SOME STAINED PANTS

I played two games of Origin, in 2009.

In my first game, one of the best things that happened to me in rugby league happened. I had my beard pulled by Steve Price through three players.

It was outstanding. It was the best ever. I’m on my back, being dominated. Typical. Two blokes are on top. Price’s hand fed through the bodies, gripped my beard, then he rolled it so his knuckles went into my throat. So good. I remember coughing when I got up and thinking, ‘Shit, that’s awesome’.

That was my first hit-up. That was ‘Welcome to Origin’. It was great. He’s a big man. I ran into him a few times and that wasn’t the right thing to do.

I played in game three when the bomb went up with 75 seconds left and it erupted.

I was over the far side for the biff, but I was right behind Kurt Gidley for the bomb. I thought it might have been coming at me. There were definitely some stained pants that night. That was good. That’s when you know you are alive.

MY PHONE WAS DEAD

The 2013 grand final loss to Roosters wasn’t my best game.

I remember coming off the park winning 50-10 and I’d be filthy because there were parts I needed to improve. If we won that game and I played terribly, I would have partied but I wouldn’t have been happy.

I went home to my couch in Dee Why. This shit article came out about ‘Wolfman’s missing’. I didn’t even know.

The club tried to do a review three days after the game. Who would do it three days after a grand final? It had never happened before. What’s to review? A lot was going on for me that year – on field, off field.

And then all that stuff happened.

My phone was dead. My missus couldn’t call me. She knew to throw a rock at the window and I’d go around and open the door.

All that stuff came out in a shit way. You just need time to chill. There was no previous plan for a review. I wasn’t even on a contract. I didn’t sign until October 31, the last possible date.

But 2013 was my best season, 100 per cent. Performance-wise and everything else, definitely my best year.

AS FUNNY AS HELL

There were so many gags going on at Manly. The Stewart boys were always up for them. Everyone was on the same page with everything. Everyone enjoyed a drink, everyone knew football was No.1, and there were a few good guys who knew how to rattle everyone.

Luke Williamson was as funny as all hell. He’d do the Cougar (from the rum and bourbon ads). He grew his mullet. He’d jump out of the bushes at training in Narrabeen and start doing ninja stuff.

His 30^th birthday party was one of the biggest events I went to when I started. It was a movie theme. He went as Cher from the ‘Turn Back Time’ film clip and his missus got the cougar to come to his party.

In the morning, before we smashed the Roosters, I was across the road filling up my Wilson with bark and sticks because I went as ‘Castaway’. I had the hair.