E119 | Awen Guttenbeil

Episode summary | Awen Guttenbeil

Awen Guttenbeil is a rugby league legend. With 170 caps for the Warriors, he also represented the Kiwis and Tonga at Rugby League World Cups.

What you might not know, is that in the first five years of his professional career he spent more time under general anaesthetic then he did on the footy field. After overcoming his numerous injuries he found a Warriors organisation in disarray, only to re-emerge and become a powerhouse in the early 2000s with Guttenbeil at the heart.

We also chart his childhood battle with rheumatic fever that set an incredible mindset developed on his ‘island’. Following his playing career he moved seamlessly into broadcast, before embarking on a business career that is now helping change the lives of his staff.

This was a really special episode, Guttenbeil is such an eloquent speaker with a lifetime of important lessons to share all delivered in an impromptu, thoughtful, and articulate way.

Show notes | Awen Guttenbeil

1:44: DB Bitter, Mad Monday, and 100 days without drinking

3:25: A set of six: Nicknames, Pals, Bruce the campervan, Barry White, teenage lyrics, and Mike Tyson

11:23: Growing up in Whangarei and overcoming rheumatic fever

22:37: A shift to Auckland and a run in with Sir Graham Henry

28:12: Super League v ARL: The rugby league war

36:26: More time under general anaesthetic than on the rugby league field

47:20: The Eric Watson era: physicality, win bonuses, team trips, and the Grand Final

1:03:16: The dramatic downfall of the Warriors

1:08:59: From Tonga to New Zealand and back again

1:13:10: Punditry at Sky Sport

1:16:47: A hustler’s mentality: the shift into business

1:20:10: Friday the 13th Club

1:24:00: The journey to establish Passive Fire NZ

1:31:34: Not living up to your potential

1:34:22: Reflections on marriage

1:36:30: Thoughts on fatherhood

1:39:44: Favourite failure

1:41:33: A stint with the Point Chev Pirates

1:45:18: A haka for the Queen at Buckingham Palace

1:49:49: Golf chat

1:51:55: Last words from Steve, Seamus, and Awen