Promoting his new organic coffee blend exclusively for Coles Supermarket customers, Girdler fondly remembered the time he said goodbye to his 15-year career playing NRL and decided to open a cafe in Dee Why in northern Sydney.

“I was wondering what I was going to do when I retired in 2004, and a friend of mine happened to work at a juice bar in Sydney that he eventually sold to me,” Girdler said.

Girdler decided to buy a domestic coffee machine and turn the juice bar into Girdlers Grind, which he and his wife have been running for the past seven years.

“I was making, drinking, roasting and blending my own style of coffee and was even able to develop my own blend of organic coffee, with the beans imported from overseas,” he said.

When the organic coffee was a success, Girdler and his wife started a wholesale business three years ago, and was approached by Coles eight months ago to produce a product exclusively for their supermarket.

The organic coffee, he said, was freshly roasted and packaged in Australia, and was a hit with other wholesalers.

On his former role as goal kicker and centre not only for the Panthers but the Illawarra Steelers back in 1991, he finds watching his favourite game ‘very tense’.

“Every year that I watch the NRL, it develops even more, with the teams using different training techniques that are more dynamic.”

Girdler, who joined the Panthers in 1993 and remained there until his retirement in 2004, briefly coached his old team but said his rugby league days were well and truly over.

“I don’t coach the Penrith Panthers anymore, I’m more focusing on the retail and wholesale, with the coffee my number one priority.

“I still play socially, but not too much ... I tend to surf a bit more, it’s my new way to keep active, and I think I’ve put the body through enough over the years.”