Kurt Gidley has some special State of Origin memories but not all of them are on the field.
The nib Newcastle Knights great shared a room with several personalities over his 12 games for NSW but the standout roomie was Roosters great Anthony Minichiello.
Nicknamed 'the count', Minichiello is a medical marvel in many ways.
Serious neck and back issues threatened to prematurely end his career, but Gidley revealed the fullback not only returned from injury, but back into the Origin arena through dedication and a few quirks.
"I had some good room mates over the years and some guys who were a bit quirky," Gidley revealed on Kurt's Call.
"I remember Anthony Minichiello used to up-end his bed, take the bottom mattress out and put it out in the hall way and he would sleep with his mattress on the floor because he had a crook back at that stage.
"He was really making some big lifestyle changes in his career.
Kurt's Call: Regaining confidence and Origin memories
"I remember going to Mini's fridge – he'd have coconuts scattered all over his bedroom because he'd drink coconut water before anyone else did.
"He had a little mallet to chop his coconuts open."
But it didn't stop with the bed and hydration.
The consummate professional opened Gidley's eyes to all kinds of nutritional tricks to keep the body at its peak.
Gidley revealed that after exploring the mini-bar, the Roosters fullback traded the chocolates and soda for a stack of meat and jelly-like substance.
"I went to his fridge and it was just full of meat," Gidley continued.
"I think it was all organic meat and grass-fed meat and milk basically straight from the cow. Mini dug deep into nutrition and changed his lifestyle, career and back issues through his nutrition.
"He had bone broth. He had this glass container in his fridge and it was like jelly.
"He was boiling bones, beef bones, and drinking bone broth.
"He changed the way players treated themselves outside of playing hours."
