Speaker 1: I'll get to New Zealand and welcome back to the
Speaker 1: Mad Monday Podcast, brought to you, as always by the
Speaker 1: four and twenty PI. The perfect at home snack for
Speaker 1: watching rugby league, or the perfect snack at the ground
Speaker 1: to have whipped off the back of your head by
Speaker 1: a half US sporting commentator. My name is ten of
Speaker 1: us saw A Monday Awi. I'm joined by Toy Hurley
Speaker 1: this afternoon. Get a ben here? You getting on? Mate?
Speaker 2: Can it be over the yet? Is it over? Yeah?
Speaker 3: I just want I just want it to end. I
Speaker 3: just want we just need to take this season out
Speaker 3: the back and put a bullet in its head.
Speaker 1: Chuck it in a sack with a couple of bricks
Speaker 1: and toss it off the nearest bridge you reckon.
Speaker 3: It's no, I'm going to distance myself from that one.
Speaker 3: I think it needs to be humanely dealt with. But definitely,
Speaker 3: definitely it's it's it's a long and slow death as
Speaker 3: the twenty twenty four NRL seasons for the Mighty Warriors.
Speaker 1: And I just feel like that game, Sewan Johnson's Last
Speaker 1: at Home, it sort of went about it was like
Speaker 1: almost a beautiful summary of the season. It was a
Speaker 1: lot of emotion. There was a lot of build up
Speaker 1: to that game, all the vision of Sean Johnson before
Speaker 1: the game. You know, her tears in his eyes when
Speaker 1: he's running out onto the field as he should, and
Speaker 1: emotion is just a little bit too hot. And I
Speaker 1: think that, like you saw that clearly when he knocked
Speaker 1: the ball on with his first touch, was like, okay,
Speaker 1: now you've just spelled the the jitters. But the game
Speaker 1: just went exactly how every Warriors game has so far
Speaker 1: this season. You know, there's like twenty thirty minutes of
Speaker 1: us being like, shit, we're on here. Then all of
Speaker 1: a sudden, it just gets taken away from us, isn't it.
Speaker 3: Well yeah, then there's then there's always generally one moment
Speaker 3: in the game, one key moment, And I think that
Speaker 3: was probably the highest shots on Roger tu vasa sheek
Speaker 3: that Stephen Crichton just for some reason did not go
Speaker 3: to the bin for it was eighteen sixteen at that point.
Speaker 3: You know, a ten minute power play thirteen on twelve
Speaker 3: would have been fantastic at that point.
Speaker 1: There needs to be some sort of I mean, there
Speaker 1: needs to be an investigation obviously, first off, but also
Speaker 1: there's gotta be like if a player, I know you
Speaker 1: can't judge on the outcome of a tackle, but if
Speaker 1: a player has to go for an HIA, there's no
Speaker 1: way that another player doesn't go to the band. You
Speaker 1: don't get hiad unless someone's hit you in the head.
Speaker 1: And then we saw it later on in the game,
Speaker 1: Mitch Barnet got head in the head so hard I
Speaker 1: think it was Preston that it split his eyebrow and
Speaker 1: he just stood there, looked at the riff and he's
Speaker 1: just like blood passing out over his eyes. He's like,
Speaker 1: he is sious, How could that be nothing? I saw?
Speaker 3: Yeah, not only was it high, but it was a
Speaker 3: shoulder charge as well.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was like point to the shoulder to the cheek,
Speaker 1: slash eye socket. Andrew Jennings is in the Mad Monday
Speaker 1: Mondays group on Facebook. He reckons he's got a solution
Speaker 1: to the inconsistencies coming from the bugger. He said, why
Speaker 1: can't the same person do all the games in a round.
Speaker 1: If I can manage to watch them all and I'm
Speaker 1: not even getting paid to do it, why wouldn't this work?
Speaker 3: I mean, you're potentially paying for it with your marriage.
Speaker 3: But yeah, yeah, absolutely. I'm also a massive fan. And
Speaker 3: this goes for the other rugby code as well. There
Speaker 3: should be a five minute send off. There should be
Speaker 3: a five minute bin for what is deemed accidental contact
Speaker 3: with their head. If we're going to be serious about
Speaker 3: head contact, then that's fine. They're five minutes. If it
Speaker 3: looks like there's intent, that's ten, or carelessness that's ten.
Speaker 3: And if it looks like it's just out and out
Speaker 3: dangerous play, then obviously you're off. I think there should
Speaker 3: be three levels.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a good point because we've changed how we're
Speaker 1: efficiating it, but we haven't changed the punishments that are
Speaker 1: available to the referee. I've always said in rugby union,
Speaker 1: at least, I've been a big proponent of what I
Speaker 1: call the Donald Duck cart, which is for incidental contact
Speaker 1: with the head, so you know you didn't mean to
Speaker 1: do it, you should be allowed to play on, but
Speaker 1: you have to remove your pants. So it's like there's
Speaker 1: you know, the fans don't get punished. The game plays on.
Speaker 1: You still have the same guy, but he's going to
Speaker 1: be a bit apprehensive hidden the ruck and that kind
Speaker 1: of stuff because he's got to tackle out. But yeah,
Speaker 1: there has to be some sort of other thing at
Speaker 1: the reff's discretion, doesn't it. You can't just be ten
Speaker 1: or yeah.
Speaker 3: I mean I guess what I would say, just to
Speaker 3: play devil's advocate. At least in rugby league, you know,
Speaker 3: the it isn't a hard and fast role contact with
Speaker 3: their head just being sent off like it is in
Speaker 3: rugby union. And and the ref did say in that
Speaker 3: circumstances said there are mitigating circumstances, which there wasn't.
Speaker 2: I don't think no.
Speaker 3: But still at least he's trying to judge it tackle
Speaker 3: by tackle, whereas in rugby union there were there were
Speaker 3: permas players that were just leading with their head into
Speaker 3: tackles like just like a rhino. And then and then
Speaker 3: they all blacks your penalized for contact with their head.
Speaker 3: I mean yeah, so at least there is still some
Speaker 3: judgment in rugby league. Yeah, yeah, we'd love to see
Speaker 3: some consistency.
Speaker 1: I know, you're right, Like a couple of weeks ago
Speaker 1: when Ethan Blackett I got bumped off and got binn
Speaker 1: for his if it's as well because they lived with
Speaker 1: their heads. It's like, what are you supposed to do
Speaker 1: about that? Despite and I feel like poor Weby was
Speaker 1: so passed off from the postmatch press conference talking about
Speaker 1: the inconsistencies and that despite all of that, we were
Speaker 1: lucky enough to commentate from the ground and being there
Speaker 1: for that game was fucking awesome. Like, you know, they've
Speaker 1: all been sellouts this year, but a lot of them
Speaker 1: are like, you know, they've sold out all the tickets.
Speaker 1: Some people on the night decide not to turn up,
Speaker 1: or people show up late. This was packed out basically
Speaker 1: from the second half of the New South Wales Cup game.
Speaker 1: The people were filing in and it was that environment
Speaker 1: there was The atmosphere was wild. The South stand was
Speaker 1: fucking heaving. They're packed in like sardine's there. And then
Speaker 1: on the seventh minute they tried a little bit of
Speaker 1: forced fun with like a standing ovation for Seawn Johnson
Speaker 1: because he wears the number seven. But yeah, I don't know, Yeah,
Speaker 1: it didn't really work because a lot of people they
Speaker 1: put it up on the screen and everyone's like, oh wait,
Speaker 1: what what are we doing? Standing ovation? Okay, but for
Speaker 1: how long? And then it's in the middle of the
Speaker 1: game they're still playing. Then I think we knocked it
Speaker 1: on during that period as well deflated us a little bit.
Speaker 1: The only other thing I note from the game for
Speaker 1: me was that was the first time I'd been to
Speaker 1: Lily World after the game, and oh yeah, it was loose.
Speaker 1: It was going off, there was a DJ going, everyone
Speaker 1: was maggot that was in there responsible and they got
Speaker 1: the big screen playing the games. It's the best ticket
Speaker 1: in town. Still. People were asking me like, do you
Speaker 1: reckon Everyone's going to stop going to the games next year,
Speaker 1: And I don't think they will because it's still the
Speaker 1: best sporting event you can go to in New Zealand
Speaker 1: because you go there, go to the game, you know,
Speaker 1: you have yourself for four and twenty PI, have a
Speaker 1: couple of Export Ultras and then watch the game after
Speaker 1: it's going to Lily World, wait for the traffic to
Speaker 1: die down. It's just it's just a good time, you know.
Speaker 2: Is it still going to be that Warriors bar in Kingsland?
Speaker 2: Is that still happening?
Speaker 1: Yeah? It is. Which I was talking to a couple
Speaker 1: of people about it the game and they're like, do
Speaker 1: you know how hard it is to get from Kingsland
Speaker 1: to Mount Smart, Like there's no direct train, you have
Speaker 1: to go to New Market, so you catch in two
Speaker 1: and change two different trains which were out of town.
Speaker 1: I mean, I live in Auckland. I don't think I
Speaker 1: could do that and I don't think I could pull
Speaker 1: that off. And then, but I guess is it for
Speaker 1: people who aren't going to the game? Is what it is?
Speaker 2: I think it's probably both right.
Speaker 3: I think they do need a place for the team to,
Speaker 3: you know, descend on the adoring crowd at about eleven pm.
Speaker 2: Yeah, after a win, and that's probably going to be it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I suppose take a couple of trains where you
Speaker 1: half cut. You're right, though, I think that there's been
Speaker 1: like a since we were mathematically eliminated. Then, you know,
Speaker 1: we had a bit of artificial inflation because we were
Speaker 1: so hyped up for Sean Johnson's last game. But now, like, honestly,
Speaker 1: are we playing the Sharks this week?
Speaker 2: Yeah? We started with the Sharks or ending with the Sharks.
Speaker 1: I wasn't entirely certain that that's who we're playing this
Speaker 1: weekend because I think like a lot of people were
Speaker 1: all just sort of focused on next year. Now.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so let's talk a little bit, a little bit
Speaker 3: about next year. We haven't made a lot of signings
Speaker 3: I would say, obviously we're losing SJ. But I feel
Speaker 3: like we have quite a lot of backup in that role,
Speaker 3: in the halves role. We do get Jet Cleary as
Speaker 3: well next year, who.
Speaker 2: I don't know.
Speaker 3: I don't think he'll roll straight into the first grade
Speaker 3: side because he is, you know, fourteen years old or whatever.
Speaker 2: But yeah, we have we have covered there.
Speaker 3: You know, arguably Tomato Martin was better in that jersey
Speaker 3: than SJ was this year, certainly had more success on
Speaker 3: the you know, just out of pure numbers. So yeah,
Speaker 3: where do you think we need to make some signings.
Speaker 2: In the off season?
Speaker 1: Uh, I don't know. Who kicks goals for us next
Speaker 1: year is my biggest problem. So Sean will be gone.
Speaker 1: I don't think c HT will be if you certainly
Speaker 1: won't be starting. So I know, I actually think that
Speaker 1: Adam Pompey it gets it. You know, it's a big
Speaker 1: tick in his favor. But then you're paying Roger to
Speaker 1: have us a sheck, however much you're paying him. Rock
Speaker 1: o'berry will be back next year. I don't think we
Speaker 1: like we're losing AFB, but we gain James Fisher Harris,
Speaker 1: we lose Jazz Tavanger, But they've just announced Aaron Clark,
Speaker 1: who's I don't know much for muchness And if anything,
Speaker 1: Kieren Ford's three hundredth game was on the weekend and
Speaker 1: guess who was leading the Hocker for that. It was
Speaker 1: Aaron Clark. So I feel like we've got a bit
Speaker 1: of an influx of money coming our way next year.
Speaker 1: I really, I really don't think we're losing that much,
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. If Shawn Johnson left at
Speaker 1: the end of last year, I'd have been like, fuck,
Speaker 1: that's huge. We just lost the Delian player of the
Speaker 1: year by rights, But that time around on I don't know.
Speaker 1: I think health is going to be the biggest issue.
Speaker 1: We've got enough players. I mean, Jackson Ford hasn't ever
Speaker 1: been playing for the last month.
Speaker 2: You know, well that was that was actually going to
Speaker 2: be the position.
Speaker 3: I thought we could do what we could do with
Speaker 3: another really solid back rower.
Speaker 1: Yeah we Yeah, what kind of feels like because we got.
Speaker 3: Forward up front, right, we're good upfront, which with Mitch
Speaker 3: Barnett and James Fisher Harris, that's a pretty good front
Speaker 3: row each each Ford's I mean, who is fit, like
Speaker 3: actually fit, because I don't think he's been fit all
Speaker 3: year really, even though he's been on the park. Then
Speaker 3: that's fine. But and Ford is hot and cold. Yeah,
Speaker 3: and yeah, I just think and we lose Dylan Walker
Speaker 3: and Jazz who cover it in those positions as well.
Speaker 3: So yeah, I think I think another ball playing back
Speaker 3: ra Big a Big would be great.
Speaker 1: I don't know who that is when I look around
Speaker 1: the leg I'm just trying to wreck my brain for
Speaker 1: who would feel that for us. I also think just
Speaker 1: like one massive game breaker which could be Look, Metcalff.
Speaker 1: I'm banking on that next next year because it's you know,
Speaker 1: your game breakers are either your halves or your fallback. Really,
Speaker 1: and Charms, as solid as he is and as great
Speaker 1: as he is, isn't that kind of fallback. So we
Speaker 1: need Metcalf to be the game breaker for us next year.
Speaker 1: I reckon.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's what I thought.
Speaker 3: I was actually watching the Titans game yesterday and it
Speaker 3: was a Camperrera who basically scored a ninety meter try
Speaker 3: and I thought watching that, I thought, there's no one
Speaker 3: in the Warriors that can do that at the moment.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and there's conversely, those are the guys that carve
Speaker 1: us to bits as well, those whipp it quick outside backs.
Speaker 1: We could be one short of those.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're right.
Speaker 3: I mean, you know, I'm a fan of Adam Pumpey,
Speaker 3: and I think the Warriors centers have been not great
Speaker 3: in the past on defense, but with him and Roccoberry
Speaker 3: in there, I have a reasonable amount of faith in
Speaker 3: those two.
Speaker 2: But yeah, another even Dollan, I don't know that Dallon
Speaker 2: could run ninety meters.
Speaker 3: Like he's a great finisher, great winger, but he's not
Speaker 3: that kind of winger.
Speaker 1: No, he does. He's made a couple of intercept tries
Speaker 1: more last year than he did this year. But even then,
Speaker 1: you're like, I don't know if he's going to get there.
Speaker 1: I don't know if he's away. Like it's not shut
Speaker 1: the gate when Dw's he hits An in now.
Speaker 2: And I met Wang. You know, we've had the Cossi
Speaker 2: Club in there.
Speaker 3: I'm not sure he's quite the star that he promised
Speaker 3: to be a couple of years ago.
Speaker 2: So yeah, there you go.
Speaker 3: Someone who could cover, you know, wing slash center, who
Speaker 3: could who's who's a speedster would be fantastic. Unfortunately, Vale
Speaker 3: Holmes went to the Dragons. But I think if we
Speaker 3: can enjoyed the Worriors, we have some salary cap issues.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, you're right. I don't really know. I still
Speaker 1: think that I reckon the RTS thing would have taken
Speaker 1: a toll on the team this year, and I don't
Speaker 1: think we've solved it. I think it's still a problem
Speaker 1: going into next year. And you hear all these interviews
Speaker 1: with him talking about the difference when he plays fullback
Speaker 1: to when he plays center or wing, and he says,
Speaker 1: when he's playing fullback, all he's thinking about is being
Speaker 1: the best player in the world, and when he's playing
Speaker 1: center or wing, he's thinking about, you know, defensive coverages,
Speaker 1: is he in the right place, is he's winger like this,
Speaker 1: you know, second row like that, And he's sort of
Speaker 1: got all these things in his head, whereas when he's
Speaker 1: at fullback, it's like, how do I be the greatest
Speaker 1: player of all time?
Speaker 2: Well?
Speaker 3: That's interesting, isn't it. I mean, yeah, do we do
Speaker 3: we let one of them go? One of our fullbacks?
Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't know. I don't know how
Speaker 1: to solve it.
Speaker 2: I don't know, I don't know. I don't want to
Speaker 2: let any of them go.
Speaker 1: No, No, it's.
Speaker 3: Amazing, and I think that's the biggest issue. We have
Speaker 3: two fantastic players who really only play one position.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and then I don't know, I've been saying for
Speaker 1: a while, I really want them to swap. I wouldn't mind.
Speaker 1: I reckon chants will be great in the centers. Oh yeah,
Speaker 1: And I think we all agree. Roger does that Roger
Speaker 1: still exist? I don't know. You know, the delim player
Speaker 1: of the Year? Is he still? Is he still the guy?
Speaker 1: Should he be? Honest?
Speaker 2: Tell you what? Who comes back from union and is better? Almost? No? One,
Speaker 2: m No, it's weird like Benji.
Speaker 3: I mean, Benji was pretty good towards either of his
Speaker 3: career still, but he was he was called or Benji
Speaker 3: by that point.
Speaker 1: Yeah, what way around, Lord Takiri go? Did he go
Speaker 1: back to Lake? Don't think so?
Speaker 3: And I don't know, not right, but he Joey Man
Speaker 3: who you know, will he ever go back and be
Speaker 3: the great Joey Man?
Speaker 2: Who rugby league player over again? Ye?
Speaker 1: I don't know. Adam's just raised a good point. Brad Thorne.
Speaker 1: But brad Thorne was going to be brad Thorne wherever
Speaker 1: he went. Whatever he did, he didn't go back to league, though,
Speaker 1: I feel like he did now.
Speaker 2: We played for the All Blacks until he was like fifty.
Speaker 1: He during the All Blacks, by the way, he used
Speaker 1: to make Stephen Donald and Conrad Smith have bench pressing
Speaker 1: competitions to decide who was the weakest All Black in
Speaker 1: the squad. Beaver reckoned, he got him anyway. Yeah, look,
Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't think we've solved a lot
Speaker 1: of the problems that have plagued us this year going
Speaker 1: into next year. But also I don't think we're losing
Speaker 1: too much in the in the squad, and like you
Speaker 1: don't just pluck a competition winning fullback or half out
Speaker 1: of thin air anyway. So no, but again, I just
Speaker 1: think we were a few sort of health issues this
Speaker 1: year away from the form of last year. I saw
Speaker 1: a stat that absolutely broke my heart about goalkicking and
Speaker 1: that we'd be almost in the top four if we
Speaker 1: kicked one hundred percent. You could probably say that about
Speaker 1: most teams, but I don't think we're that far off,
Speaker 1: you know, I don't think it's deerm and gloom. But anyway,
Speaker 1: as your what's your excitement level for the Shark's game
Speaker 1: this week?
Speaker 3: As I say, put a bullet in the back of
Speaker 3: the season's here.
Speaker 2: No, look, it'll be nice.
Speaker 3: It'll be nice to record a when I would like
Speaker 3: it not to be like the season two years ago
Speaker 3: where we lost by forty points to the Titans and
Speaker 3: had Matt Lodge walking off give her the fingers to
Speaker 3: the crowd.
Speaker 2: So yeah, just if we could just improve on that,
Speaker 2: that'd be great.
Speaker 1: That's the baseline. All right, we'll take a quick break,
Speaker 1: we'll come back and we're going to discuss the Stonker
Speaker 1: of the Round. If you're keen to joined the Alternative
Speaker 1: Commentary collective team for a massive Rugby League weekend in
Speaker 1: March of twenty twenty five, you can text Vegas to
Speaker 1: three two three six to book your spot.
Speaker 2: Now.
Speaker 1: I'm not sure that there are still spots in there.
Speaker 1: I've heard that it may be sold out, but anyway,
Speaker 1: text Vegas to three two three six to have a look. Said.
Speaker 1: If you can book your spot to Vegas now it
Speaker 1: is time for the Stogger of the round and you
Speaker 1: put it into the group chat. This morning, Ben had
Speaker 1: to be the Pande Raiders against the Panthers twenty two
Speaker 1: points to eighteen. But it wasn't just the tight score line.
Speaker 1: It was the way that it was won, wasn't it
Speaker 1: intercept try leak of the field stuff?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah, it was great.
Speaker 3: I mean I love an afternoon game anyway, and when
Speaker 3: the afternoon game is arguably the best of the week end,
Speaker 3: then you know, that's just great watching.
Speaker 2: That's just great rugby league.
Speaker 3: And you're going to say, of all the fans in
Speaker 3: the NRL, could you say that the Raiders fans are
Speaker 3: the most passionate. There is a lot of green sparkle
Speaker 3: in that crowd and I'd love to see it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, they do go harday, I would obviously put them
Speaker 1: sick into the Warriors fan base.
Speaker 2: But there is yeah, true, true, there is something.
Speaker 1: About the dress up thing, that fake horn they blow.
Speaker 1: They were Viking clapping at the end as well. There's
Speaker 1: a little bit of a rivalry there with the Panthers.
Speaker 1: I seem to remember that their home crowd was doing
Speaker 1: a Viking clap last year or the year before, and
Speaker 1: they were spanking the Raiders and their whole fans.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, I think that that probably stems from the
Speaker 3: early nineties. That's when I first started watching leg actually
Speaker 3: early nineties, and that was the Grand Final I think
Speaker 3: three years in a row was Panthers Raiders.
Speaker 1: Right, is that the Ricky Stewart here.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, and and Panthers. I think two out of
Speaker 3: three went to the Panthers of those of those Grand finals.
Speaker 3: So it's where it comes from. But you know, Canberra
Speaker 3: is a weird place. If you've ever been there, it's
Speaker 3: it's not it's not a tourist destination. You certainly don't
Speaker 3: need to go through it, like you have to go
Speaker 3: out of your way to go through it. So obviously
Speaker 3: the capital, it's it's kind of a boring place. So
Speaker 3: I think they're very very passionate about their league team
Speaker 3: and that gives them some respite from their boring hundrum
Speaker 3: public servant lives.
Speaker 1: Yeah, government jobs. The stadium is quite cool as well
Speaker 1: there that they play out. There's a long history with
Speaker 1: that club. Quite a lot of Chevy fans, the Raiders.
Speaker 1: They had a lot of great KIVI players throughout the years.
Speaker 1: I love watching the games at the stadium, but like
Speaker 1: I said before, the only thing that really does my
Speaker 1: head on is that fake horn, Like either blow a
Speaker 1: real horn or don't bother.
Speaker 3: You know, I'm not into it. They haven't always done that.
Speaker 3: The biking clap thing, I think it came from when
Speaker 3: Iceland made the European Cup final or semi final, had
Speaker 3: an amazing run through the Euros one year and they
Speaker 3: you know, they're actually Vikings, not fake South Pacific Vikings,
Speaker 3: but they yeah, they actually did this Viking clap behind
Speaker 3: the goal.
Speaker 2: It looked incredible. It was organic. Whereas as you.
Speaker 3: Say but said before about organized fun, it does smack
Speaker 3: of organized fun, which is my least kind of favorite
Speaker 3: kind of fun I know.
Speaker 1: And they've got so many like unique Australian animals that
Speaker 1: haven't been picked for any of the teams. You know,
Speaker 1: there's no Crocodile's team. North Queensland should be leaning into
Speaker 1: that wholeheartedly. There are the Sharks. But I don't really
Speaker 1: know what the link between Vikings and Camera is, you.
Speaker 2: Know, sorry Camera.
Speaker 3: I mean, I think there are a lot of people's
Speaker 3: second favorite team. As you say in New Zealand, they're
Speaker 3: quite lovable and and they are just outside the eight.
Speaker 2: Now.
Speaker 3: I know we say this almost every year, but I've
Speaker 3: never seen a logjam around the.
Speaker 2: Eight spot as gamers. This year it is unbelievable.
Speaker 1: So at the moment the Dragons at eighth. Unbelievably, the
Speaker 1: Broncos are now ninth. They are on twenty six points,
Speaker 1: as are the Dolphins, Knights and Raiders. So yeah, you're right,
Speaker 1: it is. There is heaps to play for for them.
Speaker 1: For us, we're just down there, one point ahead of
Speaker 1: the Rabbit O's and thankfully five points ahead of the
Speaker 1: Eels and Tigers, so we are not in spoon contingent.
Speaker 3: Yes, I believe it's basically the Broncos play the Dolphins
Speaker 3: this weekend, and it's basically for the top eight spot.
Speaker 3: I think, assuming the Dragons lose.
Speaker 2: Does that sound right?
Speaker 1: The Dragons, Yeah, well, they play the Eels, so they're
Speaker 1: probably not going to lose. Dolphins Broncos. Then the Broncos
Speaker 1: play the Storm and then it's Spoon Bowl West Tigers
Speaker 1: versus the Eels of it, Broncos Storm and no, no, no,
Speaker 1: And that's in the last week. I remember that there's
Speaker 1: actually two more games left to go. But the Warriors
Speaker 1: have the bar and actually mercifully they have the buy
Speaker 1: at the end of the round. Now where we were thinking,
Speaker 1: oh at the start of the season, we're like, this
Speaker 1: is perfect. We're going to come into that eight rowing
Speaker 1: ready to go, and now we're just like, oh, thank
Speaker 1: god it's over. Do you think that the Panthers should
Speaker 1: be worried by this result?
Speaker 2: Yes?
Speaker 3: I mean Nathan Cleary didn't play. Are they that reliant
Speaker 3: on him?
Speaker 1: Well, I mean he's been out for most of the season,
Speaker 1: but when he came back, it was just like, oh,
Speaker 1: that's right. He is immortal quality rugby league player. And
Speaker 1: it was I believe that it was Lei who threw
Speaker 1: that and to see it pass as well, so you
Speaker 1: could you could arguably say he lost them the game
Speaker 1: if you didn't like Luis for whatever is.
Speaker 2: But I wonder who you're talking about. I think I
Speaker 2: think we're in agreement.
Speaker 1: On that one. Yeah. Look, I do think that that
Speaker 1: quite reliant on him, But I also don't think like
Speaker 1: they without him are still an excellent, excellent team. It
Speaker 1: is going to depend on when he can come back
Speaker 1: from his injury. And I know that Cleary was getting
Speaker 1: stuck into them about look, we're just not playing good
Speaker 1: enough football. But yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 3: So this is the question that we unfortunately have to
Speaker 3: ask some seasons, Mania, and that is what team are
Speaker 3: you following through the finals?
Speaker 1: Yeah? I've picked these guys from a while ago, and
Speaker 1: I'm actually quite glad that we've passed the torch to them.
Speaker 1: But it is the Canterbury Banks Down Bulldogs. I was
Speaker 1: gutted that it was them that we had to play
Speaker 1: in Shawan Johnson's last game, because you know, I was
Speaker 1: saying last week. They allow like their defense has been
Speaker 1: stingy all season. They allow the fewest amount of tries
Speaker 1: per game, and in the last sort of six weeks
Speaker 1: they've also started piling tries on from everywhere. They've been
Speaker 1: having a crack from all areas of the field. The
Speaker 1: most fun team to watch, and it's good because I
Speaker 1: can't get behind them Storm or the Roosters or any
Speaker 1: of those massive clubs. So yeah, for me, it's the
Speaker 1: cannibary back Sound Bulldogs. Also, they seem to be having
Speaker 1: a moment. Have you seen like the carnage that's going
Speaker 1: on outside their home games. Vans are getting flipped and
Speaker 1: shit's getting lit on fire and it's like full, full
Speaker 1: scale riots every game now, So that's gonna be awesome.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Well, it's been it's been a tough few years
Speaker 3: for the Bulldogs and obviously they had basically a they
Speaker 3: basically gutted the entire organization from the from the bottom up.
Speaker 3: And you know the fact that it's paying dividends now
Speaker 3: is is nice to see. Although as you as you
Speaker 3: say it sounds like Bulldogs fans will always be Bulldogs
Speaker 3: fans and they will always be the most fairal I mean,
Speaker 3: arguably rival by paramountter fans, but those two, those two
Speaker 3: ball clubs definitely have the most rabid fans. Yeah, I
Speaker 3: will be following. I don't think they're going to win,
Speaker 3: but I'd love to see them do well. I'll be
Speaker 3: following my Cowboys through the finals. I think they are
Speaker 3: star studded across the park. Everyone kind of loves the
Speaker 3: Cowboys a little bit. And I think Tom Didan's the
Speaker 3: least number six in the competition.
Speaker 2: There, I said it.
Speaker 1: I am not far off agreeing with you there. I
Speaker 1: think he has been absolutely outstanding. I've been flirting with
Speaker 1: getting him into my super coach team this entire season.
Speaker 1: He's great in origin. You're right, I think what he
Speaker 1: suffers from is a nothing haircut. If he had some
Speaker 1: sort of you know, Mullard even or some sort of
Speaker 1: fade or something like that. But he's just got that
Speaker 1: real middle of the road white guy haircut. That's doing
Speaker 1: him no favors. He's no one's favorite player aside from
Speaker 1: yours perhaps, But and I think and I think that's
Speaker 1: what he's suffering from, is like no distinguishing physical features.
Speaker 1: He's not big, He's quick enough, but that's not the
Speaker 1: hallmark of his game.
Speaker 2: No.
Speaker 3: Look, the mums love him, and I don't mean they're
Speaker 3: sexual way like something for the mums. They love them
Speaker 3: because they remind every mum of their son.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and he's got he's got a haircut that looks
Speaker 2: like it was done by his mum.
Speaker 1: It does too. So yeah, that's the Raiders twenty two
Speaker 1: to a against the Panthers. I'm not going to read
Speaker 1: too far into that. I think the Panthers come finals time,
Speaker 1: the two experience, they'll be in that final. But it
Speaker 1: may show just a little bit of weakness. If you're
Speaker 1: one of those other teams at the top, you're licking
Speaker 1: your lips, aren't you.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: So look, just to go back to this weekend's game
Speaker 3: against the Cronola Sharks, what I would say is all
Speaker 3: the bottom teams have had some upsets in the last
Speaker 3: few weeks. So the Tigers two games in a row. Yeah, one,
Speaker 3: I mean, anyone for them is an upset, to be honest, Yes,
Speaker 3: what's it?
Speaker 1: And upsetting?
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, of course. I think the Eels turned over
Speaker 3: someone recently.
Speaker 2: Yeah, oh yes, that's right with us. The Rabbit has
Speaker 2: had a little run a few weeks back.
Speaker 3: It would be great just to be one of those
Speaker 3: teams that upset one of the favorites for the competition.
Speaker 3: I don't see it necessarily happening, but yeah, I mean,
Speaker 3: how many we lots on the road on the truck
Speaker 3: down the four.
Speaker 1: Yep, I'm just scrolling back through them. Doggies got us.
Speaker 1: Then the Eagles absolutely hammered us. The Dolphins beat us
Speaker 1: with that drop goal, and then yeah the Eels, yeah four,
Speaker 1: and then we beat the Tigers.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, that's right.
Speaker 1: So yeah, yeah, we're gonna well, look, the Warriors always
Speaker 1: win games that they shouldn't say. This one against the
Speaker 1: Sharks could be a real binand appeal for the Sharks. Anyway,
Speaker 1: let's take a quick break and when we come back,
Speaker 1: we're going to go reverse Hurley. Here, I've got a
Speaker 1: reverse Hurley's Heroes. We're going to go a little bit
Speaker 1: different this week. Curly. We're going to go We're going
Speaker 1: to go reverse Hurley, which I understand is something you
Speaker 1: haven't done since your UNI days. We are going to
Speaker 1: go a top ten. How many of the top ten
Speaker 1: most games for the Warriors can you name? So, out
Speaker 1: of the top ten games played for the Warriors, how
Speaker 1: many can you name?
Speaker 2: Well? I imagined this as a tribute to Sewan Johnson.
Speaker 1: That's right. Yeah, so he's one, Yes, he has one.
Speaker 2: He's one.
Speaker 3: Now last week's Hurley, well, last time I did Hearly's Heroes.
Speaker 3: The most kept Warrior, Simon man Ring.
Speaker 1: That's two three hundred and one games for Simon Mannoring,
Speaker 1: two twenty for Shawn Johnson.
Speaker 3: By the way, I'm going to say Manuva.
Speaker 1: Manuvatuve is third with two hundred and twenty six.
Speaker 3: Okay, that's good. I didn't realize he's doing them in order.
Speaker 3: Now they won't be an order.
Speaker 2: Probably Stacy Joes, Yes, Stacy Jones. Stacy Jones. It's four.
Speaker 1: That is the top That is the top four.
Speaker 2: Even now I'm starting there.
Speaker 3: Owen Goot and Beer I think was the one club
Speaker 3: player I imagined he he's probably in there.
Speaker 1: There's ninth.
Speaker 2: These ninth. Okay, that's that's fine with them, though Michael Luck.
Speaker 1: Michael Luck is not in there.
Speaker 2: No, it was a good run. Okay, what else? Said
Speaker 2: Lanto higher La who high is a okay? Good? Who else?
Speaker 2: Steve Price?
Speaker 1: Steve Price is not in the top ten most games
Speaker 1: played for the Warriors. Unfortunately he came came from the Bulldogs,
Speaker 1: didn't he in the Bulldogs? And then.
Speaker 2: Uh one one Warriors? You know one club players, Logan.
Speaker 1: Swan, Logan Swan is in at number six.
Speaker 2: Okay, so I've missed too. I think I've got one
Speaker 2: more guess, have I?
Speaker 1: Yeah, one more guess, one more guess?
Speaker 2: Uh, it's probably someone like Ben Muslin.
Speaker 1: That's Ben Muzzlin or yeah, that's right, he's first. He
Speaker 1: played two hundred and twelve games for the club. And
Speaker 1: the one that you missed was Sam Rapeta who played
Speaker 1: one really yeah in the changing room in the changing
Speaker 1: rooms for Seawn Johnson's last game as well. So yeah,
Speaker 1: your top ten. So I'm mannoring Stacy Jones, Many Buttu Fly,
Speaker 1: Shawn Johnson, Ben Muzzolino, Logan Swan, Jacob Lillyman, Lance will Hire, Owen, Gutenbill,
Speaker 1: Sam raupeter I don't think you've got Lilyman, did you.
Speaker 3: No, I didn't get Lilliman either. It's a surprise. He
Speaker 3: was a he's a Queen Cider, wasn't he played played Origin?
Speaker 1: Yeah that's right. So yeah, that is your top ten
Speaker 1: most played games for the Warriors. You did well in
Speaker 1: the top five and then after that.
Speaker 2: I think it's not a part of it. I'm all right,
Speaker 2: seven out of ten is not bad. I'll take that.
Speaker 1: Seven out of ten is tremendous. All right. Hopefully you're
Speaker 1: done screaming at your device after all of the ones
Speaker 1: have been missed, and we'll knock this one on the
Speaker 1: head for a Monday. We'll be back on Thursday. Thank
Speaker 1: you very much, Ben, enjoy your week, mate.
Speaker 3: Thank you looking forward to the game, even though I
Speaker 3: said I wasn't