How Buderus helped Cook join him in the Blues fold
After Damian Cook copped one of his many knockbacks, this time from the Illawarra Cutters, his mum felt he needed a lift to bounce back.
Which is when she turned to one of Cook’s childhood heroes.
Knowing how much her son idolised Danny Buderus, Anne Cook got in touch with the Newcastle champion's manager to ask whether he could provide a message to lift his spirits.
“Danny Buderus was actually overseas playing at the time,” Anne Cook recalled. “I googled to find his manager and said, ‘My son is on the pathway to NRL, he’s struggling and his idol is Danny Buderus.’”
Buderus’ agent was only too glad to help. It was arranged for Buderus’ biography, the aptly named Talent is not enough, to be sent to the champion hooker while he was in Australia in the hope he would sign it for one of his biggest fans. Buderus did more than that.
“I sent it to him with a reply-paid envelope so that no one had to pay for anything,” Anne said. “He returned that book with not only his signature but an inscription with his phone number. He wrote ‘if you ever need to talk to me, ring me.’
“Damien never did but just that gesture from Danny Buderus was unbelievable.”
Cook not only hung in with rugby league, but fought his way to the top. So it is appropriate that he has made a NSW team at a time when Buderus is in camp as an assistant coach.
"I've got a feeling he was in hospital and she sent it through and asked for it to be signed to send to him to cheer him up,” Buderus told colleague Adam Pengilly.
"He reminded me of it a couple of years ago. I've always watched his career progress. I said, 'that's Damien and he was the guy whose mum sent the book'. I've kept a track of his progression. I tried to say to him the other day, 'you've worked so hard to nail down a first grade spot then this door opened and the next door has opened. It happens so quick. Your representative career just accelerates'.
“There's a lot of opportunity for him in the next couple of months. His team is going great at Souths, he's playing Origin and there's all sorts of goals for him to achieve in a short period of time."
Tedesco turns to ex-Tigers teammate in land sale
When James Tedesco opted to sell up a piece of land from his property portfolio, he didn’t look far for a real estate agent.
Deciding to sell off a vacant lot at Spring Farm before he got a chance to redevelop, the Blues fullback turned to former Tigers teammate Shannon McDonnell, who is now a registered agent.
McDonnell sold the property for $670,000, ensuring Tedesco got almost twice what he originally paid for it five years ago.
“I’ve had that for a while now and there wasn’t the time to build and sell,” Tedesco said. “It was just easier for me to sell, I’d had it for a while. It was a decision me and my dad come up with.”
Tedesco got into the property development game via his mentor, Joe Wehbe, but his interest in the field has waned.
“My dad got me into it and my mentor, but I’m not that into it these days,” he said.
Captain preparing his rallying call
Boyd Cordner is the sort of bloke who leads with actions rather than words, but the NSW captain has given some thought to the final message he will deliver to his team before kick-off.
Cordner apologised for being unable to match predecessor Paul Gallen’s verbal attacks on the Maroons when he was handed the captaincy, but he's a man who commands great respect from his teammates. While his final words won’t be srcipted - “My talk before the game is whatever I’m feeling at the time” - one key theme is likely to emerge.
“It’s going to be, ‘How bad do you want it?’” Cordner said. “That’s what Origin is about. “The first half of that first game (last year), there was only one error. It was so quick and a good game to be involved in. You’ve got to keep going, you can’t stop.”
Klemmer still leaning on Woods
For the first time, David Klemmer’s great mate, Aaron Woods, won’t be there to share the Origin experience with him.
But Woods will still play an integral part in Klemmer’s preparations despite being overlooked for a spot in Brad Fittler’s team.
“Definitely, he’s a bloke I talk to all the time about my game and what I have to do,” Klemmer said. “He helps me out and I give him a ring here and there to see how things are going. It helps me out, him being an experienced footballer. I look up to him and always have a yarn to him.”
Klemmer also spared a thought for Gold Coast prop Ryan James, who almost made the team at his expense.
“Ryan James is a good player, a very tough player and a leader as well at the Titans,” Klemmer said. He’s an Origin player, he will definitely get his go.”
Tommy Turbo gets a pass mark
We reported last week that Tom Trbojevic almost cost himself a spot in the side when he failed to follow the only instruction Brad Fittler gave him.
Fittler told ‘Tommy Turbo’, in no uncertain terms, not to throw forward passes. In his next game, he threw two.
After witnessing him in Blues camp, it appears Trbojevic has finally got the tip.
“I haven’t passed too much, but everything so far has been about five metres backwards,” he said.
Cleary wins cross-code battle
With the Blues in Melbourne for the opening game, it’s appropriate to pit one of the NRL’s finest against an AFL type in a strength test.
In a promotion for OAK Plus, Blues debutant Nathan Cleary went up against AFL counterpart Hamish Hartlett in a bench press challenge. Unsurprisingly, league emerged victorious. Port Adelaide defender Hartlett benched 90kg, while Panthers prodigy Cleary - despite the fact he is just 20 years old - punched out 110kg.