Training photography, probably my favourite part of the job.
Ben Hornby in Wollongong.
Interviews: Scott Prince and Laurie Daley
Indigenous All-Stars, 2011
Photography: The Man in Black
Feature: Michael Gordon
Rugby League Player. October 2010.
Click on the thumbnails for full images.
Digital Dragon
A short video made on the road in London as part of an application for the role of Digital Comms Coordinator with the St George Illawarra Dragons.
Best of Sydney 2010
Alternative Media Best of Sydney Awards
City Hub. 19 August 2010
Contributor/reviewer food, entertainment, lifestyle.
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Gorden Tallis
Feature: Gorden Tallis
Rugby League Player. August 2010.
Pages 64-65
Wise isn’t usually a word used to describe Gorden Tallis. But in his newest incarnation as a forwards coach for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, he’s surprisingly philosophical.
He’s been coached by the biggest names in Australian rugby league - “it’s like the Oscars of coaches,” he says -and now, in his second year at Redfern, Gordie’s starting to refine his own approach to motivating the most high profile forward pack in the NRL competition.
“Originally, I was there to just tell them a few home truths; it’s developed from there,” he explains.
Gordie has found that the key to the Rabbitohs pack is to tap into each player’s instinctive game.
“I’ve learnt that everybody’s different: you can’t treat every forward like Glen Lazarus or Petero Civoneciva or Cameron Smith. Every player is an individual and I try to embrace what they bring naturally.
“Say, someone like Sam Burgess has this natural ability, and every week you see his natural ability shine. But then you’ve got to take off the rough edges, like pass selection, the mixes, telling him ‘I wouldn’t have run then, I probably would’ve looked for a pass.’
“Someone like Luke Stuart is fantastic. He doesn’t need a lot of coaching. He’s so professional in the way he goes about his work, and then you get someone like Eddy Pettybourne, who’s just got so much enthusiasm; if you add all those three together it’s a really good mix.”
But even as he’s talking about nurturing ‘the individual’, there are still glimpses of Gordie the Raging Bull that footy fans remember from the field.
“It’s not rocket science, is it? Our game hasn’t changed a lot over 100 years, and the principles that made a good player in 1927 are the principles that make a really good player today. I try to break it down and make it as raw as possible.
“There’s got to be the fire burning in a player’s belly, because potential only gets you so far. The fittest and strongest will survive, and if the penny doesn’t drop for a player there’s nothing you can do.”
“It took Sam Thaiday a while to realise this. I played with him, then six years later all of a sudden he doesn’t smoke and he doesn’t drink as much and he’s the best forward in the competition.”
It’s a kind of hands on involvement with rugby league that Gorden Tallis - surprisingly - isn’t known for. According to Gordie, “pretty much the only thing we don’t do now is lace them up and send them out on the field.”
It’s also a direct reminder for him of the effect of media coverage on a young player.
“The pressure that they have to deal with in the media, well that’s where I can help them, cause I’ve been there. I’ve been that guy that had to try to live up to what they called the Raging Bull, and I had problems with it, too.
“I keep on telling them there are going to be a lot of bad articles when they play badly - and everyone’s going to have bad games - but they’re not the guys who said they’re Souths’ saviours.
“Burgess hasn’t said ‘I’m gonna take Souths to a grand final’, Dave Taylor hasn’t said it. He got roped into saying that we’ve got a good forward pack, and probably one of the best ones in the NRL, but mate, I’m glad that he said it. I’m glad that he believes it.”
Gordie talks about belief a lot, and passion. It’s how he chooses which jobs to take, and it’s the first thing he mentions about South Sydney owner, Russell Crowe.
“This team is his passion, and you can sense it. There’s a bloke who’s passionate about his game. He’s hands on, he’s not just a Hollywood owner who wants his name up in lights. I’m lucky to have met him.”
And if he’s not known as a philosopher, Gordie’s certainly not talked up for his community work. Alongside his promotional trips for Fosters, his cameos in the insanely catchy VB ads, and his regular gig on Foxsports, he’s been a staunch supporter of Max Employment and its programs for unemployed youth.
While it’s not a glamorous project, it’s still an expensive one.
But out of a $250,000 program run recently for 15 kids in Sydney’s Macquarie Fields, 13 passed and are now employed. “And that’s so rewarding, he says.
“Kids that are leaving school, troubled youth, I really like working with them. I didn’t complete school, I grew up in a housing commission, so maybe I relate to them a little bit.
“But there are no excuses in life. They had to listen to us, they had to exercise, they had to get some self-esteem up.”
The time he spends working for Max Employment is one on a list of reasons why he doesn’t plan to make any greater commitment to coaching just yet, at Souths or any other club. He prefers the variety.
And for the foreseeable future, the goal at Redfern is to undo the damage done by South Sydney’s controversial exit from the league and build the Rabbitohs into serious premiership contenders.
“When Souths are playing at their best, we can match it with any side in the competition. It’s our job to make sure that our day is every Sunday.”
KIERA STEWART AND SARAH NEILL
Women in League - SFX Sports
Feature: Women in League
Rugby League Player. August 2010.
Page 42
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Raiders Young Guns
Feature: Canberra’s Young Stars
Rugby League Player. August 2010.
Pages 80-81
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Terror Twins
Feature: Mark Geyer and John Cartwright
Rugby League Player. August 2010.
Pages 24-25
Click through for the full article.
