#88 | Steve 'Blocker' Roach | Origin Battles, Unwritten Rules & Balmain's Greatest Run
5/31/202656 min
Steve 'Blocker' Roach is one of Rugby League's true characters — a champion Tiger, a State of Origin warrior, and a fan favourite on The Footy Show couch. Blocker sits down for a brilliant yarn covering his playing days, some classic dressing room stories, and the moments that had Australia in stitches every Thursday night.
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0:00-Steven ‘Blocka’ Roach
4:00-Origin Experience
9:30-Fighting in Rugby League
15:00-Tallis Story
17:00-Teammates & Coaches
23:00-Balmain Mid 80’s
32:00-1989 GF
42:00-Retirement
46:00-The Footy Show
53:00-Lone Survivor
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsCooper Johns· Host0:00
No, so like I was just saying, yeah, I built all that.
Matty Johns· Host0:02
Yeah.
Cooper Johns· Host0:02
'Cause, um, when I first... I went to TAFE straight out of school, and I learned to be a carpenter.
Matty Johns· Host0:08
Block-, blocker, blocker. He was lucky to finish year 12, seriously.
Cooper Johns· Host0:11
Yeah.
Matty Johns· Host0:11
Mate, it has not... Look at those hands. Mate, they're the hands that never seen a hammer- See- ... or a spanner ...
Cooper Johns· Host0:16
th- you got fighting hands?
Steve Roach· Guest0:17
Well, not really. I got a couple of broken thumb. You know, when you, you hit them a little bit high on the, on the forehead? [laughs] You gotta go a little bit lower if you're gonna- I don't, I actually don't know what that's on about.
Matty Johns· Host0:27
[laughs] Yeah. Blo- blocker's got fighting hands. Cooper's got wanking hands.
Cooper Johns· Host0:30
[laughs] I can look after, and not for myself.
Matty Johns· Host0:32
[laughs] Say no more.
Steve Roach· Guest0:35
Yeah.
Cooper Johns· Host0:35
I don't. So you know when you, you stop playing and, and there's just no callouses from weights anymore? So when I rub, like sometimes when I'm in the middle of the night and I sort of rub my own leg, it does feel like a lady's hand. [laughs] Not the point that I was trying to make.
Matty Johns· Host0:50
But what you do, mate, double down, lay on the arm for 20 minutes, make it numb.
Steve Roach· Guest0:53
That's right. Make it numb.
Matty Johns· Host0:54
And it just feels, yeah, makes it feel like someone's- Or if you don't have someone, do it right-handed.
Cooper Johns· Host0:58
[laughs] Or find someone.
Matty Johns· Host0:59
Double Dutch rub.
Cooper Johns· Host1:00
Uh- You're all class, Dad ... Stephen Blokroach, mate, welcome.
Steve Roach· Guest1:03
Thank you.
Cooper Johns· Host1:03
It is, uh- Thanks for the invite ... mate. We appreciate you coming over.
Matty Johns· Host1:06
Pleasure.
Steve Roach· Guest1:07
Pleasure.
Cooper Johns· Host1:07
Well, yep. We, um, we're gonna talk about a lot of stuff, State of Origin, your experience in State of Origin. But off the top, we were just talking, we got some of the Cessnock Goannas', uh- Ooh ... photos of here, of Gary Johns, and you had a great story. You actually played a trial game against the Cessnock Goannas.
Steve Roach· Guest1:21
I did. I was only a boy, I think I was about 20.
Cooper Johns· Host1:24
Yeah.
Steve Roach· Guest1:25
And I played against Willie Terry. You remember Willie Terry, the coal miner?
Matty Johns· Host1:29
Mm.
Steve Roach· Guest1:29
He