SUBJECTS: NRL Grand Final, Anti-corruption commission, South Rabbitohs.
 
HOST: Anthony Albanese the Leader of the Labor Party. But most importantly this weekend he is a South Sydney tragic. He is a true believer. He is on the line right now. G’day Albo. How are you mate?

ANTHONY ALBANESE: G’day guys. Well I am a bit nervous one sleep to go.

HOST: How are you feeling? Where are you going to watch it? Tell us what you’re going to be doing from tomorrow afternoon onwards for your mighty Rabbits.

ALBANESE: Well tragically I am going to be watching it at home. I would love to be at the game. I was there of course in 2014. I took my son and with people who were on the board with us 20 years ago when we won our way back into the competition. So Nick Pappas, myself and Ray Martin, Andrew Denton. We all watched it with our kids – watched us beat Canterbury. I got the Rabbitohs Express out there from Redfern station. It was a great day.

It mirrors for me in 1971, 50 years ago, my Mum took me to the Hill at the SCG there, to watch South beat St George. So to me it is a part of who you are. It’s about your identity and that sense of belonging is what rugby league does and particularly team sports are really important for that.

HOST: Albo, tell us what the influence of Wayne Bennett is going to be - a seven-times premiership-winning coach. How much of an important person is he going to be tomorrow’s game? I look at Dell next to us and he has been such a father figure to him but he is such a father figure to this South Sydney team isn’t he?

ALBANESE: He certainly is and he is a great manager of young men – these young blokes who come together doing their best in the red and green. He has brought a number of people of course with him in recent years, recruiting people like Jai Arrow and others who have worn the Maroon at State of Origin time. But he just gets the best out of people and I had the privilege of being in the sheds after we beat Cronulla at Suncorp during the Magic Round and there in the sheds afterwards Benji Marshall had played the game and he joked in the sheds that “Oh well Benji, you will be back on the bench next week. We are both nearing the end’’. And everyone laughed and I just thought the camaraderie that was there in that at room and the sense of the team is bigger than the individual is what he brings. He doesn’t say much. But what he says really counts and he gets the best out of people and he encourages people to be creative. People like Cody Walker have just been fantastic this year. He gives them the courage to play their own game.

HOST: Albo, that we a really nice start there from you. I have never met anyone who dropped more names than me Mate. So well done to you Mate. You’ve got some big names there. We look at Souths and they’ve got such a great following. For you, who has been a couple of your favourite Bunnies over the time, because they have had some legends of the game. John Sattler, I saw ether story this week, him and Scott, George Piggins and Sam Burgess and obviously current players like Adam Reynolds.

ALBANESE: That 71 team. That pack of forwards you know, Sattler Higgins replaced Walters - was out injured. John O’Neill Gary Stevens and Bob McCarthy and Ron Coote. What a back row! Just an incredible team. But then the 89 team was fantastic with Mario and Ian Roberts. They won the minor premiership and went out in straight sets unfortunately. We got the spoon the year after and then of course 2014, like, coming back at a time when we didn’t think we wouldn’t get to play after we got kicked out of the comp and for the true believers that hit home when you had Sam Burgess, Greg Inglis and people in tears while the game was still going. That was a remarkable moment.

HOST: We are announcing premiers, either Souths or the Panthers, but there is a NSW Premier who obviously had to stand down yesterday. In your eyes, looking at a Federal ICAC, why isn’t there a Federal ICAC at this point and will we delve into one soon?

ALBANESE: Well perhaps we saw a reason why yesterday. You’ve had all sorts of problems at the Federal Level with Sports Rorts and grants problems. You do need a Federal anti-corruption body. It was promised in 2018 and a government I lead will institute one. We do need to make sure that people can have faith in politics, that it is clean, and I think overwhelming people go into politics across the spectrum for all the right reasons. But people need to be able to have that confidence.

HOST: Albo, you are a good bloke. We’d love to have a beer with you one day.

ALBANESE: When we are allowed, Mate.

HOST: It won’t be long now but we actually made an opener for you but it wasn’t in the system until we actually started talking to you and we didn’t want to be late to answer your phone call so we will play it to you now, just so you know how much how much love you’ve got here at the Dead Set Legends and everyone at Triple M.

ALBANESE: Thanks guys.

INTRODUCTION: You can’t get a bigger Bunnies fan than our next guest. He claims he came out of the womb supporting South Sydney. He has been through it all with the club. He was even a member of the board when the club was cut from the comp in 1999 and despite the expulsion, he never gave up his love for the Bunnies and was among those in the court room in 2001 fighting for the South’s re-admission. South Sydney definitely owes this man a 22ndpremiership win. Please welcome Federal Labor Party Leader Anthony Albanese.

ALBANESE: Glory glory indeed!

HOST: Can I ask you this question: This week obviously it’s about Penrith and the Bunnies and obviously the fans. But usually I do my best work in Grand Final Week. So I want to ask, did you play footy when you were growing up? Where did you play?

ALBANESE: I did, Mate. I was pretty ordinary. I played for St Joseph’s Camperdown. We wore a black jumper with a single white V and a little red Bunny on it. And then I played for St Mary's Cathedral, where I went to school. That was in the Easts Comp. We played Marcellin and Bondi United. They were the best teams. Every year we ran third, every year without fail. We never made a grand final.

HOST: What position did you play?

ALBANESE: I played half back or lock, sometimes five-eighth. Always around the scrum base. I was a goal kicker. I would have loved to have been good enough but the truth is the only thing that stopped me playing first grade was lack of talent.

HOST: Albo, thanks you so much for joining us. We know it is a busy weekend. For you. Good Luck to your Bunnies. No doubt you will be looking a every single second tomorrow. And thanks for joining us on Dead Set Legends. And good luck with what is happening in Canberra. No doubt you’ve got a busy time coming up within the next six to 12 months. Good luck with it all brother.

ALBANESE: Thanks guys and go the Rabbits tomorrow.

ENDS