Speaker 1: Lizzie praying in Welcome to L three sixty Rugu believe
Speaker 1: from every angle.
Speaker 2: Joining me in the great Gordon Tallis.
Speaker 1: It's been the journal Australian Paul Crawley and Andrew Webster
Speaker 1: and get ready to see Sydney fans because Latrell Mitchell
Speaker 1: is back for the first time this year. He returns,
Speaker 1: and he returns Gordy in the centers, not fullback.
Speaker 3: I think that's a great move. That's really smart from
Speaker 3: Wayne Bourner coming back from injuries.
Speaker 2: You need him ouither.
Speaker 3: I think he can have the same impact that Cena
Speaker 3: and we watched it so many times, especially at State
Speaker 3: of origin and international level. That's great news for the game,
Speaker 3: but better news for Bunnies League.
Speaker 1: And see round five team selections. Thanks to sports Bet,
Speaker 1: Gray remains at fullback, Mitchell named in the center as
Speaker 1: we may as well go through the rest of them.
Speaker 1: Cleary returns out to begin for the Panthers. Watson is back,
Speaker 1: but Radley's out for the Roosters. Feynu in for the
Speaker 1: suspended Luai. Time for a boy of its sideline yet again,
Speaker 1: this time with the mcl Hopuati moves back to fullback,
Speaker 1: but the big news is Latroll Mitchell returns for the Bunnies.
Speaker 2: Cruelse.
Speaker 4: Yeah, look, he Wayne pretty much had to pick him
Speaker 4: at center this week because of the injury concerns that
Speaker 4: Souths have at the moment.
Speaker 5: They lost Alex Johnson on the weekend.
Speaker 4: They're already without Tyrone Munroe, Campbell, Graham's out. It just
Speaker 4: made sense and at the end of the day, Ji
Speaker 4: Gray has been fantastic this year.
Speaker 5: He leads the dally.
Speaker 4: Ms and Latrell was made to play in the centers.
Speaker 6: At this point, I still think it's his best position,
Speaker 6: to be perfectly honest, that's where he made all the
Speaker 6: noise when he was a younger player one Premierships. I
Speaker 6: do like how Wayne is just playing with our minds,
Speaker 6: turning it in, using it, like, using it our heads
Speaker 6: like that it's a pretzel.
Speaker 2: It's like.
Speaker 5: So, but he's bending it like a pretzel.
Speaker 6: I mean, like you said two weeks ago that he
Speaker 6: was never going to pick on more like it was
Speaker 6: always going to be it was always going to be
Speaker 6: Latrell coming in for fullback, and he joked about Ji
Speaker 6: Gray playing possibly being Reggie the Rabbit.
Speaker 2: You don't want to be REGGI of the rabbit. There
Speaker 2: might be a year.
Speaker 6: Coming up soon, but I think it's a smart decision.
Speaker 6: I don't think it'll be for very long.
Speaker 1: This shows the influence of the great Wayne Bennett. Now
Speaker 1: all of us here agree that it's a good move
Speaker 1: to put him back in the centers, but still an
Speaker 1: element of shock today when he was named there. But
Speaker 1: he's got the power, he's taken he's made the big
Speaker 1: call there.
Speaker 4: Cul I think what it also shows is that last
Speaker 4: year we spoke about it often that there seemed to
Speaker 4: be preferential treatment for Cody and Latrell last year, and
Speaker 4: there's no doubt in the world that it caused problems
Speaker 4: at SOUSE. I don't think they would have done this
Speaker 4: if Jason Demitrie was still the coach. Wayne has smoothed
Speaker 4: it over obviously with the drill. He had to get
Speaker 4: him on board and make sure he wanted to do
Speaker 4: it for the team.
Speaker 5: But that's what it's.
Speaker 4: All about at the moment at SOUS, and even to
Speaker 4: what you say, Wayne does see him as a fullback,
Speaker 4: as the best fullback in the club there for the
Speaker 4: team this week, with the injuries that they have, this
Speaker 4: is best for the team.
Speaker 2: The Trell's on board.
Speaker 5: Now I'm with you.
Speaker 6: I think it's I just like the fact that that
Speaker 6: Wayne said a couple of weeks ago not going to happen.
Speaker 6: But you know, he just keeps us all getting But
Speaker 6: that's the beauty of Bennett because he can do it.
Speaker 1: And camill Graham is out, so it's an obvious move.
Speaker 1: But what happened if camill Graham wasn't out. Do we
Speaker 1: think he would have went straight to the fullback?
Speaker 2: Oh?
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think he would have gone straight in.
Speaker 4: Look, obviously we haven't seen Littrell, but they think he's
Speaker 4: fit enough to come back and play. That's not the
Speaker 4: reason he's playing in the centers. It's because they're lacking troops.
Speaker 4: Three outside backs are missing and.
Speaker 1: Gray has been outstanding with Trell back in the team.
Speaker 1: The bunnies were bouncing in Effron Park this morning.
Speaker 2: Let's roll or left so game? Yeah.
Speaker 7: Well it is April Fools as well, so Wayne could
Speaker 7: be playing games.
Speaker 2: So who knows.
Speaker 7: But obviously he's a big inclusion where we're happy to
Speaker 7: have him back in the footage side. And I know,
Speaker 7: if I'm playing Littrell, I wouldn't like to see him
Speaker 7: at left center. So it's only going to be a
Speaker 7: great inclusion for us. And I'm just excited to see
Speaker 7: the big fellow play the first game, his first gap
Speaker 7: proper game of the year.
Speaker 2: So yeah, I'm very happy to have him back. When
Speaker 2: you see Latrell there on Friday night, yeah absolutely, it does.
Speaker 7: And especially watching him train today, he's a pretty special
Speaker 7: time with the ball in hand and he just gives
Speaker 7: everyone around him so much confidence. And yeah, it's exciting
Speaker 7: times for us for sure.
Speaker 1: Very funny there, Joe Arrah, don't quit. You that your
Speaker 1: job and comedy's not your thing. Bunny Bunny is three
Speaker 1: from three wins, one last. They already looked like they're
Speaker 1: going to definitely make the top eight. Lot of question
Speaker 1: marks over them before the season, Murray and Latrell long
Speaker 1: term injuries to start off, and a lot of people
Speaker 1: put the line through them. But have they proven that
Speaker 1: they are definitely top eight?
Speaker 5: I don't know if we could go that far.
Speaker 2: Just shit.
Speaker 4: I thought it was a big win on the weekend
Speaker 4: over the Panthers, Like everyone was talking about the fact
Speaker 4: that Nathan was injured, Dylan Edwards, South's and missing Murray,
Speaker 4: They're missing Latrell, Campbell, Graham's out of that game. They're
Speaker 4: still missing a couple of other players. I think there
Speaker 4: was five or six. It was a big win. I
Speaker 4: still worry that they haven't got the full wards.
Speaker 5: I agree. I think they're important wins.
Speaker 6: Though to bank those victories before Latrell came back was
Speaker 6: really they're just bonus points.
Speaker 1: It was always going to be important that they started
Speaker 1: the season well without Murray and Latrell. And also Latrell
Speaker 1: looks it before the season, looks even fitter now. For
Speaker 1: him even to stay up while these teams winning games
Speaker 1: motivates him, gives him confidence and prepares him for this
Speaker 1: return this week, and I think he's going to be firing,
Speaker 1: I really do.
Speaker 2: What do you think? Yeah, I think they're a top
Speaker 2: eight side.
Speaker 3: I think just the way Wayne and I know that
Speaker 3: they are a bit light on in the forwards, but
Speaker 3: the way he's able to get those guys to keep
Speaker 3: on doing their job and you know, and the way
Speaker 3: they dismantled Penrith. I think they've always been like one dimensional,
Speaker 3: but the way Cody started the season, I think he
Speaker 3: just looks a bit more free in it and just
Speaker 3: playing that old Cody will walk a football and now
Speaker 3: Latrell's back, that's just another.
Speaker 6: They look like Awayne Bennett coach team. You know, they
Speaker 6: got their punch, punch, hard work art. You know, forwards
Speaker 6: playing above their playing above their weight. And if any
Speaker 6: man can get them to the aid into the aid
Speaker 6: for the finals, it's Beenett.
Speaker 2: He's already had the minus touch to start this year.
Speaker 1: Now the Roosters and Rabbito's rivalry, these games can be
Speaker 1: very emotional. We know that in the past the Rusters
Speaker 1: have tried to bait Latrell with success and without it.
Speaker 1: Do we think that they could go after him again
Speaker 1: this week?
Speaker 4: I think it works both ways in this game. There's
Speaker 4: no doubt in the world they'll try and get under
Speaker 4: his skin. But the Rooster has got to be careful too,
Speaker 4: because on occasions they've lost their cool in this game
Speaker 4: and it's backfired on them. Like it's always a volatile game,
Speaker 4: isn't it like this? This game has always got that
Speaker 4: extra spice because the two clubs hate each other.
Speaker 5: So I don't think there's no doubt in the world.
Speaker 5: Latrell's got to be careful.
Speaker 4: But I think there's a couple of the Chucks that
Speaker 4: can lose their head too.
Speaker 6: Has ever been an uneventful match between these two teams.
Speaker 6: There's always drama with the Capital dirt, and I expect
Speaker 6: this to be any different with the new synbin rule.
Speaker 6: Edict's cracked down whatever it is, and we're going to
Speaker 6: talk about it later. You know it's going to be
Speaker 6: testing the bunker on the.
Speaker 3: The trail, is going to test their centers because they've
Speaker 3: been pulled out of shape a couple of times. And
Speaker 3: you think, if Cody and Latrell are on fire, it's
Speaker 3: going to be a great battle. And you're right. When
Speaker 3: I was at South, they prepared totally different. To a point,
Speaker 3: I should say, pretend we're playing the Roosters every week.
Speaker 2: It is different.
Speaker 1: It is totally different, and I say it every year
Speaker 1: on the show. I've been on both sides of the fence.
Speaker 1: South Sydney supporter as a junior and player, but then
Speaker 1: went to the Roosters and it's a different game.
Speaker 2: It really is.
Speaker 1: Both teams lift the fan base, lifts the area, really
Speaker 1: hate each other. It's one side of the ends that
Speaker 1: parade against the other. There's cases of beer on the line,
Speaker 1: there's everything there really is. It's an emotional game. For
Speaker 1: the players and they get a lot of that emotion
Speaker 1: from the fans because it means so much to both
Speaker 1: of the fan base.
Speaker 2: It really does fire up.
Speaker 1: Now reports paying Cass will turn his back on the
Speaker 1: Kangaroos to play for Samoa. Now this was breaking news
Speaker 1: this afternoon, only reports though not facts, but still.
Speaker 2: If this was to happen, this is a big call.
Speaker 6: It has been around today that pain hearts and also
Speaker 6: Big Tino we're considering playing for Somorro at the end
Speaker 6: of this year. I know Tino said when he was
Speaker 6: in Samoa last year would consider it for.
Speaker 5: The World Cup next year.
Speaker 6: But I can't imagine Malmanninger being too happy with the
Speaker 6: news it broke today.
Speaker 3: I think it's great news for the international game, to
Speaker 3: build our international game, to get the superstars playing. But
Speaker 3: I just don't see the gray area for me as
Speaker 3: state of origin, whether they can still pull on the
Speaker 3: Marona and the blue where I think Samora and Tonga,
Speaker 3: I think they deserve to be Tier one nations now
Speaker 3: if you spoke to them, if you went to a
Speaker 3: Tonguan or a proud Samo and I think they should
Speaker 3: be Tier one. I think they should be up there
Speaker 3: with New Zealand and Australia.
Speaker 4: So you're saying that you've got no problem if the internet, Well,
Speaker 4: the rules are this way. I absolutely like pain Haush
Speaker 4: in your opinion, should no longer be playing Origin if
Speaker 4: he chooses, well.
Speaker 3: I think that's the decision that you make, and that's
Speaker 3: the decision one of the rules. I know, it's not
Speaker 3: the rules, so they're going to play within the rules.
Speaker 3: I'll play for New South Wales and Queensland, but they'll
Speaker 3: go and play against those guys and I'll take a
Speaker 3: young Queensland and New South Wales kids job where they're
Speaker 3: going to get the experience and maybe fight for a
Speaker 3: kangaroo's jersey, so then they lose experience to play them
Speaker 3: at the end.
Speaker 2: Of the year.
Speaker 4: It's a catch twenty two though, Gordy, because if you
Speaker 4: go back about twelve years, I reckon it really started
Speaker 4: to take effect with Jason town Malolo around was it
Speaker 4: around the twenty thirteen period and he went from New
Speaker 4: Zealand to Tonga and things changed for the international game.
Speaker 4: The World Cup became a meaningful event. I've actually admired
Speaker 4: the last decade how there's been a real growth in
Speaker 4: the International game and the pride in all these PACIFICA
Speaker 4: nations and Gordy. If you take that way, there's a
Speaker 4: great chance we go back to just having England, New
Speaker 4: Zealand and Australia.
Speaker 5: Wouldn't you rather the International game?
Speaker 2: Blog?
Speaker 5: Is it really hurting Origin?
Speaker 4: Like if you take payinhas and all these guys that
Speaker 4: are eligible to go and play for the Tier two nations, you.
Speaker 2: Get out of Origin? Does Origin lose well?
Speaker 3: Because Queensland and New South Wales were developing Australian players,
Speaker 3: So that's that. That has always been the stepping stone.
Speaker 2: I think you make a fair point there. Good.
Speaker 1: I still think Origin would be amazing regard because Origin
Speaker 1: is it's tribalism. And no matter who puts that jersey
Speaker 1: and we've seen it, you know, it doesn't matter with Queensland.
Speaker 1: They can put anyone in the Queensland jersey and we
Speaker 1: talk about it every year and they turn up and
Speaker 1: they play like absolute beasts. I don't think it matters
Speaker 1: who wears the jersey. Everyone will still get up for Origin,
Speaker 1: Everyone will still love state of Origin.
Speaker 2: It is an interesting one though.
Speaker 1: What sort of the first thing I thought of today
Speaker 1: is because there's all this talk about Kaylin and he
Speaker 1: wanted to play for New Zealand, but he's not allowed
Speaker 1: to play for Queensland and New Zealand because one, because
Speaker 1: they're Tier one and also the fact that he played
Speaker 1: Nines for Australia. That's the issue, okay, So that that's
Speaker 1: the issue.
Speaker 5: Too, whether he can, whether he can change.
Speaker 1: But I think he'd be fine. I think they'd let
Speaker 1: him if they didn't have this. Why is Payne has is?
Speaker 1: Why is it okay for him to go to Samoa
Speaker 1: and still play for yourself.
Speaker 5: Because of the Tier one tier.
Speaker 6: I spoke to Try Grant to the chair of the
Speaker 6: i r L tonight about it, and like the tear
Speaker 6: status has nothing to do with performance.
Speaker 5: It has to do with your pathways in your development.
Speaker 6: And Samara and Tonga just don't have what those other
Speaker 6: larger countries in the NL.
Speaker 2: I get it.
Speaker 6: I get it, But like Gord, just to your point
Speaker 6: about two nations, no, I mean England is.
Speaker 5: No, but they're both.
Speaker 6: But New Zealand and England are ranked above Samoa and
Speaker 6: tong at the moment.
Speaker 5: They are because they play more matches. They just are.
Speaker 6: But the thing the problem is with like origin was
Speaker 6: always a selection troll for Australia. But when that rule
Speaker 6: was put in, put in there wasn't sixty percent of
Speaker 6: the NRL with PACIFICA players. That's the problem, but it's
Speaker 6: going to be the game has changed, the game has changed,
Speaker 6: and but just as they had the origin.
Speaker 2: Was born for game changes, why.
Speaker 5: The rules have to change with it.
Speaker 6: But this is the thing though, the NRL the NURL
Speaker 6: were looking at this in twenty twenty one to see
Speaker 6: whether it was something that they could change COVID hit
Speaker 6: and it just got put into the too hard basket.
Speaker 6: When I called around today, to be honest, the New
Speaker 6: South Wales Rugby League.
Speaker 5: Were the only ones that were interested in changing the rules.
Speaker 6: So I think it's a it's a it's a question
Speaker 6: that they're going to have to sort out sooner or
Speaker 6: later because they're going.
Speaker 2: To real ten years.
Speaker 3: They imagine in ten years time pretty much Queensland and
Speaker 3: News and New South Wales will be dominated by SPECIFICA players. Sure,
Speaker 3: so how do the little Queensland of the little Tommy
Speaker 3: Diedans are addits to Reuben Codters, the Jacob Lilliman's all
Speaker 3: those guys. The Trevor Gilmes is in the past that
Speaker 3: have been undervalued, underweight, the worst ever Queensland side, that
Speaker 3: one in ninety five.
Speaker 2: How do they get their change?
Speaker 6: I'm with you, I'm sort of switched how I think
Speaker 6: about it. Like I think international football is important, but
Speaker 6: it shouldn't come it shouldn't come at the same to the.
Speaker 5: Of origin football. That's the problem. But the problem also.
Speaker 6: Is you've got players in in the NRL, in our
Speaker 6: game that have allegiances just to more than one state
Speaker 6: or to one state, and it could be new it
Speaker 6: could be numerous countries. You know, the dad might be
Speaker 6: Australian born in their mothers, you know, from Samoa.
Speaker 4: It's just laying Haas is a great example. He's he's
Speaker 4: born in Australia, but he has the heritage of Samoa.
Speaker 4: So but if you you're also taking away, if you
Speaker 4: take away his ability to play origin. If he wants
Speaker 4: to choose Samoa, he deserves to play Origin because he
Speaker 4: grew up in Queensland or New South Wales.
Speaker 2: Sorry, he was born.
Speaker 4: He was born here and he played his junior foot
Speaker 4: Ye do.
Speaker 1: We think that a player when he chooses what country
Speaker 1: his first country that he wants to play for, once
Speaker 1: he chooses that he should stick with that, Like, are
Speaker 1: we okay with switching?
Speaker 5: I don't think you're how to do it at HOC.
Speaker 5: I don't think you should go.
Speaker 6: Well, you know what, I haven't been selected for Australia,
Speaker 6: so I'm going to go play for Samoa Weight or
Speaker 6: something for the.
Speaker 1: Tier one team Tier three two. But with the with
Speaker 1: the Tier two you can do it whenever you want,
Speaker 1: that's right.
Speaker 4: But were okay with that when it initially happened, though,
Speaker 4: when it initially happened, when tow Malalo and that did
Speaker 4: it to start with, they want they did it without
Speaker 4: the money. They they gave up the money that you
Speaker 4: get to play for a Tier one country and they
Speaker 4: went and did it without the money, which you could
Speaker 4: only admire. But now it's changed because the the way
Speaker 4: the international Games go on at the.
Speaker 3: Moment, I've got no doubt someone like Calm Pongan when
Speaker 3: he was early in his career playing at the Cowboys,
Speaker 3: playing with Jonathan Thurston, MAT's got those guys there all
Speaker 3: Queensland and thinking I want to wear that jersey. Well,
Speaker 3: as he gets on he realizes his heritage and he
Speaker 3: probably wants to wear the key. We do so I
Speaker 3: do get that. I got it too, And then the
Speaker 3: ticket as a play.
Speaker 5: Year old kid, it's a really hard one, is.
Speaker 2: The buzz No, I didn't get it. Actually, why do
Speaker 2: you have to bring that up? Get me in trouble?
Speaker 2: Why'd you have to double down with that? Yeah?
Speaker 1: Anyway, Cleary returns for the Panthers. Will his inclusion be
Speaker 1: enough to restore their form?
Speaker 2: I think it will.
Speaker 1: I mean they have been ordinary, to say the least
Speaker 1: to start this year has surprised most of us. But
Speaker 1: Nathan Cleary, the Messiah returns. Will he be enough?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 4: We look go back to Round one and their performance
Speaker 4: in Vegas, and especially from Cleary and Isaiah, they were
Speaker 4: out of this world. They played like the premiers. It's
Speaker 4: in them without with their changes, it's not going to
Speaker 4: be easy without dealing Edwards as well. But yeah, he's
Speaker 4: He's good enough to get these guys and carry them
Speaker 4: this year. There's no doubt in the world. The loss
Speaker 4: of Leuwey's bet a big loss. You know, when Cleary's
Speaker 4: not there, they miss him.
Speaker 6: But Fisher Harris, Yeah, I find this really interesting how
Speaker 6: people are talking about is this the end of the
Speaker 6: dynasty and Penrith looked tired. They've made the last five
Speaker 6: Grand finals and one four Like, you can't be up
Speaker 6: for every single season, so.
Speaker 5: You know what, I don't know, but I'm not prepared
Speaker 5: to write them off yet.
Speaker 6: But if they look a bit tired, like they obviously
Speaker 6: did a little bit last week, I can see.
Speaker 1: We've been thinking every year that it's going to happen.
Speaker 1: It's going to happen, and they're proven as wrong time.
Speaker 1: I haven't seen this for fifty years, that's right.
Speaker 6: I just know when they get to the finals, they
Speaker 6: flick a switch and they're a different turn.
Speaker 5: If they can, if they can somehow be in the
Speaker 5: top four at the end of the year, then they're
Speaker 5: going to push.
Speaker 2: For a Premier well within the top four end of
Speaker 2: the year.
Speaker 1: They've done an amazing job again given the circumstances, the
Speaker 1: players that they have lost, but with Nathan Cleary in
Speaker 1: their team, they are a different team and I expect
Speaker 1: them to bounce back this week. Now their defense has
Speaker 1: somewhat fallen off a cliff. Let's have a look at
Speaker 1: the difference between twenty twenty four and twenty twenty five,
Speaker 1: which is quite alarming. Points considered, they were at first
Speaker 1: averaging fifteen point seven seven in twenty twenty five. This
Speaker 1: year they down fourteenth, nearly thirty points a game. Run
Speaker 1: leaders they are actually in tenth, so they're not only
Speaker 1: defending poorly, but their attack or their leaders gained is
Speaker 1: struggling as well. And then line Brakes conceded again they
Speaker 1: were first in the competition. They are now in eleventh position,
Speaker 1: so the stats don't lie. They are struggling for the
Speaker 1: first time in a long time.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the defense that is.
Speaker 3: Alarming is that a kemen Sorealdo hangover a bit as well,
Speaker 3: like wasn't he in charge of the defense? That's his
Speaker 3: second year that he hasn't been there, And just a
Speaker 3: lots of people like Fisher Harris, like those guys in
Speaker 3: the middle, and you know they don't get all the raps,
Speaker 3: but they're the glue that holds everything together. I think
Speaker 3: Mitch Kenny has been their barometer with their line speed
Speaker 3: and just not having the kicking game. I think they
Speaker 3: can bounce back. I'm not gameing off to write them off,
Speaker 3: but that is alarming.
Speaker 1: It's their worst start to a season since twenty sixteen.
Speaker 1: So is this Ivan Cleary's biggest tests since returning to
Speaker 1: the club.
Speaker 4: No, I think his biggest test was picking him up
Speaker 4: after was it twenty eighteen or twenty nine ninety was
Speaker 4: his first year back there. I thought that was his
Speaker 4: biggest test, and he's gone on to make five Grand
Speaker 4: Finals and win four Premierships. They're a champion team. They're
Speaker 4: one of the greatest that we've seen ever. The way
Speaker 4: that they continue to just find a way. I think
Speaker 4: it's so early in the season, Broke, I'll just keep
Speaker 4: going round. One showed you that they've still got it.
Speaker 4: And yeah, they know they've got injuries at the moment
Speaker 4: and they haven't got the overall depth of the squad
Speaker 4: that they had previously.
Speaker 1: But yeah, to forget that that game against Melbourne without
Speaker 1: Cleary when he went down that first ten minutes, how
Speaker 1: good they were, but how much they had to get
Speaker 1: up with a young squad with the keep the captain,
Speaker 1: the key player going off as well.
Speaker 2: But there's the captain. He was fantastic.
Speaker 1: But the way they responded when they lost Nathan and
Speaker 1: Nearly and Kuld have won that game.
Speaker 2: I always well, I thought that they.
Speaker 1: Would struggle last week because that was a tough battle
Speaker 1: for them, and then to have Cleary out again and
Speaker 1: know Edwards remember at the back against the Souse team
Speaker 1: that are always going to bounce back from that slow
Speaker 1: start in coronal.
Speaker 2: There's a lot that any team can win on their day.
Speaker 6: At the moment Melbourne that game they lost the DrAk,
Speaker 6: I thought that they were as good as a win,
Speaker 6: you know that lost to Melbourne.
Speaker 5: So a champion gets up when he can't Jack Dempsey.
Speaker 2: Box up that one down. He brought something.
Speaker 1: He brought a bit of goal the show. Thank you
Speaker 1: you're right now, Cruls. You haven't been around for all
Speaker 1: of this, well you have last week for the DC.
Speaker 1: How have you seen it play out over the past week?
Speaker 2: What's your opinion?
Speaker 4: I thought he handled himself really well before the game,
Speaker 4: during the game, and then after the game. I think
Speaker 4: he took it just a little too far because he's
Speaker 4: obviously hurt, and he's entitled to be hurt and say
Speaker 4: what he feels if he feels he's been disrespected. But
Speaker 4: what he's got to be careful of is that does
Speaker 4: he really want to win a competition in his final
Speaker 4: year or does he want to blow the joint up
Speaker 4: on his way out the door? Because now with the
Speaker 4: injury to Tom and his position in that side. It's
Speaker 4: going to be so important for him to galvanize. He
Speaker 4: has to stop his war with mess Trouble, whoever it
Speaker 4: was that he was well.
Speaker 2: He hasn't named anyone.
Speaker 4: And that's the other problem in it too, because what
Speaker 4: he's actually doing talking about the smear campaign but not
Speaker 4: naming who it is that he's got the issue with.
Speaker 4: He's smearing everyone else around him.
Speaker 5: He's smearing with the smear camp. I agree, I reckon
Speaker 5: all over.
Speaker 6: It's it's been so weird to watch the last couple
Speaker 6: of weeks or however a week and a half. It's
Speaker 6: it's turning to a pr battle and I think DCE
Speaker 6: is winning it by a mile. I think Manly tried
Speaker 6: to play try to play dirty, and I think he's
Speaker 6: just called him out.
Speaker 5: I agree.
Speaker 6: I don't think I think he needs to let it go.
Speaker 6: I don't think it needs to, you know, if they're
Speaker 6: going to keep winning matches throughout the year and push
Speaker 6: for a premiership or push for a top four position,
Speaker 6: I don't think they can let it fester like it is.
Speaker 6: But to me, it's I think Cherry Evans does what's
Speaker 6: best for him and I think he's playing the system
Speaker 6: to a t just like he did ten years ago
Speaker 6: when he backflipped on the Titansville He did nothing wrong then.
Speaker 6: He's doing nothing wrong now. But he has created plenty
Speaker 6: of interest in his future.
Speaker 1: This remind you a little bit of that, because you
Speaker 1: were reporting on that back in the day.
Speaker 5: I was, yeah, it does.
Speaker 6: Like he said in his press conference after he backflipped
Speaker 6: on the Titans deal, I welcomed the speculation because I
Speaker 6: wanted to see how much I can get out of Manly.
Speaker 6: I think he welcomes the speculation now, but because he
Speaker 6: because it's going to give him a bigger contract at
Speaker 6: a new club. But let's make no mistake, Manly have
Speaker 6: stuffed this up. Manly should have gone to him after
Speaker 6: Origin last year and said, mate, you are as much
Speaker 6: a heart and.
Speaker 5: Soul of this club.
Speaker 6: But they should have They should have.
Speaker 5: They should have there. It's their mistake.
Speaker 3: But back then, right a couple of senior players they
Speaker 3: had to move on. Like what mount of parent matter
Speaker 3: and souse and all that is that? Like how does
Speaker 3: that sit with this current? Like the Jake travoid, which
Speaker 3: is Tom those guys that are still finding that bleed Marne.
Speaker 6: I thought Jake's comments last week were pretty telling. Yeah,
Speaker 6: I thought I really thought that that suggested that's not
Speaker 6: how I would do.
Speaker 5: It, and I don't think he has got to.
Speaker 4: That's why he's got to pull this team together because
Speaker 4: he is the skipper. And yes, mate, I totally understand
Speaker 4: how he feels disrespected with the offers or the lack
Speaker 4: of offers that came his way, and they should have
Speaker 4: done it differently and manly are at fault. But he's
Speaker 4: still the captain of this team and if they if
Speaker 4: they want to stay competitive this year, he's the one
Speaker 4: that's got to pull them together. Because Jake's comments were telling.
Speaker 2: What about the release we.
Speaker 6: The way it'sman explained to me from the DCE Champions
Speaker 6: that he DCE camp is that he would ask for
Speaker 6: it on family for family reasons. He wanted to return
Speaker 6: home to Queensland for family reasons. So the fact that's
Speaker 6: no I think for that to be used against him now,
Speaker 6: I think it's a bit rough.
Speaker 5: You know, if it's the rest of its ancient history.
Speaker 2: Then so years ago for family reasons.
Speaker 6: But he did nothing wrong, then good. That's the system.
Speaker 6: That's the system, and it's just as it's the system now,
Speaker 6: like you're signing players victim.
Speaker 3: Right if you're in this game, because it takes to
Speaker 3: the play of the game right. And then when you
Speaker 3: watch the other show, it's like he's managers sitting there
Speaker 3: talking made I'm serious, and his manager's talking and then
Speaker 3: he goes that, I'm like, how do they know all
Speaker 3: that information unless it's getting leaked from that side.
Speaker 6: I don't think any sides showed themselves because exactly, but
Speaker 6: that's what I mean in terms of the pr battle.
Speaker 6: He's on the front foot and playing manly offer brother.
Speaker 2: Then he sits they're playing the victim.
Speaker 1: DC's camp are feeding the media one thing, and then
Speaker 1: the Manly hierarchy are feeding the media something else. And
Speaker 1: then everyone's everyone's taking side.
Speaker 2: Someone is lying. This is what we don't know, and
Speaker 2: this is what everyone needs to understand. No one is false,
Speaker 2: no one's trying to.
Speaker 1: Everyone's reporting what they're hearing from really good sources.
Speaker 5: To the sides of the truth.
Speaker 2: But someone in this is Lyne.
Speaker 6: So I'll take one thing with the seven to fifty.
Speaker 6: So Manly a adamant and Scott depends on the record
Speaker 6: saying that there was an offer for seven to fifty
Speaker 6: in November last year. The DCE camp will tell you
Speaker 6: that the people that have on the email train will
Speaker 6: say that there's a trail that will say there's no
Speaker 6: offer of seven to fifty whatsoever. There's a vague talk
Speaker 6: of what the money is. So unless you see those emails,
Speaker 6: you're not going to know.
Speaker 2: You know what.
Speaker 4: Though, so GT is saying that there was a seven
Speaker 4: fifty offer, I would say he doesn't understand that seven
Speaker 4: to fifty is actually disrespectful to a top tier playmaker
Speaker 4: in our game at the moment, Like Manly you said,
Speaker 4: at the moment ago, Manly were the ones that stuffed
Speaker 4: this up by undervaluing what this guy's worth and worth
Speaker 4: to their team and going forward, even though I do
Speaker 4: believe it's it's Jerry Evans's job to pull the team
Speaker 4: together as of next year, do we really believe the
Speaker 4: talk that Jamal Foggerty will be the guy to come
Speaker 4: in and and take over makes Manly a better team?
Speaker 6: Do they want to win a COMP in the next
Speaker 6: couple of years or not? Do you think they do
Speaker 6: it with Cherry Evans? There the biggest issue he's going
Speaker 6: to where he's going to go and it's already looking
Speaker 6: like a Gus v.
Speaker 2: Nicks out of the race.
Speaker 5: Did he say he was out? Oh you've got to
Speaker 5: believe that then, So.
Speaker 2: What are you saying with you because I believe your
Speaker 2: mate last night? Oh Buzzy boy, your best mate. He
Speaker 2: was saying the same thing.
Speaker 6: What he doesn't believe Gars. No, Gus is a shrewd operator.
Speaker 6: I don't think he's going to come out and declare, you.
Speaker 2: Know where the bulldogs are still in the race.
Speaker 6: I thought it was very telling where on Channel nine
Speaker 6: where Gus through his toys out of the cod in
Speaker 6: faux outrage and stormed off and he was over there
Speaker 6: talking to d C off camera.
Speaker 5: Because signing Surreldo at one point, I think he.
Speaker 2: May have the want to keep going or Thompson as well.
Speaker 1: He pulled out of the race there and signing through
Speaker 1: weeks later was the reports from buzz last night.
Speaker 6: So that's you know, Gus won't care about that stuff
Speaker 6: like you tweet it. No, it's not because Gus will
Speaker 6: want to get Jerry Evans at that club. But if
Speaker 6: I know Nick Politis at all, he will dig in
Speaker 6: and won't want to concede to gus. I love rugby league.
Speaker 2: No deal done.
Speaker 1: I have to ask a question because you know there
Speaker 1: are there is speculation that there's a deal done with
Speaker 1: one certain club.
Speaker 2: Are you hearing anything? Is this just going to go
Speaker 2: on for a while.
Speaker 4: Can't go on forever though, can it breath like you
Speaker 4: unless there is an agreement there and it comes to
Speaker 4: you know, we don't get told about it until the
Speaker 4: end of the year. Surely a club can't keep a
Speaker 4: million dollars plus aside in hope that Cherry Evans goes there,
Speaker 4: which makes is the reason why we think he has signed.
Speaker 6: Until in rugby league, until a player and a coach
Speaker 6: whoever it is that's allegedly going to a club, until
Speaker 6: they are there on day one of training, it's not done.
Speaker 2: Stick around journos.
Speaker 1: This Sunday, Tim Zoo squares off with highly fancy American
Speaker 1: Joey Spencer. This is a must wind fight for Zoo
Speaker 1: and the only place you can
Speaker 2: Catch all the action is on main event