This week’s episode of Behind The Roar pays tribute to Western Suburbs great Tommy Raudonikis, two years after his passing.
Joining us to reflect on the life and times of the loveable larrikin is former Magpies coach, Roy Masters.
Roy and Tommy were not just coach and player, they were the best of mates. In Episode 7 of BTR, Roy tells a few tales about the mighty number 7, who passed away on April 7 two years ago.
Behind The Roar drops every Wednesday afternoon, available on Apple, Spotify and YouTube.
It was an inseparable bond these two men shared but when Tommy was lured to Newtown in 1980, Roy tells us how they once came to blows, rolling on the carpet in a Sydney pub.
He also talks about the ‘fight’ in Tommy, and the ‘trial’ medical intervention, which gave him an extra couple of years in his battle with cancer.
These evocative stories are sure to bring a smile, and perhaps a few tears, as we remember one of our greats.
Masters, who was a tremendous coach, became defined as a ‘master motivator’ after those iconic face-slapping scenes at Lidcombe Oval.
He takes us behind the story and tells how TV execs saw those images as ‘media gold’. There were some who enjoyed the face slapping a little too much. And yes, one of them was Tommy.
He was very fond of his players, some more than others, including the late John 'Dallas' Donnelly, who he says was among the best players of his generation.
Roy recounts a story of a young boy selling hotdogs who waited outside Wests League's Club in the pouring rain because he knew the big fella still inside the club (Dallas) would be hungry on his way out!
Asked who was 'the very best player' he has seen in his time around the game, it’s another ‘character’ from that 1978 Magpies team which won the minor premiership, but failed to reach the Grand Final.
Roy also talks about how ‘loyalty’ back then trumped the ‘golden dollar’. Still, money talks, and he tells us how it felt when he lost his very best players to both Manly and Newtown.
All that and more in a special Episode 7 of Behind The Roar.
