BRETT KOHLHAGEN: Without piddling in your pocket, a lot of people rate you as the best player they have seen in the Hume league. How did you find your way to Lockhart?

WARREN SYKES: Through family friends. We lived in Melbourne and my old man knew some people at Lockhart. He used to go to Lockhart to watch some cricket and footy and one time I caught up with Bob Chambers who was the club president back then. 'Bluey' Harper and Graham Johnstone were around as well.

BK: That was in 1980 wasn't it?

WS: I was 20 at the time. I was just playing some amateur footy in Melbourne before giving it away for a while to concentrate on the drink and punt.

BK: If Lockhart hadn't got in touch, do you think you would have played the number of matches you did for Lockhart and Turvey Park?

WS: I probably would have still played a fair bit because I had mates playing in Melbourne. In Melbourne though you could go to the races and trots and aren't getting punched and kicked and bashed around each Saturday.

BK: Lockhart were in the Farrer league when you first joined them weren't they?

WS: We spent 1980 and 1981 in the Farrer before crossing over to Hume. We couldn't compete as the Farrer league and South West leagues were really strong back then. I remember in my first game we played East Wagga and they kicked 35 goals to five. I played centre half-forward and I'm 5 foot 10.

BK: So the Hume league was a good move?

WS: Really good. We moved over in 1982 and won the flag in our first year in the competition.

BK: Even though you beat Henty comfortably in the grand final, you didn't dominate the season did you?

WS: We didn't look like making it at one stage. I remember Henty beat us at Henty halfway through the year and Tim Robb made us run a lap of the oval after the game. The Henty crowd were giving it to us and I don't think we lost another game after that. Tim Robb was a bloody good coach. A few old Lockhart blokes didn't want him appointed because he'd been around a bit but when you win a premiership they soon forget.

BK: How good was that Lockhart side?

WS: We had a really good side. Gary Knight was playing at centre half-forward and we had Roger Stephens, Rowley and Peter Alexander, Tommy Wooden, Graham Johnstone and those sort of blokes. I just played my role like a lot of other players. Lockhart is the best club I played for. They are great people out there.

BK: Where did you play in that side?

WS: Mainly half-forward and a bit on the ball.

BK: You didn't mind a run up the ground did you?

WS: I'd rather play on ball, You can read the game, play a kick behind and control what you are doing. Plus you aren't getting tagged and punched in the back of the head all of the time. I had that happen a few times I can tell you.

BK: Who caused you the most trouble?

WS: A bloke at Henty called Oscar Livermore. He was no champion but he beat me fair and square a few times. 'Nobby' (Rob) O'Connell tagged me a few times and did a couple of jobs on me as well. 'Nobby' was a good player and is a bloody good bloke too.

BK: You shared the Azzi medal with Burrumbuttock's David Schilg in 1991 didn't you?

WS: I think I was 32. I thought I'd had equally as consistent seasons as that one but I guess I got lucky. You can't do it on your own though and it depends who you are playing with a lot of the time.

BK: What was your biggest haul?

WS: I got 18 against Burrum at Burrum one day. We had a fair win that day.

BK: You started at Lockhart, then went to Turvey Park, then went back to Lockhart before finishing at Turvey. Why did you keep chopping and changing?

WS: I was working in Wagga so I went and had a kick at Turvey Park. I was lucky enough to play in four flags in a row there and five all up.

BK: How many games did you end up with?

WS: Around 150 at Lockhart and 400 and something at Turvey Park. I finished in 2005 when I was 45. I knew I was finished because I started looking at the time clock (laughs).

BK: How did you keep going for so long because you've always liked a drink? Did you train hard?

WS: If I say I trained hard and you wrote it, people will say what a load of shit. I never said I didn't train hard and I never said I did train hard but I will say I was always at training. I did what I was told to do. My motto was if you wanted me to be an Olympic sprinter then I wouldn't play footy I would just go running, I wanted to play footy so just give me the footy.

BK: How many best and fairests did you win?

WS: One at Lockhart and four at Turvey.

BK: How did you get to play a game for Wangaratta?

WS: A bloke from Osborne had a brother (Neville Hogan) coaching down at Wang. I think I played for Lockhart on the Saturday and then a permit for Wang on the Monday.

BK: How did you go?

WS: I held my own. I kicked a couple from memory and missed a few. I ran into an open goal and hit the post. The coach gave me a serve and I thought: 'Hang on, I'm not the first bloke to miss one of them'.

BK: You had a couple of games for South Melbourne too didn't you?

WS: In 1982 I had one game and then in 1987 I had two games.

BK: What was that like?

WS: I had three kicks, two in the ankle and one on my left. It was ordinary in 1982 because the club was moving to Sydney and everyone was playing for themselves. It was raining and a prick of a day at the Lakeside Oval. Then in 1987 I played on the SCG and MCG. There wasn't 100,000 people there though, it was a bit early in the day. I wasn't good enough to make it.

BK: Out of all the matches you played, I bet you get asked about the 1987 grand final at Narrandera the most?

WS: Probably, it was a good day that one.

BK: I'll set the scene. Turvey Park were blown out of the water early by Wagga Tigers and trailed by 58 points at half-time. Your coach Wayne Carroll moved you from ruck-roving to deep into attack and you kicked nine goals in the second-half to win by two points.

WS: It was just one of those things. When you are getting flogged after being undefeated all year it's not a great feeling. We had a game plan that I would go forward after half-time and it all fell into place. I don't think I went further than 15 metres out from goal. We were lucky enough to win and then won the next three grand finals as well.

BK: Then you picked up another one under Jeremy Masterson in 2002. What was 'Jezza' like as a coach?

WS: He was good and always led by example. I'd say 'Jezza' and and Graham Johnstone were the toughest two blokes I played with. They were bloody good footballers as well.

BK: You have three kids playing sport in the Riverina league don't you?

WS: Jeremy was co-coaching Turvey Park until last week with all this coronavirus stuff, Mitch has moved out to Mangoplah to play and my daughter Melissa has been a good A grade netballer for Turvey Park. I go and watch them play but don't get too involved. I just like to sit up on the hill and have a look.

BK: You could kick well on both sides of your body, where did that come from?

WS: I was lucky as it came reasonably naturally. Like everyone, I had to work on it though. Well you did back then, not so much now with players kicking around corners and things like that. I used to kick plastic coke bottles or socks around the house and drive my mother absolutely mad.

BK: Any memorable moments on the training track during your career?

WS: When Tim Robb was coaching Lockhart we were doing length of the ground run throughs one night and big Billy Pither yells out: 'Sir, Sir, I can't keep doing this'. The coach looked around and asked him what was wrong. Billy yelled out in front of everyone that his balls were banging together and he couldn't go on. We just pissed ourselves laughing.

BK: Although you were an accomplished batsman for South Wagga, the Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack brought you unstuck on the cricket field once didn't he?

WS: I had a run in third grade for Turvey Tavern one day and they gave me a bowl which was a big mistake. Anyway, Michael McCormack was facing and he hit me for six. I couldn't believe it, he must have closed his eyes or something. He still reminds me about it.