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!
#23 Pints, Points, and Perth: Our Weekend with the British and Irish Lions
We detail our adventure to Perth for the British and Irish Lions tour, sharing everything from airport delays and expensive pints to the breathtaking western sunset and surprisingly quiet city center.
• Reflection on the British & Irish Lions victory over Western Force with standout performances from Elliot Daly and Finn Russell
• Discussion of the NRL round results including the Panthers' defensive masterclass in their 8-6 win over the Bulldogs
• Analysis of Origin team selections, including Josh Papali coming out of retirement for Queensland and Shibasaki's remarkable rise
• Breakdown of Brisbane Broncos' recent improvement and concerns about the Warriors after key injuries
• Preview of upcoming NRL round 18 fixtures with match predictions
• Quick recap of England's dominant cricket performance against India in the first Test
Follow us on social media for more content, including our weekend videos and match reactions.
Welcome to another episode of. They've Been Doing it All Day, sir, I'm Chris and I'm Ben. We've got back from Perth safe and sound. There's a storm brewing in Sydney. Let's get stuck in.
Speaker 2:How's the week been, mate?
Speaker 1:Yeah, good mate. Good, I've recovered from my sickness from last week. Looking back, I was fucking dreadful on that podcast yeah, your face was a bit bit blown up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it didn't sound great. It's not good.
Speaker 1:I looked dreadful, um, but yeah, as I've just said in the intro, there back from perth, good little trip up there or out there. What about yourself?
Speaker 2:yeah, uh, not recovered from the weekend, just shattered, um. It didn't really help that. Probably should have gone to bed a bit earlier on the Sunday night, but decided to stay up until stupidly late. And last night, I don't know, I've got this thing where I just can't go to bed before 11 o'clock. A bit weird. Yeah, it is a bit strange. And then, having kids, they wake me up at stupidly early in the morning as well, so I don't get much sleep. Very much my own fault. But, yeah, Perth, what a weekend.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was great. It was great, great first little visit, just to be within the atmosphere of it all as well, even though it was a very quiet city which is something that got me, but other than that it was great. All I saw was red jerseys all around perth yeah um, the odd western force chatting to random people, which is something that I was really looking forward to doing, yeah, um, but yeah, it was a great, great weekend yeah, and I don't think this is more is a uh, a whinging pom moment.
Speaker 2:I think this is just a whinging everyone moment. We um our flight was delayed on the way out there, but we brushed shoulders with the South Sydney Rabbitohs actually.
Speaker 1:We did. We did Big Latrell, mitchell and Coloma Tangy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and Brandon Smith was in there as well, having a chat with them all. But they were boarding Gate 36 up to Brisbane and we were at the bar a few down. But on the talk of the bar, airport pints are too expensive yeah, we were getting bent over for those. I think we paid 40 bucks for two pints absolutely scandalous. So then it didn't feel like the trip got much cheaper after that, to be fair. But um, yeah, we had a good good flight over there. What were we?
Speaker 1:an hour delayed something like yeah hour delayed, had a few beers thought we, you know, download a few podcasts but we just chatted, chatted, waffle the whole way there, we were on the verge of doing a podcast in the air as well, which, because of how quiet the flight was, we could have had a whole road to ourselves.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, we were um we were thrown about the idea of sitting next to each other and doing a pod in the air, but we didn't do that. We saved our blushes and the people around us saved them from listening to us chat shit for four hours.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I think we'd had enough beers to develop some confidence, to probably just tuck ourselves away and do one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 2:But one thing I'll give Perth credit for sunsets. Absolutely unreal over on the West. Coast, you and your sunsets when we came in to land, there was the hues of red orange and a bit of purple thrown in there and yeah, it was delightful scenes when we landed. But then on a Saturday. It was the day the Lions tour had arrived, so we had a few drinks before we got to the stadium started off very wholesome yeah, it did went for a stroll, grabbed some coffee and breakfast which was lovely, and then the, the conversations oh, should we?
Speaker 1:what time do you want to go to the pub? Should we go to the Calamanda Hotel? Oh yeah, should we do a little pub crawl into Perth? Oh no, we'll just go to Calamanda Hotel. Yeah, it was Got a bit Started to get a bit silly over breakfast of what we could have done, but I think we played it sort of smartly.
Speaker 2:Do you know? One thing that caught me off guard actually was Perth isn't cheap. Nah, I thought I don't know. Being not Sydney, I thought things might be a bit cheaper, but the price of coffee over there was surprisingly expensive, like an oat milk latte, which is what I'm a fan of. When I have a coffee, $7 for an oat milk latte, I was blown away. So yeah, but then I suppose the price there's the beer index in it.
Speaker 2:You just judge everything on how much a pint is, and we got a pint of Guinness for $15, which I didn't think was too shabby um, it's an average average price now, isn't it? Yeah, but the first pint of guinness we had wasn't the nicest. No, um, it didn't help that we just brushed our teeth no, it wasn't, but also we then.
Speaker 1:Then I then went up to the buyer and saw that the swan was a local tipple. We had a pint of that and that was even worse, and that was just as bad, but I think the Swan.
Speaker 2:There's an area just on the northeast corner of Perth called Swan Valley or something like that. I've been when I was over in Perth before, went there and got some nice breweries around there wineries. It's a good place to go and visit. If you're ever over in Perth, head out that direction. Took my kids to a brewery when we were there last time. They had a little play area that was like old cars that were made into slides and stuff like that and it was so hot they had the demisters on and they're blowing water over everyone. But real nice area to go to. But, like you said, we headed into the city center and it's quiet as anything on a saturday.
Speaker 2:That was surprising, but one of the things that we reflected on when we were there was how, being surrounded by the red jerseys and kind of loads of lions fans, it felt very much, much like we were somewhat back home going to a sports fixture.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was nice in that retrospect and it was like hearing a few more local accents. It was not, even, though, saying that I work with a Brit, so I'm never too far away from it, but it was just really nice being around it and, like I said, just chatting to random people. Everyone was just such in high spirits and it was just really nice being around it and, like I said, just chatting to random people.
Speaker 1:Everyone was just such in high spirits and it was just so nice we got chatting to the lads next to us in the stadium. One of our mates from over here he just recently moved over to Perth met up for a beer and him and his partner were there, so it just had a great feeling around it the whole day.
Speaker 2:Yeah it did, and we walked from the city centre. We knocked out some steps on Saturday. We definitely got some kilometres in, but we walked across the bridge on the way over there, banged on it about a second ago, but the old sun was setting and it was pretty picturesque. We got a video up on social media just a little review of the of the Perth mini vlog. But yeah, then the game kicked off, what we've been waiting a fair few years for. What were your thoughts of the game?
Speaker 1:Oh God, it was terrible.
Speaker 2:It was so bad.
Speaker 1:The rugby was poor at times and I won't go too much into detail about it, but set pieces all over the place Poor handling. In the detail about it, but set pieces all over the place poor handling. Yeah, I read something that the if the Lions start like that against the Wallabies, the Wallabies will be out of sight before half time, which you know what? True. Also liked what the announcer did when he was announcing the teams yes, I thought that was very funny.
Speaker 2:fair bit of banter on that and it's actually come up quite a few times. It was tweeted when it was happening and there's been a fair bit of reaction. So what's your thoughts on the way that players are selected for the British and Irish Lions?
Speaker 1:This is where you when do you draw the line To be selected for the British and Irish Lions? You represent one of the home nations. To play for the home nations there's eligibility criteria there's eligibility criteria.
Speaker 1:So where do you draw the line? Do you just? Is it a case of you change eligibility across the whole format, because it happens in other sports as well? I think football is the only one that doesn't really happen in where you have the cross, cross nationalities. You may have a few of the, the sort of the the English lads will then if they if they don't play for England or they want to represent where they're from, so they might go and play for sort of the African teams or the or the or the West Indies teams like Jamaica. You do see that happening a fair bit, but within football, where you're born is normally who you play for, whereas in rugby and cricket, due to eligibility, there's sort of cross nationalities all over the place.
Speaker 2:I heard something earlier as well and it was on the Buy Round podcast. They were having this discussion, but there's something at the moment that South African Rugby Union have a significant of uh, young and up and coming school boys that are pretty good, and England rugby, ireland rugby, like a lot of of the bigger nations. Well, south Africa is quite a big rugby nation, rugby union nation, but a lot of these countries now are thinking hang on, if we can get them over here at an earlier age, stay here for a significant period of time, then all of a sudden they're eligible to play for that nation. So it's something that is definitely becoming more common. I mean, during the six nations we spoke about um james, like we spoke about all these names and how but when they come and play for the British Irish Lions, it's fine.
Speaker 2:But do you know what the game felt like?
Speaker 1:it went so quickly, but the stadium fantastic, unreal, unreal stadium, so impressed with it, and it was quite funny that we've gone there to watch rugby and we ended up talking about how good it was would be to watch Test cricket where we sat. It would have been side on but it would have been difficult to obviously watch, but by God, you could sit there all day.
Speaker 2:We were under shade. Well, if the sun was out, we would have been under shade, undercover, protected from all the elements, and it could have been a dangerous day out if you're there watching Test cricket, definitely watching test cricket. Definitely. I mean, there is an ashes test.
Speaker 1:There is, there is, but no, no, the money's going towards this, not ashes. We've got a place to stay when we go over there.
Speaker 2:We've definitely got a place where we can lie our heads, so we'll see. But on to the game. Any standout performers or anything from what?
Speaker 1:you remember what you remember. I think all four of us were banged on about how good Elliot Daly was yeah, he was solid and I'd spent a lot of the day within going through other sports about how much you need. You need the shit to pull players together, or pull teams together.
Speaker 1:So I know it'd be very disrespectful saying that that about Elliot Daly, but you just need to. You need those players in there that aren't the mavericks, that aren't the big personalities, who aren't the they're going to go and win you a game, but they put in solid performances and bring all the players around them together. And he was brilliant. He was everywhere. For someone who was selected and was then told I was too old to tour great performance to shoot the critics.
Speaker 2:For me, finn Russell. I think he came in and done. He didn't play against Argentina and he comes in first performance in the British and Irish Lions shirt this tour. And from the get-go you're seeing things that I don't think many other people saw and what Dan Sheehan was doing out on the wing to catch the pass that he kicked over. I saw earlier the uh, fastest try in british and irish lions history one minute 40 or something like that, wasn't uh, that was the previous record.
Speaker 2:I think it was 124 that he scored in um off to a lightning start. And then there's us a few beers deep saying this could be 100. But then the Western Force just got stuck in and replied immediately. But a lot of talk about Pollock before, before the game as well, he was everywhere, but then gets sent to the bin for a questionable yellow card yeah he was like he's so good at supporting the play, he's support running.
Speaker 2:He's ridiculous yeah, and he's there just for every offload and then it was two times that he got tackled going down and he's managed to release the ball before having to put it back. But I thought he had a good first outing Queens and Reds up tomorrow, I think you mentioned. If they start like they do against the Wallabies, it will be a different story. I think if they start poorly tomorrow, it could highlight a few things. I would argue a stronger side plan, plan tomorrow.
Speaker 1:Uh.
Speaker 2:I love seeing Tom Curry. He's playing. I think he hits everything that moves. I'd love to see how he goes, but it's one of the three games that we're missing and I'm actually a bit like.
Speaker 1:I wouldn't have got it. I didn't want to go to Brisbane midweek.
Speaker 2:Old. Mario is playing Maro big Maro Atoje is up there, first rollout on Australian soil as captain for him. He ain't got no point to prove. He's an absolute animal, but it'll be interesting to see how they go. How do you think, after seeing that first performance, the rest of the tour is going to pan out?
Speaker 1:It's going to be a different team that starts games. It's really hard to pinpoint performances because each team is going to be different. The only continuity you probably see would be in the test teams, whereas all the warm-up games it's going to be a different team, different starts and things like that. So I reckon there's enough talent there, there's enough coaching there to go undefeated. I still think there's going to be a couple of losses in there. Yeah, I reckon the Brumbies may be one, or against one of the Invitationals as well. I'm not sure.
Speaker 2:I reckon they're going to be in a similar position as to what the Lions were against Argentina. Bringing a lot of players together Could be a bit more of like a Barbarians team. But what order does it go? It goes the Reds tomorrow, Waratahs on Saturday, which we're at. Can't wait for that one. It's our home game, effectively. Then Brumby's the Wednesday after that, and then it's an Invitational, isn't it? On the Saturday.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's got it down as to be decided.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that's the Australia New Zealand invitation. No, that's in Adelaide, but either way, you're then getting in the territory of starting to solidify spots for that first test. So it'll be a stronger outfit against that invitational team and, yeah, I think we'll start to see give key indicators as to who the the line-up's going to be for the first test. But Waratahs on Saturday, how do you reckon that one It'll be a win. Yeah, we're there. We're going to take it easier.
Speaker 1:A bit of a casual one. A bit of a casual one, nothing mental.
Speaker 2:Nothing mental indeed, but Origin teams moving from code to code, from Union to League, Origin teams were released over the weekend, stick it. The. The new south wales blues have stuck with their picks, so um, no real changes on that. Injury concerns around. Brian totto is lcl, so his lateral collateral isament.
Speaker 1:I saw Brad Bambest is in there as well Number 20.
Speaker 2:Got picked at 20. Jacob Karras is 18th man and there's talks around that he's been picked because of Toto's injury. But, Toto should be all right to play, but the two biggest shocks come from the Maroons in the fact that big Josh Papali gets picked coming out of retirement fact that big Josh.
Speaker 2:Papali gets picked, coming coming out of retirement and Shibasaki from the Brisbane Broncos is going to be lining up at centre for his first appearance. Now his story's phenomenal. I don't know whether you've you've heard it, but just over a year ago he's playing up in Townsville, not even professional, he's playing semi-professional rugby, and now he's that's incredible starting for the maroons, but we might record earlier next week.
Speaker 2:So we're going to preview Origin before the Wednesday because we're going to be driving down to well, I'm going to be driving down to Canberra for that one. But let's get straight into the review of the fixtures over the weekend. We're just going to go through it in order because, let's be honest, we weren't in the best of states to be watching games on Saturday and Sunday. So it's going to be a real light touch review on those weekend games. But that first game.
Speaker 1:Defensive masterclass, I think, is the best definition for it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the Penrith Panthers eight, six victors over the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs.
Speaker 1:And it's incredible to see how this transformation of defensive work for the Panthers has shifted over the last couple of weeks. It wasn't that long ago. They just didn't know their ass from their elbow in the defensive side of things, whereas now the Bulldogs I know you've mentioned previously they're not the biggest scoring team out there, but to keep them down to six you've got to hand it to them.
Speaker 2:There was a moment on Triple M commentary that stands out James Tedesco was making his. It might have been his debut appearance on radio, it could have been his second or third, but he said something like it won't be long before Nathan Cleary makes his stamp on this game, as Matty Burton is about to boot the ball away and he hoofs it. Cleary charges it down and then slides over. But the Panthers you know what? Six weeks ago or something like that, I said they're not going to make the eight. Now I'm worried that they're going to win it all.
Speaker 1:They're going to win the comp and to be fair, you've got to hand it to the Bulldogs' defense as well in this game is they only conceded a try from a maverick play? It wasn't the Panthers' attack, it wasn't they were caught short, it was just a case of great read from Cleary. Burton could have done a little better. I know it's a case of either you try and sidestep and might get walloped and then try and kick, or you just take the hit and just trust your defence from sort of there. But I did say to you as well, the way it left his foot looked like it was low anyway.
Speaker 1:It was a low kick, but in saying that, cleary was basically on his toes anyway, so I don't think it would have really mattered.
Speaker 2:You raise a valid point. Connor Tracy made two goal line stops. Yeah, he stopped two. I can't remember the two people. It stands out that he was the sweeper at the back just cleaning up anything. And yeah, the dogs were defensively, were good and they had a chance at the end. Crichton, I think, running down the wing and the Panthers showed kind of that experience of just shutting anything down and they managed to seal that victory. But fair play to them. I think they're guaranteed to make the eight now?
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely. Like I say, they're probably winning the comp.
Speaker 2:How it swings. It's unreal. But then on to the game that we were in the Air Force, so we managed to avoid. We managed to be an hour delayed land, catch up with family, eat dinner not find out the score of this game and then watch the game. The Manly Seagulls 28,. The West Tigers 10.
Speaker 1:To be fair, I'd rather find out the score and not watch the game. If I'm being perfectly honest, I'd rather carry on eating lasagna. It was absolutely unreal.
Speaker 2:It was one of the best lasagnas I think I've ever had. But 69 minutes of absolute, terrible, terrible football. So 39 minutes in the first half, an 11 minute period of Manly scoring tries, which I don't think was down to Manly being good. I think it was down to Manly being good. I think it was down to the Tigers just shutting down. Corey Waddell seemingly walked through to go over to score and then, yeah, another 20 minutes of dross after that. So it wasn't the greatest of games. Any other reflections?
Speaker 1:Manly are so predictable in attack. It's getting boring now.
Speaker 2:The bit of spark from Brooks helped the attack go forward a little bit deciding to actually do something on fifth tackle and catch everyone off guard. Yeah.
Speaker 1:DCE just had another poor game, terrible with the boot kicking, dreadful. It's just, it's the attack man, it's from where it was. It's just so predictable of what they're going to do. It's just, it's the attack man, it's from where it was. It's just so predictable of what they're going to do. There's just no, there's no differentiation, there's no diverting from plan.
Speaker 2:A.
Speaker 1:And we've said it for weeks.
Speaker 2:so Turbo at centre, what do you reckon? And he's named at centre again this week. He's ineffective, but you know for one of them, didn't he loop? He looped, he looped around, yeah that's where he is at fullback, though.
Speaker 1:If he's at fullback, he can do that but then also that's how Kola scored against the Panthers yeah so I don't think it is the personnel, it's the plan the system.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's very true. It's very true, and Tolu Kola is having a. He's the only one really standing up.
Speaker 1:He's player of the season.
Speaker 2:Yeah, deciding that he wants to finish. Bad news that come out of it. Nathan Brown back fence Brownie. Yeah, he's done for the season Tore his bicep done for the season, unless we get deep into the playoffs, which not happening. So, yeah, it's a shame to see him his season end like that. But it was two points we needed like, although terrible performance and didn't leave much spark of enthusiasm, that we're in the right direction.
Speaker 1:It was two points we needed and the bunnies are up next on sunday. Yeah, tigers just couldn't do anything in the in the red zone yeah, I worry for the tigers.
Speaker 2:they've got some difficult fixtures coming up and they've got two fixtures against the Titans, and who do they play on the last game of the season? The Gold Coast Titans in what I think will be Spoon Bowl, and what a way to end the season. It's up at the Seabus Super Stadium as well, so difficult for them away from home. Then this game the Canberra Raiders 22 defeat the Newcastle Knights 18. 16 nil up at half time.
Speaker 1:I think these boys need a rest. Man, they're not doing anything. In second half I think the seamen have struggled a little bit. I have seen their running and it's probably a dream running in football.
Speaker 2:They've got the easiest running out of every team in the top eight.
Speaker 1:Brilliant in that first half again. Just, I think fatigue's starting to really set in in the second half. Yeah, knights, yeah, a little bit better. They're getting better inching week by week. My sort of comment of Dumbjong scoring every week isn't exactly going to plan, but you know you've got to stick by your.
Speaker 2:But he's making a difference though. He's giving them something in attack, which is good he is, and they do look a better team than they did. Yeah, a few weeks ago.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, it'd be interesting to see how, it'd be good to see how the Knights continue and and raiders, as I said, I've got that sort of easier running yeah, I think they're red hot favorites to win the minor premiership with that run in um and you or.
Speaker 2:There's two ways you can look at either they really attack to win the minor premiership, which doesn't really hold any value or secure the top four and then just rest players ready for ready for a finals push, but they get a bye week, don't they?
Speaker 1:they've got two no they get a bye in the finals, because I think it's one and so the first week you play someone I don't think the top four, they do so the top four.
Speaker 2:So it's one versus three, two versus four. The winner of those get a week off. The loser plays the winner of five versus. So it's a bit confusing in that sense, but if you you get. You get two shots in this yeah, everyone has to win, everyone has to play that first week sorry got you and if you win you get home field advantage, and until the final. So yeah, I reckon, if they play, play their cards right, they could have a fairly easy rest of the season and be well prepared for the finals.
Speaker 2:Next game, though, the Brisbane Broncos 26 defeat the New Zealand Warriors 12. Really interesting fixture, this one Broncos. What is that? Three on a bounce. Now They've won, but the big news coming out of this one is two injuries for the Warriors. Luke Metcalf's season is over. Torey's ACL from, I thought a decent hit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think this is the discussion we had. It was rightly penalised in the sense that it was Well, this is the thing with slowing it down.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You slow it down. He is late, the ball is gone, so it's just a penalty, whereas in real time I think it's really difficult to sort of see. But that's a massive shame for them and I worry now for the Warriors.
Speaker 2:They have a fairly easy-ish run I heard it earlier and it's like they're games that they should win, like they're playing the Titans. They got manly at Brookie last game of the season. Can you imagine if that's like an eighth place playoff? It?
Speaker 2:goes that bad for the Warriors it won't be, but they certainly with the other injury of Nicol Klockstadt as well. And is DWZ still out? I'm not too sure like his injury but they're on a bye next week so got a bit of time off. But it'll be interesting to see what happens from here for the Warriors and the Broncos. Look good they do and, like I, bagged on him quite a bit for this season. But Reece Walsh is a difference maker yeah, he's, he's just.
Speaker 1:he just brings the nightmares to defence in that sense and defence itself. But I think this is the Broncos team that we. We looked at this Broncos team at the start of the season and we're like this is going to be an incredible team to go forward, and I think this was the team we were expecting to show up.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And a couple of weeks ago I said it might have been last week. Actually I was saying about with sorry, my mind's going blank here with the Storm that they are winning games, not really joining together, and it's their talent that are bringing them through and it's the broncos who their talent's letting them down, whereas now everything seems to have gelled and they're they're coming together brilliantly yeah, and they're sticking points on teams as well.
Speaker 2:over the last three weeks they've put 44 on the titans, 34 on the sharks which look at the Titans 34 on the Sharks, which at the time, putting 34 on the Sharks was decent, but they got a fair number stuck on them again this weekend and they beat a Warriors team that have looked good over the last few weeks. So it seems like the Broncos potentially back on track. Look like another again.
Speaker 2:Another, not shoo-in but almost guarantee for the top four, but two teams in the next game that we got this one completely wrong. Yeah, on the Saturday and to be fair, this was just before we went to the stadium yeah, we watched it we watched a bit of it on the. Can you remember the name of the pub that we went to?
Speaker 1:I think it was the. Can you remember the name of the pub that we went to? I think it was the governor of grove.
Speaker 2:No, the grove no, that's what it was. We were sitting in there um having a few more guinnesses, but the saint george illawarra dragons down in woolengong where's this come from? I don't know like where, but what happened to the eels of last week? That looked good, so defeat the. The paramount re 34-20. Dylan Brown was back for the Eels. We thought Zach Lomax was going to take the team by the scruff of his neck, but Dragons just flew out of the gates.
Speaker 1:Yeah and I wonder what's happening with DiPilato, because again he was named but didn't play Hamstring again Again. So I reckon they're trying to rush him back where. They just need to probably assess it and bring him in a bit slowly. But the Dragons just looked incredible Again great attacking intent. Defensively looked solid at times. This was the Dragons team before they went on a slump. So it's again because of how the season's happening teams are getting away with it and you know what they're looking a lot better than they did.
Speaker 2:It's whether they keep the consistency up, though that's going to be the challenge for them. They were 26-4 up at half-time and it was almost like they took their foot off the gas a little bit, let the eels come back into it somewhat, but then sealed it towards the end.
Speaker 1:but I think they're playing well enough to be safe from the spoon yeah, I thought they'd be an outsider for the eight, but with losing Moses I think that's really stunted it and I think they'll just be happy with finishing in the contingent just outside the eight, to then be able to progress on to next season yeah, certainly, and they've made a fair few signings for next season as well.
Speaker 2:Talon de silva, coming in, stole him off the off the manly seagulls apparently all reports said that he was coming to manly and then, yeah, yeah, he's decided to go to the eels. Fair play to him, yeah, uh, but a team that are scoring points willy-nilly and another game that, oh, you got right, I got wrong, didn't you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I got it right. I went Dolphins, you went Dolphins, I had the Dolphins at home.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they absolutely battered the Rabbitohs 50 points to 28, and Hamaseo Tabuifido had a day of it. Yeah, four tries. Bit of a shame. I thought the Rabbitohs were going to. They started. Well, I think they were. What did they? Do they go 6-0 up? Yeah, so I thought I'd made the right tip.
Speaker 1:And then but this is the thing again about the Dolphins. They lost 20-26 to the Knights and then come up against a probably similar team in the Rabbitohs not too dissimilar and run away with it, just absolutely run away with it as well. It's ridiculous and they just at times they look so strong and it's just bringing those results together and they're probably up there with the Raiders. For me this season of enjoying to watch yeah, they are, because they really can be and I know at the start of the season I think we were very quick to jump on them of sort of how poor, but as the season progressed they're an absolute pleasure to watch in attack.
Speaker 2:We went through the ladder, didn't we as well? And they've scored the most points now out of every single team in the league. Yeah, and the Storm have played one game less, I think, or two games less, and are like 20 points behind them. So shows how good they're going. I think they're playing Manly soon. And oh, we're going.
Speaker 1:I'm taking my kids, I think I said that taking my eldest to that game and I think that could be the first time I see Manly get 50 put on them we actually were at the game.
Speaker 2:It was two years ago.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a couple of years ago, when we stuck 60 on a.
Speaker 2:Dolphin. So that just goes to show Tupeloto was playing for Manly, he was playing for Manly. It goes to show how much they've improved in the fact that they're sticking 50 on teams regularly now. I believe Cody Nicarima suffered an injury. I can't remember what it was, but he only played 38 minutes and I remember seeing a highlight of him going down clutching something or holding something. So it depends how long he's out for.
Speaker 1:But I mean they've still got Cotella.
Speaker 2:Who's tearing it?
Speaker 1:up Just on that game. It was 58-18, and we went through the team list of Manly and it was like Tupeloto was started on the wing, josh Schuster was started at six, who's gone into the Aretha and sort of disappeared as a player. Sean Keppy started at lock. No, he was at the Rabbitohs. Samuel Farno was playing on the bench, cole Lawton, who's up at the Cowboys and Keo Weeks, was 18th man Probably.
Speaker 2:Look, you can't keep a player who's performing poorly. Yeah, he was performing poorly at Manly, but also you have Turbo there at fullback and the emergence of Lehigh. Hoppawattie. But KO Weeks is having an absolute barnstormer, barnstormer in Canberra, at the moment onto the penultimate game of the weekend though Melbourne Storm. Cruise past the Cronulla Sharks who are in free fall at the moment.
Speaker 1:They are dropping and dropping hard it was. We went. We said again back at Amy Park they'll put on a flat track bullies performance Fairly close at half time it was, it was quite close and we were watching this as we went for a stroll on Sunday before getting on the plane, and it didn't.
Speaker 1:It wasn't until the back end of the second half that they started to pull away with it as well, which probably identifies where the storm are more than anything. I think they had a try call back as well, just before Nick Meaney went over. So it's one of those where I think this is very similar to the Manly Tigers game in the sense of I don't think the scoreline really reflects the performances, whereas the Tigers should have I can't really comment that too much on the Sharks, but the Tigers should have scored 20-odd points but didn't, and Manly snuck Basteman, and I think this could be a little similar in that sense where, in the sense that Storm probably should have had 40, 50.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a few more Big injury for the Storm. Far Longo Looks like his hamstring went and it went bad, Like he probably pulled up on that one. It feels like a lot of big injuries or key injuries. I mean, at the start of the season you wouldn't have said Far Longo was a big injury, but he's been absolutely carving up, Like when he makes a line break he is gone, but maybe that pace got the better of his hamstring. But a lot of injuries in teams at the moment now.
Speaker 2:So it's almost like you reckon. It's like overuse injuries Probably pushing themselves to the limit, but it feels like now that's going to be a deciding factor going into the finals. Yeah, who's got less injuries? Whose squads fitter um come, because what we're in a lot we're in the last 10 games, last nine games of the season now, which I think I use the analogy of splitting it into threes. This is where you need to be hitting your form, yeah, in these last nine games, and this is where you want everyone healthy going into finals. So it might be a case of whose team is the fittest come finals, and I mean Penrith's looking pretty fit.
Speaker 2:So last game of the week. Going to be honest, didn't watch any of this, Nah we were there in this game.
Speaker 2:Yeah, titans only just beaten 24-30 by the Cowboys, but by all accounts Cowboys were sloppy, ran away with it, and then the Titans brought it back. One thing I did see, though, was Jake Clifford kicking a point after and, almost like toe poke or something like, the ball rotated forwards instead of going backwards, and it was one of the worst kicks I think I've ever seen. To go over from the sideline. Did it go over, though it did? It did Certainly got Cowboys got five for five, and we say the importance of kicking all the time.
Speaker 1:We do. That wins them the game. Exactly so, oh no it doesn't, oh no, they oh no, they scored five tries yep, the kicking was a lot better. They went five. Both went from five to five, but if Jack Clifford mixed two, it's then 24-26, going into the last couple of minutes. Anything could sort of happen from that. But again, this is a game where the Cowboys couldn't run away with it. I know it's a little bit hypocritical of us sitting here saying against the Titans, you should be scoring points, considering Manly couldn't do anything.
Speaker 2:We got beaten by them yeah.
Speaker 1:But you'd expect this Cowboys team to at least do run away of it in that aspect. Talking about two great defensive teams right at the start, I think this is leaning towards and starting to highlight the Cowboys defensive issues and they can't really last that 80. But I don't think they're going to be making the eight anymore either now they're slipping down.
Speaker 2:I think sharks are on a similar similar trajectory. Uh, with that win for manly, they jump above them tonight. So we are, uh, just outside the eight on points differential against the dolphins who are scoring for fun. But let's have a look forward to round. What is it? Round 18? Yeah, only a few fixtures this weekend, but it kicks off on friday, the 4th of july at the accord. The canterbury bankstown bulldogs at a dollar 54, now second in the table, not top but the Bulldogs $1.54 against the Brisbane Broncos at $2.56.
Speaker 2:Origin impacted fixture yeah.
Speaker 1:Walsh is 18th man as well, so he can't play, so he can't play.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a few outs for the Bulldogs as well. Crichton King Jacob Kira's 18th man, saluka Fafita, was knocked out. The second time he's been knocked out on an opening kickoff. Where are you going with this one?
Speaker 1:I'm going to go for dogs. I just think they've got the least effective team where the Broncos have been. They've lost that heart. So yeah, I'm going to go for the dogs, I think.
Speaker 2:I think this is going to be a tight one. I'm at. Cobbo hit fullback that Carapani, josiah Carapani. He played pretty well. Ketone Staggs is still in there. Jesse Arthur, ezra Mamm, I'm going to join you with the dogs.
Speaker 1:I think I'm going to have to join you with the dogs. I think I'm going to have to join you, okay.
Speaker 2:Join you with the Bulldogs.
Speaker 1:When then onto the first game on the Saturday, 5.30 kickoff down at the Geo Stadium, which will be in attendance next.
Speaker 2:Wednesday, next Wednesday.
Speaker 1:Raiders at $1.29 against the Dragons at $3.63.
Speaker 2:It's got Raiders written all over it. They've lost Josh Papali only out because of origin. Dragons don't have Valentine Holmes playing. He got a few injuries as well, but it's pretty much full strength teams against each other, apart from the odd injury and a few players out. It's that back line for me. Yeah, raiders are too good. I reckon Raiders do this and do this comfortably. I think this is the sort of game where, if they want to really show what they're worth, they put it down for 80 rather than 40 minutes, and this could be a pretty comfortable two points for them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree with that. I think the Raiders back lines a lot scarier as well and that can cause some damage.
Speaker 2:So I'm gonna. I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go for the Raiders and join you then next on Saturday, we go up to the Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville where we got the North Queensland Cowboys at $3.66 against the Melbourne Storm at $1.29.
Speaker 1:The last time the Storm played Origin, with it all backing up from Origin, I went for the opposition because I just didn't think they'd be able to do it.
Speaker 2:They're actually out for this one. They're not backing up. This would be just before Origin.
Speaker 1:But for this one it's making up. This would be just before. Yeah so, but for this one it's against a very poor Cowboys team who's losing the only little bit of like the like, losing Ruben Carter, reece Robson, jeremiah Nanai, tom Dearden, like that's, that's a big call. It's basically their team, yeah, so gonna go for the Storm, yeah join you of their team?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so going to go for the Storm? Yeah, join you on that one Storm Storm, pretty comfortably Similar to what I said just before. If the Storm want to prove what they're worth, because at the moment they're good at home, they're not the greatest away from home and this is a decent away trip for them. But look, they've lost. They're losing a couple of people to Origin in Harry Grant, like some big, big losses, but They've got too much for them, surely, surely got too much for them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. And then on Sunday, first game on Sunday. We're at the Allianz. We won't be, but these will be Roosters at $1.20 against the West Tigers at $4.45.
Speaker 2:This is mad because actually the last few times this isn't mad last few times that Roosters have lost players because of because of origin, their young guns have stood up and performed so well. So Roosters buy a cricket score, yeah.
Speaker 1:That's me. It's easy. It's easy without Roosters. Also, talon De Silva has been dropped, as, as you said. You said he was going to be there next year. He's actually joined them, effective immediately at the Eels.
Speaker 2:Did I say next year?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I knew he'd join this year as well.
Speaker 1:I knew he'd join before the 30th deadline so I don't know why I said that yeah, but I reckon he'll be straight into that Eels team in the next game.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then the final game of the weekend. We're going to be there. We are Brookie Oval, four Pines Park. The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles $1.34 against the South Sydney Rabbitohs $3.29. Just looked at the ladder. Rabbitohs haven't won a game in the last five.
Speaker 1:This is going to be an absolute attacking masterclass by Manley. He's saying it now. I think they're going to have created some rogue plays. They've got Alex Johnston at fullback. Yeah, Johnston at fullback. I think they're going to pull him side-line with a kick-in. I reckon he's going to really struggle. His creaky knees are going to get sort of show.
Speaker 2:You know he only needs six tries to break the record.
Speaker 1:I know and he's not going to get one at Brookie, I think. Ruben Garrett gets 15-plus points and Manly run away with it.
Speaker 2:Some bold, bold tipping, and I don't know whether that's to cause controversy or not, but that is, that is bold. Look, man, you're gonna get the job done. Like I'm pretty comfortable. Confident, sorry that man, you're gonna get the job done. We have a full strength. Well, bar alakawatu, which is quite a big loss. Um, we have a somewhat full-strength side, tommy Talal's back in Fal Arlo as well. Is he on the bench or is he? No, he's not, he's in the reserves. But I think there might be a few changes come Saturday. It'd be interesting to see how they go. But look, manly, manly, 13 plus. Yeah, we'll see how it goes. But one thing that we were talking about last time again switching sports again. One thing that we didn't get to talk about last week because it was left in the balance was England versus India in the first test 350 runs in one day easy, easy, easy.
Speaker 2:No changes I noticed for the second test.
Speaker 1:Jasprit who.
Speaker 2:Exactly Jasprit Brumman no wickets.
Speaker 1:No wickets, and that is mad.
Speaker 2:We only lost five in the chase, didn't we?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's crazy, and this is again what I was saying about Root First innings things are going brilliantly around, he scores a big score. Things are going brilliantly around. He scores a big score. Granted, the Openers got to a good start in this one, but then Pope went early, brooks went quickly, root just dug in, just knocked around and gets 60.
Speaker 2:I saw ratings from it as well. I think we had this discussion the other day. Maybe or maybe I'm having deja vu, I can't remember. Crawley got like a 6.5 or something like that for his rating. I thought he was fairly solid in both. He survived overs at the start of the chase, which is what you want from your opener to bed in. And then if Duckett's just swinging off the hook, which he's doing look, he went for 40. It's a good knock 40 odd.
Speaker 1:Well, I always think back to the england opener partnerships of not that long ago and you're nervous about if they're going to get to 50 yeah I now think how quickly they're going to get to 100.
Speaker 1:it's, it's, it's, it's quick and we're saying this. They're going to get absolutely skittled for 30 in the first innings. It's baston buton, but no, it's good to see, and I think there's a lot of people this side of the water are pricking up and starting to notice, because to score what? Over 700 runs, close to 800 runs, against that Indian bowling attack, it's not an easy thing to do.
Speaker 2:Different kettle of fish over here though. But the Australians look, they beat the West Indies and they beat them pretty comfortably in the end, but shaky first three innings.
Speaker 1:Travis Head having a rescue again. Yeah, bo Webster.
Speaker 2:Exactly. But look, we've got another big week coming up. We are watching on TV the Reds against the British and Irish. Lions tomorrow Should be another good one to watch. And then we're off to watch the Waratahs against the British and Irish Lions on Saturday at the Allianz yeah, which should be a good one. And then Manly Sunday, big weekend of live sport, and I think we're going to record earlier next week.
Speaker 2:We've just got to check whether we can to make sure, because the Wednesday next week's a big one. We've got Origin and the game against the Brumbies, but oh, formula 1 oh yeah, verstappen got taken out. I don't take interest in Formula 1, but I decided to watch the highlights yesterday and I love old mate in the McLaren just slam his brakes on, lock it up. I'll see you later, verstappen, to be fair.
Speaker 1:Verstappen's very unlucky to be taken out of that because he's missed about two or three cars, I think, antonelli and just clipped the back of Verstappen and when you watch it from the aerial one you're like oh, how does that get rid of a car? Like it didn't look that hard. But when you watch it on board of Verstappen and you hear it, it's like boom, yeah it's the way he goes on the radio.
Speaker 2:He goes. Nah, antonelli goes. Oh, I locked up the back tyre, sorry guys and just carries on like he's nothing. Yeah, he's just taken Verstappen out, but was it Piastri that won it or was it Norris? Norris won it, piastri. Second, the clerks.
Speaker 1:Third, they're going to run away with the yeah, absolutely, especially because Sanoja's not doing anything in the second Red Bull. So, they're going to run away with not just the Constructors' Championship, but I think now they'll start shifting away from there.
Speaker 2:And one of the reasons why.
Speaker 1:Verstappen has done so well over the last previous years is because of having Sergio Perez as his number two. And also can slow down traffic as well, so he can be, especially in those tight races when it was Verstappen, one Perez, two Perez was always able to slow down the cars coming towards um, which I think is really missing, and they don't have the car this year either.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but yeah, be sure to follow us on social media as well, because they're starting to put up a bit, a few, few different bits of content as well. Over the weekend, we put up some, a few things on tiktok. We'll see how it goes this weekend, though, because it's a bit of a different setup, but we're not traveling for this one. So we can't really put up the travel diaries, but you never know, we might get something on the B1.
Speaker 1:On the walk. What a bus line.
Speaker 2:On the way in. But yeah, be sure to follow us on socials. They've been doing it all day, sir, but next week we'll preview Origin, we'll preview the Brumbies game. Yeah, and we'll.