Matthew Ridge

You know, like it was, I just got belted.

And I remember the first time I played and coming off the field and sitting in the changing room.

And I'd done pretty well.

I was lucky because Michael O'Connor was injured, so he couldn't kick.

So I kicked.

And I wasn't a goal kicker.

Well, I was a goal kicker, but I hadn't kicked for ages because Foxy was a goal kicker.

Yeah, yeah.

So there was no way I was going to be a goal kicker, but I was kicking for Ponsonby and shit.

So I sort of had my eye in.

And I think I kicked like six out of seven or something like that and hit the post with the other one from way out.

And we beat Cronulla and they were leading the comp.

But I came in after the game and I was like absolutely rooted, like mentally, physically just exhausted.

And I remember sitting there and I was looking down between my legs and I said to myself, I said, fuck, I don't know if I can do this week in, week out.

Because that's what it was like.

It was like, it was just a war, you know, and no rest.

You know, the ball doesn't go out.

It's just full on, you know, and you kick the ball down there, they make the tackles, the ball comes back, you know.

And it was savage.

It was savage, mate.