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 Battle for Eighth Spot Just Got Real!
The NRL's latest drug scandal takes center stage as Brandon Smith faces charges of drug supply and betting involvement. What makes this situation particularly eyebrow-raising is the timing – just as the Rabbitohs prepare to face the Roosters in a match that could decide the final spot in the top eight. Despite the serious allegations, the NRL has opted not to implement their stand-down policy, leaving many fans questioning whether there's more to this story than meets the eye.
Round 25 delivered some genuine footballing brilliance across the board. The Raiders pulled off a stunning victory against the Panthers in Mudgee, with Ethan Strange cementing his case for Origin selection next season. Meanwhile, the Storm continued their impressive form by defeating the Bulldogs in a high-quality contest that showcased why both teams are serious contenders.
Perhaps the most surprising storyline from the weekend was Manly's explosive 58-30 victory over the Dolphins at Brookie Oval. Tom Trbojevic returned to his devastating best, creating opportunities all over the field and hitting holes with intent. This remarkable turnaround in form has sparked theories about whether senior Manly players have been deliberately underperforming due to behind-the-scenes disputes with coaching staff, only to turn up for Daly Cherry-Evans' 350th game.
The Eels continued their late-season resurgence by upsetting the Roosters, throwing the battle for eighth spot wide open. With Mitch Moses directing traffic, they looked like a completely different team from the one that struggled earlier in the season – setting themselves up as a team to watch in 2025.
As we head into Round 26, several crucial matches could determine final ladder positions. Will the Raiders secure the minor premiership? Can the Broncos sneak into the top four? And will Brandon Smith take the field for the Rabbitohs in their season-defining clash with the Roosters?
Subscribe now and join us as we break down all the action, controversies, and stunning performances from the world of rugby league!
Welcome to another episode of. They've Been Doing it All Day, Sir. There's three certainties in life Death, taxes and NRL players getting in drug scandals. Let's get stuck in. How's your week been, mate? Yeah, not too bad. Not too bad, Pretty good. Had a good day out on Saturday.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was a good one.
Speaker 1:It was good, Clearly there's been some NRL players that have had better days out. Yeah, it was a good one. It was good. Clearly there's been some NRL players that have had better days out.
Speaker 2:Well, we'll get into that in a bit. But do you know what? I'm not ill. I'm not ill. I'm finally over it. I'm finally illness-free. I feel myself, I'm back at it Full power, full strength. I fear it's Got an email from Daycare Today to say that there's a case of hand, foot and mouth cutting about, there we go, the delights of having children.
Speaker 2:But we talk about the delights of having children and on Saturday I took my youngest, my eldest, to his first game, first live game of NRL at Brookie Oval. And what a game it was.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was. It was pretty epic. Don't know where that came from. Nope, I had to re-watch it again on Sunday to actually believe it happened because Turbo turned up. We'll go into it in proper detail, but I don't know where that's been all season, if I'm being honest.
Speaker 2:It's really frustrating. I've got a few conspiracy theories that I'll bring up in a bit, but rest of the week was good. Everything been all right since.
Speaker 1:Yeah, pretty sound to be honest, mate.
Speaker 2:Yeah, fair enough. But just before we get stuck into a little hypothetical question that we're going to ask this week, if you're new to the channel or not subscribed yet, please help us along to our journey of trying to get to 100 subscribers. If you could hit that button, follow along, really appreciate it. But something I thought about oh, one thing from last week as well someone brought up swimming as a sport that you could potentially not finish lasting.
Speaker 1:If I came up against Eric the. Eel, yeah, I get that actually.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you might finish like seventh I can see that, but only like a 50 metre or 100 metre nothing. Nothing long distance I'm not talking like 1,500 metres, I think I'd drown. But another hypothetical situation, carrying on from last week Actually before that, do you reckon you could return an NRL kickoff? Yeah, I could.
Speaker 1:Do you reckon you'd survive? No, I've been fucking chopped in half playing against amateurs in rugby union over here. Amateur islanders like and that hurts, let alone a 30 metre run up with them running the other way and them being even denser at a professional level than they are an amateur. I couldn't think of anything worse if I'm honest you've got to be a different level of of tapped to run a be a back fence.
Speaker 2:You've got to be cut from a different cloth, but given a scenario, so you've got to picture this.
Speaker 1:Okay, this fifth tackle.
Speaker 2:Yep, you're on the goal line, so someone's taken the ball and they're like two metres from the goal line. Yeah, the nine picks it up from the bottom of the ruck, whips it out to one of the halves. Whichever side you're going and you're running an outside to inside line, you receive it about four meters out. This is against NRL players, so it's not amateur. How many attempts do you reckon it'd take to get it in, if at all?
Speaker 1:Well, this is the issue, because if you're doing it repetitively, the players would then read and react to the drill and then they'll cheat the drill. I honestly think first one you'd go over, Because if the line's cut and there's a gap in the defence, you're three metres out.
Speaker 2:You heard it here first Chris is going over, you're going over, but if there's players in front of me, I'm getting hit.
Speaker 1:I'll give it my all. I will hit that hole hard, but you know it's, and it also depends who's what gap you're hitting. So if you're hitting the gap of the nine and the half, probably got a good chance, whether if you're hitting the gap between a prop and a second rower, not going to probably be as easy.
Speaker 2:People our size, I reckon we'd be running more into the inside big men.
Speaker 1:Yeah, which is an issue?
Speaker 2:I don't know if we'd be having the speed to whip it around the outside, but if I was to give you 10 attempts how many times out of 10, like realistically, if we had to set this up in a game and it wasn't the same, like just do it again, do it again, do it again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay.
Speaker 2:Different plays off of it. I reckon maybe one out of 10, you might get the old lucky one where they think you're going to skip one. You come back in sight, but I just reckon we're too slow.
Speaker 1:I wouldn't say speed is the element to it. I think it's more how the defensive line read it and what opens up. If you're having to truck over someone, not a chance. Don't get me wrong. We've got some weight behind us, but that's not dense weight, that's just I think my body would crumble.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think I would struggle. I reckon I'd get over a couple of times. Do you know what?
Speaker 2:it's something I hope we don't ever test out because I'm absolutely fine, we're not doing it straight against Aliquot 100% not, but you touched on it in the intro A few bits of big news that have come out, so I think this one is very conveniently timed. So Brandon Smith recently, yesterday, he's been charged with drug supply and the involvement in betting. But today I've seen that the NRL aren't going to do their stand down policy for him no fault stand down policy. And the Rabbitohs are sticking up for him and they're saying, look, we're going to play him either way. They're on a buy this week. So but don't you think it's convenient that now the Roosters lost at the weekend to the Eels? They've got the storm this weekend, so likely likelihood they're going to lose that game. They need to beat the Rabbitohs to secure an eighth spot. Do you not think the timing's a bit convenient that this story's come out?
Speaker 1:Yeah, people would have been sat on this for a while.
Speaker 2:When did they say june the 7th? So what are we now?
Speaker 1:we're in august.
Speaker 2:August, the 26th, june, the 7th.
Speaker 1:This happened yeah I don't know in regards to that, but it is. You got a lot of. A few of the roosters players have been called. I've seen victor radley's name's been brought into it and from what I've heard it's heard and what I've seen, it was him. Do you know what? The first time I saw this it was one of those fan NRL pages. You know that don't always so I didn't believe it, but then a lot more started reporting on it. I was like God, this is not looking good, but apparently he owes money to, apparently, Roosters players. He owes a couple of grand from betting as well, as he was given team lists and everything to the drug dealers beforehand.
Speaker 1:It's his career done. I don't.
Speaker 2:If he gets found guilty of it.
Speaker 1:100%, but Well saying that Israel Mam nearly killed a child and he was fine. So you know it's probably going to just be a naughty Brandon, and he goes again next season.
Speaker 2:You say that the NRL have set their stall out because if they've only suspended, I know it's drugs and I don't know. Well, brandon Smith did get suspended previously for being caught with some white powder in the background, but Addo Carr's been done for it as well previously. I think it's the reason why forces is um moved from the bulldogs, but it'd be interesting to see, if found guilty, how the nrl come down on him. But it's just mad how things like he's can't catch a point. I don't get wrong, the geezer can't catch a break. Oh, he's not the smartest tears his acl comes back from that, damages mcl and then gets done with this.
Speaker 1:But you know why would you involve yourself in it? I don't't know you can't hide from it. If you go to any drug dealer, any drug dealer is probably going to want to earn more money from you if you are a celebrity. So, just don't do drugs, it's simple.
Speaker 2:Yeah, very, very simple. But Desi Hasler finally confirmed. I mean, the writing was kind of on the wall.
Speaker 2:But he's leaving at the end of the season. Then a big one as well. One of our mates was at Leichhardt Oval on the weekend. He texted me and he said it's just been announced that Leichhardt Oval and Campbelltown are going to receive $55 million makeovers. So Tigers locked in to play there until 2041, I think it is. Tigers locked in to play there until 2041, I think it is. But thinking about makeovers of grounds, do you reckon Brookie could do with a little upgrade?
Speaker 1:I don't know what you'd upgrade, though, because you can't get rid of the hill.
Speaker 2:You can't and Lycant aren't getting rid of the hill the hill's iconic Bob Fulton's stand's brand new.
Speaker 1:The only thing he could do is knock down the main stand and the other end and the, the jane try and the menzies one yeah, the other end and rebuild those, but do they? Do they really need it?
Speaker 2:we're sat there every week I reckon they could do with the jane try stand could do unless they talk, sorry, unless they turn the benches into seats yeah, that's a valid point and make it like an actual like tunnel that comes out.
Speaker 2:They've got more seats either side. That's the only way that I think they'll be able to increase the capacity. Like you say, the bob fortin's brand new. Maybe the other end they could do similar, like make the seat and go all the way to the front. I still think it would have that um, uh, what's it called?
Speaker 1:urban ground feel yeah, you wouldn't take too much away from it.
Speaker 2:But just an interesting thought that I thought around. Like our oval being renovated Wasn't there that crazy chat earlier in the year around it being going to be knocked down and a UFC multi-purpose? Yeah, At some point some crazy chat there. But let's get on to round 25. Yep, we said Friday night would be an absolute barnstormer of some fixtures and my word was it the first game that kicked off on a Friday game of the week. By a mile the Raiders defeat the Panthers 2016 out in Mudgee. Couldn't believe it. What a finish. Couldn't believe it.
Speaker 1:What a finish. Ethan Strange as well. Looks, he's good, he's good, I've banged on about him around. The first origin, if that isn't New South Wales, is six next season. I don't know what more he can do other than win the comp, obviously, but he's been incredible all season. I think he's an outstanding player and goes under the radar quite a lot and doesn't get the plaudits he really should.
Speaker 2:I read something the other day that he might be eligible for England England as well which would be nuts.
Speaker 1:Well, I reckon if he wants to play for New South Wales, he can't make himself.
Speaker 2:They're reviewing that at the end of the year, aren't they? I think they're reviewing the eligibility for I think it might be more towards the tier one nations and identifying that I don't know whether it will have a knock-on impact of origin selection, but he's a handy player to have and it levels out that international competition as well. If Tonga, somalia, the Pacific Islands are starting to pluck off players and they're going to become competitive, then England, unfortunately, are going to get left in the wake, unless they manage to find some lineage from somewhere.
Speaker 2:For me, though, I walk away from this game thinking about this. You still can't write off the Penrith Panthers. They've lost two very close games back-to-back weeks against the Melbourne Storm and the Canberra Raiders, who are locked in for the top two.
Speaker 1:The only thing that you can take from this is it's been from two clear misses as well.
Speaker 2:Well, the first one wasn't really a miss, it was a penalty, yeah yeah, but then he got blocked in the follow up.
Speaker 1:One, true, so this it's going to be. I hope it doesn't really affect him, because he's a top quality player, but isn't that this? Now, if they're in these pressure situations in the finals, is he going to be as cold blooded as he normally is?
Speaker 2:we had a stinker during origin with the boot as well in fact? No, he didn, he didn't even kick, was it? No, no, he was injured.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was his hamstring Is this going to have a bit of a domino effect into the finals and if they are needing that extra golden point, is he going to be able to ice man it over the posts. Which is one thing I'm sort of just worrying because you want to get these in early, especially in season.
Speaker 2:Well, we know as well, if they're going to win it, they're going to have to win it from outside the eight because team lists they've absolutely chopped and changed it this week and they've got the Bulldogs. Xavier Savage, done some AC joint, I think it was. There's an unknown for the Raiders how long he's out, but the speed that they have just showed on that on that return, um, you did. I don't know about you, but I never expected it to go back the other way when Cleary missed and just 80 minutes to be able to do that, like the engines on these boys madness phenomenal Raiders.
Speaker 2:Uh, I think one more win and they almost seal the minor premiership. But what a final. So that it felt like a finals like Friday night. The game that followed that, which we'll get onto now storm defeat in the Bulldogs 20-14. What just a high quality Friday footy.
Speaker 1:And again just another, like what you can say out of the top four, it's going to be so hard to pick the winners. You look at the Storm and they've just done it back to get back against the Dogs and the Panthers, and they are starting to win comfortably at the right time. So it'd be interesting to see where the Storm go from this. But the Dogs, what's the issue with them?
Speaker 2:They're sliding a bit, aren't they? And I don't know.
Speaker 1:I think you banged on about it at the start of the season. It's like it doesn't matter how you start the season, it's how you finish. Yeah, and the dogs aren't looking that convincing.
Speaker 2:They're limping a bit towards the end of the season. All right, they're guaranteed a top four finish. But well, mathematically they're not to the top four finish. But well, mathematically they're not. But knowing that the Panthers are resting all their players, likely they are going to get the two points this weekend. But they're inexperienced in finals football as well and in big time games they seem to just not go missing because they did well. It was quality footy, it was a good game and they did well to keep it tight and I believe they came back as well. They were 10-0 down at half time, or whatever the score was at half time, so they got that, but then they just couldn't get it over the line. And that's where I think in finals they're going to maybe come up a bit short, but it was an absolute quality, quality Friday night.
Speaker 1:Incredible, incredible. Couldn't have asked for anything better.
Speaker 2:And then out of the Storm and Raiders, who do you reckon is going to win the minor premiership? You reckon it'll be the. I think it's got to be the Raiders.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Storm have lost Grant as well, haven't they? Is it Grant that got down for the shoulder charge for?
Speaker 1:two games.
Speaker 2:So he's out for the final two games of the season and he's a bit of a magic man at the moment as well. But a scoreline, that core line, that no one saw this happening. We couldn't have got more wrong. We both tipped the saint george illawarra dragons and the rabbit owes absolutely destroyed them. Um, rabbit owes, a clinical jai gray, was it 350 meters again found that form. Boy, found that form from the start of the season. But real, surprising from the dragons. I didn't expect.
Speaker 1:It's shocking shocking from the dragon. This is the and this is the. The thing we've continuously said about the dragons is you must be so frustrated as a fan because you've got these elements of absolute brilliance showing and then that getting absolutely romped against the bunnies yep, it's, it's. Where do you? Where do you go now, like we? We've tipped them as one of those teams to watch for next season, along with the eels, but they need to sort this out. They can't. They can't be wanting to push for the top eight and wanted to go on to greater things and then like having a zero next to your name that was a latrell mitchell-less rabbit hose as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it didn't look too good to get shut out. I don't know. Maybe like take it with a pinch of salt, because their heads might have been on the beach, you never know. You watch their turn up this weekend, though, against Manly, but that's a confidence booster, for the Rabbitohs hugely Shows that they can do it. They can stick points. If there was a game where I thought Alex Johnson was going to get his, what is? It three tries he did. If you see the scoreline you think oh he might have scored.
Speaker 1:He's easily got it, but they've got a buy this weekend and then roosters, last game of the season.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I think he needs three to break the record. I personally, I don't think he's going to do it this season I have to wait till next season. But on to brookie oval four pines park. We were there. The manly seagulls 58, the dolphins 30. I don't even know where do we start.
Speaker 1:I thought it was going to be a long old day when the Dolphins went over in the second minute and we burnt our challenge just before that. I didn't yeah my conspiracy theory.
Speaker 2:Let's listen to these. So there's been all these, all this chat about senior players falling out with the coaching staff, the leadership, that they're not being good, things happening behind the scenes. We've played shit for the last four weeks. It's almost like it feels like we're playing shit because we want things to change. We respect DCE. We want to leave. We want to perform well for him. It's his 350th game. Let's actually play like we can play. Let's put on a performance just to show respect to DCE.
Speaker 1:And then we'll get back to our rubbish ways. But I think that's just a massive fuck you to the fans though it is. Which is what I don't like, like. There's these lads on multi, like some of them on million dollar a year, contracts on hundreds of thousands a year, and you've got people who maybe even struggling to attend games, who are there going like two games to watch this team. For them to just down tools just because of a coach. I've never really liked it.
Speaker 2:But why did they turn up this weekend? I?
Speaker 1:don't, I genuinely don't know like this is the thing, is it's because dc was trying last week. Right, we talk about dc trying last week, but it wasn't it was this week like turbo would like turned up and was was hoeing passes left, right and sitting on hitting holes with intent. Uh, cola just continued being aola Outside of probably. Turbo, lehigh and Kola have been there week in, week out. They never not try. Is it a case? It was just a poor Dolphins defence?
Speaker 2:We did attack that side a heck of a lot. And they were second guessing when Turbo had the ball and he was missing, passes out to Hoppawatte or off short to Kola, then he would dummy one run in.
Speaker 2:But Cherry Evans his creativity from that scrum where he just was like Kola's down there somewhere. I'm going to boot it and then what a run onto it. But that's a performance that should have been there all season. That's the level that we can get to, and that's with no Jake Trebojevic, that's with no Onokwatu it's pretty much a starting pack, like not there, no Paseka, no Josh Aloa.
Speaker 2:Aloa, yeah, but shout. Talking of forwards, shout out to Matt Lodge. Big Matty Lodge, friend of the pod, sort of gave us a shout out very early on. That's two weeks in a row he's scored Scoring tries for fun.
Speaker 1:Hadn't scored, in what?
Speaker 2:three or five years or something like that beforehand. But yeah, I headed out after the game, we went to DYRSL and then a few of us kicked on to the Harbour Hotel and in I walk and there is Tony Mastroff, anthony Seabold, and then you go upstairs and all the boys are out having a celebration. Cherry ovens obviously 350 and I didn't realize how I bad that cut on his nose was until I saw him like I shook his hand and like it was proper decent chunk and his nose was. I mean, I know his nose is red at the best of times, but it was. It's pretty prominent. His eyes look a bit puffed up, but he went up to Newcastle the next day, didn't he?
Speaker 2:and gave Ben Hunt 350 of a big shout out. But yeah, I had a chat to Perseco about the NFL YPP as well, which he was an interesting chat. He was just like I didn't think it was the right time in my life to do that. Do I look back and maybe regret it? No, I'm happy with what I did. So yeah, it was a good chat and just a bonger as well he was um, I said I thought I saw him in dy hotel last week.
Speaker 2:he was like yeah, that was me, should have me, should have come up and said hi. I was like no, I ain't going to bother you when you're just having a beer after a game. But this was different, obviously.
Speaker 1:He loves it.
Speaker 2:And then this is not a shock, because we said the Eels were on the way up, but this puts that battle for the eighth spot hotly contested Wide open, wide open.
Speaker 1:But hotly contested Wide open, Wide open. And the eels? Just, it's the Mitch Moses effect man. Yeah, it's when he turns on.
Speaker 2:Addo Carr had a ball game on him, so like he was that breakaway. And then was it Moses who booted it through for Addo Carr to dive onto. At one point Big Marky Mark had a try taken away and I'd nearly called the first three try scorers. I thought I was on for some cash at that point, but it got scrapped off the board. But yeah, eels have just absolutely put a spanner in the top eight race.
Speaker 1:Massively and this is what we've been going on For the Eels to come out and do this performance with them pretty much on the beach. It is showing the intent for next year, I reckon.
Speaker 2:I reckon they're more of a team to watch out for than the Dragons next year. It'd be interesting to see how many players they acquire in the off season see what if the. Eels do some business. They could be one to watch out for, especially they're freeing up cap space for Dylan Brown going. Dylan Brown going, so, who knows, they're going to be able to lure in Big Tino Rumours that he's going to Melbourne potentially, which, yeah, would be devastating. Last game on the Sunday, though. Or was it the last game on the Sunday?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think it was. Yeah, it was.
Speaker 2:What a finish to the weekend. Cowboys 34, tigers 28. Cowboys 34, tigers 28. Cowboys were what? 10-0 up at one point and the Tigers probably score. I'm I was trying to think about this. Try this season so quick, it was so good, and you think of the Penrith influence in it. I can't remember who got the interception but then gave it to Luai, who whips it out to Taylor May, and what an acquisition he has been. Yeah, he's been phenomenal since he came back. And then he the inside flick to taruva yeah he then sidestepped shimmies.
Speaker 2:A few people runs it off, and then bulla just runs it over what a way to go coast to coast like, yeah, it was the.
Speaker 1:The thing that shocked me about it was just how quick it happened all in one tackle phenomenal, yeah it was just boff, boff, buff, buff, those. They looked like they were playing in the uh in the playground, with how they moved and how they just trusted and read each other it was.
Speaker 2:It was a pretty awesome try it was linking back to what we were talking about earlier. One person I wouldn't like to run into is jason tamalolo and adam dewey unfortunately didn't come off best from his tackle Turns out well. He's fractured his eye, socket and cheek, so he's out for the rest of the season. Big loss for the Tigers. They're on the up. This rules them out of mathematically being able to get into the eight. But yeah, the Cowboys again.
Speaker 1:Good, when have they been? Just another end to a season for them. Really, I suppose they're.
Speaker 2:Todd Payton, I believe, is I can't remember where I read it but the hierarchy have said that they're sticking with him for next year. So maybe playing with a bit of pressure off allowed them to loosen up. Great atmosphere at Leichhardt Oval though.
Speaker 1:It looked banging. It's a good ground they go. I enjoyed it. Even though we got thumped, I did enjoy being at Leichhardt. It's got that proper ground feel.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then two fixtures to finish off the review, which I kind of didn't really pay attention to. Broncos tuck in the Knights kind of expected it was a close game. Yeah, early on.
Speaker 1:Early on Broncos just turned on the Broncos class. They'll be happy with finishing. Try and fight for that. You've got Warriors-Eels this week that could have an upset written over it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think that then opens it up for the Broncos because they've got a superior points difference to the warriors just, yeah, the massive, and they've got the cowboys, so that could, that could spice things up a little bit. Um, and then you know that they do. They do. Look when they turn it on, the broncos look really good like they. We've said it all season.
Speaker 2:It's just the inconsistency of doing it like this, but they're playing like this without, uh, reynolds, yeah, cobbo, ma'am, I mean it's almost like they're just playing free-flowing footy and just scoring for fun. I know like two weaker teams they played. In fact, who did they battle last week? Dolphins?
Speaker 2:yeah, it wasn't so I don't know, we'll see. But the. But the other game, titans Warriors, up the wall. Titans are absolutely awful. I thought they might cause an upset and especially when I saw Tino burst over within what like five minutes or something like that, I was like here we go, this one's on. But with the announcement of Hasliger, it'd be interesting to see what happens to Tino and Fafita. Fafita is apparently in talks with the rabbit O's. Wayne Bennett says that they're. They won him, so they'll look after him. But um, yeah, round 25, what what? I think? To me this feels like the last competitive round of the year because of players being rested, positions almost sorted within the top eight, just a few things to go for. But yeah, should we get into round 26?.
Speaker 1:Let's get into it.
Speaker 2:And this one's interesting, the Thursday night. I never thought I'd say this, but we've got the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs at $1.08. Probably the lowest odds I've seen all season against the Penrith Panthers $8.
Speaker 1:That is madness. That's gone up a dollar since Team List got released. Bulldogs, Don't get me wrong. I really like the Panthers' young guns, but the dogs need to win this.
Speaker 2:If I remember rightly, they played Newcastle early in the season after Origin, and I don't even think they had this many young players or squad players involved, and they got beaten by the Knights. This could be well. Bulldogs are in a bit of a predicament here. Do they go hang on? This is our opportunity to arrest players. No, they haven't though, have they, but they, they haven't. But could they? They pull a few moves? Look, bulldogs are winning this game. I don't think there's any yeah, there's any question.
Speaker 2:Bulldogs need to win this game yeah, they secure, they cement their place in the top four if they win this next week, they can have a week off and next week maybe. But yeah, Bulldogs on this one.
Speaker 1:Then we are over in Auckland at the Go Media Stadium with the New Zealand Warriors at $1.58 against the Parramatta Eels at $2.40. What a game this is.
Speaker 2:I'm not sure Warriors haven't been convincing at home this year. They scraped a few results and the Eels they're going to be buoyed off that victory over the Roosters. I'm going to go with the Parramatta Eels. They're going to be buoyed off that victory over the Roosters. I'm going to go with the Parramatta Eels in this one.
Speaker 1:Man, I'm going to join you. I just really like what I saw from the Eels in just the last few weeks and I don't see that they I think they're going in with the intent they don't want to finish on the beach, they want to finish and hopefully it kicks on to next season, so I'm going to. We could be sat here next week with Egan off race but I'm going to join you with the Eels.
Speaker 2:Do you know what we're going back-to-back Friday night barnstormers potentially right. Warriors need to win that game. So Warriors-Eels is a big game and then a huge game the Melbourne Storm at $1.61 against the Sydney Roosters $2.34.
Speaker 1:I'm going to go for the Ooh, that is, a few players out.
Speaker 2:Are they resting as well?
Speaker 1:Katoa, grankt King, meaney. Coates, coates, this ain't an easy one. That's changed. That has. That changes my Daniel Tufo Without Walker. The Roosters do look a little bit lost at times, but with losing Coates and the area of threat that the Roosters have, I'm going to go Roosters.
Speaker 2:Yeah, fair, I'm on the fence quite a bit with this one because Sam Walker is a big miss for them and since he came back they have been dominant and I think that had a huge impact against the Eels. Obviously at the weekend him in being out, I reckon the storm I'm gonna go with the storm in this one, so we split that one and then we are first game on Saturday.
Speaker 1:We're down at the Geo Stadium in Canberra with the Raiders at $1.22 at the Tigers $4.35 this is the chance for the Raiders to kind of cement top spot at home.
Speaker 2:I reckon they're going to come out in a boyish mood and I think they're going to blow away the Tigers. I'm going for the Canberra Raiders.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm going to join you there, win the comp at home.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Win the lot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, closest, oh, odds of changing this one as well. So 5.30 on the Saturday, we're at the Jubilee Stadium, coggera Oval. We've got the St George Illawarra Dragons at $1.92 against the Manly Warringah Seagulls at $1.92.
Speaker 1:I'm going to go the Manly Seagulls.
Speaker 2:You said last week about Hoppawattie and Kola running rings around them. I did.
Speaker 1:And I did and they did. It's the only one that I've said this season, when I've gone on them. Actually, no, I think there was one a little bit further back where two players actually turned up as well. I reckon Manly back up what they did last week. Turbo looks like he's got to back up because he's wanting to get a selection for the Ashes. I reckon he's got to be going into that. So I'm going to go Manly and I'm going to go Manly 13+.
Speaker 2:I like it. I like it a lot, apart from I read a stat earlier Manly haven't beat the Dragons in 10 years at Coggera Oval. But it's going to be 10 years done. It's going to be zero days since we last beat the St George Illawarra Dragons at Cogger Oval. We're winning this. We're winning it big 13 plus. Love it.
Speaker 1:You heard it here first, and then we're off in the Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville with the Cowboys at $2.72 and the Broncos at $1.46.
Speaker 2:Again, another close one. Broncos are fighting, obviously, for the top four. They're going to hope that the Warriors lose on Friday night. I think the Broncos are going to come out firing again High-scoring game and I'm going to pick the Brisbane Broncos to win this.
Speaker 1:I'm going to join you on that one. The Broncos need to come out firing to secure everything, because they're in the hunt for the top four at the moment.
Speaker 2:four at the moment, and as you said, depending on what happens on the friday, I'm gonna go for the broncos. Yeah, then we go down to shark park on the sunday two o'clock kickoff.
Speaker 1:We got the cronulla sharks at dollar 11 against the newcastle knights at six dollars 70 again, another one where the sharks I think they are mathematically in there or they may be after this win they can still get in the four mathematically, but highly unlikely so I'm gonna. I'm gonna go for the sharks on this one.
Speaker 2:I think the knights just I've got no interest anymore yeah, knights are at risk of finishing bottom of the ladder if they Titans get a win from somewhere, sharks are going to have too much for them. The Cronulla Sharks win this.
Speaker 1:And then the final game of the week. We're at the Suncorp Stadium up in Brisbane Dolphins at $1.54 against the Titans at $2.49.
Speaker 2:This is a difficult one because the Dolphins that I saw on Saturday weren't great and if there's one thing that the Titans do have it's pace around the outside Like they've got speedy wingers, titans do have that carrot dangling in front of them of. If they win, they're off the bottom of the table if the, the knights lose. So I still think the dolphins are going to be too good for them. Dolphins are going to win this do you know what?
Speaker 1:I've not cared about tipping for a while as my comp? I've lost all matter of everything in the in the uh in the comps. Um, I'm going to go to titans that sack manager bounce back. I'm going to go to Titans that sack manager bounced back. I'm going to go for that against a Dolphins team who are going to be on the beach. Hazard's going to be sitting there going. Where's this been?
Speaker 2:all season Spread eagle and go boys, just go out there and have fun. Yeah, and you reckon Titans are going to get it done? Yeah, Fair play, We'll follow us along. Fair play, We'll follow us along see how we go. And then over the weekend we had some championship scenes.
Speaker 1:Blues won 1-0 against Oxford United.
Speaker 2:Was it expected, fifth in their table, aren't you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, we've got Leicester away on Friday. On Saturday morning That'll be a big test of where we are, but now, yeah, got the job done. From everything I read, oxford shifted to a 4-5-1 very quickly. We are, yeah, but now you've got the job done. They, from where everything I read Oxford shifted to a four five one very quickly. I have to kick off and just sat back and absorb the pressure or in.
Speaker 1:Oxford in ways there, the way it is, and I read, I read somewhere on Sky Sports actually that one of the pundits which was nice of them to say was I. If you'd around, randomly strolled into the stadium, you would not have guessed that Birmingham were the team that were in League 1 last year. So it was a good little comment yeah, fair enough, chelsea got a victory 5-1 over West Ham and well they are not in a good way they are not in a good way 8 goals they've conceded in 2 games. They have.
Speaker 2:But it started off so well. Paqueta scored an absolute scream and I was like, oh no, here we go, but corners, chelsea just destroyed them from corners. And then that young kid that we bought from Brazil, estaval, he looks the real deal. Cole Palmer, injured in the warm-up. I actually worry that. Is he going to struggle to get back into the team after you reckon there's been talks about like I reckon he just needs a rest him playing a bit deep.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a very valid point, but sticking five on, alright, it's West Ham, but yeah we'll see how it goes, but what else happened? What did I see? Yesterday, australia destroyed.
Speaker 1:South Africa, south Africa in the ODI, yeah yeah, got three open.
Speaker 2:Australia destroyed South Africa, south Africa in the ODI. Yeah, yeah, got three openers, or top three batsmen all scored hundreds. Travis Head like what's guaranteed Travis Head just smashing sixes and fours.
Speaker 1:Where was that one? It was up in Cairns, wasn't it? Yeah, it's been up in the Northern Territories, yeah, winter cricket.
Speaker 2:They absolutely loved it. But not long to go until the Ashes Buzzing for that and we're getting stuck into that soon. But that is another week, another episode. Make sure you hit that subscribe button, follow along. But thank you again for tuning in and we'll catch you in the next one. See you later.