Q & A: Brent Tate

Brent Tate. Photo / Sarah Ivey

North Queensland Cowboy Brent Tate returns to Mt Smart Stadium tonight for the first time since his three-season stint with the Warriors ended last year.

Tate is eight games into another comeback after his third knee reconstruction operation. The Kangaroo made an emotion-charged exit from November's Four Nations final in Brisbane amid visible fears the latest of many serious injuries would prematurely end his career.

Tate had signed for the Cowboys by then, wanting to re-establish himself in Australia before he retires. True to form, he fought back yet again to take the field for his new club ahead of schedule.

The 29-year-old fields a few questions from the Herald.

What is it like returning to your former, temporary hometown?

Mixed emotions - we had a brilliant time here and our first child was born here. I made friends for life in this place and I'll never forget how well the club treated us. It was more like being in a family. In terms of the game though I haven't thought beyond what we've got to do as a team - we've been patchy in the last couple of weeks and need to do something about that.

You were very emotional when the knee injury forced you out of the final - did you think your career was over?

At that point in time, but you get over the disappointment. The hard part for me isn't the rehab, [it's] being back on the field and not being able to do what you want to. You have expectations of yourself and I'm way off where I want to be.

Does that neck brace affect your game?

Only when I have to bend down to catch a pass ... it seems to throw me off balance a bit. Otherwise, I don't know it's there. Putting the brace on is just like putting on your football boots. I still get calls from people who want to know how it works. I got one the other day from a lady whose sick 3-year-old had a floppy neck.

You've come back well and so have the Cowboys after posting the NRL's worst record last year ...

A whole raft of changes were made to the staff and players. They say a change is as good as a holiday - hats off to the people who made them. We've worked really hard and raised the expectations of ourselves.

So you made the right move to Townsville?

My mother always told me that whatever decision you make, make it the right one. We're building a house and I'm looking at working at the club when I retire.

You are a never-say-die footballer - where did that come from?

Maybe it comes from having two older sisters and having to fight for everything. I just love to win. That feeling of playing hard and coming off the field with a win seems to make me really happy. On the other side, it probably makes life tough for my wife and family when we don't win.

Has the scrap between Manly and Melbourne changed the outlook for the finals series?

Both clubs have lost very important players. I don't think it is a distraction though - teams can take on an "us against the world" mentality in those situations. What happened wasn't a great look for the game and the NRL is clear those things will not be tolerated so as players we know what to expect.

Is there one thing you would change in the game?

I might be speaking out of turn, but player welfare is a huge one. Sometimes I don't think the game is run for the players and it should be. The training and the matches have become so tough - I was watching a match from 2006 recently and the game has moved along a lot even from there. We play a huge amount of matches, especially guys like Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott.

Did you have a childhood hero?

Wally Lewis. Being a Queensland boy, playing in the Origin series was all you wanted to do. Watching what Wally Lewis did in those games was everything to me.

Your toughest opponent?

Manu Vatuvei. He'd be one of the first blokes picked in my dream team. He is so big and strong - some of the tries he scored, no other winger in the world would have scored them. Facing him is a nightmare. Going one-on-one with Manu in defensive drills was horrible. No one could deal with him. Manu copped a lot when he had a few handling problems and the way he dealt with that also showed his strength of character.

A salary cap increase is on the horizon and the NRL is undergoing an overhaul. Is league on the cusp of a new era?

I definitely think so, but there is more to the salary cap than just raising it. I hope the NRL gives the full salary cap to the clubs - at the moment clubs have to provide up to $600,000 themselves and not all of them take that up. With the new TV rights deal, the NRL should pay the full amount. The new independent commission is made up of hand-picked people and I think they will have a big influence.