Assistant Coach Justin Holbrook joins Roosters Radio this week to discuss his return to the Club, and the season thus far.
Well roosters fans a real treat this week silky we’re joined by one of our coaches of course he’s a former player with the Knights penrith had a little bit of a stint at the roosters uh he he started coaching at the roosters in 2015 He Has Lifted the bet Fred trophy out of
Wicked stadium in St Helens one of the most famous clubs in the English Premier League he was former coach of the Titans and now thankfully for Roosters fans back here where he belongs at home in Bondi please welcome Dar Russ’s radio just H Brook welcome J welcome oh thanks
For having me Jus we want to uh I unpack a bit of the the the trials and tribulations of the life of a first grade rugby league coach your coaching career started uh many years ago Captain coach down at the dapto canaries that’s right yep they won a couple of comps
Down there then you uh you went to a couple of NRL clubs through the junior ranks under 20s holding cup and you made your way to to The Roosters in 2015 a real kind of apprenticeship if you will um can you tell us what it was like
You know learning your craft back then yeah sweet silk well yeah well you obviously um just mentioned where I’ve been coaching and for me um there’s two ways to get the head coaching positions or or assistant at NL you either got a great playing background and you get
There a head start on that in Merit which is fine there’s a place for that and then there’s the the hardwork and apprenticeship um from The Fringe players like like myself so that was a path I took um I I just loved it you know the minute as you mentioned I
Started Captain coaching down at Dapo and I just really enjoyed um seeing players get better and and feel that you’ve played a part in in in that process so I love that introduction yeah had some success there got into lower grades uh at the Bulldogs or won a
Couple of Reserve grade premierships and that and that really gave me the the drive to pursue it um not really putting any pressure on the process there there’s no point coming out you know saying you you want to be a coach you just think you got to enjoy what you do
No matter that’s not coaching that’s whatever you do if you’re good at it you tend to like it y um and and I really enjoyed it and um you know as you said coach some lower grades um some under 20s which is a lot of coaching required
Uh Reserve grades a lot more man management you dealing with a lot of disappointed players that want to play first grade um so that’s more the management style under 20s is is a lot of technical tactical coaching required you get a lot of 18 19 year olds so I
Got a real good mix there and then love the opportunity to be an NRL assistant here at the roosters as you mentioned 2015 that was um that was a huge part of my development in coaching um obviously with Robo already been here then and you had a relationship with Robo prior of
Signing oh slightly he’s he’s got a the best memory in the game and um actually where where I grew up at Reby um he was cousins with the people that lived over the back so he remembered coming over there but I I couldn’t remember you know
Would have only run into him a couple of times so I was lucky um he’d sort of followed me coach path I guess and um yeah and and give me the opportunity to come here so that was um where I probably did the most learning because
As a coach if you’re the head coach you’re always the one you know setting the the instructions I guess setting the tone of training and and how you play and who you pick and and I’d always done that from Captain coach to to reserve grade under 20 so you’re you’re in
Charge of the whole side every every time and then when you become an assistant you’re only worrying about a certain part of the game and the details of that so all of a sudden you know you’re not worrying about all the or the macro decisions you just end the the
Minor Detail so I got a lot of learnings out of that um and obviously you know for myself always growing up as a head coach wanted to continue that path and and uh was a bit of a weird I guess um way I got over to send Helens into the
Super League I um we were halfway through this year in 2017 I was fortunate enough we went over and won the nines which has always starts off a bit Mickey Mouse you coaching too yeah Rob let me sort of take the r a bit he was still there so um which was great
But you start off not taking it too serious and then every team’s there and you want to win and we had success there and and we were back on top of the comp here and um it was just a a message I got that St Helens had had part ways
With their their head coach at the time and the CEO was flying out here and I was on the radar to to be one interviewed and I’d never thought about it prior to that and um com in and spoke the Trent straight away and um you know
Had a had a lot of discussions with with him around it and he’ obviously had the the fortune of of learning his trade over there with with cadin in the Super League so he had a real soft spot for Super League he loves the competition there so um fortunate or unfortunate as
A coach you don’t know when when your opportunities are going to come so um Robo was you know I was lucky enough for robo to say you know go go and take it and and initially I hoped it was for the end of the year and Robert said no no if
He’s coming out now it’ll be for now so I think within um 13 days of that conversation I was on a plane um flying to England north of England yeah and just all of our listeners they’re in business their roosters fans are in many walks of life and you’re happen to be in
Coaching but essentially it’s a job that’s a huge uproot to the family so how was that experience to have to all of a sudden leave somewhere where you’ve really started to learn and grow you know you were so such a part of the furniture here I love that Robo just
Said man if you love someone let them free and and you know you had that great opportunity what was it like for you to to transition within a 13-day period one minute you’re at the Roost is next minute you’re in you know Wicked Stadium yeah well really strange um and I guess
Lucky you got a supportive wife cuz that was hardest thing the the oldest two kids have got four four boys and the oldest two had started um primary school and they were settled there we were we settled as a family I enjoyed I love working here as well so it wasn’t like I
Was unhappy but but um I I did want to be a head coach and um so I guess I went there pretty excited about the opportunity um and then nson Ellen one of the big clubs they were just struggling at the time I think they were
Sitting about eth or ninth and just got be by 50 to get knocked out of a challenge cup so they were in a bit of hurt and um but I didn’t have a lot of time to think about that that probably helped me to be honest I landed um on a
Thursday with the captain joh Friday and then of all rounds it was um the magic round that that they started in England a few years before here so they had every team in the one venue up at uh Newcastle um and uh even even that morning I got up there and Benny Barber
Was there at the time and every um he was playing French Rie union he was coming out for the magic round and four or five clubs are interested in him and then I’m I’m off for a meeting with him over breakfast the day of the game and
Uh anyway fortunate enough we had a really good win um he was 45 nil over Hall FC which is uh worked out great for me a new coach coming in and um I think a lot of credibility that I’d left a great position as well it wasn’t like
You know we were struggling or or they grabbed me from anywhere they’ grabbed me out of a great Club being the roosters and uh and then yeah love love my time over over there in the Super League had a lot of lot of fun there I
Won’t mind telling you that Patty Po got a bit of a run from this side but there’s always a new coach coming in with a new win so we had some Fortune off it too what was the hardest thing to turn up on an aerplane 1day turnaround
From a conversation you walk in and have that great win you’ve got to immerse yourself amongst a playing group that’s never met you you’ve got to take over from a coach that obviously had some former Legend too right he was abely was you knowning yeah it was kieren cunning
It was probably until we got this current here with James Rob retiring he he was the best player since and so so you take over from kieren how did the players receiving and what was your biggest challenge yeah well I guess fortunate enough for me they had to
Change you know they they weren’t sitting where they wanted to sit so they were open to change which made my job easy uh initially um had to change probably a a lot of little things but the nucleus of the club was there we just had to they just needed a steer in
A different direction and just narrow the focus you know they were pretty disappointed around their own fans and how they’re playing and and what you can what can happen is when you’re not playing well you can tend to do more get bogged down you don’t enjoy it there’s
All the things that go with not winning um that that you have to go through and and I had the beauty of not haven’t lived that so I come as a fresh face and said hey you know I’m I’m excited to be here and let’s um let’s turn this around
We got two choices keep going the way you’re going it’s not real enjoyable or or we can start making a footy a real priority focus when you’re here let’s do what we have to do let’s not do more than it let’s not be doing video for
Hours CU they got caught in that rout of doing more more and more um and then what helps is is Success you start winning games and they start thinking on he knows what he’s talking about and then you get easy buying um everything can turn around um which fortunate
Enough it did speaking of success in the UK uh your coaching records are about 80% those final 2 years you win the comp in 2019 but we were laughing waiting for you to come in talking about the 201 18 way you went out in 2018 like talk about
Heartbreak probably the was that the toughest coaching moment of your career at that State yeah definitely um well for those for th let’s just let’s just take you back um can you talk us through the that play oh which one the field goal oh that was a killer that that was
Actually 2017 so yeah that that was 2017 which I’d arrived halfway through the year they set ninth we forced their way was only a four team semi we forced their way into fourth spot and it was only one place four two Place three so we had to play one which was Castleford
At their home ground and we turn up and and I was really confid said boys we we play the way we’re playing in the back end of this year we’ll knock them off a good chance of this and then anyway we we got ourselves in front give a penalty
Away on full time we didn’t need to give awayes in structure we didn’t have to went straight to Ben at forb they kick a goal go an extra time kick a field goal and and knocked us out so that that that was heartbreaking you know for all the
All the enjoyment you think you’ve you’ve done to to fall short was horrible and then and then 2018 we actually we finished first and and played Warrington and once again in knockout semi and got beat so um yeah it took took till 2019 to to to get the
Joys um of of a lot of I guess hard work from the playing grip main but you were dominant in 2019 I think you were like I don’t know like 12 or 16 points ahead of the the second place like he dominated the competition that year yeah and that
Was that was a great year we had some disappointment and yeah I think think you know now that I’m I’ve moved on I’m really proud that that’s been a record I think 120 something years over there and finished six 16 points clear a second was was excellent record I think yeah it
Is yeah which was great but you know we had to finish it off and we played our biggest Rivals Wigan in the major semi cuz they changed it to a five team semi yeah we had a really good day out and I think we won 40 to four and we all
Thought we’d play them again we thought we they’ll bounce back beat sford and we’ll meet him again and they’re a dangerous side Wigan and they couldn’t get up for that game s beat him a bit of a surprise packet which then made them dangerous in the Grand Final but we were
Really focused and clear you know how we wanted to play and what we wanted to do and the boys got it done is there any truth to what they say just that you got to lose one to win one oh definitely not no but you know we had our fair share of
Disappointment and and that playing group I’m I’m really glad that they’ve gone on to the success they’ve had because theyve got a great group of players like James Rob’s just retired um Johnny LX was one that hadn’t won one yet and they just a COR gr Alex Wy
Was yeah well he’s comeback like 2018 he’d actually broken his neck round five and he’s the best front rower in the comp and we kept going on winning games by 30 and we kept thinking we get him back later in the year and he kept getting setbacks was off the surgeon for
A clearance setback setback and didn’t get him back so without doubt if he if he makes it back we we win easy can I ask you having coached both super league and NRL what are the differences I mean I I love watching the the games like Friday
Or Saturday mornings y but from a coaching perspective take it like I think about silly things like the shorter in goal obviously that changes the way you coach we talked about that in Vegas uh but the there’s nuances in the game that they play in the UK that
Are different over here yeah I guess um the the real obvious difference for for the big clubs in England you can play 75% some days and still get away with a win against a bottom four whereas nru you you can’t you got to be on your game
Anyone beats anyone um and the away games are hard over in England you get the crowd are so passionate so into it the referee it’s hard for a referee when you the grounds they’re right on top of you and they are so loud they are it’s
And the singing I mean it’s a it’s an entertainment it really is they get right into it like the soccer I mean we love we went at the world club challenge obviously and I think is it 15,000 Wicked Stadium something like that can old yeah 18 it would have held and loud
As yeah Corner we went as two kids from bondon I walked out with the man kir and he was putting the on like sh shuffling with Mike rush it was good yeah that’s you know that’s their lifestyle you know they they live um they’re so territorial over there north of England and they
Live for their their soccer and their rugby league you know that that’s what they want on the weekend you know in Australia you know lucky enough to have so many choices we want our rugby league team to win if not well you know you’re going bet on the horses go the beach go
From whatever you you’ll have another hobby all of those things all well on a side on a side note did you get to choose your football team or were you told who you were going to go for by your players well it’s quite controversial cuz um when I was working
At the roers we had a guy come out from man city was an analyst and he spent a week with us he said if ever you’re back in England come in so I went back to England the end of that year by myself on a little coaching study trip the
Rooster sent me on which I loved and went to Man City and so so they were my team so by the time I land there man city coming first by 10 points my assistant coach Paul wellin was a man city fan no one else was following City
So the whole think well they corrupted me and I’ve only gone for the so C first so um so I coped it the whole time I was there but but love going to those games you know Liverpool games were unreal incredible isn’t it ter mate moving on
Uh you head over to the go Coast great place for a holiday what’s it like to coach yeah look I love the challenge I KN I knew it was going to be hard um wanted to coach in the NRL eily could have stayed in England love living in England knew the so was
Staying the same we weren’t losing any players and we just finished 16 point clear a second and I’m thinking that though I didn’t feel I could keep it wasn’t going to be a challenge it was going to be a challenge to keep winning the comp CU it’s hard to do but but um
But with that Core group and the opportunity to come back the NL something I wanted to do so um that’s the Everest right that’s right that in our game that’s obviously the you know the the Pinnacle of of coaching as a coach who’s enjoyed success and and
Worked really hard to get that incent H let’s face it you could have won three comps you know things gone your way but you’ve had had success in St Helens and then you leave to go to the goal Coast what’s the difference between coaching there and coaching uh you know is there
Pressure difference is there subtle difference of the way the game’s played as you know as you said before it’s the percentage right of the players what did you find the hardest challenge yeah I think the the pressure is the same in for different reasons like like when
You’re living in selens like they they want to win the comp and there’s a lot of pressure from the direct fans um but not externally really out of out of your little town they you don’t see it um and real it’s the pressure is more external
Than internal so you know you know you cop it everywhere every everyone watches this every game’s on TV everyone’s got their own opinion and and everyone knows the game so you cop it from a lot of angles um from a pressure point of view um but in coaching it’s you know very similar
You’re still coaching you know the same sport same teams and um you just uh you know when you when you go to the clubs sitting in the top you got to chase them you know and the The Roosters the Melbourne the Panthers like they it’s
Hard to see them drop it a long way down so you got to chase him and and I love that challenge you know was we’re lucky enough well was funny because you go from the team coming first to the the competition of the team coming last so
That’s a huge difference um we’re good enough that we finished ninth the first year eighth the second Rooster’s beat us by a point in the semi uh and then you know struggled for a year and then couldn’t quite get it going last year you know we um we had a young side we
Leted a lot at half time we got run down so it was going to be a hard learning curve but you know they made a decision to to go in a different way so um that that’s coaching that’s that’s um you know it’s funny because even as a coach
You know everyone says well that’s that’s part of your job I would I wanted to ask that because the Burnie question is what’s it like you know when as a first grade coach you’re open to getting that tap on the shoulder and I dare say you probably think well I hope there
Never me but I mean it happened to you you got a smile on your face what is it like well it’s only CU you don’t think it will happen to you like I don’t think any coach myself I thought oh you know only the the crap coaches
Get sacked and then and then all of a sudden I’m one of them oh now I know what it’s like so uh you just don’t well for all my coaching career I started in 2005 I’d never had really any setbacks any setbacks i’ had disappointments there’s a lot of you
Know what we’d spoken about not winning comps when you’re in a position to win it or or chasing him so there’s a lot of disappointments even under 20s we lost the prelim fin on the last play of a game so lots of disappointments but not
To the point where I didn’t think I I could coach so all of a sudden that happens and and that does knock you around so why you said I was smiling it wasn’t wasn’t in a good way it’s just uh it was a horrible feeling that um but
You realize so many people go through it you know so well we see I know the fans at the R I said this to you in Vegas you know it’s an unfortunate situation but you’re so humble and professional that it’s a loss for the goal coast and it’s
A gain for the roosters so how did the conversation with Robo come about and what did you think yeah well I guess um initially he came up to to play the torans and just went have Brey with him um was back back sort of third of the
Yearing secrets no doubt yeah no it wasn’t even that you know I hadn’t had a lot of conversations with him since I’d left here to be honest just briefly a few times so it was great to just sit down and I love talking footy with Rober
So probably just waffled on a bit too long and and then he probably thought hey this this could work if you want to come back so I I was unsure what I was going to do um to honest came close to to going back to England bton right yeah
Yeah well you know they’ve never won a Super League so having enjoyed my time in England and and love coaching over there it was a real sort of exciting opportunity that that I thought at the time you know was probably good timing because they just moveed their coach on
So similar to when I went the first time and I thought oh could this be the right opening syy um syy yeah but um but then thought long and hard and um you know if I’m I’m going to sort of take it backwards step in in my coaching level
I’d want to do it you know under Robo and at the roosters I just you know love the club love love how they operate and um you know grateful for the opportunity to be back I struggle with it taking a backward step but probably in your own
Eyes it’s it’s a backward step but I mean the the pressure is off right the the the pressure that you’re under as a first grade coach we know another assistant coach at another club who’s constantly told us like I’d never be a first grade coach because of the the
Baggage and the pressure that comes with it well you’re the front man you’re the lead thing so and you touched on it before like it must be a lot more enjoyable coming to work Monday through Sunday as an assistant coach than it is
As a as the the head coach oh yes yeah I don’t think there’s a wrong answer there you know I think coaching is coaching so assistant you do a lot more coaching yeah um look I enjoy the diversity of a head coach there’s a lot that goes on in
That um but but I’m loving my time back here yeah so I’m happy both ways I’m going to challenge that just what sui just said because I think it allows you to I think you’re accountable to Robo and you’re a piece of a jigsaw puzzle that makes a picture as other the
Players as are the office as is our leader and chairman so I would say to you the question is I think the pressure is actually on you just as much because if you look to that coach’s box when things are going great we’re going yeah that’s our crew when they’re not going
Good you can see all three of your faces are exactly the same there’s frown so you ride the wave with the coach and if you’ve done your job and you break it down then we have success correct yeah absolutely and obviously you saw those faces on Sunday against mey but um touch
On that we going to cut off before then um no absolutely huge responsibility you know and Rob as a head Coe that’s why I want to come back under he he challenges us a lot which which is great you know I enjoy that um and and we play a huge
Part and and the reason on back here is you know we want to win Robo doesn’t shy away from that we we want to win competitions and and there is a lot of pressure in that area there’s just in internal pressure so you got pressure from the head coach but not pressure
From from everyone outside it so just a lot of our listeners you know we pride ourselves we’re not football experts you are and we love the opportunity to talk to you about it a lot of our guys are in business we’re great sponsors you know you know Arthur anos from acfs we’ve got
George eahan you know icon you know big big players in the game they’re business people would you say there’s a Synergy between coaching rugby league or coaching a different sport and business because you got leadership you got pressure everyone’s got a role to do there’s such a great Synergy which I
Think everyone loves about the game definitely yeah you’re 100% right I think it transfers over the commercial world it’s all about uh management of people and and getting them to motivate you know it’s it’s our job to inspire them to to for whatever company you’re
Working for to want to do a good job and then if you do have success it’s all about praise you know people repeat what they’re rewarded for so so praise them and and then Sports no different to to business absolutely what’s the hardest thing about being a coach whether it’s
Assistant head coach what what’s the hardest thing do you think the biggest challenge losing that’s the hardest thing you know and great answer yeah and in particular as a you know you’re responsible um whether you’re assistant head coach for for the whole group of players on the day and know you play
Well and and you know all of a sudden you you can feel helpless at times like the first decision on the weekend to to award a trial and we’ve been told that won’t be a tral all year they they’re hard to take you can get really frustrated and um but that’s that’s just
Part of it you got to roll with it it’s it’s a roller coaster um of a ride as it is for fans like like you mentioned it’s it’s not just us as coaches we we got everyone that that wants us to win every single week as well so it’s a it’s a
Roller coaster but that that’s the joy that’s the beauty you know one minute you’re you’re not sure how you’re going to go round one you know we’ve done everything right how we’re going to go you get a great win round two you think you’re going to go well and you don’t so
Um you know it’s it’s a roller coaster for a ride that that everyone’s on well you’ve opened the door there I was going to ask a question about the role of a a Tech coach but now you’ve opened the door comparing our week one performance to week two obviously we can touch on
The Vegas performance and the spectacle that it was but comparing week one to week two starting first with with Vegas how’ you find it yeah well that was we’ll talk only about that that that was really enjoyable you know I think um you know as a club and and Robo set it up
You know as you guys mentioned you’ve been to some World Club challenges so the the clubs used to been on on trips obviously this was only around one but treated it like a world club challenge so you get away and and the key to that is getting the balance right in terms of
Not to much footy but when you do your footy you make sure you nail it and and I think as a club the itinery you know um CJ the operations manager and Robo and everyone I put together was perfect you know we had a real good mix of of
Getting out to a bit of NBA games you know visiting some some big roosters fans in the at their homes for dinner which was was incredibly uh enjoyable and and we were appreciative of those opportunities but then making sure we now training and uh enjoyed La got to
Vegas with a real focus and and um and and obviously played well you know it’s a high that was a real high quality game fantastic Stadium um amazing wasn’t it yeah it was and it was needed you know the the day of the game was dead set blowing a hurricane there I
Don’t think you could have played rugby league outside and if if it wasn’t indoors and if you did you couldn’t have sat there as a fan it was the windiest day of been aive it was windy it it was horrible but um the minute you go into a stadium fully enclosed the product’s
Better there’s no due there’s no rain there’s no wind there’s nothing to worry about and and the fans it’s a great experience so I I loved um being part of it and getting the win was the most important and J I know that your ear was being bashed by one of our centurians
Quite a good footy Judge Andrew jolof who uh sits up in chairman and uh was when I spoke to him afterwards he said he was just giving a few insights for what to do for the game is any truth to that rumor oh absolutely yep everything
Uh AJ said that day worked and um I don’t know if he’s claiming round two but he I spoke to him round two he said he didn’t see you for two weeks as he was skiing but you know he’ll CLA he’ll claim round one and good on we had a
Good time there but you know from an NRL perspective um just as a part of the NRL it’s such a great concept there was a lot of question marks over whether it should be done but in reflection what a great um advertisement for the game and
What a great thing for other clubs to look forward to next year and we’re so good we were Pioneers absolutely everything you said spot on there Bush I think um out of the four four clubs that went there you know the other 13 uh so you know I guess jealous of the
Opportunity we got and I think as a game uh everyone talked about it you know whether you were there or you weren’t and and everyone that was there just had a fantastic experience you know that many people flew out from England for it and it was just a a huge occasion and I
Think you know got to reward the NL for for whether you call it a gamble or not it’s a big call a big call to take that over there so sil’s going to segue to round two in a second but what were your proudest about on our performance
Getting to the football in round one what was the what was the things that you were most proud of I think the way we we actually controlled the game you know we were playing a a Brisbane side who everyone knows you know got beat in the Grand Final and such a dangerous
Footy side Adam Reynolds one of the best sort of game managers you know kicking game you know on a smaller field Nar field kicking game all all the all the things that a lot of people thought might have give Brisbane the advantage and and we come out and nailed that you
Know and I thought um the whole preparation was great but but on the days when when it counts you know for for all fans and everyone involved you don’t see what we do during the week you’re going to judge us on the 80 minutes so and and that’s understandable
So for us to go out and I felt like even though the score was close I felt like we were really in control of that game uh and for me that that was the most pleasing point it felt like that as a fan I thought you were really really you
Know we’re going to take it and they’re a great side as we know young fast fit Reese W Factor all these different things yep and you know to be able to be there and see Teddy and Joey Mano and Victor and some of our big names play at
Their best was really exciting for Roosters fans round one yep definitely move on to Sunday’s performance here he goes one thing I mean that you didn’t touch on with the completions in round one I don’t know what they were at but they would have been pretty high but
It’s apples and oranges round one to round two wasn’t it yeah it was absolutely um yeah lobbed out to the fourpoint stadium there and mainly blood rer joint to play at yeah well was on Sunday was on Sunday but um simil similar in a way to Brisbane like really
Dangerous attacking side that you know we did a great job round one and nullify brisban but unfortunately we did the opposite round two we gave mly all the ball and um while we our goal on defense was actually excellent you know we defended two-thirds of that game so was really
Good and to be honest to keeping the seven points uh three tries each yeah it was the positives right they’re the positives but we never gave ourselves a chance of winning at at no stage where we had any control in the game I felt like round one we controlled the whole
80 well not the whole 80 but in control of the game we never looked in control didn’t build any pressure we didn’t build any pressure We we played high risk and and made too many errors and then put too much pressure on our defense all us Cafe and Pub experts are
Saying I wonder what Robo and um H Brook are thinking on Monday what were Robo and H Brook thinking Monday yeah KY exactly what you boys were thinking yeah it was all obvious for everyone to see so we we went from from one extreme to
The other um and I guess that’s the the part of coaching that you know it’s hard to get round one and then go okay let’s do the same thing CU oh yeah yeah you all of a sudden you think it becomes easy but it’s not it’s hard work to to
Get up and deliver that same performance again and um as much as you can talk about it you got to go and create it again you got to start it again um for you know whatever reason we just felt it was going to happen and and it clearly
Didn’t I’ve got to ask from a fans perspective was the travel an issue do you think in hindsight you know just the disjointed prep for round two not not an excuse no not especially having the week off no but in h i I looked at the the
Other game was the Thursday night game when when brisban played South that were the two teams coming back and that that was Reckless that was the most Reckless game of 40 I’ve watched and unfortunately for us we played the same way that’s my question yeah well M
Didn’t you know mly uh mly didn’t have an excuse and they absolutely nullified everything we had and um B clunky themselves though if I it was an ugly game on both parts they just happened to get the ascendency and you know I mean just had a bit more control didn’t they
Yeah they did yeah and and controlled the game way better than we did so look probably the the size that did travel probably didn’t play the best but um but there’s definitely no excuse on on why we’re definitely not blame the travel we got back we had two weeks we had the
Longest turnaround on probably too long wait until Sunday afternoon what a lot to have played earlier but yeah just um I guess the good news is we can’t do anything about last week but we surely can this week it also coincides with our greatest rival it opens up another
Chapter for Russell to pull out the old ponti a pen and write a book of feudes Jared we hugr plays his 300th what an amazing achievement for a front rower and what an amazing player he’s been for our club how do you sum him up yeah interesting
Um my opinion is quite quite funny and J because you see the way he plays and and like a lot of lot of sports you think that’s who they are off the field and when I come here in 2015 I reckon it took me six months to work out he was a
Good fell I keep thinking is this BL fake is he banging this on like he can’t he’s that good a person like just a champion guy that TI of for is a player you want to play with absolutely r in and doesn’t give you an inch on the
Footy field plays as tough as you can uh but an absolute Champion off the field so um for a front rower to have those traits um I’m so happy for him to to 300 NRL games and and not far off that being 300 for the roosters so he’s got a seven
Or eight to go so hey Justin how do you coach against him yeah well because look I mean to a man as roosters fans we all love him but I think when opposition fans um opposition clubs come up against us if you to put your your villain for
The team I think JW would be number one for all the other teams so it’ be interesting to get you know you’ve been on both sides of the fence here is it do you have to uh is there a style or something you’re trying to bait him is
You’re trying to do it’s a bit tricky yeah you don’t want to F those blocks up oh it’s all right if if cuz he’s the spiritual leader too right and he gets all the boys behind him yeah that’s right so look it’s they’re hard to coach against those guys and the role that
They play it’s it’s not like you can um if they’re a half you might be a to put pressure on them and upset the game or or put a shot on you you can’t hurt the Big Fellas so um there’s there’s not a lot you can do except Tire them out so
That’s what you got to hope for but yeah terrific um you know lead lead from the front example and and as you guys mentioned what a fantastic achievement and to do that against the biggest Rivals look for us uh short turnaround you know that’s that’s a good thing you
Haven’t got a lot of time to dwell on it you got to try and get your review done which we’ve done now it’s it’s clear move forward and get it right Friday um they probably have a better turnaround but that that’s irrelevant once once Friday Night Comes um you know it’s a
Really important game obviously a lot of pressure on on SE as well you know they’re none and two and you know copping a bit as well so that that makes it more dangerous absolutely um but for us we got to worry about um playing well
And as we just spoke about we’ve had two two extremes one excellent and uh one one really disappointing so I love his experience and I love what he brings for our team but you know it’s unfortunate so sen do a great job you know he’s he’s
A great Runner of the ball and as I mentioned he’s tough little player so he’ll well for us on on Friday yeah well M we want to wish you the best we want to thank you so much for your accessibility in the time I know the
Fans are wrapped that you’re here at the club and uh you know long may your tenure live and obviously let’s hold that uh let’s let’s work towards getting that trophy at the end of the year absolutely we will thanks Remy thanks appreciate it cheers
