(upbeat music) This episode is brought to you by Experian. Are you paying for subscriptions you don't use, but can't find the time or energy to cancel them? Experian could cancel unwanted subscriptions for you, saving you an average of $270 per year and plenty of time. Download the Experian app. Results will vary, not all subscriptions are eligible. Savings are not guaranteed, paid membership with connected payment account required. Think you know the Brooks ghost? Think again, introducing the all new, better than ever, Ghost 16. Now with nitrogen infused cushioning for lightweight, supreme softness that feels good every step, every street, every single day. So go ahead, take your daily joy ride in the all new nitrogen infused, Ghost 16. It'll turn your everyday miles into everyday endorphins. Let's run there. Head to brooksrunning.com to learn more. (upbeat music) ♪ Yeah ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ Freedom ♪ - We've been loving hearing this song so many times this year. We'll be hearing it again. I'm sure on Saturday down at Utah Stadium, Michael Walters is joining us, the female lockers superstar. Thanks to the Tukey Depo's massive clearance sale. Get up to 40% off your favorite tool brands. Michael, I appreciate your time. Good morning. - Good morning. Thanks for having me. - Pleasure. - In the game after this weekend, you'll be one game behind the great Shane Parker on the list of games played. You'll move to 237, 42, 38. And you're not far away from being in the top four. If you play all the games and finals, you can jump ahead of Johnson and McFarlane by year's end. - Oh, there you go. No, that's something, that's something that obviously, and sorry, you couldn't really look at. But it's definitely something at the back end of my career that there's no doubt that I'll look back on it. Fundly because all the hard work that I put in, but yeah, like you said, I want to play the rest. The rest of the games you share, and hopefully you'll be in the finals. And they'll put a big smile on the plate. - Hey, are you a good sub? Do you like being the sub? I mean, I don't say like, that's not the word I should be asking. But when you're sitting there and you're thinking, oh, has he done a hammy? I hope so. No. (laughing) What are you thinking, Sonny? What are you thinking at the time when you're a sub? What's your mindset? - I actually don't mind being the sub 'cause you can come on. Everyone's tired and being 33, you know, you can sort of swim around the field whenever you come on. But on the weekend, it wasn't great. It was, it was bloody cold out there on the change bench. I felt like an old school play. I had a blanket on, so. Now it's one of those things where you sort of, I'm happy to play whatever role I want to play. And I know that I've got to play, say that. That's definitely the mindset that I've got later part of my career. And like I said, the sub role, you can go on and have a bit of an impact. So I think that a lot of good plays and especially speaking, fast plays about myself, wink, can be out there and have an impact. (laughing) - He's given us the win. - I know I've got visuals of Sonny sitting there in an old school dressing gym. - Yeah, exactly. - Yeah, really old school. - Dain Reppi. - Hey, so Sonny, just in regards to, when you were out injured and you were coming back, were you aware of the outside noise of people going, "Oh, you might have to go back through Peel. "Have we seen the last of Michael Walters?" All these, it was all this type of chat. Are you aware of all that sort of stuff? Or are you comfortable knowing that one, you were probably going to come straight back in your proven fitness? And were you in consultation with the coach? - Yeah, it was one of those things where like, the outside noise, you're going to hear no matter what. You know, and you'll, and you'll see to think that you're going to go through a lot without hearing someone somewhere say something. So I definitely hear the outside noise. There's no doubt about it. And to be honest with you, like I was in consultation with the coach and staff, but really everyone's playing their role. Everyone's playing their brand of fully in the selection is so tight and the fan of the doctors and it's healthy for the free club. So I'm excited about that. I was in no mindset that I was sure that I was going to come back straight back in. I was waiting for anything. But like I said, you know, with that, with that sub goal, I was able to play majority of the season, but then to have two weeks off through that hamstring, I put in the hard yachts at training. And, you know, I was lucky enough that I was able to come back through the sub. - Mate, I'll lose me, absolute nana. If I'll ever see you in a peel jumper, you know that. And you've always been, always been my favorite doctor. You're aware of that as well. But I tell you, you're under pressure at the moment because I've got a full man crush on Josh Tracy at the moment. He's really nippin' at the end to be my favorite doctor. He is just playing our standing football and he just looks like the complete player at the moment. - Yeah, he is. And that's all the hard work that he's put in throughout the off season, the first season, but also even now throughout the week, he's out there doing touch. And that's a beauty that our fully club and the coaching staff is that we're trying to build the player for the future as well. And we're not just looking at just this week. So a lot of boys are out there seven a.m. in the morning doing touch before our main training session, working on everything in the gym and, you know, crossing the trees, don't know ours. And you can definitely see it out in the field. You see players stand out hating youngs and having outstanding seats in as well. You know, like I said, Josh Tracy is just, you know, he's a massive force in the forward line but then also his leadership is far beyond the expectations of all those going to the end of the year. - Yeah, I reckon, mate, when you were playing, when you were playing, I reckon that the group around you stood taller when you were out there. But are you standing taller with Josh Tracy out there? He's loved for the physical side of things and protection of his teammates and, you know, he's hit up ball and he's kicking. You see now a guy 10 years you're junior, but are you standing taller having him next to you? - Definitely, because you know exactly what you're going to get when you go up the race. It was just like walking up the race with Matt Patterson, also I hadn't balanced on. You knew what you're going to get. And Josh Tracy, you can see the contest that he brings is a good mark, but also it brings the ball to ground. It corrects those two B1 contests, which also brings it ground where we can come off. So it's definitely an important play for us. And he's the sort of player, San Diego, beat them to the season as well. We saw Hawthorne here two weeks ago. They were very good against West Coast. They really put West Coast to the sort, probably the beginning of the end in a roundabout way for poor Adam Simpson. But then Hawthorne went down and got to touch up against you along. Like this sort of, you know, that's what's going to happen with a young team and a young rebuild. What's your expectation of them down in Tassie on the weekend? - Yeah, I expect them to come out flying. They've got a lot of quality pliers, a lot of pliers that are role pliers, but a lot of pliers that are standing out and starting to get some real respect amongst the competition as well. So there's no doubt that we're going to go down with the game plan that we want to play ourselves. That's kept us in ditch there over the last couple of weeks, but then also we need to, we need to figure out ways to negate those guys, as well as a strong midfield. They get an exciting four line, but also a half back line that can just run and carry the ball. So we need to make sure we're on our toes and that we can negate their strength. - Yeah, you'll have some chasing to do, no doubt about it. Then you reckon it was cold here on the weekend. Well, he's young, he got a loney. He's not warmed down there, but listen, I'm just going to warn you quickly. I don't know what Goss is about to run with, but he's told me I have someone on, someone on. He manages to whack them somehow. - No, it's not a whack. - I'm not sure what you've got for Sonny, but you mentioned before you've got a stat. - Yeah, I've got a stat. - You're not sure if Sonny knows about it. I don't know what it is, and I'm pushing myself away from the microphone. I don't hold a stat. (laughing) - It was a good fire, fire at me. - All right, 236 games. 361 goals, 191 behind, 619 tackles. The most free kicks any Fremel Locker has received, 363. You've had one hit out. - I do. (laughing) - Yeah, I know, one hit out. And you know what, it was against all coast, against whip. (laughing) - That's exactly the question! - It was not. - That is exactly the question. Who was against, when was it? - It was, do you know that? (laughing) - Gold Coast obviously, and I still talk about it to this day. (laughing) On the third, on the third highest, he'd have to put him close at the moment, third by the way. - Do you walk out the jacket? - Yeah, no, it's against whip. (laughing) - Aaron Sandman's actually got knocked over and I put my hand up for the, for the rock. And obviously, which didn't know about him, and I'll snuck him, and I'll snuck from beyond him, and hit it corridor, you see. (laughing) - So good. - Do you walk up the jacket and be sure and dar since I fellas, yeah. You want me to give you a couple of pointers, you know what I'm saying? - That feels brilliant. - I can't believe you knew that, that's brilliant. - Yeah, no, no, I've been, I've been trying to throw a JL, look, Tom Walker doesn't look forward, I'll have that chucking in there. (laughing) - He's got a couple of years ahead of him. - Exactly, right. Hey, a lot of fans are texting in. Again, you want to focus on the now, and you're seriously focusing on a finals campaign, which is exciting, and who knows what the end of the season could bring. What does next year look like for you? Michael, have you had any discussions about that? - Yeah, you got 12 months, inn't you? - Yeah, so I'll still have a contract next year. I'm looking forward to playing at this year and seeing where this year takes us as well as the, as a full team, and next year I'm just, I just want to work on what I need to work on, and yeah, hopefully, I have to place them seriously next year as well, but hopefully, this year is the year for us, and hopefully, we can get a few more wins on the board, and, like I said before, hopefully, I hope you play and date into September. - A lot of people stay here in that. - Yeah, exactly right, and all things have been equaled, 250 games, and a premiership would be just a nice way to go out for next year, and know who knows, but you'll be on that. - It's great to have forward slash Ruckman, Sonny Wald, was up the show today. - Yeah, okay, to have Paul and Farmer joining us right now. (laughing) - Ruckman, a lot of time. (laughing) Good on you, Sonny, appreciate your time. (laughing) - No worries, boys, they've done me. - He's a ripoff. - They've traveled. - What about that? - He knew exactly when, oh, and that was right. Round three, 2018 Opta Stadium against Gold Coast, Jared Wits, that was the question, and he nailed it without even been asked.
