When times were tough and Peter Mulholland was at his sickest, that's when he wanted to work the most.
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He could be sitting in a chair in the hospital waiting to get chemotherapy for his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and he'd still take your call. Still be happy to chat about the greatest game of all. The game he loved, rugby league.
He'd still be working on signing the next young gun for the Green Machine. Or locking down one of their stars for the next few years.
Or bringing in an old friend in Adam Elliott, who he'd pinched from under the Canberra Raiders' nose on behalf of Canterbury only to eventually deliver him to the ACT as one of his final signings.
His fingerprints are all over the Green Machine's squad. It's why so many of them, especially the youngsters, will have that extra bit of steely resolve this year.
This season is about doing it for Mulholland. About repaying the faith a cheeky icon of the game showed in them. About turning his legacy into a premiership.
The Raiders recruitment boss died in December after a long battle with cancer.
Canberra will honour his memory against Cronulla on Friday - black armbands, a tribute on the big screen and eventually naming an annual award in his honour to recognise his commitment to junior development over a lifetime in the game. His family will make the trip to Canberra for the game as well.
Raiders hooker Tom Starling, who Mulholland brought to the Raiders after they were both at Newcastle together, said there was another honour that would be on the players' minds throughout the season.
"It hasn't been spoken of, but I think everyone's thinking it," Starling said.
"Everyone loved Pete. He was a great character of the club and of the sport. Pete had a role in everyone's career.
"It was a very sad day when we found out. It was very emotional when we tuned into the live stream of his funeral.
"So it'd be a massive honour to be able to give that premiership in Pete's memory."
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Raiders coach Ricky Stuart's day would usually start with a phone call from Mulholland at about 6am. It was the first of the three or four he'd get from his colleague every day. Talking players, signings and the rugby league goss.
The last of those calls could come as late as 10pm as they looked to shape the roster. Those phone calls are one of the things Stuart will miss the most.
"Peter fought a very long and tough battle and you never knew how ill he was because he'd never let on that he was sick," Stuart said.
"In saying that, he kept on telling us that the job was keeping him going. It's amazing what rugby league does for people.
"And for Pete, who has had rugby league all his life, teaching at St Greg's [Campbelltown], going into coaching and recruiting, once it's in your blood it's very difficult to do without.
"The job was really helping Peter - visiting parents, talking to managers, players and young kids, visiting us one or two times a week - it really kept Peter busy and occupied."
Mulholland was always on the road. Always looking for talent. Driving back and forth from his home near Camden to Canberra (stopping in at Jarrod Croker's pizza shop in Goulburn and insisting on paying along the way). Travelling to New Zealand to scout junior rugby union talent. Hunting down the next Englishman to get into lime green.
Kiwi Matthew Timoko. Sydneysider Trey Mooney. Pom Harry Rushton. They're just a few of the names Mulholland brought to Canberra.
And he was always there to help them. Whether through a text or a call after the game to let them know how they were going. Or delivering groceries and fitness equipment to their quarantine hotel. He was like a dad Down Under to some.
Mulholland started his coaching and recruiting career at St Gregory's College, Campbelltown. There he would turn the school's rugby league team into a powerhouse.
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From there he became the Western Reds' coach before embarking on a long career in recruitment.
That's how he met Elliott. A young kid from Bega who he brought to the big smoke to board at his old school, St Greg's.
"For a kid from the far South Coast it can be quite daunting being based in the middle of Bankstown and Belmore, so Pete made that move real easy for me," Elliott said.
"It was great to do my last deal with him. It was very sad news, sad for a lot of the boys here.
"The English boys - it might've been harder for them to get their crack over here without him, as well. Whether it's only a small piece or a big piece of your career, when he's had something to do with you it definitely sticks."
The Raiders are expected to announce their new recruitment boss in the next few weeks. They will have big shoes to fill. Not only from a recruitment perspective. But on a personal front as well.
Everyone you talk to remembered Mulholland's good-natured jibes, delivered before walking up the stairs at Raiders HQ with a laugh.
Canberra chief executive Don Furner recalled trying to get him to take things easy when he was sick, only for the recruitment guru to insist on getting whatever he was working on done first. There'd be time to rest later.
He wanted to make sure the Green Machine was in good condition when he was gone. Furner was confident Mulholland had ticked that box.
"Absolutely. He's very, very, very big shoes to fill," Furner said.
"Sorely missed - miss his conversations, miss his view on the game, miss his eye and detail in targeting young players.
"He's left us in good shape and that was one of the things he was adamant about.
"I'd say, 'slow down, mate'. 'No, no, no I want to get this sorted'. He really has left the roster in pretty good shape and the juniors coming through."
NRL ROUND ONE
Friday: Canberra Raiders v Cronulla Sharks at Canberra Stadium, 6pm.
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