Usually it's a few beers - not to say that there weren't any involved - but it was treats of the sweet variety that did the trick to convince Lochie Rowling to dig the boots out again this season.
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After moving back to Tamworth from the family farm at Ungarie with wife Tara and three children - Cobie, 12, Freya, 7, and Boden, 2 - the former premiership winner, and two times Gillies medallist played the odd game for the Tamworth Swans last season to help them out.
He hadn't intended to.
But when you love the game as much as he does, it is easy to be swayed.
"I wasn't going to play, but they're a good group of fellas and Paul [Kelly], the coach, is a good fella and I wanted to be part of it," he said.
It was meant to be one last hurrah so to speak.
Problem was he found himself working with Kelly, who he also played with "back in the day".
"He was working on me while he was doing the maintenance every week," he joked.
"And bringing cakes in and biccies, and bribing me.
"Eventually he got me."
And so against the New England Nomads on June 24, the 43-year-old pulled on the familiar red and white once more.
All joking aside, it didn't really take much.
"I have trouble watching local footy, I'm so passionate about it," Rowling said.
"I grew up playing it from a very young age and played lots of footy everywhere."
"I just love playing and being a part of it.
"I love the banter in the dressing rooms, I love after the game; I probably don't celebrate as hard as I used to now because I've got a family.
"But my family love it as well, so it was an easy decision."
Boden, he said, you "can't get the footy out of his hands".
One of the Swans' best in their thrilling elimination final win over Tamworth Kangaroos last Saturday, the veteran defender was expecting to cheer them on from the sideline.
"And then Paul (Kelly) messaged me on Thursday night and said you're playing fullback again," he said.
"I guess we didn't have as many defenders, so I was happy to put my hand up."
He said it was "so much fun out there", although maybe not so in the final few minutes as the Kangaroos threatened to end their season.
"In the last five minutes it was just raining footballs, that was scary," he said.
"But I felt like we were going to get away with it.
"We just asked the boys to rally for three or four more minutes."
Now he's got his fingers crossed they can do the job against the Nomads in Tamworth on Saturday and his "retirement party" - as he calls it - can roll on for another week.
He has to go back down to Ungarie so will miss the game.
"But I'm sure they can get the job done and hopefully I can line up in the grand final," he said.
