My old dad god bless him, used to say
“if me auntie had balls, she’d be me uncle”

He probably thought you were chatting him up and made up an excuse.

I think it is likely generational thing more than a Melbourne vs Hull thing. There have been a few news reports and studies about young people in the UK drinking less than in the past.

Perhaps wanted help with having his [ibarometer[/i getting a good rub-down ready for a new season.

Reading the interview Clifford gave, he talks about it not working out for him and Tex in Newcastle.
The current coach at Newcastle is a bit of a control freak who doesn't let players play their natural games.
The best skill Clifford has is his massive kicking game and his high, floating bombs, and for some reason the coach wouldn't let him do them. He wanted Clifford to kick in a very structured way - none of those wild bombs.
He also had Tex sticking to a very structured game plan, and the funny thing is that after Tex signed for you guys he decided he didn't care about pleasing the coach and started playing his natural unstructured, mercurial attacking style and became our most dangerous attacking player. I think he would get a new contract at Newcastle if he was free now, because he became a different player once he stopped trying to be a poor man's Kalyn Ponga (do you use that saying in England?).
Anyway, Cliff can put up bombs that come down with snow on them, and Tex is a nightmare for the defence when he runs himself, rather than try to be a playmaker - but both were coached not to do that at Newcastle.

On the boys liking golf and Coffee - for a long time the number 1 ticket holder at the Knights was professional golfer Jack Newton (father of Clint Newton who played for Hull KR). Jack Newton was one of the best Golfers in the world for about 10 years and won majors. He held golf days for the Knights and introduced them to major celebrities etc. Newcastle also has an area very near to where all the players live where there is a real coffee culture, and a surfing culture. A lot of the players spend their off time surfing, but Tex has always avoided that because his father Matt Hoy, was a legendary surfer who was top 10 in the world, and some say the best in the world when he wanted to take it seriously, so Tex avoids being compared to his old man.

Not to pile too much pressure on the kid, but could he be seen as captain material?