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http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...on-the-plus-side/story-e6frexnr-1226458491690
IT says everything about Nathan Hindmarsh that despite finishing his final season with a wooden spoon, all he can think of is positives after 15 glorious years. Hindmarsh admits he would love to have played one more year for Parramatta - and until a few weeks back he was seriously contemplating it.
"I liked hearing (all the speculation) because at least I knew I was playing OK footy," he said ahead of next Sunday night's farewell appearance against St George Illawarra.
"I was starting to think about it."
But then he woke one recent Sunday morning after a Saturday night game and he could hardly climb out of bed.
That is when it really hit home, he said, the reality of all this effort.
At 33, Hindmarsh is still a young man in life terms but he walks away from rugby league nursing an old man's body.
He is a father of three boys with enough energy to light up the sun. But after 15 years playing the style of football Hindmarsh does, there are some things he simply can't do with his kids anymore.
You ask him what impact the game had on his body.
"Put it this way," he said. "Last week after the game, I couldn't walk. My wrists are gone. I can't give the kids horsey rides anymore. Wrestling them is hard.
"The wrists are arthritic. I've had two operations on them and they are just shot.
"My knees are starting to go a bit, but not as bad as some other blokes still playing.
"The big toe's not too bad but a hip replacement is not too far away."
You need a hip replacement? "Yeah, it's a bit of a scary thing what I'm going to be like," he said.
"I have been told it is important to stay active, otherwise I will be just useless. And I am a bit concerned about that type of stuff after footy.
"That's what I'm not looking forward to. I just hope I'm not in pain. But if I manage myself right and stay fit, they said I should be OK."
He doesn't say it like it's some great regret, just the reality of his lifetime's work.
Tally up his individual efforts. Next Sunday will be Hindmarsh's 330th game for Parramatta. And in those
games he has made more than 4400 runs, almost 12,000 tackles, run more than 33,600m.
Think about that for a minute, then think about this: Imagine having some goliath smash you to the ground every 10 or so metres along the way.
"Yeah, you do get bashed," he said smiling.
"Studies have shown, you try and tackle Fui flat out, it's like a car accident. That's what the GPS trackers say.
"You do that 40 times a game and sometimes more, the bones move a bit."
Not that he'd give you back one game now as he prepares for his farewell performance.
So what makes him most proud? "Just 15 years of playing the same footy," he said simply. "You know, the game has changed a bit over the years but I have always given 100 per cent.
"That's what I think I am most proud of. Even the days I didn't feel like playing, I turned up to play and once I crossed that white line I would always give 100 per cent . . ."
But before he finishes, he catches himself.
Once again, Hindmarsh doesn't hide the truth.
"There was one day I turned up and said, 'you know what? I just can't be stuffed today'," he said. "That day Souths beat us by 50. Everyone decided to have the day off.
"There was one other time, it was Nathan Cayless's 250th game over in New Zealand and the same. I thought, 'bugger it. I've done this hundreds of times before. This is just another game, no pressure.'
"So I went out there and I dropped the first three balls that got passed to me. I had the worst game I ever played and it had to be on Nathan Cayless's 250th game.
"But other than those two, I can say this: I always made a real effort just to do my best." Do you regret not winning a grand final?
"I'm not going to say not winning a grand final was a disappointment," he said.
"How would you put it? It would have been nice to have won one, especially in 2001 (when Parramatta lost to Newcastle). That is always something that is going to be a knife in the side.
"But I have been fortunate to play in two and I know what it's like. Yeah, we lost both but I did experience grand final week and that is a very special thing to be a part of."
You ask what he is feeling now in the countdown to his last game and finishing with a wooden spoon?
"I always look at Shane Webcke and what he did," he said. "To win a grand final in your last year would be something special, but it hasn't happened. Wherever we finish on the table, I will walk away knowing I had a good run. I think there will be a lot of mixed emotions when I run out for this final game.
"I will be excited that I have been able to play 15 years at the one club and finish it all here and I will be proud that I gave it my best."
TOUGHEST OPPONENT?
"I always go back to Petero (Civoniceva) and Shane Webcke because they are blokes I had to battle with in the middle. They never gave up. I seemed to be forever tackling them, and they ran hard."
BEST COACH?
"I liked all my coaches. I never disliked a coach. Of course, I had Brian Smith for 10 years, so he was a big part of my career. He was great for me. He got the best out of me. He's a bloke who really wants to win. Like I said, I liked all my coaches."
MOST ADMIRED TEAMMATE?
"I took a lot from Nathan Cayless, his attitude. Not once did I ever hear Nathan whinge about what we were doing at training or being sore or anything like that. I admire Nathan a lot. I looked up to him, he was a great leader."
HERO OUTSIDE GAME?
"I think my brother (Ian). He's a dairy farmer. He works his arse off every day."
THE FANS?
"If I see fans lining up for autographs, I will always do my best to sign them all. There have been plenty of fan days that go from 12 till two and we are not out of there until four because those people have taken the time to line up, sometimes in 40C heat in summer. They deserve respect and a little bit of courtesy. They are who we play for."
FAREWELL PARTY?
"I plan to let my hair down. There are going to be a few beverages, don't worry about that. I've got my leave pass, my good wife (Bonnie) is going to let me do what I want for a couple of weeks. Then we have a trip planned for Byron with the Burts and the Caylesses. The kids ride around on their pushies and we stand around and have a barbie and a beer."
THE FUTURE?
"I'm talking to the NRL about game development and fan engagement. We have to listen to what fans say. At the end of the day, they are the ones who go out and watch the games."
===============================================
I admire his honesty
IT says everything about Nathan Hindmarsh that despite finishing his final season with a wooden spoon, all he can think of is positives after 15 glorious years. Hindmarsh admits he would love to have played one more year for Parramatta - and until a few weeks back he was seriously contemplating it.
"I liked hearing (all the speculation) because at least I knew I was playing OK footy," he said ahead of next Sunday night's farewell appearance against St George Illawarra.
"I was starting to think about it."
But then he woke one recent Sunday morning after a Saturday night game and he could hardly climb out of bed.
That is when it really hit home, he said, the reality of all this effort.
At 33, Hindmarsh is still a young man in life terms but he walks away from rugby league nursing an old man's body.
He is a father of three boys with enough energy to light up the sun. But after 15 years playing the style of football Hindmarsh does, there are some things he simply can't do with his kids anymore.
You ask him what impact the game had on his body.
"Put it this way," he said. "Last week after the game, I couldn't walk. My wrists are gone. I can't give the kids horsey rides anymore. Wrestling them is hard.
"The wrists are arthritic. I've had two operations on them and they are just shot.
"My knees are starting to go a bit, but not as bad as some other blokes still playing.
"The big toe's not too bad but a hip replacement is not too far away."
You need a hip replacement? "Yeah, it's a bit of a scary thing what I'm going to be like," he said.
"I have been told it is important to stay active, otherwise I will be just useless. And I am a bit concerned about that type of stuff after footy.
"That's what I'm not looking forward to. I just hope I'm not in pain. But if I manage myself right and stay fit, they said I should be OK."
He doesn't say it like it's some great regret, just the reality of his lifetime's work.
Tally up his individual efforts. Next Sunday will be Hindmarsh's 330th game for Parramatta. And in those
games he has made more than 4400 runs, almost 12,000 tackles, run more than 33,600m.
Think about that for a minute, then think about this: Imagine having some goliath smash you to the ground every 10 or so metres along the way.
"Yeah, you do get bashed," he said smiling.
"Studies have shown, you try and tackle Fui flat out, it's like a car accident. That's what the GPS trackers say.
"You do that 40 times a game and sometimes more, the bones move a bit."
Not that he'd give you back one game now as he prepares for his farewell performance.
So what makes him most proud? "Just 15 years of playing the same footy," he said simply. "You know, the game has changed a bit over the years but I have always given 100 per cent.
"That's what I think I am most proud of. Even the days I didn't feel like playing, I turned up to play and once I crossed that white line I would always give 100 per cent . . ."
But before he finishes, he catches himself.
Once again, Hindmarsh doesn't hide the truth.
"There was one day I turned up and said, 'you know what? I just can't be stuffed today'," he said. "That day Souths beat us by 50. Everyone decided to have the day off.
"There was one other time, it was Nathan Cayless's 250th game over in New Zealand and the same. I thought, 'bugger it. I've done this hundreds of times before. This is just another game, no pressure.'
"So I went out there and I dropped the first three balls that got passed to me. I had the worst game I ever played and it had to be on Nathan Cayless's 250th game.
"But other than those two, I can say this: I always made a real effort just to do my best." Do you regret not winning a grand final?
"I'm not going to say not winning a grand final was a disappointment," he said.
"How would you put it? It would have been nice to have won one, especially in 2001 (when Parramatta lost to Newcastle). That is always something that is going to be a knife in the side.
"But I have been fortunate to play in two and I know what it's like. Yeah, we lost both but I did experience grand final week and that is a very special thing to be a part of."
You ask what he is feeling now in the countdown to his last game and finishing with a wooden spoon?
"I always look at Shane Webcke and what he did," he said. "To win a grand final in your last year would be something special, but it hasn't happened. Wherever we finish on the table, I will walk away knowing I had a good run. I think there will be a lot of mixed emotions when I run out for this final game.
"I will be excited that I have been able to play 15 years at the one club and finish it all here and I will be proud that I gave it my best."
TOUGHEST OPPONENT?
"I always go back to Petero (Civoniceva) and Shane Webcke because they are blokes I had to battle with in the middle. They never gave up. I seemed to be forever tackling them, and they ran hard."
BEST COACH?
"I liked all my coaches. I never disliked a coach. Of course, I had Brian Smith for 10 years, so he was a big part of my career. He was great for me. He got the best out of me. He's a bloke who really wants to win. Like I said, I liked all my coaches."
MOST ADMIRED TEAMMATE?
"I took a lot from Nathan Cayless, his attitude. Not once did I ever hear Nathan whinge about what we were doing at training or being sore or anything like that. I admire Nathan a lot. I looked up to him, he was a great leader."
HERO OUTSIDE GAME?
"I think my brother (Ian). He's a dairy farmer. He works his arse off every day."
THE FANS?
"If I see fans lining up for autographs, I will always do my best to sign them all. There have been plenty of fan days that go from 12 till two and we are not out of there until four because those people have taken the time to line up, sometimes in 40C heat in summer. They deserve respect and a little bit of courtesy. They are who we play for."
FAREWELL PARTY?
"I plan to let my hair down. There are going to be a few beverages, don't worry about that. I've got my leave pass, my good wife (Bonnie) is going to let me do what I want for a couple of weeks. Then we have a trip planned for Byron with the Burts and the Caylesses. The kids ride around on their pushies and we stand around and have a barbie and a beer."
THE FUTURE?
"I'm talking to the NRL about game development and fan engagement. We have to listen to what fans say. At the end of the day, they are the ones who go out and watch the games."
===============================================
I admire his honesty
