Kyle Feldt - Townsville born and bred

[Music] it's time on the r but Chad TOs and plays on play to the W kicks away for Valentine I love this game all right what's going on guys welcome back to another episode of the Chad towns in show and today's episode as always is brought to you by players golf club.com shop the new merch the club championships collection you'll see I'm wearing it at the moment the new hat the new t-shirt we're celebrating um golf clubs around the country and the club championships so uh we got some polos t-shirts hats a tow so make sure you check it out Players golf club.com now today's guest uh someone who I wanted to get on the show uh for quite a while he does like radio and speaking just like myself um he's one of the Cowboys in my opinion greatest ever players still playing uh the old bags himself Kyle felt mate welcome thanks for coming on thank you Chad fellow old bags too that's great great to be here like you said we've been talking about it for a while and it's fing um great to actually do it we have man we did a um we actually did a speaking course together too didn't we yeah storytelling course that was quite eventful uh obviously trying to tell a story that um that I knew that I'd done and you'd have obviously done as well and trying to get the Len the listeners to understand how we wanted them to I guess see the story get told you've done a bit of podcasting uh you had the Fel Falls um which you've interviewed a few players mate tell me a bit about that yeah so um that was obviously just a little stepping stone getting into radio and I was very lucky that uh team in town here Southern crosso stereo wanted me to um start something I guess to transition outside of footy and never really thought about doing any radio stuff until that day and once I did that I think you were one of my first people on the podcast and it was pretty cool to I guess see the way that you approached it and the way that you could talk about I guess your life outside of football um and to get the listeners engaged and it was it was really cool and I learned a lot of things about that I only did it probably I think it was 12 12 players all up and um I got a really good report about it all and um a lot of people wanted more of it but unfortunately um with footy commitments that was a bit too hard so we had to put that on the back burner so but yeah it was fun and you do stuff with the radio don't you is it weekly weekly yeah how's that how does that work yeah um it's just through the club and then I started this year with going an extra day in um doing a little at my own little segment with K jaol in there on Triple M so it's pretty cool something different like I said still transitioning um life outside of footy I'm want to get into that sort of stuff after which is going to be a really fun transition but obviously really hard as well yeah haven't done anything other than football my whole career and uh that's something that I want to do I like to like to spinning y to people and um I don't know I'm just just love talking and laboring on about crap we'll get into that a little bit more later on uh but mate I want to take it back cuz like your story like I'm looking at it this morning and I obviously know you quite well um but mate you grew up in Townsville um M talk to me about I guess growing up in Townsville like when did you start playing footy yeah born and Brad townsel um started playing footy for the north Devils out at um Bushland Beach I think I was five um got halfway through the year and I got told I wasn't allowed to play because I was too young um so we're at Junior League and had to produce a birth certificate um to to say that I was underage and yeah end up going back the next year and so I started officially when I was six so um pretty cool played all my Junior League at North Devils um until maybe I think I was 133 and then um stopped playing and went into school 40 and yeah then that's when everything kind of started getting really serious what were your best memories of junior football because I look back at my junior footy and I'm really lucky that the the boys I play with in my juniors are still my best mates today like do you have fond memories of being a youngster playing footy in Townsville um a lot of the Fellers I played with um out there have gone down a completely different path to me so so I don't really keep in touch with most of them but there is a few that I keep in touch with um but yeah Fondest Memories of back then is probably um I think every Thursday night we'd always train late like we'd finish around I reckon 7:30 7 7:30 and there was an old shipping container at the at the ground where we used to pack all our post pads tackle pads and all that sort of stuff away and we used to just run around in that shipping Katana play Tiggy and that and then um one day we started playing like one 123 home base and that was like the home base and there was massive scrub land out behind where we trained and we used to just run through there for hours I think one night dad was at the bar like just having yarn cuz he used to run the bar there he was working and they closed bar at like 10:00 and I was like still running around Thursday night like 10-year-old kid Past Bedtime mom's wondering where we are and yeah just looking back now I'm like that's the things I enjoy most about my grand up playing foot is it's like camaraderie I had before my teammates back then um and just the fun I had outside of footy and making and making life enjoyable yeah I definitely can second that sounds exactly like my child who would run around late at night footy playing just games everything mate you grew up in Town's as you said M did you support the Cowboys when you were a kid and who was your favorite player I didn't really support him to be honest um I I was a massive Cades fan um really why yeah camber milk n um mom was a massive camber fan and she always always loved watching them so I remember growing up watching them but I think it was about maybe seven or eight I started really following the Cowboys um and then obviously Matty Bowen he was one of my favorite players Paul Bowman um Big Bear he's still at the club now so it's pretty surreal obviously G to training and seeing him still there um and there was a fell called Reggie kesbor he was a fullback for um for the Cowboys in the early years when I was supporting him and he was um wasn't like a massive name player but was was a really good player and I looked up to him he was he was pretty good he played when mango wasn't playing so um he was probably one of the first cowboys I ever met um and yeah and then obviously when jonno come around and Thumper and that yep started to get along with them and I was very fortunate enough to play quite a few years with Jon o and Thumper played one year with mango and yeah it's um it's pretty cool like obviously gram towns you have your own sport get one rugby league team in Townville and it does take up I guess a lot of supporters and that and um there is a lot of Die Hard fans here and being a cowboy now you actually see how much they love their their team so it's pretty cool you spoke before about um going to school M something I've really actually probably known since I've been in town is like townsville's got pretty good schools for rugby league pretty well known like you know the big ones I guess um Kerwin and Iggy Park and when I remember when I was in school you hear about those schools mate what school did you go to and and did school have an effect on your rugby league and and what was it uh I went to igna Park College um I didn't go there I started off in St Anthony's College out at um Jensen there where I grew up uh they were a new school I went there for two years I was the first grade eights to go through so I was there literally running around in dirt uh no grass we didn't even have an overall for the first year um and then second year come around I was there playing school fo0 um and we versed think we vers Ry Catholic college and I follow by the name Dave alliot was um was there watching cuz Ryan go to confraternity Shield that they play against all like the Christian Brothers teams that and um he come up to me and said oh have you ever thought about changing skills and coming to IGN's Park and I never even thought about it didn't even ask Mom and Dad and I just said yeah mate we'd love to go there so I was like yeah sweet went home and told Mama and that and yeah I three weeks later mom and dad had an interview at um igy Park and moved to Iggy and that's when um I think my footy really kicked off I I stopped playing like I said earlier I stopped playing local league and I just focused on school footy and um I remember having a conversation with one of my teachers I was foul in a class kind remember what it was and she goes you need to have something to fall back on because you're not going to be an NL player and to this day I still play that over and over my head and think F the youu love found the youu so but yeah like ignatious Park College was um really big for me uh am a old boy there I do go back a little bit which is pretty cool um and I was the one of the inaugural players to win the conf Eary shield for him too in 2008 yeah awesome pretty mad nice little throwback um M what like was that the age like or when you switch to Iggy was that like when you were like I guess hey like I'm actually good at football I want to play in the NRL was that like the moment where you were like I actually want to play NRL uh Noah I think when I was young like I think I was about 11 or 12 when I made my first um representative team like it was I think it's Queensland School boys um and that's when I knew that I wanted to be an N player like I used to watch all the footy grown up and that and then um yeah and then I think when I did go to here kind of become a little bit surreal because that's when a lot of NRL clubs started to look at me and produce some offers that and um I nearly yeah I nearly went down to Melbourne um when early on in my career so pretty lucky um I followed by the name Peter Jones approached mom and dad and spoke about the Cowboys so pretty lucky that was actually a question going to ask you down the track cuz I had Michael Morgan on a while ago and I asked he obviously played his whole career at the cows said M did you ever get a chance to leave the cows and he's like not really like I did but I always wanted to stay like you know did so was there is there other times you had chances to leave and nearly nearly thought about it all yeah there's obviously the first time um when I was 15 get that um first offer from Melbourne um really thought about going there and looking back at it now I'm glad I didn't um and then probably 200 I think it's was 2019 just before I signed a fouryear deal here par approached me um they were chasing a Winger um and I had pretty extensive talks with them um met Brad Arthur a couple times my manager on the phone to him quite regularly about it all and kind of like similar to morgo summed up situations like living down there going from such a a really tight-knit Community a lovely town Le my family um my partner and I my wife and I had been I think we're nearly engaged I think and then um yeah and I just like summed everything up pros and cons and the the pros of I guess leaving didn't outweigh the cons so I yeah end up staying which to me has been a great blessing in disguise beautiful we'll go back to just Iggy as we sort of go through along your your journey mate how was your transition out of high school like did you go straight into NRL or did you have a job and um you what what was that like straight up foot brand mate went straight into 40 under 20s um had to have a job was very lucky enough I worked for a lady called Lisa McDonald she run an Autocare company here was um called Patrick's Autocare so she was um she was my boss for like four three years there um and then they kind of shut down cuz they' get cars from like your Toyotas on boats over to here um and all that sort of stuff and you have to put like ball bars and all that sort of crap on them and they kind of went quiet and I said I'm going to go elsewhere for a job for a couple months when you get more work ring you back up I end up going up and working at the dam digging out the dam in tzel here got my crane ticket um loader ticket and escavator ticket up there and I was digging sand from 5: to 5: train jugg on the train in the morning in the afternoon was it was big days but um back then 180 0 20 year old kid I was getting good cash in the hand up there so I didn't care how long I worked I bought fancy cars and yeah I was living a lavish life and um once once the 20s finished I went straight into NL and yeah haven't really looked back do you think that cuz I was the same I left school I went to 20s I worked and studied some kids leave school and go straight into NRL like without even having a job do you think you know the maybe year or two or however long it was of of we are working that five to grinding training before in the morning then going to work then training in the afternoon like the part-time part- timers do the younger kids do you think that sort of helped you like understand um how grateful you are to play the NRL yeah definitely gave me um I guess looking at now how privileged I am to actually play NL and do the things that I I can do in my spare time um when I do have spare time um but yeah like them that first three years of waking up before the sun rose gone back to bed um like 13 14 hour day like long looking at it now I'm like I don't even know how I've done it like it's crazy I look at all the young kids now in the club that under 20s under 19s um I'm thinking for boys like put in the hard yards now you'll wreak the rewards later if you stick to it and but like you said it gave me a very um a good outlook on life and an appreciation for what what I did sacrifice like up I never went to parties never done anything like that sort of stuff I just solely focused on Rugby League I was a fixed mindset I guess you could say just wanted to be a rugby league player and player and um be successful successful at it so I can make a career and um I guess self-sufficient living as well so love that love that Focus mate you you you spoke briefly about your your 20s time in the 20s your Junior career uh you guys were stacked in the 20s tell me a bit about you know the junior career and the guess the guys you sort of uh you came through came uh through with in the under 20s yeah so my first year was 2010 I think it was um we had a pretty star set of team I played the James sear was in there Michael Morgan Ray Thompson um I follow named Chris fast um Moses Pango I think was there there was we had a fair few followers that went on to play NRL out of that team and then the following year 2011 we um made the Grand Final and lost it that year um and even that year I think I think there was like 12 or 11 players out of that team that went on to play NRL and one of the biggest names out of that team Jason tomala he's still running around now and he's I'm very lucky enough to play like nearly whole career with him so it's pretty cool um to see how far me and him have come along yeah isn't he hasn't he when it's all said and done won't he go down as one as the he's going to be Cameron Smith of the Cowboys if he keeps going away gone he's going to play 300 plus for us um mate 2011 you guys you said you guys made the NYC Grand Final also in 2011 carf felt and Chad towns and meet proper for the F we played against each other but we both played people may not know this we both played Junior kangaroos together yeah we did 2011 talking about this out know tell us about that experience yeah oh I think I didn't even know i' made the team cuz we played the Grand Final and then it was like a week later I think after everything simmer down I got a phone call and said that I'd made the team and I was like it's pretty cool like didn't like never even thought about playing like Junior R around and then yeah walk into I think it was Paramount Sydney was I think it was and walk in there and everyone was sitting down eating and first thing he said him he's like Fel how'd you miss a kick and I was like God Dad yeah call you go mate that's did I say that that's sh it who cares I didn't care um but it was funny like and from then obviously played against each other for many years and now what is it our third year yeah third year um all bags together yeah man that's crazy memories I can't believe how quick it's gone actually 2011 we had a stack team back then I'm thinking who else was in the yeah we did get pumped actually we Jay was playing for the kwi for kwi um I'm trying to think who else was in there Aaron Woods um cam king um D fuk Blair y ta T was there um Boyd cordner Boyd cordner we had yeah it was stacked team and we got done yeah I think that was I don't even know if the kiwis actually Jason might have been one or two of the guys that they hadl conad harl yeah we had heaps of guys have played NRL think few NL captains in our team too uh mate so 20 11 Junior kangaroos we just spoke about that year last year of under 20s 2013 you make your NRL Debo and also win Rookie of the Year tell me about uh your El Deo how did it how did you find out how did it happen during the week and who did you play um I think all the cards just fell in my hand in the right order I guess like had a had a royal flush if you're talking that I was pretty lucky FL poor old Ash Graham still at the club he got injured and um he ended up retiring that year he had to get career ending surgery on his wrist so yeah that's how I I fell into NRL basically um I was playing Northern Pride all year up there playing good fo0 near Henry come up to me I think it was the Tuesday of of the the game against the Rabbid o at home um and he just goes to me goes what are you doing this weekend and I said plan Pride mate getting ready to go he goes no I getting ready to play ANL and I was like holy [ __ ] like what I was like I was taken back didn't think it would happen that soon and I was 21 years old just my heart sunk um didn't know what to say didn't know what to do walked over to my locker um rang Mom Dad straight away and just said we're we're playing this weekend um she was mom was stoked dad was standard chain just oh congrats mate I was like yeah cool cool so and yeah the leadup to that debut was it happened so fast like looking back at it now I found out Tuesday we played Saturday night at 7:30 I think it was um against the rabbits like I said and yeah it come around so fast I didn't even like looking back at now I can't remember what I did during the week and that and you remember the game vaguely did you just win but yeah we won we won on a three- game win streak actually um I chased down Nathan Merr he got a break away and I'd run him down claim to fame he was I was a chubby old win and got him so but yeah it was um end up winning that game and I didn't score unfortunately I didn't didn't score till game two against penth down there um off a first ever try in NL was a kickoff jonno yeah ched yeah nice that's a good one and then um I think my second try was off mango actually yeah so first first two tries of cowboys great how are you as a younger player you know coming into the NL trying to establish yourself were you did you put a lot of pressure on yourself were or were you like quite confident and comfortable or did you just we just like focused on wanting to do well um I was confident but also a lot of pressure on myself um I was confident in my own ability but in the same token of breath I was always putting pressure on myself to be better um I guess any successful NRL player that you look at is always striving to be better and from an early age i' never really seen it to the extent I do now um I think it come with age and maturity seeing how much I guess professionalism goes a long way in an NRL career when I was younger i' don't listen to as kids I I never done recovery I didn't hated it never done an ice bath turned 26 and loved them just realize that you got to look after yourself off the field um more than on the field so but yeah like looking back at of now um I was definitely not a professional um it is a learning curve though like you and like I think all players go through it like you understand that when you're young like you're happy to be there cuz you're young you've achieved your goals but I don't think you understand the actual professionalism you're right you take it for granted you're taking everything for granted and I've seen players come in play three NRL games and just get risol or get injured and you never see him ever again yep yep I definitely um understand what you're saying May what would you say to younger players now who come into the game about handling the pressure because in my opinion like I think there's more pressure on players now more than ever and obviously it's thanks to you know media social media access to players Etc and how how and the ability to handle that so you know some of our Young Guns who you know for people who may not know those under 9s players are in that program who were going to hopefully progress to the Cowboys one day what would you say to some of those guys about you know handling the pressure as they come into NRL I think just be yourself like um a lot of kids coming into systems and that they tend to try and be someone they're not I think um like there's a young kid Jackson Purdue in our Squad now he's only I think he's 18 or 19 and he is just someone that has his head screwed on and is is himself like he honestly holds himself to the highest regard which is great for a young kid and to see him play the trial against the Broncos um he played his own game he didn't try and do anything spectacular and that's all I guess I can say is like be yourself um don't listen to the outside noise that's the hardest thing I guess with social media these days when we were growing up social media was kind just starting we were very lucky um mobile phones were not even massive so we're pretty cool but now like like I said you got media Outlets that are that can access you 24/7 social media that's obviously in your face 24/7 um yeah all I can say is just don't listen to the outside noise like run your own race put on the blinkers as a horse Jo you would say and just stay in your own lane brother love that love that M you briefly spoke before about uh jonno and mango and you know you've been able to play with some of the greats of not only the Cowboys but the whole NRL um how was it playing with those guys you know Jon o Matty Scott CPS mango um you did they have a big impact on on you and and your football um so from the start looking at it now I guess I took it for granted especially mango only played three games with him um very fortunate enough to play three games with him but um yeah looking at it now I wish I spoke to him more about rugby league and set of life and like what he's accomplished and all that sort of stuff but um he did help me a lot with obviously positioning stuff he wasn't really a Winger but he could tell like he could help you out about positioning um on kick returns all that sort of stuff so it was pretty cool but Jon and jonno was probably the biggest one he had like learning the way that he was a professional um kind of watching from the outside um watching him go about his business and for him to do it for so long and I can understand why and how he done it for so long so he was probably one of the people that I learned a lot of about being professional and then footy wise none of them really taught me too much because Jon's a Serv thump as a front rower I'm not taking any advice from thump about catching eyeballs middle forwards are no but they like in their own right they did talk about like I guess rugby league and moments and games and when it does come your way you have to obviously ear your moment and yeah of course yeah I've had a few moments in my career that um have fortunately gone my way in that and some moments that haven't so but yeah which is pretty cool just one that we we will get to in a second but mate as we do record this uh you're equal with uh mango Matty Bowen for the highest tries ever scored by a cowboy you you're about to be the new record holder mate how does how does that make you feel as a tville kid to actually have the record for most tries ever scored by a cowboy and to overtake mango yeah I to be honest Chad I've never really thought about it um going into the start of the Year people obviously talking about heaps and like it was just outside noise I wasn't really listening too much and then um when I did score that first try against the DOL the Dolphins um kind of sunk in a little bit and then um when I did score well drop the wooden second one over line that that's when the reality sunk in a bit more and was like far out on one try away from eand the great Matty bone and then was very lucky enough to score the eing one at home here um and just the way the crowd I guess the reception I got is was pretty cool like you don't really obviously hear much when you're on the field but for some reason I don't know why but I could just hear M the ground an answer saying carels now equal 130 tries with the great Matthew Bowen and yeah and I just heard the Creator RT and I was like fire game Goosebumps I was like like that's pretty cool especially never ever would have thought that I'd score that many tries let alone play as many games I've played so um yeah it's a little bit surreal to be honest yeah well there's no doubt by the time this comes out you actually might actually has to be standing on the record yourself and when we do we're going to get that ball that you score with and I I'm going to try to keep it for we're have to give it to one of the trainers or something so you can hold on to think if I do well when I do score it I'll just tuck it straight under the wing and give it to Bear take it take this tuck it in your locker locker I saw it yeah yeah I love that mate we'll move on to um you know without a doubt probably one of the best seasons of your of your whole Ro League career which was the 2015 season and the the Cowboys you know we know what uh the run you guys did um mate let's just go straight to the Grand Final because to me it was you know you love seeing a team win the Grand Final for the first time and you guys were able to do that you're a local Junior playing for the Cowboys in the Grand Final may talk to me about the the leadup to the game you know was it was it one of the biggest weeks you've ever had yeah um I was very fortunate to be in Townville when the Cowboys made the Grand Final 2005 and I was on the other side of the fence watching them obviously as a fan and looking at it now like the town was buzzing and then obviously being on the other side of fense being a player in 2015 was Unreal like you just the town was like g off its head it was like the lead up the drive to the airport like we drove to the airport in a bus we parked at 1300 small stadium got a bus to the airport there was like fans lining the streets wishing us good Lu signs everything then um getting to the airport it was it was Mayhem like we had to walk I felt like a celebrity like walking through Paparazzi taking photos and everything and then and that was that was on a Monday and we didn't play till Sunday we went down obviously the week early cuz you had all this um media commitments like you know and then yeah obviously I think it was um I think it was Thursday night the Footy Show he went on and like I was saying this is mad I'm on the Footy Show with fatty Borton like I'm like this is sick like I'm a St like arms length from fatty like how cool is this and met Delta goodam Bon JY like all them like their celebrities I'm like this is awesome I'm rubbing shoulders like how cool and then yeah the lead up to the game game day was the longest day of my life like it felt like forever um and then the game started and before we knew it we was sitting on the on the middle of the field at like 1:00 in the morning with the trophy in front in the middle I'm like what's my life become well the game in my opinion was one of the best Grand finals we've ever seen obviously it's local Derby 4X Derby you know it's the two big Queensland teams the Cowboys versus the Broncos um you know and the game obviously went back and forth and uh you know I want to know about the try because you you you spoke before about some moments going your way this was one that you know went your way but you deserved it and earned it um I spoke to morgo about it and asked his opinion and you know obviously was last play M what talk me through the try and what and how you saw it happen yeah um oh I was just dirty old Wingers holding the paint just doing my job no but it it was like the triy was actually the trial was mad but um I think the leadup to it was a it was more pivotal moment in the game um because I remember we'll talk about the try first so the try obviously morgo got it off jonno obviously skipped across field and all week prior to that morg had been running around with the ball in one hand like I don't know why practicing flick passes and I don't know for some reason he just kept doing it and then it happened in the game and he got on the outside of Jack Reed um on on outside of Anthony Milford um Jaz anneal kind of dropped under him and Jack Reed held and then corot turned in and he's flicked the ball out to me and had like 10 m to run with like 4 M from the touch line and for some reason I run really close to the touch line and put it down one end cuz you know morgo said this right when I asked him about this on the podcast he said to me I was holding the ball around oneand at training and the boys were giving me a bit of stick because I've got small hands and I don't usually do it he never does it so then to hear you say weird like it's so weird cuz I remember him at training all the time in Syd we're in Sydney um training and he's running around the ball in one hand like he he's never done like he said he's never done it and I was like this is weird and then obviously like it's obviously meant to happen because in the game in the situation that panned out he had the ball one hand and flicked it and yeah fbuds put it down one end on the corner and Bob jle unbelievable I um I remember watching it and I was like yeah wow what a finish and then jono obviously has the uh the kick to to win it from the sideline he misses we go to Golden point the next I guess big involvement was the kickoff man you were known for some of these dangerous swirling kickoffs for a couple years there was this kickoff to Ben Hunt something you practiced quite often cuz I remember catching them thinking man it is scary catching these kickoffs CU that you know was a massive massive mman in the game as well yeah so uh like said I did I used to practice them all the time like he used to at one stage I was timing how long um from like the air time of them yeah so kicking off to the time that obviously you'd catch it down on the TR line and um I reckon that was probably the sweetest kickoff I've ever hit um that it yeah like as soon as I kicked it um it felt good off my boot as you know you know when you hit a good kick it feels so nice and I've kicked it and I've just looked up and it's gone that high I'm like holy like that's a good kick and I've just run back I started running back to the wing just looking watching watching and then yeah I couldn't believe like Benny's bobbled it and yeah I was like holy crap like we've got the chance to win this year and I think it was like four three or four plays later jonno's nudged it straight through and yeah I yeah and that the next 14 days it just blurred so how was it you guys come back to Townsville the next day did it did it sink in that you know local Junior grew up in Townsville um has won the Grand Final for the Cowboys like you know how how was it postgame in Townsville and and being yeah I remember sitting in the in the sheds um after it happened I had my Premiership ring on just sitting there I just happened to look down and I'm at my hand I'm like I'm a NRL Premier like I'm an NRL Premiership winner like how good is this I'm 25 years old 20 24 25 I think it was 25 looking up I'm like this is unre like i' never thought I'd be a Premiership winner this early in my career or let alone have the opportunity to like get there at any stage and um yeah I was I was over the moon there was the sheds were packed full of supporters family friends um Forex go ends everywhere which was Unreal and then we went back to the to the um the hotel where we standing in home Bush there and I remember sitting in this in the team room that we always sit in um we were just having a few drinks everyone my family was still there um Peter par comes in and goes all right boys you got an hour to get ready the bus is leaving and I was like what looked at my watch and it was like 5:30 in the morning I'm like holy where did the time go like you're just sitting there with your family your friends your mates like just having a beer and then all of a sudden it's time to get on the plane we've walked obviously no one's had any sleep we've just walked straight onto the bus onto the plane got home and we had a reception like a homecoming at um once around a small stadium and on a good day you'd get probably I don't know 14 14,000 people to a home game that day I reckon there was 19,000 people in the stands at 12:00 in the day yeah like just burning sun beaming down on them like it was it was mad we were in the western side just out of the tunnel they had a little stage set up the whole field from I guess the 10 me like the tap line all the way across the other side was packed up in the grand stand halfway up was full I was like what the hell these people are that's when I really realized that Townsville loves the Cowboys they would go out of their their day on a Monday to come see the cowboys after a grand final win it was pretty cool that's awesome the uh and then after that Vegas trip you don't have to say too much about Vegas but obviously it was a good time with the boys he's had a pretty pretty decent crew who went over there yeah there was 17 of us that went over that's incredible it was I think only one of them didn't one player didn't come that played the Grand Final Jimmy out because he hurt himself um in the leadup in our celebrations unfortunately but yeah um Vegas mate that's that's unreal like that place it's yeah it's crazy I I loved every minute of it um just looking back at it it's something that I will never forget like going over there with 17 of your best mates played 40 all year all striving for one thing and to be able to do it and then go on like a little 4-day um Adventure I'll say was Unreal and we're very lucky we stayed at the bagio so we're lavished it was Unreal and then some of the things that we done I would I would never been able to do in my lifetime if I didn't go with the people I went with and um the connections that some of the boys had over there to get us into some stuff that we' um that I like I said I'd never be able to do some of the stuff you see on movies and I was like I was like this is unreal y I'm with them I'm just an Entourage here just I'm just walking with these guys like in we're going VIP everywhere and like yeah it was honestly I yeah I can't even explain how fun that time of my life was like I said that 14 days after the Grand Final was is literally a blur like I don't know and I reckon out of the 14 days I didn't drink twice like it was it's just 14 days is a lot it's crazy like and you don't even think about like what you're doing because you're still on such a high and once that happens you know like you come back to reality like holy [ __ ] I need to start pulling my head in now 4 foot is only just around the corner well that's insane but move on to the next um huge I guess part of your career which was in 2021 you played you made your Debo for the Queensland Maron was was it always something you had to dream of always something you wanted to do was to play origin you know to get that first origin Jersey you know how talk to me about that yeah I think every every kid wants the every anal player wants to play origin it's a pinnacle of our sport I see it as um and I was going back a step before 2021 I got the call from Kevy to play in 2020 um and I had like AJ yeah I had a real bad groin injury that I've been like plagued with throughout the whole year and I end up having having a talk to our Physio and just said like is it worth playing like the extra three games and cuz it was in the end of the year that um origin period I could have like prolong the surgery that I end up having and played but the pros and cons of it weren't ideal like I would have been set back in the preseason would had a like a a shortened preseason wouldn't have got enough rehab into my groin before r one um and yeah and I just I remember talking to cavi and crying on the phone about like saying no I can't play cuz that was something that I've been dreaming of and I'd always been so close for so many years going in 2016 I went in as um 18th man 2017 I was in there 18 and then 19 and then to get the call 2020 was like yeah I'm I'm in and then I just had to bail out unfortunately then yeah 21 called greeny called me he was a coach he called me up and said um to come in as 18th man because KP was under injury clout and um he got didn't obviously play so I got pulled into the wing um and Val went to fullback and the the game was at home in Townsville this is the first origin game played in Townsville and like like I said like there's moments in your career that are meant to happen and that one obviously was meant to happen for me and to be able to make my debut not only for my NRL debut but my origin debut in townsel um was pretty cool and the game we got pump was like 50 to six or something but I remember like the lead up to a driving p flender Street in the bus like it was packed my family were down there sh me photos everyone like there was there was that many people with felt shirts on like it was so cool to see like this the man support from I guess my hometown was pretty cool yeah that's that's awesome where's the Jersey you got the Jersey hanging up um no it's not even framed yet to get that yeah know it's not framed I've only got one Jersey fra two jerseys Fram and pretty slack yeah but yeah I gave my game wor Jersey to my dad um yeah I don't know why but I give him that one and then I got the other one because you get obviously two so I got one sitting thing still in the drawer at home with the with game two one um so yeah it's I don't know it's just one of those things in life where you want to get it done but I just haven't haven't had time haven't really put much thought and effort into it yep it'll happen one day um M we'll move on to a couple of questions before we wrap it up I guess nowadays you know you're a veteran of the game you're nudging on 200 game NRL games and NRL games for the cows me do you think about the game differently now to you know when you first started I guess being a veteran who's played you for over 10 years yeah definitely don't overthink the game as much anymore knowing that I've I think I've played like 190 four or five games not too sure but like looking back at it now early on in the career I'd always like over playay a game in my head like just get super nervous and anxious leading up to the game day and then game day would come around i' just I wouldn't sleep during game day I'd just be buzzing and now I'm like I still get nervous even now I still get nervous I don't know why I still get nervous to the day like till we run out as soon as we run out and the kickoff goes I'm sweet but I still get little butterflies in my gut and that and um I think it's just the feeling of the unknown like no one you don't know what's going to happen you don't know the outcome of the game you just know what you can do and what you can produce yourself so I think that's probably the the best thing about about it all looking back at it now I like I still get the nerves and the butterflies like y I think when they go I think it might be time to hang up yeah I think it definitely mean something to you still getting that and what do you what do you love about playing in the NRL what do you and everything training being an NRL player what do you love about it um I think just the mhip and everything I've spoken to a lot of people um past players now because I am obviously on the back end of my career and ask them what do they miss most and they say the camarad camaraderie and that and all that sort of stuff the mate sh and looking at it like when they say that I look at it and think yeah that's true you spend neon every day of the year with your best mates of training um and then playing in a row like it's my dream job I don't see it as a job see it as a hobby it's something that I get paid to do I enjoy it um I get to spend a lot of time at home with my family I'm very fortunate with that like I I've got to see my daughter grow which is pretty cool and obviously we're expecting another one in four weeks so if whenever this does come in I might have two little Mongol running around so but yeah I'm very lucky well we're very lucky that we can spend um such a bulk of our kids childhood watching them grow up and be a part of it whereas a lot of people I guess work out in the minds that he miss they work two on one off or something like they miss a majority of their kids upbringing and I'm very fortunate and I do not take that for granted I spend as much time as I can my daughter um and just be there for her like my dad was always there for me my mom was always there for me when I was growing up so I just want to be a good good role model for her and this job gives me every opportunity to do that yeah I love that and um you know you you just said you the DAT of one just about to be two mate how how have you found Parenthood do you think it's changed your perspective on football and life in general yeah yeah definitely life um you you you think you have your life sorted until until you have a kid um you think everything's gone Rosy and then all of a sudden you get thrown this small human that you have no idea what they're like what they're going to be like what they like and like you don't even get a crash course manual on them you have to have to find out everything about them like it's like making a new friend um but this friend is for you for life and it's it's something that um I cherish every day I wake up and even though there's nights where I I resent her because she's waking up and um as soon as I open my eyes and see her I'm like yeah like everything's all all good like I don't mind you can annoy me but you're mine and I appreciate everything you do for me and on the footy side of things um it's good because I'm going to have I'm going to have memories of her coming to watch me play going to have photos phot you post the other day actually pretty cool yeah um there was yeah I posted a photo of Macy 12 months ago um walking around the stadium and then obviously round one again this year and the way to see how much she's grown in 12 months is ridiculous so like I said the photos I'm going to have and the memories I'm going to have looking back at it and she probably won't remember it but that's probably one of the reasons why I want to keep playing is just to make memories with them would um you know we spoke before about you know studying and doing things outside of football and I'm someone who I love to have a balance of football and family and life outside of football what do what does kle felt enjoy doing outside of footy um obviously like we started on the start I did do a um little course of Storytelling that and I'm looking at doing another um I guess a media course to um OB do more podcast and that sort of stuff um but apart from that sort of stuff I don't really like studying I've done 12 years of it that's it's enough for me I'm wasn't a wasn't a grade scholar at school so wasn't wasn't um big on that I was more the more or less going to school for lunches that's it but now outside of 40 I love playing golf um as you know we play a lot of golf I love mewn I love Lawn Care M mewn twice a week I see this post on um Instagram or something and it's like when the man turns 30 he like loves like golf um smoking or the lawn it's like they choose one of those you love all three of them I I the epitome of the 30-y old so like you said I do love my smoking um I smoke everything brisk as beef ribs pork ribs Lambs um last night we had a roast roast pork with crackling so sorted sorted the wife out with that which is pretty cool but yeah very fortunate that um I do enjoy cooking but I enjoy eating it more more often than not so Beauty mate we got two questions to go mate you're off contract now uh mate what what are your thoughts around that just sort of taking it day by day just sort of things will happen and and you know whatever happens happens 32 years old Chad I'm enjoying my time being an NL player um I don't I don't know what the future holds but all I know is that I'm playing pretty decent footy and we'll see what happens but yeah um I'm in no rush to look forward to the future I want to live in the now and like I said um enjoy like the mhip and camaraderie I have at the moment awesome awesome mate what is actually this is my last question for you because you know I am much like you closer to the end then the start what is kfi's ideal job postwar and you ideal job dream job realistically or like you a realistically realistic dream job yeah um would have to be probably like a radio on answer just get on there for Town mornings or afternoons or definitely mornings I'd morning yeah I am a big morning guy not when it comes to golf though um but yeah definitely wake up in the mornings and just give the listeners I guess an enjoyment and something to listen to on the way to work like just be a part of their daily travels which would be pretty cool like obviously can tell a few yars of my career and of my interal career and just give them an Insight of what it's like to be an NL player but more or less just to be there with them on their way to work and I guess something funny happens on on the radio they can they can relate to it and just talk about life that people obviously can relate to at home life as well so that's something that I want to do and I don't know I just like I said I enjoy talking crap I enjoy talking absolute rubbish to people and people stopped me in the streets and just we didn't realize how down to earth you are I said mate I'm from tanel Froman what more do you want well mate we'll finish it up on that mate I really appreciate you coming on um your story speaks for itself and it's still going still not finished man you've got so much left in the tank um you're playing great foot at the moment mate you're a great dad and um you're a great teammate so I really appreciate you coming on thank you very much shad and um I do have the plers merch on too so I can't wait for the new merch to drop mate yeah support for the boys appreciate that mate well thanks very much for watching guys if you enjoyed the episode please make sure you do subscribe drop us a like comment make sure you don't forget head over to playgolf club.com auu you can shop all the latest merchandise membership uh we really appreciate it and we'll see you guys on the next episode let's go oh