Speaker 1: Well, welcome back, everybody to another episode of Code n
Speaker 1: RL on a Monday. A lot's gone on in the weekend.
Speaker 1: One team absolutely declared themselves as premiership contenders. We're talking
Speaker 1: about the Roosters Panthers games, but you cannot forget how
Speaker 1: good the Warriors are going. There's some other key clashes
Speaker 1: to break down, including what's going to happen to the Sharks?
Speaker 1: Are they falling off a cliff? We can't go through
Speaker 1: an episode without talking about how the Tigers suck. Apologies
Speaker 1: Tigers fans. Let's get into it for Tima Kado. How
Speaker 1: are you?
Speaker 2: I'm well, How are you?
Speaker 1: I'm very well, thank you. I'm joined as well by
Speaker 1: Dean Bordog Richie. How are you, mate, Sophie? Yeah, Hi,
Speaker 1: I am Sophie, thank you. I'm Alex, also known as
Speaker 1: NRL Soapbox. Well, what a game we had Panthers versus Roosters.
Speaker 1: It was an absolute, like just incredible match watching these
Speaker 1: two teams go up against it, two heavyweights. The Roosters
Speaker 1: deserve that win. They absolutely dominated the Panthers. They beat
Speaker 1: them at their own game, Bulldog. Are the Roosters now
Speaker 1: the face to win the comp?
Speaker 3: Yes? I think they are after that performance. It was
Speaker 3: an elite game of rugby league. It was on a
Speaker 3: level above anything I've seen this year. We are talking
Speaker 3: about the best of the best. I wrote last week
Speaker 3: it'll be an East the West Grand final.
Speaker 1: I put my you.
Speaker 3: Know what's on the line, and I guess after that
Speaker 3: game I could be justified somewhat in backing up what
Speaker 3: I had written that they are the two best teams
Speaker 3: in the competition. The Warriors, obviously we'll discuss a little
Speaker 3: later on in the show, but right here, right now,
Speaker 3: after what I witnessed on Thursday night and the quality
Speaker 3: the intensity of that game, it was absolutely compelling, and
Speaker 3: even just watching it from my living room when the
Speaker 3: full time went, I was drained.
Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, I mean it was a draining contest and
Speaker 1: like even though the russ you would say, were dominant
Speaker 1: most of the match, it still looked like Penrith could
Speaker 1: win with ten seconds to go. Some people were saying
Speaker 1: that for team I'll throw this on to you that
Speaker 1: the the Roosters were very fortunate from some relaxed refereeing
Speaker 1: on the amount of six agains that they gave away.
Speaker 1: Did you see that they got They got the rubb
Speaker 1: of the green with the.
Speaker 2: Ref Oh, I don't know.
Speaker 4: I think it's funny because it was a blockbuster top
Speaker 4: of the ladder clash. Some of the refereeing, if that's
Speaker 4: what we're going to get in a blockbuster clash, probably
Speaker 4: is a little bit worrying. There were stuff around disruptors.
Speaker 4: There was the whether or not DCE had touched the
Speaker 4: ball and Penrith should have got twenty meter restart, so
Speaker 4: there were little things like that, But overall, I think
Speaker 4: the refereeing probably gets.
Speaker 2: A pass mark.
Speaker 4: I don't know where that pass mark is good enough
Speaker 4: for that kind of game, but you know, for me
Speaker 4: what sorry, the Roosters, I think the favorites now for
Speaker 4: the title. I think second behind them is Warriors and
Speaker 4: I think Penrith have probably slipped to third. You know,
Speaker 4: there was a lot of talk about what it means
Speaker 4: for Penrith to lose Isaiahoh, but the Roosters were so
Speaker 4: good we almost forgot that they won that game without
Speaker 4: James Tedesco.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and this is yeah exactly, and this is why
Speaker 4: I feel like they are the team to beat now
Speaker 4: because they're just building quite nicely.
Speaker 2: DC is just getting better with every single game.
Speaker 4: I think what he was the scored both tries to
Speaker 4: sort of stamp his his authority on not only you
Speaker 4: know that game, but I think on the Risters.
Speaker 3: I'm stunned for team because you're not the first person
Speaker 3: to say that Penrith have slipped down the pecking order.
Speaker 3: I cannot believe anyone would have the courage or temerity
Speaker 3: to push Penrith down that pecking order to third. I
Speaker 3: understand why he's not there in that game, though, I
Speaker 3: think we saw a team that was off, no doubt,
Speaker 3: no doubt. But I can't sit here and go Penrith
Speaker 3: cut win it. I past seven years, I always said
Speaker 3: that if I am, but I want to say it again.
Speaker 4: I always said that if Penrith didn't win the twenty
Speaker 4: four Grand Final for Fisher Harrison Jerome Left, that it
Speaker 4: would be a while before they won another Grand Final.
Speaker 4: Proven wrong last year because they had that late season run.
Speaker 4: Proven wrong again this year because they have been the
Speaker 4: benchmark for so long. But what you saw, I think
Speaker 4: in that game they got beaten by the Warriors, the
Speaker 4: week before beaten by the Roosters. They were ratherless without
Speaker 4: Isaiaoh and if they don't get Isaiaoh in time for
Speaker 4: the finals, or at least the prelim. I don't think
Speaker 4: they can win it. And I think what people miss,
Speaker 4: you know, I think even Ivan Cleary himself said it
Speaker 4: wasn't until we've been without Isaiah that we've even learnt
Speaker 4: things about ourselves in terms of what we miss from
Speaker 4: him and the biggest thing he does. And people talk
Speaker 4: about him being a link guy, but he's more than that.
Speaker 4: He's the guy who make sure Nathan Cleary is in
Speaker 4: the right spot on the last so they can gain
Speaker 4: ascendency in that territory battle. There were a few times
Speaker 4: in that Rooster's game where Nathan was trying to, you know,
Speaker 4: just drag his team across the line, caught on the
Speaker 4: fifth making really silly, like characteristic attacking options deep in
Speaker 4: Russ's territory. I just felt like, and also, and I
Speaker 4: don't know if you guys agree with this, I feel
Speaker 4: like they've lost a bit of intimidation factor.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, I don't feel like they're.
Speaker 4: This big, scary, intimidating team anymore.
Speaker 1: Well so, I think they still should be the favorites,
Speaker 1: and only because of the legacy of how they've proven
Speaker 1: to us that they're champions. They still have one of
Speaker 1: the best players to ever play the game, they still
Speaker 1: have an amazing four pack. They've got great players, and
Speaker 1: they're trying to work out their left edge. Who's going
Speaker 1: to play six. But they're still a very good team.
Speaker 1: They deserve that respect because, like you said, we keep
Speaker 1: getting proven wrong with the Panthers. So I do think
Speaker 1: they but it's.
Speaker 2: Not about disrespecting that.
Speaker 4: It's about I think recognizing that the gap is tighter.
Speaker 1: Than what it's definitely total.
Speaker 4: It's not just like a two horse race anymore. Yeah,
Speaker 4: got you know teams like the Warriors that are closing.
Speaker 1: That gap, Well, that's what I think. I think that
Speaker 1: teams have finally worked out the Panthers. So the Panthers
Speaker 1: playing style is that they going to back themselves in
Speaker 1: the last twenty minutes. They're just going to wear you down.
Speaker 1: They're never going to make a mistake, They're going to
Speaker 1: get feel positioned. They're going to run straight and hard
Speaker 1: and direct. But like the Roosters showed us that they
Speaker 1: could go all the way with that, and therefore the
Speaker 1: Panthers left it too late.
Speaker 4: But also in the last two games, Nathan Cleary did
Speaker 4: exactly what you were talking about. Tried to get them
Speaker 4: across the line in that last fifteen ten minutes and
Speaker 4: he just couldn't do it on his own. And so
Speaker 4: that's why I.
Speaker 3: Say, let's let's pull it back. Then he went very
Speaker 3: close in Auckland. He was very close, and they lost
Speaker 3: last week by six. And what you're saying is right, Like,
Speaker 3: I get it, And Nathan's role on that side is
Speaker 3: going to have to change now because yo, he's not there,
Speaker 3: so he will now have his hands on the ball
Speaker 3: a lot more. Did he get him home? No, he
Speaker 3: missed out twice. I get what you're saying, but I'm
Speaker 3: not going to sit here and say Nathan Cleary can't
Speaker 3: get him home in a big game, because Nathan's done
Speaker 3: it time and time again and he's a future mortal.
Speaker 3: But right here, right now, he went very close twice. Yes,
Speaker 3: they missed out, but big games are still to come well,
Speaker 3: and some can't ride him off.
Speaker 1: Some are saying that now the Panthers actual could still
Speaker 1: have levels to go, like they lost that game against
Speaker 1: the Roosters, but they could still improve. I think the
Speaker 1: opposite in terms of I think it's more like the
Speaker 1: Rusters have finally figured out how to beat Penrith. It's
Speaker 1: always been a crypto up for Trent Robinson against these Panthers.
Speaker 1: He cannot beat them, but they beat them at their
Speaker 1: own game. They were offside a lot, they were pushing
Speaker 1: the boundaries of in their own defeating their own line,
Speaker 1: but they did it. That's what Penrith used to do.
Speaker 1: So I think I think we can say that the
Speaker 1: Panthers are still a very good team, but we just
Speaker 1: need to be respecting the Roosters. They are generally a
Speaker 1: title contender. Well, I hate to be the bearer of
Speaker 1: bad news Kernella's fans. I recently had just said that
Speaker 1: you were premiership contenders and I pull it back. I'm
Speaker 1: like bulldog taking back my opinion on who the premiership
Speaker 1: contenders are because I think for the Sharks are going
Speaker 1: to fall off a cliff. Brayden Trindle is instrumental into
Speaker 1: how this team performs. This is not a knock on
Speaker 1: Niko Hines, but he definitely is playing more like the
Speaker 1: six in the team and Trindle is the general. And
Speaker 1: now that they've lost their general and they had that
Speaker 1: abysmal up against the Dragons last week, they're two on
Speaker 1: the skid. That wouldn't mean much except we're trying to
Speaker 1: assess these guys as a team that can win the comp.
Speaker 1: They have an easy run home. But I think the
Speaker 1: Sharks right now they're falling off the cliff if they
Speaker 1: cannot get it sorted this week and start to look
Speaker 1: like a team that can beat quality opposition. I just
Speaker 1: think the Sharks in two weeks, that's all. It's taken
Speaker 1: from being one of the most exciting teams in the
Speaker 1: comp to now we're going it's only Roosters, Warriors and Panthers.
Speaker 1: Can the Sharks do it? Bulldog?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm not going to write them off yet. I
Speaker 3: don't think they're off the cliff as you put it.
Speaker 3: I think they're standing on the edge and the rocks
Speaker 3: underneath are just starting to crumble. But look they're still
Speaker 3: a high quality side. Obviously, two games that they've lost
Speaker 3: in a row have been against weaker sides. Yeah, that
Speaker 3: would obviously be a deep concern because we know historically
Speaker 3: unless you finished top four then you are up against
Speaker 3: it to win this in our Royal Premiership. Now, Braden
Speaker 3: Trimmill obviously did his shoulder screwing that try on the weekend.
Speaker 3: He won't have surgery, it'll be rehabbed. But we don't
Speaker 3: know when he's going to be back. So how long
Speaker 3: is a piece of string and how long he going
Speaker 3: to be missing for? Because when he's not there, they
Speaker 3: are a different side. I think it pulls Nico back
Speaker 3: a little bit as well. A Trindle's contribution this year
Speaker 3: I think has been absolutely outstanding, and for him to
Speaker 3: be missing for god knows how long it does pull
Speaker 3: him right back. Can they win the comp? No? Does
Speaker 3: it do? I still think they can cause a few
Speaker 3: headaches in the finals.
Speaker 1: Yes, I do.
Speaker 2: Do you even if they'd finished top four? You don't
Speaker 2: think they can win the comp?
Speaker 3: I've sat from the start. I don't think Kronla can
Speaker 3: win the comp. No, there's just a missing jigsaw of
Speaker 3: that club, and I've said it repeatedly. Look is it
Speaker 3: a soft underbelly? Probably a bit unfair to say that,
Speaker 3: but there's something missing there that they get to prelims
Speaker 3: and they get to finals consistently. I think over the
Speaker 3: last five or ten years they are number two behind
Speaker 3: Melbourne Storm. So they are an incredibly successful club. But
Speaker 3: it's not about being successful, it's about winning premierships and
Speaker 3: they just can't see you get there, and it must try.
Speaker 3: Fitz he mad as well because he's an elite coach. Look,
Speaker 3: they might come back and bite me on the backside
Speaker 3: of those comments, but right here, right now, you've asked
Speaker 3: me a question.
Speaker 1: I don't think that can win. And the reputation of
Speaker 1: Fitzi when he's been leading this kernela Sharks team, is
Speaker 1: that one of the most unbelievable regular season teams in
Speaker 1: the competition. And that's again happened this season. They were
Speaker 1: on an unbelievable streak. My argument is that I don't
Speaker 1: even think it's the soft underbelly. I just think Braiden
Speaker 1: Trindle's that important. I think without braid and Trindle, they
Speaker 1: lose a key cog in their team. It puts an
Speaker 1: unbelievable amount more scrutiny and pressure on Nico Hines, and
Speaker 1: I think he flourishes when more of that attention goes
Speaker 1: on to Trindle. So, Fatima, do you think they can
Speaker 1: do it without Trindle?
Speaker 2: It just depends on how long Trindle is out for.
Speaker 4: I mean, look, Fitzi spoke after the game the Raiders
Speaker 4: loss and said, you know, I thought Nico did step up.
Speaker 4: He had to play what seventy four minutes without him.
Speaker 4: You probably look at the result and you think, well, no,
Speaker 4: he didn't. And it was interesting because he said I
Speaker 4: thought Nico did stand up. It was the guys around
Speaker 4: him that didn't capitalize on the opportunities Nico created. The
Speaker 4: reality is Bradon Trindle is the key guy.
Speaker 2: He's not a cog. He is the cog.
Speaker 4: And whether Nikohines likes it or not, he's the highest
Speaker 4: paid player at the club. He's the one who wears
Speaker 4: the number seven, and the attention is all going to
Speaker 4: turn on him. And the problem is again and not
Speaker 4: knocking Nico, is that the knock on him has been
Speaker 4: that he's not the guy in clutch moments. So and
Speaker 4: he's about to be tested because we don't know when
Speaker 4: Trindle is going to be back. We don't know whether
Speaker 4: it's week one of the finals, whether it's a pre
Speaker 4: lim if they make it that far. So anything that
Speaker 4: happens from here on in, you know, Nicohines needs to
Speaker 4: be prepared that it's going to fall on his shoulders.
Speaker 1: Yeah, if I was a shark sent I'd be feeling
Speaker 1: that frustration. They finally got it dialed in. I generally
Speaker 1: it looks like they might have had the hardest draw
Speaker 1: on the comp when you go back to how many
Speaker 1: difficult teams they've played over the season. So they're clearly
Speaker 1: were proving doubt is wrong and we can't beat great teams.
Speaker 1: But to lose Trindle is it's not even about Nico,
Speaker 1: it's just actually, like you said, he is the cock.
Speaker 1: It's Trindle that's getting the troops around. It's Trendle doing
Speaker 1: the kicking. It's Trindled getting taking the scrutiny and pressure,
Speaker 1: and so Nick is just able to focus on his footy.
Speaker 1: I think it's really worrying for the Sharks.
Speaker 3: I think the narrative will change in the next three weeks.
Speaker 3: They've got a pretty soft draw Titans, Eels, Storm, so
Speaker 3: they could quite conceivably go into the finals having won
Speaker 3: three straight. But that may also mask in deficiencies which
Speaker 3: are growing within that side.
Speaker 1: But we were also saying two weeks ago, like, oh
Speaker 1: my gosh, they've got five easy sides to go into
Speaker 1: the finals, and they've stumbled on the first two games.
Speaker 1: So the Sharks have to turn it around. They're going
Speaker 1: to have to turn it around without trendle. Speaking of
Speaker 1: teams that have fallen off a cliff, none has fallen
Speaker 1: further than the Brisbane Broncos. That was an abysmal performance.
Speaker 1: You could see it in Michael McGuire's postmatch press conference.
Speaker 1: I think he said something like, I'm usually cordial in
Speaker 1: these things, and we saw more of the real Michael maguire,
Speaker 1: the angry one, the frustrated one. He hammered his team.
Speaker 1: He talked about not having pride in the badge Bulldog.
Speaker 1: Do you think the Broncos are playing with pride right now?
Speaker 3: No, not at all. It's been a diabolical collapse this year.
Speaker 3: And I hate to say it because it's probably the
Speaker 3: worst thing you can say about a football side is
Speaker 3: that they've given up. And I think that they have
Speaker 3: waived the white flag. And I don't think there's any
Speaker 3: more sinister thing you can say about a side or
Speaker 3: a player that they've actually given up in their heart
Speaker 3: and in their soul, and I think this Bronco side
Speaker 3: has just done that. They have given up the ghost
Speaker 3: and it's the worst thing, not only for any side,
Speaker 3: but particularly for the Brisbane Broncos, and particularly under a
Speaker 3: coach like Michael Maguire, who has his reputation of having
Speaker 3: such a hardened, tough view of life how his team
Speaker 3: should perform, and for them to be so soft ineffectual
Speaker 3: has been absolutely stunning to watch from an outsider. But
Speaker 3: from the inside, they aren't playing for themselves. They aren't
Speaker 3: playing for their club, they aren't playing for their coach,
Speaker 3: and they aren't playing for their fans. It's as simple
Speaker 3: as that.
Speaker 1: And if I was a Broncos fan, I would be
Speaker 1: furious at the players. I'd be furious that my team
Speaker 1: that I followed, that I've supported, that we're champions last season,
Speaker 1: have put in such an abysmal effort, not only last
Speaker 1: game but the entire season. Like it's just so disappointing
Speaker 1: to see them slide so much. Unless you hate the Broncos,
Speaker 1: probably Finns fans love it, Fatima. If when we look
Speaker 1: at the Broncos, what should they do for the rest
Speaker 1: of the season. Should they blood youth or do they
Speaker 1: need to you know, honor Adam Reynolds all that kind
Speaker 1: of stuff? Where should Madge go? Here? Where do you
Speaker 1: think you'll go?
Speaker 4: If you'd asked me a couple of weeks ago, I
Speaker 4: would have said Yep, it's about time that we see
Speaker 4: some of the young guys like Antonio Verhoven and Philip
Speaker 4: Coates and those kinds of guys. Now after that game
Speaker 4: against the Warriors, and it's almost like Madge has no
Speaker 4: option but to pick those same guys again and get
Speaker 4: them to prove that they do actually give a shit,
Speaker 4: that they actually care about the jerzy, that they care
Speaker 4: about the club, that they care about the fans.
Speaker 2: So I don't know. I part of me says, maybe what.
Speaker 4: They need is an injection of youth and hunger and guys,
Speaker 4: you know, young kids who have spent their whole lives
Speaker 4: coming through that system idolizing the Broncos.
Speaker 2: Chance to put the.
Speaker 4: More senior guys on show and show them what they
Speaker 4: can produce in the jumper that you know, their own
Speaker 4: coach is saying they're not respecting.
Speaker 2: So I don't know, it's a tough one for mat.
Speaker 3: Let them go out there and fix it, well, that's
Speaker 3: what I mean to them. Let them go out there
Speaker 3: and show a bit of pride. And I don't want
Speaker 3: to throw kids into a side that's got no confidence either.
Speaker 3: That's not fair either.
Speaker 1: It's all right to say, oh blood the kids.
Speaker 3: That's a shit side at the moment, and you throw
Speaker 3: kids in there destroys them. So that's not the answer.
Speaker 3: Get them on their ass, get them back out there
Speaker 3: and say you don't fix it, you've dug the hole.
Speaker 3: Dig yourself out of it.
Speaker 1: And because they've done this before the Broncos, where they
Speaker 1: have put a young player into the halves, I think
Speaker 1: Tom did and had like one win in his first
Speaker 1: fifteen games at the Broncos. Can you imagine how much
Speaker 1: and he saw how much that crushed him. He had
Speaker 1: to go to North Queens and then to get his confidence back.
Speaker 1: I'm with your bulldog. Maybe the player. There's so much
Speaker 1: seniority in experience in this team. It's unacceptable where they
Speaker 1: found themselves. Like the player. You can blame the coach,
Speaker 1: you can blame all the things that have happened, but
Speaker 1: senior players need to take responsibilities because some of these
Speaker 1: players are having the worst season they've ever had. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and if you look at that game and you go, okay, right,
Speaker 1: the Broncos were crap, but the Warriors were amazing. The
Speaker 1: forward pack. The Warriors forward pack was scary and this
Speaker 1: is not a small pack. They're coming up against We've
Speaker 1: got Haarsen there, We've got Willison, we've got Carrigan. This
Speaker 1: is an intimidating pack that they just absolutely dominated. And
Speaker 1: even when Metcalf went down, they didn't skip a beat.
Speaker 1: They just kept powering through. For Timar, I'll throw this
Speaker 1: one to you. The Warriors have the best forward pack
Speaker 1: in the comp And can they go all the way?
Speaker 4: Ah, if you're going on form, I feel like it'd
Speaker 4: be pretty close.
Speaker 2: So and can they go all the way? Absolutely?
Speaker 4: Like the more I watch them, the more I'm convinced
Speaker 4: of just how well drilled they are. It's like a
Speaker 4: plug in, plug in, plugging, plug out, plug in or
Speaker 4: you know, yep, and we've seen that, like Sanel Harris.
Speaker 4: Tavito is their fourth choice halfback on the weekend and
Speaker 4: he comes in and.
Speaker 2: He does his job.
Speaker 4: You know, tomorrow Mardin is still a week away, so
Speaker 4: we're not going to see him this week.
Speaker 2: It might mean that we see Jet Cleary.
Speaker 4: Know, Luke Canson's the other option there, especially if he
Speaker 4: wants to keep Sane Harris to bed at seven. But
Speaker 4: the point is it doesn't matter who it is, whether
Speaker 4: it's Jet Cleary or whether it's Luke Canson. They're still
Speaker 4: going to be as good as they you know, are
Speaker 4: with their first choice halves. Yeah, I mean their pack
Speaker 4: just sort of keeps getting better with every single week.
Speaker 4: I don't think the outside backs are getting enough credit
Speaker 4: because of how well their forward pack has been going.
Speaker 4: I mean Dallen with Tennezelesniak could talk about guys winding
Speaker 4: back the clock, like how good is he every single week?
Speaker 4: Loffi cart Pereerra couldn't get a start at the Titans.
Speaker 4: I just I just I watch him play, and I
Speaker 4: wonder what is Josh Hadda thinking watching You know, Loffi
Speaker 4: car Perera, just three juveniles is in a real career.
Speaker 2: They're just exciting, They're.
Speaker 4: Energetic, and they were everything that the Broncos weren't on
Speaker 4: the weekend. You know, they were just there was that camaraderie.
Speaker 4: You can tell they like each other, you can tell
Speaker 4: they like their coach, you can tell they're connected, and
Speaker 4: they were everything that the Broncos weren't.
Speaker 1: We think you know that because it was in their
Speaker 1: post match press conference as one of the players, that's
Speaker 1: why you guys going so well, And he says it's
Speaker 1: unbelievably clear what everyone's role is to do. So I
Speaker 1: think this says this gives it to a lot of
Speaker 1: credit to the Warrior's coaching staff, is that it's not
Speaker 1: just they have these great players across the park, because
Speaker 1: like you mentioned, there are some players who couldn't even
Speaker 1: get a start in a bottom place team. It's the
Speaker 1: system that Webster has implemented and the confidence that he's
Speaker 1: given the players that means I generally believe this. It
Speaker 1: doesn't matter who are in the halves for the Warriors,
Speaker 1: the forwards, and the clarity of game plan means that
Speaker 1: the team can just do their job and get the results.
Speaker 1: What have you made of the Warriors?
Speaker 3: Oh, highly impressive, No doubt. They've actually shocked me to
Speaker 3: some degree. I didn't think they were this good. I
Speaker 3: say that respectfully. Of course. I still am a believer
Speaker 3: though that they have to have the two home finals, yeah,
Speaker 3: to make the Grand Final. I don't think they can
Speaker 3: come to Sydney win twice, but you go to Mount
Speaker 3: Smart twice, I think they are start winding them in
Speaker 3: on your topeboard immediately. But look, whether they can get
Speaker 3: to that top two. We'll find out the next three
Speaker 3: weeks quite clearly. But look, if if they can get there,
Speaker 3: they're in up to their next If they can't get there,
Speaker 3: I think they come back a pig.
Speaker 1: And that seems a good shout. Like if the Warriors
Speaker 1: are finishing that top two and do get that home final,
Speaker 1: they're a very high chance of making the Grand Final
Speaker 1: and then it's anyone's game.
Speaker 3: The Premium Final too. Yeah, if they win that first
Speaker 3: final at home, yes, and then get the Premium Finals,
Speaker 3: which is also at home, So that's two big games
Speaker 3: at home.
Speaker 1: There's a lot to play for for them. And when
Speaker 1: you talk about there's been a lot of teams that
Speaker 1: have been hammered by injury and have ended up with
Speaker 1: poor seasons. The Tigers have used that excuse, The Eels
Speaker 1: have used that excuse, manly have used that excuse. The
Speaker 1: Warriors have lost several first team players and they're in
Speaker 1: the top four in the competition. So whatever they're doing
Speaker 1: down there, it's working. And congratulations to Andrew Webster in
Speaker 1: the team. Well, I can tell you it. I'd rather
Speaker 1: be if I was a Tigers or Dragons fan, and
Speaker 1: it would not be the Tigers, folks. The Tigers suck again.
Speaker 1: That Dragons have just secured another victory to begin the
Speaker 1: impossible climb up the ladder to avoid the Wooden Spoon.
Speaker 1: But even if they get it, Dragons fans are going
Speaker 1: to take so much encouragement out of the fact that
Speaker 1: their team's playing with pride, their teams trying, they're getting wins,
Speaker 1: and it's a great spring board for next year with
Speaker 1: the recruitment that their club has done for Tima. Can
Speaker 1: the Dragons get off the bottom of the table?
Speaker 3: Uh?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I guess it depends on what happens to other
Speaker 4: teams above them. I mean, there are people talking about
Speaker 4: the Broncos finishing last depending on how that.
Speaker 2: All shakes out.
Speaker 4: So all I know is that I just I can't
Speaker 4: imagine what Dragons fans are feeling like at the moment,
Speaker 4: considering and I know they're still at the bottom of
Speaker 4: the table, but they've come so far since the start
Speaker 4: of the year, since you know, Shane Flanagan departying or
Speaker 4: being sacked, whatever you want to call it, it's almost
Speaker 4: you know, Yeah, when you look at the way they're competing,
Speaker 4: the way that Dean Young's got them all buying in
Speaker 4: the players coming in next year, there's no reason why
Speaker 4: they can't challenge for a top eight spot next year.
Speaker 4: I think actually that's going to be one of Dean
Speaker 4: Young's hardest challenges is because it is going to be
Speaker 4: something not ructions, but there is going to be some changes.
Speaker 4: So he's building this camaraderie, this competitive nature with this
Speaker 4: group of guys who quite a few of them are
Speaker 4: not going to be part of what is happening next year.
Speaker 4: So you know, how do you manage those new guys
Speaker 4: coming in that you're not that you keep that momentum going.
Speaker 4: But if you're a Tigers fan, I don't know. I
Speaker 4: mean Benji Marshall's face and Joam Lowist face at that
Speaker 4: press conference after the game said it all, I don't
Speaker 4: know where you.
Speaker 2: Go from there.
Speaker 1: Who would you rather be a fan base for? Right now?
Speaker 3: Would you rather the Dragons?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 3: They got a lot to look forward to that Young
Speaker 3: Pak got a great recruitment drive which will arrive next year.
Speaker 3: At Dean Young looks like he's enjoying the confidence that
Speaker 3: the club's put in him. I think good times lie
Speaker 3: ahead for Saints. As for the Tigers, are honestly don't
Speaker 3: know where to go. Yep, we've said at time and
Speaker 3: again this year. How many times do we have to
Speaker 3: say the Tigers are going poor? And they are. They've
Speaker 3: lost eight in a row. Now I think they might
Speaker 3: have won like two and fourteen games, because they won
Speaker 3: five of their first seventh. So it's literally been one
Speaker 3: of the great marses of a club which showed so
Speaker 3: much promise. Mind you, early on, I was never.
Speaker 1: A believer dogs, never believed in the Tiger.
Speaker 3: When I say that, Alex, I don't mean that in
Speaker 3: a rude way. I was just not prepared to jump
Speaker 3: on the Tiger's bandwagon and say, are they're in top
Speaker 3: top four? They don't have the roster. They never had
Speaker 3: the roster, so they're never going to get there, and
Speaker 3: they haven't got there. Where they go for next year?
Speaker 3: I don't know. Some are saying bulldog, they don't know.
Speaker 3: I had some answers. I just don't, you know what.
Speaker 3: I'm drained. I don't know what to say anymore.
Speaker 4: I was just going to say, because that's exactly what
Speaker 4: Benji Marshall said in the post match that after everything
Speaker 4: that's gone on, after all the headlines, all the contract stuff, Dromelier,
Speaker 4: Adam Dewey, plus they have had injuries and the rest
Speaker 4: of it. He just said they're mentally I don't know it,
Speaker 4: not checked out, but just mentally fatigued. And you can
Speaker 4: see it in how they're playing. There was very low
Speaker 4: energy on the weekend. And to be honest, if you're
Speaker 4: already that low and you can understand why they're that low,
Speaker 4: I can't see how Benji Marshall is going to get
Speaker 4: them up with the Roosters. And when you think about
Speaker 4: what the Roosters did to the Cowboys a couple of
Speaker 4: weeks ago, I worry it could be another blood bath.
Speaker 3: Yea, look, I agree with that, but it's not necessarily
Speaker 3: Benji's job to get those boys up. They are professional footballs.
Speaker 3: They are on big money these days. They're on fifteen
Speaker 3: times more than the average bike out in the street
Speaker 3: cleaning or working on a jackcammer. They've got to get
Speaker 3: that themselves, get themselves ready up here. That's part of
Speaker 3: being a professional, elite athlete. Yes, it's the coach's job
Speaker 3: to a point. Then it comes on to you. You've
Speaker 3: got to prepare yourself and if they're not doing that well,
Speaker 3: then there's something badly wrong inside the minds of those players.
Speaker 3: It's on them. It's on them to get themselves ready
Speaker 3: and prepared.
Speaker 1: The only positive sign is that they did at least
Speaker 1: put in the effort to try and claw back that result.
Speaker 1: But overall the Tigers the last few weeks have looked effortless.
Speaker 1: And I don't mean effortless like Benji Marshall two thousand
Speaker 1: and five, where he's so good at what he does,
Speaker 1: it looks effortless. I mean effortless like I saw Taruva
Speaker 1: jam In on the wing walking get missus march line
Speaker 1: break happens and he's kind of jogging around looking like
Speaker 1: what's going on? There just hasn't been the discipline, drive
Speaker 1: and determination from these Tigers. Now. Tigers fans will say
Speaker 1: that dean bulldog Richie cursed them when he wrote that
Speaker 1: article about them swearing and being unsavory on the hill,
Speaker 1: and there may be some truth to that Bulldog.
Speaker 3: No, you know what, I actually like the Tigers. I
Speaker 3: love even the joint venture clubs that form the Tigers
Speaker 3: Western Balmain being an old bike, you know, there's something
Speaker 3: to love about the Tigers, and they've got a great
Speaker 3: fan base. They keep turning up. These Tigers fans, I
Speaker 3: don't know what drives him to go each week. But
Speaker 3: God love them, I magine if they started winning. But
Speaker 3: you know what, there's nothing I see this year that
Speaker 3: prompts me to say next year is going to be
Speaker 3: any better? Where conversely, what I see in the dragons
Speaker 3: this year does brought me to think good times lie ahead.
Speaker 1: All right, now, it's something for our BS Messages of
Speaker 1: the week where we hear from you, the fans. What's
Speaker 1: got you wound up, what's pissing you off? What do
Speaker 1: you want to let us know about that you think
Speaker 1: is b s firstly, and I'm with you on this one,
Speaker 1: Abby from Sydney. To know Crichton knew exactly what he
Speaker 1: was doing running into the ref. Everyone could see it
Speaker 1: except the bunker. Apparently your thoughts, Bulldog.
Speaker 3: I agree. I think he knew what he was doing.
Speaker 3: I mean, only Stephen Crichton really knows. So we're all
Speaker 3: just guessing and we're all surmising. But if you look
Speaker 3: at it closely, he went the wrong way. He went
Speaker 3: toward the referee. He collided with the ref which was
Speaker 3: actually going in the opposite direction to the south player.
Speaker 1: Wasn't hubnah?
Speaker 3: And I think he did deliberately, but it's gamesmanship. But
Speaker 3: is it also gone across the line. And I think
Speaker 3: he should have been charged by the Match Review Committee,
Speaker 3: and I think he should have been told to go
Speaker 3: on front a judiciary hearing you cannot touch the referee.
Speaker 3: We know that. I pretend you did a story about
Speaker 3: this in the Tackle this morning saying that previous players
Speaker 3: that have touched the referee have been outed. And I
Speaker 3: think Crichton should have been at least charged. Sent him
Speaker 3: down to the the NRL and to see what he
Speaker 3: says to a judiciary panel.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 4: And the thing is it doesn't take much to copper
Speaker 4: charge because the NRL is adamant about this zero contact incidental. Otherwise,
Speaker 4: we've seen situations where people have been charged for accidental contact.
Speaker 4: Lehi Hyperwaide was the last guy. I think this most
Speaker 4: recent one where he pushed the ref out of the way,
Speaker 4: but he was trying to defend and it wasn't in
Speaker 4: an aggressive or malice way. The referee just happened to
Speaker 4: be in front of the ball carrier and he he
Speaker 4: copped a week for that. So again we can't say
Speaker 4: definitively what Crichton's intent was. But when you look at
Speaker 4: the replays.
Speaker 1: It would be.
Speaker 4: Enough for the mattribute to committee to go okay, maybe
Speaker 4: he does have some explaining to do. At a minimum,
Speaker 4: like you said, explain yourself.
Speaker 1: I think the games and ship from Crichton was brilliant.
Speaker 1: I think he's a very intelligent player. But every other
Speaker 1: player that's contacted the ref has been charged. That was
Speaker 1: a really good one, Aby.
Speaker 4: Thanks.
Speaker 1: Okay, we hear from Tim. Now I'll throw this one
Speaker 1: to you, Fatima. And this relates to when were talking
Speaker 1: about before with the Broncos blooding young young players. Why
Speaker 1: do coaches continue to play washed up players when the
Speaker 1: season is done. They need to get experience into young kids.
Speaker 1: That's from Tim Inmanly.
Speaker 4: I wish Tim would have given some examples of who
Speaker 4: he thinks washed up players are.
Speaker 1: You have to say it, yeah, no, why do you
Speaker 1: think Adam Reynolds is washed up?
Speaker 2: Look? I do agree with what Bulldogs said.
Speaker 4: You don't want to throw them young players to the Wolves,
Speaker 4: But at the same time, if they're part of their future,
Speaker 4: I still feel like, why not blood them, give them
Speaker 4: a taste of NFL. It's not like an end or
Speaker 4: b or They're not you know, not relying on them
Speaker 4: to turn around a season, to save a season, the
Speaker 4: rest of it, but give fans a.
Speaker 2: Bit of a taste of some hope about what's to come.
Speaker 4: I don't mind it, and it could work.
Speaker 1: But then that was the Tiger strategy at the end
Speaker 1: of last year and we thought, Okay, that'll be pretty good.
Speaker 1: Benji's got some experience into seeing young kids, and look
Speaker 1: how that's going. Tim, Thanks again. We'll see you next week.