In south west Lancashire, babies don't toddle, they side-step. Queuing women talk of 'nipping round the blindside'. Rugby league provides our cultural adrenalin. It's a physical manifestation of our rules of life, comradeship, honest endeavour, and a staunch, often ponderous allegiance to fair play.
This is God's way of saying you've achieved so much, here's your chance to play against the world's best players. There's got to be some reason behind it. It has to be God. It's been created because of Him and the belief the boys have in Him.
It's an exciting place to go, really. The rain, the drizzle, the cold, the depressing people, the smokes in the bath ... I don't know of anyone who has been to Blackpool and enjoyed it.
Every sinew in my body came together in one perfect whole. But those who have ever experienced that feeling, and it doesn't happen very often, will tell you it's in a whole other place of experience from the usual ego or vanity that drives my game. So I'm not afraid to own it for what it was.
Men do not greet one another like this ... except perhaps at rugby club dinners.
This morning I was standing in the shower and thought how I was sick of losing and how it was about time I had a big game.
It's the first time I've been cold for seven years. I was never cold playing rugby league.
The sooner that little so-and-so goes to rugby league, the better it will be for us.
League is much, much more physical than Union, and that's before anyone starts breaking the rules.
I'm a great believer in what happens on the field should stay there.
I'm 49, I've had a brain haemorrhage and a triple bypass and I could still go out and play a reasonable game of rugby union. But I wouldn't last 30 seconds in rugby league.
If there was a Harlem Globetrotters of rugby league, he’d be in it.
I have more critics than Hitler.
I've been flogging myself to keep my fitness up there.
His body is changing. He will strip down and start getting even bigger and stronger over the next few seasons and, seriously, how scary is that? He will be unstoppable. He has just got to realise how good he is and what he can do in the game if he puts his mind to it.
Obviously a lot has gone on, and I feel I am different person, I haven't had a beer since New Year's, which is pretty big for me.
This is a bit different to the Thursday breakfast I'm used to. It's usually just me and my dog.
St George won 11 premierships with one Raper, imagine how Canterbury will go with 13.
I did not think I would make the grade.
As Joel said, there's a bit more licence to attack over here, whereas the NRL is a bit more grinding-type football.
Britain is obviously one of the world powers and they bombed the World Trade Centre, which is a landmark in itself, and over in Britain you've got Buckingham Palace and the Eiffel Tower, which are big buildings, so to speak.
Is it just me, or did Tamou go to hug a Kiwi before realising he had just scored for Australia?
I'd play in Afghanistan if they wanted me to!
I was on the computer the other day and typed my name into Google. Everything on there was bad. I hope in a few years there might be something there about me playing football.
It's going to be tough but I think I was more nervous about playing NRL than I will be playing this match simply because I've got Billy Slater in front of me and there were a lot of expectations.
