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Piggy has done a couple of great articles for the SMH, here is his next installment. Enjoy !
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/l...305-1birg.html
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/l...305-1birg.html
With grog a weighty issue, Roosters put the drinks on ice MARK RIDDELL
March 6, 2011
My weight has been a constant talking point, so it wasn't a total shock when Laurie Daley sat me down for a serious chat about my diet. It was early in my career at St George Illawarra and Loz, then the assistant coach, wasn't impressed after I rocked up to pre-season training after a particularly festive Christmas. It didn't take long to work out that the amount I was drinking - rather than eating - was the cause of the problem.
I can still remember Loz's reaction when I told him that I regularly put away 20 or so schooners in an average week. I could see the concern written all over his face, but I thought he took the news pretty well. ''Well, Piggy,'' he said. ''At least you're being honest.''
We danced around the issue for a bit and, just as I was about to walk out the door, I decided to come clean. ''Well, if we're being totally honest,'' I mumbled before scurrying away, ''I probably put away about 20 or 30 bourbon-and-Cokes as well.''
Advertisement: Story continues below This was my life as a footballer a decade ago. How things have changed! Dressing rooms are still filled with big tubs of ice, but instead of pulling beers out of them we're expected to jump in. Recovery is all about recuperating from a game rather than recovering from a hangover. Part of me misses the old days when you'd have a beer with your mates in the sheds and it's something that younger players don't experience any more. But that's all part of being a professional athlete. Ice baths, shakes, recovery swims, stretches … that's the post-match routine to ensure we're at 100 per cent for the next game.
I believe there is still a time and a place for the players to get together for a beer, but you've got to be responsible and selective about when you do it. Which brings us to Todd Carney. It's been tough watching what Todd's had to go through last week and calls for him to be sacked are harsh. If he got the punt he'll just end up at another club - and he'll take those same problems with him. The Roosters are doing everything possible to help him as a person and Todd has put his hand up. He knows he's made a mistake and is genuinely looking to make amends.
When it comes to booze bans, they only work if everyone buys in. At Wigan last year we had a cluster of four or five important games and the senior playing group decided we'd go dry for that period. It was a masterstroke. Afterwards, coach Michael Maguire put on a function for the players and partners where we all got together for a feed and a few beers. It wasn't about going berserk, but a reward for all the hard work. It was a great initiative by ''Madge'' and brought us closer together.
There are plenty of good people at the Roosters to set the example. I know when it comes to guys like Braith Anasta, Jason Ryles, Anthony Minichiello and coach Brian Smith, there's no booze culture there. Our focus is totally on round one against the Rabbitohs and the last thing anyone is thinking about is getting on the drink. I didn't think, sitting there with Loz all those years ago, that I'd ever say that!
March 6, 2011
My weight has been a constant talking point, so it wasn't a total shock when Laurie Daley sat me down for a serious chat about my diet. It was early in my career at St George Illawarra and Loz, then the assistant coach, wasn't impressed after I rocked up to pre-season training after a particularly festive Christmas. It didn't take long to work out that the amount I was drinking - rather than eating - was the cause of the problem.
I can still remember Loz's reaction when I told him that I regularly put away 20 or so schooners in an average week. I could see the concern written all over his face, but I thought he took the news pretty well. ''Well, Piggy,'' he said. ''At least you're being honest.''
We danced around the issue for a bit and, just as I was about to walk out the door, I decided to come clean. ''Well, if we're being totally honest,'' I mumbled before scurrying away, ''I probably put away about 20 or 30 bourbon-and-Cokes as well.''
Advertisement: Story continues below This was my life as a footballer a decade ago. How things have changed! Dressing rooms are still filled with big tubs of ice, but instead of pulling beers out of them we're expected to jump in. Recovery is all about recuperating from a game rather than recovering from a hangover. Part of me misses the old days when you'd have a beer with your mates in the sheds and it's something that younger players don't experience any more. But that's all part of being a professional athlete. Ice baths, shakes, recovery swims, stretches … that's the post-match routine to ensure we're at 100 per cent for the next game.
I believe there is still a time and a place for the players to get together for a beer, but you've got to be responsible and selective about when you do it. Which brings us to Todd Carney. It's been tough watching what Todd's had to go through last week and calls for him to be sacked are harsh. If he got the punt he'll just end up at another club - and he'll take those same problems with him. The Roosters are doing everything possible to help him as a person and Todd has put his hand up. He knows he's made a mistake and is genuinely looking to make amends.
When it comes to booze bans, they only work if everyone buys in. At Wigan last year we had a cluster of four or five important games and the senior playing group decided we'd go dry for that period. It was a masterstroke. Afterwards, coach Michael Maguire put on a function for the players and partners where we all got together for a feed and a few beers. It wasn't about going berserk, but a reward for all the hard work. It was a great initiative by ''Madge'' and brought us closer together.
There are plenty of good people at the Roosters to set the example. I know when it comes to guys like Braith Anasta, Jason Ryles, Anthony Minichiello and coach Brian Smith, there's no booze culture there. Our focus is totally on round one against the Rabbitohs and the last thing anyone is thinking about is getting on the drink. I didn't think, sitting there with Loz all those years ago, that I'd ever say that!
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