Things had finally taken their toll': Why Klemmer left the Bulldogs
It might not always look like it on the field, but there is a lot going on inside David Klemmer's head. Maybe too much.
Klemmer is the first to admit he is often overwhelmed by thoughts of football and life. His emotions, he says, often sensationally bubble over in games.
Corey Parker. MCG. Origin. Anyone?
Klemmer now takes time out to try and stay calm. One thing he loves is the short trip from his new digs in Warners Bay to the Newcastle training base in Mayfield.
"There is no music, no radio, just complete silence,'' Klemmer says. "I think about life, my kids, things that might happen in my life, my reactions to them.
"I'll think about footy, winning a comp, and how I go about winning a comp. I'll also think about how I want to be remembered.''
How do you want to be remembered?
"Someone who was a real competitor; a bloke who always did his best for his teammates,'' Klemmer says. "I want to be the best role model for my kids.''
Klemmer meets The Sun-Herald on a murky morning at Knights HQ after staying up late to decorate the house for his son's second birthday. Little David, or "DJ", has two older brothers, Cooper, six, and Jackson, four.
Klemmer's childhood sweetheart, Chloe, is now keen for a fourth.
"I've told her to give me a couple of weeks to think about it,'' he says with a smile. "I've got a soft side. I'll probably go again.''
Family is a big thing for Klemmer. The boys are always at Knights training. Cooper did his best impersonation of his dad, roughing up Knights forward Aidan Guerra after tackling him to the ground at the end of a training session recently.
Klemmer's own upbringing, however, is not something the big fella is prepared to expand on.
We know he grew up in the south-western Sydney suburb of Fairfield. He attended the famous Westfields Sports High, the powerhouse school that produced Jarryd Hayne, Israel Folau and Harry Kewell.
"I was a ratbag growing up,'' Klemmer says. "I'd go around the streets and throw rocks at houses. I was a little brat. Just really silly stuff.
"I'm glad I had footy. It kept me where I had to be."
That's about as much as Klemmer is prepared to give.
Football has been his family. Which again explains why he rides the highs and lows more than most players.
Canterbury really were the "family club" for Klemmer before he departed last year to take up a whopping five-year deal with the Knights.
Money had nothing to do with it; what he is earning at the Knights is basically what he was earning at the Bulldogs.
It was more to do with the treatment of a few of his mates. He worried about them. He was forever stressing about what would happen to pals James Graham and bestie Aaron Woods.
When he first lobbed at the Knights, Klemmer had a peek at the schedule to see when his new club would play against his old side.
"It's in magic round,'' he says. "Had it been at Belmore, I would have needed extra security.
"I have respect for fans; they're a passionate bunch. They probably don't like me, but there's a lot of respect for them.
"I feel like I let the club down. I wanted to win a comp there. I really did. But a lot of things happened there those last 12 to 24 months.
"I had to leave for my wellbeing and my family's wellbeing. It had nothing to do with money. I just became frustrated. I'm a deep thinker. A lot of things were eating me up.
"I hated seeing James Graham leave; Aaron Woods, Moses Mbye, Josh Reynolds.
"I remember sitting in the sheds after our last game last year against Cronulla. I was the last one to leave. All the strappers, everyone had gone. I realised then things had finally taken their toll."
Graham was forced out of the club 12 months before Klemmer. He signed with St George Illawarra – Sunday's opponents – and he started to become emotional as he stood on stage and then Bulldogs chairman Ray Dib revealed how the Englishman asked to take a pay cut so the club could keep Reynolds.
"That's the type of bloke he is, he'd give you the shirt off his back," Klemmer says of Graham. "What he did on a weekly basis was unbelievable. The Dragons are lucky to have him.
"He never gives up. He keeps coming at you. He's so tough in attack and defence. He brought me through and showed me what being a first-grade footballer is all about."
Amazingly, when it became clear Klemmer would not continue his career at the Dogs, the Roosters emerged as a potential new home. There was plenty of talk about Dylan Napa getting ready to leave Bondi for Belmore. Imagine the cynics if the Roosters could accommodate another big gun like Klemmer.
One thing that stuck in Klemmer's mind was the fact the Roosters had just won a premiership.
"And how many teams go back-to-back?'' Klemmer asks.
The Knights had plenty of appeal to shortlist
Alex McKinnon emerged as an unlikely key player who helped convince Klemmer to make the move up the M1 Motorway.
"I spoke with Alex and he helped me reach my decision,'' Klemmer says. "We used to play against each other as kids and we played together for the Junior Kangaroos.
"He was someone I looked up to as a kid. We had a good yarn, he said it would be a good opportunity for me to come here and improve my football, and I didn't second-guess my decision after he said that."
Klemmer signed a five-year deal with Newcastle. If he has his way, he wants to be there the next decade, provided his form warrants it.
Paul Harragon, the man known as "Chief" and the best front-rower to pull on a Knights jersey, hopes Klemmer can take that title off him.
"Absolutely, although I'm not into mantles or anything like that,'' Harragon says. "I do know an era of good forward packs being strong in Newcastle is really important because that's how we started; the club was built on forward strength and toughness, and eventually we waited for the skill to come, and it came in abundance with the Johns brothers, the Gidley brothers, [Robbie] O'Davis.
"But it all starts with the forwards. And until we get back to that it's hard to be great again.
"David's go-forward is impeccable. He forges his way through after impact, he's got a great play-the-ball and a really good engine. In the big games, he also lifts – he goes to another level for NSW and Australia."
Klemmer's "over-thinking" manifests in many ways and his superstitions have quickly become fodder for his new buddies. For instance, he has to turn door handles a certain way and his left sock and boot always go on first.
"I also have to be the last off the bus," Klemmer says. "If I'm not, I think I might get hurt or something bad will happen. Aidan [Guerra] tried to trick me the other day. He hid and I went back to check the bus. If someone gets me I have to go back and touch the back of the bus, whether it's a window or the back of the bus.
"I don't know why. My brain tells me to do it.''
There's a lot going on inside Klem's head.
- Happy he has left and personally I don't care why anymore, as we now have Napa and so far this dude is going OK and the best part is this dude knows how to pass the ball and NOT just run skip hop and run forward lol!!! Good luck to you Mr Klemmer and you are right, lucky this game is NOT played at Belmore BECAUSE not even security will be able to help you now SFTU and get on with your life as you have made your bed now sleep in it! as us PASSIONATE Doggies supporters are over your CRAP!! ..
It might not always look like it on the field, but there is a lot going on inside David Klemmer's head. Maybe too much.
Klemmer is the first to admit he is often overwhelmed by thoughts of football and life. His emotions, he says, often sensationally bubble over in games.
Corey Parker. MCG. Origin. Anyone?
Klemmer now takes time out to try and stay calm. One thing he loves is the short trip from his new digs in Warners Bay to the Newcastle training base in Mayfield.
"There is no music, no radio, just complete silence,'' Klemmer says. "I think about life, my kids, things that might happen in my life, my reactions to them.
"I'll think about footy, winning a comp, and how I go about winning a comp. I'll also think about how I want to be remembered.''
How do you want to be remembered?
"Someone who was a real competitor; a bloke who always did his best for his teammates,'' Klemmer says. "I want to be the best role model for my kids.''
Klemmer meets The Sun-Herald on a murky morning at Knights HQ after staying up late to decorate the house for his son's second birthday. Little David, or "DJ", has two older brothers, Cooper, six, and Jackson, four.
Klemmer's childhood sweetheart, Chloe, is now keen for a fourth.
"I've told her to give me a couple of weeks to think about it,'' he says with a smile. "I've got a soft side. I'll probably go again.''
Family is a big thing for Klemmer. The boys are always at Knights training. Cooper did his best impersonation of his dad, roughing up Knights forward Aidan Guerra after tackling him to the ground at the end of a training session recently.
Klemmer's own upbringing, however, is not something the big fella is prepared to expand on.
We know he grew up in the south-western Sydney suburb of Fairfield. He attended the famous Westfields Sports High, the powerhouse school that produced Jarryd Hayne, Israel Folau and Harry Kewell.
"I was a ratbag growing up,'' Klemmer says. "I'd go around the streets and throw rocks at houses. I was a little brat. Just really silly stuff.
"I'm glad I had footy. It kept me where I had to be."
That's about as much as Klemmer is prepared to give.
Football has been his family. Which again explains why he rides the highs and lows more than most players.
Canterbury really were the "family club" for Klemmer before he departed last year to take up a whopping five-year deal with the Knights.
Money had nothing to do with it; what he is earning at the Knights is basically what he was earning at the Bulldogs.
It was more to do with the treatment of a few of his mates. He worried about them. He was forever stressing about what would happen to pals James Graham and bestie Aaron Woods.
When he first lobbed at the Knights, Klemmer had a peek at the schedule to see when his new club would play against his old side.
"It's in magic round,'' he says. "Had it been at Belmore, I would have needed extra security.
"I have respect for fans; they're a passionate bunch. They probably don't like me, but there's a lot of respect for them.
"I feel like I let the club down. I wanted to win a comp there. I really did. But a lot of things happened there those last 12 to 24 months.
"I had to leave for my wellbeing and my family's wellbeing. It had nothing to do with money. I just became frustrated. I'm a deep thinker. A lot of things were eating me up.
"I hated seeing James Graham leave; Aaron Woods, Moses Mbye, Josh Reynolds.
"I remember sitting in the sheds after our last game last year against Cronulla. I was the last one to leave. All the strappers, everyone had gone. I realised then things had finally taken their toll."
Graham was forced out of the club 12 months before Klemmer. He signed with St George Illawarra – Sunday's opponents – and he started to become emotional as he stood on stage and then Bulldogs chairman Ray Dib revealed how the Englishman asked to take a pay cut so the club could keep Reynolds.
"That's the type of bloke he is, he'd give you the shirt off his back," Klemmer says of Graham. "What he did on a weekly basis was unbelievable. The Dragons are lucky to have him.
"He never gives up. He keeps coming at you. He's so tough in attack and defence. He brought me through and showed me what being a first-grade footballer is all about."
Amazingly, when it became clear Klemmer would not continue his career at the Dogs, the Roosters emerged as a potential new home. There was plenty of talk about Dylan Napa getting ready to leave Bondi for Belmore. Imagine the cynics if the Roosters could accommodate another big gun like Klemmer.
One thing that stuck in Klemmer's mind was the fact the Roosters had just won a premiership.
"And how many teams go back-to-back?'' Klemmer asks.
The Knights had plenty of appeal to shortlist
Alex McKinnon emerged as an unlikely key player who helped convince Klemmer to make the move up the M1 Motorway.
"I spoke with Alex and he helped me reach my decision,'' Klemmer says. "We used to play against each other as kids and we played together for the Junior Kangaroos.
"He was someone I looked up to as a kid. We had a good yarn, he said it would be a good opportunity for me to come here and improve my football, and I didn't second-guess my decision after he said that."
Klemmer signed a five-year deal with Newcastle. If he has his way, he wants to be there the next decade, provided his form warrants it.
Paul Harragon, the man known as "Chief" and the best front-rower to pull on a Knights jersey, hopes Klemmer can take that title off him.
"Absolutely, although I'm not into mantles or anything like that,'' Harragon says. "I do know an era of good forward packs being strong in Newcastle is really important because that's how we started; the club was built on forward strength and toughness, and eventually we waited for the skill to come, and it came in abundance with the Johns brothers, the Gidley brothers, [Robbie] O'Davis.
"But it all starts with the forwards. And until we get back to that it's hard to be great again.
"David's go-forward is impeccable. He forges his way through after impact, he's got a great play-the-ball and a really good engine. In the big games, he also lifts – he goes to another level for NSW and Australia."
Klemmer's "over-thinking" manifests in many ways and his superstitions have quickly become fodder for his new buddies. For instance, he has to turn door handles a certain way and his left sock and boot always go on first.
"I also have to be the last off the bus," Klemmer says. "If I'm not, I think I might get hurt or something bad will happen. Aidan [Guerra] tried to trick me the other day. He hid and I went back to check the bus. If someone gets me I have to go back and touch the back of the bus, whether it's a window or the back of the bus.
"I don't know why. My brain tells me to do it.''
There's a lot going on inside Klem's head.
- Happy he has left and personally I don't care why anymore, as we now have Napa and so far this dude is going OK and the best part is this dude knows how to pass the ball and NOT just run skip hop and run forward lol!!! Good luck to you Mr Klemmer and you are right, lucky this game is NOT played at Belmore BECAUSE not even security will be able to help you now SFTU and get on with your life as you have made your bed now sleep in it! as us PASSIONATE Doggies supporters are over your CRAP!! ..
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lol
