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!
NRL Christmas Wish List
Faster decisions, fewer stoppages, and a competition that rewards smarts as much as grit. We start with the simple win that fans keep asking for—names on jerseys with permanent squad numbers—then dig into the bunker’s scope, speed, and how to rebuild consistency across an NRL season without killing flow or excitement. From time-limited reviews to a 60-second conversion shot clock and a sensible yellow-to-red upgrade system, we map out small, practical changes that make a big difference on game day.
Manly fans get a focused look at 2026. We talk Jamal Fogarty’s aerial game, how a Brookes–Fogarty combo can keep structure, and why a healthy, hungry pack could unlock cleaner sets and field position. Add a Tolu Koula extension and a drama-free season, and the Sea Eagles could shift from streaky to steady. We also zoom out to the code’s future: a true world round in 2027 to grow the audience, plus an Origin series that brings back high-intensity contests without becoming a whistle-fest.
Then we switch codes and face England’s Ashes problem head-on. It’s not just about unplayable spells; it’s judgment and patience. We outline a route back: bowl first if the toss allows, attack with pace and intent, and bat with discipline against the new ball to build a platform. Across both sports, the theme holds—consistency beats chaos. Tighten the rules, respect the clock, and trust the audience’s intelligence.
If you enjoy clear takes and practical fixes, tap follow, share this with a mate who lives for footy (or cricket heartbreak), and leave a review to tell us your top wish for 2025. Your ideas help shape the next show.
Hello, welcome to another episode of They've Been Doing It All Data. I hope the England boys enjoyed Newster because they've got a hell of a fight on their hand. How's your week been mate? Yeah, really good. Really good. It's actually been more than a week, hasn't it? It has. It's been it's I think it's been three weeks actually. It's been we've been creeping in in that distance of time. No, um, yeah, really good. Uh Saturday the girls won the old state championship. They didn't in the flag, which was which was pretty awesome. Um good, uh I think best way to describe it a great game for a neutral.
SPEAKER_00:It was a great game for a neutral because I was there, I was watching it. Um it was actually a lot tighter than I thought because for some reason they well, I didn't know the score, and I just looked away at a point that I thought you'd scored to go 26-nil up, I think it was. Um, and then started having a conversation with someone next to me and didn't realise it actually got called back, which meant that was it, the last it came down to the last player of the game.
SPEAKER_01:The last play of the game, yeah. We were on we were on D. They just scored a one one of the good things about about the game was even though they scored, we stopped every extra point. Yeah. So that's why we were 20 nil up and we let them back into the game, and they fought really hard to be fair to them, UTS. But they we had a two-point lead. I was like, okay, if they get the conversion, that's if they get the touchdown, that's fine, we'll stop the conversion. The two-point conversion. Blitzer got the sack before the QB even knew what was going on, so that was great.
SPEAKER_00:I was a bit surprised. I was like, why is everyone going so mental on the field? Like, I know they've won, but the game wasn't that tight, only to find out you won 20 points for a team.
SPEAKER_01:So no, but had a couple of bees in celebration, other than that, pretty chilled. Uh, what about yourself?
SPEAKER_00:Sounds good. Um, what's been happening over the last couple of weeks? Obviously, England absolutely terrible in the second test, which we will go over a brief in it in a brief bit, but nah, just winding down with work for Christmas. Um, not really doing much. Couple of birthdays, a couple of kids' birthdays, knocking about a few parties. Um, yeah, that's about it, really. Not much going on.
SPEAKER_01:Exciting.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I know, but uh there's not much going on in the NRL world either, uh, recently. The only real major news has been the debacle around the West Tigers.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Which is a bit, I don't know. I've not really paid attention to it. I don't know much about the split between Balmain and it's the West Tigers and Balmain. So but apparently it stems from that. Obviously, uh Richardson's been is gone, stepped down. Oh, big Tony Mastrov was was set to set to take up. Yeah, that never happened. There was Lou I apparently gonna walk out. There were so many other people if Benji Marshall didn't get if he got sacked, then loads of them are gonna walk out. But it just seems like it's a bit of a mess and a bit of a distraction that they don't need considering they I thought they was on a good trajectory. Yeah, they weren't doing too bad.
SPEAKER_01:No, no, they were, they really were. I thought they they'd got over this slump of of finishing in the sp with a spoon and and whatnot, but they're the the carry-on seems to be dragging them back back down, I suppose.
SPEAKER_00:They can't they it feels like they've come crashing back down to earth with a bang, but let's hope it's only admin stuff and like stuff that goes on behind the scenes. Um, and I'm sure they're wishing for a better new year, which leads us on to something that we're gonna do, which is our kind of so this is being filmed. What date is it today? We're a week before Christmas, which is nuts. And we we've compiled a little Christmas wish list for the NRL and kind of what we want to happen or we want to see in the new year, the new season. We've got a few things jotted down. Um, but what would what do you want for your Christmas NRL wish list?
SPEAKER_01:So, are we gonna do separate wish lists or go? Let's just see how it goes.
SPEAKER_00:Throw some about.
SPEAKER_01:So the the first one that I've got on number one, um, which I think is a more whole NRL type of thing, is what I would love to see introduced is is is names on jerseys. Uh I am a big fan of of the surnames on the jerseys, and I just think it would just add a lot more to it, buy in the younger crowd. So if they can then buy a Crichton jersey, for example, or a Turbo jersey, I think it would be a lot more buy-in, and you get a squad number then, and you just it's not the one to one to thirteen every every game, you just get a squad number, which they did, they have done it, haven't they?
SPEAKER_00:The Bulldogs have released their NRL Vegas jersey, which had their names on the butt it does look sweet, yeah. Um, and it means that every player has a squad number. Uh, there was some I heard some pushback around oh, the size of the sponsor is is reduced, um, and contracts are based around the amount that you can see of a sponsor on on a jersey. So look, I can understand that, but I think for to get a younger people into the audience and kind of engagement and people really buying into players and teams as fans, great idea. And it does look pretty slick. I reckon other teams will follow suit, potentially for Vegas, and it'd be something good to see as we go on. Um, one of my big things that I want on the wish list for the new year, for Christmas, for the new season, is in fact, it involves a lot around the bunker. There's a lot of you a lot of things I've got on the bunker and refereeing decisions, but bunker decisions to be quicker and common sense to be used in some of these decisions as well. There were so many points last year where you slow things down to a frame a second or like a silly frames per second, and someone has contacted a chin or hit someone in the head, and you're like, it's unavoidable. Like he's changed his height, he's dropped himself down, he's uh attempted to hit the ball, the players lowered last minute, or is falling forward. Like, there's a lot of those decisions that were just ridiculous last year, and there was nothing nothing the defender could do. Uh, so for me, yeah, crackdowns or bunker decisions and the speed in which they happen.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah, there's common common sense does need to prevail in that, and and I just hope they just don't go for how they they did it last season, super hot at the start of the season, and then just let things get away with things by the end of the season. So, yeah, the the bunker is uh changes with the bunkers is quite a big thing that I think a lot of NRL fans would would have there.
SPEAKER_00:That's one thing I put down here crackdowns as well. It's annoying when you go through a whole season and there's points of the season which you can clearly see players are alright, not unfairly being sent to the bin because in theory, by the rules, they have actually committed a foul, a dangerous foul, but it's the circumstances around it, and then they go, Oh, hang on, maybe too many people are getting sent to the bin, so we're ruining the product here. Let's ease up on that, but then focus on something else. Like player of the balls was one, there was headshots, uh downtowns, I think was one of the ones that was big, and then in the playoffs, we saw uh the offsides, oh, it might the block-in from uh field goals and stuff like that. It just it's too inconsistent. There are some there are some issues where you're like, hang on, the type where the where the point of the game is, where the pressure is, like, could that player have avoided that? Could that have been done? Let's just keep it consistent throughout the year and referee it like an origin game all year. And do you know what? As much as we moan about the the refereeing and kind of the consistency, I think the international series that took place, not the not the uh England against Australia one, but the one that took place in the in the Pacific Championship, the refereeing in that I thought was pretty good. And I think if we can keep to that standard all year in the NRL, hopefully we won't be having this on our 2026 Christmas wish list. Um we'll see. But yeah, you got anything manly focused on your list or anything around how how manly you'll do next year?
SPEAKER_01:Um I just want I want to see Jamal Foggerty's bombs. I think that's what I'm what I'm really looking forward to is just seeing seeing that man put up the ball up in the air and the snow coming down on it. Um I want to I want to see I want to see the the ball disappear into the backdrop of uh Beacon Hill uh and and and players not be able to pick it up. I think that that's that's very much high up there for me about yourself.
SPEAKER_00:Um similar sort of thing, like Jamal Fogerty, obviously, new player coming to the team. Want to see the new sign-ins do well. Um with DCE going, like, was it you that said it, or was it something that I read? I can't remember that apparently behind the scenes DCE wasn't necessarily sticking to the game plan. So there were times throughout the season where he would just go off script, and it makes you wonder like with all the his his attitude towards what was going on, whether he was doing that and then decided to follow the script when Manley then pumped teams because you look at the start of the season last year, yeah. Likely when he was following orders, let's say, it Manley were doing well, yeah, and then it all unveiled, it all unfolded, and that's when he probably decided, yeah, do you know what my last season here? Whereas with Foggerty, Brooks in the halves, if they're if they follow the script, maybe Seabold, oh this is wild, what I'm about to say, but maybe Seabold is actually pretty decent in in coaching and and attacking. But it would be nice to see if they combine well, Brooks and Foggetty. Uh, it'd be good to see. I saw first pictures of Kobe Heavington in training today, looking like an absolute unit. Posecka looks huge. Posecca, like he's just he's been training well. Ola Kawatu considering um I swear like two months ago, I saw a picture of him and he was just skinny as anything. He's doing well to put back on on size as well. Obviously, he's had shoulder shoulder reconstruction reconstructive surgery. But uh, yeah, like Docker Clay coming in as well. Nice little backup off the bench. Just be good to see our signings like have an impact. Yeah, exactly that. But um, anything else?
SPEAKER_01:Um, I've got a couple which I'll reel off. Uh ban on wearing other teams' jerseys who have got nothing to do with the game that you're at. Like, stop with this rabbit O's at a manly Penriff gamut game. It's it's weird, right? It's just not needed. Um what no one needs to know you're you're a rabbit o's fan. Like, just don't wear it, just wear a polo shirt, just wear something neutral. Just wear a t-shirt. It's fine, it's absolutely fine. Does my head in, it's weird. Um, so that would that would be quite nice. Uh and then um uh one thing that in union that I do like, which I think they should bring over, is a shot clock. So you have 60 seconds from whenever I don't know, I don't know whether it's when the try goes over or the referee sets where to kick it. Yeah, you've got 60 get seconds, and none of this waiting forever for then the ref to blow the whistle, because even that's a little bit inconsistent of when the referee slows it down, um, and then possibly a time limit on the bunker. Uh just like so you know you have to get the correct decision a lot more quicker, and there could be a bit more pressure off the back of that one.
SPEAKER_00:I reckon um like on the on because who was it recently in the it was Harry Maguire, wasn't it? And he came out and said about VAR that only goal line decisions and offsides, things that are like guarantees, yeah, should be called. So I suppose what that translates to in the bunker is I don't know, like, because then we're getting into the intricacies of high balls and like who's tipped it. But I suppose that is clear, that is an actual has he tipped it, has it knocked into someone, and also if the ball was grounded. I think those are the only two ones that the bunker should get involved with. Anything like high shots or what's called on field, and then maybe a system like they do in union where they yellow card them if they feel okay, that needs review, they go off and they can upgrade it to a red card because it just makes sense, it keeps the game flowing. Yellow card off you go, 10 minutes is a high shot, I think it's dangerous, and then we'll assess the degree of severity of danger to that, and that would I suppose help with the the speeding up of the bunker. Any more on there in though otherwise you're gonna reel off just uh just a final one?
SPEAKER_01:I think a challenge a half, yeah. I I I do think it it it's needed and warranted. Um it can add add a little bit more spice to it, because you saw last season there was a couple of rogue challenges, and then a call was made that wasn't even yeah, uh wasn't even talked about um and it was missed. So I reckon you could have one one a half would be because you you look at everything else, you look at test cricket, there's now three for an in-ins. You look at tennis, they get a couple of yeah, a set or whatever.
SPEAKER_00:Um so there's a couple that it's it's more than just the one one chance um to a conclusion whether the referees are right or wrong, they retain it, and I suppose yeah, that one a half, it means it allows that they've got more freedom to then utilise it, yeah. Challenge something they're like, nah, that didn't that didn't that wasn't right, but no, there's some good ones. Other ones that I've kind of got on here is there was talk of it the world round in 2027. I'd love for that to be on the Christmas wish list of it being announced in the new year and actually happen. I think that's that could be great. I think it could be getting um eyes around the world, could be travelling like new locations, new audiences, new destinations. Um, and then one for state of origin, I think, for New South Wales to actually win a state of origin, win it comfortably 3-0. But I suppose a bigger one is for it to be more entertaining than it was this year in 2025. Some of the most physical um physical games that we've witnessed, and then this year it just doesn't seem to live up to what it did last year, and then actually one last one that I thought of the quality of the competition this year was so high. Yeah, like even the Titans like they were beating teams towards the end, like Newcastle only finished bottom last game of the season. There was something to play for every week, and even the final series that we had was absolutely unreal. Like we had the Canberra Broncos game, which Canberra threw away. Like how they didn't how they didn't win that game, I don't know. And then the grand final was absolutely phenomenal. So, just for the competition to be as exciting as it was last year, uh, and Manly for to stay out of the headlines, actually. Manly just go under the radar, just a season of just under the radar, like don't care, like players, but Turbo's contract's gonna be up for discussion. Jake's obviously gonna be up for discussion at points issue. Garrick's off to the roosters and Garrick's off to the roosters, named in the bloody leadership squad as well, even though he's off. Like, that feels a bit weird. Well, that that's another thing, though.
SPEAKER_01:It's it's it's but it's a league of shot, it's a leadership squad for the 2026 season. Yeah, it's not a leadership squad for X, Y, and Z. It's just for this season, and I I think it's very because there's no immediate transfers or anything like that, it's very just sort of blinkers on pigeonholed to that one season. And it doesn't matter if these players aren't going to be here next season, it's it's what who we want in place for that one season.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Um be interesting to see how he goes though, because like knowing you're off at the end of the year, like the DC one caused a bit of like because he announced that he's leaving round four or whatever it was, and didn't know until didn't get confirmed until after the season finished. So there's all that speculation that merry-go round did that cause unrest behind the scenes. But with Garrick, it's like, ah, you're leaving at the end of the season, you're going to the roosters. Like it's pretty straightforward. So, and all like I know Blake Wilson's been signed as well, so there's a potential replacement on the wing, even though I think that's Garrick's best position. Then you've got Foggerty's kicking, who might take some of the kicking duties this year.
SPEAKER_01:So it's gonna be interesting to see where he fits in this season.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it will be. Um, actually, another one I'm gonna stick on my Christmas wish list as well is that Tolu Cola gets re-signed. Yeah. For beyond the beyond.
SPEAKER_01:And another thing that needs to get sorted out is England. Uh, it has been a dreadful, ashy series so far. Um, with full of hope and aspiration, it has just been another drum in in Australia, I think is the best way to describe it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, massively. We uh had so much. I think if we look back at our predictions, I'm pretty sure I see we were gonna walk it. England we're gonna win this one, and I don't know, it just same same story every time. Why play at balls that are going across your body, clearly going wide? Like, don't get me wrong, Stark is luring them in with some of the crossbody balls that he's bowling.
SPEAKER_01:But he's got 16 he's got 16 wickets in this series, and I I reckon if you asked him yourself, he's not bowled like he deserves 16 wickets.
SPEAKER_00:Here in the Australian comments, like the pundits, it's like he's absolutely bowled some some of the best spells in the world.
SPEAKER_01:He's just bowled it outside off, and every English batsman has gone, oh, that's nice, and hit it and edged it. It's just it it's it's it's not like he's hooping it in and and it's clearing out stumps left, right, and centre, and he's getting L BWs. It's it's the lack of intelligence in the English batsman batting, and which is getting in the wickets, and it's it's getting extremely frustrating.
SPEAKER_00:And in that first instance, England should have easily scored 400 plus runs. Easily, easily, and Australia go out and fundamentally do that, they get themselves within a healthy lead, and then England come back in, and why fish for everything outside? It just goes to show when what did we need? 10 when Stokes and who was it that was still Jackson Jack Sweetie? We need 120 or something, and they just back they played sensible, they played, and then all right, Stokes gets out to uh a player of the game, Carey, great catch behind, and that kind of England then fall back into their slump of uh let's just swing for everything rather than just no common sense by the tail end.
SPEAKER_01:It's like oh we're gonna be out soon anyway, so let's get go out getting some runs. And there was a massive point in that where Australia brought Carey up in the first innings. His keeping was incredible, like he was phenomenal, he was incredible, but that's okay, that's test cricket. You don't need to get a result today, just just see it out. It's it's fine. It I don't care if it's boring, I want you just to put up a fight. I don't want you just to be swinging at everything, and because what what use is that? Oh, yeah, we've got some of the great best generational talent in the in the t in this in the world. Well, it's not showing like that, it isn't.
SPEAKER_00:And you look at that squad that came out here, what was it, four years ago, 2021? Yeah, and we're about to have exactly the same result. But there's been no change, absolutely no change. And you think that you look at that squad, like Rory Burns was opening the bat, and you look at who we've got now. What was that stat that that came up? When Crawley makes it to 30. He averages 70. He averages 70. And what did he do in that first innings? Scored 30, and Isha Gay on the um on the commentary was like, There's his 30, got to 73, gone. And it's like, what just settle in, just settle in, try and get the nerves down. Then obviously Joe Root comes in, fair.
SPEAKER_01:First hundred off his back.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, first hundred in Australia. I reckon in Adelaide's just gonna pipe 200. I've got a feeling.
SPEAKER_01:He he's he's averaging 50 at the moment, yeah. Um in in the in the over the two tests, which you know what when you uh I think about it for such a low scores, he's he's been out. I think he's the only one that's averaging actually over 30. I think Crawley's at 30, um, and he's the only one over, and it's it's it's dreadful. Like you you look at the Australian first innings as well, it's I think it's the first time in in God knows how many years that all 11 batsmen have scored double figures as well.
SPEAKER_00:The scorecard looked quality, like it just looked like a high score in a high score.
SPEAKER_01:And just because there's no tons on there, but there's 70s, there's eighties, there's there's battles in there. Um, and England's bowling was was back to what it's I was going to be worried it is. There was just not no fighting it. Archer in that first innings was bowling at 70, 80 miles an hour, which is not what he what he bowls.
SPEAKER_00:Um now we've got it wasn't accurate as well, and that was the worst thing about it. It was all over the place.
SPEAKER_01:Um, and it just it it was just it was just shambolic from from point one to point two. Like they say it Baz Brendan McCum, how can you come out and say, are we overprepared? I I genuinely don't know how you come out and say that because nothing about that game screams, our shit, they're fatigued, they're overprepared.
SPEAKER_00:Like waffles. It's not like they're part-timers either, like they're absolute, they're finely tuned to an extent in a cricketing sense, they're finely tuned to play their craft and their sport. If you can't if you can't handle bowling 20 overs in a day at full pace, you've got to question whether you're ready to go. Like Mark, like Mark Wood, fair play, he's been riddled with injury, but the warning signs are there that he didn't play a test since February. Yeah. Um, comes back, one test, knee issues, done, tore over. So there's one of our big pace attackers gone.
SPEAKER_01:Then you've got Archie's about to pay his third test in a row.
SPEAKER_00:Third test in a row, but yeah, when it nothing matters, he's bowling it up around 150 and starting to give it a bit of lip. Why not do that in the first test? Uh inning.
SPEAKER_01:That's what he needs to do. He needs to first innings of of the test of tomorrow. He needs to be bowling at first whole innings, nothing below 140.
SPEAKER_00:I reckon we should stick Australia until bat. If we win the toss, I reckon we should see get us chasing rather than constantly go in, lose two or three wickets, and immediately be chasing the game from the off. Like, at least, okay.
SPEAKER_01:Slip the pressure.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, we're gonna punish you with a ball. We're gonna try and get you out for whatever score. And it's at that point with the Bazball where it goes, right, we've got to chase down 350 in the first innings to get ourselves on par. We can accelerate, decelerate, right, hit the bad balls, assess where we are at the end of day three or four when we've hopefully skittled Australia again and go, right, we need to score 300 in a day, or we've got two days to score 400. Let's try and chase that down. It just doesn't I don't know. And we've won the toss both times, haven't we? In our elected to Matt, I think. So it'll be interesting to see how that goes. But a couple of changes ahead of tomorrow, isn't there?
SPEAKER_01:Um, yeah, so the Australian team have brought in Pat Cummins. Oh, great. Well, that's what the thing is. England have faced Australia's worst bowling attack in these first two tests and maybe in a long time. In a long time, they've shut the bed out there. Um they've brought back Nathan Lyon as well. Yeah, England haven't gone with a recognised spinner. Will Jacks um is the only spinner I think that shows that they've got zero faith in Bashir, yeah, and rightly so. Um, because at least Will Jacks can bat. Um and then they've kept in the it's pretty much the same team other than um Gus Atkinson in for Josh Tong, who again only really gets wickets at the end of innings when pick teams are slogging. And I I unless there's gonna be some movement in Adelaide, I don't see what he's gonna he's really gonna bring. So yeah, I'm I'm really looking forward to this test.
SPEAKER_00:Ah, it starts on a Wednesday as well, which means it might even be over by the weekend, which is back to test one. Wednesday, yeah. Which is where you're like, oh, what do I do at the weekend? Do I twiddle my thumbs? Like, what what is that what have I actually got to do for entertainment? But um, yeah, the last two Saturdays are for me and the tests have been quite messy after those. So I'm hoping it doesn't go to a Saturday. But what do you reckon? Let's stick our necks out on the line. This is so it's Tuesday night, starts tomorrow. What do we reckon's gonna happen?
SPEAKER_01:Um I suppose you've got to stay positive, haven't you? Um I reckon we're gonna do what you've just said, we're gonna put in Australia first, topple them for 200, put on four, rip through them and and win within innings and 20 runs.
SPEAKER_00:I like the optimism. I have a feeling as well. I don't know, like I hope they come out angry. Like I read something the other earlier the other day that said, um, because we're 2-0 down in England, weren't we? So we've been here before, but obviously on surfaces that favour us. Um and I think we're gonna come out, put them into bat, bowl angry, like fast pace, just try and inflict any damage that we can, uh, and then build a comfortable and sizable lead, and then try and do the same again. And then I think we'll still need a few runs when we bat again. I think we'll need 150-200 runs, but I think we'll it'll be a nervy finish. But I think we'll we'll get it done 2-1 to the gym. Going into the boxing day test, and then uh yeah, hopefully come to Sydney to all. Imagine that. No, that'd be nice. That'd be absolutely fantastic. But uh, what else has gone on in the sporting world? Oh, Lando Norris.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, he won the world championship, good old Brit winning it. Um a lot of talk around uh the Hyman Oscar Praestri and the favour, and uh yeah, it's just it's another another British champion in the F1 now.
SPEAKER_00:It is saw a thing the other day that said uh F1 champions go through cycles. Obviously, Hamilton, yeah, Vettel, is it the start of Lando Norris's F1 cycle of winning it multiple times?
SPEAKER_01:No, I think Verstappen, you've got you can't we can't write off Verstappen next year.
SPEAKER_00:All depends what Red Bull do with their car. Like they started the season so poorly and um obviously finished a lot better than they started. If they had had a better car at the start of the year, then it could have been Yeah, that's very true. Could have been a different story, but uh yeah, I think that's it. That's uh it's one before Christmas.
SPEAKER_01:Any plans over Christmas? Nah, I'd be just a chilled one to be honest, and then down to down to uh the SCG for hopefully a either way we're gonna be good on the beard.
SPEAKER_00:Hopefully it's not gonna be a whitewash. That that would be depressing. Fingers crossed, fingers crossed. Yeah, but thank you for listening. Uh have a good Christmas. Hit that like and subscribe button um if you've enjoyed what you're listening to, and we'll catch you in the new year.
SPEAKER_01:Merry, Merry Christmas.