KNIGHTS legend and the NRL's resident raconteur Matty Johns has revealed a secret identity as an Italian singer.
The problem (such as it is) the story reveals is he may not be the next Pavarotti.
Johns recounted a "particularly embarassing incident" to Melbourne radio station SEN regarding a visit to the European nation. "I love my karaoke," he said.
"I walked into this bar that was probably a quarter full.
"I thought when in Rome, so I went up and said Mateo Johns, Boz Scaggs."
The bar fills up, and Matteo Johns begins the nervous wait to take up the mic.
"One of the golden rules of karaoke I always maintain with people is if you have any say in the order make sure the person before you that leads you in is disgraceful, is hopeless, so you get up with a low bar," Johns explains.
"I'm sitting there and of course I've got no say in it ... anyway, I'm looking up and this bloke gets up, local Italian fella, and he's phenomenal, and he does Andrea Bocelli's Time to Say Goodbye."
You may remember the song, which exists in both Italian and Spanish versions in addition to English, from Will Ferrell's performance at the denouement of the film Step Brothers.
This might be funnier.
"The crowd is crying, they chair him off. I remember thinking oh no, and sure enough it comes up Matteo Johns, Boz Scaggs."
Playing on some of rugby league's biggest stages, as well as tackling entertainment and broadcasting, were apparently little help for the Knights great.
"I get about a quarter of the way through and I just have a panic attack," he said.
"I get off stage and Trish says to me 'My god, how embarassing'.
"I said at least no-one knows me here. Next minute, two blokes from Cessnock come up to me and say 'Mate, how bad was that. It was the last time I've done karaoke."
We've all been there. It's part of the appeal of the art form that literally translates something like empty orchestra.
Luckily Mateo has been able to lie low in Australia as an unassuming TV, radio and football celebrity ever since.
The story raises a few questions, not least of which if the Boz Scaggs number in question was Lido Shuffle.
What are your golden rules for karaoke, and where's the strangest place you've unexpectedly run into someone from the Hunter?
University dreams are child's play
THEY get younger every year.
University of Newcastle has begun bringing almost 1000 primary school students into its Callaghan campus through a program designed to encourage people from diverse backgrounds to engage with education beyond the curriculum. The Children's University Newcastle program is also geared to foster aspirations for higher education. More students will visit at NUspace, Ourimbah and Taree next week.
