The 20-Test veteran for the Kangaroos and two-time captain of Australia steals a green plastic Bunnings-esque outdoor dining chair and plants himself down next to a landrover and beside ad-man and long-time suburban league supporter John Singleton.

“Being back here, with a big crowd, brings back some great memories; I had 11 years here. It was just fantastic. A great journey, you know?” he beams.

“When I finished playing down here with Newtown, I went to Brisbane to coach. Then came back here and coached Western Suburbs and New South Wales, and now I’ve moved back to the Gold Coast.”

After a few minutes chewing the fat, we bring up Inside Sport’s recent chat with legendary coach Roy Masters. For that piece, Masters took us through his famous “Fibros vs Silvertails” philosophy. We were keen to know, then, what it was about that whole approach that appealed to Raudonikis so easily.

“Roy Masters was our coach; I got along terrifically with Roy,” Raudonikis shares. “The reason his coaching style with us appealed to me was that this is a working-class area; I’m only a batter, my parents were always battlers … I fitted in just like that. It suited me and I loved every minute of it.

“It’s good to see Victa back on board with the Magpies, too. We wore that Victa jersey with a lot of pride back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. I have a big soft spot for that strip.”

During our chat, Wests Tigers coach Ivan Cleary, at the ground to watch the Tigers’ up and comers in action, drops past to say G’day to the champion 68-year-old Bathurst native, and halfback for New South Wales in the first-ever State of Origin back in 1980.