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!
Suspension and the Heartbreak: This Week in NRL
Returning after Ben's battle with man flu, we dive into Victor Radley's record 10-match suspension and $120,000 fine for drug-related text messages, comparing it to previous player punishments.
• Manly's season wrap-up – finishing 10th after strong performances in their first and last four games
• Recap of final round fixtures including Broncos' dominant win over Storm
• Extensive analysis of Raiders vs Broncos elimination final and controversial referee decisions
• Discussion of Storm's uninspiring win over Bulldogs and their failure to utilize Xavier Coates
• Sharks' surprise victory over Roosters with standout performance from Ronaldo Mulitalo
• Panthers finding form at the right time against Warriors
• Predictions for Raiders vs Sharks and Bulldogs vs Panthers semi-finals
• Updates on Rugby Championship, Women's Rugby World Cup, and England cricket's record-breaking performances
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Hello and welcome to another episode of. They've Been Doing it All Day, Sir. After Ben's little battle with man flu, we're back. Let's get stuck in.
Speaker 2:How's your week been, mate? Yeah, oh, actually, how's your fortnight been? How's your fortnight been?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's been really good mate. American football season's back in the sense of coaching back, coaching the women's flag side of things. Other than that been pretty much same old, same old. We saw Manly beat the Waz.
Speaker 2:Feels like forever ago A while ago.
Speaker 1:But yeah, what about yourself?
Speaker 2:I've never been as ill as I was last week. So we usually record on a Tuesdayuesday, and on monday I was like I don't know if I'm gonna be able to do this. Um, and yeah, I had a high temperature, I had a fever, my whole body ached, yeah, and then, to top it off, I had a throat infection as well. So still getting over, still getting over that. Been on antibiotics, but I tell you what, how nice is it that the weather's starting to change?
Speaker 1:as well.
Speaker 2:Lovely, lovely the warmth in the air, the just being able to doss about in shorts and not feel cold houses aren't cold in the evening as well just makes such a difference to your mood oh, massively, massively.
Speaker 1:And then on lunch I'm able to bowl around piermont, around to sort of barangaroo, lovely bit of sun down by the wharf. It's a lovely way to spend an hour in our work. So it makes you want to get outside as well.
Speaker 2:It makes you actually want to go walk actually get moving rather than it being freezing cold. So we moan a lot about oh, we moan about everything how cold it is and how cold it has been, but when it starts to turn after those three months of the depths of the winter, yeah it's incredible, it's nice and summer soccer's kicked off for the young kids as well. So the first game of that today, son got man of the match, so love that. A few good saves, bosh. But we've got a lot to catch up on. We've got a lot of stuff that we missed last week, but some breaking news that we watched literally just before we started recording was that victor radley has been handed a 10 match suspension for his role in the brandon smith saga, and I think the thing that we just listened to as well. That's unpaid, yeah, and they equates to about 120 000 the biggest ban and fine ever been handed down. And you said something quite interesting. What was it?
Speaker 1:That it's absolutely mad that he's been given this suspension for just wanting to get some drugs, while Ezra Mann again we revert back to it nearly killed a family high in a car. And what was it? Four games.
Speaker 2:Nine, nine.
Speaker 1:So you know there's teams. I know it's a little bit different because the Roosters have done this.
Speaker 2:And Nick Politis came out and said we have a zero tolerance for drugs.
Speaker 1:But yeah it's. I don't know. I don't know what to make of it. To be honest, there's what Adhikar got done for five games. Well, I suppose he left, the Bulldogs found at Parramatta had five games. It just seems to be making it up as you go, along with some of the teams. Don't get me wrong. It's absolutely horrendous. He's not the first player to get caught doing drugs, though, so where do you sort of balance it out? And one thing I can confirm is that he won't be the last player either.
Speaker 2:I think it's pretty excessive. I know they want to send a message. Obviously the Roosters want to send a message and say we don't accept that around here. But first off, they've got no proof that he actually took the drugs. There was a load of text messages exchanged between him and Brandon Smith. Is there proof that he actually took the drugs or he was going to give it to someone else? And then where have they plucked 10 games from? Like where have they? Where have they plucked that from? And on the other hand as well, brandon Smith I know his stuff's going through court and stuff at the moment, but all he did was text someone again. No, I don't think there's anything. He didn't supply the drugs, he just gave a number. And then they're talking about the betting scandal as well in which you can get that information freely.
Speaker 2:The controversy is that the odds thought he was starting was not starting or not named, and then he got named and a few people lumped on, but I think it's being taken. It's a storm in a teacup. I think they're blowing a lot of it out of the water, but yeah, that broke today, but I suppose in the hiatus. For those of you that are new to the channel, please make sure you hit that like and subscribe button. We were tracking pretty well until we took a week off and then things seem to have slowed down.
Speaker 2:But yeah, please help us out by hitting that subscribe button. It really does support us in trying to get to 100 subscribers, so that'd be greatly appreciated. But because of missing last week, we didn't get to summarize Manny's end to the season.
Speaker 1:Oh no, if they'd have played like they did at the start of the season, like the first couple of the ends at the start of the season and the last few at the end of the season, we'd been talking about Manly being an undefeated premiers.
Speaker 2:In those first four games we lost one game and it was against the. It was the second game of the season, Storm wasn't it?
Speaker 2:Was it against? No, it might have been, actually, I can't remember, but I and three in the first four games this season, and then, oh no, it was the Warriors away, wasn't it that we lost, lost against Warriors. And then the last four games this season, we lost the Tigers. So, and then in between that, there was absolute dross, dross. So, man, where do we finish? 10th in the end, 10th, I think it was. But how inevitable was it that DCE, even though we were six points up?
Speaker 2:at the time, just clips a left-footed field goal just to get that one point. And then Warriors score last minute, get the conversion and we win by one point. Good send-off, good atmosphere, good performance as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was a decent performance. Again, it was a characteristic within Manly's performances throughout the whole season that they just shut off for the last 20 minutes and you could see the Warriors were just gaining momentum, momentum, momentum, momentum. You've got to love Turbo's professional foul. He knows exactly what he's doing there. He's hit DWZ into the stand, stand into the hill and he's just started walking off the other side no, no, he's going straight to the same thing as well, the exact same thing, yeah.
Speaker 1:So, um, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta, take him for the team, and what one thing you've got you've got to say is the commitment to the cause. For the. It was the last game of the season, it meant nothing, but they were so on for the win. Yeah, um, that, they, they, they did those sort of things, so it was. It's pretty cool to see.
Speaker 2:It was. But then, straight after the game announced nine departures, some of them we knew. We knew that, like Toph Sipley was going to Super League, tavanga's going to Super League. But one of the ones that caught me off guard was Tommy Talal not being re-signed Hugely off guard. Where's that come from?
Speaker 1:I don't understand it either. Maybe because he was a bit injury prone this season, but he's been a shining light for the past two seasons. In my opinion, I think it's a very bad decision unless there's some big recruitment coming over the off season, but other than that it was a big surprise for me.
Speaker 2:And then what came out after as well is Turbo, the rumours over the off season. But other than that, it was a big surprise for me. And then what came out after as well is turbo, the rumors of turbo going to the super league or exploring options. But I heard something was it yesterday or the day before where they were talking to it was either pen or mastrov and they were saying that the agent we've we've now given turbo an offer both of them, jay and and tom um, and there's an offer on the table for them. It was more Super League clubs contacting agents, not them instigating it the other way around.
Speaker 2:You hope it's true Because Turbo, over the last four weeks, has proved when he's at fullback and he's confident and fit, he just provides something else the way he's skipping passes and throwing it out to Hoppawattie on the wing, who's just open, like it's his presence that just allows, that draws defenders in, that then frees them open. So let's hope Turbo signs beyond 2026 because he's proven at fullback. He's starting to get some confidence back. But there was no real surprises in the last round of fixtures, I think Broncos well, broncos blew away the storm. It's the last one that we tipped around reese walsh and his toilet water and I actually think it was our most perfect tip of that we've ever done. Um, yeah, we said you said broncos would come out. What was it? I can't remember now, it's so long ago. We'll come out swinging and fighting to show yeah, h yeah.
Speaker 2:Hughes would. It was a bit risky Hughes got injured yep, and then Reece Walsh would have an empty barnstormer because of drinking toilet water and everything actually happened, so we should have fully lumped onto that one.
Speaker 1:Well, even a broken clock is right twice, twice a day, isn't it so?
Speaker 2:I think we might, and you've got two pretty correct ones, the whole season but big news out of that one that game was. Jerome Hughes out broke his arm. By all reports he's on track to potentially come back for the prelim final.
Speaker 1:If he plays more than 10 minutes I'll be surprised. I think they showed that they brought him back fast. He took quickly in that last round.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and one of the things we did say of one of the other fixtures that we thought the Titansans might avoid the spoon. They did and they did. And the other prediction that you've been making, which I think stands so true, is that the eels are one to watch for next season.
Speaker 1:They absolutely spanked them yeah, and then this is and they're looking very excited, very exciting couple. I reckon they're a couple of signings away in their pack.
Speaker 2:They've got someone coming in. I can't remember who was mentioned the other day, but they have signed Jack de Bellin from the Dragons, so he's going to be coming in, so that's an experience forward.
Speaker 1:I reckon they're one or two more away from having a decent probably lower, lower eight team next season.
Speaker 2:I reckon they could even cause trouble. I mean, look, what we might do is predict what our predictions are next year. Now Well, at the end of the season, to give it a go and then see if that changes between now and next season and then review it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's not a bad idea.
Speaker 2:But one thing we will do in a couple of weeks as well is have a look maybe even next week, have a quick look at our table predictions from the start of the season and then, um yeah, see how we got them, how they finished off, because I know there's some absolute stinkers out there. I can remember who we said for one and the spoon, but I can't really remember who we kind of where we put each team in between that. So that'd be an interesting one to go back and have a look at. But I know it's thursday and I know we're looking for more forward to the weekend. But let's have a little discussion around last week and what happened and, my word, probably one of the best sporting fixtures.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was incredible this game I've ever seen the Canberra Raiders beaten by the Brisbane Broncos 29-28. And there was a lot of talking points that came out of this. What were your thoughts on the game to start off with came out of this?
Speaker 1:What were your thoughts on the game. To start off with the two half Raiders, sort of has it come to bite them in the little bit of a butt in this game with what there was about 15 minutes left 20 minutes, I think there was to go and when Walsh came back on and oh sorry when he came back on.
Speaker 1:Apologies, yeah, I think there were 15 points down or something like that and he just ripped it, ripped it a new one on that what do you reckon about the headbutt? Oh, he should have been off the field. You're setting a precedent there, man. I know it's a very soft headbutt and it's not like a doink. Yeah, but you know someone else's and be okayed.
Speaker 2:The absolute outrage of it is how did Hudson Young get into the bid as well?
Speaker 1:Ashley Cline all about me.
Speaker 2:I can't believe. Ashley Cline is on track to referee the final. The NRL have come out and said they're happy with his performance and that he is on track to be refereeing the grand final.
Speaker 1:I don't understand why they put him on this pedestal as the best referee in the league. He's definitely not. He's terrible. It's all about me.
Speaker 2:So you look at that, the Walsh headbutt, which was the biggest point of the game, because if he gets sent off which, by the rules of what they've said, a headbutt he should be sent off?
Speaker 1:Haven't they come out and apologised as well to the Raiders saying that he should have been?
Speaker 2:I don't know, I haven't seen anything about that, but he should have been sent off. That means he doesn't come back on and I will give him credit where credit is due. He absolutely carved up when he came back on. But was that because towards the latter end of the game, where the Raiders have been putting everything on the line tired legs, tired players he's just been able to run around, find the space? Shibasaki gets in for one because Reece Walsh has carved it up. But I don't get how they saw that as two yellow cards.
Speaker 1:Especially Hudson Young. Not a clue with that. But then there was the amount. I think was it. The Raiders finished this game twice, but then it ended up as well being called back.
Speaker 2:They won it twice. They won the game twice.
Speaker 1:They won the game twice and a little bit of probably game management. I think before the end of extra time. They were very close Before the interception, I think, from the Raiders it was like last minute of extra time. They were down in the Broncos half and they could have probably set up Fogarty for the field goal. I think there was a minute left, but then they tried to get a bit of movement. Someone intercepted it for the Broncos, ran it up and then it went into golden points. So I think there was a little bit of game management there.
Speaker 2:And this is where the experience of finals footy, I reckon for the Raiders, comes in.
Speaker 2:Having a younger team, they may like more experience, like you think about Cleary and the Panthers, they would have 100% set up for the field goal, no matter what, and I think it's Hudson Young who took it too far out, yeah, and then tried to come back the other way, and then that's when the intercept happened. But Another huge one to come out of this game and I don't see how this wasn't a red card either was Patty Kerrigan's hit on Morgan Smithies. He nearly took his head off.
Speaker 1:It's ridiculous. It's almost like the Chiefs at the NFL last season. They could never get penalized for anything. And the Broncos seem to be sort of that team. They seem to be getting away with murder. And yeah, it should have been. I reckon they should have probably had two reds in this game. Was that a bit of an Ezra?
Speaker 2:Mamm joke. They're getting away with murder even though he didn't murder anyone, I don't know. Well, you look at it. Kerrigan's been fined and banned for the prelim final when they get there, and Walsh has just got a fine and got away with it. I think it's yeah. It sets such a bad precedent with the headbutt People now are going to be potentially throwing heads and going. Just give me 10 minutes. Just give me 10 minutes. I fancy a rest.
Speaker 1:I'm a bit tired.
Speaker 2:Exactly, reece Walsh, the kick to level it. It's frustrating. Who was it who ran through? I can't remember, but he did make contact with his leg, wasn't it? Morgan smithies?
Speaker 2:uh, no, I don't think it was, but made contact with the leg by the ruling it is. But what annoys me about this one? He's come from behind him. If you watch the angle, he's come from behind him. If you watch the angle, he's come from behind him. There's no intention to make contact with his leg, but where Reece Walsh has swung through, he's caught him. If he was coming from front on I'd be like fair enough, he's made contact with the leg.
Speaker 2:But, he's come from behind to go try and block the ball and then has caught his leg. Look by the rule book. It's a penalty.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But it's one of the softest penalties.
Speaker 1:It is, but then you can't be. You can't have grey areas around that, because then people are going to start pushing it to the line and literally flying into tackle.
Speaker 1:And that's the whole point is to protect the kicker a little bit. Unfortunately, the two times that the Raiders ended up winning the game correct, they were there's calls like the. I thought when I saw it in live Jed Stewart's was a knock on because it's tipped his fingers and gone forward. So it is unfortunately a knock on. And then, by the luckiest, the fucking drop goal was by Ben Hunt.
Speaker 2:Well, his hands were up in the air before, just after he kicked it and then he took his hands down because he was like hang on, this might not go over, and I think Reece Walsh was on his shoulders and they were all looking going. Have we celebrated a bit too early on this one? It feels like he's on a bit of a redemption arc, back where he started with the Broncos. You know, dropped the ball in 2015.
Speaker 1:I a ball in 2015.
Speaker 2:Um, I think they stand a really good chance of getting to the final. I is, yeah, and you never know, it could be the greatest of kind of come back around full circle moments that ben hunt and he's I think he's been very um, he's willing to give up his position in order for mam or uh reynolds to come back in as well, but I don't think they'll be as good if they come back in. Did you see the new and I put this in in our little schedule the new Fox AI index of player performance, because I thought this was quite hilarious? Jamal Fogarty got 7.7, which, all right, is fair enough. My only concern for him coming to Manly.
Speaker 1:He's been incredible this season, but it's his ability to win games, icing games yeah, icing games, which is a worry.
Speaker 2:Reese walsh got a 10.6, even though he went to the bin for 10 minutes, yeah, and that's the highest score over the weekend. But ben hunt the slots the winner and get 0.4. I do not know how they're working it out, and you could probably take this and actually put it up on screen, the image of this where Cooper Crog is trying to explain it with the rules above it. It was just absolutely mind-blowing.
Speaker 1:I don't understand it, to be honest, mate.
Speaker 2:But do you reckon the Raiders have got enough?
Speaker 1:this week Against the Sharks 100% Against the Sharks.
Speaker 2:We'll get to that one in a bit. But yeah, I feel sorry for the Raiders. They had the game won Twice With 13 minutes to go, whatever it was, and then actually won. They had the game actually won and then they had it won again in extra time and it got called back. But Storm Bulldogs this one kicked us off on the finals weekend Storm 26, bulldogs 18. I'll be honest, I wasn't impressed with either team. I'm worried for the dogs.
Speaker 1:You know, I think they're going to be going out this round Coming up against the Pampers. Yeah, with no Kryton, no Kryton.
Speaker 2:I haven't heard the latest from Krikow. He refused to go and get an eye scan last time I heard because he didn't want it to be medically proven so he could potentially play.
Speaker 1:Oh no, Krikow's been named. Yeah, Krikow's also named in the extended. Anything can happen, but now the Panthers' wheels are turning. Uh, we'll talk. We'll talk on that in a minute, but um, but yeah, I wasn't wasn't impressed by the storm either. They just seem to be limping through the season and you know what if they end up winning it fair play yeah, gritty, yeah, gritty, gritty, gritty, win, yeah.
Speaker 2:Um. We were messaging each other through though, like what, where is xavier coats? Where was xavier coats in this game? I think they were trying to use him as more of a distraction, to try and get the ball in behind or use their other weapons. He was coming up against jacob carraz. Now, all right, carraz ain't bad in the air, but he's not, I'll be chipping up to him every play he's not xavier coats.
Speaker 1:I every, every play. I'll chipping up to Coates. He is ridiculous in the air. I reckon if you gave him 10 challenges in the air, he's coming down with 8 and he's probably scoring 6. So if you work off them averages, yeah, you need to utilise him a lot more.
Speaker 2:and then, hilariously, will Warbrick, I think, had two stinkers earlier on fumbled, knock on, like when there was a bit of pressure, and then he takes a 90-meter intercept the other way to kind of ice the game. But yeah, I don't know, I'm not impressed by these two.
Speaker 1:Well, a week off for the Storm may do them a bit of good. Yeah, I'm just trying to. Who would they have in the next round? I'm trying to figure it all out with the finals.
Speaker 2:I can't remember who they play the winner of. I don't think it's Penrith.
Speaker 1:No, so Storm play the winner of either Raiders and Sharks. So you're probably predicting that's going to be Storm Raiders. Yeah, that could be tough. And then the Broncos have got Panthers or Dogs.
Speaker 2:The last two games, three games of the season I think are going to be the hardest to predict out of all of them. But I tell you who did look good at centre and I know he won a title with the Panthers at centre. But Matty Burton, he's a good player. Second half he was a different animal. He runs hard with the ball, yeah, and he draws players to him. The only issue with him moving to the center is then you take that ability to feel goal, drop goal, and I think that's what cost them, because warbrick then intercepted and went the other way. They didn't have the ability to set up for that two points. It would have been obvious, like him moving from yeah, he was playing left edge to then coming back in the middle.
Speaker 2:They'd have been like, right, we're just going to send the house to try and block it.
Speaker 1:He's almost literal Mitchelesque, isn't he? Yeah, very similar in that sense of when he's in the centres he can cause damage and play him in the house, play him at fullback, but yeah, I can't really see much from the dogs now, unfortunately.
Speaker 2:No, the injuries are going to kill him. But one player that did come out of this as well for the Storm with absolute glowing was Jonah Pezzer. He came out of nowhere, hit a 40-20 that they then scored from and absolutely swung momentum for them. So I read something somewhere that he's exploring his options for other teams.
Speaker 1:He'll make a good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he'll be a good sign-in somewhere, sign-in for somewhere, but the Roosters-Sharks. This came out of nowhere for me. Everyone expected the Roosters to win.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so did I.
Speaker 2:Obviously, Sharks turned them over 20-10. And this was a big battle of the number fives. Big marquee mark up against Ronaldo and Moulitalo. It's a very even contest, but who do you reckon came out on top?
Speaker 1:You've just got to look at the sort of try scored. Molotalo had a fucking day he did, and that's the thing is Big Marky Mark has been incredible. All season Molotalo's been sort of highs and lows throughout the season. And it's how you perform in the, in the big games, so to speak and Molotov decided to turn up and ripped, ripped the roosters, a sort of a new one, in that sense he did, and verbally I think it was either before or after the game.
Speaker 2:He was absolutely ripping into the people that had written them off. Um got a stern test this weekend, though, but there was a bit of controversy in the lead up to his second or was it first or second try just before half time? Yeah, but um walker had the ball and jesse ramian look, he didn't go to make a tackle. He clearly looked like he punched at the ball and then walker's gone to flick it with his leg, and then they've intercepted it and gone the other way.
Speaker 2:It looked like a clear knock on to me like I've watched it back a couple of times just to make sure what I'm saying and I don't know how it's not called a knock-on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, within tackling motions, I think it's really difficult to see whose hands do what. Don't forget, they don't have the ability to be able to. I know they do for knock-ons, but it's because they can't, then the bunker can't come in and and replay it. Yeah, and also, did they go straight? Did they go straight up the other end of the score?
Speaker 2:they did because they went down that sideline, and then I think it was maybe one tackle.
Speaker 1:So that's, that's a big thing is because that one tackle then doesn't get the stops, the review. So if, because of the if, if they'd have gone up the other end and scored, they would have probably gone back to that and reviewed it, because I remember them whipping it across and mulatalo gets the ball and I think it might even be victor radley that comes across and just slips and then he cuts back on the inside and scores um.
Speaker 2:But for me the roosters just weren't clinical enough. They made a lot of errors. They weren't as, yeah, Billy Smith made silly mistakes, throwing it into touch late on when they're in decent position. It felt like they just didn't click in the final like they have done in previous weeks. Shame to see them out, I must admit.
Speaker 2:I thought they were going to be a team that stood a chance from eight spot. They could have caused anyone a problem. But Sharks just remind me of Arsenal. I don't know why they just remind me of them. No one really likes them. It feels like to me. No one really likes them. But you know, they're just all right like that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they just get it done. They're just decent.
Speaker 2:Like I look at Arsenal in the Champions League this week and they just won. Nothing spectacular, didn't look amazing. Big game against the Raiders though they have to be on top form.
Speaker 1:They have to be the sharks that look like a top four team to be able to beat the Raiders. I think the Raiders are going to come out swinging and going to have a chip on their shoulder.
Speaker 2:Yeah, switch codes a little bit. Australia obviously have done well in rugby union in the what is it?
Speaker 1:the Super Championship? Is that what it's called? Just the rugby championship, Rugby championship.
Speaker 2:They've won one. Lost one against both South Africa and Argentina, but very unlucky against Argentina not to come back, but also very lucky to win the first one. But Suwalee's made a massive impact on Big Marky Miles going back to rugby union.
Speaker 1:He's going to be playing in the 2027 World Cup.
Speaker 2:There's talks about like they haven't got the money for it and there's no way they can afford his contract. But the British and Irish Lions tour got them out of debt and they're now 30 million or whatever in the plus, so they've got their cash there. Will we see him at Roosters next year? Yes, but at the end of this season. I don't know.
Speaker 1:I'm not sure. I definitely think he should go on the kangaroos tour to. Yeah, he should, he should he should be playing international league.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's, he's a, he's a, he's a international player he is indeed, but the final, the final game that we review the weekend. Uh, for me it was a one-sided game, like the scoreline doesn't reflect it and didn't reflect it up to a point, but the Warriors couldn't get it done at home against the Penrith Panthers 24-8. There were scenes from the opening kick-off of Moses Leota and James Fisher Harris going at it. They ran into each other pretty hard and it got spicy. Early on I think there was a scrum that I don't know. There was a penalty from it. And then you turn around and they're both kicking off. But yeah, a bit of an underwhelming game. Panthers just ran away with it, really yeah and this is the thing it's.
Speaker 1:The finals Panthers are starting to turn up, isn't it? It's one of those. It's starting to see the naming headlights again, and we'll be at the game to watch it. So it we'll be at the game to watch it. So it'd be. It'd be just a typical Panthers thing, isn't it, to have an absolutely half-hearted season to then go and win the whole thing. But it's quite amusing. We were having a conversation with one of our worst friends after the.
Speaker 2:We were after the Manly game, weren't we?
Speaker 1:I hear you're playing next week. Who are you playing next next week? Manly um, and we're now both playing the same person next week I know, I know it's, it's like, it's like one of that they've, the warriors have achieved the exact same as the knights.
Speaker 2:If you want to look at it, I think I saved myself from some cash from that as well. Predicting five dollars, five dollars exactly could have been 15, could have been five, I could have been zero and I got away with zero. But I tell you what one moment in this I think highlights the kind of penrith five in a row bounce is when cleary boots the ball down the middle of the field, the two returners have split and it's just bounced back towards the panthers.
Speaker 2:Um, I can't remember who picked it up, but it was clearly a forward pass yeah, it was huge yeah, and it was toto that then got the ball dummy, pumps it around the back and gives it to just McLean and he just goes over um, and to me that screams that the the rub of the green, the one winning the lot.
Speaker 2:The rub of the green is going their way. So and then Toto obviously intercepts one at the end and takes it, takes it the house. I think this scoreline, the closeness of the game, kind of flattered the Warriors a bit I think the Panthers have still got another gear to play. Yeah, massively.
Speaker 1:Huge game against the Bulldogs. I think they're going to just run over the Dogs as well.
Speaker 2:So what that leaves us with? We have the Broncos and Storm on a bye, which is big, which is big for those two teams, and then Storm await the winner of the Raiders and the Sharks.
Speaker 1:And the.
Speaker 2:Broncos await the winner of the Raiders and the Sharks, and the Broncos await the winner of the Dogs and the Panthers. So let's get into tipping how we think each of those are going to go. Let's start which game's up first Raiders, Sharks. Raiders against the Sharks. Let's get the odds up on this one. Raiders $1.57. This is in Canberra as well, so they're going to have the old crowd behind them, the Canberra crowd behind them, Viking claps galore. The Canberra Raiders $1.57 against the Cronulla Sharks $2.42.
Speaker 1:I'm going for the Raiders. I think they're going to be on a bounce back from last week. They're going to have a chip on their shoulder, they're going to come out flying and I think they're going to put a score up on the Sharks Saying that. That is what I firmly believe. There is a little voice in the back of my head going was the game against the Broncos too much and it's taken it out of them? And are they going to stumble against the Sharks team? But my overarching thought process is that they are going to. They're going to run away with it.
Speaker 2:I heard something interesting on the radio earlier Triple M I was listening to on the way to, on the way to wherever I was going, I can't even remember, but it was Aaron Woods speaking on the radio about what he'd heard from the Canberra awards night, which was the day after that game, and he got asked a question about how did to Ricky Stewart?
Speaker 2:Ricky Stewart, sorry, got asked a question about uh, obviously, tough loss yesterday, how you doing now and he referenced um Hudson Young's phone call in Las Vegas at 5am say that he's in trouble, more concerning and worrying than what he saw yesterday. And, like I said, aaron Woods was saying it's a change of mentality from Ricky Stewart, like he's not blowing up and blaming others and he's going almost giving the impression of boys, don't worry about it, like we've lost a tight one in which, yeah, a few decisions didn't go our way, but we've got the quality to be up there and for that reason I reckon he would have taken the foot off the gas in terms of training this week and focused on resting everyone up and getting ready. I think the Raiders are going to blow him out of the water.
Speaker 2:I think the Raiders are going to beat the Sharks pretty comfortably and set up a prelim against the Storm and then the second game on the Sunday.
Speaker 1:We've got the Bulldogs at $3.34 against the Panthers at $1.33 at the Accor Stadium. If this stadium sells out, the Dogs have a big following. Is that going to be a factor in this game?
Speaker 2:Well, they said last year, when they played Manly at a core, they turned up in numbers and that was for a qualifying final or elimination final. So they lost and they're out this time for a what's this one called? What's this round called the prelim final? No, the prelim's the one before. Oh no, the semifinal's the one before. I think it's the prelim.
Speaker 2:I don't even know what the names of them are called so complicated, but I reckon they're going to have some serious numbers at this game. Um, I think there could be 70, 75 000 at this game. Do I think the crowd are going to make a difference? Initially I do. I think there's going to be a big hype up around um that they're g'd up, they're going to want to put on a performance, but I think, over time, having no Crichton, if kick-out is fit, I think the Penrith Panthers are going to get to a semi-final and look like they're going to go potentially for five in a row. So, yeah, I'm going to tip the Penrith Panthers in this one, yeah, and I also.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm going to tip the Penrith Panthers in this one, yeah, and I also think I reckon the Panthers are going to have a following around them as well. I don't think it's just going to be. You're going to see a lot of black in that sea of blue and white. So, but, yeah, it's the Panthers finals. Team Now starting to click and going for the motion. So you'd be stupid to bet against them. Team now starting to click and going for the motion.
Speaker 2:So you'd be stupid to bet against them, so I'm going to go for the panthers, yeah, so well, obviously review these ones next week we're going to film a bit earlier next week as well, so gonna film on the monday, get them reviews in, get them, get them, uh, opinions of how it went and see if we're sitting here with egg on our face, as we always say. But be sure to hit that subscribe button to make sure you're alerted to when we're when that one gets released. But um, yeah, we've mentioned it previously, we got we got a few different sporting events that happened to, to recap the rugby championship couldn't get any closer, uh, no everyone's won one and uh sorry. One one, two and one two and lost two.
Speaker 2:Resurgence of australian rugby big time when the Lions were over here everyone was like, oh, they're so weak, it's such a feeble tour, like, why are we doing it? But last gasp win against Argentina, what was it two weekends ago now, where Wilson Harry Wilson, is that his name? Yes, I believe. So.
Speaker 2:Just when, instead of he's like, yeah, we're going to go for it we're going to win this game and seven minutes later they scored so big balls there but then unfortunately fell off against Argentina. Previous weekend. Some controversial moments in that game. But look, australia's discipline wasn't as good as it should have been. Referee was a bit heavy on the whistle, they just couldn't finish it at the end but Suoli when he gets the ball in his hand.
Speaker 1:He's something else. He's dirty, he's ridiculous um but I believe there is a massive resurgence.
Speaker 2:They've got new zealand, I think here or in nz have they gone over there, eden park to start off with, and then they go over to perth two big games two big games to play this low cut first time, like talks, the first time in a while that they could actually win it so it'd be be interesting because New Zealand obviously coming off an absolute Spanking about.
Speaker 1:South Africa who just again, just haven't really seemed to got going Like this glimpse of unreal South African team, and then they're not glimpses of it. And then Argentina are just in the back going. You know what boys.
Speaker 2:Could Argentina sneak it?
Speaker 1:We're just going to carry on playing. If they put in two solid performers against South Africa, because one of them's at Twickenham, I think and the other's in Durban. The second one's at Twickenham, the first one's in Durban. I think If they Do, you know what? They could put two cheeky, sneaky performances in. Imagine if they come out and win it. That'd be unreal.
Speaker 2:It'd be nuts. That just goes to show what can happen in what 20 years, and also how close the southern hemisphere.
Speaker 1:Well, world rugby is at the moment.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the Rugby World Cup in 2027 will be. If Australia carry on the trajectory they are, get a few more names. Rumours are Angus Crichton might go back to rugby as well. I think Australia could be within a shout. South Africa stay as powerful as they are. France, you've still got could be within a shout. South Africa stay as powerful as they are. France, you've still got Could be in for a real good World Cup.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, we're keeping an eye out on that one Talking about World Cups, though, something we haven't mentioned for the girls back home, very true, the Red Roses are absolutely flying for this World Cup.
Speaker 2:It's only Canada that are going to cause them problems, right.
Speaker 1:And I reckon and that's what I was just about to say is I reckon Canada are going to roll over New Zealand and it's going to be an England-Canada final and don't like to do it and hate to bet against them, but Canada are looking very good.
Speaker 2:I haven't seen much of them. I've just seen us piling points on absolutely everyone and there was a bit of outrage against Australia, like we had a tight first half and then just blew them away in the second half. But I suppose that's a little bit of a disappointment and it's not more competitive.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But when you get to this round these rounds are fixtures, now semi-final and final that's where you see the elite teams rise to the top and hopefully these games will be closer, but for me, what I've seen and what I've read, canada are the standout team that will challenge England.
Speaker 1:Well, this is England. England are playing France, who just snuck past Ireland in the Dead old mate ban for 15 weeks.
Speaker 2:In the semi-final Dropped down to 12 weeks, didn't they for biting?
Speaker 1:And I can't remember who did England play? I don't think England played for Ireland, but, yeah, canada have been, I think, the biggest surprises from this World Cup and, yeah, it'd be good to see another team in there apart from me. I think the last World Cup final was England-New Zealand. I think New Zealand won in the last few minutes, but no good on them, absolutely flying for it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, fair play to them. On to another English team that is well, not as successful as the women's rugby team, but the English cricket team. Since we last recorded I don't know how this has happened, but they've played a one-day series and the T20 series against South Africa and both have been so many runs, so many runs. So South Africa won the first two one day, as convincingly, yeah, and one of them, I think, england were absolutely terrible in. But then in the third one, which I got the feeling that South Africa took their foot off the pedal, but England went out and absolutely smashed a record performance, winning by 342 runs, 414, and then bowling South Africa out for 72. That is nuts, but was South Africa?
Speaker 1:already for 72. That is nuts, but was South Africa already in Thinking about? The T20s you look at the T20s. The first one was stupid because it was just like Duckworth Lewis took over.
Speaker 2:Didn't South Africa play nine overs and England played five? Something stupid.
Speaker 1:England needed nine like 70 odd off five overs or something daft. But then in the second game england scored a one day score in 20, what was it? 300 and 304, which is ridiculous, mad um. And then the third one got washed out. So, yeah, um, brilliant stuff, but seeing that it does get you excited for the ashes, it does, it does and something that popped up scrolling through tiktok.
Speaker 2:This geyser comes up that talks about record crowds all the time and he was comparing the most ever watched uh series in general, which I think in total was 900, and something that ashes series. Sorry, 900 and something thousand spectators.
Speaker 1:But they played at the mcg twice okay um, and this one.
Speaker 2:This could be the first ashley series that, if all goes well, eclipses over a million spectators attending. If tests go five days, which I feel may, they might, and he even went like, look on day five, we'll get half crowds for those. So I reckon there's an opportunity for that. But all you look at ticket availability all three days for most tests, but Melbourne's a weird one. It's actually the second day there's still tickets available, but I suppose it's because there's 100,000 people that can fit in.
Speaker 1:And it's also the day after Boxing Day, very true, a few people would be hanging as well.
Speaker 2:But yeah, tickets are difficult to get for one to three days. Fortunate enough that we're going to day one and three in Sydney. My mum's coming over there and she's looking to book flights. So I've got to make sure that we don't book the flights for the first day of the test, or she doesn't. So I've got a phone call with her to make sure that we we miss that one. Um, but yeah, that's flying around. When's that like? What are we in now? September, october?
Speaker 2:november two months. It starts november the 21st, I think. Think I saw On to the. Oh, there was definitely Formula One, but we'll go into the football how Birmingham have been going for the last two weeks.
Speaker 1:No, no, we're avoiding it. No, no, no, as the reality of the championship kicked in, yeah, massively. A couple of 1-0 losses. I think it was against Stoke. And who did we play before Stoke? Was it Leicester? And who did we play before Stoke? Was it Leicester? I don't know. But yeah, we're struggling.
Speaker 2:I think you mentioned that one previously.
Speaker 1:We're struggling in front of goal at the moment, which is a bit of a worrying sign, but other than that we're dominating possession. We're just not doing anything in the final third.
Speaker 2:Yeah, wrexham aren't doing too good, though either are they Don't care about Wrexham Chelsea. What happened last time? 1-0 win over Fulham, which I think I mentioned. Then we drew 2-2 against Brentford controversy around maybe a bit of an offside, offside goal and then played by Munich this morning. Lost 3-1, lost 3-1. But look, in the Champions League we'll learn from it. Cole Palmer scored, missed a few chances as well, so we're looking we in the Champions League.
Speaker 2:We'll learn from it. Cole Palmer scored missed a few chances as well, so we're looking. We're not looking too bad. Harry Kane scored twice, which is frustrating, obviously. Ex-tottenham player Formula 1, though. What's happening in Formula 1?
Speaker 1:I can't really remember. I think Piastri's won a couple, norris has won a couple, mclaren are pissing it away, so yeah, they're going to win the Constructors by an absolute country mile, did I read somewhere they've already won it. I don't know, but it's going to be. It's down to the. It's going to be down to the last few races between Nairos and Piastri.
Speaker 1:It's because they haven't got a pecking order of who's the number one driver, because there was that thing in the pit lane wasn pit crew's fault, it's whoever's got the best advantage at the time, which is probably not a bad way to do it, to be honest, when they're fighting. But no, it'll be interesting to see how that finishes out fair enough.
Speaker 2:I think I saw Grilled had a Piastri burger that you can get, so maybe I don't know if he wins it we'll get some Piastri released and we'll catch you in the next one. See you later.