Between Two Beers Podcast
Russell Packer: From NRL Star to Prisoner, Leaving Jail With An MBA
23 Nov 2025
Russell Packer has lived one of the wildest arcs in rugby league - from a teenage prop playing men’s footy in Levin, to 100+ NRL games, prison, the threat of deportation, an MBA from one of the world’s top business schools, and a completely different life after footy.Russell opens up about the parts of his story most people don’t see - the demons, the damage, the work, and the daily battle to be better for his partner Lara and their kids.We talk:• Discovering Wim Hof, ice baths and chasing healthy extremes• Growing up in Foxton, playing men’s league at 14 and life lessons from Levin Lions• The Sydney assault: what actually happened, the court case and media narrative• A year in jail, isolation, anger, acceptance and the moment his daughter broke him• Rebuilding his life and career after prison• Nearly being deported from Australia and what that meant for his family• Studying business, getting into AGSM and graduating with an MBA• Moving into business: subdivisions, fencing and learning by failing• Curiosity, reading, and a lifelong thirst for knowledge• Raising an autistic son and becoming more empathetic and less judgmentalThis episode is brought to you by the TAB. Got a hunch? Download the new app today and get your bet on.Steve and Seamus are proud to be dressed by Barkers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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