Unsung club hero Matty Middleton gets Brisbane Broncos in gear



IN a 20-year career with the Broncos, Matty Middleton has never once been sent to the bin — but he’s jumped out of one.

Such is the endearing gear steward’s affection for his club a big victory will often ignite the boisterous side of his character.

He might surprise the team by bursting out of a gear bag or even, as was the case after one victory in Townsville, a wheelie bin in the middle of a team song.

The Broncos call Middleton the keeper of their flame.

He received life membership of the club at this season’s club launch for his two decades of service in a touching speech by club chairman Dennis Watt.

Watt said the spirit of the club’s recruiting legend Cyril Connell and founder co-owner Paul Morgan lives on through Middleton who buzzes around the Broncos’ home base at Red Hill like a man with an hour to save the world.

It was Connell who took on Middleton for work experience and, spotting his relentless enthusiasm, invited him back for a full-time job which involves presenting players with their cherished first jerseys and washing those jerseys in a working day that stretches past midnight.

Months before his death, Connell called Middleton his best recruit which, given he signed 15 of the Broncos’ last premiership squad, was quite a wrap and immediately made Middleton the most vaunted gear steward in the business.

As keeper of the flame, it is probably appropriate he sets sparks flying in dressingroom celebrations.

His dressingroom zeal is such that it put Kevin Rudd’s two bodyguards on red alert after the then prime minister entered the Broncos room after a win.

“I thought I was going to get tasered,’’ he said.

“Kevin was smiling but there were two guys with vests and side-arms and you should have seen the way they looked at me when I started banging on the bin and jumping on it.’’

Like the players, he has his own good and bad nights like the time he followed instructions on how to iron on numbers on new jerseys, only to have them fall off in the middle of a game.

“Petero Civoniceva came in to go to the bathroom and his number 10 was hanging off and I went ‘oh my god ...’,’’ Middleton said.

“I was shattered. I remember walking along the sideline and ‘Sammy’ Thaiday looked at me and said ‘nice work ‘Middo’ … (you had) one job mate’. He was smiling – I think.’’

After winning two from two this season Broncos head coach Anthony Griffin isn't getting ahead of himself but admits they entered the season feeling confident
Middleton is comforted by the thought that players have their own dressingroom bloopers.

“One player came up to me once 40 minutes before a game and said “I have only one boot’. I said ‘why tell me now?’ and he said ‘I just didn’t know what to say’.

“I had to catch a cab from Suncorp (Stadium) back here to Red Hill, grab a boot and get back 20 minutes before kick-off. The player was desperate for the coach not to find out what happened but he found out anyway.’’

Once when he was hiding in a gear bag to surprise the players when they returned to the rooms after a win, an overjoyed player kicked the bag in celebration when he entered the room and was taken aback to hear “OWWWWW ... that’s my back.’’

Middleton happily lets his emotions loose after a win but tries to hide the sorrow he feels after a loss because he says it is the last thing the players need.

He describes Allan Langer as the funniest player he has worked with and Darren Lockyer the most relaxed and the affection flows both ways, with Lockyer presenting him with a specially minted jersey with his name on it and saying “his generous, humble nature is an example of the values the club stands for.’’

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