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  1. #46
    Administrator DIEHARD's Avatar
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    No slowing down for Nathan Friend since retiring as a Gold Coast Titans NRL legend
    https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/

    BUSY was always a word that could be used to describe Nathan Friend’s NRL playing style and he has not slowed down since hanging up the boots.

    Friend works by day as an asset broker for 1800approved, by night as a business manager for his father-in-law’s dealership O’Brien Toyota and even does a bit of brickwork from time to time on Saturday mornings.

    “And in amongst that I spend time with my two beautiful boys (Axel, 10, and Oliver, 8) and wife (Kelly),” he said.

    “They are at a great age now where the world revolves around them. I get to sit back and watch them develop into little men and play sport.”

    A tremendous role model, Friend is big on nutrition – as he puts it, “you can’t put a plane together with second-hand pieces” – and sees himself one day combining that field with his knowledge from 15 years of NRL footy.

    “With my sporting background, I think I have a little bit to offer there,” he said.

    “I’m pretty keen on the nutrition and wellbeing. I’m not sure what’s around the corner but we’ll wait and see.”

    Friend has thus far resisted the temptation to chuck on the boots and play week in, week out footy in the local competition as the likes of former teammates Ash Harrison and Preston Campbell do but he still is eager for the occasional appearance.

    Last year that involved six legends of league charity matches plus an end-of-year nines tournament.

    He’s back in the gym with an eye on the nines again having recovered from a nasty accident in February.

    “I went down to the skate park with my boys on a Sunday morning and then fell off and dislocated my ankle and broke my fibula,” he said. “So I have got screws in it. I am about eight weeks now past that and feeling OK.”

    Friend captained the Titans in 2016, which proved a fitting swansong as he helped the club to their first finals appearance in six years.

    FAST FACTS

    Age: 37

    Born: Toowoomba, Qld

    NRL debut: 2002, Brisbane v Wests Tigers

    NRL teams: Brisbane (1 game, 2002); Melbourne (34 games, 2003-06); Gold Coast (121 games, 2007-11, 2016); New Zealand (86 games, 2012-15).

    Career win-loss: 129-113 (53.31 per cent)

    ■ Debuted in the famous Baby Broncos side that beat the Wests Tigers 28-14 at Campbelltown Stadium.

    ■ Followed Craig Bellamy to Melbourne, where he played in the 2006 NRL grand final. He had won 19 of 20 games that year before losing to Brisbane in the decider.

    ■ An inaugural Gold Coast Titans player, he became the first to reach the 100-game milestone for the club in Round 8, 2011.

    ■ Won the Peter Frilingos Memorial Award for the headline moment of the year in 2015 for his incredible backflip pass that set up a try.
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  2. #47
    Rep Player ozynorts's Avatar
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    I see Matt the rat (Rodgers) is on the next version of Australian Survivor.

  3. #48
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    ^^^ celebrities/Ex-Athletes etc have historically been quickly voted off in the past on Survivor.

  4. #49
    Administrator DIEHARD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ozynorts View Post
    I see Matt the rat (Rodgers) is on the next version of Australian Survivor.
    Oh hell yea, I'm definitely watching it then.
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  5. #50
    Rep Player ozynorts's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Bods View Post
    ^^^ celebrities/Ex-Athletes etc have historically been quickly voted off in the past on Survivor.
    The new series is made up of half celebrities/athletes so that may prove to be a bit difficult.

  6. #51
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    The story of former Gold Coast Titans forward and NRL journeyman Michael Hodgson
    http://www.gcbulletin.com.au

    MICHAEL Hodgson believes his best years of footy came on the Gold Coast.

    After all, he only arrived at the Titans after fighting tooth and nail to keep his NRL career alive in his final season at Canberra in 2006.

    “I was treading water there for a bit. I don’t think Matt Elliott saw me in his plans but I got an opportunity early in the year and I thought to myself I just need to stay here and play good footy,” Hodgson said.

    “I didn’t want Matt Elliott to dictate that that was when I was going to finish.

    “So he gave me an opportunity to play first grade and he was honest with me, which was great, and I just played my best footy and an opportunity came up to move to the Gold Coast.

    “I wasn’t ready to retire and I still felt that I hadn’t reached my potential and I am very thankful for the Titans and the opportunity that they gave me because it allowed me to have two years there and then move on to finish with three years at the Bulldogs. The best footy I played was after I went to the Titans.”

    Across 14 years, Hodgson quietly accumulated 204 NRL games as a reliable front or second-rower.

    Enjoying the warmer climate, he made his Titans debut in Round 6 of their inaugural season after overcoming a hamstring injury and credits his time at the club for becoming more professional.

    Chief behind that was trainer Billy Johnstone, as well as the presence of players such as Nathan Friend, Mark Minichiello and Luke Bailey.

    Hodgson is now based in Newcastle working for clothing company Paladin Sports. On top of that, he is in his fifth year on the NRL Match Review Committee that issues charges for foul play and occasionally commentates on games for the ABC.

    Unlike many of his former teammates though, he has never felt the urge to pull the boots back on since retiring in 2011. “Sometimes it’s just time,” he laughed.

    Michael Hodgson with Daniel Conn after playing his final game for the Titans before departing for the Bulldogs.

    FAST FACTS: MICHAEL HODGSON

    Age: 38

    Born: Newcastle, NSW

    NRL debut: 1998, Parramatta v South Sydney

    NRL teams: Parramatta (20 games, 1998-00); Canberra (98 games, 2001-06); Gold Coast 35 games, 2007-08); Canterbury (51 games, 2009-11).

    Career win-loss: 95-106 (46.57 per cent)

    ■ Current Bulldogs coach Dean Pay was captain of the Eels side Hodgson debuted in.

    ■ Married to Sally with two daughters, Neve and Isla, the second of whom was born on the Gold Coast.

    ■ Played eight or more games in every year after his one-off appearance in 1998. Found the try-line at least once in 11 of the subsequent 13 seasons despite scoring just 16 tries in total.

    ■ Was crowned Titans clubman of the year in 2008.

    ■ Won his first grand final in the last ever game he played, with Canterbury’s reserve grade.
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  7. #52
    Administrator DIEHARD's Avatar
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    Bob takes centre stage
    http://www.gcbulletin.com.au

    MEN OF LEAGUE

    FORMER Gold Coast Titans cult hero Matt Petersen was the face of a Men of League fundraiser at the Nerang RSL last night.

    More than 100 people headed along to the event in support of Men of League, which works with people within the rugby league family who are facing challenges in their lives.

    Petersen, fondly known as “Sideshow Bob” who played 21 games for the Gold Coast’s NRL club, was the guest speaker for the night while Lloyd Evans was the MC.

    Evans sits on the RSL’s board of directors and was president of the Gold Coast Rugby League Referees Association from 2003 to 2007.
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  8. #53
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    Where are they now: Unearthing the Lost Titans
    https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/

    FIVE years after he retired, foundation Titan Luke O’Dwyer remains a fan favourite.

    The man dubbed “Chalky” due to his propensity for getting injured, O’Dwyer still managed to rack up 102 games for the Titans and set the tone for hardworking local players to follow.

    Now general manager of PhoneAFlight, a company associated with Titans major sponsors TripADeal, O’Dwyer remains on the Gold Coast and retains close links with the Titans.

    “The fondest memories and the best thing about the Gold Coast Titans is that we created such a family culture and bringing my kids up in that arena,” he said.

    “All the families stuck really tight together, did a lot of things together and in those early stages, we created such a beautiful culture at the club.

    “And obviously playing 100 games for your club is something you’ll always remember.”

    O’Dwyer retired in 2013 but did not get to play out the season, with a knee injury prematurely ending his year.

    But in typical O’Dwyer fashion, he did not want to make it all about him, saying simply at the time “not everyone gets the fairytale”.

    “The best thing was I’d called time before that injury but I was still pleased with what I did throughout my career,” he said.

    O’Dwyer worked in sponsorship and corporate relations with the Titans before moving to TripADeal, and then PhoneAFlight and maintains strong links with the club.

    “I hold the club very dearly to the heart and I always want to see them succeed and to have that stepping stone post career was something that really helped me. I’m grateful for what the Titans have showed me and my family and I’ll always be one of their No. 1 supporters.”

    And he believes the club is again on the right path.

    “I think they’re on the right road and we just hope that the community gets behind us.”
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  9. #54
    Administrator DIEHARD's Avatar
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    Former Titans NRL coach Neil Henry leading RISE program at Gold Coast and Coffs Harbour

    FORMER Titans coach Neil Henry is leading the charge for passionate Gold Coast rugby league teens with a key role in the pilot RISE development program.

    Henry is a central figure in the RISE program inspired by the Respect, Inspiration, Selflessness and Excellence values set by the national Kangaroos team.

    It has been adapted into Routine, Identity, Socialise and Evolve to reflect the holistic mentoring for Coast up-and-comers looking to better themselves.

    “It’s for aspirational kids who are 13 to 15-year-olds that haven’t played representative football but they must have played rugby league for at least two years,” Henry said.

    “It’s about engaging players at that age group that really want to better themselves but haven’t got a pathway at the moment.

    “They want to be better players and they want to be better people as well and it sort of fits into the whole value set of the Kangaroos with the RISE.”

    In addition to the skills coaching that Henry and his former assistant coach Terry Matterson run, there is a strength and conditioning component as well as an overall life element spearheaded by Griffith University Associate Professor Allison Waters.
    Players were tested initially for a baseline to monitor their progress and are issued homework focus areas to further their improvement.

    Monthly 150-minute sessions run across five months with 46 juniors on the Gold Coast and 40 at Coffs Harbour.

    “It’s been good to be involved with grassroots rugby league, which I haven’t done for quite a while,” said Henry, who was a teacher before transitioning to professional coaching.

    “The feedback has been really positive around the pilot for it with a view to expanding these development programs throughout initially NSW and Queensland.”

    https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/
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  10. #55
    Administrator DIEHARD's Avatar
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    Turning back the clock for added entertainment: Walker
    Author Chris Walker
    https://www.qrl.com.au/

    While rugby league always seems to enjoy strong TV audiences, there is the discussion about how we could make game day events more enticing.

    It's no simple task, because rugby league is ideal for television and it's easy to sit at home in your civvies and enjoy a game from the comfort of your own lounge.

    But you can't tell me that rugby league fans don't look sidewards with some envy at the crowds and supporter culture that the AFL enjoys.

    People want to go to AFL games to be a part of the atmosphere as much as they care about what's happening on the field.

    Last weekend I was invited to play in the inaugural Broncos v Titans Invitational All Stars match at C-Bus Super Stadium at Robina and it was a real buzz.

    Essentially the match was what is commonly known as a 'Golden Oldies' event – former players from both the Brisbane and Gold Coast clubs.

    It was played as a curtain-raiser to the NRL first grade match between the current stars of both sides.

    Not only did I get to run alongside my childhood idol Steve Renouf once again, but the day threw the spotlight on National Reconciliation Week and the naming of the Preston Campbell Stand.

    There were plenty of good reasons to lace the boots up once more.

    But beyond the feelgood factor, it got me thinking that maybe there was something there for the NRL to consider.

    All the feedback I got from the day was that it was an enjoyable experience, and the social media response afterwards has indicated there is an appetite out there.

    People came nice and early to the venue and got to witness the heroes they'd grown up supporting.

    They got to see which fellas had lost all their hair (Adrian Vowles) and which blokes had let theirs go feral (Kevin Gordon).

    They got to see who had kept their pace in retirement (Scotty Prince) and which ones were short of a gallop (too many to name).

    It was all a bit of a laugh, played in a good-natured spirit, but with some genuine skill tossed in.

    This wasn't premiership-winning rugby league, but it certainly had that important factor – entertainment value.

    My daughter Harper, who is aged 10, even got to run on at one stage and scored herself a length-of-the-field try.

    She capped it off by pulling a few cartwheels and flips she'd learnt in gymnastics.

    It got the crowd involved, made for a great highlights clip, and will probably be something that Harper and her friends talk about for decades to come.

    I know Ash Harrison's son got to score a similar try a few years back and he still brings it up all the time.

    That type of thing appeals to all ages.

    Certainly, we don't want to overdo the concept and have us oldies pulling hamstrings and calf muscles before every NRL fixture, but it has a place.

    I say, let's get some celebrities involved too.

    There have been some classic celebrity football matches in the UK, and how many people out there can still remember Fatty Vautin and Allan Langer playing cricket in the Allan Border Tribute match?

    In tennis they have former legends play in the ATP Champions Tour, which is high on nostalgia and interactivity.

    I think rugby league has stepped up its act in recent years with pre-game performances by musicians, but there's always sections of the crowd that disagree with the choice.

    You can't really go wrong with a curtain-raiser that is made for both the younger and older generations – and which is focused around the same sport as the main event.

    It's that little extra that TV doesn't capture. It could be the difference between someone getting off their couch to come to the game or chucking on the slippers and reclining.
    Last edited by DIEHARD; 14-07-18 at 02:23 PM.
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  11. #56
    Moderator JunctionBlock's Avatar
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    Former Titans star William Zillman goes from professional athlete to horse whisperer
    Words: Denise Raward, Gold Coast Bulletin
    July 22, 2018 12:00am
    Subscriber only
    It’s a well-known phenomenon that professional sports people can lose their way when they retire but NRL veteran Will Zillman seems to have found his.

    There certainly wouldn’t be too many ex-footy players who re-emerge as horsemen but Will always had an eye on where he was heading.

    “I was working on it for a couple of years actually,” the former Gold Coast Titans luminary says. “For the past four or five years I was playing, I’d spend the off seasons learning as much as I could about different methods of horsemanship.

    “I’d contact people whose styles I admired and ask them if I could spend time with them. I didn’t mind paying. I even travelled overseas to some of them and I just learned so much in those years.”

    Will, 31, comes from a long line of horse and cattlemen. His family on his mother’s side has been on the same cattle property outside Proserpine, in the Whitsundays region, for more than 100 years.

    “I’ve always loved riding horses,” he says. “And I’ve always had that thirst for knowledge about them.”

    But being a prodigious footy talent waylaid him for a while. Will played rugby league in his junior years but switched to rugby union at high school in Brisbane and, in 2003, was selected in the Australian Schoolboys side.

    He returned to league the next year and was offered a junior contract with the Canberra Raiders. He played in the Queensland Under 19s side and the Australian Junior Kangaroos in 2005 before making his NRL debut for Canberra in 2006 at 19.

    “In the five years I was in Canberra, I would have only ridden once or twice a year,” Will says. “But when I came to the Gold Coast, I wanted to get back into it again.”

    After he signed with the Gold Coast Titans in 2009, Will bought land and a quarter horse and started to read all he could about horsemanship. He began doing a bit of work with horses on the side, as much as being a professional footy player would allow.


    Former Titan Will Zillman about to open a horse agistment property in the Currumbin Valley as he scales up a move into training horses. William with his horse Timba. Picture Glenn Hampson
    Horses gave him an escape from the world of professional rugby league and the demands of the weekly win/loss cycle. He says horses allowed him to get to know himself better.

    After retiring from footy at the end of last season, Will now runs his own business offering a full range of horsemanship services, specialising in starting and training horses and the subtle art of achieving rider-horse synchronicity.

    “I work with a huge range of different horses and people,” Will says. “Quite a bit of my work is starting horses — I don’t use the word breaking — and I’ve settled into a method that gives the horse the best opportunity to do well without too much force.”

    Will espouses a gentler approach than the old breaking methods of dominating a horse and he’s happy that’s the direction the industry seems to be heading.

    “There’s a lot of people out there these days who’re very conscious of the welfare of the horse and so many people want to relate to their horse and have that connection with them, so all my clients are pretty much on the same page as me.”

    Will is happy to share his horse stories, running through some of the animals that have left their mark on him. It’s hard to remember him speaking about rugby league with such passion.

    “I love working with ex-racehorses,” Will says. “There are some great people these days who take them on. They’re so talented, those big thoroughbreds.

    “I’m working with a stockhorse at the moment, a gelding, and he’s one of the quickest learners I’ve ever seen. He’s a bit of a nervy horse but I’m training him. He’s a real special case.


    Titan Will Zillman about to open a horse agistment property in the Currumbin Valley as he scales up a move into training horses. William with his horse Timba. Picture Glenn Hampson
    “Then there was a waler. They were the horses taken into World War One by the Australian Light Horse. You can see why. They have a real calm about them. She was the most beautiful looking mare.

    “The thing I love about this work though it is that every horse and client is different.”

    But the question remains? After 13 years in the NRL, does he miss footy?

    “The answer is a bit of a cliche,” he says. “Parts of it I miss, the camaraderie that comes with being close to a bunch of really good mates every day and going through the ups and downs together. But this is pretty hard to beat.”

    https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au...e897b2e9af739c

    Link if you wanted to see the pictures

  12. #57

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    Saw Dave Taylor on the news tonight playing for the Capras. Wow! The guy has been in the good paddock.

  13. #58
    Immortal Titanic's Avatar
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    There’s the making of a good petting zoo there ... Wilbur the Horse Botherer and Dave the Sushi Train the denizen of KFC.
    Four reasons to escape to Queensland: Sun, Surf, Sand & the Titans.

  14. #59
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    Quote Originally Posted by Titanic View Post
    There’s the making of a good petting zoo there ... Wilbur the Horse Botherer and Dave the Sushi Train the denizen of KFC.
    Hahaha! I was watching them play the other night and I swear to god the coal train was so unfit after the opposition kicked downfield on the last he didnt get back onside to join the capras attacking line until tackle 4. Id be amazed if he laces up the boots again next season

  15. #60
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    Quote Originally Posted by 5 Year Contract View Post
    Hahaha! I was watching them play the other night and I swear to god the coal train was so unfit after the opposition kicked downfield on the last he didnt get back onside to join the capras attacking line until tackle 4. Id be amazed if he laces up the boots again next season
    What a waste of talent.
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