LUCA MORETTI opens up in special episode! PARRAdise Podcast 🎙️

let go come on the let's go come on boys let's go hello everyone welcome back to Paradise the official param eels podcast uh just reminding you we're sponsored by remley the fast safe and secure way to send money to your loved ones abroad Olan my co-host how are you my mate I'm good how you been I just got back from perf you know um yeah I saw that actually for the UFC right yeah that was pretty fun it's pretty different um being in that in that world and stuff but it was it was good man how you been been a couple weeks yeah it has been man how long has it been four weeks or something yeah can't align your schedule you guys are too busy for us you know we keep booking you in and then canceling you m I'm sorry about that of all the boys I'm flexible man so how was Perth Perth was good um the weather was a bit crap but apart from that everything else was you know it was good to be in and amongst that I'm a huge MMA fan so it was like nice to see all the fighters and and before they went out like I was really felt really privileg so it was good surprised by the final fight or what yeah a little bit surprised um Adisa I'm a huge Adisa supporter like I've been following him for the last 10 years he's Nigerian I'm Nigerian we're basically Brothers you know so I was like I was I was right behind vog so I was I could see it all but um yeah it was it was a tough it was a tough one yeah yeah it's pretty difficult um drias is a good fighter that he do you watch about MMA yeah I do like I do like watching the UFC um it surprised me too I actually thought was going to get him um pretty well first first two rounds he was doing pretty well and they're talking about Perera coming back yeah probably Jas might go up um to fight him and that'd be that'd be a hell of a fight I don't know what Adis is going to do next but yeah it's like a new age of fights Leon lost you know Adis last it's a new it's a new age so interesting anyways we'll move on from our our five how was surfing I saw you guys surf do you are you a decent Surfer I'm not a decent Surfer whatsoever I'm way too tall that thing yeah yeah it just puts off the coordination for sure who who's the best serer on the team um I think Joey was probably the best oh yeah yeah so we're we're pretty polar opposite in body shape probably one of the worst yeah yeah all neck down he's just real solid yeah man um he was pretty good I think but he's a Beach's boy okay makes sense yeah you can tell he done it before Tren Elin was actually really good too um it looked like a fun day out oh yeah who do you think was good chesh you were there G was all right yeah yeah he was ah right yeah right Michael was one of the best way M's family Pro surface that's full of surprises what about who was the worst in your opinion you can be honest I got to my knees once you could stand up you didn't stand up I didn't even try the the technique where you just try to stand up I went for like kitty version where you go on your KN and you try and rotate it around and I couldn't even do that did you guys have a teacher or anything or was it just like yeah no it was really good um what's it called Urban surf Urban surf out at homebush it was um quite a good experience they control the waves for you really good for learning to surf Urban Sur go there okay check out let's get into uh Our Guest shall we so do the honors he was the 2023 New South Wales cup player of the year yeah next season he will be promoted into the top 30 Squad he's played 19 games for the blue and gold and he's also the blue and Gold's favorite Italian only Italian favorite ladies and gentlemen Luka mer thanks having boys M thanks for joining us LCA a bit tired saying yeah I was shattered just had a massage I was ready to look at the back of my eyelids and got the tap on the shoulder good tap on the shoulder yeah the good tap I to say what kind of tap on the shoulder jeez yeah um pretty difficult session today though right was it tough session yeah yeah the weather's getting nice so um felt like season oh yeah yeah I've just got out of rehab as well so yeah talk to us a little bit about your your rehab you've been uh in and out injuries a little bit what did you yeah so um four weeks ago had a strain on my quad mhm so um spend rehab with the half the team or half our Squad sorry so um yeah we got legit half our Squad we been getting pumped another like mini pre-season M getting back up there yeah which is shocking because it's only around the corner so you're going to go double up who's that someone's uh for listening someone's trying to B Rude bastard just brok I hope they get the tap whoever it is time wrong one already uh so you're back you're expected to be back this week ah yeah yeah yeah back this week yeah beautiful beautiful all right let's um probably start by talking about where you grew up like from from the from the EAS here so yeah born and raised in um Tamar Tam's in the middle of so you're a secretan Ro's fan I said you're secret Ro's fan n no no who just who just put grown up rues yeah so was I'm a rusus junior yeah I started with St Charles and then remember way over to the CL Crocs uh one of M Junior clubs oh really CL Crocs they speak about me very highly at the CL had the RSL over there no you got me you got me that's where Victor Radley played too yeah yeah older than you oh yeah he's a couple years older than me yeah yeah so was R's junor and then um per reached out and offered me a uh an opportunity and you know offer I couldn't refuse development yeah train train troll deal so jumped at it in and and ran with it and yeah the the rest is history yeah how have you found it since being that power you've enjoyed it m yeah to be honest it was it was hard at the start um again I had my first couple years of the roers and all I knew was was being at the roers so coming out to Western Sydney was bit of a shock for me bit of a trek as well yeah yeah the tolls hurt um but I was the best thing for me um best thing for my personal development and not only that but my career development as well and you know been around the boys that made it easy for me to to to fit in um you know there wasn't there was ups and downs obviously first couple years were a bit bit Rocky for me but um but how can I say this you can put it how you want we can chop and change it um yeah but um I put in the hard work and and came out the other side is I mean still working progress but it's good yeah who are you most close have heard did you do you ruin with Bailey don't ruin with him um I'm always driving him out he owes me thousands and dollars i' be listening to this he's on six figures and won't buy a car does he not own a car he didn't last year yeah right so he's just got one he's just got one recently you got make him drive in for the next couple years jeez he owes me he owes me really how far do you live from him like do you drive to him and then you both come in together so this so this is a doozy so he lives in ki so I'm he lives in ki I'm in rwi and the highway is here to go out to param yeah kui's another 20 minutes out of the way so you go back so I'm going back and then you go past this so this is like 4:30 in the morning Tex me how to get out of here so I'm going back to kui pick him up and take him the afternoons too that's at least another 20 minut he's got to Slug it to yours and then you go together a few we've had this conversation before tolls are like not cheap either they're not cheap at all I think I'm pay wait a second does Bailey ever offer to pay you petol or toll money he did last year last year last year this year this year we've been on and off last year his thing was he'd um fill up my car of petrol yeah half tank $50 week half tank half tank $50 uh I think TOS was like 280 bucks a week yeah yeah what's he like to couple with his CH there's on off days um I'm usually on the o cor he doesn't like my T music so yeah he said you play like pretty pretty heavy stuff 4:30 it's dark in the morning so I need someone to pick me up right he's he's so you don't just ease your way into like the day you're just straight bang and just like rock and rolling f a bit different a bit different approaches when he gets in do and GL and Bailey is kind of like me he's just in the mornings he's dead he's a zombie us two come in yeah I'm the same I got I got warm into the day that's me yeah I'm a I'm a morning person I don't know how people can just wake up like buzzing I don't get do you just wake up buzzing no I don't wake up buzzing okay get drag myself to my car get to my car and and and then turn it up then you get ready yeah get ready yeah it's a long car ride so it is it's a long drive I don't know how you do it um tell us about your family mate so your family's Italian yeah yeah so um dad's mom and dad um so my both born Italy yeah um speak Italian uh little bit I was going to say no in Italian but I didn't know how to say it no uh but I can understand it um that makes it at home and it's just pretty much hand gestures and just the energy that they get you tell they ped off m m m so m y so would say your family is quite a Australian family not so much on my mom's side yeah yeah um I don't know what Australian family is yeah I guess where mix of everything yeah Dad's dad's family is very Italian and um more traditional yeah yeah I like it I love the culture and then a couple years ago I got to uh represent Italy in the in the World Cup what was that like what was that like it was it was really really good for me and my family I mean my uh my passed away on my dad's side before I was born so I never got to meet her and you know I got told that having n her was the best thing ever yeah um and then my on passed away when I was quite quite young too so that Italian side of my um of my Heritage I didn't have a great connection as you know as as I wanted to but going into to that camp um I mean it didn't matter you know what color or how big he nose was I mean everyone made you feel welcome you know what I mean and um and you know those boys that came in there and go oh you know I feel like a a fake you know Italian and I'm sure there's other countries that do the same and um you know go in there and you tell your story and it's just so um just so weird how common your story is to somebody else like just a little again details or you know how you interact with one another I mean we went out and we went out one night um didn't know anyone and then you know the next day we're all best mes best that's the great thing about sport as well all brings people from different backgrounds and different cultures but you all have like this common stuff in together and you just connect so that's amazing and what you like um away from footy like what do you do in your spare time you know who are you when you're not a footballer um it's a good question I don't know still figuring that one out figur it out how old are you now uh 24 yeah take you a while still kind of figuring it out but I love the beach I live live still live in rewick um so I'm just always ENT the beach are you you DJ are here yeah I'm a parttime DJ talk to us about this DJ and journey cuz we want to know all about it um yeah so I had the educational allowance and um I didn't really know what I wanted to do I mean I've done my SE three and four in Fitness and you know the rest of it not going to be a lawyer or anything so I said I'd love to be love to be you know DJ I like my music yeah why not so you got have you got have you got the deck and everything yeah yeah yeah sick so my educ so I thought that I heard there was you can get through like music or speaking a language or so so I went into my good mate Georgie in there and said and proposed well I do music thing he goes yeah what do you want to play I go be a DJ yeah yeah did he laugh at you first was that did he laugh at you and did he think you were serious yeah yeah there's money in it there's Mone course big money in DJ yeah yeah and then hope hopefully you know after foot I'd go in get an or be get a little G for the offse just see you w ler in a couple years how long how long does that course go for like what does it it's four weeks four weeks weeks so you done it uh I've still got a week left still got a week left DJ so my DJ instructor is actually in bether at the moment he's actually off his rocket in I he'll be back in a couple but he's giv her business cards yeah yeah right that's so good um and you actually have an assessment at the end right you can explain this yeah yeah so the way that it had to have gone is that I needed to get work experience or something like that and that entailed of me doing our um session at a venue that's so cool so I haven't done that yet so cool oh we'll get all the blue and gold army there oh whenever whenever luk has you set I'm 100% let everyone get a night out at Bay Hotel you get a set yeah what are your tracks like what do you go for house uh yeah a bit of house ask Bailey baile he's a set in in the morning have you started playing him some of your sets oh God yeah yeah I set him like a 30 second clip every night of me on the decks you got to get um got get you got get tragic you got to get a DJ page going you know get your stuff out there no it's not it's not it's not I haven't got the ball rolling like that yet I don't want to be doing that just yet just yet just fure future cool it's a soft Landing for him after footy for sure yeah yeah yeah it'll be a hard launch real hard launch after footy could you imagine that oh my his career finished straight into DJing we love it yeah that's good that's good to know um tell everyone about like something that I really like about you your living Arrangement at the moment um can you just share with us like what what that's about and I guess what you do there yeah so I'm currently living in the back of my grandfather's house in the granny flat oh nice yeah yeah I mean it's a good gig get rent free I just got to make sure he doesn't you know trip over tell us tell us about your grandad but he's a solid he's he's was a father figure to me when I was young I mean parents split when I was young so it's a bit bit tricky both worked full-time so whenever there was a um an opportunity to take me to training at in w w po you know anytime I needed a LIF he was always there with a big grin and um yeah M I wouldn't be here without him he's such a big figure in my life and and it's um good in a way I can kind of get back get back to him at the moment like um what's has he got Alzheimer's is that right no no he doesn't he's just struggling a bit with hisil had um Alzheimer's yeah right yeah she passed away a couple years ago yeah so if you him he's got a big heos so if you hear me that big heos is a bit um a lot yeah would have been a bit of a shocked you know not having her around so I think me moving into the granny flight as much as he probably hates listening to my music at 11:00 a.m. at night um no but it's good I mean I love I love being around him and again just spending time with him I'm sure you help him out a lot mate for especially for old people having someone there for him yeah it really does mean a lot I'm sure um he loves it he loves loves coming to the games I think they they set them up in front of the TV yeah like people over with the JDs and the cheese board he loves it oh sick sick what about do you know how to cook any Italian food I'm I a Killa bolise bolog kill a b that's that's more of an Australian dish man that's B how do you do it what's your recipe uh carrots hates of carrots sweaten it up hates of carrots yeah half a bottle of red wine so drink drink half and put half in the spaghetti there we go sounds yeah no no no dad dad makes it makes the best ball on a yeah right so Family Recipe yeah so I try to replicate he and it just never is that your favorite Italian Dish uh yeah yeah yeah yeah have you been to Italy I haven't I can ask this question a lot yeah oh well you need to go ASAP I've been once that offseason have you been ity I've been Italy yeah I played where you go uh I was in ra Venza so near Venice okay for a little while yeah it was very nice was it good really good no one speaks English yeah nobody speaks English that's the one thing I cuz I I lived in Holland for a bit everyone spoke English there and when I went to Italy it was like English good English so when you get to Italy it's like no you speak our language here yeah you have toar very quickly I had I learned that when I was in Italy I went in this volleyball game I've tried to walk into the stadium yeah the security guard standing there I saw a few other people walking before me the SC saying that he's like no no no no no I'm like what do you want bro yeah I'm I'm like here my tickets I'm showing him like no no no no no I'm like you want to check my bag and he's like kept on talking to me and I'm like what do you want man what are he saying and he just does this to me as soon as he pissed him off and I'm just like I just look at him I'm just like like like here's this arrogant white boy coming in to your country expecting you to speak English after he does that and I'm just doing this he just goes down there to the left he knew English the whole time and refused to to talk to me in English get it I was at the wrong gate I was where the staff going in oh so I was real confused he wouldn't piss himself after it yeah we both just started laughing I think he looked at the other guy and they're just like oh my god get it all the time it ital's such a beautiful place man it's very very pretty yeah yeah aalf Coast definitely recommended um very touristy now Lake com probably one of my favorites yeah the dolomites near Venice I don't know if you ever went there I'm not sure if I did beautiful beautiful part of the world um the food's also yeah also really good bolog where where's the best bolog bolognia bologna is that it's called I guess so yeah it's sense cuz each each location has its own specialty food so Venice is like seafood on the water yeah Venice is very romantic the home of the Spritz right yeah very romantic lot of um rainy there you want to be there with a with a girl or something yeah you you going over there find myself a nice telling wife yeah there you go you'll be sunset with my DJ what a life what a life are we going to does sound does sound good so you're with roosters was it preco yeah and then covid happened but League got cancelled right it was a bit of a weird time for our Fringe NRL players around my age cuz again was on a a train Troll and development there and they they cut the squads to take them up to Queensland there was around that time where they they took squads up to Queens 21 2021 yeah around there so I was I was 20 and um so 20 2020 I was 20 2021 or 21 so around that time our 20 competition got got canel yeah yeah uh so we paid I think three got one game in 2020 and then maybe 10 games in 2021 yeah yeah so it's bit bit of a rough time for for The Fringe players but um my brother was down at uh East Rugby Rugby Union yeah and busting me to get me down there like what are you doing like get down here have a game all right actually might say true so I gave the guy a call Gareth and um he got me down there and played a bit of Rugby Union down there uh loved it was the best thing ever the Grand Final we lost did yeah yeah I got to play with my brother as well which is which is good I think we only spent 10 minutes on the field with each other until we both got sent off so and then you fought each other after you watch Warrior yeah we did yeah while watching Warrior um but yeah no it was good just I used to always get sent off in Union so just yeah yeah not for you didn't like it yeah not for me never thought about transitioning into Union I me when when I finished school I was I got selected for the school boy team in Union yeah right um and then obviously uh been a R's fan at the time and they they came and gave me opportunity there so I yeah what's that what's that um that train and trial like um some people listening might not know what it is like what what is it like you're just training do you not know when you're going to get a contract or do you just did they give you a period of time or what's it what's it like every every train trial is be different it just depends um your position I mean I think the first the first year I had at par I was on a um I was on a 12 week training TR which is just the preas yeah uh so I did that and then um I think it's it you get a certain amount of money per week you're getting compensated you're getting compensated for the amount of time that you're you're training and there's a minimum wage that they can get paid okay during that time um some people cuz in socer it's way different like cuz yeah yeah what's it like in so you're you're not getting paid at all like they might cut they could be cuz I would be on like say I'm going to a professional Club they' be like listen we want you to come in for six weeks oh really like you but over that period you're controlling your travel going in there and then one day they could they could just be like during the trial per be like hey we don't want you and then that's it you're just gone for that day yeah right so yeah well that's a bit like this um so when your train and troll is done I think you got to play it's got to train twice in a in a week in a week to get the to get com the train and tri the train and trial so it's a bit again it's just um again for all the Fringe players it's just the uncertainty unnown you're doing your Apprentice apprenticeship so I mean again then for me the first year I was here I got got injured and with a hamstring injury and um I mean I came in here for for I think it was 10 weeks without pay yeah so just doing rehab for 10 weeks I was wasn't getting get paid I wasn't getting paid oh well yeah I didn't know that yeah that's eight to 10 weeks I wasn't getting paid um so again I just knuckled down and cop it and saw it as an um you know an investment and backed myself yeah that's the thing um I mean there there's so many boys and they big similar position listening to this to the exact same position that I am um but again it just goes behind the scenes and you don't don't really hear about it you got injured a bunch that year too like you kept getting the same recurring hamstring right yeah never had a hamstring injury before in my life and ended up so I think it was 16 weeks or something with the hamstring injury come back from it so yeah that was that was a bit of a bit of a low point in you know as I talked about before the ups and downs that was pretty like a big big down for me but again param were really good about it I mean as good as they could have been at the time um did you do anything personally that helped you kind of get through those those yeah yeah of course um I'm very active in in you know talking in seeking help JL she's listening she she saved my life really she's so good um again yeah just just being honest with myself and you know I know who I am and how I think and and obviously now after you know receiving the help and doing so much personal development like of mine um that period for me could have gone both ways I could have tet as you know me being the victim and you know this is [ __ ] and everyone's against me and not trade me fairly but I saw it as an opportunity and an opportunity to get to get better and to use that as a chance to I don't really know how to say the chance to get better mhm change mind to overcome adversity use that adversity as a um yeah get better yeah sick love that I like that mate it's all good to hear it's very good it's good to see uh all the hard work that you put in eventually come off and the resilience that you showed um not not many people would have done the same thing right um and it's good to see it all work out for you mate it's a good story yeah um I'm glad that you've pulled through it and that you don't have to come in without getting paid anymore yeah Bailey's not helping with that is he no he's not he's not we just wanted to give a huge shout out to our new partner remley the official International Money Transfer Partner of the paramet eels trusted by millions of customers to send money to their loved ones abroad remitly makes it easy to transfer money in over 100 currencies and thanks to remit Le great exchange rates and low fees more of the money you send makes it to your family and friends so download the remitly app and start sending money today yeah we'll get into six again so uh this concept is I just ask every guest the same six questions and kind of compare answers and whatnot um the very first question if you could be trapped with anyone on the team on a tropical island who would it be probably you me yeah probably this is the first one first time feel like you know what's going on I feel like yeah yeah you you're a very logical be like I feel like you would be that type of map you map everything out and I just have to like I just have to follow anyone anyone else be button heads and yeah yeah yeah right right yeah you ly thank you man appreciate that the first time said we've had m a bunch a lot of people said M just cuz he grew up on an island I don't know I think You' be hopeless personally but if you could be anyone for a day who would it be anyone in the world if um actor can be famous DJ yeah anybody I really know I don't know uh I was Leo DiCaprio I said Denzel Washington Washington we had like someone said Ronaldo yeah Ronaldo someone said LeBron junior said a boxer I think yeah I'd hate that I'd hate Ben LeBron getting recognized that's what I said yeah would even though I said Leo I'd love to Leo you could you kind of be lowkey with Leo to a certain extent Shades and like a hat I'd get Dave since we're on a podcast I'd love to be like a scientist in Area 51 or something and just that's a good one bro honestly I just love uncover some of the world's secret say yeah yeah Pentagon yeah see what's going on see there's any aliens about yeah no no no you expose the truth no no way no keep it yourself keep it to yourself it all to myself Alex Jones whatever his name is um any game day superstitions or rituals that you have uh yeah I just go I dive in the water mean rain hell shine oh really water so I go down to Bronte and go for a swim down to Bronte yeah um if be pieing down or snowing I'd still go in really just a little dip and then a little deep and then then head out yeah not really not really ritual but nothing else before the game heading in no not eat anything in particular no us I used not be able to eat have it up and go and just take it on no food before game yeah i' feel sick really I've heard a few people say really I if I didn't eat I'd have no energy I think it was like Jake trovich or Tom trovich they they like barely eat really and Jake plays 80 minutes in the middle I don't know if it's changed now but I think that's and then meanwhile I'd be going and just like stuffing my face every meal like four meals before the game and they going what's wrong with you yeah I'm thinking the same yeah not eating before a game is crazy I feel like you didn't have any energy but clearly works for some people number four I think I know who you'll say for this one but I'll ask it anyways who is the biggest pest on the team oh Simo S without a doubt does laps of the joint really doesn't stop moving just does laps and busing everyone's balls most people say reg didn't they yeah yeah but him and Sim are a bit like a married couple you know they love each other forces an annoy love love soon as you get the card the there is clear it's all right yeah yeah exactly right next day next day next morning number five your alltime favorite movie oh well oh you know what I got to go Shadow Island Shadow Island yeah only movie cuz I'm I'm a big movie guy but I can't watch movie more than once or twice really yeah I just I just can't do it I just but like what if there's a massive break like don't you like watching it after like 3 or 4 years of not watching the movie then you slap it on like I know what's I know what's happening I just feel like a waste of time really what do you I actually really love watching a movie after knowing that I really enjoyed it the first time if it's been a few years it's been few then I watch it back the second time and still surprises me few forget a little bit yeah so shut Island because it's the only movie I've watched four or five times every time I watch it I always find like a new little or something like that okay yeah so that one all warri up the one with Tom Hardy in it about the brothers fighting me me and my brother love watching that brother after it yet it's brother brother that's a good one uh number six if you weren't playing rugby league professionally what would you love to be doing TJ pretty obvious um I don't know man I love sport I just love being in the environment love my basketball um actually basketball player back in the day yeah reallyit rep player or I was a center I was quite tall back in the day got I was bigger than everybody else Couldn't Shoot uh could hardly pass couldn't dribble but I was great rebound you're just a Dennis Rodman I was a go I was a go get on and take his legs out you actually like Den Roman loves to party and is a center the party in my DJ oh that's good yeah um I think that wraps it up then for us with segment three I guess it's my thought Time to Leave a thought train oh yeah we can't forget the thought train can we can't we leave a thought train um what was the last one I went a little bit deep on the last one with blaze actually I think it talked about confidence the value of confidence yes I think I didn't actually have one but after listening to lcas story I think yeah um it's appropriate have you do you you read books I try to yeah yeah a great book I need to get better at reading books great book by Carol Carol deer name is yeah what's it called it's called mindset okay um she's the one who I guess coined the term growth mindset if you know what that is so man of my right here Luke mer is a a great example of what can happen in your life if you adopt a growth mindset and um as he talked about using setbacks as an opportunity for continual growth rather than looking at yourself as a victim um if you want to get somewhere in life you got to be willing to work hard and adopting your growth mindset is the way to do it so that's my thought train for amazing I like that I'm a fan of that yeah read the book mindset by Carol DW um you'll see what I'm talking about man here sounds like he's red I don't know if he has probably not [Laughter] but that's a good one yeah well uh thank you guys for listening um make sure you like subscribe um and all the rest of it and we are the Y the official Paramount ill sponsor is remitly the quick safe and the fast way to transfer money to millions of customers that you trust so make sure you guys check that one out [Applause]