30 years ago, Kerry Packer told me you could buy a title. Here’s the proof he was wrong

October 4, 2026 — 6:00am

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

The first time I met Kerry Packer was midway through 1995, smack bang in the middle of the Super League war at his office in the middle of the city.

Phil Gould was coaching at the Roosters at this point and I was weighing up whether to join him at the club or link with Manly.

Kerry was selling the red, white and blue to me and asked me a question I often come back to more than three decades later.

“So, Fittler, how do you think you win a grand final?”

I immediately drew on what I knew – the premiership Gus had steered Penrith to in 1991 when I was just 19 and part of a crew of local juniors that included Greg Alexander, Mark Geyer, Brad Izzard and John Cartwright.

Along with the born-and-bred westies, we had Steve Carter who had played juniors and went to school in the area after growing up on the Central Coast, winger Paul Smith came to us the same way and our club icon Royce Simmons from Gooloogong in country NSW.

“Kerry,” I said (or I might have called him Mr Packer given I was still only 23), “you’ve got to grow your premiership side from within.”

He then gave a very Kerry Packer response.

“You can also buy one.”

It’s interesting to think back over that conversation around both the way the Roosters have ebbed and flowed with their approach to juniors and development, and rugby league in general.

Nick Politis, Trent Robinson and the Tricolours have focused heavily on pathway........

© WA Today