Dead Set Legends not scared to tackle family, friends
Dual international Wendell Sailor won’t be afraid to take aim at his own son when he joins Gus Worland and Swans legend Jude Bolton on air as they resurrect the Dead Set Legends radio show next week.
Entertainment
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Dual international Wendell Sailor won’t be afraid to take aim at his own son when he joins Gus Worland and Swans legend Jude Bolton on air as they resurrect the Dead Set Legends radio show on Saturday.
The popular sports talkback show is returning after being axed by Triple M in 2016 and the two-hour Saturday morning format will see the trio analyse the different codes and the issues facing them — both on and off the field.
Sailor’s son Tristan made his first grade debut with the St George Illawarra Dragons — his dad’s final club before retirement — late last season, and impressed in his limited showings at fullback. He looks set to contend for a spot on the wing this season — the same position his famous father starred in for both the Kangaroos and Wallabies throughout his 16-year career.
And while Sailor Snr is Tristan’s biggest fan, he won’t hold back if his son has a bad day on the field.
“No way, bring me into it,” Sailor quickly says when his co-hosts ask if he will sit out any difficult discussions about his son’s performance.
It’s tough to point the finger at friends or family in the game, but Sailor says that’s his job and he’ll be the first to do so.
He points to former teammate and good friend Darius Boyd as an example.
“He’s under the most pressure at the moment because he’s on $700-800,000 a year, the Broncos fans will be going ‘Mate, it’s nearly time to tap out’, but he’s got a two-year deal to go, he’s not going anywhere,” he says.
“But if in the first four to six weeks he’s off the pace still, I’ll be the first to say Darius has to have a good look at himself, he’s got to either move on and go to Super League or retire.”
The outgoing Sailor, who doesn’t mind dropping in a mention of his own sporting achievements every now and again, much to his co-hosts’ delight, isn’t known to be shy about expressing an opinion, but he says it wasn’t always that way.
“When I first came in I used to sit on the fence a little bit because I was an ex-player but we get paid to have an opinion,” he says. “I just think if you’re passionate about what you do, you’ve got to have an opinion, right or wrong.”
Bolton, a fan favourite who played 325 games for the Swans, agrees the analysis becomes easier the longer you’re away from the game.
“It’s the first year or so out of sport where you really struggle because you’re still commenting about teammates but now you just fire from the hip, throw the grenade, let’s go!” he laughs.
Ray Warren, Dan Ginane and Richard Freedman were at the helm of Dead Set Legends when Triple M pulled the plug in 2016 to make way for the return of Roy & HG.
Loyal audiences who had been listening to the show for 19 years were unimpressed with the move. Worland, who recently left his long-running breakfast radio gig at the station after more than a decade (and has the distinction of being one of very few people who represented Australia in dodgeball, with a blazer to prove it), says he appreciated the disappointment fans felt when the old show was taken off air and admits they have big shoes to fill.
“We understand the legacy, we understand the history and the responsibility that goes with it and we’re going to make sure we dip our lids to those who have come before us,” Worland says.
“I’ve been on Triple M brekky for nearly 11 years so I understand the audience and I understand the audience we lost on a Saturday morning too because I was one of them — I used to love listening to the Dead Set Legends.”
* Dead Set Legends returns 10am Saturday