PORT Macquarie is a long way from the rollicking charm of Cumberland Oval, the suburban ground where Parramatta's Phil Mann etched his name in rugby league history during the 1970s.
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"It was a great atmosphere, and a great place to be back then," the rugby league great says. "You're probably aware Parramatta fans are a bit fanatical, and they used to get right into it. We'd turn the whole place into a bit of dustbowl by the end of the game, but we used to love it."
These days, Phil has plenty of time in the car to muse on the distance between parts of his life. He regularly makes the trip from his home in the Hastings to the colder climes of New England, where he works at the Glen Innes Correctional Facility.
The structure of the roster, dominated by 12 hour shifts, at the minimum security installation allows Phil to play golf at Wauchope on the weekend.
"I'm lucky because I play with a group of blokes who are pretty tolerant of the shift work," he says. "I suppose that means I look forward to time off a bit more."
Hard graft has been a consistent characteristic in Phil's life. The two metre tall fullback played for Parramatta from 1974, earning the nickname Spider due to his lumbering form and ability to be everywhere on the field.
His father Bruce was the first to play 150 matches for the Eels, and had also played rugby union for two seasons with Parramatta. The family connection to the game seems certain to continue, with Phil quietly confident his grandson will take to the sport in time.
There is every chance Phil's progeny will become part of a strong tradition the family shares with Port Macquarie Sharks Rugby League Football Club.
During the early 1990s Phil coached the Sharks to a number of premiership victories, and in 2002 was re-elected as the club's president while his sons Josh and Nathan were still playing for Sharks.
Josh went on to captain-coach the side later in the decade, and now has his own family. Nathan is currently playing for and coaching ex-patriot side Hammersmith Hills Hoists in London.
Phil says he still maintains an interest in the game, and cautiously optimistic about some of his inside information on the club's future.
"It's been another miserable year for Parra," Phil sighs. "(But) I was on the phone to Luke Burt just before and he said there's a feeling of change in the air. Every team goes through a cycle: that's football. Let's just hope it's the same thing for us."
The man formerly known as Spider still makes time to see his former dustbowl warriors.
"I make sure I always got down to the reunions every 12 months. It's always good to see everyone, guys like Ray Price and Mick Cronin, because the calibre of those blokes is something else."
