Jock Madden felt his late grandfather on the field with him as he played the best game of his NRL career, guiding Wests Tigers to one of their most impressive wins under Benji Marshall.
The Upper Hunter product knows the challenge now is backing up that emotional effort every week for the rest of his stint as Jarome Luai’s injury replacement.
Madden missed grandfather Brian’s funeral to play the come-from-behind round-four win over the Warriors, his first game at NRL level since July 2024.
Tigers coach Benji Marshall had tried to talk the 26-year-old into pulling the pin on his NRL recall in Auckland to attend the funeral service back in Australia.
The five-eighth, though, knew his granddad would’ve wanted him to play.
“I spoke to him before he passed away and he told me not to come back and (to) play football,” Madden said.
“Obviously it was a tough decision, I spoke to my family and a lot of my aunties and my uncle as well and they said to play, that’s what he would want.
“I went by that.”
Madden’s rugby league journey has taken him from junior footy in Scone to Australian Schoolboys selection, and then an NRL debut at the Tigers as a 21-year-old.
A stint up in Brisbane followed and ended with the club’s 2025 premiership season, before a return to the Tigers.
Brian had watched every chapter unfold.
“He always would ring me and if he could watch games, he’d watch them, and he’d give me some sort of feedback,” Madden said.
“I was really close with him.”
So too could Madden feel Brian’s presence two Fridays ago as he scored a try and played a hand in four others during a spectacular defeat of the previously-unbeaten Warriors.
“I felt like he was out there, for sure,” he said.
“He’s with us now still.
“Leading into (the game), it was probably the mixed emotions of playing and wanting to do him proud but obviously not being there with the family.
“The juggle of that. But, once we got onto the field, I knew I had a job to do.”
That duty continues against Parramatta in the traditional Easter Monday clash on 6 April, with Madden poised to take on the bulk of kicking duties again to free Adam Doueihi up.
“I had a game plan that I had to do for the boys, so I’ve got to continue to do that this weekend as well,” he said.
“I’ve put that game behind me and I’m focused on this weekend.”
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