Hi, I'm Gus Wallin and this is not an overnight success brought to you by sure and partners financial services
This is a podcast where we sit down with some very successful people from the world of business
Entertainment and sport and chat about their life's journey and what got them to the position that they're in today in today's episode
We are chatting with Maddie Johns to a lot of people Maddie is a footy loving
Larrikin to me is a bloke that I spent a lot of time with on brekkie radio a
Confidant and a man that I can always share a beer and a laugh with
Maddie has played rugby league in the NRL across there in super league
Also state of origin and also played for his country his second career has been entertainment and some people say it's where he absolutely
Shines in this chat. We speak about Maddie's family and growing up in the hunter
We speak about him playing with his brother Andrew and how their relationship affected their careers
We talked about how football was more than just a sport to Maddie and to the people of Newcastle in their toughest times and
Maddie's somewhat controversial move to go overseas and how that affected him
We also talked about his second career in media and our eight years spent together doing brekkie radio
We speak about his family and both of his sons now playing professionally. Maddie is energy
He's a character and he's thoroughly entertaining as for all of these podcasts sure and partners have generously donated
$10,000 to the charity of choice to each of our guests
We discuss who gets that money in this chat
The executive producer of this podcast is Keisha Pettit was production assistants from Kelly Stubbs and Brittany Hughes
Let's get on with our chat with Maddie Johns
Maddie Johns, welcome to the podcast. How are you mate? Here we are again Gus. We are here
We are again. We spent a lot of time together. We had a lot of good times. We did we'll get to that in a sec
I want to talk to you initially on your childhood, you know
For people that don't know where did you grow up? What was your family set up? Okay. I was by the way
That's my dog barking in the background. That's all right. Hey Charlie
This is what she tends to do right she's she's a guard dog
People listen, yeah, what a tyrant
Gus I grew up in Hunter Valley in Cessna. It was funny growing up there
It's such a different town than what it was back then. It was I mean back then it was
There were three or four vineyards growing up now. There's what 200 but dad was a coal miner
You know, they really battled I think they had me
1819 so I look at that now and I look at myself having you know, Jack when I was
24 something like that and I look as I've got my baby. So I can't imagine with mum and dad and
You know different the dad played rugby league at Cessna. He had some difficult times
He remember broke his leg once he couldn't go down the coal mine. So there were little things like that, but really happy childhood
Just always, you know playing sport cricket
Rugby league soccer or something on the go good mates. You're back in those days. Yeah, mom and dad are just
So to me and Andrew rather what he's up to today
We'd say don't really know what hop in our box and we just take off and come back about 8 o'clock that night
Yeah, so it was it was a good good childhood very close-knit family got a sister who's 10 years my junior
Mmm, so now it's good and I get up there as much as I can
I was up there just recently we had a John's family Christmas up there, which was
I remember meeting your sister because she obviously everyone knows Andrew through footy and and obviously he's gone into the media like you have
But we met your sister when we were had a grill team
Function up in the hunter, which was a hell of a weekend
You can remember the spa bath with it looked more like a laxa
That was one thing we did do well on the grill time was our trips away
We used to remind ourselves how much how much fun we had and how well we all got along
It was just it was such great fun
Nothing better. I remember your sister because she's sort of the one that I knew you had but I hadn't met her before but she's
Pretty special, isn't she? Yeah, she is and she was very good sports
Sportsman herself. She was played netball very very good played a little bit of representative netball just sort of dropped off and then
She got into playing rugby league. Can you believe really at what age?
Late 30s Wow and didn't end well. Oh, she ended up with a dislocation of the hip. Oh that is
So we're like Kate looks easy on TV, doesn't it?
But she's a grown-up the family dynamics
Course dad worked. He worked dogwatch in the coal mine, which was his shift would start something like midnight and
He'd go through eight o'clock in the morning. So there was a lot of my childhood growing up was it was dad being asleep
you know, I mean like he was course working those shifts and so
With dad not there a lot, you know, I had to assume
Sort of the role as the father with Kate one of the reasons we're so tight
and of course I acted as cartilage between my sister and my younger brother Andrew because he would just stir the hell out of
She'd be crying and then the big brother roll the sleeves up and let's just say the younger brother crying
That's the way it rolls yes, yes
Things just don't change the dynamics. I'm gonna be can I just do tour for a second? Of course
We're at the Knights and we're doing this training session just before Christmas and Andrew's been a real ass
Which he can be and he's in a bad mood and he's throwing balls deliberately at
Teammates feet and when they knock it out is given a rousing
So anyway that night we've got a team dinner with all the wives the girlfriends and so on and so forth
Anyway, the guys got in touch me and said we really prefer if Andrew didn't come
So I said, okay, right. So I had to Joey and said look it's off
Okay, no worries. So we still go. It's this beautiful Vietnamese restaurant Derby Street, Newcastle
so we're sitting there or having the meal and
next minute I can hear someone like punching the glass outside the restaurant and I'll look at this Andrew because he's walking past with his
Drop-pick mates and see that we've done it in that we double crossed him, right?
So anyway, he's yelling to me saying come out come out, you know, let's have a go
Anyway, I'm sitting there stunned and all the all the people enjoying their meals sitting there. Yeah, what's going on here?
So anyway, he takes off and I'm sitting there. I would just start stewing on it. I don't know where he's going
He's going down to the cryptos arms, which was our local. So I said Trisha go down there
She's like don't do it Sonya. No go down
I'll walk in and he's there of course with those same drop-kick mates our birds of a feather and
I'd just say right out he goes. Oh here he is. Here he is. I said get outside
As he walked outside, I realized how drunk he was which was great
So I had my first ever victory, right? So I hit him with a couple of lefts and a right and then hop in a taxi
but then two days later, I get a call from
Phil Rothfield buzzer off Phil's son. I tell you he goes manny. How are you, mate?
He said mate of God on good old authority that you and your brother had a bit of a blur
Now is there any truth to that and I said buzz?
No, I knew it in Newcastle's like yeah people telling tales and cuz my Nana cuz I know a bloke there cuz you know
I am from Newcastle and he told me it definitely happened buzz. I'm telling you it didn't happen
Mate, I've got no eyewitness
Buzz what did the eyewitness say? Oh, I reckon he reckons you gave him a flogging. I said actually it is
That's the one thing I hold over Joey's head that and he's
Cometary rings me and goes early days in the commentary and says my how do you think I'm going with commentary? I said
You can't be good at everything
Were you always good at 40 you too
Was 40 always gonna be something that you're going to try to make some money out of or was it just so much fun that
You just played it Gus. I never knew the people got paid to play
rugby league until
11 or 12 because remember dad was talking to a guy out there called Don Schofield now Don played
for Wes down here, but also
Gone away in a World Cup tour for Australia very good local legend
He was plumber and I was doing about to do work experience
It must been 12 13 and dad said do you think he'll be able to make it as professional footballer and Don said no
But I reckon he could make it as jockey
And dad was on the card dad was like, you know talking about stuff and he said yeah, they get paid good money
I'm like what even when I was even when Gus I started playing first grade. I remember a teammate saying
Said to me, you know, if they stop paying me tomorrow
I wouldn't I would I quit and I just couldn't understand that as you start to get into your 30s
You you get it. But at that point you just play it for fun. Was I a good player?
I wasn't a good player growing up and I still even coming through and get closer put it this way
If I'm against Anthony Munday and some of that I just can't compete because they're far more athletic
I wasn't an athlete in any way shape or form, but you got to be smart
There's plenty of ways to skin a cat, right?
You don't always win with athleticism
Sometimes you just use your smarts and that's why I like, you know, probably a little bit of a reach here
I'm not comparing myself to that guy
But if you look at mark war and Steve war so when mark war held a bat you can just see oh mate
This guy's a natural that's what he's born to do where Steve war was a battler and he built firewalls around his game
Hooking and a lot of ways that's what I was like
I was smart enough to realize the things I was good at the things that I was no good at and
Sort of built firewalls around that built my game around that
So that's where like a lot of times I'll do coaching with young playmakers and I'll come in
Talk to me. Tell me how you're feeling
Because you've been through it yourself and you know the process as opposed to like I'll talk sometimes with Joey football and he's incredibly smart
His idea of football's simplistic and I don't mean that in a bad way
He looks at a fender and goes, you know, I'll analyze it, you know this defender and he goes Maddie
Oh, he looks tired. I'll fucking run at him. You know, I mean
It's like it's a it's simple, but you know, I had to agonize over things
But my reward for that was for that I can talk to young playmakers and in a minute understand what they need
I love that. Can you remember the law the the first time that you and Andrew played together because you're being a bit older
Yep, did he play up with you or did you used to watch him and then play your game after what was that?
As you're growing up when dad started coaching some Patrick's Cessnock
They didn't have an under fives under sixes under seven. It was only under nines
So I was five and I started playing under nines and one day was short and Joey just turned three
You know and they put him on the wing
Just the old man just said get him out there right dad tells the story they're still wearing nappies Wow
That was true with distance exaggeration because we have got the propensity to put a bit of paprika on stories. Yeah, a little my answer
So but I bet dad says when he got grabbed Joey got the ball
I threw in the ball and they grabbed him and Joey a lot held
But as far as the top level we never played together
For a fair while until we had a young reserve great side and about round two or three in
93 they put us in together and I remember just going man
This is easy when you're playing with your brother because you just know you've grown up together
You've got the same principles and ideas about the game and you watch I could see the way he catches a ball moves a certain
way I knew what he was going to do and we're when you play with other halves and you haven't got that
Understanding you need to communicate a lot more it can be difficult and sometimes you have disagreements which can be difficult in the field
Whereas when it's with your brother, there's so much understanding but then you know
If he stuffs up or does something I don't like you just get into each other your brothers. It's forgotten in an instant
Yeah, so what had happened? I went up into first grade Joey still remained in reserve grade, which he absolutely hated and I fucking love
It was Matty Robble, okay, so next year in 1994
This is a very typical Andrew story about how ruthless he is
So we're playing final trial game of the year against Cronulla at Shark Park, whatever it was called then endeavor field
Anyway, we're playing and we're battling we're battling things just aren't gonna smooth them
I threw the ball to Matty Robble and poor bugger went to step and boom did his ACL
I remember as they were carrying him off the field in the stretcher Joey ran past and was like, yes
Let's go and I'm like you course fast
But I remember when he came on the field nothing against rocket Robble, but it was just everything just clicked bang
Everything just changed and just remember just count. Oh, this is easy. Mm-hmm. And then the following week we played round one
We had South Sydney football stadium and they just won the two is challenged the the preseason comp against the Broncos
And everyone's go mates gonna be sousey here they're going really good and Joey it was the night before the game
He was on debut and I said mate, you just got to be mindful. This is not reserve grader on a show
This is first grade mate. So don't expect too much. He scored 23 points club record
On the bird is like told you mate
But as is the way with rugby league the next week we play West at home
Who were side at best expected finish mid table at very best and they got this old experience side
Paul Lamac and Jason outshin and Joey had the worst kind of his life
They just sledged him got into him hit him late. So it's a lesson that's professional
Sport and rugby league for you one minute. You're at the top. You're at the apex the next minute. You're in the basement
Yeah, yeah from that moment on how quickly did you guys become the seven and six at Newcastle?
You knew every week every training that you were the guys. Yeah, how long did that take? Yeah
Look, I reckon probably
Mid-season we knew but still Gus like yeah, I always made sure that you know
I'd say to guys were coming into the time, you know that 12 jersey you got mate. You're only renting that
Eventually one day someone will come and take it
You don't you don't own it you have to for you to stay in that Jersey
All right, you got to keep paying the bills meaning you got to play well
Mm-hmm, and that's always made sure when they handed me the six Jersey
I remember just used to grab the badge and give it a little kiss to go right out. I've got you
I'm not gonna let you go. Yeah, and so we were you trenched ourselves there early years
There was some really tough years like you go down to play
Canberra it is and we're just young guys and yeah, you run on the field
It's Mullins Menenga room wiki named Ruku Ricky Stewart Laurie Daly Bradley Clyde
Lazarus Steve Walters
Yeah, can we call it off now? But I remember running on the field
93 94 and looking across and there was Malmon anger and I'm going fucking Malmon anger
Do you shake his hand now?
Yeah, I know and he first time he ran at me I'm like tackle them and it was like I've said this plenty of time
It's like tackling your dad in the lounge. I mean, come on. Let's have a guy
He went someone's so much stronger than you
But yeah, but there was a lot of those tough years Gus where you're getting flogged and flogged and flogged and you're going and
Mate, I'm not ashamed to say some of those floggings
Where you're actually out on the field and you're watching Ricky Stewart knows play and you go
I'll never be able to be as anywhere near that and you walk in the sheds after the game
You've been beaten by 50 points and you go into the cubicle and you sit there and you literally shed a tear you go
I'm so embarrassed what just happened then you sort of go up pick up and get on with it
Yeah, so did it mean even more the those moments of sadness all those emotions because it was Newcastle
Because you had grown up. Yep being a Knights fan
Because you've seen the whole club be created. I do it a lot. Yes sort of been created
I was a big Balmain Tigers fan
But this local club and what made it really special was that you knew so many of the people when I ran on the field
I knew where my great mate is nobody we had no longer with us Phil peak
I'd look over and see his mum and dad sitting in the same spot all the time and I could give Barry a little wave
You know, and there was different people. I knew where mom and dad were I knew where my nan was sitting
I knew where some of my dead big mates were sitting. I knew that flight. Yeah, you know, you know everybody
Yeah, so you're out there. So it was more than just you're more than just a football team and then there was a really special moments
Like yeah that run we had in 97 where there's some really incredibly difficult things happened in in the town
BHP had shut coal mines were on strike
So there's a lot of people out of work and doing it tough and we just we'd we'd play a home game and there'd be like
25,000 every game and you could feel like
Yeah, the people this is where people were getting their their joy from and so that's when you realize it's more than football
Yeah, it's um, that must be the most amazing feeling running out
Like that looking around seeing all those people and playing with your brother in front of 25,000. Yes
Yeah, it was some really special ones. We've been 95. We played manly at home and in those days
The capacity was 29. They got 32 and a half in and you ran on the field near like
we know like it was just and you used to hear it sometimes you'd be in the sheds or
Firstly when we would when I would drive to the game
I knew how big a crowd it was going to be by how far the cars were parked at 1130 and sometimes make the like
Gus doll park 2k's from the ground and you're going. Yep. It's gonna be a big crowd here today
Yeah, and you sort of get that gets in the mood to play and then you get in the sheds and it's like you can hear
Like the rolling thunder out there. You have people getting in the mood. So got you ready to play. Oh how awesome
97 mm-hmm pretty special
Very special year for me personally was that to win that grand final but then two weeks after that Jack
My first son Jack been born. Yeah, which when he plays for the Knights now, I go man time goes quick
He's twice your size playing for the Knights to his dad's a great guy
He's just because my wife don't think I'm talking now school
They because my wife was once engaged to Luke Egan professional surfer Luke's neighbor carry good looking
Gorgeous. I say all the time. I
When he comes on TV, I go look at those blue eyes. Why why oh, why did you leave that but shit now?
He's married to Jess Yates. Oh, I was going to work. So how's Luke going? And yeah, it's so I say cuz Luke's about six
What's free? Oh, I wonder I said mate if your hair was blonde, honestly
But he's done alright too for himself. He's done very very well. Yeah, but it
It was a really special year given those circumstances of what the town was going through and
And Gus when we left from the bus to go from Newcastle to go down to Sydney
If so, that was a Sid Fox bus
So you there was no flying back then you guys took the bus as a team and your managers and all that stuff
So when did you arrive in Sydney close to the game?
Yeah, we arrived on the Saturday last time so we left and there were miles of people at the ground when we're leaving to get
On the highway there were tens of thousands of people seeing us off, you know
Blake holding up a sign still say now going one more round one more round and chief stood up chief stopped the bus and
Pointed said see that we're not coming back. He loses
So we go down and we have a meeting. I
Gotta say it was pretty looking back on it. It was pretty uninspiring
Everyone was sort of like looking at their watches you want to go the movies and whatnot and I feel the game
Yeah, we're ready to go. Yeah. Yeah, we're ready. Yeah, so having dinner chief camera goes mate
That was that was dogshit and I said, yeah was one. Yes. Let's have another one
I said another one of that. He said no, no, he said only the players. No one's allowed him but the players
So we jam into truth room. We're all jammed in there. He just goes right out one by one
We're gonna go around the room and I want you to tell us what it means to you to win this tomorrow
And it went around the room. Everyone's speaking. So emotively, you know
I typically had to blow a slight Leo Danover and Brett Grogan
They should have been there what they did for the team that year was incredible
We wouldn't have got there without
Like Leo Danover, but Joey came back and they missed out but the way they spoke, you know gave you strength
Made you feel so good. You know that everyone's you know, everyone's just pulling that same direction
and the last person I got to was Mark Lanville and
Mark Lanville puts his hand up himself said mate. I was a mercenary. I played for money and
He said that's what I did
I said I play for the money and he was one of the guys who said to he said if they didn't pay me
I wouldn't be here wouldn't play so it got to him
He went to Mark Lanville last and it was Mark Lanville's last ever game as a Newcastle night for he left to go to
England and he was one of the first players they'd ever signed and in those early years had a terrible run of injuries
Anyway, he got to MG and there was just silence
Turn around he can't talk as he's crying
Joey jumped up in the bed and said we've won
That's I know that's so good and that game
Yeah playing it was just it felt inevitable. We're gonna win. I just had it's hard to explain
You know, they say the ideal performance state is completely forgetting
Your mindlessness forget about school. We'll forgive that crowd
You're just in the zone and that's when I look back at the game and I'll say I can't remember that I cannot remember that
And I remember everything about football games, right? I played but you just in that zone and
Joey and I you always used to we sit when we kids and watch games together and you're picking up
Tendencies of positions and one of the big
Tendencies of wingers used to be because they're not because they're on the fringes
They're not used to being a marker that if you're standing on a sideline, right?
I the golden rule is if it's one market, you know, you don't chase because you know bloke could just go dummy and go
to the short side
So we always had a theory that if there's one if there's one person a marker and it's on the sidelines a winger
Throw the dummy and go because they're not used to being there. We just sat on that five ten years
mmm, and if you look at the last play hoppers a marker on the sideline and
Joey dummies and goes up the sideline and turns in Dalvey and scores. So it was just surreal and after the game
I don't remember anything of the the lap of honor. It was pandemonium people just running on the field
People are almost like off their heads running just going just with this just happiness and they tell me in the town
It was the same there were people just stories of people just hopping in their cars and driving around the town with no
Like just like what am I doing just had to as an outlet just something and coming back into the city
I knew it was going to be big because all back in the days of the roundabouts heading around that Gosford way there would be
Well that have roundabouts there as opposed to lights and all the roundabouts were full of parties and as we're getting close to New
Council, there's more and more people on the side of the road and we end up getting off there about
30,000 when you get off the highway and then when we went into the city center, it was chaos
They're saying yeah, it could have been a hundred thousand people there and there were people
Climbing trying to get onto the bus but climbing on to these old oak trees and jumping from the oak trees on top of the bus
And trying to kick that they wrote the bus off
Hey, they wrote it. I'll sit for gone gone
But it was it was really special and those sides Gus for me. It wasn't professional sport
I know I never knew what professional sport was until I left and went away and realized some time professional sports
Sometimes is not really enjoying the circumstance you're in but have to perform anyway
Or not necessarily liking some of the people you're playing alongside but being professionally getting on with it. Whereas at Newcastle
It was family. Yeah, it's like when I watch Penrith now, it's family
Melbourne it's family best times aren't times their families. Yeah, I love that so
Magical moment obviously winning that I remember living in Maroonga
The last street on the freeway and everyone wanted you to hit manly that day believe me because the Dravovich's weren't playing from them
Yes, that's why I like manly now
Anyway walked up the end of a street so just as you were to come down turn right onto the freeway to get your 110 at
La that's where I was standing and there was another 20 people and most of them were rugby union fans
Yeah, just enjoyed the game and they were happy that you had won and we just all looked at each other as the buses turn
The corner and up the up towards Gosford and Newcastle. I think they're gonna have a good night tonight
It was a good night. It was a good week. I was gonna say it was a good few nights. It was it was really good and
Jack was born must have been the week after the grand final the week after because
We went we just having such a good time Trish was pregnant
Anyway, Trish went into and I'd be hospital up at John Hunter there. So I was sort of going out there
I was going having a good time celebrating mad Monday mad Tuesday
And I was going up going hey gone Trish you're right. Anyway
It's so good of you to check in on her, you know what I am a
Anyway, so we got and after Jack was born
Trish was in there for another week and the nurses went look don't go home
We'll just put a bed in there with Jack and Trish
So I stayed for a week at the hospital with Trish and Jack
So I would go you know in that second week get on the source have a drink and then come back to the hospital that
Night and stay I trishy I could hear Trish sometimes go don't let him in
And they were like, he's fine. He's fine. So even sometimes you can talk to Trish about this
I go up there and I blame it. I'm starving. So I call the matron in I say, can you order me a pizza? Oh
My swear to God and she go. Yep. No worries and Trish go. What are you doing?
What don't get him a pizza? Oh, he's fine. Don't worry about it. Anyway, they said to Trish once
You're able to leave and go home. I said I said let's stay for another two days
It was so good nicely milked it was so good. Yeah, so that happens Maddie you're at Newcastle
We need to fast-forward this a little bit because of timing but you then leave Newcastle
You have a couple of stench is stint in England with Wigan one of the great rugby league clubs of all side
Yeah, meet a best friend of yours there and then you have a stench granola
Yeah, what was it like over in England? Of course meeting, you know someone now that is, you know, your best mate. I reckon Gus
For the first half I was over there. I wasn't in good shape mentally
I wasn't in good shape what had happened was and as I just said before the best teams aren't teams their families
So I was at the night and you make the mistake of so, you know, I said, you know
You're only renting a jersey
Well after a certain while when you've had the jersey that long you won't grand finals
you actually start to think you own the house that was where I was and
we'd had success for a number of years and
Two thousand season come I don't know what it is. I had just no I had it's like I had no gas in the tank
I couldn't push myself through training. I ended up picking up injuries
It was a real it was a really tough series right off season and then halfway through the year rightfully
So they're like, you know, he's getting to that age now with all these young guys coming through
We're gonna make a tough decision and that sort of sparked a lot of uproar and I was a lot of distractions and so much
Going on and the ultimately you forced out of the family
And so you get there and I signed to go over a Wigan and it wasn't so I got to Wigan
I really realized mentally I wasn't a good state
And then as time went by and we'd start to you know a little bit more time away
You start to get more comfortable in that environment way of doing things
Every time does things differently had a good back end of the year and I felt better
But after that season coming back to Newcastle felt weird
Mm-hmm and and still feeling a little upset put it this way
It was almost what it was Gus and it really hit home to me when we went there
Around five that year with Cronulla to play Newcastle there
The day before we had a captain's run at the ground Chris Anderson took us and I said to Chris Anderson
No, no, it was I was conscious this or it was an unconscious thing
I just said mate I'm gonna get taxi to the ground early an hour early before the captain's run for training
I just you know, I don't know
I just want to I want to go there and when I went there like a lot of those emotions started come back and I'm
Like oh wow this what's going on here?
And it was just all that I think a lot of the things that I hadn't dealt with about leaving the family going out
I just suppressed it and when I went to their grant
I sat there at that ground for an hour and just sat and just had all these things going through my mind
And I reckon it was that probably
When the side turned up the Cronulla side for our captain's run I dealt with it
Mm-hmm. I know it sounds really simplistic and only been about an hour
But that hour was like you just mulling through stuff and you're starting to reason with yourself and you're starting to say well
Hang on a second Matty, you know
What's more important a trophy if you stayed at Newcastle on meeting the greatest mate of your life in Brian Carney and you start
To work that out and you know Brian and I become really tight mates over there because he was a Gaelic footballer
From Ireland who came over and eventually ended up at Wigan
He still wasn't totally sure of the rules and certain things and nuances of the game
so we'd hang around after training for an hour and we'd run through things we'd chat about certain things and real
simple things that I took for granted the game that he had to learn and we just become just such great mates and
Now see him speak to him all the time went over there one year and it's a he's a really interesting guy
And I realized he was part of the reason I enjoyed that back after you again because I actually took my eyes
My focus off football and he's a really interesting guy. So he'd be going yeah
Well, we should go over to dip over to Eastern Europe and see my dad
His dad owns an Irish pub literally on the Ukrainian border on the Hungarian side a little town called near a Charter
So we went there for Christmas one year
So he'd be talking about things like that like his dad was doing at one point had a building contract with yes Arafat
Palestine's Wow, so he's had all this life amazing life
so to immerse yourself you sit there and you talk about those things and his brothers that live in New York and he's
Other brother that lived in Bermuda and all these different things
so it was I was good for him as far as football but as far as life and
Realizing there's a lot more to life than just rugby league. He was good for me
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Well, it's one thing I learned in the eight years were together on you know, waking up early together, you know five o'clock in there
It's a tough time to do stuff and you said to me one day when it all sort of ended which was sad at the time
But I can understand it now said Gus it's like we met in fifth grade in primary school and then we finished at the HSC
That's that's fifth grade sixth grade. Then you're six years of secondary school. And once you said it like that
I'm like, right. It just didn't seem that long to me
But the one thing I learned about you in that eight years many things
But one of the things is and our listeners loved about you was that you are so well read and you aren't just rugby league
In fact, you've got a story or you've got an interest and if you get an interest you then
Absolutely read everything about it. Yes, look it up always looking for experts to help you
Is that always been something that or does that something that Brian gave you or I do what it was Gus it was
Since I was a young kid. I was just surrounded by football
surrounded by it and by the time I knew time was up in my last year because you'd
There's some people that understand this you don't stand with what you do Gus is that
Sometimes you just put your head in something else something different you guys go that feels good
Like I remember one day Trish and I had the boys out. It's about two-thirds of the way through the final season. I was playing
And didn't know I was gonna quit then but walked into a photography shop now. I hate photography
But I remember just going Wow
How good is this?
Look at that. Look at that picture that someone took. Look at this. Wow
What's that camera and what it was it was my brain telling me hey mate enough of the football thing
You need to push forward get on with something else and I did and so when I finish I haven't got a lot of interest
Gus like I don't play golf and that's so we've seen that
Yeah, yeah, I've never seen someone so talented at one thing being really bad at something like most people have some clue
Yeah, I know surely you were playing up to the cameras
No, it wasn't I say to people I play golf like I'm chopping wood and I chop wood like I'm playing golf
Yeah, Gus I'd had enough and so one of the things for me was reading so reading history
Yeah, finding rare bookstores going and buying these obscure books and reading it having an appreciation
We're sitting in your beautiful house here. Then the amount of books you have is incredible. You read all of those
I reckon most of them I get through Trish look comes down here and sees it cuz I love that
You know, I love the big case and all the book. I love it. She goes. Oh, it's getting too full
Let's throw something out. I said mate. You don't burn books. You just don't give them away
Yeah, it's good. I used to be young get in originally through sporting biographies and whatnot, but then
Really the histories the one night I enjoy
Yeah, that's what we used to love about you come in and say right
I need a couple of breaks tomorrow. Yeah, we're gonna talk about this and it was Russia or was Germany or something like that
Something that interests you. Yeah, Maddie. Will there be a book about you one day that you decide to write?
No, okay. I've been through it once
It's hard enough. I'm not going there again
I'm now it I have no desire to Gus because you've got you come into the house
You'll see like I have no jerseys and any will you give them all away? Yeah, I'll give a lot
Literally remember one day you came to my place for a barbie and you gave Jack a
Country ball from a country city game. Yeah, and then he went and one of his mates was there and you're like
Oh, hold on for a second. You went back to the car and you got him a jersey
I think it might have been an Australian one. Yeah, and Jack was a country Jersey. Yeah. Yeah, but Jack was like
I got the ball one of the jerseys just be happy with what you've got
But you're so generous with that stuff
Well, I mean what a jersey like you say hang and you wouldn't know if you're a footballer
Well, what are you gonna do with the gusts too, you know
We'd sometimes get there and I'd have it probably at a dozen on board
But you get the air to bill it and he's a nice young bloke and you say mate
Yeah, you want a state of origin Jersey and he go. Oh, yeah
Oh, I come down say go mate. It's yours the next day. I go shit
I might have to go to him and say hey listen, mate. That was only a joke
I want that but what do you do? I mean, what do you do with your Jersey?
So I suppose I'm saying there is is it might I just focus on going forward?
That's what I like to do and anything for me that really diving into I mean it's different here because it's immediacy just
But to actually go through the whole thing of go
Tearing your life apart and get an agonizing over this set and the other I just gotta leave mate as we just said mate
The time we had on radio Gus
It was like being in fifth class and then going through we called it quits at the end of year 12
And how quick that time went compared to how it felt when we're in year five in it
I felt like two lifestyles
So I just think life's too short to sit there and write a book about yourself
I'd rather just talk about myself. Yeah, and you do that pretty good to be quiet to be honest, Maddie
Let's talk briefly about your media career because obviously we had that time on the grill team and that was fantastic fun
And you know people say to me now look, you know, that was my favorite time
Yeah, you know a lot of people grew up with us and enjoyed that time with us and we did a lot of stuff
New York trip we that was great fuck we could do a whole episode on that
But let's talk about now your life at Fox because you've not only got your own shows and you're now doing the podcast
And you've got your one-on-ones and that sort of stuff people have said to me
That's where they think you're absolutely at your best doing what I'm doing with you now
Yeah, having these type of discussions. How much do you enjoy doing those? I do enjoy it
I like because you know, like you I guess you're curious about people and I generally
only interview on those shows people that I like their people like
Respectful year respect I take because I what motivates me to sit down and prepare an interview
Is wanting that person to look good?
All right, and I've had been offered once or twice different people and I just go
I'm not I'm not a big fan and I don't like like I'm you know, it's always my thing
You want it to be authentic, but I want it to be authentic and and to be honest
I don't want to spend two days researching someone. I don't really like
So the different people we've done some of it can be straightforward preparing those interviews because you know them well others
you get their gas and like I honestly had like a panic attack before doing Lauren Jackson because I I
Knew the breadth of her work, but then leading up to the interview
I went bought a book and sat down and you're just going oh my god. Yeah, and you're oh my god
a lot and there was just so much and it was impossible to do it all justice
So I when we went to a house we sat and I said look Lauren
I'm gonna hand hand pick pieces from your career and a lot of it isn't gonna be an order
So but I said I just can't sit here. It'll go for three hours and she said I totally understand and so
There's elements like that. There's a guy who I don't have his wrist out to you
But he was looking to see John Kirwan. Yeah, John Kirwan the all-black who interviewed him. That was
Intriguing because I remember looking at
JK when he played for the all-black scum I this bloke Superman ultra confident yet here he is talking about how he
Through his whole all-black crew battle mental illness. He had an imposter syndrome and you're going my god, so that sort of stuff
Yeah, that gives you as you know gives you satisfaction Gus does and the fact that you're interested in it and that comes across
And I think people who know you as well as soon as I say, you know, they're talking about the grill team
They put a smile on their face. They love MG. I love you. They watch your shows now and stuff
So it's like it's a pleasurable thing to think about you and your career and what you're doing and so forth
And of course, you know
You make a family out of those guys that you had at Newcastle on the couch now, you know
Whether it's Gordy or Fletch, that's right, or whether it's hiding everyone you bring in
You do make them feel comfortable enough for them to just be themselves
Is that a conscious thing that you do? I think so like I just what I learned from those years at Newcastle
Is that just if you are like a family everyone gets some really good and everyone's comfortable around each other
It just produces a certain chemistry that works and Gus like there were times that we went in the grill time that we were
Totally unprepared. Oh, yeah
had no idea we're gonna talk about but we just sit there and we just start to talk and
Things that might we've just laugh and some of their best stuff like in New York, New York City
We went down there and honestly, we're just we've gone out. We were honestly for a boxer
We're wobbling on the ropes and we're sitting there and we start the show
We go what are we gonna talk about and we just started talking and laughing and was nominated for a radio award
It was we should have been locked up
In fact, I think page he was that
The time that page he was like he was in a dumpster or something that first night he went he went downtown and
He was having a chat to a fella who said it was a good bloke
and then something happened and could page he basically wake up the side of the road with no wallet and
They did so his passport back there that was good I did that was very kind
I did I did let's talk about just briefly about family for you
It's so important and your dad in particular because I've met him a few times such a character
He's the type of guy that if you meet him for a few hours
He's the perfect guy right that mates dad that you meet and so forth. Yeah, your mom and dad
Let's talk about them for a moment. You spoke about your dad and obviously what sort of job and stuff that he had
What sort of influence did he have in terms of your footy and what sort of influence did your mom have in terms of you?
May we I'll say first on dad with football
we coached just when I was very young, but
He steered clear a little bit like as we started getting on at the nights
There were times that you know that we get there and I could see he was feeling the pressure like he got one son out
there's one thing but have two out there and in high pressure and we just
Dad don't worry about it. You know, it's fine
It was I reckon dad told me mom and dad told me this they said that by the time Joey had retired
They'd had enough when I talk about me going into that photography store and gone. I need something different for them
they were sick of sitting in the grandstand and
Hearing criticism of their sons, which is just the way it happens
It's like I'm not this is certainly not a poor me thing
It just happens but mom and dad like at times difficult periods through Joey's career and people again and Joey saw their gregarious character
That's gonna draw criticism and people would be giving it to Joey in the grandstand things like that
Dad and mom and dad are just sitting there and dad's pretty fiery. So I've seen him once or twice grab blokes after games and
So we'd be they just said that when Joey retired for them, it was just a such a relief
it was like it's done and then
With our two boys going back in again
I'll say quickly about my mom
so I get a lot of the football for my dad and knocking around with him and all these mason and
My love of a good time comes for my mom because my mom had us
Yeah, me as I said about 19
I think she was and so I always grew up around music her having parties at the house having friends around
Dancing singing and she still like that mom. Mm-hmm. So I get that sense of fun from her
Yeah, your dad's punching massively to all right dad looks dad looks a hundred and your mom looks 45
It's when I say amazing, this is my mom they outright they refuse to believe it's right
Yeah, beautiful just so beautiful inside and out
And I wanted to ask you about you and Trish now with two sons playing rugby league both professionals one with Newcastle now
Yep, and obviously, you know Coop's down there at the storm. What's it like now?
I could I know when Jack made his taboo how nerdy you were and what's it like Gus?
You have to you got to have the discipline to actually completely push yourself away from it and that's now I'm settled
That's what I've done
What was hard originally because you've gone through it all yourself and you see the pot hole where the potholes are
There's certain things like the play a good game
I've seen a little bit flippant the next week to have the discipline to just let them step in the pothole
Let them learn the lesson. That's what I've been able to do. There's only one time that sort of half
Intervene unbeknownst to Jack was that he was making his debut for Souths against the Raiders in Canberra Saturday night at 730
Tough road trip. Yeah, fair chance gonna be sprinkling with rain. Even if it isn't it's gonna be a really slippery surface
So you gotta have your long studs on and cuz I care when I went to a game
I had five pairs of boots in so I knew what boots to wear at every single ground ground
I'd have the long screw ins for for Canberra. I'd have the sort of half screw ins for if I was playing at Wollongong
I had the yeah longer mouldeds shorter moulders. I
So I said to Jack it's Canberra and that hey film film good. I said don't have a piece of boots. You got one
Right. He's got he's got one. He's got one pair of football boots and I go are you so haven't got me
You ever got any long studs? You haven't got any screw-in studs. No, what do I want those for? I don't know sir. No, that's just
So I go back and I ring
Essex who is his sponsor and I said listen can just do me a favor here. Can you send a
Pair of screw-in boots with a note congratulate him on his taboo. Oh, that's no Jack
They came through he goes. Oh the Essex has sent me a pair of boots congrats. Unreal. Oh, would you believe this screw-ins?
Maybe you should maybe should wear those during the game
So as I'm watching you warm up, I'll look at the studs. I said fuck it. At least we're in the short studs
Now Gus I don't even get nervous for that play. Okay anymore. My discipline is
What I say to myself mate you've been through it once before
You don't want to go through it again and it's time for them those boys to go through it
Yeah, and that's what they do. Yeah, I get nervous for your two sons for Mav Gaia for the Trevoy which boys
I all the boys that I've know yeah and that I like and I've got some sort of personal connection with
I actually go for them even if it's I maybe not to beat the Roosters, but I wanted to have a good game
Well, I'm really like a thing
I'm really proud about Jack is how he's had to fight his way back like, you know
He's just started playing first grade for the night after this
Long life, which a lot of people don't know what it occurred
So what had happened during the offseason at the back end of the year? He'd had a bit of shoulder drama
They were gonna check they said we think it'd be wise for you to have a shoulder reconstruction
Big operation so he gets it done. He has this shoulder operation
He has it done in Queensland because they're in the bubble at the time has a couple of days ago at his place with Gordie
And his brother. He said he couldn't believe how much they drank. I
Said you're ready to you there for the entree
And he comes comes back shoulder feels. Okay, then a week later
It's a little bit sore two weeks late where it should be starting to prove it's not so I'm laying there in bed one night
Not just thought I had a hunch. I went down all his sleep put my hand on the shoulder and it was burning
I went Jesus here we go. So first thing in the morning we rushed to a hospital
Anyway, they're operating at him that afternoon. It was just full of infection
so from there there I mean his career was in doubt and
What they did it was drama after drama one of the things they had to do was put a thing called a pick line in
so he they put a they put a line into a vein and
Weaved it up through his arm and into his heart and for six weeks had to be fed antibiotics
So every single day the nurses god bless them would come here and they would have to change over the antibiotics and that was six weeks
Mmm Gus and he lost 12 kilos
He doesn't know whether you know what exactly the future is gonna be
He's had some people sonny my mate those things never get better. Mmm, say all those things
So I get up in the morning and go down say hey, hey, how you going?
Yeah, I'd say what his reply would often be but then he's got that now he's worked his way back
So he's on his way. That's the thing that makes me proud is to actually go through that that that's serious adversity
He's had to endure there and come through the other side. Yeah
I remember texting you through that and you were just saying we just got to get him through we just got to get him
Through that's when your role as a dad really came into play on a Trish, of course being a super mom
Let's do the quick five. Gotcha your favorite quote Maddie
Is there a quote or a saying or a bit of advice that someone gave you that you went?
You know what? I like that. I'm gonna use it
Okay, this one isn't a favorite quote, but I just like this one. You know, it involves when you're striving your life says
When you're up to your neck and shit don't make waves
Very sensible and I said to my wife I'm all she goes. Oh, what are you up to now? I said, yes, you know Trish
I'm always on hot water. That's why I look so clean
Have you got a favorite holiday destination Maddie
Gus I love my happy place is Port Stephens
Shoal Bay Fingal Bay spent five months of the year in a carrot live in a caravan park up there with the family
There's great memories
Recently I said to Trish I'm gonna go away for a few days
I went up there and stayed at the Lord Admiral in we just literally needed to get away
Just just want it because you do that a little bit
I do I just wanted to get away and I just wanted to drive around those streets and go and have a swim in
The all the things I used to do so that that's a beauty and we know we love the traveling to the big place and great
Cities that but that makes you feel warm. Yeah, beautiful
Favorite book if you can pick one out of the thousand you've read favorite book
I'm just looking at two books two books on Molly Mildrum
We haven't got long enough for us to tell you stories about you and him champion Molly. Yes
Do you know what? I love I really love the
autobiographies and biographies on
Rockstars. Yeah music bands. There's a really good one by Jeff Apte called Friday on my mind
That's the rise of the easy beats and morphing into AC DC about the Young's that that's a great book recommend
I remember I used to love your little taking us back down memory lane on the grill time
Favorite movie Maddie
Well, there's a couple that come to mind, but I'll do three that I really enjoy
Sideways, which is the book, you know great movie
Yeah to mates going for a drive around and the Napa Valley is a Bucks weekend to get a great mate
It's very very funny the English version of that which isn't a direct takeoff
But I reckon I reckon that's what they did the Steve Kugin movie called the trip
We say oh, yeah, very good and the other one is Midnight in Paris
I just read that's it great great movie always been one of your faves
So Maddie sure and partners financial services great supporter of gotcha for life great supporter of us
They've got ten thousand dollars to give away to a charity of your choice
Can you tell us who you give that to and what you think they'll do with the money?
MND, which is made in neurons disease in Australia their company
We've done a little bit myself and Trish with those guys before given the charity because it's a really important one for me
It's just in my opinion one of the most despicable diseases made in neurons
My grandmother who's one of the great heroes of my life June
She was a woman who raised my mom and my uncle pretty much by herself
she ran a pub by herself in Maggi and
She was just you know during difficult times with their family with mom and dad like she would just take on she'd pick me and
Myself and Joey after school. She'd take us to football. She yeah, she was literally our second mother
and then she we started to pick up at one point that she was had trouble with talking and speaking and
She was diagnosed with motor neurons and to see her
Just see what she endured was just heartbreaking
There's two things my grandmother absolutely loved in life. She loved good food and good conversation
They're two things and that deserves they robbed her of both
So yeah, I'd like to donate to that fantastic my good company good food
And maybe a little something something as well a little drinky to go with it. You got it, buddy
Thank you so much. We could literally have spoken for hours. We haven't even touched on so much other stuff
You've done but thanks for joining us on not an overnight success
Coming up next on a not an overnight success is season 3 we're here already and how exciting is that?
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