Speaker 1: Well, welcome back everyone to another edition of Code NRL
Speaker 1: Podcasts on a Monday, where we break down the big
Speaker 1: stories from the weekend. That's going to include answering some
Speaker 1: important questions that are popped up, like is the Bunker
Speaker 1: ruining Rugby League? The Dragons at any hope of getting
Speaker 1: off from the wooden spoon? Are the Tigers doomed to
Speaker 1: forever miss the eight? And what's going on with Cody
Speaker 1: Walker's temperament? And can you get it under control? Today?
Speaker 1: I'm joined by Fatima Kadou Brent Reid. My name's Alex,
Speaker 1: also known as NRL Soapbox. Let's get into it. Fatima,
Speaker 1: you wrote an article a couple of weeks back which
Speaker 1: I loved talking about some of the blunders and how
Speaker 1: is that have happened in the Bunker? Firstly, how are you?
Speaker 1: And then breakdown for us what's going on with the Bunker?
Speaker 2: I am, well, do you love the article because you
Speaker 2: hate the Bunker?
Speaker 3: Well?
Speaker 1: Yeah, totally, yeah, saying what I want to hear.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Well, here's the thing, I actually don't hate the Bunker,
Speaker 2: Like this is my theory on it, Like I understand
Speaker 2: that it is like a store point. It is a
Speaker 2: pitch point for coaches, players, fans. I get that, but
Speaker 2: I just keep thinking, like, if we didn't have Bunker,
Speaker 2: like Wayne Bennett and you want to blow it up,
Speaker 2: can you imagine what would happen if we saw the
Speaker 2: same mistakes that we see on the weekend. There'd be
Speaker 2: an absolute riot much in every single game. So, and
Speaker 2: here's the thing in the Bunker's defense. Yes, I did
Speaker 2: write an article pointing out I think you know, we
Speaker 2: even called it blunder around.
Speaker 1: It might have been last week.
Speaker 2: They do more often than not get the right cause.
Speaker 2: Have they had a bit of dodgy ones in the
Speaker 2: last couple of weeks?
Speaker 1: Yes?
Speaker 2: Absolutely. Last week in particular, we saw the Tom Jenkins
Speaker 2: one of Tom Jenkins tries, it might have been his
Speaker 2: second one, where there was just so much going on,
Speaker 2: but for whatever reason, we only saw the Bunker focus
Speaker 2: on the put down, which was fine, but it was
Speaker 2: a double movement but wasn't an obstruction. So those kinds
Speaker 2: of incidents are incredibly frustrating. But is it ruining the game?
Speaker 1: I'm not getting rid of the Bunker. I'm saying that
Speaker 1: it's ruining it in terms of its cause it's making
Speaker 1: decisions terrible decisions in consequential moments ninety eight. That success
Speaker 1: rate is great. Well congratulations.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I hate the argument. Hate it.
Speaker 4: I think it's a ridiculous argument. What major sport in
Speaker 4: the world doesn't have technology. We've got a World Cup
Speaker 4: going on right now. Yeah, there's VAR being used. Some
Speaker 4: people are frustrated by it. But you look at the
Speaker 4: Frans game yesterday. Was it the VAR ruled Penley clear?
Speaker 4: Penley decided the game? You know, I think it's I
Speaker 4: hate the.
Speaker 3: Argument, but let me lay issue is in the bunker.
Speaker 3: The issue is in the technology. It's this is not
Speaker 3: the issue.
Speaker 1: Well, that's what I'm not saying, that's the issue either
Speaker 1: read in the bunker. Yeah, well I'm not saying that's
Speaker 1: the issue. I'm saying the officiating through the bunker, like
Speaker 1: they're not using the technology. Probably, So the bunker is
Speaker 1: a concept. Is the referee and the tech. Well, they're
Speaker 1: making so many mistakes. You make that decision.
Speaker 3: You look at that decision on Tom Jenkins, one decision
Speaker 3: they got.
Speaker 4: Wrong, whatever night it was where it's a clear double movement.
Speaker 4: They use the technology, right, it was just a bad decision.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but you can't er Yeah, that's yeah. Sorry, you go,
Speaker 1: that's a human error.
Speaker 4: That's a human mistake, right, and you're not going to
Speaker 4: eliminate them. That's why the bunker will never be one
Speaker 4: hundred percent because it will never get everything right because
Speaker 4: humans are involved.
Speaker 3: Humans aren't perfect.
Speaker 4: Humans make mistakes, right, But we're getting a lot more
Speaker 4: right now than we ever got in the past.
Speaker 3: And you know, I think it's saved referees in general.
Speaker 4: I would say, right, it's save referees from a lot
Speaker 4: of heat and a lot of criticism because when referees
Speaker 4: got decisions wrong in the past, the on field referee, right.
Speaker 3: They a lot of flack over it.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 4: Now it's the bunk of the cops of flat Yeah.
Speaker 4: And I think the idea that we peel back the bunker,
Speaker 4: you know, I would say the Samarius. Maybe, maybe you
Speaker 4: can dilute the power a little bit, right, maybe.
Speaker 1: But I'm saying here's what I'm saying. Really, I'm saying.
Speaker 1: I'm not saying that we get rid of the technology.
Speaker 1: I'm saying we actually get the technology to work so
Speaker 1: that fans aren't throwing their hands up in the air,
Speaker 1: going what the hell's going on with our game technology?
Speaker 1: When something's written. I'm not saying the technology is not working.
Speaker 1: I am also saying work. I meant in the interpretation
Speaker 1: of that technology the senior match official. So what I'm
Speaker 1: saying is just when something when I see something's ruining it,
Speaker 1: it doesn't mean I'm saying remove it. I'm saying improve it.
Speaker 1: So work out how those senior officials. Do you need
Speaker 1: to have three in the box? Do you need to
Speaker 1: do something to make sure blunders aren't happening?
Speaker 3: This is the Jimmy Graham argument. You need three people.
Speaker 3: I'm suggesting three gibbering fools to babies.
Speaker 1: Forgive me ready for being discontent with incompetency. You know what,
Speaker 1: Let's just let it slide the game.
Speaker 4: You've got to learn to live with it, right, Because
Speaker 4: it's like this whole argument about consistency.
Speaker 3: Everyone goes, oh, there's no consistency.
Speaker 4: You're never going to get it because look at us
Speaker 4: arguing now about the bunker, right, we're not consistent on it.
Speaker 4: Human beings have different opinions, they view things different ways,
Speaker 4: so you're never going to get consistency.
Speaker 3: It's a bit like the bunker. You're never going to
Speaker 3: get perfection.
Speaker 4: Right, What we need is for them the bunkers there
Speaker 4: to eliminate the Howler the great.
Speaker 1: It's not eliminating it, but reading.
Speaker 3: That's the problem, right, that's the human being problem. That's
Speaker 3: a that's a problem where the people in the bunker
Speaker 3: have got to get it right.
Speaker 4: And they're smart guys, like I think it was Adam
Speaker 4: Jingo one wrong with the weekend.
Speaker 3: Wasn't it.
Speaker 4: Adam g has been referring if it was Adam job yaps.
Speaker 4: Forgive me if it wasn't. But the guys who were
Speaker 4: in the bunker have been in there for a long time.
Speaker 4: They've been around the game a long time. They've a
Speaker 4: fish over of the game a long time, right, they
Speaker 4: know the rules. Yeah, for some reason the heat of.
Speaker 3: The moment that they get the odd one wrong.
Speaker 4: And you said it before, I think it's ninety eight
Speaker 4: percent right, right, So why the vast majority they are
Speaker 4: getting them right?
Speaker 3: Sadly, they are occasion going to get it wrong.
Speaker 1: Okay, let's move on. Let's talk about the Dragons upset
Speaker 1: against the West Tigers. There's two big storylines coming out
Speaker 1: from here. But the first one is the Dragons have
Speaker 1: once again secured two points in a game of footy,
Speaker 1: So Dragons fans will be absolutely dancing for joy this week.
Speaker 1: Here's a key question, though, and I've got some I've
Speaker 1: been doing a bit of research on the Dragons, but
Speaker 1: I want to throw this to you guys first for Tima,
Speaker 1: can the Dragons avoid the spoon? Oh?
Speaker 2: How many points behind are they? I should I should
Speaker 2: know this.
Speaker 1: I think two wins behind someone?
Speaker 2: Two three wins here? What there's eight games?
Speaker 1: Eight?
Speaker 2: Nine games left? Probably not no, but I know they've
Speaker 2: only won two games since dem Young took over. But
Speaker 2: I must admit they've been playing with a lot of effort,
Speaker 2: a lot of spirit, especially the last couple of weeks.
Speaker 2: And the bar is probably so low to begin with
Speaker 2: for them anyway. But there has been some improvement.
Speaker 1: Yes, they have been improving.
Speaker 2: They have been improved, and if you're a Dragons fan,
Speaker 2: that's like a little glimmer of hope to hold on to.
Speaker 1: Well, here's some encouraging news for Dragons fan. So I
Speaker 1: did a bit of research the last five games. What's
Speaker 1: really changed is their actual ability to score tries. So
Speaker 1: for the previous eleven games they were averaging, which is abysmal.
Speaker 1: You're never going to win a game of rugby league.
Speaker 1: With this two point two tries a game, you're never
Speaker 1: going to win with that, even if you had the
Speaker 1: most premium defense. Now they're getting up closer to four
Speaker 1: tries again, so actually they're actually in the contest and
Speaker 1: if you analyze their last five games, they've outscored their
Speaker 1: opponents three times, so they're actually now looking like a
Speaker 1: footy team that can contest and compete in the game.
Speaker 1: When you're scoring two tries a game, you're no chance.
Speaker 1: So Dean Young's done something. Reading your take, do you
Speaker 1: think the Dragons can avoid the spoon?
Speaker 4: No, I don't think they can. I think they're going
Speaker 4: to win what three the Titans have won four games,
Speaker 4: they won two. I think they will win probably three
Speaker 4: more games at least to go past the Titans. And no,
Speaker 4: I don't think they can. I don't think they can
Speaker 4: avoid it. I agree with you, they'd be better, but
Speaker 4: they couldn't have got much worse. If you and Marenzac
Speaker 4: Day they were an abomination and they weren't going to
Speaker 4: go backwards from that, you know, I think that that
Speaker 4: coaching decision, it's really intriguing, right because they've taken forever
Speaker 4: and doesn't look as though they're close to making a decision.
Speaker 4: Deans won a couple of games, and you would have
Speaker 4: thought he's helped his cause, but they're taking the time
Speaker 4: of it, which makes me think they're still not convinced.
Speaker 2: Is really is there anybody else that obviously Ben Hornby's yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2: So is it a two horse race basically between Ben
Speaker 2: Hornby and Dan Young?
Speaker 3: Well, it feels that way.
Speaker 4: I mean I haven't followed it closer enough for team,
Speaker 4: but it feels like it's a two horse race. And
Speaker 4: you know, if Ben can win another game or two,
Speaker 4: I imagine Dean sorry, can win another game or two,
Speaker 4: would imagine it's his job.
Speaker 3: But you know, look, I mean the Tigers.
Speaker 4: Obviously they beat the Tigers, credit to them, but the
Speaker 4: Tigers down on troops, so many players out there battling
Speaker 4: at the moment.
Speaker 3: So it was a good win.
Speaker 4: But I'm not surely going to face too many easier
Speaker 4: games than that the next what they got left eight games?
Speaker 4: Eight games?
Speaker 1: Well, I suppose the source of comfort for Dragons fans
Speaker 1: is that your team went from an abomination to just incompetent.
Speaker 1: They're getting somewhere that's.
Speaker 2: Better.
Speaker 3: I mean, they are better. I mean they are.
Speaker 4: They are having to go and some of those young
Speaker 4: they've got those young forwards. Everyone's talking about the young
Speaker 4: forwards and they're having a dip. No, I'll probably win
Speaker 4: another game or two. I'm just not sure they'll win three.
Speaker 4: That's the that's fair issue.
Speaker 2: You know, who hasn't been incompetent in the last couple
Speaker 2: weeks of our homes No, No, but that's another thing
Speaker 2: as well, you know. And he was forced to shifted
Speaker 2: out to the win because I think Tyrol Slone went
Speaker 2: down with a hamstring injury. And you know, after the
Speaker 2: game he said, I actually enjoyed it. Scored two tries.
Speaker 2: I think the final ten minutes he might have had
Speaker 2: a game high one hundred and seventy seven meters whatever. Young,
Speaker 2: you know, he kicked goals. Yeah, So you know, whatever
Speaker 2: Dean Young's done there, because he was clearly off it,
Speaker 2: yeah right, and maybe you know, maybe he was carrying
Speaker 2: a bit of a shoulder injury, I think, but you know,
Speaker 2: there was obviously something wrong there. So Dean Young's managed
Speaker 2: to turn whatever was going on with our homes around
Speaker 2: and that's all I think positive signs for Ded and
Speaker 2: his job applications.
Speaker 1: If you view Dean Young over the past five games,
Speaker 1: he's done something. Whether it's enough, who knows, but he
Speaker 1: at least done something with this team. Let's move to
Speaker 1: the Tigers, though, who started the season was so much promise.
Speaker 1: I know, ready, you were really backing them and so
Speaker 1: and obviously they've been hammered by injury. There's been big
Speaker 1: news about player movements and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1: Are the Tigers once again going to miss the finals?
Speaker 3: Sadly it looks that way.
Speaker 2: He's put down the cool aide.
Speaker 3: I wouldn't put it.
Speaker 4: Look, I'm not willing to put a complete line through them.
Speaker 4: It's a pencil line. Look can rubout because all is
Speaker 4: pretty good and they've got a pretty good drawer right
Speaker 4: on the run in. They're just their injuries is just
Speaker 4: piling up.
Speaker 3: That's the problem.
Speaker 4: I know they've got Dewey back back next game, but
Speaker 4: Twiles back, but they're just losing Bloke's hand over fist
Speaker 4: and that's the problem with the moment. Typically on their edges.
Speaker 4: I mean it was similar. Farming might be back in
Speaker 4: the next week or two, but they've lost him quite
Speaker 4: Piers Paul, you know those guys have been great from
Speaker 4: the year. Durin Buller doesn't look at his best. That's
Speaker 4: the worry. So benj you's got to find a way
Speaker 4: to ignite them again. I don't think I'm not going
Speaker 4: to officially put a line through them, right, it's just
Speaker 4: a pencil.
Speaker 1: Well, I'm putting a line for them. I think. I
Speaker 1: know they're only one win out of the eight, but
Speaker 1: they just are losing games they should win, beating the Dragons,
Speaker 1: that's got to happen, and they haven't done it. So
Speaker 1: they've had the misfortune of injuries and then they're just
Speaker 1: not getting the results.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, and ready alluded to the run high, but
Speaker 2: I was just having a look that final three weeks
Speaker 2: his Rooster's Cowboys penrith. Yeah, I don't start backing, you know,
Speaker 2: grabbing some wins in the next.
Speaker 1: Couple of weeks.
Speaker 2: It might be you know, all over for them before
Speaker 2: they even get to their to their run home. I
Speaker 2: did have a look at this. They're conceding at stack
Speaker 2: of points. I think only the Dragons and the Eels,
Speaker 2: and the Eels have been abysmal defensively this year are
Speaker 2: conceding more points than them. So that's been it Shan.
Speaker 1: I get it.
Speaker 2: When you have injuries, it you know, ruins your defensive
Speaker 2: combinations and systems and the rest of it. But they've
Speaker 2: just had, you know, very little resilience in defense. They
Speaker 2: have fade outs in the you know ladder parts of
Speaker 2: each halves which are hurting them. So yeah, that's the
Speaker 2: you know.
Speaker 1: It's a really good point. Like so the Tigers, the
Speaker 1: games I've watched when they played well, is that their defense.
Speaker 1: They've executed the game plan that Benji set and defended
Speaker 1: very well. It's just not consistent enough, yes, And which
Speaker 1: if you want to play top eight footy and finals footy,
Speaker 1: you've got to be consistent and they're just not doing that.
Speaker 2: And they're just not doing that.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think if you look at the ladder, I mean,
Speaker 4: you said the one win out the eighth, but if
Speaker 4: you actually take the buyers out, the two were out
Speaker 4: of the eighth.
Speaker 3: So that's a problem for him as well.
Speaker 4: Right, They've got to somehow find a way to win
Speaker 4: two more games and the Cowboys or Manly or Cronulla,
Speaker 4: and at the moment that the way they're playing, that
Speaker 4: would seem almost impossible.
Speaker 3: But I'm giving them a little sniff a little bit
Speaker 3: of hope. I think it's going to be a man Benji.
Speaker 1: We trust it's going to be a cruel irony of
Speaker 1: once again the West Tigers finishing ninth.
Speaker 3: I reckon it started so well. That's a frustrating thing.
Speaker 4: They've played so well early doors, but that just the
Speaker 4: injuries that just decimated them.
Speaker 1: Decim Yeah, but the injuries have decimated them, but their
Speaker 1: defense has also just not been there, not consistent enough.
Speaker 1: Let's go back to another result from the weekend where
Speaker 1: we thought it would be much more of a contest,
Speaker 1: which is the rabbit O's and the Panthers. That rabbits.
Speaker 1: We can blame bunkers or referees or anything like that,
Speaker 1: but I want to talk about Cody Walker's temperament. That
Speaker 1: brain snap that he had was a bigger brain snap
Speaker 1: than the bunker if I'm being honest. Now, I think
Speaker 1: it's got to this point where we need to ask
Speaker 1: this question, is Cody Walker's temperament losing South's games?
Speaker 4: But I don't think Cody Walker's temperament cost him that game.
Speaker 4: And when he came back in the game, they're in it.
Speaker 4: They're in the game at a half time it was
Speaker 4: twelve to ten, wasn't it. So you know it was dumb, right,
Speaker 4: No one's going to dispute that it was stupid. It
Speaker 4: was a dumb thing to do. And Cody owned it
Speaker 4: after the game, got to give Hi kudos for that
Speaker 4: right in front of the press conference, put his hand
Speaker 4: up so that I shouldn't have done it.
Speaker 3: It was silly, and.
Speaker 4: Apologized for it. But I don't think that costs in
Speaker 4: the game. I mean, there was twelve I think it
Speaker 4: was twelve turn at a half time, wasn't it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, But the game regular is the game of momentum,
Speaker 1: and you're not going up against an insignificant side. You're
Speaker 1: going up against the Panthers with it. They might have
Speaker 1: a few names out, but they're still a very good team. Yeah.
Speaker 4: But I would say they had themndum and a half time.
Speaker 4: They come back into that game, they were gone, right
Speaker 4: it was twelve mil or whatever, and they got back
Speaker 4: to twelve ten.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but he burned to try.
Speaker 3: I would say they actually had them a mentum go
Speaker 3: in a half time.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but they could have had more. He burned a try.
Speaker 1: We did, and so the.
Speaker 4: Game you say that, but if that try gets scored
Speaker 4: maybe the half plays out differently. We don't know how
Speaker 4: much try costs him, right, But you know Cody, Look,
Speaker 4: I mean, Cody's had that in him for a long time.
Speaker 3: Right, He's never quite gone that far to be that silly.
Speaker 4: And Cody's a point in his career where he's probably,
Speaker 4: like I said, I reckon, there's a sense of frustrating.
Speaker 4: He plays plays a little bit of a sense of
Speaker 4: frustration at the moment because what is he thirty five?
Speaker 4: He's Look, he's at the latter stage of his career.
Speaker 4: It's probably a year left in him, and he can't
Speaker 4: do what he used to be able to do. He's
Speaker 4: still a damn good player. So Cody doesn't play South,
Speaker 4: doesn't win a lot of games this year, like Cody
Speaker 4: is a difference maker for him, him on the trail.
Speaker 4: So you know, unfortunately with Cody, he's not going to
Speaker 4: change now, right, That's that's who he is. And I
Speaker 4: think we've accepted that for a long time. And this
Speaker 4: is the one time I would argue, or the one
Speaker 4: significant time it's just gone too far. He's always had
Speaker 4: a little bit in him, but it's just gone too far, right,
Speaker 4: And I would say Cody acknowledged that and accepted it. So, yeah,
Speaker 4: he's obviously that it's a game, Britt, But Cody wins
Speaker 4: more games for southsek loses by the length of was straight.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a credit to Cody to take responsibility for
Speaker 1: a stupid mistake, but it isn't a mistake in isolation,
Speaker 1: and I don't think he can I don't think he
Speaker 1: can afford any longer to be making this mistakes. He
Speaker 1: doesn't have that much time left in his career and
Speaker 1: Souths needs to make the eight. He can't be blowing
Speaker 1: like blowing his temper like that and having a tantrum.
Speaker 1: And we've accepted a part of his game because Souths
Speaker 1: will winning, but if they're going to if they don't
Speaker 1: make the eight, or if they start losing games as
Speaker 1: a result of him being thrown off, I think it's
Speaker 1: absolutely worth worthy of conversation.
Speaker 4: Yeah, well, Cody, Cody acknowledge that, code acknowledge that after
Speaker 4: the game that was the wrong thing to do. I
Speaker 4: think Cody Cody knows that as much as as much
Speaker 4: as anyone.
Speaker 3: Right, But.
Speaker 4: Again, I'll say it, Cody wins more games for Southsea loses, Yeah,
Speaker 4: by a mile, I mean Cody doesn't often cost some
Speaker 4: footy games. Cody often wins the footy games.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he does often within footy games. But if they're
Speaker 1: losing footy games, it's also I'll tell you what, you
Speaker 1: can guarantee Cody Walkers having a entrum. And so I
Speaker 1: don't know why teams don't just send like that. Every
Speaker 1: team should have signed a Reed Marti role who just
Speaker 1: pisses off Cody walker Oh, guarantee they'd lose way more games.
Speaker 1: Maybe on let's go to let's talk about Knights versus
Speaker 1: Dolph Dolphins. And really the reason why this Newcastle win
Speaker 1: was so important is in the context of the season,
Speaker 1: we had. What were the Dolphins on was it seventh
Speaker 1: straight or eight straight wins? Something ridiculous? Right, they were
Speaker 1: on a hot streak. Yeah, and now that's happened through
Speaker 1: the origin period. So both teams had origin players out.
Speaker 1: But you would argue, in some ways Newcastle not having
Speaker 1: Kaylen Ponger is much more consequential than the outs that
Speaker 1: the Dolphins had. It was a tight contest. But what
Speaker 1: I really want to talk about is two things. Is
Speaker 1: that it was actually a tale of two teams really
Speaker 1: rising to the surface. For different ways. The Dolphins have
Speaker 1: absolutely recovered their season when they started poorly and looked
Speaker 1: like a top four, maybe even top two team. But
Speaker 1: the Knights. I want to talk about the Knights here
Speaker 1: and how they're not just that they've secured this win,
Speaker 1: but where they find themselves on the ladder. They're in
Speaker 1: the top four now. Dylan Brown ice is the game,
Speaker 1: which is what halfbacks need to do, no matter their
Speaker 1: price tag. He's ice the game, won it for his team.
Speaker 1: So here's my question, fifteam or I'll go to you.
Speaker 1: Is Dylan Brown so far proving his value well?
Speaker 2: When you look at where they sit on the ladder,
Speaker 2: And like I said, I think it was his first
Speaker 2: ever career build goal, so when it mattered, he stepped up.
Speaker 2: It's interesting there was so much talk about Dylan Brown
Speaker 2: and whether you know, the Knights had overpaid or because
Speaker 2: you know where it was almost like a panic contract
Speaker 2: for them considering the state they were in. But there's
Speaker 2: been very little talk about how well Dylan Brown's gone
Speaker 2: in that role. And you know, I just think he's
Speaker 2: only just sort of, you know, scratching the surface of
Speaker 2: his potentials. So yeah, right now, you would say, considering
Speaker 2: they're a good chance of finishing in the top four. Yeah,
Speaker 2: they've got a number seven who can ice games and
Speaker 2: you could say yep, but he's an only one. I
Speaker 2: mean Sandin Smith was pretty put in that game as well.
Speaker 2: So they made a couple of very as recruitment decisions
Speaker 2: the Knights, and it's paying off when they need it to.
Speaker 1: Very good reading. Do you reckon he's worth the price
Speaker 1: tag at the moment?
Speaker 4: Well, I think the debate around Dylan Brown wasn't over
Speaker 4: whether he's a good player or not, right, it was
Speaker 4: about the length of the deal and the amount it
Speaker 4: was worth. Right, ten years, thirty men or whatever. It's
Speaker 4: probably a ratchet's in there, so it's probably gonna worth
Speaker 4: hell of a lot more than that, right. There was
Speaker 4: no debate whether I mean the only debate bait was
Speaker 4: whether we could play half back and lead the team
Speaker 4: around the park. I think he's been a great I
Speaker 4: think he was always going to be a great buy
Speaker 4: for them. I think the thing the difference in Newcastle
Speaker 4: isn't so much Dylan Brown, it's their forward pack. I mean,
Speaker 4: that was the question mark we all had over the
Speaker 4: Knights was whether they had a forward pack that could
Speaker 4: give these brilliant outside backs the space and time to
Speaker 4: create havoc.
Speaker 3: Right, the Ford packs be Trey Mooney has been one
Speaker 3: of the buyers of the year.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 4: Their forward pack's been unbelievable this year. You know, Dylan
Speaker 4: Lucas become an elite player. Jacob Sephiinis did his hamming
Speaker 4: I think at the weekend's been great fu him. So
Speaker 4: you know, Dylan Brown was always going to be good
Speaker 4: if that forward pack aimed up, and he's been great.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he has been great. What do you reckon, guys?
Speaker 1: Is he going to be the best halfback they've had
Speaker 1: since Joey? Because I've looked through their halfback list. It's
Speaker 1: not it's not actually are hard Yeah, it's a low bardon.
Speaker 3: Itive us a name.
Speaker 1: So you got when I was doing some reading, we've
Speaker 1: got Mullen, Jared Mullen.
Speaker 3: He was pretty good.
Speaker 1: Yeah, his win rate was around forty five in the
Speaker 1: end for them. Hodkinson was there in a terrible time,
Speaker 1: so his win rate was terrible. There. When you go through,
Speaker 1: you go Jesus might actually findly be a good halfback
Speaker 1: signing for the Knights.
Speaker 2: Ye, but yes, I was going to say, if he
Speaker 2: you know, if a top four finish for the Knights
Speaker 2: is sort of the new thing for them under Dylan Brown,
Speaker 2: then yeah, I guess he.
Speaker 1: Is okay, And then I reckon that one person that's
Speaker 1: been missing in this conversation. Yes, the forward pack has overperformed,
Speaker 1: the backs are on fire. But is Justin Holbrook going
Speaker 1: to be Coach of the year taking the Newcastle Knights
Speaker 1: from Wooden Spoons? Too? Very likely? Finals? Maybe even top four?
Speaker 3: You know what.
Speaker 4: I was in the car of the way home here,
Speaker 4: so I listened to this game and I was actually
Speaker 4: thinking the same thing, like, if you're doing the coach
Speaker 4: of the Year rankings right now, he's got to be
Speaker 4: in the top two, doesn't he. I mean, he's been
Speaker 4: unbelievable what he's done there. I mean, I and obviously
Speaker 4: deserves to mention he always does, probably Christian Wolf, right,
Speaker 4: but aside from those two foz I did one yesterday.
Speaker 3: Maybe he's in the mix. But Holbrooks, what he's.
Speaker 4: Done is amazing up there, amazing. Yeah, he's probably he's
Speaker 4: the front runner right now. I record for Coach of
Speaker 4: the Year. He has to be.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the boys look like they're having fun every time
Speaker 1: they talk about and they talk about how much fun
Speaker 1: they love him. They talk about that Wholebrook doesn't say
Speaker 1: you were You don't win to be happy. You're happy
Speaker 1: because you just if you're happy, you'll start winning. So
Speaker 1: he's brought a different culture around the team. He's obviously
Speaker 1: much more relational with the players. If Manly and everyone
Speaker 1: knows I reveal my bias on here that I'm a
Speaker 1: Manly fan. If the Manly Boys didn't screw their coach
Speaker 1: for the Bulldogs game in the Eels game, we might
Speaker 1: be talking about here and foreign as coach of the year.
Speaker 1: Is there any chance it goes to Christian Wolfbo for
Speaker 1: team maybe?
Speaker 2: You know, that turnaround that he managed to achieve has
Speaker 2: been absolutely incredible. I do like Justin Holbrook as a
Speaker 2: top contender. For me, it's still ivan theory and.
Speaker 1: One result that didn't get enough attention over the weekend
Speaker 1: because it just keeps bloody happening is the Brisbane Broncos
Speaker 1: have lost again. Reading what is going on up there, well,
Speaker 1: I think we.
Speaker 3: Can now officially call us a full blown crisis.
Speaker 4: Well state in the right now. And you know, injuries
Speaker 4: have played a part. There's a sort of things that
Speaker 4: have played played a part of the way they're going.
Speaker 4: But yeah, it's it's it's a bad scene, man. The
Speaker 4: sixteenth out of seventeen teams in the comp the team
Speaker 4: that won last year's Grand Final, and you know, obviously
Speaker 4: there's been all sorts of talk about the coach and
Speaker 4: the relationship with the players and all that sort of stuff.
Speaker 4: You know, I don't know when they're winning the next
Speaker 4: game Bridge, and I think the next game is against
Speaker 4: Penrith's right, they got the Buyer then Penrith.
Speaker 3: I think they're probably not going to win that game.
Speaker 3: That's nine in a row.
Speaker 4: It's now officially probably the worst Premiership defense in general history.
Speaker 3: It's a disaster.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think I agree with I think it is
Speaker 1: generally the worst title defense that we've seen. That they
Speaker 1: are playing a businessly. I'd like to say this though.
Speaker 1: The last two games we've seen the Broncos at different
Speaker 1: times this season just look horrendous, playing the most insipid
Speaker 1: kind of footy. But the last two games they've actually
Speaker 1: put in the effort. I generally think they had a
Speaker 1: real chance of winning that one, except for the dumb
Speaker 1: eras that they would make. In the Sharks twenty there
Speaker 1: were just so many stupid play the ball errors. So
Speaker 1: it does actually look like the team is playing for
Speaker 1: the coach ready.
Speaker 4: Well, they're playing for something, because I agree with you,
Speaker 4: they put some effort in the last couple of weeks,
Speaker 4: whether it's playing for the coach or playing for themselves,
Speaker 4: or playing for their teammates, to playing for the jersey
Speaker 4: they're having to go. Yeah, I don't think there's any
Speaker 4: doubt about that. They're just not good enough. And when
Speaker 4: you're a team, a club like Brisbane Broncos, doesn't matter
Speaker 4: who's out.
Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, they shouldn't be.
Speaker 3: You need to compete, you need to be in the mix.
Speaker 3: And efforts not enough.
Speaker 1: It's inexcusable, no matter what the depth is, no matter
Speaker 1: what injuries there are, past leaves, okay, that's a big deal.
Speaker 1: To leaves, that's a big deal. A bunch of injuries,
Speaker 1: that's a big deal. It's inexcusable for the defending premiere
Speaker 1: is to lose eight in a row like something's going
Speaker 1: wrong at Brisbane. I don't know what the answer is
Speaker 1: to fix it, though, any suggestions from the from the
Speaker 1: brain struck, well, I don't know what.
Speaker 4: The answer is on the right, you know, I'm not
Speaker 4: in the building, so I don't know what the problems are. Well,
Speaker 4: we've all heard some of the problems and some of
Speaker 4: the suggestions and what the problems are. But it feels
Speaker 4: to me like they just right now they just need
Speaker 4: the season to win, to sit down the off season,
Speaker 4: work through the issues because there are issues there, right,
Speaker 4: there's no doubt there's issues there. Work through the issues,
Speaker 4: and you know, start next season a new frame of mind,
Speaker 4: because at the moment, it just feels like they're just
Speaker 4: they're just eyeing off the holidays.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it looks like they're flushing the season.
Speaker 3: Yeah, because the season there's season's over.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I know.
Speaker 4: Madge puts on a brave face up for every game,
Speaker 4: says I love these guys. I know what they can do.
Speaker 4: I mean, I'm a Broncos fan. What was that the
Speaker 4: first game I grew up watching them. They're not winning
Speaker 4: eight in a row. I'm sorry, it's not happening. Yeah,
Speaker 4: So Madge is a bit delusional.
Speaker 3: On that front.
Speaker 4: So I just need they just needed to They just
Speaker 4: need someone to come in. They need to hit the
Speaker 4: Goldie and chill out a bite, come back to the
Speaker 4: preseason and find the hunger again.
Speaker 1: One piece of news that I might have missed with
Speaker 1: some fans are talking to me about it. I wasn't
Speaker 1: quite sure of the answer is who replaced Ben TiO
Speaker 1: for the defensive assistant coach.
Speaker 3: They didn't.
Speaker 4: I don't think they replaced him from MEMBERY. I think
Speaker 4: Madge took on more responsibility. I don't think he got replaced.
Speaker 4: No one, no one. They didn't bring anyone in.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's never good.
Speaker 4: Yeah, but again, you know they're having they're having a goal.
Speaker 4: I don't think anyone could say they're not.
Speaker 3: They're not.
Speaker 4: They're not trying right, But there's just something going wrong.
Speaker 4: There's just something wrong there. It just doesn't smell right.
Speaker 1: All right. That wraps up another episode of Code and Arel.
Speaker 1: We'll catch you next Monday. But hey, before you go,
Speaker 1: we want to hear from you. So if you've got
Speaker 1: an opinion, a take, you disagree, you agree, you just
Speaker 1: hate me, you can either reach out to me at
Speaker 1: NRL Soapbox, I'm online everywhere, or make sure you reach
Speaker 1: out to us at codenol dot com. Today we want
Speaker 1: to start hearing your input and bring it into the show.
Speaker 1: Have a great week, guys, See y