Matt Ballin is all class

[Ryan]

I remember when both Brett and Glenn Stewart took their own Sunday out to play touch footy, have a BBQ and take some photos with a group of us fans. No fan fare.

Thats commitment.

 

[wedgetail eagle]

I mentioned this in the "Non Manly game" thread, my brother took his Souths fan daughter (12) to the Raiders game last night.
Adam Reynolds was signing autographs,
She asked for a photo & he brushed them, no.
The kid was really disappointed.
Future fans, etc.

 

[effnic]

I hear Ben Kennedy is not a very fun person to meet.

 

[RiverEagle]

Really fellas...?

You have to spoil one really positive thread with that?

Dear me, some ppl see the world through dark glasses sometimes!

 

[globaleagle]

I always get a kiss and hug from Choc wherever I see him.

I hope you tell him "keep those hands where I can see them!!!!"



Sometimes it's good to see people's evolution. Someone I met over here went to school with them and said that way back then....he and his brother were a couple of rat-bags (which I'm not surprised at lol).


Errrr I met Gary Freeman once, he was real nice too (for a non manly player)

 

[wedgetail eagle]

Way back in the StoneAge Terry Randall came to our school in country NSW & answered silly questions for hours. A nice bloke.
Also, at a Darwin game Cowboys JT signed autographs for a mile of kids, well after other Cows players had gone.to ready for the game.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

This thread will go on forever if we post ALL the Matt Ballin good guy stories! But, what the hey.

I was fortunate to be at the 2012 awards night and Matt was chatting to my daughter and I. He offered to get my daughter a drink of water but was suddenly called on stage to collect an award (forget which award, might have been players player?).

Anyhow upon leaving the stage after being presented with his award and saying a few words to the cheers of the heaving sea of sea eagles members present, he came down amid a lot of back-slapping and hand-shaking, made his way to the bar and brought back the drink for my daughter, apologising for the delay! Might not sound like much but it made an impression on us!

As others have commented, he - as well as many other players I've been lucky to meet such as Kite, Robbo, Brett, King, Joe, Tooves etc etc etc - don't just go through the motions when it comes to engaging with fans.

I was already a confirmed life-long fan, but when I started meeting some of the players my pride in the club definitely increased. Very decent blokes.

 

[niccipops]

This thread is what we needed after last week's negativity. I hope the players get to see it and it should be sent to Kitey as well.

Even after being a life long fan for say 35 years plus, I'm yet to have my personal meeting a Sea Eagle story but it will happen and I hope I don't collapse in excitement so I can remember it.

The Manly Sea Eagles. What a bunch of legends!

 

[Loobs]

Also used to see Choc in Narrabeen all the time after training in summer, shirt off, coming out of Salty Rooster, king of the town, always good for a g'day and wave...

 

[wedgetail eagle]

Really fellas...?

You have to spoil one really positive thread with that?

Dear me, some ppl see the world through dark glasses sometimes!

It's the world we live in, RE.
Plus, it's just Footy stories.

 

[Stevo]

Print some of this Rothtool and Ritchie you Dereks

 

[Killer03]

Anyone reading this, please add your story. This is the best thread I have read on here. Am loving all of these stories, however small or large.

What I appreciate (and always have) is when sports stars take the time to be nice to kids. That's the way to get and keep fans. Kids never forget.

One sport that all sports can take a leaf out of is the V8's, they are unbelievable with fans. Their attitude is always 'fans are the lifeblood of our sport'. I have never witnessed a racing car driver not being fantastic with fans, signing everything, taking photos, talking to all. Some of the access they give to fans (in the pits etc), is just mind blowing.

And the stories I am reading here (and have added myself), shows that the Manly players have the same attitude. Brilliant!

 

[Scorpio]

I saw Brett Stewart and Zorba at their usual lunch spot, just after he had been done for drink driving.

You'd think he might have been a bit reluctant to interact with the public, having been dragged through the media for a few days at that point.

But no, two or three kids asked Brett for a photo and he happily obliged, beaming smile and all.
He has always come across to me as great with the fans.

 

[mosto]

A few years ago I went to Brookie on a Sat night when we played NQ. It was freezing, p**sing down rain and, as a result, I think there was only about 4,000 people there. The rain was at its heaviest right on full time. I expected everyone to run off to the sheds, and wouldn't have blamed them, however Ballin, and DCE, walked around the fence talking, shaking hands, posing for photos and signing autographs, for anyone that was happy to stick around. I've noticed, these two in particular, do this every game, rain, hail, or shine.

 

[RiverEagle]

Really fellas...?

You have to spoil one really positive thread with that?

Dear me, some ppl see the world through dark glasses sometimes!

It's the world we live in, RE.
Plus, it's just Footy stories.

Yeah fair enough Wedge.

I'm sure there are just as many negative encounters around (hopefully not many with Manly players!)

Was just enjoying the positivity here mate.

 

[WombatEadie1]

For me there is nobody like Steve Matai. I have met most of the guys and love Kitey, Matty, Tooves and JoeyG. I was also a neighbour of Gorgeous George who is just so easy to talk to and great with my kids. However, Matai has my eternal respect.

He was a neighbour in 2005 when my father passed away. Our funeral procession took us past our home and Stevie's of course. He had just walked out front with his training gear, saw the hearse, stopped walking, took of his cap and bowed his head until the hearse moved on. Now that is a quality human being.

 

[globaleagle]

In 2010 I went to the Gold Coast post match function after our (loss) to the titans.

Actually, was staying in the same hotel as the team.

Heaps of players about.

But...... I was too quiet to approach any (plus you're all a rowdy lot - even spoke over Arko when he gave a speech.)

However (which is just a 3 syllable fancy pants way of saying 'but')... next time I'll struggle my way through you noisy eagles and say "Hi!" to a few of them if they are friendly.


Come to think of it, some of you may have been there too!

 

[Jethro]

Really fellas...?

You have to spoil one really positive thread with that?

Dear me, some ppl see the world through dark glasses sometimes!

It's the world we live in, RE.
Plus, it's just Footy stories.

Yeah fair enough Wedge.

I'm sure there are just as many negative encounters around (hopefully not many with Manly players!)

Was just enjoying the positivity here mate.

@"RiverEagle",

Ask @"Mark from Brisbane" about what the grub Billy Slater said to a bunch of visiting Manly child fans a couple of years or so back. Now that was a negative encounter.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Grub of the highest order , one of the most disgraceful acts I have seen from a player of that nature.

But we all know he comes from the land of grubs!!

 

[xavier]

In the late 70s when I was 10 a bunch of us kids where playing around the car park at collaroy supermarket (remember when young kids did stuff like that unsupervised?) and noticed a car with a heap of Rugby League Weeks in the back seat. Zorba appeared (He used to own a night club at collaroy called Sweet Fanny Adams) and went to get in his car. One of us said "gotta spare RLW Pete". He couldn't have been nicer given that we were really a rabble of street kids. Took out a few copies and gave them to us with a smile. Funny how you don't forget things like that. Recent issues with his behaviour aside, I've always thought of him as a good guy ever since.

The other thing I can think of is being at a party in Newtown about 10 years ago - and Tim Friedman from the Whitlams was there. Tim's a huge Sea Eagle fan (I saw a concert of his in the early 2000s in which he wore a vintage sea eagles jersey for the whole gig). We spent about an hour reminiscing about the seaeagles - particularly during the 70s when we were both kids. He said that he'd just come back from Byron Bay where he'd stayed with Tom Mooney ("loves scoring tries!"). The two of them had done a few sessions watching the 76 and 78 GFs together. I happened to be going to Byron the following week and he said I should drop into Tom's pub. I didn't do that, but I was standing in a newsagent in BB waiting to pay and noticed that the guy standing beside me was Tom Mooney. What were the odds? I introduced myself and said I was a big fan of his back in the 70s and mentioned Tim Friedman. He couldn't have been nicer - had a good discussion about the old days.