A Conversation with Reds and Wallabies Legend, Elton Flatley

While I was in Melbourne for "Super Round", I was lucky to get to interview a real legend of the game, former Reds and Wallabies flyhallf Elton Flatley!

(Click here to read about our trip last weekend with Elton, Bill Ross and 50 other Reds members. Now is a great time to be a Reds member and supporter!) A special thanks to Minako for helping arrange the interview!

What have you enjoyed most about this trip so far?

Probably the people! We’ve got a great touring group that are very passionate about Reds rugby. It’s good to feel a part of the Reds family again!

What are your thoughts on the current Reds squad?

It was a disappointing night last night, they started really well, but I think they’ve got a great squad. There’s some great young talent and some older guys like James O’Connor. It’s disappointing he wasn’t out there last night, but the young 10 [Lawson Creighton], he had a good game, especially for his first game in that role.

Sam Cordingly along with Brad Thorne have done a really good job of developing that squad over the years and I think they’re in a pretty good space.

What was it like being one of the first players in the “professional” rugby era?

It was good… it was a great moment getting paid to play the game that you love. While there were still some amateur components, it’s definitely wasn’t as professional as they are now. They train really hard and they have to be a lot more dedicated to what they do.

We had a good mix of having a good time off the field and playing professionally on the field.

What’s your favourite memory, playing (or training) at Ballymore stadium?

Probably my favourite game was when I was an 18 year old, playing against Auckland. They had a very good team in 1996 and we beat them by a lot [51-13]. It was probably the most complete Reds performance I was a part, against the team that went on to win the comp that year. We played against the great Jonah Lomu, Fitzpatrick, Zinzan Brooke, Michael Jones… some great players!

What’s your number one memory from the 2003 World Cup?

It was great playing a World Cup in front of your friends and family. The semi-final against the All Blacks was a great game. They beat us on that same field several months before by around 40 points and to go on and turn that table and beat a good team in the semi-final was great. Sadly, a week later we were obviously very disappointed that we couldn’t get across the line against the English, they were a very good team. But just having a World Cup at home was very special and we’ll look forward to 2027 when we have it here.

What inspired you to first play rugby?

I always did what my older brother did, basically, whether it was playing soccer, rugby league or rugby. Then I went to a boarding school that played rugby, Nudgee College… I had a great coach there, Tom Barker, that taught me the game… but yeah I fell in love with rugby at Nudgee College.

What’s been your main game since you retired from rugby?

I’ve got a financial planning business. That’s what gets me out of bed in the morning! I went and worked for a few of the big banks to do my apprenticeship and then I started my own business about 10 years ago.

What advice would you give to players that want to play rugby professionally, both girls and boys?

I think a lot of it comes down to hard work. If you really want to get something, really want to be a professional rugby player or whether you want to be very good at something else, you’ve got to work really hard and devote yourself to it. There’s no secrets really. It’s hard work - and try and find the best coaching you can get. I had some great coaches and mentors when I was a young person. But all of it comes down to hard work.

What’s your favourite thing to that has nothing to do with rugby?

I love taking my dog for a walk every day. I take him up to the dog park every day, and that’s my little hour of relaxation that I really enjoy. There’s plenty of other thing, but that’s the daily thing that I enjoy.

Thank you very much for your time.

No, thank you Tom. Thank you for coming and thanks for supporting the Reds!

A Super Smorgasbord of Rugby in Melbourne

Last weekend I was lucky enough to travel to Melbourne for a FANTASTIC weekend of rugby. It was "Super Round", which meant that all Super rugby teams were scheduled to play over three nights. (The Force/Moana game was postponed due to a corona virus outbreak...) but every other team faced up!

It was an amazingly well-planned trip, organised by the Reds membership crew. It was great to have Jim Tucker, Elton Flatley, Bill Ross join us for the tour as well as many of the leaders at the Reds organisation. (Click here to read my interview with Elton. It was a lot of fun!)

We flew from Brisbane to Melbourne on a chartered jet (thanks Alliance!) early on Saturday morning and the action kicked off straight away.

We had lunch as a group and got to hear stories and perspectives from Jim, Elton, Bill and Sam Cordingly before we headed to AAMI Park for the action.

There were many great rugby games played, but unfortunately the Reds couldn't pull off the win this time. I did takeaway many positives from the game though, including Lawson Creighton stepping up to the number 10 role for the first time, with James O'Connor injured.

Enjoying GREAT food and conversation about the game we all love

It was good having Jim Tucker with us for the trip

Click here to read my full interview with Elton Flatley

A HUGE thanks to Minako and the Reds membership crew for organising an outstanding weekend. I'd highly recommend becoming a Reds member and joining our trip next year, if you can!

I love rugby and I love talking with rugby supporters. Reds rugby still rules!

A Conversation with Queensland's own James O'Connor

This week I was fortunate enough to catch up with Reds (and Wallabies) fly-half James O’Connor. We had a great chat about a number of things, including where the Reds at and even his reflections on last years Wallabies spring tour.

It was good to catch up in person this time around. (Our last interview was done via Zoom, due to the player bubble.) James seemed relaxed and yet ready for action against the Rebels this Friday!

Hey James, great to catch up with you today! The last time we caught up for an interview was back in August 2020, using Zoom. A lot’s happened since then!

The Super Rugby Pacifica season has been great for the Reds, I’ve really enjoyed watching every game. What have been some of your highlights this season?

Highlights this season… I’d say two games. One was round two against the Waratahs, I felt they came out firing. They’re a good pack and they were very physical that match. We probably weren’t at our best and we lost I think two to the sin bin, one yellow card and possibly one red card. It was a wet, messy night and the team just found a way to win. It was a great showing of how tight were are as a group, not having any territory and possession, we still got the job done. That was a highlight…

And then, last round, beating the Brumbies down at home. It was good to knock the Brumbies off.

The Brumbies game at Suncorp was one of my highlights as well! What was the teams main focus heading into and during that game?

I’d say the main focus was the Brumbies cos we played them two week earlier, cos we felt we had their measure. So our main focus was making sure we stopped their set-piece, their line-out maul, their scrum plays etcetera, stop their momentum and then it was just us playing our game, early on. So we had the ball rolling, worked through some phases and we got to see some good rugby.

What have been some of the big lessons you’ve learnt during this season?

Biggest lessons I’ve learnt this season… probably that you don’t have to have the ball to win the game. We’ve relied a lot on our defence this year, turning teams around, fatiguing them, which is a new tactic for the Reds. Normally we try to hold the ball a lot longer, because our phase attack shape is probably one of the best in the comp. But this year we’ve turned teams around early and starved them of positive areas of the field, which has been a big area of learning for me.

I also haven’t had a chance to ask you about the Wallabies tour last year. How would you describe your overall experience travelling through Europe?

It was a tough tour. There were quite a few new combinations… we brought a lot of players back from Europe like big Willy Skelton, Izaac Rodda had just come back, Rory Arnold and Tolu Latu… it was awesome to have all the boys come back and it was just us finding our flow again… I felt that unfortunately it was the last game it took to sort of get our combinations really firing. We ended the game on a positive note which will be good for this year.

How do you unwind and relax after a big game?

Hmmm. Plenty of different things to do. A lot of the guys like to go out for a beer and enjoy each others company, I’m more one to just get home now.. maybe having a little cheat meal whatever that may be, a bit of sushi, a burger or something, maybe every now and again I’ll crack open a nice glass of whiskey, but it’s more so the next day… I’ll have a bit of a sleep-in, get into the water and head down to the coast or head down to the rain forest with my Mrs and the dog.

This Friday the Reds are playing the Rebels, in Melbourne. The following week, you’re playing the Hurricanes for Super round! I can’t wait! I’ll be there for the Super round game. What has the team been working on the most during training, looking to the next few away games?

Every week you work on something new, depending on who your playing. So you’ve got your own game plan, then you tweek it up depending on the opposition. This week we have the Rebels, they play a particular way, they have a lot of line speed, a lot of physicality, they don’t like to play with the ball in their own half, so there may be a few more kicks than usual. And moving on to the kiwi teams, it’ll be a whole different task. We take it one week at a time. Yeah that week will be cool (Super round.)

I’m really looking forward to that trip! I’ll be there with a bunch of the Reds members. 

Super round’s gonna be great! We’re all looking forward to that one.

As always, thanks for taking time out to chat today. All the best this week against the Rebels!

Thanks brother. Good to chat to you again. Look forward to seeing you at Super round!

The Reds are playing the Melbourne Rebels this Friday, kicking off at 7:45pm.

Sitting Back with Spencer: A Conversation with Reds halfback Spencer Jean

On Tuesday, I caught up with Reds half-back Spencer Jean! It’s my second interview for the week (make sure you catch up on my conversation with Super W star Ivania Wong here as well).

Spencer made his way into the Reds ranks at the end of last year and had a strong debut in Sydney against our old foe the Waratahs.

We had an awesome chat - it’s good to know the future of the Reds is in good hands with players like Spencer coming through!

Hey Spencer, thanks for taking the time to catch up today.

No worries, it’s a pleasure!

Your debut game with the Waratahs was a very close and an exciting match! You played really well! How did you feel going into that game? 

Yeah, it was very exciting, and thank you! I wasn’t too nervous, because I was picked for the week before, so to get that experience and just to sit in it and get the whole vibe of how everything works was probably good for me. I guess I was kind of fortunate that when I did have to go on I didn’t have to much time to think about it really, I just went on and got straight into work. It was good, I was happy with it.

That helps answers my next question which was whether you were nervous or excited before the game… Also, how did you you deal with the mental aspect of that game? 

I was very excited - the whole trip I was very excited. I probably didn’t get nervous until after the warm up, when I was sitting on the bench. But when I saw Tate go down I got pretty nervous. Mentally, I’ve got good boys around me so I know that they’re going to do the job. I’ve just got to do my own job and I guess I take care of that side myself.

How would you describe your experience has been while training with the Reds boys? 

Incredible. Since coming in late last year - it’s such a tight group so I was a little bit nervous, coming into it, knowing that they’re a real close bunch, but they’ve welcomed me in with open arms. You’re training each day with your best mates, it’s such a close group and I guess it drives you to do a little bit better because you know they’re pushing you as well.

What’s been a highlight of this season so far?

Definitely getting my debut, 100%. You know, you do it against the Waratahs down there in those pretty tough conditions and to get good minutes as well, 45 minutes and a win. I was really stoked, I had my family there, I had my mates there, it was pretty special. So it was definitely a highlight.

Awesome! What are some of the challenges you’ve faced?

I’ve been very fortunate, I haven’t had to many bad injury’s so I guess that’s a bonus for me. Probably the challenge to begin with was the drive from the Gold Coast, I was doing that every day. As cliche as it sounds, it was tiring on the body. So moving up here was the first time out of home, that wasn’t too much of a challenge, obviously I had a lot of support. In terms of challenges I’ve been very lucky, as I said it’s a close group and I have a lot of mates around me that are constantly supporting me. I’ve been lucky in that aspect.

From your perspective, which game has been the toughest so far, this season?

From my perspective, the first one that comes to mind is the Fijian Drua game. Out of the games I’ve played in, that Drua game was a bit tough, obviously on the back end they scored 3 tries on us in 5 minutes which just shows how incredible they are, so that’s definitely tough. The other one would be the first time we played the Brumbies, there was some high pressure situations at the end there which made it a bit tougher. So those two are the ones that stick out for me.

Who were your rugby hero’s growing up?

My rugby heroes growing up…….great question. I always loved Will Genia - since watching him play for the Reds, he’s been a massive hero. As I got a bit older, I also idolised Aaron Smith obviously, being a halfback as well. I’ve always looked at his game, as one of the best in the world, so he would be up there as well.

You’ve been playing scrum half, has this always been your position of choice?

No, funnily enough. When I first started playing rugby, I was actually a hooker! I was a little bit chunkier when I was a kid. Once the boys all started getting a little bit bigger, I played flanker until I was about 16, then I only started playing scrum half when I was 16 - 17. I’m fairly new to the position, but I’ve had a few years now, so I’m starting to figure out.

Do you have a favourite post-training food?

Post training food… I mean.. GYG is pretty good! A love a burrito, a bit of Guzie is good. I’d have to say that is up there… a Guzie burrito would definitely be my favourite post training snack.

Thank you again Spencer for taking the time to chat today, enjoy your time off and all the best for the next game!

No worries, thanks for having me. I look forward to seeing you there!

Catching up with Reds Star Ivania Wong

Earlier this week, I was able to catch up with Queensland Reds winger Ivania Wong. She and the team had just beaten the Melbourne Rebels decisively over the weekend (55-5) and are preparing for a big game this weekend against the Waratahs, in the lead up to the finals!

Last weekend was special in many ways. Queensland women players were also honoured and celebrated, and I was lucky to be at Suncorp Stadium to support. There were a few teary eyes in the place as many of the women that have played over the last 27 years were given their numbered cap. (This has been a tradition for the mens squad for many years.)

After the game and presentation, the players, past and present, took part in a "lap of honour" around the stadium.

In my opinion, all of this highlighted the superb quality of rugby that is being played in Queensland and across the whole Super W competition. If you aren't following, now is a great time to do just that!

While you prepare your Stan Sports subscription ahead of this weekends game, I hope you enjoy reading my interview with Ivania Wong!

(You can also catch up on my 2018 interview with her here.) A special thanks to Flick, as always, for arranging the interview.

Hey Ivania, thanks for taking time to chat. Congrats on an amazing performance over the weekend against the Rebels. Everyone smashed it on the field. The atmosphere was great up in the stands.

Thank you!

How are you and the Reds girls feeling after the game?

We’re really happy about winning over the weekend, especially because it was such a special occasion for Queensland womens rugby and getting our caps. So to have past players there, to share that moment with them and to get that win, for all of us really, that have put on that jersey, it was really special. It was a bit emotional as well, I’m not gonna lie (laughs). There were a few tears out there after the game, but it was a really proud moment for us and for women’s rugby.

What were some of your take-aways from the game?

I think the connection between the backs and forwards was really good. The support was always there once there was a break, the team was just working for each other. That’s what made it even more special, the fact that we fought for each other, until the time stopped.

Also, congrats on getting three tries! That must have been pretty special.

Thank you. Yeah, it was pretty special. I got pretty lucky, everyone else did the hard work and I was just in the right place at the right time. Yeah, I got lucky with three tries (laughs.)

How does it feel being one try away from equaling the Queensland record for tries scored?

(Stunned silence). I didn’t know that. I did not know that Tom! That’s pretty surprising!

You’re on 15 tries and the record is 16.

I didn’t know that Tom. I really have to try and beat that record and get over during this game (laughs).

It could happen! Bronwyn Laidlow is the current record holder, with 16.

Oh wow. She’s the one that gave me my cap, I was lucky enough to get my cap from her on Saturday!

That leads me to my next question… last weekend was “Women in Rugby” round. You and many Queensland women, past and present, were honoured after the game. What did you enjoy most about the event? And how does “Cap 187” feel?

It was a pretty special moment. I think for all of us in Queensland, the women that have put on that jersey before us, we wouldn’t be here doing this if it wasn’t for them. So to get to share that with everyone… it was pretty special. And obviously, having our families and everyone with us… ah you got me Tom. I’m not supposed to cry at training.

Yeah that was special to get to do that. And to have them all come on to the field afterwards and interact with them and thank them, really, for what they did for us. Dang it Tom, you made me cry. Don’t tell anyone, ok (laughs.)

When we last caught up, you said your goal was to make the Wallaroos! It looks like you’ve now cemented yourself into that squad. What are your new goals now - in and outside of rugby?

I think this year, my goal going into this Super W season was just to be consistent and play well and do my part for the team. Hopefully my names on that list again after Super W. Hopefully I’ll get to put on the green and gold jersey this year. But my jobs not done yet, I still have to wear the Queensland jersey for now.

What’s your favourite thing to do, when your not playing rugby?

When I’m not playing, I just like to chill. Just relax and get away from rugby and just refresh. I don’t really like to do anything, I just love to chill, relax, freshen up and then get back into it.

Thanks for another great interview. All the best this weekend, against the Waratahs!

I can’t wait! Thanks for having me.

The Queensland Reds kick off for the final round of Super W against the Waratahs this Saturday at 2:20pm!!!