DEAN COLLIS

Let's start with Dean Collis the player. Tell us about your junior days in Australia and why you played Rugby League ?

[iI started playing when I was 3. I come from a rugby league family and I had 2 older brothers who played so it was just a natural thing for me to do. I was obsessed with the game when I was little and I was always outside kicking a ball around.[/i
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You started off at Wests and then moved to Cronulla in the NRL. How did those years in the NRL go for you and how did the move to Wakefield come about ?
[iI was a Wests junior and came through the grades with them. I made my debut when I was 17 and still at school. My first few years I really enjoyed as I was trying to establish myself in the team. I had a few injuries in my last couple of years and my form wasn’t great. I decided to go to Cronulla in 2010. The 2 years I spent there weren’t great on many levels but I made some really good friends there with people like Paul Aiton and Tim Smith who obviously came to Wakefield at the same time as me.
My manager had a conversation with Richard Agar and asked if I would be interested in coming over. I was at a point in the NRL where I wasn’t enjoying it anymore and felt I needed a change. Myself and Tim Smith had the same management company so it made it easier knowing he was going as well.[/i
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Can you remember your Wakefield 1st team debut, who it was against and how it went ?

[iYes, my debut was against Widnes who had just been promoted and we played at their stadium which had the synthetic ground. It was freezing, I think it was minus 8. I don’t remember too much from the game but we got the win.[/i
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You joined in 2012 and in that year we had a run into the playoffs eventually beaten by Leeds Rhinos who went on to win the Grand Final. How was your first season at Wakefield ?
[i2012 was probably my favourite year I spent playing professional rugby league. We had such a tight knit group of guys and the coaching staff were great. We started of the season a bit slow but we gathered momentum towards the back end of the year and had some really good victories over teams like St Helen’s and Leeds leading into the finals. Unfortunately we lost to Leeds in the playoffs but it was a great experience and something I will always remember.[/i
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The Super League journey was never far from easy. Can you give us some highs and lows of your time at Trinity ?
[iObviously 2012 was a high. I think most people expected us to come last so to make the playoffs was a big achievement. The fans really got behind the team and you could feel the excitement around the club. On a personal level I felt like 2013 was one of my better years.
2014 was a tough year, the club was in a difficult position financially at the end of 2013 and we had to sell some of our better players. I was having a lot of injury issues in 2014 and 2015 which made it difficult to play the standard of rugby league I felt I could.[/i
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We had so many personalities in the squad when you played. Was there anyone in particular who you bonded with with during your time ?

[iWe definitely had some big personalities in the squad. Particularly in the first 2 years we had a really tight group and there was plenty of players I got along with really well. I had a good relationship with Danny Kirmond, we both played on the right side and I feel like we had a good connection on and off the field. I still keep in touch with him today as well as Danny Washbrook. He was a great team player and always put the team first and was a great person to have around.[/i
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We have run some supporter interviews in the last few months and we ask them for their best ever team. One supporter named you at centre in his side and added "He’s one of the classiest Centres I’ve seen down at Belle Vue! Silky hands, great offload and great at drawing his man! Just a shame he had injury problems! He was defensively sound too! Imagine Ben Jones Bishop playing on the right with Collis on his inside?" Was this a good description of Dean Collis at Wakefield ?

[iI think that is a fair description of me. I worked closely with wingers on positional play and tried to build a good combination with them. I definitely had my injury problems, that was the most frustrating part of my time at Wakefield.[/i
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I gave the supporter who wrote the above an opportunity to ask you a couple of questions as well. So here they are... What was your favourite game whilst playing for Wakefield ?
[iIn 2012 we played Hull KR away. I think we had won 4 or 5 in a row and there was a bit of excitement around the club. We were behind late in the game and I remember Paul Sykes kicked a late field goal and we won 31-30. It was a great win.[/i
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And secondly, How do you feel the centre position has changed over the years and what defensive qualities do you feel is needed for that position ?
[iThe centre position has changed over the years. I haven’t managed to watch to much super league recently but over here in NRL the centres and wingers are a bit bigger than when I played. They are used a lot more to get the sets started coming out of yardage. Defensively the centre position is one of the toughest on the field in terms of making decisions. You have to make split decisions on whether you are going to jam in on the player sweeping around the back or hold and stay in the line and hope the man inside you can get out to help. Communication with the players inside and outside you is so important. Everyone needs to be on the same page.[/i
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Back with me now....68 appearances for Wakefield and 28 tries to go with it. Does any of those 28 stand out as a favourite or best try that you scored for us ?
[iIn 2012, I think it was my first try which was against Salford at home is one that stands out. Personally, it was relief to finally get over the line. We got the win which was really important as we had a really slow start to the year so it was important for morale.[/i
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And what about Dean Collis now, career wise after rugby ? What do you do and what keeps you busy ?
[iI work for myself in construction. It has taken me a few years after retiring to find my feet and work out what I wanted to do.
I am married with 2 kids who are 9 and 6 so they keep me busy. All of my spare time is spent with them.[/i
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Let’s finish with a chance to reflect on the players you played with in your career. Give us your dream team 1-13 of players that you played with?
[i1. Brett Hodgson 2. Blake Ferguson 3. Paul Whatuira 4. Chris Lawrence 5. Ben Cockayne 6. Benji Marshall 7. Scott Prince 8. Anthony Lafranchi 9. Robbie Farah 10. John Skandalis 11. Mark O’Neil 12. Danny Kirmond 13. Paul Gallen
Tim Smith and Paul Aiton were 2 players who I really enjoyed playing alongside also. Tim was magic when he was on as he showed in his time at Wakefield and Paul was one of the toughest players I played with. You always knew what you were going to get from him and he never let you down.[/i
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And from that team, who would captain it and why ?
[iI only played alongside him a few times but Mark O’Neil was a terrific leader. He was a huge part in the Wests Tigers winning the competition in 2005 and was great with us younger players coming through. Everyone had so much respect for him.[/i
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And to end with, anything you would like to add to the Wakefield fans out there ?
[iI really enjoyed my time over in Wakefield. I would like to thank the fans as they were always so respectful and pleasant to be around. We had some tough times while I was there but they always got behind the team. I know the club is going through a difficult period at the moment but I’m sure the fans will continue to support the team and help the club through it.
Cheers !
Dean[/i

Graham Law

Let's start with Graham Law the player. Tell us about your junior days and why you played Rugby League ?
[iI started out at Eastmoor RLFC in the U9s, stayed there until the U15s, the team folded due to low numbers so then I moved onto Westgate Redoubt. Was always good mates and played with Stu Dickens and his dad had helped start the first youth team there. That was a great 2 years of rugby for us, stayed there until I signed for Wakefield on my 16th Birthday.[/i
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How did the involvement / move to Wakefield come about ?
[iSimilar to nowadays really apart from no scholarships, scouts start following from around the U15s and just keep in touch, invite you down to ground for a tour etc, Wakefield was always my club so was only ever going to be 1 option for me. It was a dream come true for me to sign for my local team.[/i
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Can you remember your Wakefield 1st team debut, who it was against and how it went ?
[iYes, remember it very clearly, it was Mitch Brennans last game in charge, against Featherstone at home. I was 17 and still playing academy rugby so it was a real shock to get the call up. I remember the speed of the game was a massive shock, lungs were on fire and legs were like jelly haha, absolutely loved it though and we won which was amazing.[/i
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You played during some of the best times as a Wakefield fan, especially the Grand Final against Fev. What were your memories of that season and the promotion to Super League ?
[iThat really 98 was an amazing year, the team spirit was like something I never witnessed again, you just kind of knew something special was going to happen and obviously it did. Unfortunately I didn't play in the grand final, that was Martin my older brother, he played right centre that night.
The next couple of years were also pretty special for me, making my Super League debut against all the big names like Andy Farrell and Jason Robinson etc was a bit surreal, we had it tough back then also as I'm sure you are aware, we had big money issues and going into receivership made things hard but looking back probably brought the players closer together. We were written off a couple of times and tipped for relegation but we always managed to claw our way out of whatever hole we were in. I do think Wakefield are pretty special when it comes to this.[/i
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Your Wikipedia page says, "Centre, Stand-Off, Second Row, Loose Forward". Was there any position in the team that you didn't ever cover !! And from those positions, did you have a favourite that you would say you performed better at ?
[iI once covered at hooker too, away at Widnes in the challenge cup game back in 2002 I think it was. Hated every minute of it haha. I loved it in the back row if I'm honest but always struggled to cement a place there.[/i
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Andy Kelly, John Harbin, Peter Roe & Shane Mcnally all coached at Wakefield during your time. Can you share any experiences you had with those coaches ?
[iAndy is always going to be a bit special as he was there throughout most of my time at Wakefield, him and Paul Harkin were the coaches when I signed in July 1995, he then took over coaching after Mitch left so he had a massive impact on all my early first team games. He was the one who had confidence in me looking back as an 18/19 year old to play first team rugby so lots of fond memories there. He was great at bringing the team together and getting us to bond.
John Harbin was also great, his passion for young hard working lads was a real eye opener to me. Suppose looking at his track record bringing youngsters through it speaks volumes. His discipline was immense, if you tried shirking in any way you were definitely in Johns bad books haha putting it politely. It didn't matter who you were or how good you thought you were if you didn't turn up training early and put 110% you knew about it.[/i
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7 Tries and 42 goals for Wakefield Trinity. Any tries or even conversions that stood out for you ?
[iI would probably say my first SL try, away at Gateshead Thunder in 1999, I think it was only my 3rd ever SL game and was given the kicking duties that night too and converted my own try, I was only 19 so that was pretty special.[/i
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We recently saw the debut of your son Joe against Leeds Rhinos. How much of an influence have you had on his career and how did it feel to see him make his 1st team debut ?
[iYes, that was pretty amazing seeing Joe out there. That made me very proud, he's worked really hard for it and dreamed about it since he was 8 when I first took him to play. Much like myself he has supported Wakey all his life so spent lots of time on the terracing watching.
As far as influencing him goes all I've done is support him throughout and drive him to training lots and lots of times. I did coach him for a couple of years up until he was 11 but then stopped. His biggest influences have been all his coaches up at Oulton Raiders and then the Wakefield youth set up who've been great for the last 4 years through Jamie Field etc in Scholarship and Mash and team in the Academy.[/i
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The same Sunday also saw you and others take part in a sponsored walk for MNDA. Can you share how that went, why it was setup and if there is anything else planned in the future ?
[iYeah the walk was great and did really well for the charities. It all started recently when me and Mart were asked to join the past players committee team alongside Lee Robinson, Gaz Spencer and Stu Dickens, we are trying really hard at creating a place for all players past and present so they know when their career ends there not alone. I for one and know lots of other rugby lads feel a bit abandoned when they retire. I'm really enjoying this. The walk was just planned to try to promote some positivity around the place and bring as many of the lads together as we could, were trying to arrange more events including past & present players and all the fans. I really think this is the start of something a bit special down at Wakey and lots to look forward to.[/i
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How has your career panned out post rugby league ?
[iI now run St Johns Health & Fitness alongside Mart, its a small gym in Wakefield. I also help out coaching local team Oulton Raiders U15s who my middle son Tommy plays for, also help from time to time down at the Scholarship at Wakefield. I love being involved and seeing the next generation of players coming through the ranks. I had the pleasure of coaching Oli Pratt and Harvey Smith in Scholars. Super talented those two guys but many more are coming through too. Exciting times ahead.[/i
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Let’s finish with a chance to reflect on the players you played with in your career. Give us your dream team 1-13 of players that you played with ?
[iOoh this is a tough one…… but here goes…..This has to be a mixture of championship and SL as some of the boys i played with pre “99 but would have been amazing in SL too.
Steve Prescott
Neil Law
Justin Brooker
Gaz Ellis
Josh Bostock
Garen Casey
Brad Davies
Franny Stevenson
Roy Southernwood
Gary Lord
Andy Fisher
Gary Price
Willie Poching[/i
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And from that team, who would captain it and why ?
[iRoy Southernwood all day long. Total leader who everyone respected. Top bloke.[/i
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And to end with, anything you would like to add to the Wakefield fans out there ?
[iFrom a fellow fan who was just lucky enough to pull our amazing jersey on and play in front of you all you really are the best fans going, the support you give home and away is more important than you realise. Every player I have ever played alongside loves the noise you create and we all wear that badge with pride. Please keep it up. Lastly, let's really get behind Mash and boys this year. I have been involved in the game for some years now and have never come across anyone so hard working and more loyal to our club than him. Trust me, he's a coach for the future. I really hope he gets a chance to prove himself going forward.
Thanks for the chance to share these bits with you, I could go on all day about our club but kept it as short as possible for you.
Cheers
Gray[/i

Damien Blanch

Let's start with Damien Blanch the player. Tell us about your junior days and why you played Rugby League ?
[iI started playing footy when I was 14. My mum never let me play growing up! Played in the Penrith competition, and made my first rep/development squad when I was 16 – which was coached by Mick Potter. From there, I played SG Ball (U18’s), then U20’s then reserve grade for Penrith. I played a few trial games for First grade, but never actually got an official NRL game. Dave Woods was a coach in one of these teams, and offered me a start at Castleford in 2005 which is when I first moved to the UK.[/i
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You started off with Castleford and Widnes before a move to Wakefield. How did the move to Wakefield come about ?
[iI had a phone call from John Kear about 2 weeks out from the Super league promotion Grand Final when I was playing for Widnes against Castleford. He offered me a deal to sign for Wakefield, pending it was signed before the Grand Final was played. It was a hard choice to make as I was happy at Widnes, but Super League was my goal and it was guaranteed – but Widnes making it to Super League wasn’t. I agreed to Wakefield’s deal and was stoked to have my future secured. Ultimately it was the correct decision, as not only did we lose the Grand Final, Widnes announced the were going into administration before we even got on the bus following the loss.[/i
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Can you remember your Wakefield 1st team debut, who it was against and how it went ?
[iI had a delayed start with Wakefield, as I tore my Labrum in my shoulder during a trial game against Featherstone and required surgery with a 3 month recovery. So I didn’t make my debut until later against Harlequins at home. I started off the bench as our current wingers (I believe it was Luke George and Paul Reilly) were playing really well. But all in all the shoulder went well and we won the game.[/i
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Let's look at 2008 and mainly the Challenge Cup Semi Final in that year. What were your memories of that season and you grabbed a couple of tries in the Semi Final as well as we looked to come back from a terrible start. How did that game go for you as well ?
[iThat game was one of the highlights (and saddest!) of my career. We started the game terribly being 18-0 down after 10mins. Trying to claw your way back in a semi final (regardless of the opposition) is extremely difficult, but especially against Hull FC who were a top side that year. I was lucky enough to score a couple that game, and was millimetres from a 3rd that was eventually disallowed – I’m still dirty about this one to this day!! We were a great, well gelled side at that point in the season, and did really well to get ourselves back into the game, but inevitably we just gave them too much of a head start. Great memories of that week though, that even a heartbreaking loss can't take away.[/i
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What were your highs and lows during the remainder of your time with Wakefield ?
[iAs I said, that challenge cup game was up there. We had some great Derby games, Magic weekends & trips away to Catalans which I really do look back on as some of the best times in my career. I had my fair share of injuries at Wakefield though, the worst tearing my ACL in 2009 which was by far the lowest point of my time at Wakefield – and my Career.[/i
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You were clearly making a name for yourself with your try scoring exploits and a move to Catalans happened in 2011. How did those years go in the French sunshine ?
[iI was nervous about moving to France. In reality after coming back from my knee surgery I was actually looking to move back to Sydney in 2010 following the season. I had a call from Trent Robinson who had been signed as the 2011 Catalan coach. Trent said he was putting together a team with a heap of new players and wanted me to be a part of it. It really was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I couldn’t turn down – and to this day have never regretted it. I had a really good experience in France with the culture & rugby in general. Not to say it was any better than my time in Wakefield/Widnes/Castleford, but just completely different and enjoyable.[/i
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You also represented Ireland in the 2008 & 2013 World Cups. How did those tournaments go for you and for Ireland ?
[iBoth the 2008 & 2013 World Cups were fantastic. I always enjoyed being in camp, and these kind of occasions always brought the best out of my Rugby. We had great mentors (if you could call them that!) in Barry McDermott & Terry O’Connor who really got behind the teams. 08’ was probably a more successful tournament as we progressed to the ¼ finals when we were not expected to progress from the pool stages against Tonga and Samoa. 2013 was special to play against England in front of a full house in Huddersfield, and against Australia in Limerick – which was my last ever professional game. Once again, great memories.[/i
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Wikipedia says 178 appearances and 114 tries in your career over here in the UK (& France). Can you give us your top 3 tries that you have scored in your career ?
[iMy most memorably 3 would have been:
Against Huddersfield at ‘The Shay’ when I dived for the corner playing for Catalan.
The above mentioned try I scored from a kick from Broughy in the Challenge Cup
I got an intercept in a final against Leeds at home for Catalan on the half time buzzer. We had worked on this all week so it was great to pull this off after recognising it through videos.[/i
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And what about Damian Blanch now, career wise after rugby ? What do you do and what keeps you busy ?
[iI live in Wollongong on the south coast of Sydney, beautiful place. I have 3 Kids who keep my hair from growing back. My eldest son Jesse is 14 and playing his first year of Rugby this year which I am a trainer for and really enjoy watching him. My 2 younger girls both play soccer. I'm a Project manager for a Tower Crane/Construction company in Sydney which I really enjoy. My wife and I miss travelling but try to see as much as we can between kids and work.[/i
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Let’s finish with a chance to reflect on the players you played with in your career. Give us your dream team 1-13 of players that you played with ?
[iMatty Blaymire
Paul Reilly
Tony Martin
Steve Menzies
Aaron Murphy
Scott Grix
Scott Dureau
Adam Watene
Brad Drew
Danny Nutley
Louis Anderson
Ben Roarty
Lopini Paea[/i
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And from that team, who would captain it and why ?
[iProbably Grixy. Smart footy head, and knew when to work and on and off the field![/i
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And to end with, anything you would like to add to the Wakefield fans out there ?
[iWakefield was the club that backed me as a fringe Super League player and gave me a chance which I am forever grateful for. I loved everything about the club from the fans, office staff, sponsors (who I still speak to this day) right through to Bathy who helped me get my apprenticeship as a groundsman on the Bellevue Pitch & Mrs B who made us the best lunches every Friday.
Cheers
Damien ![/i

Would love a Ray Price one.

...keep an eye out for the podcasts

Looking forward to it, such a legend in my eyes, toughest player bar none.