Hayden Meikle: I imagine you don't get too many media requests from Dunedin.
Steve Price: Ha ha. No, not lately.
HM: We do care about the Warriors down here.
SP: Good man, that's what I like to hear.
HM: It might only be because our rugby team's not very good at the moment.
SP: Ha ha. Fair enough.
HM: How is the mood in the team with the season about to start?
SP: It's really good. There's a real sense of competition because we've got so much depth. The coaches are going to have a bit of a headache to come up with the 17 every week.
HM: Are there genuine reasons to believe this could be the year the Warriors win it all?
SP: Oh yeah, I think so. But you've got another 15 teams who probably think the same thing. We've got depth and we've got a lot of talent. If we play as well as we can play, we're going to upset a few teams. That's the challenge, to play well both here and Australia every week. We've got that half right over the last three years.
HM: If not the Warriors, who is the team to beat?
SP: Manly. They've built their squad, they've got depth, they've got class and they're now the team everyone wants to beat.
HM: How much has the loss of Sonny Fai affected the team?
SP: It's probably hard to put it into words. Every individual at the club has been affected in a different way. It's certainly affected me in a big way. I think about Sonny a lot because he impacted my life and my family. He had a big influence on a lot of people and he won't be forgotten. I suppose I have to try to celebrate the fact I got to spend a few years with such a beautiful person.
HM: You've just turned 35. Do you feel it?
SP: No. I really don't. What are you supposed to feel? I still look forward to training every day and to trying to improve. I see it as a bit of an honour that I'm still competing at this level against the best players in the world. I can't see any reason why a piece of paper that was given to my Mum the day I was born should figure in whether I should or shouldn't be playing a game I absolutely love.
HM: If you were inducted into a rugby league Hall of Fame, and had to wear either a Bulldogs jersey or a Warriors jersey, which one would you choose?
SP: That's a hard question. I'm a life member of the Bulldogs and I was there for 12 years. But if it was done tomorrow, I'm a Warrior. I'm very proud to have represented both clubs. If I could go half-and-half, I'd choose that.
HM: This idea of using two referees in the NRL - good or bad?
SP: I've played under the system twice and I haven't been too affected. I think there will be some positive and some negative things come out of it. Everyone's worried about more penalties. But I just think there are now two more eyes on the field and players won't be getting away with anything.
HM: I enjoyed your book. Were you happy with it?
SP: Very happy. Very proud of it and of the bloke who wrote it. The publishers let me put whatever I wanted in, and I really appreciated that.
HM: Any idea how many copies it sold?
SP: They published 10,000 in Australia and there's none left in the warehouse. They published 14,000 in New Zealand and the only ones left are in the bookshops. Only a few hundred left, I suppose.
HM: You were born in a place called Dalby. Apart from being the birthplace of Steve Price, what's it famous for?
SP: It's a farming community, with about 5000 or 6000 people. I lived on a farm till I was 6 and moved into town. A lot of my family are still out there.
HM: Would you like to get back to the rural lifestyle?
SP: I love the open spaces but I'm not a farmer. I've got allergies to wheat and things. At harvest time I used to swell up like a big balloon. Maybe I'll run a few cattle at some stage. It would have to be beef because I wouldn't want to get up and milk at some ridiculous hour.
HM: Does the hurt of losing the World Cup to the Kiwis still linger?
SP: Yeah it does, for two reasons. I was injured, obviously. And then we lost. The tournament had been a great experience. It was my first World Cup and it was all going great. Then I got injured the day before the final and to sit there, quite helpless, during the final was hugely disappointing. That'll live with me forever.
HM: Do your Kiwi team-mates in the Warriors bring it up a lot?
SP: Yes. And not just them. Every New Zealander I run into has something to say about it. And good on them. It was pretty unexpected but it was great for the Kiwis.
HM: It seems New Zealanders have really embraced you because of what you've done for the Warriors. I want to test how much you've picked up about our country. Three simple questions.
SP: All right mate, fire away.
HM: Do you know the words to our national anthem?
SP: Ah, sort of. No, not really. I'm too used to singing the Australian anthem and I can't forget that. My kids know the New Zealand one, including the Maori version.
HM: Who captained the All Blacks to their one and only Rugby World Cup in 1987?
SP: He's the little halfback. David. David . . . Cooper.
HM: Close enough. Finally, what is the name of the character Robyn Malcolm plays in Outrageous Fortune?
SP: I wouldn't have a clue. I don't watch it. The only guy I've heard of is Munter. That's a name I won't forget.
