Speaker 1: Welcome to L three sixty doub League from every angle,
Speaker 1: brought to you by NIB joining me again the great
Speaker 1: Gordon Talents. So it's been the Journal Australian James Hooper
Speaker 1: and Dean Richie. We've got a very special night ahead
Speaker 1: with someone being inducted into the Hall of Well being
Speaker 1: announced as an immortal, and a number of players are
Speaker 1: being inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame. The anticipation
Speaker 1: is building good. It sets up to be an absolute
Speaker 1: wonderful night.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it is, and it's one of those great nights.
Speaker 2: I was lucky enough to be there a few years
Speaker 2: ago and some of the names are that are going
Speaker 2: to go in, you know, like it's amazing, Like the
Speaker 2: list of players. You just realize how many stars have
Speaker 2: played our game and it's a great night.
Speaker 3: We should and we should honor them.
Speaker 4: What oppressed to you just evening at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Speaker 4: An awesome celebration. The salary cap that will be in
Speaker 4: attendance tonight that's well over one hundred million dollars and
Speaker 4: I've got a commend you and I think they've done
Speaker 4: a magnificent job of promoting the Hall of fame and
Speaker 4: celebrating the immortals concert.
Speaker 5: Yeah, the caliber play that we see tonight is just
Speaker 5: off the charts to it. It's going to be a
Speaker 5: very historic night for rugby league and one gentleman will
Speaker 5: etch himself into rugby league history.
Speaker 1: Sure is bulldog and we can't wait for it. Let's
Speaker 1: head out to the SCG Lara and Cooper Kronk on
Speaker 1: the black carpet.
Speaker 6: Lara, A very.
Speaker 1: Special evening ahead for some of our greatest in our game, Braith.
Speaker 7: It is absolutely rugby League royalty turning out here at
Speaker 7: the Sydney Creaker Ground and alongside me one of our
Speaker 7: newest Hall of famers, Cooper Kronk. Cooper, multiple generations of
Speaker 7: rugby league stars have arrived here at the SCG. I
Speaker 7: want to know leaving the household tonight with your beautiful wife, Tara,
Speaker 7: or what was it like for you leaving the kids
Speaker 7: knowing when you return you've got that Hall of Fame
Speaker 7: jacket on.
Speaker 8: I was just trying to keep the vesiem my fingers
Speaker 8: off to the suit and try and keep clean on
Speaker 8: the way out look a field, to be honest, feel
Speaker 8: a little bit out of place. You look at the
Speaker 8: list of people in the Hall of Fame. It's pioneers,
Speaker 8: it's people that change the game. And I was a
Speaker 8: kid that grew up twenty minutes south of Brisbane, wasn't
Speaker 8: sort of destined to play footy. More hopeful than anything.
Speaker 8: Leandard two very good clubs. Timing is everything and I'm
Speaker 8: a bit of a reflection of the clubs, the players,
Speaker 8: the people I've played with, but very humble by it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's pretty special.
Speaker 7: Over one hundred and twenty six players now in the
Speaker 7: Hall of Fame, over one hundred years of rugby league.
Speaker 9: It's a very elite group. And you mentioned a couple
Speaker 9: of clubs.
Speaker 7: I want to ask about the Melbourne Storm and what
Speaker 7: it would mean to them to have four champions of
Speaker 7: their club inducted tonight.
Speaker 8: Yeah, it's real a club that started in nineteen ninety
Speaker 8: eight to have four guys in the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 8: I think it speaks volumes of the people involved in
Speaker 8: Melbourne Storm, from all the early days of John rebo
Speaker 8: and Anderson, Stephen Kearney, Robbie Kerns, Glen Lazarus. But then
Speaker 8: he goes on to what Craig Bellamy has done without
Speaker 8: Craig Bellamy. I can't speak on behalf the other three guys,
Speaker 8: but I don't think this is possible without the leadership,
Speaker 8: the lessons of life, and the hard work ethic that
Speaker 8: he put into. So to Craig bell is a bit
Speaker 8: of a tip of the cap to him.
Speaker 7: Really, there's a real queens Land theme amongst a lot
Speaker 7: of the inductees to I want to talk about Billy
Speaker 7: Slater because when we often talk about champs champions of
Speaker 7: the game, we talk about players who changed the game,
Speaker 7: change their position. How does that apply to Billy? And
Speaker 7: even when we look at the way fullbacks play now.
Speaker 8: The best fullback we've seen ever in the game, the
Speaker 8: best fullback we will see in a long period of time.
Speaker 8: As you said, Billy changed the game. And it's one
Speaker 8: thing that people have a legacy or an impact. Is
Speaker 8: any fullback that plays from here and out will be saying, oh,
Speaker 8: compared to Billy Slater because Billy changed the role. It
Speaker 8: went from a position that was catching the ball to
Speaker 8: understanding the defense, to becoming the line breaker, to becoming
Speaker 8: a try ciscuy throwing long passes, short busses. It's basically
Speaker 8: a half with a fullback's speed and acceleration and the
Speaker 8: one on the jersey. So he changed a game like
Speaker 8: Cameron Smith did. Every dummy hearth that comes through the
Speaker 8: rest of the career in the next period of time
Speaker 8: will be compared to Camera Smith, and those two guys
Speaker 8: thoroughly deserve every accolade that comes their way.
Speaker 7: I want to talk also about Jonathan Thurston, described by
Speaker 7: one person one time as the odd couple. You did
Speaker 7: so many wonderful things together in the harves for Queensland
Speaker 7: and for Australia. I love the story that you once
Speaker 7: caught the bus together off to different schools at the time.
Speaker 7: Did you ever imagine that the two of you would
Speaker 7: do what you did?
Speaker 8: No, that's the simple answer. We grew up a stone
Speaker 8: strike away from each other, never really knew each other,
Speaker 8: knew that our paths across at different stages. But the
Speaker 8: biggest rap I can give Thurston is the bigger the game,
Speaker 8: the greater he played, more responsibility, he wanted it and
Speaker 8: basically when it came down Origin or playing for Australia,
Speaker 8: all I did was passing the ball and he did
Speaker 8: the rest. So he's a star, not only a rugular
Speaker 8: league genius. What he's done for the indigenous community. He's
Speaker 8: an idol and a lot of players, and the one
Speaker 8: thing we forget about these players is that there's a
Speaker 8: lot of kids that tried to do the Jonathan Thurston
Speaker 8: Show and got junior rugby league across the country when
Speaker 8: he was doing his thing. So congratulations to.
Speaker 7: Him and Benjie Marshall, of course talk about him. We
Speaker 7: could talk about all the inductees individually. We will see
Speaker 7: six women inducted into the Hall of Fame tonight.
Speaker 9: We will see referees for.
Speaker 7: The first time coaches as well, but of course the
Speaker 7: big one will be the fourteenth mortal. And you know,
Speaker 7: everybody has an opinion, and you pretty much can't get
Speaker 7: this one wrong. Cooper, who do you feel deserves to
Speaker 7: be inducted into Immortality tonight?
Speaker 8: Every on a list deserves that spot. But one thing
Speaker 8: I will say is that I think Thurston, Smith and
Speaker 8: Slater will be a mortals. They are on Mortals and
Speaker 8: I think they deserve to probably go in at the
Speaker 8: same time. So if I had to choose someone, it's
Speaker 8: probably someone outside of that, but one of those three
Speaker 8: could definitely go in tonight. But I think what they
Speaker 8: dominated same age, best friends, they dominated every arena they
Speaker 8: played in. I think it'd be very special for the
Speaker 8: game to put them all in at the same time.
Speaker 8: But I don't make those decisions, So anyone else on
Speaker 8: that list deserves it, but those three might get it
Speaker 8: tonight as well.
Speaker 7: Yeah, well, you get to sit back and enjoy and
Speaker 7: to put that jacket on tonight. You are forever humble, Cooper,
Speaker 7: But we think you deserve all of this and we
Speaker 7: hope you get to enjoy it with Tara tonight.
Speaker 9: Thanks Lars, appreciate it all right, Brad.
Speaker 7: We'll be back a little bit later in the show
Speaker 7: with some more Hall of Famers.
Speaker 9: Here on the black carpet at the SCG.
Speaker 1: You are, I was doing a fantastic job as usual.
Speaker 1: Congratulations to the great Cooper Kronk. So seventeen players, two rest,
Speaker 1: two coaches, and four contributors will be inducted into the
Speaker 1: Hall of Fame. But the big one, the next a mortal.
Speaker 1: Let's take a look at the nominees. Bradley Clyde, Ron Coot,
Speaker 1: Laurie Daily, Brad Fittler, Ken Irvine Brett, Kenny, Alan Leaner,
Speaker 1: Glenn Lazarus, Darren Lockyer, Billy Slater, Cameron Smith, Peter Sterling
Speaker 1: and Jonathan Thirst. And now that is a fair list
Speaker 1: of players. They are the greats of our game. Very
Speaker 1: hard to choose one from all of them.
Speaker 3: Go well, believe it or not.
Speaker 2: I've played against all of them but three, and that's Sterling,
Speaker 2: Irvine and Coot. And I think to me, Glenn Lazaris
Speaker 2: is the greatest front row. I've played with great players.
Speaker 2: He's the greatest front rower I think in the last
Speaker 2: forty years years. Alan Langer for me is the greatest
Speaker 2: Bronco that I played with. And I'll play with so
Speaker 2: many greats. And I think Bradley Clyde just flies under
Speaker 2: the raider. I think he's the greatest number thirteen. But
Speaker 2: anybody on that list could go in there.
Speaker 6: Choose right chooser, you think who I think there?
Speaker 2: I think Allen Langer in my eyes, to be small,
Speaker 2: to come from where we come from, a little train
Speaker 2: driver's son from Ipswich that you know just played above
Speaker 2: his weight if you had all of his highlight packages.
Speaker 2: When Brisbane r under the pump and I just heard
Speaker 2: Cooper Krong talking about Thirst and well he scored so
Speaker 2: many tries and you thought they were luck but he
Speaker 2: did it every week, and he did it every half.
Speaker 2: And there's no greater competitor that I played with than
Speaker 2: Olan Langer. And it's a big statement because Wally Lost
Speaker 2: wore that jersey as well. But I think ELF's probably
Speaker 2: the greatest Bronco.
Speaker 4: It's just such an illustrious list you could make a
Speaker 4: case for everyone one of those candidates. I was a
Speaker 4: huge fan of Glenn Lazarus as a kid growing up
Speaker 4: the brick with ice what to play five Premierships at
Speaker 4: three different clubs. I think he was the first player
Speaker 4: to do that and wherever he went success simply followed him.
Speaker 4: Not only did he do it at club level, but
Speaker 4: then it also translated into success with your South Welles
Speaker 4: at state of origin and they're also playing Test match
Speaker 4: football for Australia. Laurie Daley, who knows a great Major osbulldog.
Speaker 4: I wouldn't have an issue whatsoever if Laws was inducted.
Speaker 4: He was such a dynamic runner of the football. His
Speaker 4: combination with Ricky Stewart will always be remembered and celebrated
Speaker 4: as it should as one of the all time great
Speaker 4: Harves combinations. And then the one of I thinks a
Speaker 4: little bit unlucky is Ricky Stewart. There are two half
Speaker 4: backs on that list in Alan Langer and Peter Sterling.
Speaker 4: In my opinion, Ricky Stewart absolutely deserves to be.
Speaker 1: On that point, I agree, and Lasso has been lost
Speaker 1: a little bit in the mix. So we just saw
Speaker 1: some of his highlights, his achievements phenomenal. You said he's
Speaker 1: the best front No, you've ever played with a lot
Speaker 1: of people agree, Bullock thoughts, Yeah, you.
Speaker 10: Look at that list you it is impossible to split.
Speaker 10: But look the bloke.
Speaker 5: They're running second on the list. Nine Grand finals he
Speaker 5: won six. He captains Australia. The great Ron Court. I
Speaker 5: can tell the little story in nine and eighty one
Speaker 5: when the original Immortals were named, he was a bees
Speaker 5: you know what from being named in nine and eighty one.
Speaker 5: So Cootie's waited forty three years and he's been overlooked
Speaker 5: five times to be inducted.
Speaker 10: In my opinion, it's time. It's time for Ron.
Speaker 6: What do you think he's been able to look?
Speaker 1: We spoke about this last night and like you said, Ron,
Speaker 1: Kurt's definitely one of the best players's ever played our game.
Speaker 1: And everyone's got such a high opinion of him, who
Speaker 1: played with and against him? And is it a surprise
Speaker 1: that he hasn't been in there yet and he confident
Speaker 1: he will be.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I'm confident to be somewhere in the mix, no doubt, Brak. Look,
Speaker 5: I can't reveal why he hasn't been picked. There's just
Speaker 5: been probably better players. I've spoken to Ron about this personally,
Speaker 5: and he has been quite hurt.
Speaker 10: Quite hurt will be a big not He will be heartbroke, devastating.
Speaker 10: He will be heartbroken.
Speaker 5: But as we've just discussed quite openly, if you miss
Speaker 5: out to any one of those, you can feel, I guess,
Speaker 5: not so aggrieved in that you know you've been beaten
Speaker 5: by an absolute superstar.
Speaker 1: Should the current immortals have been judging on the penalt?
Speaker 1: Now I'm hearing that Hoops that the penal consists of
Speaker 1: journalists Buzzes one of them.
Speaker 6: They disrespect the Buzzy.
Speaker 3: I love you.
Speaker 1: But when I heard that, I thought, surely one of
Speaker 1: our mortals at least who has played Yesteryear and Witness
Speaker 1: today as well, like still around for the current modern
Speaker 1: day game, would have been on the panel for judging.
Speaker 4: My opinion, all three should be there melmourn Inger, Wally Lewis,
Speaker 4: Joey john zare all ornaments to the game. They are
Speaker 4: in immortality status, so they've earned the right. I also
Speaker 4: think you need a champion coach, somebody like Awayne Bennett
Speaker 4: or a Warren Ryan. I think Warren Ryan's unlucky that
Speaker 4: he isn't also in the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 1: You wouldn't you want the brightest minds.
Speaker 2: Of someone like Ash respect Swayne Tim Sheen's and Warren Ryan.
Speaker 2: You know, then you've got four coaches of the coach
Speaker 2: with different eras. Yeah, within against a lot of players.
Speaker 4: I think if you do something like that, and then
Speaker 4: you have bus Right because he's watched five generations foot,
Speaker 4: you have Ray Hadley because he's watched and called it.
Speaker 4: Ray Warren should be on that panel. Again, it's only
Speaker 4: my opinion, but how many generations of footballers did did
Speaker 4: rabs call? So I think they can fine tune it,
Speaker 4: but most importantly I'm sure they get the result.
Speaker 1: Well, you guys journo's you're a journo, but you obviously
Speaker 1: you could see what we're saying here, right, Its hundred percent.
Speaker 5: I wrote about it this morning Breath that some of
Speaker 5: the people in and around those three were a little
Speaker 5: bit miffed that they weren't asked to have been on
Speaker 5: the panel.
Speaker 10: It's clear that they should have been on there.
Speaker 5: We spoke off air about maybe some Hall of Fame
Speaker 5: members also being on there. I think you can be
Speaker 5: fine tuned, as you said, Hoops, but I think you
Speaker 5: need some football.
Speaker 10: Brains on there. And that's no direspect to any of
Speaker 10: the judges who have done a great job up and
Speaker 10: doing well.
Speaker 5: The only player right now boardy on there is Wayne Peace,
Speaker 5: but he's essentially on there as a player and because
Speaker 5: he's an aarl Well.
Speaker 2: I heard Melon Radio, so that you know the peers like.
Speaker 2: Getting voted in by your peers just means a lot more.
Speaker 2: And if you have three immortals there and they vote
Speaker 2: for you, you know, and might add a little bit
Speaker 2: more to it.
Speaker 1: All Right, we cross back to the black carpet. Now
Speaker 1: Lara is with two Queensland champions.
Speaker 7: Here with drew out and out Queensland Australia and club
Speaker 7: level legends.
Speaker 9: They are now Hall of.
Speaker 7: Famers Jonathan Thurston and Cameron Smith. Jeneralan Welcome to the
Speaker 7: Sydney Criecker Ground. I'll start with you first, Cam, what's
Speaker 7: it mean to be amongst this elite group tonight.
Speaker 11: Oh it's pretty special, Lara.
Speaker 12: You know, quite humbling to be honest, to be a
Speaker 12: part of such a special group, particularly the guys going
Speaker 12: in tonight played a lot of rugby league with a
Speaker 12: couple of guys have played against as well, and you know,
Speaker 12: to be joining some of the greatest players contributors of
Speaker 12: our game.
Speaker 11: So yeah, it's a really special evening.
Speaker 7: It feels like only yesterday, JT. You two are running
Speaker 7: around and you're already here. How much you appreciate the
Speaker 7: history of the game, of being a part of this.
Speaker 13: Very You know, I grew up watching rugby league, playing
Speaker 13: rugby league as a kid, and never in my wildest
Speaker 13: dreams and I think I'd be standing here amongst this
Speaker 13: group of men that I'm about to get inducted with
Speaker 13: and obviously join the group of men before me as well.
Speaker 13: So yeah, it's a very special evening and they're very excited.
Speaker 7: We're all waiting to see who's going to be the
Speaker 7: fourteenth Immortal. For you, Cam, what does that player have
Speaker 7: to embody?
Speaker 6: Oh, well, I.
Speaker 12: Think you know, playing the game in the right manner,
Speaker 12: you know, the contribution over a long period of time,
Speaker 12: I guess, And there's been lots of names tossed about
Speaker 12: for this evening and who'll be the next to Moortal?
Speaker 12: You know, there's a guy that's about to walk past us,
Speaker 12: Ronnie Coud. I think it's a pretty special candidate for that.
Speaker 12: You know, a couple of guys I looked up to
Speaker 12: it, and I'm sure JT did as well, Darren Lockyer and
Speaker 12: Alan Langer very big parts of I guess our youth
Speaker 12: and guys wanting to live out a dream of being
Speaker 12: rugby league players watching those two guys go around. So yeah,
Speaker 12: the guys that have been nominated for tonight's potential naming
Speaker 12: of the next Imortal all very much deserving and they've
Speaker 12: all done their part to contribute to rugby league and
Speaker 12: making it such a special game.
Speaker 7: JD's rattled off an amazing list of players there, but
Speaker 7: he's not going to say himself. Cam he's among the
Speaker 7: favorites as well. What does he represent to you in
Speaker 7: what he's done? I mean he's achieved everything, broken every record.
Speaker 13: Yeah, played a lot of foot with him against him
Speaker 13: as a kid, alongside him as a kid as well,
Speaker 13: and then you know some of my greatest memories on
Speaker 13: a rugby league field hav ingim right beside me.
Speaker 11: So yeah, it's wonderful evening.
Speaker 13: And whoever does get inducted as the fourteenth will be
Speaker 13: a rest special occasion for that person.
Speaker 11: And yeah, we'll see how the big fun it is.
Speaker 7: We hope you have a wonderful night. Really appreciate you
Speaker 7: joining us. Enjoy the night with some of your teammates
Speaker 7: and real legends of the game.
Speaker 11: Thanks so much, great, thanks.
Speaker 1: Laura, Thanks Laura, Kemeren Smith and Jonathan Thurston there and
Speaker 1: Cameron Smith is one of the clear favorites to gain
Speaker 1: immortality tonight and what a plary was incredible. His record
Speaker 1: speaks for itself. Is he going to be named as
Speaker 1: in them Adel time?
Speaker 3: I think?
Speaker 2: Look, I said on Sunday on radio that if it's
Speaker 2: a resume and you're going to be the CEO, I
Speaker 2: think his resume beats everybody there just because of the
Speaker 2: records that he's broken and what he holds. But it
Speaker 2: doesn't mean he's the best player. I mean, like there's
Speaker 2: there's some guys that don't have the same record that
Speaker 2: are just equal to go in there and then like
Speaker 2: Ronnie Coot nine Grand Finals and I think Arthur Beacon
Speaker 2: said he's one of the best players that he played
Speaker 2: with or again. So they've all got their cases, but
Speaker 2: there's no doubt Cameron Smith in the years and you know,
Speaker 2: with all those great I think he stands a little
Speaker 2: bit above them.
Speaker 5: Four hundred and thirty in our all games cans how
Speaker 5: many four hundred and thirty the most ever fifty six
Speaker 5: Test matches and forty two origins. That's equivalent of fourteen
Speaker 5: Origin series that statistically is untouchable.
Speaker 4: It's nearly five hundred and fifty games in total by
Speaker 4: the time you put the Premiership games and then kick
Speaker 4: the rest of them, representative.
Speaker 2: Seventy tackles in the Grand Final against Cronulla in the middle.
Speaker 4: He was a phenomenal player. I think the biggest rap
Speaker 4: that Cameron gets his in big games. His ability to
Speaker 4: win was borter on sociopathic and his ability to judge
Speaker 4: the tempo of the game. If it needed to speed up,
Speaker 4: he could do it if it needed to be slowed down.
Speaker 4: He was obviously a genius at getting inside referees heads
Speaker 4: as well. Along the way, there was an Origin decider
Speaker 4: Gordy up at SUNCRP. I think it was twenty fifteen
Speaker 4: and it was one all and leading into the game,
Speaker 4: all the talk was that Cameron hadn't been running the
Speaker 4: ball much and had just lost a shandi of speed
Speaker 4: and did he still have the magic? Was he still
Speaker 4: going to be able to produce that level? And he
Speaker 4: just went out shot the lights out in you so well.
Speaker 4: So I think they won fifty two to six or
Speaker 4: something like that, but it wasn't good, not for us,
Speaker 4: but Cameron will always be remembered as just an out
Speaker 4: and out winner.
Speaker 10: Can I give one more quick wrap? Brett Kenny?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 5: What do?
Speaker 10: I watched Tim as a kid.
Speaker 5: He's the most naturally gifted rugby league player I've seen
Speaker 5: in my life, and I've covered the game for thirty
Speaker 5: five years now. There was no more gifted player, as
Speaker 5: in a player born to play football than Brett Kenny.
Speaker 5: There might have been better players, there might have been
Speaker 5: harder workers, but for natural ability, he was number one.
Speaker 1: So many people players reporters also the same about Bert
Speaker 1: and they say he's heavily underrated and probably should have
Speaker 1: got more accolades than what he did was.
Speaker 10: In the Wally era.
Speaker 6: That's rightly a bit of over shadow a little bit.
Speaker 3: He'd probably say Brett Kenny wasn't.
Speaker 4: Burt got a better record when they went head to
Speaker 4: head in Origin, both wearing problems. Jump up, Brett Kenny
Speaker 4: beats Wally Lewis that that level. So that's the biggest
Speaker 4: compliment Ken.
Speaker 10: He bowled out Lewis and Thewty two Kangaroo to it.
Speaker 5: Brett played six on that tour and while he was
Speaker 5: on the bench and while he went away as vice.
Speaker 1: Captain, one of my absolute phase, who do you reckon breath?
Speaker 1: I was just about to say, one of my absolute phase.
Speaker 1: He's my favorite player growing up, and I was lucky
Speaker 1: enough to meet him at the Bulldogs and train with him.
Speaker 1: Bradley Clyde, Like, what a machine. This guy was just
Speaker 1: not only a workhorse, but he had the skill, he
Speaker 1: had the footwork, he had the speed. I think he's
Speaker 1: the fittest guy on the game. I mean even he
Speaker 1: trained with us at the back end at the Bulldogs
Speaker 1: days and he was an absolute machine. But he was
Speaker 1: I remember once I went to an Origin and you
Speaker 1: know when you get down to the fence as a
Speaker 1: young kid, I was only probably five or six, Haven
Speaker 1: eight whenever I was and I got a high five
Speaker 1: from him, and I didn't have a shower for a
Speaker 1: few days because honestly, I didn't want to.
Speaker 6: Wipe his hand off mine. That's how much I loved him.
Speaker 2: But he's what a player I think eighteen came in.
Speaker 2: I think he played State of Origin one a Grand Final.
Speaker 3: Played for Australia.
Speaker 2: He was the first guy that would get back, can
Speaker 2: play and take play too. So how Billy Slater changed
Speaker 2: the way fullbacks, He changed the way back rollers had
Speaker 2: to play footy.
Speaker 3: And then I was coming through at the time.
Speaker 2: I think I'm a few years younger than him, But
Speaker 2: the chase Bradley Clyde and to play with him, it's
Speaker 2: just unbelievable how he used to play. And I don't
Speaker 2: think there's been a thirteen or locknumber that I've watched.
Speaker 5: You spect to Lourie Daily, He's played with everybody who's
Speaker 5: who have rugged the league and he says Bradley Clyde is,
Speaker 5: without doubt the best player I've ever played with.
Speaker 6: That's a fair that says it all, doesn't it all?
Speaker 3: Right?
Speaker 1: Round twenty five kicks off a like card Oval tomorrow
Speaker 1: night and mainly coach Anthony sebol says Luke Brooks.
Speaker 6: Is prepared for a hostile homecoming. But Brooks, he's pretty understated.
Speaker 14: So the guy, you know, he's a really good, good
Speaker 14: person off the field, but he's a quiet guy. You know,
Speaker 14: he's just got about his business as normal. I feel
Speaker 14: like he's really grown in confidence. I think some of
Speaker 14: his performances over the last little period of time have
Speaker 14: been very, very good.
Speaker 4: Adam Dewey, who is saying that he wants the crowds
Speaker 4: boom books the exception to there.
Speaker 14: Yeah, yeah, well Adam's a good guy and yeah, look,
Speaker 14: the Tigers supported are very passionate, so you know they'll
Speaker 14: turn up in their numbers on Tomorrow night and they'll
Speaker 14: probably give Brooks a reception. They probably gave him a
Speaker 14: bitter reception at times when he played for the.
Speaker 3: Club as well.
Speaker 6: But yeah, that's all part of the game.
Speaker 14: It's it's almost done in in the right way and
Speaker 14: in sort of that good natured way.
Speaker 6: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Yes, Tigers fans West Tigers fans are very passionate and
Speaker 1: there's no doubt Luke Brooks was going to receive a
Speaker 1: frosty reception tomorrow night. It was a little bit of
Speaker 1: a messy finish to his career there at the West Tigers.
Speaker 6: But really Luke Brooks has had the last laugh here.
Speaker 1: He's going to be playing his first final series ever
Speaker 1: in which he couldn't do it the Tigers, and he's
Speaker 1: kind of reinvented, rejuvenated his career since moving to merely.
Speaker 4: Of all the current NRL players, Luke Brooks has played
Speaker 4: more games than any other, and not for Chard in
Speaker 4: a final. So there is some justice there, I think
Speaker 4: for Luke. He carried that side for a number of
Speaker 4: years and had to wear all sorts of bullets and barbs.
Speaker 4: A lot of it was warranted, a lot of it
Speaker 4: was fair, but at times it did get quite heated
Speaker 4: and quite personal. I got no doubt that the crowd
Speaker 4: there tomorrow will be absolutely winding up and giving.
Speaker 3: Him plenty of working standing on the hill.
Speaker 4: And I'll be on the hill tomorrow, not Gordy.
Speaker 6: Let's be honest.
Speaker 1: It's not like the West Tigers have kicked on since
Speaker 1: he's left either. They like it's so he might have
Speaker 1: been copying it for years and maybe it wasn't him himself.
Speaker 5: If they boo him, they are kidding himself when he
Speaker 5: put his heart and soul on of that joint.
Speaker 10: Didn't win.
Speaker 2: Fans are supposed to do, Gordy, he did you see
Speaker 2: when Sunny Bill come back and played against the Dogs.
Speaker 2: I went back plaid against the Dragons. That's what happened.
Speaker 5: But I'm not suggesting fans shouldn't boo players. But I'm
Speaker 5: saying Luke Brooks's case. He stayed there for ten years ago.
Speaker 6: It is Talus the trainer.
Speaker 3: Well yeah, that wasn't good.
Speaker 2: But Dy've got it right and I love it right mate,
Speaker 2: I'm saying, so I throwing fifty cent pieces at me,
Speaker 2: that was zimm and past my head. They'll throwing apples
Speaker 2: and the police, mate, and the police were handled on back,
Speaker 2: the apples and the chicken bares. They hit me with everything,
Speaker 2: the dragon.
Speaker 4: With the flowing locks. But now on Luke Brooks. Look,
Speaker 4: you're right, Braith. He has been able to rejuvenate his
Speaker 4: career and the opportunity of this created at Mainly I'm
Speaker 4: happy for Luke Brooks. He was a punching bag for
Speaker 4: many years at West Tigers, because of the pay packet
Speaker 4: that he was on, because of the role that he
Speaker 4: was in as the number seven and the conductor of
Speaker 4: the side. If I'm him, I'd be putting the barbecue
Speaker 4: that the previous administration gave him.
Speaker 6: In the back of the ute, right.
Speaker 4: I dropped that off at like ard Ovil, So you
Speaker 4: guys can keep this. I don't think he's even started
Speaker 4: it yet, and I'd be heading into the finals with me.
Speaker 3: No, you didn't get a gas bottle with it. They
Speaker 3: left that out.
Speaker 6: Where is that?
Speaker 3: But look.
Speaker 6: Where they look for the big woods.
Speaker 3: He went there and we showed the footage last night.
Speaker 3: They boot him and.
Speaker 1: In sign of his house, James boot every time I
Speaker 1: touched the ball.
Speaker 4: It's just part of it, you know, you kind of
Speaker 4: laughing off James, Tedesco, Mitchell Moses, They've all had similar
Speaker 4: receptions when they've returned there.
Speaker 6: It's all part of the game.
Speaker 3: I got boot at every ground.
Speaker 10: I just didn't like you, I know, all right, I
Speaker 10: heard it.
Speaker 1: As for the Tigers, they've got bigger problems than Luke Brooks,
Speaker 1: namely avoiding their third straight Wooden spoon.
Speaker 15: Yeah, of course, yeah, no one likes to win it.
Speaker 15: But at the same time, we're still fighting for sixteenth
Speaker 15: and seventeenth, which is not where we want to be. Obviously,
Speaker 15: you know, but we are where we are and we
Speaker 15: want to do our best trying get to win this week. Well,
Speaker 15: it's the elephant in the room. Like you know, if
Speaker 15: you don't talk about it, what do you get out
Speaker 15: of it? So we might just address it. And we
Speaker 15: all agreed that we didn't want to get it, but
Speaker 15: at the same time, like we still.
Speaker 3: A lot of work to do to avoid it.
Speaker 15: But again we've got to win tomorrow.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it had to be addressed. Well said
Speaker 1: there from Benji Marshall. That win last week against the
Speaker 1: Bunnies is he's got them in a position where they
Speaker 1: can avoid their third straight wooden spoon and to be
Speaker 1: gay like against Manly who are traveling well at the moment.
Speaker 6: What about the Tigers dog? What have he thought about them?
Speaker 10: My elephant in the room is not so much the
Speaker 10: wooden spoon this year.
Speaker 5: My elephant in the room is the first six to
Speaker 5: eight rounds next year.
Speaker 10: Benji's been there for two years now.
Speaker 5: He wasn't head coach last year or beat Most people
Speaker 5: thought he was pulling the strings. In two years they've
Speaker 5: won nine games nine If they start pauling next year,
Speaker 5: I'm not suggesting Benzi will be sacked, but I am
Speaker 5: suggesting that club management might now start to say, Okay,
Speaker 5: we need to see some improvement here.
Speaker 10: Otherwise changes have to be made.
Speaker 3: Have we saw enough out of the kids?
Speaker 2: Because they're young and they've got a taste, they've got
Speaker 2: a whole precession, you think that they should go a
Speaker 2: little bit better with a little bit of first grade
Speaker 2: that they've got this year.
Speaker 4: The positives are Jering Buller is injured at the moment,
Speaker 4: but he's clearly marked his name down as he is
Speaker 4: going to develop in or superstar. Galvin looks a player
Speaker 4: of the future. Some of those passes he threw for
Speaker 4: Trials in that victory against South were as good as
Speaker 4: you'll see. Happy Chius Out is just an absolute rock
Speaker 4: right who holds aside together. And then you can look
Speaker 4: at like the edge back row as Samuel Finu. There's
Speaker 4: been improvement in some of the younger generation of players
Speaker 4: across the board. I think Benji's okay next year, but
Speaker 4: I think if the results continue to go down the
Speaker 4: same trajectory as they have over the last three seasons.
Speaker 4: With Jerome Lewi and with Sonny Charuva also into the.
Speaker 6: That kind of feeds into Dog's point.
Speaker 1: There is that with those players improving, which they seem
Speaker 1: to have improved, and then Jerome Leui coming to the club,
Speaker 1: they'd want to see some results early on next year,
Speaker 1: and if they don't, then you're suggesting the drums might
Speaker 1: be beating that.
Speaker 10: Well, I'm just saying, Broth.
Speaker 5: If you were a director, or you were in the
Speaker 5: club management or a fan or a fan, yeah, I
Speaker 5: mean I can say this. I know there's some high
Speaker 5: people at the West Tigers who are still waiting quote
Speaker 5: unquote to see whether Benji can coach.
Speaker 10: Have we seen it yet? I can't see a lot
Speaker 10: of improvement. Whops.
Speaker 5: You say there's improvement, Yes, here's kids coming through, But
Speaker 5: there's no category on a competition ladder that says kids
Speaker 5: coming through. It says W and L, and there's more
Speaker 5: L than W.
Speaker 4: When you looked at that roster at the start of
Speaker 4: the season, they bulldog they.
Speaker 5: Were Where did they're a semi final side?
Speaker 4: No? I did you think that they'd be competing for
Speaker 4: anything other than the spoon?
Speaker 3: No?
Speaker 5: But I did think that the new Benji era, which
Speaker 5: was thrown at us with plenty of fanfare, might produce
Speaker 5: something than what we're seeing right now.
Speaker 2: I didn't think the Dragons were and I didn't think
Speaker 2: the Dogs would be going as well. I thought the
Speaker 2: Dogs were chances, you know, sitting around the eight, I
Speaker 2: didn't think the Dogs would be going well.
Speaker 4: For examples of good coaching, Clearly they made changes and
Speaker 4: it didn't work out for Cameron Serraldo in his first
Speaker 4: season at Canterbury banks Down, but he made more adjustments
Speaker 4: over the summer and they got it right. He brought
Speaker 4: players in Lewis is a huge sign for the Tigers.
Speaker 4: I don't think we're going to underestimate that. I reckon
Speaker 4: we've got to give Benji a little bit of latitude brought.
Speaker 10: On around six or eight.
Speaker 1: We deserves a full season next year. But you know,
Speaker 1: if there's no doubt that if they struggle like they
Speaker 1: have this year next year for the majority of the season,
Speaker 1: certain you'll be in trouble, especially.
Speaker 4: When you've got coaches like Sam Burgess over in England
Speaker 4: having as much success as Ease. Willie Peters is on
Speaker 4: fire over in England at the moment, with a roster
Speaker 4: that I don't think anybody expected to do anything, So
Speaker 4: there's always options.
Speaker 6: Speaking of Sam Burgess.
Speaker 1: Let's cross back to the SCG Lara pitt Is with
Speaker 1: the twenty fourteen Clive Churchill Medallist.
Speaker 7: Well, he's the first Englishman to be inducted into Rugby
Speaker 7: League's Hall of Fame and he's made, of course the
Speaker 7: very special trip out to be he Sammy Burgers. A
Speaker 7: bit of jet lag, but absolutely worth it. What does
Speaker 7: it mean to the boy from Jewsbury to have this honor?
Speaker 16: Yeah, it's actually thrilled to be here first and also
Speaker 16: thrilled to be inducted. Really, to be honest, we're totally honest,
Speaker 16: but not many things made me almost like chuffed, But
Speaker 16: I was really chuffed really, and I was over the
Speaker 16: moon when I spoke to Graham over the phone and
Speaker 16: then the opportunity to come back. Peter was brilliant in
Speaker 16: making sure I could get back and it could make
Speaker 16: it work in the schedule. So yeah, it's great. I
Speaker 16: got my mom with me tonight. She's over the moon
Speaker 16: as well. She's happy. But yeah, jet like, I don't
Speaker 16: know what day is, I don't know what time it is.
Speaker 11: Happy to be here.
Speaker 7: You're inducted alongside your South's teammate g I can you
Speaker 7: believe nearly a decade, a decade since that heroic premiership.
Speaker 11: Yeah, it's unbelievable.
Speaker 16: Earlier, I'm not seeing a lot of great since we
Speaker 16: sort of both finished. But I went to Bondi Junction
Speaker 16: yesterday to see MG Ball and first block I bumped
Speaker 16: into in Australia's great English.
Speaker 11: He's doing the same thing.
Speaker 16: So yeah, I was like, oh wow, it's great to
Speaker 16: see him. It was almost the first block I saw
Speaker 16: off the flight, so.
Speaker 3: It's great to see him.
Speaker 11: And I'm thrilled that I said to him yesterday.
Speaker 16: Actually I said when I got the call to be inducted,
Speaker 16: I was really nervous. I better help Gregg's in because
Speaker 16: if his not, I'm going to step back and give
Speaker 16: it to.
Speaker 11: Him because I have felt really embarrassed. But now he's
Speaker 11: such a phenomenal player.
Speaker 16: And I think all of the especially in our era,
Speaker 16: the ones that have been selected, just such amazing players.
Speaker 11: So I was, yeah, I was absolutely thrilled.
Speaker 7: You've got two jobs tonight, you're going to get your
Speaker 7: jacket and you've been given the late call up for
Speaker 7: the great man himself, Wayne Bennett.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 16: Well Wayne rang me this morning said well you collect
Speaker 16: my jacket. For me, said you can't make it. Unfortunately,
Speaker 16: it had been great to see him because obviously great
Speaker 16: friends with him. But yeah, I collecked his jacket. I
Speaker 16: collected his jacket and in Wayne style, I want say
Speaker 16: too much.
Speaker 11: Yeah, yeah, I keep it shorting So.
Speaker 7: Yeah, okay, and then you've got to get quickly back
Speaker 7: on the play because you're the game on Friday.
Speaker 9: Is that right?
Speaker 16: Yeah, that's right. We play Friday night back in Super League.
Speaker 16: We've got Castle for the over there. So my staff
Speaker 16: have been great, they've run the week. My team are
Speaker 16: actually they're really we're really in a good little swing
Speaker 16: at the moment, so the things are just running themselves.
Speaker 16: I senior guards are taking over. So it's alloted on
Speaker 16: the opportunity to come back. But we've got a big
Speaker 16: game Friday night and chasing the top spot really, so
Speaker 16: it's been an exciting time.
Speaker 9: It's an exciting time.
Speaker 7: And congratulations you dashed back to Sydney, take that Hall
Speaker 7: of Fame jacket with you back to the UK and
Speaker 7: enjoyed the moment.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Thanks, Lara, the great semi Burgess, the first Pomme inducted
Speaker 1: into the NL Hall of Fame. He gave me call
Speaker 1: this morning. Actually he's very excited. He made the quick
Speaker 1: trip over and as Lara just alluded to, he's got
Speaker 1: to get back for his for Warrington and only a
Speaker 1: couple of days.
Speaker 6: What a big effort to get here.
Speaker 1: But what a player, what a beast, what a machine,
Speaker 1: what an intimidator.
Speaker 6: One of the great TV games. Gordy.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think to play on the edge to come out.
Speaker 2: I remember when he landed, he was twenty one, he
Speaker 2: was at South was absolutely outstanding. Play on the edge
Speaker 2: and be devastating playing the mill and be as tough
Speaker 2: and ferosius as anybody that's played the game. And he's
Speaker 2: a leader of men. There's one thing about Sam. He's
Speaker 2: a leader of men. He always took on the bullies,
Speaker 2: which I'd love to have played with him.
Speaker 4: One of the best compliments I've heard anyone give Sam
Speaker 4: was when Bobby McCarthy said he would have made any
Speaker 4: South Sydney pack of any era. And you think of
Speaker 4: all the champing forwards from Sadler to O'Neill to Coote
Speaker 4: the McCarthy for him to get that rap, that just
Speaker 4: underlines the impact that Sam had on that club and
Speaker 4: also the narrative of the way he was able to
Speaker 4: help the Bunny smash that forty three season premiership drought.
Speaker 4: Those scenes will never ever be forgotten.
Speaker 5: You look at him, Hoops, he was, as you said,
Speaker 5: both just a beast. But he would have, no doubt
Speaker 5: made that pack the late sixties early seventies which had
Speaker 5: O'Neills and the Settlers, et cetera. He was as good
Speaker 5: he would have made that pack. And that alone is
Speaker 5: the highest acolade you can give a penny.
Speaker 6: We've got you's got two jobs tonight He's picked up jacket.
Speaker 2: I'm a little bit disappointed for the game because I've
Speaker 2: been to so many Broncos presentations. When Wayne talks, it's
Speaker 2: just it's so beautiful about the game, and I know
Speaker 2: what it means to him. And when you've got Sam
Speaker 2: flying out from England that's made a rush trip and
Speaker 2: I jump on the plane every week for work, and
Speaker 2: I know it can be a pain in the bottom,
Speaker 2: you know, when you're coaching and you're but you know
Speaker 2: the respect for the game is Wayne coming there and
Speaker 2: grabbing that jacket because I know how much he loves
Speaker 2: the game and what the game's meant to him. I
Speaker 2: think I'm a little bit disappointed for Way not talking
Speaker 2: and getting up there and getting the jacket in front
Speaker 2: of all those people.
Speaker 6: All Right, thank you, hoops, straight work, bulldog, one of
Speaker 6: your best. Thank you.
Speaker 1: All right up next to the Legends Agenda with Jeff
Speaker 1: Tuvy and Billy Moore, and as we count down to
Speaker 1: the Hall of Fame ceremony where the games next Immortal
Speaker 1: will be revealed,