The Wire in Bondi

This week, I'm joined by former Warrington and Wigan forward Mike Cooper. Mike talks about the fact he has recently retired from the game on the back off medical advice. We discuss his journey through rubgy league from being at Warrington since he was 11 to finishing off his career with world club and super league champions Wigan. We also chat about his time in the NRL and finding it hard when he came back to the Wire. We chat about the highs of the challenge cup wins and lows of the grand final loses. We also discuss how he came to leave Warrington during one of there worst seasons in super league history and why it went so wrong for us during that time. We talk about his international career and that world cup semi final lost to Samoa. We also find out what his plans are for the future and if Warrington have a chance at winning a grand final in the next 5 years.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

This week I'm joined by Challenge Cup winner, Warrington Wolves homegrown player Joe Philbin. We chat about Joe coming through from the academy and making his debut in 2014. We discuss the 2016 season making the grand final but then having a tough season in 2017 resulting in Tony Smiths last season. Joe tells us about Steve Price coming in and how well he got on with him straight away. We talk about losing the 2018 Challenge Cup final to Catalans but then winning the 2019 final against Saints and how big underdogs we were. Joe tells us about how he feels the players let Steve Price down during his last couple of season and the tough play off loses. We chat about the difficult period under Daryl Powell and how hard especially that first season was with coming close to relegation. We also discuss the season just gone under Sam and the tough play off lost to KR but how bright the future looks under Sam with some great young players coming through.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

This week, Former Warrington Wolves and Challenge Cup Winner Dec Patton join us to discuss his time at the Wire and his career so far. Dec tells us about how he started at Warrington, making his debut and becoming a regular within the Warrington squad. We chat about him scoring in the 2016 grand final but sadly ending up on the losing side. We dicuss Tony Smith leaving, Steve Price coming in and that first season under Price losing the Challenge Cup Final and Grand Final in 2018. We chat about Dec forming a great partnership with Blake Austin and his unblievable performance in the win over Saints while Blake was out injured in the 2019 Challenge Cup Final. I ask why we wasn't able to push on after that win and how Dec ended up leaving the club in 2020. Dec tells us about the clubs he's been at since and hints at what his future holds.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

This week, former super league referee Richard Silverwood joins us to discuss his career and his thoughts on the current game now. We chat about his journey to become a super league referee and his first final in 2006. He tells me about what he felt was the turning point in his career and in becoming the main referee for a numbers of years, being the ref for final after final, including many finals Warrington were involved with. We discuss why after the 2013 grand final he didn't referee another final again and the politics within the RFL. Richard opens up on being suspended 3 times by the RFL and how he felt unfairly treated by them and other referees at the time. He chats about him retiring and how he would love to help out the RFL and the young referees coming through now.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

This week, Former Warrington Wolves and Nrl star Blake Austin joins us to chat about his career. Blake chats about growing up in Western Sydney and debuting for Penrith. We found out about how he ended up at Canberra, how close they were at making the grand final and why he left to join Warrington and how he found the super league. We talk about him scoring on his debut and about how well he started at the Wolves. He tells us about how he felt during the Challenge Cup final win against St Helens and how proud he was watching the boys from the sidelines. We try to figure out why Warrington were unable to push on after that win and not being able to make another final during his time there. Blake talks honestly about leaving Warrington and how his time at Leeds and Castleford went. We also chat about the mental side of the game and how much pressue Blake put on himself to perform. Blake gives us an insight in what he is up to now and how he is actually happier now he's retired from the professional game.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

This week, former Warrington Wolves and Bradford Bulls player Matthew Blythe joins us to discuss his career. Matty tells us about him coming through the academy at Warrington and him making his debut against Salford. We chat about him being around the club during the 09 and 10 challenge cup wins and how he could see Warrington pushing in the right direction. We talk about him playing on a regular basis during the 2011 season winning the league leaders sheild. We chat about the reasons why Warrington have been unable to reach the promise land in winning the grand final and if they have underacheived. He talks about him leaving Warrington and moving to Bradford before he returned back to Warrington just before he retired. We find out what Matty is up to now and what he thinks about the game as a whole now.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

This week, Former Warrington Wolves and 3 time Challenge Cup Winner Michael Monaghan joins us to discuss his career and time at the Wire. Michael chats about his time in the NRL and playing in a grand final for Manly before moving to Warrington. He tells us about the tough start he had to his Warrington career and how he and the team was able to turn it around to win the Challenge Cup in 2009 and going back2back by winning it again against Leeds in 2010. We chat about what went wrong in the 2011 play offs and why we couldn't win the grand final during his time there and how Warrington have been unable to since. We also talk about his brother Joel joining, the fall out of why he left Austrlia and how proud he was to win the Challenge Cup again in 2012 with his brother in the same team. We also hear about Michaels coaching career with him currently an assistant at the Gold Coast Titans and why he was never offered a role at Warrington after he retired.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

This week, Kurt Gidley chats to us about his playing career with the Newcastle Knights in the NRL and the Warrington Wolves in the UK Super League. We also discuss his international caps with NSW and Australia and tells us why it was such a honour playing for them both. He chats to us about losing the challenge cup and grand final with Warrington and how if certain things had worked differently we could've easily won both. We find out who he would want on a night out and just had good it was playing with Andrew Johns.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

This week, I'm joined by former Warrington Wolves Captain Chris Hill, he tells us about his future plans and looking forward to the England games coming up. We chat about his start at Leigh and how he nearly quit the sport before signing for Warrington. He tells us about the early succes at the wolves and how close we came to winning at least 1 grand final. Chris describes how Tony Smith told him about becoming the wolves captain and how it took a while to sink it. We also speak about the differences between Tony Smith and Steve Price and how Price made him do a big army camp as soon as he came in which ruined his Christmas. Chris talks with proudness of the 2019 Challenge Cup win against St Helens and confirms it's his best moment of his Warrington career. We also heard about how he left Warrington and how he has enjoyed his time at huddesfield. We look back at Chris's international career and look forward to what the future holds for Chris.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

This week, former New Zealand Warrior, St Helens and Warrington player Vinnie Anderson chats to us about his career. We discuss the early years at the Warriors, joining St Helens and playing with the likes of Jamie Lyon. The success of that St Helens team and winning the double there. He tells us about how he came to join Warrington and playing with his brother there. We talk about the Challenge Cup success and how playing poker helped them the night before. Vinnie also talks about how good Adrian Morley was and how his leadership on and off the field really helped the team.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm