MARK WEBSTER

Let's start with Mark Webster the player. Tell us about your junior days and how you eventually were approached and signed for your first professional club?
[iI played for a few local clubs and followed Richard Slater around to play for Normanton as a 14 year old after playing for others. Jason Timmins played as well plus a load other players who went on to make a career in the game. I was 90% certain to sign for Halifax whilst training for Wakefield at the time and then Saints came along and that was a straight forward process and signed for them.[/i
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And then the move to Wakefield, how did that come about ?
[iI was at Saints for 3 years (into a 6 year contract) although not really enjoying it. I got a call from someone at Wakefield (can't remember exactly who it was from) and asked if I wanted to do some off season training with them. An unspecified fee so don’t know what transfer was paid but I made the move over the M62 to join Trinity.[/i
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A lot of people have a perception that professional sports players gets paid mega bucks. Can you tell us any of your contracts or signing on fees ?
[iWe never got paid mega bucks, it was part time alongside work. Training Tues, Thurs, Saturday. Best contract was the first one I got at Saints. A big difference between the two clubs though. An example was my boots were knackered, at Wakefield they said “you’ll get a few more games out of them still”. Saints you just got a new pair with no questions asked. I moved to full time training for a few years having saved up some money to support the decision until I got injured but Wakey been Wakey couldn’t pay for my operation and I ended up not having one in the end. I was in pot for 10 months but another player had the same injury soon after and he was sent for an operation and was back playing within a few months. There seemed to be a lot of better treatment for the players who came from further away (including overseas) in comparison to local lads.[/i
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We've not won many trophies in my time as a supporter but the Yorkshire Cup was one to note. You played in that game, give us your memories of the game in terms of preparation, the game itself and the celebrations afterwards?
[iPreparation... well we played Saints at home, Phil Veivers got his stud stuck in my leg and I had to get stitched up. Johnny Thompson played in the semi against Featherstone whilst I was injured. Before the final, I passed a fitness test and was put back in the side at his expense which didn’t go down very well at all. Usual diet, I loved a bar of chocolate the night before a game. Everyone was looking forward to the game but we didn’t change much in the prep or the approach before the final compared to a normal game.
Game wise, I can remember turning up and getting changed. I watched the game back and got a knock to the head after ten minutes, I remembered Slats first try and him going crazy and a few decent balls but that's about it. Honestly, I don’t remember much because of the knock to the head and I have watched it back numerous times to actually remember how the game went.
Celebrations afterwards, me and Fritzy with all the other players celebrated hard in the Coach House with friends, family & supporters which made it a great night. We celebrated for a few days more after that as well if I am honest ![/i
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You were good mates with Darren Fritz, can you give us a story about his time at the club (be careful, I am sure he is a member of the group !!)?
[iTed was chairman at the time, I used to work for him in his warehouse alongside playing. Monday morning Fritzy would come round to the warehouse and say we are off to the sauna, I told Fritzy that I can’t because I am working. Fritzy would then go see Ted and sort it. We would then disappear to Sun Lane baths and a coffee afterwards. We would then get rid of the cars, and then we would meet in the Waterloo or Redoubt and nip over to the bookies and back for the rest of the afternoon. This was a regular Monday thing and I never did much work for Ted on those days. I was with Fritzy most days whilst he was over here and if you ever saw him out I was usually with him and vice versa.[/i
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It was good to see the Wakefield Trinity Heritage team put together the Yorkshire Cup reunion. How was that for you and seeing the old faces again ?
[iBrilliant, absolutely brilliant. Fritzy stayed at my house for two weeks and I managed to book a few days off work so I could spend some more time with him. Geoff Bagnall & Peter Benson came over so I saw them a lot as well although Benno was always playing golf. The dinner was exceptional, nearly all the side were there together. A lot of the other ex players were there too which added to the whole event. I’ll never forget that day for the rest of the life and really appreciative for the guys who do the Heritage side of things for putting it on for us all.[/i
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And to end the playing side of things, who was the best player you played with and the best or toughest you played against ?
[iI have to say Fritzy for who I played with. He was State of Origin back home and was quality and I am not just saying that because he is a mate. I could have picked loads at Saints but didn’t get much chance to play with them due to not having many chances to play in the first team. Gary Schofield away from Wakefield was the best I played against. Although it was the back end of his career when I went up against him and although his legs might not have been what they were in his younger days, he still had it all with his intelligence and knowledge for the game and where to be and what do in those difficult situations.[/i
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Now let's look at Webby the supporter. Why did you choose to follow Trinity as a fan after your playing career ?
[iMy original team was Fev and watch them all over the place with my dad. After I played for Wakey I made a lot of friends and felt it was good to stay with them. I always see fans in and around and always happy to share a story or two if they come for a chat. It’s the little things at Wakey I suppose that brings the players, the fans and the staff together throughout the years. I still like watching Fev in the Championship and Saints as well. It was amazing to see them win the World Club Challenge last week. Although my top team will always be Wakey.[/i
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What were your highs and lows during your time as a player / supporter ?
[iSupporter Lows – Hated / detested losing to Cas 10 or 11 times on the bounce. I hate them with a passion. They came to sign me a few times in my playing career and I told them where to go.
Playing Highs & Lows – Meeting and playing with Fritzy, Benno, Slats, Bagnall and others. I actually signed for an Australian club at one point in my career. They were Canberra’s feeder team over there, I think they were called Rockhampton Brothers or something like that. In those days you could play over here through the season and then the Australian season continued when ours ended. That was a high for me, to be able to sign for an Australian side, even if it was only a feeder team. It would be an opportunity to get my name over there. The big low happened not long after and I got the long term injury and the move over there collapsed.
Supporter Highs – Anytime beating or sending Cas down (Did I tell you that I don’t like them !!). Although when they went down instead of Wigan, I didn’t agree with that at all. We had lost the opportunity for bragging rights with them playing in the division below but I still think Wigan should have gone that year.[/i
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How has the game changed from your days to the "exciting" brand that is Super League ?
[iFull time athletes, stronger, dieticians, better training regime. A lot more structured game plan and teams don’t play off the cuff as much as you used to. Wedges, running into dummy runners were a key part of tactics back then. These days if anyone attract players and they run into your opposite shoulder then there is always the view that this is obstruction. More cameras and focus on the little things which was never focussed upon in the same way back in my day when all we had was Scrumdown on a Sunday evening (alongside the BBC and Grandstand showing games). But the analysis of every try and aspect was never there compared to what it is now.[/i
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So let's have your all time dream team, either from your playing days or supporter days ?
[iI could easily say the Yorkshire Cup Side but I won’t so let’s have a think….
1. Gary Connolly (Special mention to Gary Spencer who could have got it)
2. Alan Hunte
3. Paul O’Loughlin
4. Paul Newlove
5. Andy Wilson aka The Rubber Man
6. Gary Schofield (or Nigel Wright)
7. Geoff Bagnall (or Neil Holding)
8. Kurt Sorenson
9. Billy Conway
10. Dean Sampson
11. Darren Fritz
12. Roy Hagerty
13. Gary Price (or Richard Slater)[/i
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And from that team, the toughest player you have seen play (not played with) ?
[iKurt Sorenson. I played in Neil Holdings testimonial against Widnes (you don’t have friendlies against Widnes). I got on for 10 minutes and I was in a scrum with Sorenson. He gave me a look before the scrum was packed and then put his fingers in my eyes when we went down in the scrum. Roy Hagerty threw a punch over me and it all kicked off. Everyone kicked off except me as I couldn’t see a thing or knew where I was. Kurt was a big strong running forward and not to be messed with and he definitely picked on the young kid on that occasion to show who was boss !![/i
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And finally your thoughts for this season and how you think we might go in 2023?
[iBefore the season kicked off I was hopeful. On paper it looked ok but could be better. I was disheartened after losing to Catalans as I saw it as an opportunity for us to start well. All the ex players that I saw before the game were hopeful of a win. Wigan, I suppose you have those games although not defending the result. Hopefully tonight will be an improvement. Geoff spoke to me about Kevin Proctor and thinks he will come good as his fitness improves. I just hope we aren’t in a relegation fight but it’s more hope as it’s clear to see that we are going to struggle from the first few games.[/i
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Anything else you would like to add?
[iI still talk to Fritzy each week along with Geoff. I’m hoping to go over there next year to see them which should be great.
I meet all the ex players in the lower bar behind the sticks before each game so always good to see old faces again. We might be going to see Leeds and Hull KR away as they have links with the ex players as well. A big thanks to the Heritage boys again for the work they do and obviously have to say thanks to Trinity for been able to meet and talk to the lads before the game and the events that they put on. All the lads will say hello so if you see any of us knocking around the ground, say hello and have a catch up with us.
I hate them 6 fingered Dingles by the way…. If I haven’t already told you that !!
Cheers Webby !![/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.