FIFTY not out.

PNG is coming for the NRL market and the tax-free angle is already making rival clubs nervous. We unpack the PNG Chiefs’ latest signings, why flying journalists over is a smart PR play, and the uncomfortable question at the centre of it all: when take-home pay is higher, is the salary cap still truly equal? We also talk Perth’s challenge building pull in an AFL-heavy state, and why “buying the best” still does not guarantee a winning team.

Then we zoom in on the on-field product: scoring is up, 80-point totals are showing up, and fans are split. We dig into what the rule changes might be doing to fatigue, ball-in-play time, and momentum, and whether rugby league risks turning tries into something that feels routine. From there it’s pure match talk: the Knights vs Rabbitohs classic, Latrell Mitchell’s rollercoaster night, the Sharks piling on points against a depleted Tigers, and Roosters vs Broncos chaos with huge injury and judiciary fallout.

We finish by sizing up the teams in real trouble, what the Storm’s slump means in a year full of injury news, whether the Bulldogs can actually turn the attack around, and what the Warriors need to do to be genuine title threats. After that, we lock in our Round 10 predictions and set you up for the weekend. If you enjoyed it, subscribe, share it with a mate, and drop a review with your spiciest take: should PNG’s tax advantage be changed or embraced?

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello and welcome along to our 50th episode of They've Been Doing It All Day Sir. Let's get stuck in.

SPEAKER_01 0:07

How's your boy? Been mate.

SPEAKER_00 0:09

My week's been busy. I'll tell you what it has been as well. It's starting to get freezing cold. Cold. I remember this time last year we were uh the wing in Poms, I think we got labelled. Yep. Because it was freezing cold. I know I'm sitting there wearing a pair of shorts, but starting to get a bit nippy outside. Um days are getting shorter and the temperatures are getting lower. But yeah, just sorting house stuff and um yeah, getting on with life, really. Feels like forever ago because obviously we um have to film a little bit later this week. Yes, just a little, just a tad later. Had a couple of things go on in life, haven't we?

SPEAKER_01 0:43

Uh which has which has meant uh we had to change our normal recording day because it was my partner's birthday, so we went out and uh had a lovely celebration uh for that. Um and then yeah, you had to do some bits and bubs as well, so we had to record on Thursday.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Yeah, later this week, which feels a bit weird. Um it feels like last week's results were an absolute age ago. But um a few big talking points from the week, actually. Uh a few I saw a few podcasters go over to and media go over to PNG, which um is a bit interesting. It's the they've got signed Jerome Louis, which is a huge sign-in. Um, and today I think was confirmed that Alex Johnson as well has been signed to the PNG Chiefs, and he counts as one of their PNG nationals. But interestingly, it's starting to a lot of teams are starting to come out now and say that it's unfair to do with the tax-free dollars. Um, what are your what are your thoughts on it?

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Uh look, it's it's just part and parcel of it, isn't it? It's um the like when I I I I think I saw uh a statement come out that you get paid a little bit more in New Zealand because of the the the rate of of tax as well as the currency rate. Look, the PNG could use it to their advantage, they could offer players uh who are on 1.2 1 million dollar contracts uh and offer them $700,080,000 straight off and help build they could build an absolute incredible team while still keeping within the bracket. Um but then it then again is it a case of that they have to the NRL need to look at it and go, right, what what would be a salary cap for for them in comparable to oh make it lower, make their cap lower just just because then it's comparable with tax and and and stop all this. But you know what? If if they it the history has shown that buying all the best players doesn't necessarily mean mean you build a great team, so um yeah, it's gonna be interesting to see how who and what what transpires from that.

SPEAKER_00 2:57

It reminds me a bit of how everyone was kicking off in two the early 2000s when big man Roman Abramovich came over and took over Chelsea. I suppose the difference with the Premier League and the NRL is that there's no salary cap in the Premier League. So they were signing players and offering them wages that other teams couldn't really compete with, they were providing clubs with transfer fees they couldn't really compete with. So I think it's I think it's going to be interesting because this tax-free period goes on for 10 years. They've got to try and build a franchise that encourages participation in homegrown talent in that 10 years. Now, if they're successful, then hopefully they have the setup where the funding then takes over that 60 million a year or whatever it is the Australian government are given. But if it isn't successful and they don't experience success in those first four or five years, then I think that it could potentially cause issues in that no one will want to go there. Okay, they're getting a bit more money, but for what? Yeah. Um, and they could end up falling off the face of the earth, the PNG Chiefs. It's a salary capped sport, though. So the amount of wages you can offer can only go a certain amount, precisely, but it is that tax-free element to it that will be the be the draw.

SPEAKER_01 4:14

And also there's only so many players you can bring over as well. So if you yeah, everyone's going to be going over wanting big money, and there's only so many you can actually bring over to fit within that cap. So um it's not like they can have 30 absolute top one players because they just won't be able to afford them.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

I read somewhere obviously that every other NR NRL club is getting in a $4 million payout or something because of because of this, but they're not allowed to use it within their salary cap. So it's just an extra $4 million, I think. What would in my mind what would make sense is actually allowing other clubs to use that four million salary cap, but then would it only be $400,000 a year over 10 years? I don't know. Like how much difference would that make? But I do think a team that is unfairly um rewarded, what's the word? Not like unpunished or yeah, punished from this is the Perth Bears. Like they're also a new starter team that hasn't had the success in signing a big name player because I don't think they've got the draw to what PNG does because of the tax-free dollars. What would you move over to Perth?

SPEAKER_01 5:20

Um look, these two these two setups are pretty much there to to bring in those that are on the fringe of other teams, aren't they? Really like uh they um what what was what's his name? The brick centre for for Manley last year. Uh one that was like a brick, like a square boulder. What was his name? Beginning with a V? I can't remember what his name is, but he's he Ray Vega. Yeah, he's he's at Perth, I believe. Um or was he yeah, I think he's at the he's at Perth. He's gone he's somewhere. I think he's at Perth. Um so it's it's it's building for for the for the for those uh sort of players, giving them a chance in the NRL and then being able to um push push through. But yeah, like you say though, I think the PNG's got that slight bit of more of a pull, but Perth do need to pull their finger out and start wheeling and dealing.

SPEAKER_00 6:13

They do, and a similar sort of thing, they're competing against AFL over there, huge AFL state. If they don't pull their finger out and sort things out, which are apparently a bit turmoil as well around Malmaninga, then um I do think the sport might die a death and it won't gain that national status that it wants, it will mainly be a uh three-state sport because the Northern Territory and Southern Australia, South Australia as well are AFL um staunch places, but trying to break into the Northern Territory obviously saw the eels and dolphins and panthers and everything go up there. But fair play to Michael Shamas, the uh CEO of the PNG Chiefs. Great tactical move from bringing over journalists, even though it was for a day, because now all eyes are on what they're doing and the the audience that they've just opened up to to answer some of the critics. Yeah, uh, I think they might see a fair few people now starting to say, right, I want a bit of that PNG action, give me some of that PNG money. PNG money, yeah. Yeah, like people saying, oh, that Russia money when Abramovich and that oligarch money and stuff like that. But look, look at Chelsea now. Look at Chelsea now. Look at Chelsea now. Absolutely fallen off the uh wayside, haven't they? On that, did you see Morgan Gibbs White's face from the weekend? So I think he got head butted, right? And he split his head open, like no joke, split his head open from his nose to his forehead, and in one shot you can actually see skull through. So, for anyone that doesn't know, that's uh Nottingham Forest midfielder split his head open, going up for a header. It's pretty bad. Really? It's pretty bad. But let's get on to um some of the some of the games from last week. Now, a lot's being said about the new rule changes and high scoring games. Um, I think like I tried to do some stuff on ChatGPT earlier to find out how it's comparing to last year, but yeah, unreliable, chucking out a load of waffle. It said like there was no games that hit 80 points last year, but then I actually did a search myself, and there was like a 52 18, there was a 60-12, like it was chatting rubbish, so I gave that up. But I did find a stat that scoring is up 10% on last year. There's been multiple 80-point games this year, um a couple of 70 pointers, and then the one at the weekend, the Barnstormer that was the Newcastle Knights defeating the Rabbit Hoes 42-38. What's your thoughts on um from a fan's point, like these high-scoring games and these back and forth what what what is it about the rule changes that have made them high scoring? I try to figure this as well. Is it fatigue? Is it um because to me, I actually think the six again rule inside the 40 has taken away that element of being able to attack get further up the field? Yeah, because if you get a penalty within the thought 40, you just boot it further down and you're immediately within an attacking set. Whereas with this new rule, let's say on the 22-meter line you get a penalty, you might have an attacking kick at the end of it. Whereas with the rule previously, you're guaranteed almost to have an attacking kick. So yeah, I'm not quite sure. Maybe it's the fatigue element, apparently the the play of the ball because people being pinged for six again, but fuck me, that wasn't on show at Penriff.

SPEAKER_01 9:29

Right. I can I can see how that can be effective because if because now it's six again outside the 20, where there would normally be a stopping play, there isn't anymore. And if the rug's quicker, one thing one of the things I've noticed watching Manley this year is how long the ball is in play in between breakage, like it's it's in in in play for a long period of time.

SPEAKER_00 9:48

There was a time at the weekend when I was like, I don't think the game has stopped for 12 minutes or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 9:51

So so I can understand it from that point of view.

SPEAKER_00 9:53

But it seems so is a metric of a good game the amount of time the ball's in play. So it's is that what the NRL trying to achieve? Ball in play longer, more fatigue, higher scoring. Turn it into basketball. But this is what I say about like basketball. If you watch a basketball game on TV, when a basket goes in, the fans are like, Yay, yay. You don't want that, you want the scenes of the weekend like the Newcastle against the Rabbit Hose, where towards the end, when those tries were being scored, fans were going ballistic. You want that every single try, you want those points, every point to mean something, and not just be like, oh well, we'll just go down the other end and score. Yeah, um, so I'm not sure I'm on the fence a bit, but you look at like well, you look at the two games that 42-38, but then you go to the Sunday and you look at Manley against Penrith 18-16 as enjoyable. So I think we're seeing both ends of the spectrum.

SPEAKER_01 10:53

I think it's what people want is more attack and intent. I think uh the attack and intent that comes with defensive displays as well, I think is a great mix of of where this could be could be going.

SPEAKER_00 11:04

Yeah, but talking, let's talk about some performances from that game because Lutrell Mitchell, although I've just noticed that he's out he's out for this week, so he's got back spasms. Is it overuse injury? Is it because there's too much fatigue? I don't know. But his performance at the weekend kicking, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible.

SPEAKER_01 11:24

Could have won the game on easily. He I saw I think it was last week when he was playing, not the weekend gone, the weekend before. I think he was around at about 60% for for uh conversions. Like that that's bad.

SPEAKER_00 11:37

He's got some absolute kahunas on him, though, because he um obviously had one from out out wide and butchered it, like sent it nearly went out for a throw-in. Yeah, and and then that one that he stepped up and slotted through the middle after he had just run over Kalen Ponger as well. I mean, the man is unstoppable when he's he's when he's on, he's on.

SPEAKER_01 11:59

Like he's he's incredible. Like you you want him rested and being in that origin team for sure. Um, but uh we I've said it I you said it so many times last year that going up by six means so much more when you go and then going up by four. Yeah, and it shows in such tight games like this one as well.

SPEAKER_00 12:15

Yeah, but like night knights back to full strength, I'm pretty sure almost. Yeah, we've got to start taking them seriously, I think. Yes, yes, definitely. They can score, they've got weapons, they look good. I mean, Trey Mooney, forward first try scorer, last try scorer, won it. They're good up the middle, they're good out wide. They've got Calen Ponger who dances around. He's a bit like Jerome Louis, I suppose, in the way that he moves his little gooey step as well, as he ducks around people. Um, the last time they had a full strength team, they turned over Manly, and that was kind of the start of Seabolt's ending.

SPEAKER_01 12:49

Yeah, that was a poor game.

SPEAKER_00 12:50

It was a very poor game, but the other high score from the weekend was the Sharks 52, Tigers 10. I I think I think that the Jerome Louis departure is gonna have a similar sort of effect that DCE had. You reckon?

SPEAKER_01 13:06

I don't know. I I reckon it's because they were missing a fair few key players, to be honest. Yeah, we we said it last week missing Happy Carousel in the in the in the middle. Um that's a huge creative player as well as a defensive rock, um which you know it doesn't take a lot when the we've we've discussed it when the sharks are on, the sharks are on. Like they're good. Like we can't disagree with that, but and at home, and when at home, when they turn it on, they're solid against the depleted side. Yeah, it it was only going to be one outcome. I I don't think it's gonna have the same, I just think they're missing too many key players.

SPEAKER_00 13:39

Yeah, and they've also lost Samuela Fayenu, their homole Olaquatu clone. Um, didn't you mention that they're cousins?

SPEAKER_01 13:48

Yeah, good old. I think what was it there? His dad is Alokaatu Grandma's cousin, I think was what I read on uh you could they look similar, like same stature, like there's facial features as well that you're like, hang on, they could actually be pretty closely related.

SPEAKER_00 14:06

Yeah, when you get the old glance, but they've lost Fayanu, Samuela Fayanu, uh Adam Dewey out, yeah, dislocated shoulder, so Jock Madden had to come in. Um they've been there before, but it was with Louai. Dewey was lined up to potentially play Origin. Yeah, I saw something earlier. I saw a picture about the amount of players that New South Wales have lost. 15 players potentially selects can't be selected because of injury. Turbo, Angus Crichton with his MCL, he was named and he's not playing. Payne Haas out like there's a significant number of injuries. Is that due to fatigue? Is it due to as people get tired, sloppier tackles, maybe a few more knees blown out? But then the other game that was high scoring as well, and this was one of the biggest tales of two halves. I think I've seen in the sport so far was Roosters' defeat in the Broncos 38-24. Um, talking of injuries, big injury. I mean, I'm not gonna moan because Manly playing the Broncos.

SPEAKER_01 15:03

It's a good time to be playing the Broncos.

SPEAKER_00 15:05

It is Adam Reynolds was out cold. Was it uh Nafarhu White's hip that just sent oh no, he smashed his head on the floor trying to tackle him, did he? And then he was out cold. Dean Mariner, what a stupid, stupid, stupid. I don't think it's down any fault of anyone's like if you get a dead leg cork, as it's loved to be called, you're like, I can go back on, like I can run it off, go back on. And it was when everyone else was injured. Yeah, well, you never you never expect a cork to be that bad, do you? But you can never predict that all of a sudden you're gonna get compartment syndrome and you've got to have your leg like sliced open um and then pressure being drained, which is absolutely mad. And then Katoni Stags, like this is what I just meant by stupid, stupid, stupid. Oh, stupid, stupid, stupid.

SPEAKER_01 15:47

I got the two mixed up there.

SPEAKER_00 15:49

Yeah, but Katoni Stags, I thought he would only get a one-game ban. I thought he'd be one of the ones.

SPEAKER_01 15:54

He knew exactly what he was doing. That's pure elbow in the back of the head. Like that, there was there's no hiding from that. There is no need for his elbow to fall at that angle, uh, straight out of the UFC rule book. That is that it's he he deserves what he's got.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

Three game ban, though, two or two, I think it's a two-game ban, might be three-game ban, not too sure. But that doesn't origin. Does that impact him for that? I don't think so. No, I think I don't know, it's gonna be touch and go.

SPEAKER_01 16:21

Do the bands correlate to origin?

SPEAKER_00 16:23

Yeah, so like Joseph Soleil, for example, when he absolutely took Walsh's head off. Um, but game of two halves, like the roosters absolutely flew out and pummeled them. Yeah, um, then they score again after half time, you're like, ah, this game's done, and then Broncos just come back.

SPEAKER_01 16:41

They love it, don't they? They love uh love the second half comebacks.

SPEAKER_00 16:44

They did, and then it was in KGFS, and it wasn't until that stag's elbow, the people's elbow, that you thought, hang on, Broncos. I mean, they blew I don't know whether you saw the triple M coverage, they were a bit like that's soft in the box, so like you can't be at this time of the game, you can't be putting them in the bin.

SPEAKER_01 17:01

But any other don't go, don't go throwing elbows, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:04

Any other time, um any other elbow like that on the field, you'd be going to the bin anyway. But going from good high-scoring games to cagey ones, let's talk about Manley's first loss under Foz. I decided to go out and watch it. Yep, took myself to Parramatta. Um, and you know what? I left, it's probably the best I felt after leaving a stadium after losing, um, especially in Parramatta as well. Yes. So, but Joey Walsh, what a performance.

SPEAKER_01 17:38

What a boy, what a boy. Uh, I just he's everything that we've seen him do in New South Wales Cup as well. Like he's he's defend. I remember the first time I went down to watch him, I was messing you straight away. This boy can defend, like this boy is not afraid of a tackle. Um, and they were trying to big up a big Blaze Telani versus Joe Walsh sort of battle on the on comms. Um, first try, I think I think Blaze's try, I think, is more Garrick than it is Walsh because I think Garrick shoots out a bit too early, yeah. Um, which then opens it up, and then Walsh is having to sort of slide over. Um, his pass, his pass to Wallaquati was just like if if that if that was Reese Walsh, if that was uh if that was Adam Reynolds, if that was Nathan Cleary, I think the commentators would have literally jizzed in the box if it was Nathan Cleary. I I messaged you and went, honestly, it sounded like the the the bias to Penrith on the on the comms was ridiculous. Who was in the comms box? It was Andrew Voss.

SPEAKER_00 18:38

Nah, and um oh lucky was it now Billy Slater, wasn't it? No, I don't think it was Billy Slater, it was um I don't know, but anyway, they just they were just really oh no, sorry, I was listening to the it was Billy Slater on the nine like review after or something, and he was like he was just basically slagging off manly because we batted him 40-nil in the final.

SPEAKER_01 18:58

Also, like granted Huppowat is try, there's a conf there's a few controversial controversial points, but I get why it's not given because Cleary, because they're banging out oh cleary would have been able to slide and and and then um uh what's his um Alamotti would have been able and it's well no like by the time Trav uh Cleary gets obstructed, uh Brooks has already got rid of the ball.

SPEAKER_00 19:23

Yeah, I've seen I've seen them given like well no massively.

SPEAKER_01 19:26

I was expecting it, I was expecting it to be given as well. Let's talk about the forward pass. Yeah, that was that was about five meters forward, but then it reversed because when in that 10 minute simbin, the two that got pinged for forward passes were not forward passes.

SPEAKER_00 19:38

The one to Jake Troboevich is 50 metres out. I don't know whether he's making it, and I don't know whether someone backs him up. But how that is called a forward pass, I do not know. It's the flattest thing I've seen. And who was it he went under and it was called a forward pass? Someone went under and scored, and then it got pulled back. I can't remember who it was earlier in the game, and it was that was called a forward pass, and it was flat as well. It was just two questionable calls, but I suppose made up for the one that was five metres forward. Um, but I don't know. I feel let's say when um was it Jack Cogger who got the yellow card? Yeah, if it was Kola, if it was someone else other than Cola, I think we would have been better off in the Sinbin scenario, but because we had to stick Ben Troboyovic out to left centre, yeah, it just they were attacking that, attacking that, attacking that, and they just knew that they could take advantage of that with what they had, even down to 12 men. They didn't really need a fullback because they knew they had the speed around the outside. And to me, we um we have so many like players that can play in those five positions, but yet turbo gone, cola gone, not really much on that bench. It just cost us a bit in those in those 10 minutes.

SPEAKER_01 20:54

Well, Blake Wilson was on the bench, but I think we used the rotations for the forwards, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:58

Um just a shame with it. What fucked it all up was Heavington having to come off after 10 minutes. Yeah, that's it. And it's a shame, it's a shame that he's not gonna play against the Broncos. Yeah, he's been massive this season, he's been so good. But look, one of the things to take away from it is Manley can hang with the can't he can't sleep on Manley. One of the things that I've seen as well was the um oh, it's like a points conceded against points scored. Third overall, third overalls in like that's the whole season as well. So even with the train wreck that was the Seabold era of three games, 22 points conceded a game at the moment. Attack averaging 31 points a game. Oh, it might be a little bit lower after that game at the weekend. But I tell you what, like can't sleep on Manly. I'm looking forward to Saturday. It's gonna be good. The problem is, and we'll get to the game in a bit. A wounded dog is always dangerous. Wounded Bronco. A wounded Bronco is always dangerous, and oh fuck, they've been they've been swinging whilst they've been injured, but um Let's talk about some teams that are in a world of strife at the moment. Bulldogs lose to the Cowboys, Storm lose to the Dolphins, and the Titans lose to the Raiders. The Bulldogs just look terrible.

SPEAKER_01 22:13

They just look like the well, this is this is what I was listening. Um, oh his name's gone. Um, Adam O'Brien is the attack coach.

SPEAKER_00 22:21

Who was shit at Newcastle?

SPEAKER_01 22:22

Who was shocking at Newcastle?

SPEAKER_00 22:24

Although they stuck 30 other man last year.

SPEAKER_01 22:27

So it's it's like, well, what do you what do you expect when you when you're bringing in someone who didn't have the best of attacks last year? Yeah. But they've got weapons, like they really do have weapons.

SPEAKER_00 22:37

Um one of the things that I read is um, or one of the like the critics of it is are they just becoming too structured? Have they lost that ability of creative freedom just to give it a go? It seems like they're trying to do stuff and repeat doing stuff and it's just not working. And Burton, I don't know what's going on with him.

SPEAKER_01 22:52

Oh, I also pretty bad as well. I also saw the old NRL soapbox. He he did a uh he did a little thing on Preston, the post-Preston area, so not Preston, um Sexton. Yeah, Sexton got dropped where everyone's like points were since Sexton was dropping, and they're like they're like 14th overall. They should never have got rid of him.

SPEAKER_00 23:13

And all that, do you know what that is? That's Gus Gould wanting to sign a young player and bring him up and say he was a bulldog's product rather than sticking with what you got. That and Reed Marnie as well. Like Reed Marnie had a game. So for the Cowboys, like he was he, I think he wanted to prove a point, right? Like he he nearly scored as well. I think he was like millimetres short, or it bounced in the wrong direction. Um, but another team that are absolutely in strife, and obviously it's come out recently that Craig Bellamy has a neurological disorder. Um, must be difficult. Like, I saw a thing on Instagram of I think it was a post, you know, the suggested post that come up. Yeah, it was his daughter that posted something up about their daughter and like spending time with their granddad. I I personally think that after the origin period he might not come back, if not that, definitely the end of the season.

SPEAKER_01 24:05

Yeah, I think he's done this year.

SPEAKER_00 24:06

Um I don't think it's had much impact on the like what I was hearing this morning when I was listening to my podcast is that it hasn't had any like sorry, no one knew about it. Only a couple of players like knew that he was going for tests and stuff like that. So I don't think it's had a per an impact on the performances. I just think they're performing rubbish.

SPEAKER_01 24:28

They're just shocking at the moment, like there's there's just nothing to them. No, um, it's like it's like also it's almost like that Simpsons meme with the lads with the stick going, do something, do something, and you are waiting for them just to burst into life, but he just never never comes.

SPEAKER_00 24:42

One player that is is sure Farlongo, like he just always seems to. I think he's pretty much scored in every game. Yeah, he's another one that just dances around everyone and uses a bit of creativity. But Munster has been so quiet, yeah. He's talking about he's talking about retiring, he's that done with it. Hughes, I don't think he ever recovered from the injury of last year. What was it? Shoulder. Yeah, I know he broke his arm or whatever. Oh no, he broke his arm as well, but it just seems like slow, he's trying to do too much, and Harry Grant has had sparks, yeah, but they just don't seem to be clicking. I've said it numerous times that losing Katoa and then Kamakamita is having a massive impact on them. Huge bodies as well, and then the last team, Titans lose to the Raiders, but Titans I don't think are doing much this year. Um, but out of the Bulldogs and Storm, are we can we write them off for the top eight?

SPEAKER_01 25:41

Oh I don't know. I I think this I think these next couple of weeks are going to be the big, big things going into Origin. Um, if they are still so far off the mark, then 100% yes. Um but if they do manage to turn it around, then you can't count them out because there will just be a spark in one of them. Dogs, I don't see it, whereas the storm they're always that sort of sleeping side to them.

SPEAKER_00 26:04

Have the dogs got many players out, no, out, no, they haven't. Uh Viliami Kickau, who is a big loss.

SPEAKER_01 26:12

Well, he's been he's been he's not done any he's had one good game, and that was against Penrith.

SPEAKER_00 26:15

That's very true. Well, they've all had one good game, and that was against Penrith. So I I can't see the Bulldogs making the top eight. No, I can see the store making the top eight. Yeah, I agree. I th I'll agree with you on that. But I would say only just like I'm now feeling confident about my predictions of what was it, Storm 7, Dogs 8. Um, but I didn't think we said this about Penrith last year, though. Like there's whether I'm off, I think it was 13 games through a season, they had to do something spectacular, and bloody oh, they nearly go on and win the whole thing. So, but I just don't think the storm are gonna do that. Um I think the Titans are safe from the wooden spoon. Yep, perfectly. I think the uh I think the Dragons have very much got that. They secured themselves two points so this week on the bye. Uh, and then kind of the last game of the week that we can talk about is the Warriors beat the Eels. Um can the Warriors win the comp?

SPEAKER_01 27:11

Can the Warriors win the comp? Of course they can. Up the Waz.

SPEAKER_00 27:14

I think they can.

SPEAKER_01 27:15

I think the Warriors can win win the comp, but I think they need to they need to they need to do well, obviously everyone needs to, but they need to do well in finals when they get there because they can't shoot the bed like that. They need to finish in the top two, they need a home draw, they need a buy, they need to play as much in um New Zealand. New Zealand as possible, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:30

I agree. Well, let's get on to the round ten predictions. Yep. Interestingly, the Dolphins and Bulldogs have just kicked off, so there's no odds that we can give here. It's currently nil-nil. Uh, who do you reckon's gonna win that one? I'm gonna go for the Dolphins.

SPEAKER_01 27:47

Uh I I've already put it locked in my tip, it was gonna be the Dolphins.

SPEAKER_00 27:50

Yeah, same. I've gone for the Dolphins as well. I've gone for the Dolphins as well.

SPEAKER_01 27:53

And then tomorrow, uh, the first uh kickoff, the six o'clock kickoff, at the Polytech Stadium in Gosford.

SPEAKER_00 28:00

Upon the old central coast.

SPEAKER_01 28:02

Uh we've got the Roosters at $1.13 against the Titans at $6.05.

SPEAKER_00 28:06

My word. I saw the Roosters are actually the second favourites to win the win the title behind the Panthers, obviously, but it's got to be the Roosters.

SPEAKER_01 28:18

But the Roosters have lost Lindsay Collins and the wing of Nita Wase.

SPEAKER_00 28:21

He's out for a while. Old Lewis Frank injury. He's so origin, another one. He's out of the running for Origin.

SPEAKER_01 28:27

Um, yeah, I'm gonna get Roosters as well.

SPEAKER_00 28:29

Yeah, Roosters all day. Then we're up in Townsville for the Friday, 8 p.m. kickoff. We've got the Cowboys at $1.31. That's got to be the lowest they've been in a long time against the Paramatic Eels at $3.50.

SPEAKER_01 28:41

Um I am gonna go with the Cowboys um quite comfortably, I think.

SPEAKER_00 28:48

Yeah, Cowboys are looking good. Yeah, um, I think they're definitely within a shot of making the eight this year if they continue as they're going. So I'm gonna go for the Cowboys.

SPEAKER_01 28:57

Uh and then we've got the first kickoff on the Saturday, super Saturday, at the wind stadium in Wollongong. We've got the Dragons at $3.16 against the Newcastle Knights at $1.36.

SPEAKER_00 29:08

Be interesting to see if the bye week will get to will have done anything for the um for the dragons. Obviously, Dean Young managing to get a bit of time in with the team. But full strength Knights, I think, turn this over turn this team over, and they turn them over pretty easy. I'm gonna go Knights.

SPEAKER_01 29:26

Yeah, I'm gonna go for the Knights as well, my friend.

SPEAKER_00 29:28

Then we go to the Accor out at the Accord. We've got the South Sydney Rabbit Hoes at $2.23, the Latrell Mitchell's South Sydney Rabbit Hoes at $2.23 against the Cranala Sharks at $1.66. Ooh, this is Jack White as well, broke his arm, didn't he?

SPEAKER_01 29:45

Yeah, Jamie Humphreys is out, Jack White is out, Jai Gray is back, which means old uh Dufty's been dropped to the bench. Um I've I've changed who I was gonna wear this on this, but I'm gonna go with the sharks.

SPEAKER_00 30:02

Yeah, I if the rabbit o's were at full strength, I think it would be a closer game, but I believe because of those injuries, some key players missing there. Both centers, both starting centres out. I'm gonna go with the rabbit o's and then the sharks.

SPEAKER_01 30:14

And then and then and then and then the 7.35 kickoff at Foz Pines Park. Jesus. We've got the Manly Warringer Seagulls at $1.63 against the Brosburn. The Brisbane Broncos at $2.28.

SPEAKER_00 30:32

Wounded, wounded Brisbane Broncos. Um, Kobe Hetherington is the only loss for Manley, and Brisbane have lost Reynolds, Mariner, and Stag some big losses there. Ben Hunt, I read, been named, but it's because they're short of players. He probably won't play. Give me the Manley Seagulls and give me the Manley Seagulls 18 plus. We're gonna absolutely run over them. We love it. Four Pines Park is gonna be bouncing 7.35 on a Saturday night. Brookie Hotel is gonna be bouncing, the brewery is gonna be bouncing. Oh, just get me there.

SPEAKER_01 31:09

Yeah, I'm gonna agree with you on that one.

SPEAKER_00 31:11

There we go. The Manly Seagulls, double it up, stick your money on now. Then an interesting one. We got the Sunday 2 pm kickoff at Amy Park, the Melbourne Storm, $1.52 against the Tigers, $2.52. Can the Storm not lose eight in a row?

SPEAKER_01 31:28

Uh yes. I I think the I think the Storm are gonna win this one. I think the Tigers are gonna sort of continue falling. Um Kai Pius Paul is back, but I I think the the big thing that they're missing is is Appy and now Dewey as well. I think they're they're two key per key parts of this team, which are gonna be missed bigger than people may have thought.

SPEAKER_00 31:49

I agree. I'm gonna add Samuel Afainu onto that as well. Having a powerful second rower to back up with um Kai Pierce Paul. I'm gonna go with the Melbourne Storm on this one as well. I think they are finally gonna get that monkey off their back and they're gonna get that victory.

SPEAKER_01 32:05

And then finally, last kickoff, the five past four kickoff on the Sunday, down in Canberra and the the Geo Stadium. It will be chilly, it will be nippy. Yeah, uh, we've got the $3.73 Raiders against the $1.28 Panthers.

SPEAKER_00 32:19

I reckon this is gonna be a good game. Yeah, I think the Canberra Raiders are finding a bit of form, um, and the Penrith Panthers are just the Penrith Panthers. So I think it'll be a KGF air. Um, but I think the Panthers are gonna win this one.

SPEAKER_01 32:34

I was looking at Huddy Young's back, uh Ethan Strange is back, but I don't think that'll mean much against the Panthers, to be honest. So we're the Panthers.

SPEAKER_00 32:44

Going for the Panthers, and that's it. Well, we'll wrap this one up because the Thursday night footy's already kicked off. Shout out to all 153 of you mad dogs as well that are subscribed. Uh really appreciate it. And if you've made it this far into the episode, just chuck any random comment down below and we'll uh yeah, shout you out next week. So if you're not subscribed, hit that subscribe button and we will catch you in the next one.