Individual displays,(Rio), Teamwork and the Union of Jack.

Another powerful week for the JoiningJack campaign with the number of Twitter followers going through the roof and with the announcement of some big events. Many of you keep asking me what the Warriors will be doing for the cause, all I can tell you at this stage is that we will be announcing something soon that will be massive for the charity. Watch this space!

It was great to see that Kirk and Tyrone out of Coronation Street have pledged their support to the charity by saying that all the proceeds from their annual golf day will go towards Jacks fund. The support is coming in from everywhere and when such high profile people getting involved, it really gives us all a boost. It was a very strange experience I have to say being sat in AJ's living room with Tyrone discussing the day, he was an absolute gentleman. Alan, his real name, spent over two hours with his wife Lucy-Jo Hudson of Wild at heart fame, (who incidentally is one of the kindest and most genuine people that I've ever met) discussing his various ideas for the charity and was genuinely interested and concerned. More details of the event will be announced soon but it will take place on the 31st of August at the Worsley Marriot golf club, just outside of Manchester. The JoiningJack salute has taken the country by storm and friends, children and celebrities all have made outstanding efforts to raise awareness of the charity. We can't thank you enough guys. The fact that we are always on your mind gives us strength. 

You may have noticed that I had a guest with me at Headingley on Friday night for our game against the Leeds Rhinos. Rio Ferdinand has been an admirer of Rugby League for a few years and after some Twitter conversation with Sammy T, he decided to come along to our game. I have met Rio a few times over the past few years and he has always been very complimentary of Rugby League.

With all that has been going this week in the media with his non-selection for the European football Championships, the fact that he took time to come to our game was a massive PR coup for the sport. A lot is written about footballers and the wages they are on and the ego's they carry but Rio displayed none of these characteristics. He stopped and signed autographs for every fan and posed for every photo request. I spent over two hours with him before the game and during and he spoke with great intelligence and understanding of our sport. He asked questions about our preparation and different tactics and ploys. For a player to ask questions like he did, to see what he could carry over into his sport, says why he has been so successful. He is always looking to seek improvement in different areas. Even with such an impressive CV, he wants to get better.

It was also a good opportunity for me to ask my own questions. You don't get the chance to speak to one of the most recognisable footballers on the planet everyday. I asked him what motivates him. When you get paid the types of money that these guys get and the fact that they want for nothing, it must take something to get them out of bed. Rio told me that it was winning, he is addicted to it. He spoke to me about the heartbreak of the last game of the season when the Premiership was snatched from United's grasp by their closest rivals. The fear of this feeling will drive him and his team mates next season. If Sir Alex wanted to motivate his players, he just needs to show them the last five minutes of the 2012 Premier League season, they will not want to experience anything like that again.

Throughout the game he was amazed at how tough the players were. He kept shouting
"bodies are not designed to do that to each other"…. he was in to the game big time. He kept saying that Sam was a 'joke', referring to his ability to break down defences at will. He understood just how good Brett Finch was and also praised Michael Mcilorrum, proving that he does know his stuff as internally, we at the club think he has been sensational this season.

After the game I invited him into the changing room. He sat there and listened with intrigue as Coach Shaun Wane delivered his post match debrief and then joined in the celebrations when the players sung their team song. We have a very strong spirit in the team and the guys love each others company but this occasion was intensified with the fact that we were underdogs for the game and were expected to lose due to us missing many key individuals. Rio saw a very special changing room and he loved it. He was amazed at the physical specimens on display and the team spirit blew him away, he said that it inspired him.

The boys didn't miss the chance to have their photos taken with him and he gladly obliged.  We made him feel very welcome and I am convinced he will be back. He might have more money than sense but we provided him with an experience that he will never forget. Our boys don't meet celebs everyday but they must realise that they too are pretty big in the sporting world. They have Rio's respect, thats for sure and he certainly has ours. Mr Hodgson must have a team of champions at his disposal to overlook Rio. Not once did he bad mouth the 'gaffers' decision and he will be supporting his team mates even though he is not there with them, to me the sign of a true leader. If he fancies a game over the football off-season, I am sure I can persuade Waney to give him five minutes on the wing. He would provide a great option to gather a cross-field kick!!

I sat in front of the TV on Monday night very proud to be British as the Queens Jubilee concert was on TV. We are a brilliantly weird nation. The economic climate may well be dull, the price of fuel high, the weather unpredictable at best yet we spend a fortune on Union Jacks and silly waist coats. We are unafraid to dance stupidly in front of others and in front of millions world wide. We risk illness as we camp out all night in a street waiting for a glimpse of our Monarch and only us Brits can make a 91 year old man stand on a boat in the rain for hours. There is one thing that we do better than any other nation, we know how to throw a right good knees up!!!! Yes of course Cliff was out of tune and his teeth didn't fit and Grace Jones would scare the living daylights out of any man and Will.i.am thought it was the Queens birthday BUT Kylie proved she is still the Queen of pop and made my knees go weak and Gary Barlow has to be the coolest man on the planet and nobody can belt out a song like Sir Tom Jones and, as for Cheryl…… give me a jug of water and you wouldn't see me for a month !!!! Yep i am a very proud Englishmon.

In life, you can't be afraid to fail. Every failure is a lesson. If life was easy then we would take things for granted. The world in which we live in would not be the same if the people who are in the video below gave up after they first failed. The failures gave them strength and drove them to greater heights. I am sure that Rio will go on to prove people wrong in their recent decisions. I received a text from the great Ellery Hanley once, it read, 'the greatest achievement in life is proving people wrong"…. DON'T BE AFRAID TO FAIL.

http://goo.gl/Oqi1S