THE BETFRED BIG INTERVIEW
WE MEET LEEDS LEGEND JAMIE JONES-BUCHANAN:
INTERVIEWING Jamie Jones-Buchanan is like a high-octane rollercoaster ride packed with ideas, energy and stories.
Nothing is off limits – philosophy, politicians, scientific studies, poetry, music – and there are a giddying array of anecdotes.
The Leeds legend, 37, is destined to go down in the game’s history as one of its most charismatic stars, not to mention its most unusual.
Who names three of their sons after film baddies – Lore, Kurgen and Bane – and the fourth after a Star Trek goodie, Dacx?
And which other current player could boast sideline careers as a documentary film producer, theatre actor, TV presenter and go-to summariser for a host of broadcast platforms?
Throw into the mix his skills as a motivational speaker, religious evangelist and charity worker and you can see that Jones-Buchanan is clearly a busy man.
Oh, and there was also his debut as media manager for England Knights last year, with no prior experience, in the challenging surroundings of Papua New Guinea.
It’s a heady cocktail that is mind-boggling, especially when he is juggling them all with his 21st and final season as a Rhinos star.
So what drives a man with eight Grand Final winners’ rings, three World Club Challenge medals, one Challenge Cup medal and more than 400 games under his belt to push himself to such lengths?
“I think stress, to a limit, is really good for you because it gets you out of your comfort zone and that is brilliant,” he said.
“Even though there are things I do not like doing, and public speaking is one of them, I do them because every experience is a learning experience.
“I also love people and everyone has got something unique. I love seeing that in all the things I do.
“I think we have a duty to be charitable and I like to give back to the game by evangelising about it.
“With the opportunities I have got, whether it’s on radio, TV or the talks I give to all sorts of groups, I can try and help change people’s lives.
“I’ve always been quite an extroverted person. I’ll always try and break trends and start new ideas off.
“I sometimes get laughed at but I’m not really shy or worried by what people think about me.”
Jones-Buchanan quickly realised as a mixed race kid growing up in Leeds that sport was the way to make friends.
Christianity played a small part in his family life but it was only when Ali Lauiti’iti signed for Leeds in 2004 that religion became his prime focus.
He said: “I found something else that was greater than winning and that was my faith in Christ.
“My life became more about relationships with people rather than material rewards.
“Everything I am I owe to rugby league but all my medals are irrelevant if I don’t use what I’ve got to help people.”
Jones-Buchanan is the only member of Leeds’ golden generation still playing.
That great side won everything, including the treble in 2015.
Their heroics have been immortalised in Jones-Buchanan’s feature-length documentary ‘As Good As It Gets’.
He said: “If there is one thing that rugby league does not do enough, it’s celebrate its players and make superstars out of them.
“I’d love to do more things to help the game. You must allow yourself to grow into something new.
“There’s that quote from author Stephen Covey, ‘to love, to live, to learn and to leave a legacy’.
“I’ve done the first three pretty much and it’s time to leave a story and a legacy to everybody else.”