Chris Riley is this week’s podcast guest. We chat with Chris about growing up and adapting to his brother’s illness, and how playing Rugby League for Penketh High School gave him a great start in the game. Chris tragically lost his mother on Christmas Day, and we hear from Chris about the wonderful compassion Tony Smith showed him – a story not many have heard. We learn how Paul Cullen gave Chris his debut, and how James Lowes should be praised for his one-on-one coaching and his encouragement. We discuss Chris’s staggering three Challenge Cup victory medals, one of which he gave to his Dad. But Chris’s warm-heartedness doesn’t stop there, as evidenced by his tireless work with the Warrington Foundation. Following his retirement, Chris found the love for his new job, a support worker helping young adults with autism. In his own words, Chris describes himself as “a boy playing a man’s game” but in the podcast’s and the fans’ eyes he is much more than this – a cherished Wire player and an outstanding human being.
