59We had a 15-minute period against them up there.
25:01And I think Nemo there turned it on for 15 minutes
25:04and that's where the difference came in the game.
25:06You know, it was like he had spiders on him there at one stage
25:09and then all of a sudden we turned it back around
25:11and we were clawing it back into him.
25:13Yeah, I think the very first game of the season,
25:15I went up and they played Foster.
25:16I think it was 30-something to nil at half-time.
25:18They ended up with 36-12 or something.
25:20They did nothing.
25:21It's like an R.
25:22So, yeah, I'd say it's coming out of the two top sides
25:24at the moment, mate.
25:25But, yeah, I wouldn't be surprised to see Kempsey
25:27sort of turn it on on a day
25:29and give them a bit of a run for their money.
25:31And just to finish up, Gary, one of your old team-mates,
25:34Benny Elias, named in our Hall of Fame this week.
25:38Yeah, I sent him a message yesterday morning
25:41and, yeah, he's a New South Walesman through and through.
25:46Everyone will remember the State of Origin game
25:48where your mum come onto the field and blood coming from...
25:50Yeah.
25:51But, yeah, great bloke, Benny, and he thoroughly deserves it.
25:55And, you know, that's a pretty good...
25:59That Queensland 4-5 in the Queensland,
26:02that was when that Queensland dominated the State of Origin series, didn't they?
26:05Yep.
26:06They were in it too, so...
26:07No, well-deserved, Benny.
26:09He does a lot.
26:11Yeah, I saw watching on NRL 360 the other night he was speaking
26:14and your other mate, Blocker,
26:16said that he revolutionised dummy half-play or hooking.
26:19Yeah, what hookers can do.
26:21Yeah, he did.
26:22Well, he was the first one to come in and just hookers just stand there passing.
26:25He could run, he could kick, he could do all that.
26:27So, yeah, he was...
26:29He's a very good bloke.
26:30There were good hookers around in that era that you played in, wasn't there,
26:32like Royce Simmons and Elias?
26:34What's Roycey now is doing the walk for Dementia.
26:37I didn't realise that Dementia kills more women than it does men,
26:45which I thought was just a...
26:48You don't sort of hear too much about the ladies with Dementia,
26:51but men with footy with Dementia and everything.
26:53But, yeah, he does a walk and...
26:55Oh, yeah.
26:57That's how good it was, Bill.
26:59That same Mal Crocker.
27:01When he and Crocker went down there,
27:02we all thought he was going to play for Australia.
27:04Well, he carved out a great career,
27:06but he never actually played much footy.
27:07No, he did, but he should have.
27:09He should have.
27:10He should have played it because he got the...
27:12He got the...
27:13Rothman's Medal.
27:14Rothman's Medal, didn't he?
27:15And didn't make the...
27:16Yeah.
27:17So, but, yeah, he's...
27:19And they were...
27:21And the hookers now are totally different.
27:23Well, they face a lead on Denny Medeiros and Kevin Smith.
27:25They're not what we're seeing these days, are they?
27:27Yeah.
27:28Well deserved, yeah.
27:29Benny?
27:30Yep.
27:31Well, thanks a lot for coming in, mate.
27:33It was great to hear about the Bulls
27:34and hopefully there's better days ahead.
27:37What's the weather going to be like this weekend, Scott?
27:40Saturday, rain. Sunday, beautiful.
27:42OK, well, I'm going to keep to Sunday,
27:43so that'll be...
27:45I'm not taking notice of that, but anyway.
27:48Whatever happens, enjoy the footy.
27:51Enjoy the footy.
27:52I think we're at Port Macquarie next week, I think.
27:54I'll be speaking to Geoff Kelly, the group president.
27:57But anyway, we'll be back next week.
27:58And thanks Nigel and thanks Gary.
28:01Thanks, guys.