What a Lad

Andy Ellis is one of the most well connected lads on the planet and after this episode it’s clear to see why. He’s the ultimate ‘yes man’, happy to give anything a crack which is evident by his list of achievements.

Some of his achievements include…

➖ Hosting the no1 TV show in NZ ‘Moving Houses’

➖ Having the no1 song in NZ with C-City Brothers

➖ Hosted the morning radio show

➖ Qualified landscaper

➖ Business owner of Black Origin (Wagu Beef), Gravity (internet company), Hello Kiwi (internet domains)

➖ NPC winner with Canterbury

➖ Super Rugby winner with the Crusaders

➖ RWC winner with the All Blacks

➖ Japan Top League winner with Kobe

➖ MLR winner with New York

So there is obviously plenty to talk about in this one and Andy is a natural story teller and it’s easy to see why he is so well respected, he is just a massive lad! Plenty of gold advice throughout that I’m sure you’ll enjoy and if you do please give it a share to anyone else you think might enjoy it as well.

Harry Wilson in 2023 missed out on the Wallabies RWC squad and was even struggling to make the Australia A side! Fast forward to 2024 and he is not just in the Wallabies but he's captaining his country to some of the best form they have been in for a long time. For the last 5 years Harry has been one of the best loose forwards in Super Rugby, where his work rate and collisions are up there with the best in the world! At only 25 years old, he's got a massive future still ahead of him!

Some other parts that stood out for me in this one were..

His mindset off a goal line dropout

Hearing his pathway to the Wallabies through Brothers Rugby Club and the Reds

Why he choose rugby over cricket

How he dealt with being in and out of the Wallabies for several years

Where he feels Australia Rugby is at right now

Why he decided to stay in Australia for 4 more years

And all of your questions!

As you'll hear Harry is the ultimate lad, just a good human who loves his footy and a good time. He's the type of guy you'd love to follow into a battle!

Kyle Preston is someone who deserves every bit of success he gets. His work ethic is unmatched and to hear his journey and how he has stuck to the plan even when he wasn't getting the rewards was truely inspiring. Having had one of the all time great Super Rugby debuts a few weeks ago scoring 3 tries, it was an opportunity for Kyle to show the world he was as ready as he knew he was. Whether it was doing body weight exercises till tears, kicking and passing at the park by himself for 2-3 a day or avoiding all junk food from a young age, Kyle has definitely made plenty of sacrifices to get his opportunity.

Some other parts that stood out for me were..

Where this drive for Kyle to train like he does come from

How he handled non selection for being "too small"

How hard the juggling of roofing and chasing the professional rugby dream is

Why he decided to move to the Crusaders over his hometown Hurricanes

Kyle clears the air on who is dad really is

And heaps more!

As you'll hear Kyle is committed to being the best player he can be and its clear that he has a huge future ahead of him. I hope you enjoy the episode and if you do please give it a share.

The fact that Christian Lio-Willie is a qualified dentist still blows my mind! Almost every player I have spoken to has said it's too hard to juggle both but this man has done it! How he has got to this point has been some effort, juggling huge days of study while playing professional rugby, he mentions he had to plan every minute of the day.

Having focused on his study straight out of school after a recommendation from his mum, Christian felt like he may have missed the boat on his rugby career as his peers all started making the teams. After an outstanding club season and then a very impressive debut for Otago, he'd done enough to impressed Razor to get him up to the Crusaders. A few years later after a couple of outstanding seasons for the Crusaders he was called up as an injury replacement into the All Blacks.

This episode was inspiring hearing how hard Christian hustled to set himself up to succeed not just on the field but off it. He speaks openly about the struggles and has plenty of good yarns. If you enjoy this episode or there is a young player out there trying to juggle sport and study, please share it on to them.

Get ready for one of the most inspiring episodes yet with the legendary lad Morgan Mitchell. Born deaf, Morgan’s journey to becoming a professional rugby player was never going to be easy. Although he was an absolute beast on the rugby field from a young age, he was always told that he would never be able to play professional rugby. Thankfully the man who is known for his stubbornness was not having a bar of it and did manage to debut for his beloved Southland stags in 2014. He has since gone on to play over 50 games for the Stags as well as playing overseas with the Toronto Arrows

Kamaishi Seawaves and Houston SaberCats.

This story is a great one about never giving up on your dreams and a great reminder of some of the obstacles you can overcome when you put your mind to it. Morgy is such a champion, a very funny man and like his brother Brayden can tell a hell of a yarn. It was an honour to be the first podcast to share Morgans journey and if you enjoy this episode then I ask if you could please like the video and let me know what you enjoyed about this one in the comments.

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