They've been doing it all day sir!
Two Englishmen in Australia, talking sports and life in a new country
They've been doing it all day sir!
The Whinging Poms Return: Mid Season NRL Review
Diving deep into the mid-season NRL team reviews, we hand out report cards for all 17 clubs and analyse what's going right and wrong across the competition.
• Performance of the week goes to Kieran Foran and Jayden Campbell for shutting down Manly's attack through defensive pressure
• Jack Bostock earns recognition for his four-try performance for the Dolphins
• Manly's struggles continue with questionable decisions to play injured Tom Trbojevic
• The Titans parked the bus effectively against Manly, exposing their one-dimensional attack
• Dolphins continue their scoring rampage with 158 points in three games
• Bulldogs defeat Rabbitohs in a lightning-interrupted match
• Mid-season grades: A+ for Warriors and Raiders who've exceeded all expectations
• Panthers receive an F
• Train etiquette in Australia compared to London becomes our "whinge of the week"
• Round 16 predictions focus on how Origin players will back up from Perth
Join us next week as we recap State of Origin and analyse how teams adjust during the representative period.
Welcome to another episode of. They've Been Doing it All Day, sir.
Speaker 2:I'm Chris.
Speaker 1:And I'm Ben. God, it's hard to be a Manly fan at the moment. There's seven-minute meetings happening on the beaches. Let's get stuck in.
Speaker 2:How's your week been, mate?
Speaker 1:Yeah, pretty sound, to be honest, nothing drastic, just, you know, drying away the tears of another poor Manly performance.
Speaker 2:It's terrible. After coming back from Newcastle last week we didn't think it could actually get any worse, and it has. It has got worse. Everything that's going on the circus at the moment, surrounding Manly and the media it's just absolute chaos. But get anything up to anything over the weekend, anything interesting. Manly played obviously on Friday, so we had a Saturday and Sunday to cooked a lovely lamb roast on Sunday. Oh, nice it was good made some wonderful culinary skills with Chris, yeah made some lovely gravy with it as well.
Speaker 1:It was top notch. Lamb was really nice and yeah, do you know what? Just on the trip on Friday? I'm really starting to dislike the RSL. I'm starting to get a lot of bad memories at the place.
Speaker 2:There was that one geezer behind us weren't there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he was just a knobhead.
Speaker 2:What was it? He had a really annoying voice as well. When they went over for their second try, and it did look dubious as to whether it was on the line or not. He just kept on saying it's on the line. It's on the line for about 10 minutes 10 minutes.
Speaker 1:It was so annoying like like they would be able to hear it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'll actually miss the bloke at the dyrsl pub. Shout a bit louder.
Speaker 1:They might be in the bunker um, we were there for the euro 2000, with the 2024 final as well yeah um and yeah, just not, not not seen a lot of good things at that place at the moment no, we haven't been there recently much and maybe we should should avoid it, but yeah it's.
Speaker 2:It's certainly not a place. Well, it is full of good memories because we've had a fair few pints in there, but it isn't when it comes to comes to watching sport, although I did mention yesterday, didn't I, that dy hotel has just got a 10 meter screen might have to have a pop in and see what that's all about yeah, but reflecting on last week, um, one of our opinions actually went a bit wild about Australian winters.
Speaker 2:We had quite the reach and engagement on that. So we thought maybe let's live up to the stereotype, because there was a few comments that are saying our typical whinging poms. And yeah, we do like a whinge, I'll own it, we'll own it, but anything that you want to whinge about this week.
Speaker 1:Just full disclosure, disclosure, sorry. We love living in Australia.
Speaker 2:We do.
Speaker 1:Let's get that out there. But there's some things that do grind our gears or go into the whinging poms of the podcast Now. I've been traveling a lot back into the city and I'm back on the podcast Now. I've been travelling a lot back into the city and I'm back on the trains. I think I've mentioned this before, but it's a point. It's a thing that does my head in constantly, and it's been an issue that I've found over here, especially getting into central Sydney, is that people just don't let you off the train. You'll pull into a station. It'll be packed on the outside. It'll be packed in the train. Don't let you off the train, don't you'll pull into it. You'll pull into a station. It'll be packed on the outside, be packed in the train.
Speaker 2:You're trying to get off and people are trying to push on and it's like you're having a scrum trying to get off as soon as the doors open it's like every man for himself, even on the floor.
Speaker 2:So I I use the metro every now and then and even on the floor they've got the um little guidelines marked out of where people getting on the train need to stand to let the people off and you can be. There'll be like two people on the platform. Yeah, doors open. They're right in front of you and you're like why are you standing here? Where's your patience? Why can't you just wait until people get off so you get on, yeah that's.
Speaker 1:That's my whinging pom moment of the week yeah, I fully agree.
Speaker 2:But I mean, look, we can refer back to london. People do have a bit more etiquette when it comes to the comes to the tube, but I think it's more ingrained because the tube is maybe the most accessible form of form of transport and, to be fair, I can't really push both ways on the tube, can you like? It's pretty yeah um yeah, I agree with you on that one, um, although I haven't really experienced a super packed train over here, which is nice it's something that um I often experienced in london traveling, traveling around.
Speaker 2:You get on it what?
Speaker 2:7, 38 o'clock in the morning you wouldn't be able to get a spot and you'd be waiting for a couple of trains after, whereas the only time I've really experienced it here is coming back from the accord. Actually, um, getting on and off there's a bit of a nightmare, but even then it was still a bit spacious. But, yeah, I know what you mean the um, impatience of people getting on the train certainly something that grinds my gears. So, yeah, that's our, that's our whinge for this week whinge of the week whinge of the week indeed.
Speaker 2:but let's get into the fixtures. Um, not many this weekend, only five, only five fixtures. So we'll take a dive into them. But let's start off with our performance of the week. Who are you going with?
Speaker 1:I've gone for a sort of a combination of players in this one and just what their work ethic did. So I've gone for Kieran Foran and Jadon Campbell for the Titans. The reason I'm saying that is because of their defensive effort. They completely shut down Luke Brooks and DCE. They were firing up from the line to my very much frustrating. I was joining old mates screaming at the telly and I'll talk about it a bit more in the game, but they shut down Manley's attack, especially after that first five 10-minute period where Manly looked like they were going to run away with it. They defensively shut it down and I think that pairing needs a shout-out for it. Obviously, you've got a lot of other shout-outs, but I thought I'd bring in something that might have gone under the radar a little bit. And yeah, that's why I've gone for that one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've gone with someone from the Dolphins and, if I'm honest, the Dolphins probably could have got the performance of the round anyway and they have been for the past three rounds but can't look past Jack Bostock, four tries. Some people don't like the arrogance of when he was going one, two, three as he was running over um and they believe it added a bit of juju to then when he dropped his dropped his fifth, but to score four tries, I thought was outstanding performance.
Speaker 2:he's in incredible form. Going back I think it was last week or the week before his ability to leap off the ground, his ability to finish, just be in the right places at the right time, um, getting four tries, hell tries, hell. Of a standout performance, and it could and should have been more. I think he was the age-old adage, if that's the right saying of he thought he had scored before he'd even caught the ball, so he took his eye off the ball and dropped it. But great performance from him. And then we'll move on to our flops of the week, and they both come from the same team yes, um, I've gone it's.
Speaker 1:It's a bit of a rogue. I wouldn't say rogue, wouldn't say might. Might be a bit of a shot one, but I've gone. I've gone for tom zhivojevic, um, because I don't think he should have been anywhere near that field on Friday.
Speaker 1:So it's more of a dig at the coaching staff, or it could be a dig at himself as well, just his mentality of trying to get him out on the field. You've got to admire the bravery of it and wanting to help the team as much as you can, because you watch that game and I don't think he sprinted once. He was behind the defensive line as well and he was a couple of steps away. He just looked out of whack and just looked like he should have been on the field.
Speaker 2:I can't even remember which try it was over in the corner. It might have been Saab who crashed in or whoever crashed in, and you'd expect the fullback to be there to clean up anything that goes that wide, and he was miles off it.
Speaker 1:He was nowhere near it, which could have been a reason for Manly's issues defensively is because they had a fullback who wasn't where the fullback was supposed to be and the team had to carry him a bit, which is not fair on the other 12. Like, absolutely love his heart. His ability when he's on is incredible, but I just think that whole him being on the field on Friday just is a bit of a flop of the week.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I'm just going to talk a little bit more about Turbo because I mean, we're going to go through kind of how people have gone and how teams have gone throughout the season so far in our opinions. But we've been supporting Manny for three, three and a half, four years. We've not really seen Turbo in his absolute prime and it's one of those things that every journalist keeps saying are without Turbo, you can't win. Without Turbo, you can't. Um, manny won't do anything without Turbo. But for me, I've never seen my with turbo and I've not seen him to the heights of what he got to in 2021. I've not. Part of me thinks he's been playing what? 10 years now. His best is probably past him. Like, what is his new best? Yeah, and I don't know. I don't know what his new best is. There's times where we see him with great support, runs, brilliant ability to be able to pass the ball, but I don't know. I'm not. I mean there's rumours that he's going to come back in the centres as well, which yeah, I've seen that.
Speaker 1:What was it? The Cowboys? Last year he came back in the centres.
Speaker 2:For one game, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, incredibly ineffective. But yeah, we'll see how we. If it adds a little bit more of a sureness in the defensive line, then yeah if we run plays like we did against the panthers, where what? Is it.
Speaker 2:Cola comes around from the other center um and runs an underneath line if we can do stuff like that and be more creative, then yeah, maybe, and there's maybe a rotation that can take place between him going back and stuff like that. But for me he looks looks like an individual that is struggling a lot at the moment. He wants to do his best for the team but his body just kind of isn't there We've mentioned it before must be psychologically so challenging for him as well. Thinking about how can I help this team but not performing to the best I can, my flop of the week I feel a bit harsh for this one but I hope he's not listening because I reckon I'll be hunting you down there's a few things that go into this.
Speaker 2:So I've picked Hamole Olokowatu for my flop of the week, and it kind of stems from something that happened the week before against Newcastle. Tried to offload the ball twice, uh, against Newcastle and one of them threw it straight to I think it was Dane Gagai. He might have thrown it straight to He'd done it again this week and all he had to do was hold on to the ball, drop to the floor, take the tackle, play the ball away. We go Instead. Tries to offload it, they get the ball and it eventually led to the Titans scoring. Then a misery compiler, right, you think he's. He's absolutely truck here and foreign yeah he sent him into the ground.
Speaker 2:He's still making the tackle as he's hitting the floor. He's hitting that hard, unbelievable. You think he's then just going to go over for the score. Not only does he drop the ball, he dislocates his shoulder and is now out for six weeks. So an absolute misery. Compiler through fumbling the ball and then dislocating his shoulder. It's harsh, but I think the impact that he can have and the performances he can put in, I think that's why you hope we hold him to such high regard, yeah, and how much respect we have for him. I think the performance at the weekend multiplied by losing him for six weeks and some frustration.
Speaker 1:That's now two weeks in a row. One of the key players injured themselves trying to score a try. That's a very valid point it's madness.
Speaker 2:It's a very, very, very valid point. And look, he is a beast. I would hate to tackle him. Yeah, he's animal absolute animal kieran for an eight. No you, you got him different, like as a performance of the round, and he put him on his ass on his ass so bad but yeah, so they're the.
Speaker 2:They're our flops of the week. And again we might have our manly bias glasses on because we're so disappointed with how it's going. Yeah, but let's kick off with that game then. So let's dive into it deeper. Titans 28 defeat the manly warunga seagulls. A simple question what is going wrong? What is going wrong?
Speaker 1:I reckon I could have a good two-hour rant just about this game and pick it to pieces and that's no exaggeration, because I don't normally. So we very much set the standard at the start of the year of we don't leave games early and we're there till the very end. It's now getting to the point where we're getting so frustrated. Not only are we walking out of games early, I've stormed out of a pub early, which is something that I think we left after the 78th minute, no 68th minute, both games just I was like done, I'm gone.
Speaker 1:Um, and another a point I want to bring up about the titans actually is I have never seen a rugby league team park the bus and do it so effectively.
Speaker 2:Very true.
Speaker 1:Like it was incredible how they just sat there and just absorbed everything and then just hit Manly on the counter and scored another try late in the second half. It was. I was mesmerized by it, Like the mental capability of being able to just absorb that pressure, after pressure, after pressure and being so disciplined was a credit to them. But in saying that Manly's attack is so one way, yeah, I'll let you talk for a little bit, because I could genuinely have a good 15, 20 minutes without even breathing.
Speaker 2:Well, I was listening to Triple M on the way over here and the way I think it was Brent Reid that was talking about it Garrick scores seemingly comfortably. After 4 minutes, manny go 4-0 up, misses the kick and then he's missed the next kick as well. His kicking hasn't been great recently. But you think, ah, manny, are just going to put the pieces together. Be creative, just blow away this tight end side hasn't been great recently. But you think, ah, man, utd are just going to put the pieces together. Be creative, just blow away this tight inside. As soon as we score that try, we sit back and just one dimensional, just trying to go through the middle. No creativity, no flair. Saab dropping simple passes, simple, he's 60 meters out and, yes, he's got legs. Yes, he's 60 meters out and, yes, he's got legs. Yes, he's got gas. But is he already thinking, if I catch this, I've scored? Because he drops the ball and it just deflated everyone and there were so many little mistakes, there were so many errors, just poor creativity.
Speaker 2:Kicking game wasn't great from Cherry Evans. He was getting shut down. Like we said it in the second half against Newcastle, you could see that as soon as the ball went to either Brooks or DC. They're bringing in a defender, one over that was coming down and blocking off the next receiver and it's Titans must have seen that and gone. We're gonna do that and you. We saw it from early and it was like they didn't know what to do. No creativity and we just had no plan b and it was. It was terrible, like the frustration levels were so high during this game. Yeah, and there's a lot of talk going on at Manly at the moment as well, like we said, seven minute interviews going on, which hasn't gone down too well from all the guys.
Speaker 2:No a few people have not been too happy with kind of being told where your weaknesses are instead of, I think what I heard on the radio as well is that there's no it was no solutions. It was all just where your weak areas are. The media speculation is going to be rife as well. Like Seabold potentially is under pressure but apparently safe. And then they reckon that's like a curse saying that someone's job's safe, like publicly coming out and saying your job's safe, Cause it means your neck's right on the chopping block.
Speaker 1:Do you reckon Seabold's gonna last to the end of?
Speaker 2:the season.
Speaker 1:Nah, like we we have. We've we've talked about issues with the players, but a lot of it comes from up top as well, and one of the things that was doing my head in is we, the titans, were bringing up, as you just said, foran and campbell and shutting down. Instead of like waiting for the, the center to get the ball, they were shutting down the, the, the um, the pivot, the the key part of it they were just shutting off the supply to that straight away.
Speaker 1:Brooks and dc were taking out the game. No one had the balls to run how not even that, how you can sit at a height. See that. See what happens from the defensive line as well, that it shatters yeah and go right. We need to introduce some dummy runners here to take away, or we do a little chip in behind because the fullback, because the fullback was nowhere was it the rabbit did the chip in over the top against the board?
Speaker 1:yeah, I think it was the rabbit chipped in behind so they saw the fullback had come up and scored it was, but it wasn't even that when was diving up there was a massive hole in behind because the line was all over the place and there was just nothing. How you're sat up at height and you can't see that. I was watching it in the DYISL four pints deep and was able to pick up on that. And I'm three years into an NRL watching that's an armchair NRL coach Massively. And how a professional coach can't see. Get a message down and go right. Next time we attack that way, just put a little grubber in behind. And then, talking about DCE's kicking, I have never, ever, ever seen a professional rugby player both codes use the inside of a foot for a grubber kick. Yeah, big Mark did it the other week. The inside of a foot for a grubber kick yeah, big Mark did it the other way. But that was a. That was to score, that was to score and that was a ridiculous.
Speaker 2:You watch people come with the receipts now just showing you. Yeah, whatever.
Speaker 1:But the whole point of it is normally off the top of the boot, where you just let the ball drop onto the top of the boot and it just dribbles through, side, foots it and sends it back to Northern Beaches it goes out the back and they get a seven tackle set.
Speaker 2:It's comical. If you don't laugh, you'll cry. This is the problem with it. And we'll go on and talk about how we're going to rank Manly season Titans. Fair play to them. You can only play what's in front of you. Like you said, they parked the bus, sat back, attacked when to needed to and were just more clinical and they were just better. Yeah, they were just better than Manly. So, yeah, not much good. I think I said it earlier. I think there's a bit of soul searching going on here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there needs to be, because the talent's there On paper, the players are there.
Speaker 2:We'll go through our mid-season review in a bit, but we have a squad to finish in the top four and again.
Speaker 1:It's mad to think from what we thought of him as a player at the start of the season to now. But Jake Simpkin was missing. He was dropped from the bench before the start of the game and he brings a faster edge. Croker got run over a couple of times as well, which I haven't seen a lot of Simpkin this season and I don't know as.
Speaker 2:Did Tavanga get knocked out this week or last week?
Speaker 1:No, he knocked himself out this week as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we lost him and not having simpkin on the bench then messes things up, it's just things go from bad to worse, don't they? Yeah, but anyway, let's have a look at the other four games. And we're mid-season review Dolphins, though what?
Speaker 1:are they?
Speaker 2:They're absolutely on fire. What is it? 158 points. They've scored over the last three games, cowboys missing their origin players, but they absolutely blew them out of the water.
Speaker 1:Oh, ridiculous, it was just constant. I was listening. I was getting towards the end of the game, the commentators were like, yeah, this could be a cricket score with six minutes, like in the last ten minutes. I think they scored three tries. It could have been 70, it was.
Speaker 2:It was mental it genuinely could have been 70, it could have been more it's like the last six minutes.
Speaker 1:They scored two. It could have been it should have been three because of the drop before the line. Yeah, every time they they attacked, it just looked. They just didn't look like they were going to score.
Speaker 2:But it was a very young dolphin, very young cowboy squad and Todd Payton afterwards ripping into him those images, coming out of dressing room with everyone just sitting around and him just chatting and part of it. You're looking at it and you go yeah, alright, enough of the chat, we know what we've done wrong. We've just got 50 58 put on. Us need to chill out a bit. But I mean, herbiebie farmworth scored again. All right, it was nick arima that gave it to him on a plate.
Speaker 2:Some people say that was a bit uh not not play on. But what's your thoughts on it, of offload into I I'm gonna say this they gave josh papali a kick which I think is more of a piss take than giving someone a try to continue a streak.
Speaker 1:Ah, it's, it's, you know it's fine um I'm, I'm, I'm okay with it. It's at the end of the day, it's a try to try. Um, it's like what was it in the going back to changing the prim um the english prem, uh, rugby final um oh yeah, finn russell.
Speaker 2:Russell threw it back inside. I can't remember the name of the guy his dad had played for Bath.
Speaker 1:Finn Russell was through and, to be fair, it was quite a difficult pass it wasn't the easiest one. He's looked so far inside to see him.
Speaker 2:He's like a proper barn owl.
Speaker 1:He's had to be able to throw it back. But you know, it's good to, it's nice to have those things. And yeah, like you say, hobie, fort Farmworth is on the absolute streak of your life. It's Jamie Vardy-esque.
Speaker 2:It is. It is In the 2015-16 season. For anyone that doesn't know the reference Jamie Vardy scored in 11 Premier League games in a row to break the record and he'd done it against man united and robin van percy, I believe. Was it rude van nistelrooy?
Speaker 2:sorry, held the record previous record of 10, so I wonder how many we're going to see in a row from herbie farmworth. And the annoying thing about this is I've bought tickets for my son to and myself to go and watch manny against the dolphins as his first experience of brookie oval. I couldn't think of a worse proposition now of taking him there.
Speaker 1:Let's just hope he brings a bit of first First game good luck Tom. First game, good luck yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah well, we'll see. But next one up Sharks defeat the Dragons 30 points to 18. I don't know what to make of the Sharks, nor do.
Speaker 1:I Nor do I. They're more frustrated. Well, I imagine Sharks fans could be in a very similar situation to Manly fans in the sense of well, you can bring in the Roosters as well, just the inconsistency. Manly are obviously taking an absolute batter in at the moment, but the Sharks again on paper, I think. A lot of people tip them to be top four or just outside the top four, and that first half was dreadful.
Speaker 2:They only won this game because of mistakes from the Dragons as well.
Speaker 1:I was just about to say, if it wasn't for the absolute air raid at the start of the second half, which Gutherson had an absolute mare back there and so did the two Sloan, he was the one that dropped it and then trindle, I think, came through. Yeah so they oh, that was an absolute unreal rip off the floor or no, the one that was no sloan jumped up and it bounced out of his hands.
Speaker 2:And then braden trindle just goes in for score. Nikarima ran a powerful run and uh, who's it?
Speaker 1:was it this? Was it this game where they absorbed the kick off the like? One of the players went to kick it and he absorbed it off the ground and then just run it in. I can't remember, I can't remember either, but you know it was that air raid killed them and the Sharks ended up just running away of it in the second half.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Dragons started well, Like I thought it was going to be a potential positive result for them, and then, like you said, completely different Sharks team in the second half. But it was more mistakes from the Dragons that led to the Sharks winning this game. But an interesting event over the weekend in the Bulldogs-Rabbitos game, Obviously the Bulldogs ran out 24-18 victors, a lot closer than I thought it was going to be at half-time, In fact it wasn't even at half-time. The Bulldogs were dominating the game up until what was it the 34th?
Speaker 1:minute they looked like they could score 50-60 in this game just every time they went forward.
Speaker 2:And I was sitting at home and I live 20 kilometres away or something from the home bush. And I thought there was a possum running on the roof, but it wasn't. My wife went. I think that's thunder. I was like nah, that's not thunder. Anyway, turn around, look at the screen Players being taken off, there's lightning in the distance and it's pitch black over top, but on that. Have you ever had a game stopped for a significant period of time or a sporting event stopped due to unforeseen circumstances?
Speaker 1:Yeah, very American football. I think again for Lightning was, I think we were playing London Blitz B at home At Finsbury Park at your game. Yeah, up in Sudbury Hill and I think it was for Lightning. It was either for lightning or it was the day of the Euro to 2020 final, and they used our field as a landing strip for helicopters. So whenever a helicopter was landing, we had to stop the game.
Speaker 2:That's a bit of a strange one, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I'm sure that was the reason and why Because every time a helicopter came in to land we had to stop the game just in case.
Speaker 2:Makes sense.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but some big serious injuries as well. Yeah, some big sort of injuries as well. Yeah, some big, big sort of tidbit breaks that have sort of stopped the game just waiting for ambulances. And within the UK, with American football, you'll be well aware every game has to have a first responder medic or an ambulance, if the ambulance goes you have to wait for that to either come back or a new one to arrive, which, to be fair, the safety aspect of it is really good um, I think the cost of having it over here would be far too too much, um, unfortunately.
Speaker 1:But no, that's, that's probably about it, that it won't be yourself similar.
Speaker 2:I've had one for lightning. I was playing, funnily enough, the london blitz um at finsbury park in north london and obviously in American football everyone's running around wearing metal face cages so you can't really be running around when there's lightning happening in the distance. So we had to pause, I think for about 10-15 minutes, and you know what I actually lost us that game thinking about it. We lost 8-2 against the Blitz. I was punter for some reason. I was like fourth string punter and pouring down with rain, I've gone to catch the ball, to punt it. I think I've done a Jason Saab actually, or a Bostock. I thought I've got the ball before I've caught it, boom, gone straight through my hands out the back. They've dived on it, scored one play later and we lost the game 8-2. That was one example of where we one similar to an injury when I was playing Colts rugby. So what's that under 17s? I think in the UK Colts, or is it under?
Speaker 2:yeah under 17s. We were playing in a tournament in Bristol, in Clifton real nice pitches and on the kickoff one of their guys was running downfield. Our fullbacks caught the ball running forward and one of their he's just stuck his leg out. I don't know why he tried to tackle him by sticking his leg out. Anyway, there's this almighty snap. Everyone's like that didn't sound good, and then you walk over, yeah. And there's, if you're squeamish, maybe turn down the volume. There was a bone sticking out of sock, yeah.
Speaker 2:And he went into shock immediately like had to put so many like coats and jackets over him because he was just shivering and yeah, we similar sort of thing. We had to wait for an ambulance to come and then another one to come back because it's quite bad. But other than that, nothing really exciting like helicopters landing or any evacuations or anything like that. So yeah, but Bulldogs just doing what they do, grinding out victories. I thought Toby Sexton had a great game yeah, he did actually looked real good.
Speaker 2:Galvin, he brings, he strengthens his side. He's such a class doesn't he?
Speaker 1:he does, and and I think we touched on it last week it's just good how he's been brought into it as well, like he's in in the middle of the celebrations, like he's being dragged in everyone's. I think for sexton's first try thing it was.
Speaker 1:I think galvin that uploaded it all had drawn a bit of pressure or something and everyone was like giving him a high five for it before going and celebrating with sexton. And yeah it's. It's just nice to see those little things, um, especially when a new player comes in and I heard something earlier.
Speaker 2:It was quite funny. I can't remember who was saying it on a podcast, but it was like bulldogs fans were giving it large um, like they're going to go on and win the premiership, nothing's guaranteed. And also, you've just beaten the Rabbitohs. Like let's woosar a little bit, let's calm down. But yeah, on to the last game of the weekend. Roosters 12 defeat, the Knights 8 now Knights decent defensive record, you know like they're the third best team in the nrl defensively, uh, but what again?
Speaker 1:rooster's side not quite lost a lot of players through, or influential players in origin I just I feel like this is a a similar thing you could bring it in is if you go to I don't know if you've ever been, but like if you've ever been to stoke away and they just it's just a shocking game. It's like I remember one, one game we we played stoke at home.
Speaker 2:It was like when the first years had a season ticket I've been to a one nil stoke game actually it was nil nil and on the radio on the way home they were chatting to.
Speaker 1:they were chatting to someone at the bbc and they're like, yeah, our highlights person is going to really struggle to get 45 seconds worth of highlights for this, for a match of the day, and I think Gary O'Connor missed the header and that was about the highlight of it. Do you know, when you're just watching one of those games where it's just full of calamities, the refereeing just doesn't do anything, as well.
Speaker 1:It adds to the issues. And then you've got one team who should be absolutely flying through and ripping the other to bits, but the other is just standing strong and just hoofing the ball into Rosette every five minutes and the Roosters should have.
Speaker 2:Should have batted the Knights on paper. They should have. Do you know? You've reminded me I went to Fulham versus Leic Like. Fulham's last game at Craven Cottage before it all got seated 0-0 draw. It was diabolical and it was hyped up for this event because it was their last game at the old Craven Cottage and it was absolutely terrible. I think I fell asleep during it. But yeah, so interesting part of this though.
Speaker 1:This game, the try Talk about the, I can't remember who went over and scored it but downed by their forearm. Downward pressure by their forearm. Right then, why wasn't alex quartus a try?
Speaker 2:because it was on his, it was touching his wrist so he had the ball in his fingers right a la quarta. Yeah, and it comes out of his fingers, but he still got it on the palm of his hand. And then he puts downward pressure on it. What difference is that to someone missing the ball?
Speaker 1:and then down his hand, and then he puts downward pressure on it.
Speaker 2:What difference is that to someone missing the ball and then down in it and then down it with their forearm? So the inconsistency around what a try is, what a try isn't, is a bit. Maybe we're clutching its jaws it because yeah, probably.
Speaker 1:Well, like I say you, you're gonna. You need to be hiding around the northern reaches now after you've said that, so but yeah to the rule book.
Speaker 2:this try was a try. There's no ambiguity in downward pressure on the ball, but it opens the question what if someone puts downward pressure on the ball with their upper arm?
Speaker 1:Is that a try? Is that a try? But they've got no control.
Speaker 2:Their shoulder. If they fall on their shoulder, is that a try? I don't know.
Speaker 1:I don't know, and that's why the refs ref, and sometimes they just make it up as they go along, don't they?
Speaker 2:They do, but Roosters got away with one here. With that they weren't exactly on fire. Tough win, Left it late. They were what 6-0 down at halftime as well.
Speaker 2:Two late tries in the second half of the second half. So I don't think we can take anything from this game from them. Got to wait till. Yeah, it's just their origin. Stars are back. But let's move on to a little mid-season review, a little report card for mid-season. We're going to start from. We're going to go in the order of the ladder, we're going to go bottom to top and we're going to rank them A star A plus for being absolutely over-perform, star A plus for being absolutely over performers, a for above expectations, b or C for kind of where we thought they'd be, and then D and F for just absolutely terrible.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:We've got to try and take our. We've got to try and woosah, Woosah On the manly front and see how we actually think they're doing. So. Let's kick it off with the Titans front and see what how we actually think they're doing so.
Speaker 1:Let's kick it off with the titans. Um, this is. This is quite a funny one, because when you, when you look at the, where we thought they would be, you'd probably rank it as a c, because I think we had.
Speaker 2:We had them at at the bottom yeah, um, I mean, look, they've got four wins so far this season, which I think is about where they would be. Yeah, I thought there'd be spoon contenders. They'd be down there with the Eels Tigers. So I'm going to agree with you. I reckon it's about what we expected.
Speaker 1:Where we saw them you know it was we didn't see them setting the world of light, so you can't really put them in that DF category. They're achieving where we thought they would be achieving.
Speaker 2:The only thing that's going against them. They started really well against the Bulldogs. They didn't win, but they scored 20 points against what is a solid Bulldogs outfit, and their back three looked electric. They had so much pace, so maybe you could say they've underperformed in that sense.
Speaker 1:But for me I think they're about where we expected. So I'm going to go over yeah, c grade, yeah you don't?
Speaker 2:you dined out on that actually for a few weeks.
Speaker 1:Well, they were winning games when it comes to you, when it came to your points predictions, I can remember thinking back.
Speaker 2:You did uh yeah, they beat whoever the roost. No, it's the knights, or whoever it was. I said they beat and they did Eels.
Speaker 1:Right, eels, eels, eels. I think this is definitely a D for them. From my perspective, I thought they'd be in that sort of mid-table fight, but again, it's quite hard because you look at the league yes, the 16th, but they're four points off the eight. It's not that much of a massive disparity. I thought they'd come in a little bit higher, sort of just outside the eight, in that sort of 11th, 12th, and they've shown real good promise, with the likes of Moses being back, lomax being at, addo, carr absolutely on fire. So yeah, I'd say they're underachieving of where I think they should be.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree with that. They've not had Lomax for a number of weeks. At the start of the season, moses was out for a bit. They haven't really had the combinations about where I thought they'd be, but let's see where they go from here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then we've got in 15th, what we've just described as the stoke of the NRL in the Newcastle Knights. What's your thought process around this?
Speaker 2:I think they've underperformed. Defensively they've been very good. So this is the difficulty with the Knights right Defensively they've been very good. So this is the difficulty with the Knights right Defensively they've been very good, but in attack they've been absolutely terrible. Granted, they've stuck 28 points, or whatever it was, on Manly, but they've got one of the best fullbacks in the league who hasn't performed. They've got fairly, although they've just reinforced their wingers with Dom Young re-signing. But for me, I'm going to go for a D for the Newcastle Knights and then the South Sydney Rabbitohs. You predicted this lot to be quite high in the pre-season, yeah in the eight.
Speaker 2:What are you going to give them at 14th?
Speaker 1:Again, they're two points outside of the eight. They're two points away from six. It's mad, isn't it? They've had to overcome a lot of issues within that. They've lost a lot of key players for a prolonged period of time. They've been Latrell Mitchell-less for a long period.
Speaker 2:Cam Murray was out, yeah.
Speaker 1:Cam Murray. Alex Johnson was out for a little bit as well. You're losing. Well, Coloma Tung is now out with a little bit as well You're losing.
Speaker 2:Well, Coloma Tung is now out with a fractured eye socket as well. I know this isn't previous, but looking forward, yeah, so did we mention Cody Walker. No, he was out for a bit of hamstring, wasn't?
Speaker 1:he. So they've had, and to keep churning out results. They're 6-8, which you know isn't too bad, and they're six and eight, which you know isn't isn't too bad, and they're they're getting there. So I think it's harsh, but I'm going to put them as a d. Yeah, just because I I thought they'd be performing around that eight and sort of comfortably in within that eight.
Speaker 1:Um, in saying that they've had sparks of being sort of a cb yeah great, so, so yeah, um, and then, just above them, a team that we, we, we both thought would finish a little higher than the previous year. Uh, west, west tigers yeah, interesting one.
Speaker 2:So you've got to take it on face value that they're wooden spooners for the last three years, and I'm gonna to rank this up till now. Obviously, it's only half a season. I think it'll be very interesting to see where they finish at the end of the season, because they've got some difficult fixtures coming up. Ironically, then, manly have got them as their next game. Not sure that's a difficult one, but we'll see. They've won five games, lost eight. They've won five games, lost eight. They've been competitive in a lot of those games, which is what they weren't last year. Currently sitting 13th in the table, luai performing okay, like. I don't think he's had the impact that he'd want to because he hasn't got the supporting cast around him. They've had to go through a hell of a lot of shit with the Galvin saga. For me, though, I'm going to give them a, b, I'm going to rate them as a B for the season, just because they have been back to back to back spooners.
Speaker 2:So, I think they're performing above kind of what I'd expect of them. And then just above them. In 12th place we've got the Dragons.
Speaker 1:I've got them out at sea. I thought they'd be around this position. To be honest, again, they're a team that have had glimpses of being a very good team in the sense of when Val Holmes Gutherson started to settle in.
Speaker 2:They've improved kind of a little bit week on week and then set back, and then we'll see how it goes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so they're. They're all thereabouts of where I thought they would be this year again. You can't really go RDF. It's where we thought they'd be. So, yeah, c for.
Speaker 2:C for them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, sounds good. And then I've got the pleasure try and keep this one as sort of quick as possible, if you can. Manly Warringah Seagulls.
Speaker 2:Difficult right Because top four squad, without a doubt, without a shadow of a doubt. So there's some caveats to that, though Some significant injuries throughout the season. So losing Toph Sipley snapped Achilles early on, paseka. Losing Taniyela Paseka early onley snapped Achilles early on Paseka. Losing Taniello Paseka early on with a snapped Achilles is one of the big losses which didn't realise how it was going to affect us. Affected us massively. Lost a big powerhouse through the middle. Josh Aloaia shoulder might have to retire at the age of 29.
Speaker 2:Another big loss from a powerful forward Turbo. Constantly injured, kind of expected. Itake trabojevich not really performing um to where he's got to in the past and had a few head knocks as well which has had him out for a few weeks. We've had tommy talal not come back at full fitness, lehigh hoppawati knocking himself out. It's been a cluster fuck of situation, of a situation, dce derailing the season, how he's come out and stuff like that. So, given everything, if, if manly were fully fit and fully healthy, with the odd injury, I'd say f all day long. But given what has happened throughout the season, I'm gonna go for a d okay okay, that's, that's.
Speaker 2:What do you say?
Speaker 1:quick, quick, quick fire you. You raised some very good, valid points there and it is true, manly have missed a lot of their sort of key players and key positions. But one thing I can't overlook is the lack of creativity and lack of plan B. You can have the best players in the world in a squad, but if a team works you out and you don't know how to adapt and you don't know how to change, you're never going to get anywhere. So I'm probably going to slide more towards because of that, towards an F personally.
Speaker 2:Yeah, fair, which you know there's arguments personally. Yeah, fair, which you know there's arguments for. Yeah, like we have had a, we do look good defensively as well, which maybe props mine up a bit to a D, but yeah, I could happily agree with an F as well.
Speaker 1:I don't know not after that, titans game.
Speaker 2:Yeah, true, but you're only as good as your last performance as well. Cowboys, what you got them, cowboys.
Speaker 1:I think I had them just finishing in bottom of the eight. I think so again, just a point outside of where I thought they would be. They've came to Manly first game of the season, got absolutely thumped but then they've gone away, put in some decent performances as well. Dearden has been very good at times, way putting some decent performances as well. Um, dearden has been very good at times and probably that this those those performances of the reason why he's now starting um in in this origin team, in the Queensland origin team um. So in saying that I'll probably, I'll probably give them a C um again, just exceeding about where I thought they would be. There's that brain farting performances like against the Dolphins, which you could argue to expect where that inexperience crept in.
Speaker 1:And then they've had some absolute worldly performances as well, and then, just above them, everyone's favourite team to talk about.
Speaker 2:Penrith Panthers. Yeah, I think this is the the biggest and easiest F of the whole season so far. Everyone expected them to be fighting for a top four, another championship, the team that they've got, the squad that they've got, but they've. The start of the season was absolutely diabolical. They looked good in Vegas, but beyond that there's not much really happening. If it wasn't for the teams around them being inconsistent and terrible, then I think they would be further down the ladder. They've been somewhat saved because of the inconsistencies of the teams around them, but for me, up to this point they've had an F of a season, but moving forward you never know what could happen. So I'm going to have to rank the Panthers as an F.
Speaker 2:And then the Roosters just above them. What are you saying for their season?
Speaker 1:Roosters, roosters, roosters. I'm probably straight off the bat C. I think I had them just outside the eight. Because of that, I thought they'd have a bit of a nothing season. I think I remember my words being around them and in saying that they've shown glimpses of being a top four side, but then shown glimpses of being a bottom four side, which accumulated to that point where they're sort of probably fluttering around where I thought they would be. So, going from that, another, probably another C or maybe a B, because they are in the eight at the moment and I thought they'd finish outside it. So it's probably, yeah, just leaning towards a B slightly. Yeah, fair.
Speaker 2:I'd agree with that. They lost a fair few significant players as well before the season. So I'd agree with that one, and then above them in seventh.
Speaker 1:This is quite a tough one actually.
Speaker 2:It is brisbane broncos they had a rubbish season last year and you expected them to bounce back. New coach michael mcguire hasn't had the impact that he thought he was going to have. Apparently, rumors around like things aren't great internally, so it is a difficult one because of the season they had before. It's not an absolute failure this season, but I still think, by their standards and the squad that they have and the talent that they have, that this is a D for the Brisbane Broncos.
Speaker 2:I thought they'd be easily challenging for the top four okay so I'm going to go with D for the Brisbane Broncos and then up next their Queensland rivals, the Redcliffe Dolphins.
Speaker 1:I think if they're in the four, in the top four, I think it would be A+ yeah, I agree, whereas they're just outside it. I'm saying that they're six points outside it.
Speaker 2:um, I think it's an, a, um but if they were to have their two more buys, they would only be a. You can't really judge the table on where. Yeah, the buy system. Yeah that's.
Speaker 1:That's fair. That's fair, um, but yeah, as as I said, it's insane. I think they've had they've very much exceeded expectations. They've had some young halves come into the game who have very much lit it a light. I think Kato has been been incredible this season, which is which has really helped old old, old mate from England, herbie Farmworth, has had an unreal, unreal season.
Speaker 2:So so yeah, I think, one real season um.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I think they're, they're, uh, our first. Is it our first eight? I think it is our first day, um, and, and, yeah, I think they're, they deserve, they deserve that actually, yeah, fair. And then, just above them, corinna sharks another difficult one because had high hopes.
Speaker 2:I think we both picked them around four or5 at the start of the season, Maybe picked to just Manly being in the top four in our predictions. I don't know where to put them. I think they've had an all right, okay season. Don't think it's been spectacular. They've been very inconsistent. Looked good through the middle, like with Faneuil Blake, but for me, I mean they're in fifth. It's got to be a good season if you're in fifth place. So I'm going to have to go a B for them. I reckon.
Speaker 2:Yeah, maybe between a B and a C. You can't be indecisive. Like, yes, they have been a letdown, but they're currently sitting fifth in the table, so they can't have been that bad, so I'm going to go for a.
Speaker 1:B for the.
Speaker 2:Sharks Interesting one. What are you going to say for the Storm in fourth?
Speaker 1:Ooh, I think I had them finishing top. I think they are in the four and only two points outside. It's one of those. So my initial thought straight away was D, because They've had three bios. By the way, they've had the most bios out of them, an extra six points, so that would put them down into sixth of the season. Well, but then.
Speaker 2:Well, let's take two points off of it. They wouldn't be as close to the top four as it is, so we'll work out like that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think I'm going to go for a D, just because they have shown signs of why I think everyone predicted them to finish top At home. They are a different beast which is a great team to watch, and they've absolutely unlocked teams. But then there's some shocking performances in there as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 1:And sometimes they just don't seem to click at all, like they get over there because of the talent within the team. He's dragging them um and you can see craig bellamy absolutely losing his shit, yeah, so I think because of that, because it's not consistent out of the whole season, and the three we're about to talk about now have have shown that to a certain extent yes I'm gonna I going to give them a D actually, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, fair enough.
Speaker 1:And then into the three that are just starting to form their own little league. First, the New Zealand Warriors.
Speaker 2:I'm going to have to give them the first A-plus of the ladder. I think Lost Sean Johnson Didn't really have a what looked like a replacement for him. Luke Metcalf comes out of nowhere, absolutely carving it up. Nicol Klokstad seems to be getting meters on meters, on meters. Each week. Two of us are Sheck starting to get into it, With Tenny Zelesnyak back scoring. My reservation about them was they won't be able to put points on. But it doesn't matter when you're beating teams. Doesn't matter if you're beating team by one point or 50 points, you're still winning games. For me, 10 wins out of 13 games yeah, a plus for the New Zealand Warriors.
Speaker 2:Up the wars so it seems, if you don't go for anything other than what I'm thinking for the for.
Speaker 1:The.
Speaker 2:Canberra Raiders, then you have lost your mind. What are you going to?
Speaker 1:go for the Canberra Raiders 8-plus, plus, plus, plus, plus plus. I had them finishing mid-table massively out of the 8. By God, I'm happy I get to talk about the Raiders because, as I've said a few times, I think they're very much the team I've enjoyed watching outside of Manly. They have just clicked at every position. Kaya Weeks has been instrumental. Fogarty, ethan Strange has had a season to really talk about. Second rowers I know he's injured now, but Matty Nicholson, hudson Young they have just been threats. Xavier Savitt, you just go through Xavier Savitt, like you, you just go through their starting line-up and you can say they've had an unreal season. They had a blip against Manly when Manly were playing well and they are exceeding, I think, a lot of people's expectations with us. So I think I'll give them the second, second A plus yeah, I agree with that.
Speaker 2:Now I think I'll give them the second A+. Yeah, I agree with that. Now the Bulldogs difficult one top of the table. Top of the table. I'm not going to give them an A+.
Speaker 1:No, I'm going to give them an A.
Speaker 2:They've massively exceeded expectations, but I think they've let themselves down in recent weeks. They got battered by the Dolphins although it was an origin game and they didn't look overly impressive against the Rabbitohs. There's a little bit of unrest, maybe, with the Galvin signing. Even though it looks all shiny on paper, there's still people competing for positions, with Reid Marnie what looked like he was in the sheds upset. Yeah, I think I'm going to give them an A If they were to continue like they did for the first half of the season, a plus all day long.
Speaker 2:But I think just recent weeks knocks them down to an A. But I mean just to sum it up, it's a tight competition, even from what like sixth all the way down to 17th. Four points, four points separating them. So we'll revisit at the end of the season, do a bit of an end of season review, um see how people get on. But let's get straight into round 16. Tipping round 16 and, thank the lord, manly get two points this week. Yes, we don't have. We don't have to tip manly. But kicking us off, on Friday night we got the West Tigers $3.22 against the A++++ Canberra Raiders at $1.35. This one's down in Campbelltown.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't think there's really much in it. To be honest, canberra Raiders've they've come off. Uh, I think they were on a buy last week. When they they've come off, they've come off a buy. Not lost anyone. Anyone to what origin? Us sort of, uh, hudson young, sorry, yeah, uh, only really lost hudson young to origin, um, and and yeah, I don't think, because he's's probably he is an instrumental part of it, but their halves are still there. Jerome Luai is going to be backing up, which is going to be a big thing for him, so I just don't see them really stopping the Raiders, if I'm being perfectly honest.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree. I think the Raiders get this one done. Can't see them losing Tigers ain't great at Campbelltown They've only won a couple in the last 25. Friday night Raiders, get it done. It's going to be a cold one in Sydney, but it's nothing that the Raiders ain't used to, being from the nation's capital. So Raiders for me.
Speaker 1:And then the first game on the Saturday Warriors at $1.25 against the Panthers at $4. Who are you going to go for?
Speaker 2:For me, this one's quite easy. Ivan Cleary's come out and said that the Panthers' origin players aren't backing up. There's no way they're going to be able to get from Perth to New Zealand, have a sufficient rest and be able to get it done. It's like a 10-hour flight. Yeah, exactly A significant distance. So I'm going to go with the Warriors on this one, so I'm going to go with the Warriors on this one. I think the Wards get this one at home, get it done quite comfortably. It's in Auckland as well.
Speaker 2:The crowd absolutely love it in.
Speaker 1:Auckland. Yeah, I agree, I don't think there's much more to add on that point. I think they'll absolutely steamroll them unfortunately the Wards.
Speaker 2:Then on to Saturday early evening 5.30pm we've got the Dolphins at $1.25. Interestingly, this one's being played in Perth Backing up the Origin game. In Perth we've got the Dolphins at $1.25 against the Newcastle Knights at $4.
Speaker 1:Nice for the hammer.
Speaker 2:Yeah, don't have to travel far, doesn't have?
Speaker 1:to travel back. I think, with the way that the Dolphins are going, I think they're going to win this. I don't think it's going to be a blowout because, as we've said, the Knights can be quite strong defensively. They never stop defensively, which is one thing you do have to give them is they don't stop for the 80 minutes. They are always fighting and trying to get themselves better, but I just see the Dolphins having far too much form.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree. I agree that the Dolphins are going to win. I don't agree with that.
Speaker 1:It's going to be close.
Speaker 2:I reckon the Dolphins are going to actually batter them. I reckon this could be 40 plus.
Speaker 1:I think they're going to continue.
Speaker 2:the momentum Might be controversial, I don't care. Scored 158 points in three games. It's not like it's against rubbish opposition. They've scored 148, 58 against. Yeah, I think. And Perth is a fast track as well. So I think the Dolphins blow the Knights away in this one.
Speaker 1:Okay, and then for the last game on the Saturday, we're at the Accor Stadium with the Rabbitohs at $4.20 and the Melbourne Storm at $1.23.
Speaker 2:Interesting? I don't think so I'm going to say the storm. I think the storm win this. But there's some caveats to this how their origin players go, whether they back up, whether the rabbit o's players, when latrell mitchell, in particular, backs up um four dollars, 20 seems a bit long for the Rabbitohs but for me, storm, I still think they've got enough, even with a Latrell Mitchell uh, in in the ranks. What about yourself?
Speaker 1:I'm gonna, I'm gonna flip, I'm gonna go first change and first one that we battle out and I'm going for the Bonnies fair play. Um, I just think this is the banana skin that we've talked about for the storm, in that I think the bunnies have it in them to punish teams if they're not performing at their high standard, like we saw it against the dogs. Um. So yeah, I think they've got it in them to sort of properly put a decent performance against the storm. Yeah, fair enough.
Speaker 2:I just remember Jai Gray's out. He broke his thumb or something didn't he at the weekend, so he's out as well. But up next we have going up to Brisbane. On the Sunday 2 o'clock kickoff the $1.48 Brisbane Broncos against the $2.66 Cronulla Sharks.
Speaker 1:This is a tough one. This is a tough one. You've got two arguably the most inconsistent teams to play Difficult ones to call this.
Speaker 2:This is a tough one.
Speaker 1:This is so difficult. Who's? I think this could go down to origin players. Yeah, so who is?
Speaker 2:Well, the Broncos Sharks of Mams 19. Is he 18th man? No, I can't remember what he is.
Speaker 1:There's a bit of controversy on that. So you've got Payne Hasses playing Paddy Carragher. Yeah, I think we've seen how sort of origin can affect the Broncos. I'm going to go for the Sharks on this one.
Speaker 2:I'm going to go opposite.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I reckon the. Broncos at home will win this one. I just feel that Reece Walsh, what he did I'm not his biggest fan, but he's still got a point to prove. And he started to show glimpses, Was it not last week, the week before? Yeah, stepping off that stepping off his left foot. Adam Reynolds as well is going to continue on. Yeah, I reckon the Broncos. That's another one we've split.
Speaker 1:And then we're at the Allianz the Roosters at $1.44 versus the Cowboys at $2.80.
Speaker 2:Wow, that surprises me that the Cowboys are $2.80. Just going to check and see who's in and out They've got Nanai Bateman's back, reece Robson, cotter Dearden. They've got full strength and I suppose so have the Roosters. Angus Crichton will be back. Connor Watson, lindsay Collins we'll preview Origin in a bit, but it all depends how roughed up Spencer Lenu gets off the back fence when they kick to him. Hopefully Roostersosters, I'm gonna go roosters in this one yeah, I think I'm gonna agree with you there.
Speaker 1:Um, just, I think the the cowboys have players in origin in key positions that need to be switched back on. Like the physicality yes, it hurts, but you get running around, you get hit a few times, you get used to it Whereas the mental drain for Dearden, who's going to have to play, he's going to have to show why he's starting and then I guess he has an extra day to most other teams, but I think it's going to be a mental drain for him.
Speaker 2:And physical, like he runs the ball a lot as well, so it'd be interesting to see if he gets roughed up a bit. So who are you going with? Roosters, yeah, roosters, roosters. And then on to the last game of the weekend at the Combank. Is it a preview of Spoon Bowl?
Speaker 1:Not too sure 22 against the Gold Coast Titans $1.67. I don't know why the eels are so low on this, because they've had a bit of decent home form.
Speaker 2:Well, I look it out and it's Dylan Brown and Mitch Moses. That might explain why Mitch Moses calf Dylan Brown, not sure. So that might explain why I completely understand Carth Dylan Brown, not sure so?
Speaker 1:I completely understand why they're quite long now.
Speaker 2:It's still tight.
Speaker 1:Do I for the first time this season. Do you know what I was quite impressed from what I saw against the Titans. I'm going to go Titans.
Speaker 2:I can't do it. I can't Because I'm so annoyed that the Titans beat Manly.
Speaker 2:I don't know whether I want to pick them. I'm just going to cause controversy. I'm going to pick the Eels. Without Dylan Brown and Mitch Moses. I'm going to pick the ref. I reckon Yongi is going to perform well. Lomax, penicidi their back three are going to absolutely tear him apart. Adekar's going to have an absolute flyer on the wing. Yeah, junior Paolo is going to be huge for him to like. Yeah, iels are getting this one done. The Iels are winning a Sunday. Sunday, arvo thriller thriller.
Speaker 1:It's going to be a high scoring thriller to finish it off, love it love it.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, we'll keep it going over the weekend see how it goes, but this episode is going to be released on Thursday, so yesterday we would have released a brief origin preview. So go back and have a look at that if you want to go back and watch that if you haven't seen it already. But a few other sporting events have happened happened this week. We got the World Test Championships final, south Africa the World Test Champions beating Australia convincingly as well. Yeah, when I woke up, I think on the second day, when I saw yep, australia posted them 280 or something like that to win us. That's a tough challenge.
Speaker 1:It's quite a high.
Speaker 2:It's like one of the highest run chases in the fourth innings or something like that, which is mad for 280 and then I woke up the day after that and I saw that they needed 80 runs because Markham had just absolutely teed off 140. I think it was.
Speaker 1:Bovuma was a great partner in that, which is good to see. I sent you the picture, though you see Steve Smith's finger yeah, and I mentioned hopefully that's all of his batting aura disappeared yeah, but I don't know, does Lavashane make it into the Australian test squad for the Windies and? The Ashes. Well, openers as well, like they're, they're struggling with that. So the only issue we'll touch about the Ashes a bit closer. But I just don't think England have the pace to really be a scare.
Speaker 2:Well, the thing is when we face Australia and this goes to shirt a bit of swing on the ball, difficult right, like they can't really handle, yeah, but how much swing is there in Australia? You've got to hit seams and cracks in order to get the ball moving over here. Unless you're bowling at 90 plus, which we don't have, not much happens with a ball over here. So the kookaburra doesn't, it ain't exactly lively, so okay, we need pace.
Speaker 2:I don't think we've got pace, but we'll preview the uh, the ashes before they come up. But south africa world test champions first time they've won a major trophy in 25 years?
Speaker 1:yeah, I think they've been. They've been the bridesmaid, but never the bride.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a significant number of times Formula 1, though controversy yeah controversy, though, didn't Lando Norris try to? Take out Piastri yeah, I can't remember what happened because I only saw a clip of it. Was it?
Speaker 1:we just went to overtake. Just a stupid move from Norris, to be honest, got put against the wall, didn't he?
Speaker 1:it was his own fault yeah, I think he was trying to go, and then I saw this this this afternoon that Toto Wolff has called out. Come out and called Red Bull pathetic and childish for putting in a. They put in an appeal against Russell for the win, because what happened is, during the, when they were behind the safety car, russell slowed down, which then meant Verstappen overtook and so the, the leader behind the safety car, gets to dictate the pace. Yeah, but if you ever watch, verstappen always pulls in as close to possible to the leader and then to. It's a bit of an intimidation tactic. So russell just put on his brakes for stopping and overtook, which is illegal in in a in in a safety car, and then russell sped off and and set up the piece. So they, the red bull, then put in a an appeal about around that. Um, it was just a case of for sapping being caught out instead of instead of love it, I love it.
Speaker 2:Served a bit of his own medicine, but title race hotting up, it appears yeah, it's getting.
Speaker 1:It's getting interesting. It's been a it's been a good season, so it's good to see that continue yeah, and then the Club World Cup started on the other day.
Speaker 2:Chelsea played this morning. They beat LA Galaxy I think it was 2-0, in front of a stadium that holds 72,000 people yeah there were 21,000 people there because it was held on a Monday during work hours stupid, I don't see the point like. I think this Club World Cup, like I was thinking about, is a great idea in principle, bringing all the best clubs during the season it's, yeah, but a great idea in principle, bringing all the best clubs.
Speaker 2:Is it normal during the season? Yeah, but it's that pony one. They've expanded it, haven't they? They've put in more teams and they're trying to test it as a pre-World Cup thing, because the World Cup's being held in America, mexico and Canada. This is only being held in America. I just don't think they've executed it well. I think it could have been done a lot better, lot better. He could have held a lot more gravitas in terms of actually being the best club in the world, but the way they've done it, pretty poor. Chelsea, I mean by munich, what be? Auckland 10 nil. Yeah, psg absolutely romped home against atletico. Madrid four nil do you know what?
Speaker 1:I know they paid a stupid amount of money, but I do feel sorry for the players a little bit. Zero rest, they are getting nothing and they'll be straight back into pre-season they may get two weeks off and then straight back into pre-season it's like if players are having fatigue at the end of the season, you're essentially expecting them just to run back straight into it, but that's what happens when football's a cash cow. You're a performing monkey for everyone, so you better dance.
Speaker 2:Yeah indeed. And then last thing, before we end, the Lions kick off their first game. They've got a warm-up game against Argentina in Dublin. Don't know much about kind of preparations, just been following a little bit. Yeah, playing golf, I saw Bundiaki using his driver backwards, using a left-handed driver backwards. But yeah, it'd be interesting to see the squad that's picked. It'd be quite a tough fixture against Argentina. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I don't think it's going to be a walkover, Depending on who Argentina put out as well. I wouldn't be shocked if Argentina win, just especially with how they are as a team and a lot of the. I don't know how many of the players that have got to the later stages of the Prem are going to be there. I think there's some players who are playing for Leinster in the URC finals as well, so I don't know how many of those are actually missing off the top of my head. Who then would be touring?
Speaker 2:Yeah, give us a good gauge of what to expect.
Speaker 1:It'd be good to see, yeah.
Speaker 2:We'll talk about it next week. We're flying over to Perth next Friday to see the first game of the tour. But, yeah, a lot to look forward to. We're hoping this is being released on Thursday. We're recording on Tuesday. We're hoping that the New South Wales Blues are tuning up for the Origin series. But if you want to see our preview for that, to see whether we got it right or go back and check the video that was released yesterday for our preview of Origin. But thanks for tuning in for this one and we'll catch you in the next one. See you later.