Now the football is over, I'll respond to the rubbish reported about me lately.
Columnists such as Phil Rothfield, Rebecca Wilson and radio's Ray Hadley seem to have an obsession with discrediting me.
Their obsession is boring the pants off everybody.
I think Rothfield and Wilson place agendas and personal grievances above readers' needs for informative, accurate and unbiased reporting.
Rothfield has sledged me for more than a decade. His bitterness towards me has overtaken common sense and accuracy where my name is concerned. He is constantly wrong about me but that doesn't stop him backing up for another go. He has never contacted me to verify a story.
He once sent me an abusive email. My email response must have hit the mark because he's never written to me again. These days he's just spitting into the wind. Every time he opens his mouth about me it blows right back in his face.
As for Rebecca Wilson?
Ha, ha, ha. Sorry. I can't even say her name without laughing. She must be trying to emulate Rothfield because her gossip column bears a striking resemblance to his style.
Despite constantly writing about me over the years, she has never had the courage to contact me to verify a story. Her stories about me have been inaccurate, exaggerated, embellished and misrepresentative. As far as I am concerned, it has been a vindictive, deliberate and sustained campaign.
It's all become so boring and her credibility has suffered so much that she must be close to giving it away and allowing someone else to write that gossip column.
And Ray Hadley? He often delivers vindictive attacks on individuals, sometimes targeting their very livelihood. Don't take my word for it. Ask people such as Brian Smith, Paul Vautin, Peter Sterling, John Gibbs and Andrew Voss. He, too, has never had the courage to phone me to verify a story before shooting off his mouth. I wonder why?
Like Rothfield, Hadley is extremely thin-skinned. They dish it out but can't take it.
Recently this troika has targeted my role at the Roosters. They are up in arms that I didn't attend a couple of club functions. So what? What's it got to do with them anyway? By saying I didn't turn up they are suggesting I was expected to attend these occasions but didn't show. That's totally incorrect.
For the record: I've attended less than a handful of club functions in the past six years. I also don't attend Dally M awards, season launches, grand final breakfasts, book launches and cocktail parties. I gave up going to these dos when I retired from coaching six years ago.
They also thought they had a big story when they heard I was invited to talk to Dragons players at a dinner before their final against Wests Tigers. So bloody what? I'm invited to talk to many sporting bodies, teams, clubs, junior leagues, business seminars, individuals and charities. I do as many as I can.
Newcastle's Paul Harragon spoke to the Tigers. Gorden Tallis and Mark Geyer spoke to the Cowboys.
Footballers like to help each other. Rugby league is not like the media where people like Rothfield, Wilson and Hadley attack those who work for rival media organisations just for the sake of it. How childish is that?
For the record: I declined the Dragons dinner invitation. I have never addressed the Dragons coaches. I did agree to deliver a short talk to the players. It had nothing to do with coaching, tactics, game plans or Wests Tigers. I asked Nathan Brown what message he wanted emphasised and that was the message I delivered. He was spot on, too. I spoke for 10 minutes and left. End of story. Anyone suggesting different is a liar.
Their other scintillating story is that I've supposedly had a stink with Roosters coach Ricky Stuart. They say the Roosters are in crisis. Yeah right! This is a total misrepresentation. Our club and the Roosters fans do not deserve this rubbish.
For the record: I've never had a stink with anyone at the Roosters, let alone Ricky Stuart. Ricky and I are mates. He's a great coach. We argue and bag one another every day about football matters and have done since we met 13 years ago; but we enjoy it. It's healthy to have a difference of opinion.
Over the past two years I have backed right away from dealing with the players on a day-to-day basis because Ricky and the other coaches do such a great job. Ricky does not need anyone looking over his shoulder to coach a football team. He earned his autonomy years ago. These days I'm just a sounding-board for his ideas or anything else he wants to discuss.
The decision by Roosters chairman Nick Politis to introduce a new coaching system at the club four years ago has delivered great results.
For the record; Ricky Stuart and Nick Politis are the reason for our club's unprecedented recent success.
The Roosters have played in three grand finals. We won a first-grade premiership, World Club Challenge and three lower-grade premierships.
Last year we played in all three games on grand final day, winning two and coming within three points of winning the third. Last year's premier league coach Ivan Cleary has been appointed Warriors head coach. Assistant coach John Cartwright is to be head coach of the Gold Coast Titans. Our premier league coach, Shane Flanagan, is ready to coach first grade.
The Roosters coaching staff also assisted me in a three-year undefeated tenure as NSW State of Origin coach. Ricky Stuart is now the successful NSW coach and will be the next coach of Australia. I'd call that pretty successful.
For the record: I love the Roosters. Even if I leave them, and that day hasn't come yet, Nick Politis knows I will never work for another football club. I guaranteed him that a long time ago. I am committed to him for life. Nick, Ricky and I are great friends.
The media will never come between us. Rothfield, Wilson and Hadley can choke on that!
Sorry for this short break in transmission. My normal service will resume next week.
