I didn’t, you know. We won in 2005, I was a part of that, and in 2006 we won the first game, lost the second and I got dropped. After that, I never thought it would get to the dominance they had. I respected their players, thought they were fantastic. But still – Slater wasn’t Slater yet, Cronk wasn’t Cronk. Thurston was close, but they weren’t the players they are today.

That’s a good analogy – you do need a little luck, especially to keep a streak like that. But then again, and I’ve lived by this, you make your own luck. Those guys put themselves in position to get the bounce of the ball, because they’re still in the game – when sometimes they shouldn’t have been.

How do you think Mitchell Pearce will fare with the Knights? Will a change of scenery in Newcastle do him good?

I love Pearcey. It’s a tough one. For someone who’s been successful for such a long time, people still have question marks over him. One demon he’s always had to battle, he’s always had high expectations. The Origin thing has been tough; I think it’s affected him. I was speaking to him before he made the decision, and he was torn. He was blindsided by the Roosters. He was disappointed. I thought Newcastle was a great move for him because the expectations are not as high. The lifestyle thing for me is garbage – he’s just bought a place in Coogee. I don’t think that comes into it. It’s more: he’s got his mates there, a team that’s improving, and he can relax. If he makes the semis, it’s a successful year. If he just misses out, it’s still not a bad year.

(Photo by Getty Images)

On the subject of the attention that players can get lumped with: the “overrated” label, which followed you around later in your career. What was your view of that? Has working in the media changed the way you understand it?

It hurt my footy career, because I was a very confident player. I think Pearcey is a very similar case. You come through as a young player, and you’re dominant in your age. What makes you so good at what you do is you’re just invincible – you believe you’re better than anyone else, you can win games when they’re on the line. You know no other way. When you’ve got your own players and fans doubting you, you question yourself. It’s only normal. Rarely it won’t affect your game – a big part of being successful at anything is confidence. You lose a bit of it.

But I go back to: to be overrated, you’ve got to be rated first. When I got my “most overrated”, I’ve got guys who were dead-set 50-gamers who couldn’t throw a pass voting on whether I’m overrated or not. But really – if I’m 18 years of age and I’m on the back page of the paper and everyone’s saying I’m the next Freddie Fittler – I don’t blame someone going, “He’s not Fittler, that’s bullshit.”

For a long time at the start of my career, I was playing good rugby league. There was so much hype and talk that I’d play an average game, and I’d read my name in the paper the next day – I thought, “I didn’t even play that good.” So I understand how it happens; the media beats you up. If you don’t reach that expectation, the only way to go is down.

What’s your surprise prediction for 2018?

I think Parramatta is going to do really well. We all know Melbourne, Roosters, Cowboys will be there. I love Brad Arthur, and touch wood health-wise, Gutherson, Moses, Norman. They’ve got a mobile and skilful pack. They can get hot, and they’ve had a good offseason, I’ve heard.

Interview by Jeff Centenera