The Interview: Mark Ricciuto (Page 4)
You’re an emotional guy and quite proud to be emotional. In a tough guy’s world such as football, can that be a liability?
Not at all. Two of best mates died a few years ago and that changed me as a person, but doesn’t change how tough I am, or what I could handle. You just appreciate that we’re not invincible, can die at any age. Probably most importantly, it taught me to make the most of life when we’re fit and healthy.
To lose two of my best mates, one of them my cousins, a month either side of their 30th birthdays, made me stronger.
Yeah, it made me more emotional, but that doesn’t worry me.
Were you considering not writing the book, because it would have meant dredging up those events?
I think they’re the stories people want to read. The stories that supporters and people in general don’t know about me, and don’t appreciate things I went through. The book goes through the time I saw my first mate dead on the front door step of his house. With paramedics there, I had to leave and do a triathalon an hour later. I didn’t tell anyone at the club and got through the triathalon. Then everything caught up with me, and I ran to the toilets to break down in private.
With my cousin, he died on the Wednesday night before the first week of finals in 2003. I didn’t let anyone know. Went to the funeral and the wake, then got through the game, which we won.
Again it all caught up with me straight after that.
Okay, a couple of the obligatory end-of-interview questions to finish.
Best teammate?
Simon Goodwin
Best opponent?
Paul Kelly
Best catch?
A 28 pound snapper.
Nice. Did you cook it up that night?
No, but we had five blokes on the boat, and we had a few dollars riding on the biggest catch of the day. I was in trouble all day and ended up cleaning up 500 bucks.
Roo, written by Mark Ricciuto and Shane Mensforth and published by MacMillan books, is available now in book stores.
Page 4
| > | The interview: Anthony Mundine |
| > | The interview: Mark Ricciuto |
| > | The interview: Tadhg Kennelly |
| > | The interview: Craig Bellamy |
| > | The interview: Brian Waldron |
| > | The interview: Mark Geyer |
Subscribe to The Serve by Email
No comments yet.