Mike Raine
Blog Section: Locker Room Chats 6 of 14

6. Mike Raine


This week seems to have gone quick... don't you think?

It's Friday again which not only means the weekend but its also time to quiz another one of our senior players in a Lockdown Locker Room Chat. Last week Matt Allinson nominated (sadly now retired) ex-first team player, Mike Raine.

Mike kindly managed to find a few minutes in his busy sheep farming schedule to answer a few questions so here goes...

1. Which teammate is most likely to go viral and what would it be for? – “Matt Allinson… when the army finally get called in to pin him down for a proper wash. He’s a walking biohazard.”

2. Who is most likely to win the lottery? –
“Lee Chapman… money seems to end up in his hands more often than not. Doesn’t matter what game it is.”

3. Who is the most skilled player? – “ Jamie McNaughton and Will Morgan have already had a few mentions, but I started playing first team in 2002 so have had the pleasure of playing with a lot of good players. Some worth a mention would be Steve Wood, Paul Newton, Callum Rutledge and Coenraad Jansen."

4. If you could be another teammate for a week, who would it be and why? – “Tom Lindsay… seems to live the dream driving tractors and diggers most of the time, I’d like to see how often he actually gets off his backside. No wonder he’s too heavy to be a jockey anymore.”

5. What is your funniest memory of a teammate? – “Seeing a former club captain crawl around the dancefloor of Toppers picking up the pieces of a trophy we’d just won. They aren’t designed for drop kick competitions. Some of the team social nights out have given some memorable situations, most of them unsuitable for here.”

6. Who is most likely to max out a credit card? – “I can see Josh Dowson forking out for hair transplants. Or maybe even paying off his outstanding fines from past seasons!”

7. Who is most likely to get recognised by the Guinness World Record? –
“Probably me if I’m honest, for the least number of fines racked up over so many seasons. The rules are there to protect everyone lads, if you don’t break them you don’t have to pay so much! Makes me sound tight though…”

And a few quick fire questions…

8. What’s your lockdown Netflix recommendation for everyone? – “I’ve recently watched the Last Dance about Michael Jordan which was very good. Also, Mindhunter, but that’s a bit darker!”

9. What did you eat for breakfast on a game day? – “It’s still the same now I’m retired, just as much toast as I fancy.”

10. What is a family tradition that you have? –
“I’m doing my best to live up to the stereotype of a grumpy sheep farmer, not sure if it’s a family tradition though.”

11. What is your favourite place you’ve visited? – “New Zealand stands out, I’d love to go back one day. Egypt was good but I’m not cut out for 45 degree heat.”

12. Who would you want to play you a film about your life? – “Chris Hemsworth or Elijah Wood. If they end up doing a film of my life, they’ve hit rock bottom!”

13. What’s your party trick? –
“A few of us decided to see how many penguin biscuits we could eat in one sitting. I managed 26. Won’t be doing it again mind.”

14. If you had to eat only one meal for the rest of your life, what meal would that be? –
“Roast lamb. Easy.”

Huge thanks to Mike for sitting down with us for a locker room chat. 26 penguins is quite an achievement! It's well known at Penrith RUFC that Mike has been an incredibly valuable player and holds an excellent rugby skillset, its for these reasons that he's sorely missed on our teamsheets!