Matthew Ridge Tells All: Wrongful Conviction, Addiction & Working with Marc Ellis (Re-Release)

About this episode

Matthew Ridge shares his story of wrongful conviction, addiction, and his sports career in a candid interview.

Matthew Ridge is one of New Zealand's most recognisable sporting figures - All Blacks captain, NRL star, television personality. But behind the swagger and the highlights reel is a story most people have never heard. Originally released in 2024 and one of our most popular episodes, we're bringing this one back because it deserves to be heard again. Ridgey sits down with Steve and Seamus to tell it all. At 16, he was wrongfully convicted of aggravated robbery - three High Court trials, a 14-year sentence hanging over his head, and a sports career that nearly never happened. He talks about growing up without his father, finding mental toughness through tennis, and the moment he got a voicemail from Graham Lowe asking if he wanted to play rugby league for Manly. He opens up about the NRL years, the TV relationship with Marc Ellis - and he talks honestly about his meth use, functioning as an addict while the cameras rolled, and the moment he looked at a photo of himself and saw no light in his eyes. This is Matthew Ridge like you've never heard him before. Between Two Beers is proudly brought to you by One New Zealand. We believe that One NZ connects New Zealand, while Between Two…

People in this episode

Hosts: Steven Holloway, Seamus Marten

Guest: Matthew Ridge

Topics covered

• wrongful conviction
• addiction
• sports career
• mental toughness
• rugby league
• television personality

Keywords

• Matthew Ridge
• wrongful conviction
• addiction
• rugby league
• Marc Ellis
• mental toughness
• New Zealand

Sponsors

One New Zealand

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Barkers Clothing

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