What a Lad

Ryan Crotty - What a Lad

When I saw Ryan Crotty strolling down my street the other day I thought I need to get this Canterbury, Crusader and All Black legend on the podcast because he is one of the great lads!
Fresh after returning from Japan after winning the Top League with Kubota, Crotts was straight back helping out at the Crusaders at training which basically sums up what a lad this man is.
In this episode he goes through his pathway through the NZ ranks which saw him go from being the ball boy for Dan Carter to playing outside him in the space of a few years. Ryan talks about some of his tougher years battling with injuries in particular concussion and also missing out on selection for the 2015 RWC. There was also plenty of good times to reminisce on as well, winning 7 NPC title, 3 Super Rugby titles, 5 Rugby Championships and heaps more.
As you will hear Ryan Crotty is one of those genuine good guys who has an awesome mindset towards life.

Jack Goodhue- What a Lad

For episode 200 I could not think of a better guest than the large chested All Black midfielder Jack Goodhue! It was so good to get him on What a Lad to share plenty of laughs and thoughts from his career to date.
Jack the proud Northland boy has had a career many dream of. Winning NPC titles with Canterbury, winning 6 Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders and becoming an All Black all make for a great CV. Amongst all that success is also a fair amount of hard times as well, in particular dealing with long term knee injuries. It was awesome to hear how he managed to deal with these and some advice for anyone in a similar situation.
He also talks about his beloved mullet, how one book changed his life and he even tells the story on why his testicles distracted him from is All Black call up.
I'm sure you will all enjoy this episode and if you do remember to please give it a share.

Greig Laidlaw- What a Lad

When I think of Scotland Rugby I straight away think Greig Laidlaw, the absolute lad who has captained his country more than any other player.
He's also someone who has had so many great experiences playing all around the world which included Edinburgh in Scotland, Gloucester in England, Clermont in France and the Shining Arcs in Japan. Over his career he was known as one of the best goal kickers in the game and ended up with the 2nd most point ever scored for Scotland.
Having just retired from the game it's always cool to hear the story from the start all the way through and how he has gone straight into coaching next season in Japan.
Full of good stories this one and although I had never actually meet Greig before it felt like I'd known him for years, such a lad!
 

Sevu Reece & George Bower- What Lads

What’s better than having one Crusader and All Black legend on the podcast? Thats right, having two of them and for  this episode we have just that, with Sevu Reece and George Bower coming on together.
Both Sevu and George have just had major knee surgery which will rule them out for the the year including the RWC. So disappointing for them and all that fans that we won’t get to see them on the biggest stage, however it was awesome to hear both of their mindsets and plans for the 9months recovery.
Both men have incredibly cool stories on how they got to the All Black jumper too. Sevu who lived in Fiji until moving to Hamilton Boys on a rugby scholarship burst on to the scene with an incredible debut season with the Crusaders which saw him make his All Black debut the same year.
While George battled away in the Taita College 2nd XV and played many years in the Dunedin Club scene before eventually getting his chance at Super Rugby winning the competition in his first season.
I loved this episode, two great Fijian lads who have had incredible careers and plenty of good stories and advice for you to enjoy.

Paul Williams- What a Lad

If there is one job in rugby that is under appreciated it has to be the referee, such a tough job in such a complex game where the expectation is to always be right. This week I was lucky enough to have Paul Williams on What a Lad and Paul is in my opinion one of the best referees in the game.
It's always good to get an insight into a different side of the game and hearing more about life as a referee is fascinating. I also think hearing Paul speak helps you realise that he is just a good lad who is making spilt second decisions to the best of his ability. 
I really enjoyed this episode and grateful to have Paul come on and share some valuable insight in to being a ref and some good yarns.

Stacey Waaka- What a Lad

Stacey Waaka is one of the biggest stars in the womens game, she has been a key member of the successful NZ womens 7's side as well as the Black Ferns! She has won gold medals at the Commonwealth games and the Olympics and has also won the RWC in both forms of the game.
The journey of Stacey's rugby career has been over a period of time where the women's game has changed dramatically. Women's rugby is one of the fastest growing team sports in the world and after seeing the Black Ferns sell out Eden Park I am not surprised. Stacey is hugely admired around the world and she is such a good role model for any young athlete looking to make it in the game.
I really enjoyed this one, awesome story, great energy and Stacey is just an all round good sort.

Codie Taylor- What a Lad

Codie Taylor is one of NZ rugbys great lads, a champion man on and off the field. He's also one of the best hookers in the modern era where his speed and skillset set him apart.
Codie is someone who takes great care of his body, he has a rigorous training and recovery schedule which has certainly helped him avoid injuries throughout his 12 year career to date. However that doesn't mean its all smooth sailing, hearing him speak about how tough it can be under the spotlight when your form isn't where you'd like it to be was interesting.
Codie has also launched his own recovery and performance drink called Eclipse, an unreal drink! That was cool to hear about how he got into running his own business and what he has learnt from that experience. I really enjoyed this one,
Codie Taylor is one of the greats.
Thanks to our mates at Speights for sponsoring this episode.

Israel Dagg- What a Lad

Israel Dagg is one of the all time greats! At his peak the gifted fullback made rugby look easy, even in the All Black jersey in some of the biggest tests
In his first ever podcast appearance, Izzy Dagg is incredibly open and honest about his journey through the good and the bad. He obviously had some amazing highs in the game such as winning Super Rugby with the Crusaders and the 2011 RWC at home. However like everyone he has had some real tough periods to get through too and the moment when he got caught going out before the RWC quarter final is certainly one. 
With his life after footy being a huge success for him becoming a Radio host with SENZ and TV star, it was surprising to hear how much he struggled once he rugby career had finished. So grateful to have Izzy come on and be so honest and vulnerable, he really is an absolute lad.
Cheers to our mates at Speights for sponsoring this episode.

Tim Bateman- Life after Rugby

Life after rugby or life after professional sport is hard. As you would’ve heard in previous episodes with retired players, everyone handles it differently. The goal of this episode is to help prepare players better for that transition and who better to give advice than the legend Tim Bateman. Timmy has nailed his transition, he’s formed NZ’s largest wellbeing centre in @ostudio_nz, he’s written and released 2 top selling children’s books, he’s coaching the Crusaders development team, he’s a great father to his kids and husband to his wife and he is just a champion all round lad. 
However as you’ll hear, even Tim has struggled with life post footy but what he has done, is he has narrowed it down to 6 challenges. These challenges are what he believes are key to overcoming to nail the transition. Even thinking about and/or understanding some of these challenges, I think will help massively for when that time comes. This is a podcast I wish I could’ve done 5 years ago as some of Timmys theory’s are gold for anyone coming to the end.
If you know someone who is coming to the end of their sporting career, sharing this episode with them could help them massively so please do so.
Also thanks to our mates at speights for sponsoring this episode.

Eljiah Taylor- What a Lad

Elijah Taylor is a Rugby League legend here in NZ. He has played big roles for NRL sides including the Warriors, Panthers and Tigers, as well as playing internationally for the Kiwis. He is a man with the drive to succeed more than most and has put everything into his rugby league career, which is still going strong today. He is also a qualified pilot and a future rap star, a man of many talents!
However, the bulk of this episode is about one of the craziest stories I've ever heard. During his career his manager stole over 400k from his bank account! I love how open and honest Elijah is in this episode, he's a seriously good lad who just wants no one else to be in the same position he got in to.
If you enjoy this episode as much as I did please give it a share.
And thanks to our mates at Speights for bringing you this episode.