THIS time last year Joe Picker was rubbing shoulders with rugby league legends Greg Inglis and Sam Burgess as he prepared to take on another gruelling year in the NRL.
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Fast forward 12 months and the 27-year-old is preparing for country football with his two younger brothers.
It may seem like a world away, but if you ask Joe where he’d rather be, he’ll tell you he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Picker is the latest recruit for the Workers Bulldogs, joining brothers Michael and Ben at the kennel after retiring from the NRL at the end of last season.
But the big second rower doesn’t want to make a big deal about his presence. He’s never been like that. After South Sydney won the 2014 grand-final he was more than happy to return to the family property in Bigga, than pursue a premiership defence.
“I don’t want people thinking I’m coming back here with a big head,” he told the Post.
“I’m coming back to have fun with my mates and play a bit of footy, just like every other bloke.” Returning to Goulburn was always part of the plan. He says in the back of his mind he always knew he would return and play with his brothers. He says it’s an exciting prospect.
“From memory I think the only time we’ve all played together was the Koori Cup (late last year in North Queensland), but we’ve never actually played a proper game of footy together,” he said.
“I don’t think it’ll be anything different to what we’ve done our whole lives though, mucking around together growing up. We all get along good, there’s no drama there.”
“Some people have been getting into me about how Mick’s the coach. I’ll have to take orders from him, but he’s smart, he knows more than me and what he’s talking about.
“If he tells me to do something I won’t argue about it.
The same goes for Ben, he’s a very intelligent footy player. “If anything I’m the dumb one! I’ll sit back and listen to them two.”
Bulldogs captain and coach Michael knows his big brother might take a while to settle. But there was no doubt in his mind that he’ll fit right in.
“Joey wont say much for a while, he’ll want to come and blend in for a while and that’s probably what he was really looking forward to by coming home, just being one of the boys again you know,” Picker said,
“It’s not that the boys don’t care about what he’s done, it’s just who that group of boys are, they know Joey doesn’t want a fuss about him, everyone is good like that, he’s just another fella here and that’s the way he wants to be treated too.”
After making it agonisingly close last season, falling in extra time against the Queanbeyan Blues in the Canberra Raiders Cup grand-final, Picker says there is no pressure to begin with guns blazing.
With his brother coming into the squad, the only other known movement is grand-final player Nathan Chappell returning to England.
“It’s all pretty laid back and I think that’s the way it sort of needs to be at this time of year,” Picker said.
“We had a good year last year, and there will be a bit of expectation I think, so the more laid back we are the better it’ll be I think.”