Craig Salvatori was a mainstay of the Sydney Roosters front row through the late '80s and early '90s, racking up around 140 first grade games between the Roosters and a final season at South Sydney, three State of Origin appearances for the Blues alongside Laurie Daley, and a Roosters life membership this year that came with the club's Indigenous Round honour.
He was also at the centre of one of Australian sport's most confronting personal stories: in October 2002, Salvatori lost his wife Kathy in the Bali bombings, and became an unlikely go-between for the Australian government's response on the ground, speaking daily with radio host Alan Jones and eventually meeting with then-Prime Minister John Howard. More than two decades on, he talks openly about grief, acceptance, and raising his daughters through it.
It's not all heavy going, though — Salvatori also revisits the infamous headbutt that cost him a five-week suspension, a near-miss at a premiership in 1987, and a colonoscopy story that nearly blew up his marriage. And after 45 years as a builder, he's about to set off on \"Salvo's Aussie Pub Crawl\" — a year-long lap of the country's pubs with his wife and dog in tow.
In this episode of Chiming In, Craig shares stories from a life that's been as tough as it has been full, and explains why he's chosen to talk about the hardest parts of it rather than look away.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Intro
01:21 - Welcome: Craig Salvatori joins Chiming In
01:47 - Breaking news: retiring after 45 years as a builder
02:32 - The plan: Salvo's Aussie Pub Crawl
05:20 - The colonoscopy story that nearly got him busted
09:02 - Naming the tour and sorting sleeping arrangements
14:35 - Opening up about the Bali bombings and losing Kathy
16:33 - How the group ended up split between the Sari Club and babysitting
18:06 - The night of the bombing and the search for answers
21:34 - Getting the Prime Minister involved
24:25 - Has he been back to Bali since
25:29 - Roosters and Rabbitohs career, and getting signed for $2,000
29:50 - The 1987 preliminary final classic against Canberra
31:12 - Backing Laurie Daley against his critics
32:40 - Falling out with Phil Gould and leaving the Roosters
35:24 - Retiring at 30, and getting two new knees at 53
37:36 - Roosters life member and Indigenous Round honour
41:28 - The hardest front rowers he played against
42:20 - The famous headbutt and five-week suspension
46:15 - Calling games on radio with 2GB
47:16 - Life on the road calling Cowboys games in Townsville
53:01 - Wrap-up and best wishes for the trip
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