Lozza stays true to his Origins

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THERE he was, sitting in a battered old 1985 Nissan Skyline worth about $300.

There is no glitz or glamour in the Riverina town of Junee. These are the real people, battlers, bush folk.

And there was NSW coach Laurie Daley being driven to Wagga Airport for a return flight to Sydney. No limo, no hire car.

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Laurie Daley visiting all the sights of Junee. Pictured with the Ray Warren statue Source: News Corp Australia

He was in the back seat of a 29-year-old blue Skyline owned by best mate Scott 'Scooter' Duncan. The left back door doesn't open. It just rattles and shakes.

But there are no airs and graces here. You do as the locals do.

When in town, Daley is simply the local kid who played for the Junee Diesels. He isn't the superstar footballer who became NSW coach.

"Scooter's car — we often laugh about it," Daley said. "It is a classic."

There is something special about Junee; that is the people. They are hospitable, warm and natural.

The Daily Telegraph spent three fascinating days with Daley in Junee, a railway town of about 4000 people.

He is a different person there. The pressure and weight of State of Origin seems to lift, albeit temporarily.

He finds his old schoolboy mates and hangs out with two sisters still in Junee, Jacqui and Kate.

Laurie Daley in front of the Laurie Daley Oval Source: News Corp Australia

"We didn't have much but our family was always big. You would play with your mates, your next door neighbours, your cousins," Daley said.

"I love getting back there — it was where I grew up. It's a place where you feel comfortable, safe and proud that you're from there. I know most of the people in town and back there, you are who you are, rather than trying to be someone else.

"People see me as the person that grew up here with friends and family rather than the guy who played footy and now coaches. It's relaxed there and you forget about the worries of the world.

"They are good people, friendly country folk. They just appreciate life."

Daley grew up in a small cottage-style home in Robert Street.

His seven sisters crammed in one long room, Daley had his own room, as did his parents, Frances and Lance.

The family's cousins lived next door. They also had eight kids.

Laurie Daley catching up with his old next door neighbour Noeline Sloan Source: News Corp Australia

When we arrived at the house Noelene Sloan popped out from next door. She and her husband 'Stumpy' watched the Daley clan grow up.

"I'm not quite sure what age I was when we moved but I think I was about 10," Daley said.

Lance Daley took his family across town to Edward Street, to another cosy home just near the old Junee Hospital with a paddock next door.

"We used to play cricket and footy there every day — before school and after school, weekends," Daley said.

"They were great times and great memories. They were quaint, tight houses — not a lot of room to move but it felt like a home."

His mates — Duncan, Craig Bradley, (former NRL player) Jason Lidden, Barry Deakin and all his cousins — would join him in that paddock each day, generally mucking around playing sport.

Daley caught up with Bradley and Duncan in that very same paddock while we were in Junee.

"They are great mates," Daley said.

"They come up to Sydney twice a year and I try and get down there once or twice a year."

Laurie Daley with his old school buddies, Scott Duncan (light shirt) and Craig Bradley (dark shirt) Source: News Corp Australia

Duncan, Daley's best man when he married Michelle, said: "Loz is a champion bloke. He never forgets where he came from.

"He is the kind of bloke who will always cross the street to say hello. That is why we love him."

There are four pubs in Junee. Francis and Lance ran the Commercial Hotel for years. Lance also worked as a train driver.

"They leased it for a number of years, about five or six I think," Daley said. "Dad had the lease at the pub and was also a train driver. He worked hard.

"Even going back now you run into people you went to school with and know you see their kids. You can't believe how time flies."

About a kilometre from the Commercial is Laurie Daley Oval, the old Willow Park renamed after the former Canberra and Test champion.

Laurie Daley in front of the Commercial Hotel, the pub that his mum and dad used to run Source: News Corp Australia

It was where Laurie Daley learned his trade.

"It was a great honour — you never think something like that would be named after you," Daley said.

"I used to love playing footy there. Now to go there and see your name is pretty weird.

"You never want anything like that but when it was offered to me I accepted. It's great to show my kids and family. That is where I learned to play."

Laurie Daley visiting all the sights of Junee. Source: News Corp Australia

Jacqui still remembers the scallywag kid who loved his footy.

"Laurie was a quiet kid who played outside from daylight to dusk kicking a footy around," she said, adding cheekily: "When he wasn't he was inside with us playing dolls and dress-ups with his sisters.

"Junee is very friendly town with a lot of characters."

Daley added: "Junee is a great little town. It hasn't changed a great deal over the years."

And for that we can be thankful.

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