Speaker 1: Kyoto and welcome along to the Mad Monday Podcast live
Speaker 1: from the Export Beer Guard and Studio. Even though podcasts
Speaker 1: can't be live because they pre recorded and then released
Speaker 1: at later data, it is, of course all brought to
Speaker 1: you by our mates at four and twenty piles, the
Speaker 1: perfect at home snack for watching rugby league. And watch
Speaker 1: some rugby league. I certainly did this weekend, So too
Speaker 1: did Ben Hurley, who is joining me from beautiful Bay
Speaker 1: of Plenty. Ben, how are you today?
Speaker 2: Right? Listen? I was actually down very much in your
Speaker 2: nick of the words on Saturday before the game I
Speaker 2: was hosting. This is true the sixty fifth anniversary of
Speaker 2: the changing of the name from Chinese Goosebury to Kiwi
Speaker 2: Fruit Wow?
Speaker 1: Is that in too poky?
Speaker 2: It was into pookey Wow? I mean that's not That's
Speaker 2: not the surprising part.
Speaker 1: Is that an actual thing? The seller? Because I knew
Speaker 1: that it did come from Chin originally.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but it grew particularly well. And yeah, sort of
Speaker 2: central Bay of Plenty I would call that, even though
Speaker 2: it's technically the West, but I would call it more
Speaker 2: central Bay of Plenty. Yeah. And so sixty five years
Speaker 2: ago somebody who went, let's just call it kievy fruit
Speaker 2: because there would go grove heaps of it here.
Speaker 1: And apparently because the green ones there now obviously being
Speaker 1: you'd know this, they prefer the gold and the varieties
Speaker 1: that are more immune to PSA. But the first variety
Speaker 1: of the green one looked like a kiwi as well,
Speaker 1: and it grew really well here.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it looked like a fuzzy bollock, but they the
Speaker 2: new ones aren't so fuzzy. No, no, no, they've had
Speaker 2: a wax.
Speaker 1: They've definitely had a wax. Beautiful though, sweet. It's kind
Speaker 1: of yellowy colored. But that's We'll just park kiwi fruit
Speaker 1: chat there. Just because one of the greatest all time
Speaker 1: Warriors played his final game for the Warriors, Ben, if
Speaker 1: you don't mind, we just moving over to the Warriors
Speaker 1: getting a win, getting a wind over the Sharks thirty
Speaker 1: point to twenty eight. What do we still play commentary bits?
Speaker 1: We don't? Okay? I went pause there then, Ben, this
Speaker 1: game I got home from a mate's thirtieth sort of
Speaker 1: halfway through it. The Warriors were down. I think we
Speaker 1: had four points. I think the Sharks had twenty odd points,
Speaker 1: and I was just like, oh man, don't let Shawney J.
Speaker 1: Go out like this. We let them score a couple
Speaker 1: of tries right before halftime. They then scored just after halftime,
Speaker 1: and it was a nice little demoralizing chunk right in
Speaker 1: the middle. After a great sort of opening twenty of
Speaker 1: US keeping them effectively scoreless, Shawney J. Ponty Metcalf threw
Speaker 1: to open things up. Familiar pattern. Start strong, they score
Speaker 1: a whole heap of tries, We get sad, except for
Speaker 1: this time we massively rallied and we came back for
Speaker 1: one of the most exciting finishes for the Wars in
Speaker 1: recent history.
Speaker 2: Yeah. So it's nice that another team has US as
Speaker 2: their bogey team. And it must be the Sharks, right, yea,
Speaker 2: because they lose in the last minute of the last
Speaker 2: couple of minutes to US a lot of times throughout
Speaker 2: NERL history, and it's usually Sean Johnson that that does it.
Speaker 2: And yeah, it's incredible that he was able to turn
Speaker 2: it on for his last game. And when I say
Speaker 2: turned it on, he turned it on for about fifteen
Speaker 2: to twenty minutes. It was good throughout the game, but
Speaker 2: then he just turned into well he tended to Sean
Speaker 2: Johnson from twenty twenty three for the last fifteen minutes.
Speaker 1: That's right, that right side really just elevated itself. I
Speaker 1: can't help but like, and that's what was so crucial
Speaker 1: to Sean's success last season is it wasn't just him
Speaker 1: getting the ball in us being like, Sean, please fix
Speaker 1: things for us. It was him getting the ball in
Speaker 1: space with plenty of runners around him, plenty of options
Speaker 1: around him, and that was starting to happen last night
Speaker 1: towards the end of the game. One thing we mentioned,
Speaker 1: man iron I mentioned at the end of last week
Speaker 1: was we're be sort of reluctance to put Charms anywhere
Speaker 1: other than fullback, But then for this final game, he
Speaker 1: puts Charms at right center and tame to a Picky
Speaker 1: who had an absolute blinder a full back again, and
Speaker 1: Chars is just so good at, you know, making sure
Speaker 1: the ball goes through the hands and slotting in that
Speaker 1: right side just instantly came back to life again.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I really like it. I like Chans and center,
Speaker 2: and I think that's what should happen next year. And
Speaker 2: we've got a couple of options at fallback, including a
Speaker 2: Roger to be vasa shit.
Speaker 1: Well, that's honestly chance at right center, Roger at left center,
Speaker 1: or maybe on the wing, and we've got it. We've
Speaker 1: got to let tur Perkey play fullback in my opinion,
Speaker 1: because he's almost like he's almost like keano' Kenney for
Speaker 1: the Titans. He's like a small like Defensively, he's pretty plucky,
Speaker 1: but he can get smoked by someone massive. But he's
Speaker 1: so small and electric that if we've got these dynamic
Speaker 1: players that people are thinking twice about, like Metcalf, and
Speaker 1: all of a sudden, you've got tur Pekey with even
Speaker 1: an inch of space, he can make you pay.
Speaker 2: Man.
Speaker 1: I absolutely love this kid.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, it was just it was a wonderful win,
Speaker 2: and I don't want to take anything away from it
Speaker 2: because it was. It was one hell of a game
Speaker 2: to watch, but it was frustrating that did just seem
Speaker 2: like a game from last season where you know, backs
Speaker 2: against the World wore the wall rather and the Warriors
Speaker 2: come up with a clutch play and ice a game,
Speaker 2: which is just the thing that's been missing all year,
Speaker 2: just so many you know, two and four point losses
Speaker 2: all year and this this week didn't happen.
Speaker 1: I know, right, if we could flip the switch on
Speaker 1: all those like close games games we lost with in
Speaker 1: about six points would have been a very different position
Speaker 1: on the on the table. Look a lot of people.
Speaker 1: I gotta say it was probably Delan Way Tennis Alesniak.
Speaker 1: When we talk about the twenty twenty three season, he
Speaker 1: had just an absolute blind to set the club record
Speaker 1: for tries scored. This season, he hasn't been that level
Speaker 1: and it hasn't just been his fault, but his form
Speaker 1: hasn't been to that high standard. I would actually say
Speaker 1: even though he scored a butler to tries in general,
Speaker 1: like he's running the ball back, his contesting and stuff.
Speaker 1: I would say Dellan saved his almost his best game
Speaker 1: of the season until the very last game.
Speaker 2: Well yeah, another key component of what made last year
Speaker 2: successful was was him scoring in the corner, and he
Speaker 2: did it three times in this game.
Speaker 1: Just mean and like he could have even had four.
Speaker 1: Like he was chasing hard for a great grabber from
Speaker 1: Shawn Johnson early on in the game as well. So
Speaker 1: it's just tenacity and bringing the ball out of our
Speaker 1: own end as well. I think Dyllan he really stepped
Speaker 1: things up. I loved Ali Layer Tow I had one
Speaker 1: of the most exciting runs. I've seen it a long time,
Speaker 1: bringing it out of our own half as well, smoking
Speaker 1: Niko Hines, putting him on his back and then running
Speaker 1: and bumping off a few more dudes, eventually getting rid
Speaker 1: of Will Kennedy as well. I think he to be honest,
Speaker 1: I think he will be in left center next season.
Speaker 2: He's head and Pompey as well. And we do need
Speaker 2: a kicker.
Speaker 1: Remember lay Tower can kick, sorry not la taint toe pick.
Speaker 1: You can kick. He's he's a really good kicker. I
Speaker 1: reckon he's almost he's pretty clutch too.
Speaker 2: Okay, well you put your chips on on tour, Picky.
Speaker 2: I like it.
Speaker 1: A big fan, a two pekeasy, you know. And I'm
Speaker 1: probably going to crow bar my name into his next
Speaker 1: season when he's leading the Warriors in.
Speaker 2: Adam, when he doesn't play for the Wars anymore.
Speaker 1: Surely, well that's the thing he's going to be leaving,
Speaker 1: so I have to crow bar my name it to
Speaker 1: someone Else's a lot, a lot, a lot to like. Obviously.
Speaker 1: At the end of this game, Sean Johnson just every
Speaker 1: time anything happened, whether it was good or it was bad,
Speaker 1: he had a giant grin on his face, and I
Speaker 1: think one of the keys to him actually playing so
Speaker 1: well in that final sort of twenty minutes was he
Speaker 1: was actually, this is my last game. I'm just going
Speaker 1: to have fun, and everything's fun. We're playing a game,
Speaker 1: and it almost led to the team playing a far
Speaker 1: more I don't know, laid back but fun style of footy,
Speaker 1: if you know what I mean.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, we're going to talk about the Stonker of
Speaker 2: the Round in a minute. It had a very similar
Speaker 2: feel to that, not quite as dramatic, and it was
Speaker 2: a successful comeback as opposed to that one. But yeah,
Speaker 2: both those games it just looked like touch footage towards
Speaker 2: the end.
Speaker 1: It did, especially the Stokers over eighty points scored. It
Speaker 1: was absolutely ridiculous. One of the things I'm so Sean's
Speaker 1: final pass right throws that massive pass, skips new Cordeck,
Speaker 1: throws it right out to the wing, Dallan steps and
Speaker 1: then scores right on the buzz are very exciting. I
Speaker 1: swear that's the first time he's throwing that pass all season.
Speaker 1: Why the hell haven't we been doing that more often?
Speaker 2: Actually, that's another player who I thought had the best
Speaker 2: game of the season was Manada neiir Courdy, he's had
Speaker 2: a quiet year. It hasn't been terrible, it just hasn't
Speaker 2: been great. And I thought he had a real, real
Speaker 2: staunch game.
Speaker 1: Well that's the thing. He's having a staunch game, and
Speaker 1: he's there for that short ball that Shawn Johnson loves doing,
Speaker 1: and he goes, nah, I'm gonna skip through a harbor
Speaker 1: bridge right out to Dellan and now he's going to
Speaker 1: retire just as he's gone. I've actually got this in
Speaker 1: my arsenal. We could be doing this more often if
Speaker 1: you guys want it right. So I was a bit
Speaker 1: frustrated by that. You're right, new Cardy had a great game.
Speaker 1: He went off for an haa, clearly got knocked out,
Speaker 1: but he managed to dribe his way back onto the field,
Speaker 1: which was great. Another thing I'm a bit sad about
Speaker 1: is seeing how cool that the dynamic between Sean Johnson
Speaker 1: and Luke Metcalf. With Metcalf's running game on the left,
Speaker 1: he's got a great passing game. Skip pass out to
Speaker 1: Marcella to score a try. Very exciting. I just wish
Speaker 1: that both of them hadn't been so injury played. That
Speaker 1: could have been just such a dynamic halves pairing for
Speaker 1: two seasons.
Speaker 2: Now. Yeah, A really good point actually, because as much
Speaker 2: as I love to Mardy Martin and you know, let's
Speaker 2: be fair, he probably had a better game a year
Speaker 2: at seven than J did. Yeah, but him and ESJ
Speaker 2: just didn't seem to gel but as a as a
Speaker 2: halves pairing, so they had to split them up. And
Speaker 2: it was so nice to see him and Metcalfe together
Speaker 2: that first try, the first wards try the lovely little
Speaker 2: inside boarded Luke metcalf and he's got some gas.
Speaker 1: He's super fast man. His support play is excellent. I
Speaker 1: love how dangerous he is going to be next year
Speaker 1: out on the left side. It's just going to be
Speaker 1: about who we've got at half back to pair with
Speaker 1: him with mighty right to do we give the keys
Speaker 1: to seven year old Jet Cleary. I mean, like I've
Speaker 1: been saying it on the Thursday Pod for a while now,
Speaker 1: just give them the keys, man, Like these young players
Speaker 1: are stepping up, they aren't afraid, they are gutsy and
Speaker 1: we need a half. His last name is Clary. What
Speaker 1: more do I need to I don't want to sit
Speaker 1: see his CV. I just need to see his last
Speaker 1: name on paper.
Speaker 2: You're very focused on the young players coming through, Chris,
Speaker 2: There's some there's some great experienced heads that need that
Speaker 2: need to play the proper positions. Yeah, need to play.
Speaker 1: I think it's been a whole season of we'll be
Speaker 1: like holding the experienced heads and letting them hold their positions,
Speaker 1: and we've just been losing and it's not their fault
Speaker 1: at all. But I think I'm just like I need
Speaker 1: to see these young people. And every time a young
Speaker 1: player comes through, they always have a blinder for us,
Speaker 1: like Zyomo who comes on and like you know, smashes
Speaker 1: people and runs it off the back fence and things
Speaker 1: like that and taint too a picky. For example, it
Speaker 1: was it roach Ow Hooker that came on for one
Speaker 1: or two games. Was excellent, Like, these young guys are
Speaker 1: so talented, exactly DEMITRICSI for Cooler when he had a shocker,
Speaker 1: but he also had a couple of really good games
Speaker 1: for us and Laban Laban, Oh yeah, see these guys he.
Speaker 2: Went, they didn't give him another run. I thought he
Speaker 2: had two great games.
Speaker 1: He was the guy that got punched in the face
Speaker 1: a couple of weeks ago from old mate from the Raiders.
Speaker 1: That's right, and then he's kind of horse Horsebury.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so maybe he's got facial issues. I don't think so,
Speaker 1: maybe it's Yeah, it sounds like.
Speaker 2: That, sounds like someone spoiling for a fight. Have you
Speaker 2: got facial issues? Bro?
Speaker 1: And if someone does, it's definitely Corey Hawsebrough.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 1: Mitcalf snapped off a droppy late in the game, a
Speaker 1: two point attempt. He's got a great kick on him.
Speaker 1: So that's good to keep in mind because we need
Speaker 1: to clutch player. We've been giving it to c HT
Speaker 1: Harris Tavina and he's just not that clutch guy. He's
Speaker 1: a great player, solid defensively, but he just can't see
Speaker 1: all those clutch moments. I reckon, Mitcalf's the guy. And
Speaker 1: as as mentioned earlier by me, tay to a Picky
Speaker 1: is also gutsy enough to you know, one of those
Speaker 1: two being our go drop goal kickers moving forward, I
Speaker 1: think would be smart.
Speaker 2: Have you heard my plan for Cht by the way?
Speaker 1: Oh no, what was this?
Speaker 2: I think he needs to put on ten kgs of
Speaker 2: muscle and play a ball playing thirteen because he's such
Speaker 2: a good defensive player, and I reckon he could go
Speaker 2: into the back row and if.
Speaker 1: He bomped up a bit, that's a that's a great
Speaker 1: shout actually, like a Dylan Walker type role because he
Speaker 1: loves going to the dark places. Can we lose Walker
Speaker 1: or he's going Well, there was rumors around him leaving
Speaker 1: because we haven't resigned for next year and he was
Speaker 1: one part of the crew of people who are leaving.
Speaker 1: But it hasn't been announced where he's going yet.
Speaker 2: I don't think in same with Jazz, we don't know
Speaker 2: where he's going yet. Talk about Jams. By the way,
Speaker 2: j Jas had a great game.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was nice for him to finish on a
Speaker 1: high as well. Saw Johnson's last game ever. But also like,
Speaker 1: let's not forget Jazz Tevanga, who's just been at the
Speaker 1: club for over a decade, through various teams and come
Speaker 1: up to the ranks. I am going to miss him,
Speaker 1: Like there's things about him I'm not going to miss.
Speaker 1: But you can't, you know, you can't deny the fact
Speaker 1: that he's always come off the bench and really added
Speaker 1: some spark for us.
Speaker 2: Well, ironically, he's been much more disciplined this year, so
Speaker 2: that was the thing that always got in the way.
Speaker 2: But he's been way out this year.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but it's too late. Like it's when you're in trouble.
Speaker 1: You know, you've got detention at lunchtime. You're trying to
Speaker 1: be a good boy now to make up for it.
Speaker 1: You know, it's like, unfortunately, it's just yeah.
Speaker 2: Doing all your homework for the first time ever of
Speaker 2: the year and it's parent teacher night.
Speaker 1: Exactly exactly, so you've got to do it for the
Speaker 1: whole year a couple of let me know what you
Speaker 1: think about this. For some reason, right, Shawn Johnson last
Speaker 1: season pretty much the dali m this season. Injury issues,
Speaker 1: you know, plaguing him the whole season, worries not clicking.
Speaker 1: Something in my brain is saying, Sean Johnson isn't done
Speaker 1: playing NRL yet?
Speaker 2: What is that? Weird?
Speaker 1: Do do you get that vibe?
Speaker 2: Like what would he do?
Speaker 1: Stacy Jones? Did he or did he not return to
Speaker 1: the Warriors?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Horribly, Yeah, this is the way he needs to
Speaker 2: go out. If he takes a short term, one year
Speaker 2: contract with the Titans or something like that, I will
Speaker 2: absolutely lose my shit.
Speaker 1: But I could just see like next season, right picture
Speaker 1: of this, we rebuild. Things are looking really great. He
Speaker 1: spends that year like just chill and recover and doing
Speaker 1: podcasts that out as good as this one. And then
Speaker 1: a year lad he goes you know what stuff it
Speaker 1: They could really use me to come back because he won't.
Speaker 1: How old is how old was Shawn John's He won't
Speaker 1: be that old. Let me just google here or thirty four?
Speaker 1: Has he thirty four? He's thirty three? Yes, he's in
Speaker 1: our flag that that's not happening.
Speaker 2: I mean he's not Karen Forrence having quite a good year.
Speaker 2: By the way, he's in his early forties.
Speaker 1: Well exactly, he's got some of the best ball playing
Speaker 1: in the in the entire competition. Still old old fozz.
Speaker 1: So I mean something that tells me that how good
Speaker 1: he was last year, the injury nigols this year. If
Speaker 1: he spends a year like getting into great shape and
Speaker 1: the Warriors really like look like they're going to do something,
Speaker 1: something tells me he might come back. I don't know why,
Speaker 1: like not straight into the starting side, but just something.
Speaker 1: I don't know what it is. It's just a little hunch.
Speaker 1: And before we move on, one of my favorite things
Speaker 1: about this game, obviously Seawn Johnson final game, where's winning
Speaker 1: all that was great. Very start of the game. The
Speaker 1: whistle hasn't even gone yet. There's a big guard of
Speaker 1: honor for Cam McInnis. It's playing his two hundredth game,
Speaker 1: and it like it zooms in and it's like he's
Speaker 1: adorable little children, and then it pans up to his
Speaker 1: beautiful wife and then it comes across to him and
Speaker 1: he's got teeth missing, kid tape on, a cutover his
Speaker 1: eye already in the game hasn't even started. I was like, yes,
Speaker 1: that's a footy player, that kid right there, and I
Speaker 1: just absolutely loved it.
Speaker 2: And speaking of wives, shout out to Kayla Collen, Seawan
Speaker 2: Johnson's wife with the best crowd sign of the year,
Speaker 2: saying I still get to play with Sean Johnson. If
Speaker 2: you've ever met Kayla, she's a delightful, quite funny in
Speaker 2: her own right.
Speaker 1: Yeah, she's very very bubbly. Indeed, do you reckon? She
Speaker 1: sort of stopped herself from saying I still get to
Speaker 1: play with his Seawn Johnson.
Speaker 2: I think there was probably there was definitely a discussion
Speaker 2: about that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, she found the right spot, so she did
Speaker 1: bloody well. But huge shout to Sean Johnson. Thank you
Speaker 1: so much for you know, he's almost of that BEINGI
Speaker 1: Marshal Mold where kids are going to be looking at
Speaker 1: highlights of hers for years to come. And if you
Speaker 1: ever need to show someone the game of NRL and
Speaker 1: whit's excellent, you look up Seann johnson highlights and you
Speaker 1: show them and you go, this is the best game
Speaker 1: in the world. So big shout to Sean Johnson, shout
Speaker 1: to the Warriors for ending the season on a big win.
Speaker 1: We're just going to go to an ad. When we
Speaker 1: come back, though, we will take a look at the
Speaker 1: stonker of the round, which, believe it or not, was
Speaker 1: between the Eels and the Dragons. Welcome back to the
Speaker 1: Mad Monday Podcast from the Export Beer Garden Studio. Got
Speaker 1: a four and twenty pie in one hand, a pint
Speaker 1: of water on the other hand. That it's time to
Speaker 1: rip into the Stalker of the Round. It was the
Speaker 1: Eels getting a surprise victory over the Dragons forty four
Speaker 1: points to forty been. This was the Stalker of the round,
Speaker 1: which is, you know, the most exciting game of the
Speaker 1: round non Warriors of course. However, it was also if
Speaker 1: you lined up all the games and I had to
Speaker 1: point at one that I was going to not watch
Speaker 1: it would have been this one.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they're two teams that I don't necessarily click with.
Speaker 2: I know you're a bit of an Eels fan. Yeah,
Speaker 2: but the Eels have had a very similar season to
Speaker 2: the Warriors, I mean even worse. But you know, they've
Speaker 2: got talent across the park. They had, you know, the
Speaker 2: Grand finalists two years ago. They should really, they should
Speaker 2: really been doing a lot better than they are, but
Speaker 2: they've just they've lost a lot of games, by not
Speaker 2: a lot they they've they've they've had some wins against
Speaker 2: some pretty good teams as well, but just haven't seemed
Speaker 2: to win the easy ones.
Speaker 1: And yeah, yeah, they're annoying the Eels because they've been
Speaker 1: shocking all season and like Mitch Moses hasn't been there
Speaker 1: for a large portion of the season as well. They're
Speaker 1: like Jermaine Hopgood for example, there's a few players like
Speaker 1: this who they've been lacking. Mike a. Cibo has been
Speaker 1: out of the team. But as you say, across the park,
Speaker 1: they are still on paper a freaking excellent team and
Speaker 1: for some reason they've decided to start winning games late
Speaker 1: in the season now that it doesn't actually matter, which
Speaker 1: is quite interesting. But I will put them in a
Speaker 1: group of four teams and I want to see if
Speaker 1: you agree with me. Here you've got the Eels, the Titans,
Speaker 1: You're oh sorry, you're Titans, the Cowboys, and the Roosters
Speaker 1: are the fourth team. Teams that rely on outscoring their opponents,
Speaker 1: but a terrible on defense. What do you reckon?
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I think that's a pretty good assessment. My Cowboys,
Speaker 2: thank you very much. Definitely did that against the Storm
Speaker 2: B team. I know, right in this in this round,
Speaker 2: but we should probably recap the game. So it was
Speaker 2: it was forty four points to forty in the end,
Speaker 2: but with ten minutes to go it was forty four
Speaker 2: points to twelve.
Speaker 1: So they scored. The Dragons scored twenty eight points in
Speaker 1: the final ten, so twenty eight and ten minutes, it
Speaker 1: was essentially and they just started doing stuff like running
Speaker 1: it on the fifth and try and Ben putting in
Speaker 1: these great kicks and things like that, and just playing
Speaker 1: with absolute disregard. Tyrrel Sloane actually had a really good game.
Speaker 1: And I don't like him really as a bloke.
Speaker 2: I don't know him neither to be fair well as
Speaker 2: well as you would by the sound of things. But
Speaker 2: he is one of those players that looks incredible and
Speaker 2: he's running in full flight. Yeah, you know, like like
Speaker 2: Billy Slater did or something like that. You know he
Speaker 2: I mean his name sounds like a female porn star.
Speaker 2: We all know that Tyrrell Sloane. Like you, if you're
Speaker 2: missus the knowing him at rugby League and saw Tyrrel
Speaker 2: Sloan was in your history, you'd be in trouble.
Speaker 1: You'd be in huge trouble.
Speaker 2: But no, you're right. They just they came alive. And
Speaker 2: I'm never seen a game. I don't think I've ever
Speaker 2: seen a game this high, scoring eighty four points unless
Speaker 2: it's a blowout. I've never seen that many tries in
Speaker 2: a game.
Speaker 1: Well, how about like the Dragons, for example, Shane Flanagan,
Speaker 1: Who's they've really stepped up their defense right. They are
Speaker 1: a bit more of a gutsy, gritty team this season.
Speaker 1: And this is a team who are in eighth position.
Speaker 1: We're in eighth position on the ladder and we're fighting
Speaker 1: to be back in the finals again for the first
Speaker 1: time in bloody ages. And they led in forty four
Speaker 1: points to one of the worst teams in the entire competition.
Speaker 2: So I don't know, having watched that game, I don't
Speaker 2: know if the Dragons do make the eight, if they
Speaker 2: will be absolutely embarrassed now you know, blow it away
Speaker 2: the top teams in the in the first week, or
Speaker 2: because of that comeback. Does that mean that there's something there,
Speaker 2: There's a spark, there's if they can harness that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, there's I always noticed this that there are teams
Speaker 1: in the top eight, right Melbourne Penrith, those are probably
Speaker 1: the only two after the Roosters lost to the Raiders.
Speaker 1: There are teams in the top eight. When they play
Speaker 1: a bad team, you know they are going to put
Speaker 1: forty or fifty on them. You know it's going to
Speaker 1: be an ass kicking. Then there are teams in the
Speaker 1: top eight, like the Sharks and the Dragons, who if
Speaker 1: they play a bottom team, you're not that confident that
Speaker 1: they are actually going to win it. They just they
Speaker 1: drop their level down to match whatever team they're playing.
Speaker 1: And I feel that the Dragons are like that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a really good point. Let's actually look at
Speaker 2: that ladder now. Now, even though the Warriors are done,
Speaker 2: there is another round, so.
Speaker 1: You're gonna say there's a chance we can get in.
Speaker 2: No, No, there is a chance. We just need about
Speaker 2: six teams to have massive salary cap breaches and lose
Speaker 2: all their points by the Bulldogs did that year and
Speaker 2: then and then we might sneak under the eighth.
Speaker 1: Well, because you've got the Dolphins, the Knights, the Dragons
Speaker 1: and the Raiders are all on twenty eight right now. Yes,
Speaker 1: so they're on twenty eight points and they're all vying
Speaker 1: for that eighth position. How we're but this weekend you've
Speaker 1: got two of those teams going head to head, the
Speaker 1: Knights and the Dolphins. Two of those four are playing
Speaker 1: one another, right, so one of them is going to
Speaker 1: go to thirty and the other one's going to go
Speaker 1: to I was going to stay on twenty eight unless
Speaker 1: there's a draw and then they're both on twenty nine,
Speaker 1: and which case the Raiders could win and jump up
Speaker 1: or the Dragons could win and jump up.
Speaker 2: But the Dolphins, if there is a you know, a
Speaker 2: tie of points. The Dolphins have easily the best.
Speaker 1: Points differential, that's right.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they are positive seven and the next best is
Speaker 2: the Knights currently at negative forty eight miles away.
Speaker 1: Yeah, they've all just had horrific defeats throughout the season,
Speaker 1: which is when it comes back to bite you. But
Speaker 1: if you had to pick one of those four sides Dolphins, Knights,
Speaker 1: Dragons or Raiders to actually do damage in the postseason,
Speaker 1: who would be.
Speaker 2: Well based on the other game this round that was
Speaker 2: really interesting, which was Dolphins Broncos, I'd say the Dollies.
Speaker 1: How like Wayne Bennett leaving the Dolphins, comes in, has
Speaker 1: two great seasons, punching above average and then above what
Speaker 1: we were expecting of them, and then goes to Sun Court.
Speaker 1: The Broncos, who were playing to try and keep some
Speaker 1: sort of glimmer of hope alive this year, goes there
Speaker 1: and puts forty on them, where the Dolphins side was
Speaker 1: so many intes, like it's just it's just ridiculous. So
Speaker 1: you go Dolphins. I'd probably go nights just because of
Speaker 1: the Klan Pong effector that's the only reason. And last
Speaker 1: season how they went on that hot run.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I just remember who ended that hot run, and
Speaker 2: you know it was the Warriors by thirty odd points.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was.
Speaker 2: I feel like if they sneak in the same thing's
Speaker 2: going to happen this year.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and to be honest, any of those four teams,
Speaker 1: it's likely going to be one and done in terms
Speaker 1: of going into the next round. They'll play a top two,
Speaker 1: they'll get knocked out, likely, but still exciting to get
Speaker 1: up there, and I wish we're in the same position.
Speaker 1: Let's just have a quick look at a few other
Speaker 1: things that happened in the Nral' just quickly been Melbourne.
Speaker 1: They gave your Queensland Cowboys a bit of trouble with
Speaker 1: eleven of their players out and you guys had to
Speaker 1: square I think thirty eight to thirty was it in
Speaker 1: order to beat a Melbourne B side.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, I mean the Cowboys have been running very
Speaker 2: hot and cold. They had a wonderful start of the
Speaker 2: season and I think that's the only reason they're kind
Speaker 2: of still in the eighth after I think they won
Speaker 2: their first five or six games and then you know,
Speaker 2: having a hot start loa that really helps. Then you
Speaker 2: can kind of cruise along at fifty to fifty after
Speaker 2: that and still end up with the eight. So look,
Speaker 2: Vale Holmes is leaving the Cows at the end of
Speaker 2: this at the end of this season, so maybe there's
Speaker 2: some sense of there.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he's he's been a gun for them for for
Speaker 1: a few years. Now he's going to the Dragons. Of course,
Speaker 1: your guys, team is just once again, it's like the Eels,
Speaker 1: like full of guns, and on any given day they
Speaker 1: could go on a ten game losing streak or they
Speaker 1: could go on a ten game, teen game blow every
Speaker 1: and out of the water streak. It's so bizarre. But
Speaker 1: do you know what the concerning thing is. I think
Speaker 1: if the Warriors played the Cowboys this week we would
Speaker 1: have lost as well. And that's fielding like a healthy team,
Speaker 1: whereas Melbourne gets sort of eleven of them starters and
Speaker 1: they still like that. They're guys like Tyrone Wishart, who
Speaker 1: is a genuine superstar. You know, he's like the almost
Speaker 1: the Nico Heines of a couple of years ago. There's
Speaker 1: this diamond they've unearthed from off the bench of the
Speaker 1: Melbourne Storm of who was in any other team he'd
Speaker 1: be starting and one of their best players, you know,
Speaker 1: and these guys are balling me brings through. They're just ridiculous.
Speaker 2: What's the who's the other fullback that played well? Peppinhouse
Speaker 2: far long, far long o.
Speaker 1: Now so, where the hell did he come from exactly
Speaker 1: as a.
Speaker 2: Backup full back that you have the luxury of not
Speaker 2: playing well.
Speaker 1: That's the thing. He wouldn't even be there if Nicko
Speaker 1: Hines was still the backup pheelback.
Speaker 2: You know what I mean.
Speaker 1: It's just ridiculous. It's just the Yeah, the the convey
Speaker 1: about of talent through Melbourne. Another big talking point. Manly
Speaker 1: absolutely put the cleaners through the Dogs. I was actually
Speaker 1: picking the Dogs their defense to out muscle Manly because
Speaker 1: the offense focused and the Dogs are defense focused. But
Speaker 1: they didn't.
Speaker 2: He might be peaking at the right time. This don't
Speaker 2: look like a pretty good football team.
Speaker 1: But but you give the news a huge but Tom Traboyevich,
Speaker 1: a Grade three AC joint injury, won't play next round,
Speaker 1: but apparently is aiming to return and Week one of
Speaker 1: the finals. Unfortunately, for Manly, so much of their offense
Speaker 1: a lot it just runs through him, not as much
Speaker 1: as it used to, like over the last few years,
Speaker 1: because they've got so many new guns like Lehipo Hopowarti
Speaker 1: and like Cooler Tommy to low these guys, but it's
Speaker 1: still pivots around Tom Turbo and also Daily Cherry Evans.
Speaker 1: That's a huge loss I think going into these finals,
Speaker 1: if he can't come back in time.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't think many are a chance without him.
Speaker 2: To be honest, he's been the difference. He came back
Speaker 2: and they started winning games. I mean, that's that's right.
Speaker 2: It's one plus one eres two.
Speaker 1: Really yeah, it really is. So Unfortunately, unless he can
Speaker 1: pull up and you don't want to rush tom back
Speaker 1: just because of injury history, and if he can't pull up, Manly,
Speaker 1: I'm putting a line through them as well. Huge news
Speaker 1: for the Roosters. So not as impactful as Tommy to Manly,
Speaker 1: but Sam Walker he's done his acl and he is
Speaker 1: expected to miss six to nine months and probably won't
Speaker 1: be back till about round ten of next season. After
Speaker 1: having a season I'd say second to only Jerome Hughes.
Speaker 1: He's probably been the next best halfback, the most consistent,
Speaker 1: and the Roosters are very potent and they've got a
Speaker 1: lot of talent around him. But that is huge for
Speaker 1: the Roosters going into the finals. I think that takes
Speaker 1: a big chunk out of their chances too.
Speaker 2: So here's my real question, and I've sort of been
Speaker 2: mentioning this every time I've been on the pod, but
Speaker 2: are there really only two teams that can win this?
Speaker 2: Like an actuality, Let's just be honest. Are there two teams?
Speaker 1: Look, I don't want to at the start of the season,
Speaker 1: I'm going, nah man, this thing's wide open. Halfway through
Speaker 1: the season, nah man. As soon as the worries are
Speaker 1: out of contention, that's when I come to grips with
Speaker 1: the reality and say, no one is beating I think
Speaker 1: Melbourne's going to win it. I don't know.
Speaker 2: I've been saying that for weeks. It's been really, really
Speaker 2: even and Melbourn's been hiad and shoulders above really the
Speaker 2: rest of the pack other than Penrith, you know, even
Speaker 2: Penlanths had some weird losses, including to us.
Speaker 1: Well exactly, and Melbourne beat Penrith in that matchup a
Speaker 1: few weeks back. They just, you know, they showed they
Speaker 1: could go there, not only win, but go to Penrith
Speaker 1: and win as well, which is gutsy. They also are
Speaker 1: the Roosters also have lost Brandon Smith who's ruptured his
Speaker 1: acl as well, so he's the same as he is
Speaker 1: the same as Sam Walker, and they also lost Victor
Speaker 1: Radley four to eight weeks with a shelter to shoulder
Speaker 1: direct contact mechanism. He fractured his scapula, which is a
Speaker 1: shoulder blade hang on.
Speaker 2: So Victor Radley is out of the team and it's
Speaker 2: not a suspension.
Speaker 1: That's right. Usually he's the one causing the injury. He's
Speaker 1: out four to eight weeks with a fractioned shoulder, So
Speaker 1: losing him in thirty or I think he's been playing
Speaker 1: on the in the back row, but him, Sam Walker
Speaker 1: and Brandon Smith, that is a huge chunky or almost
Speaker 1: almost just buying in your engine room of how the
Speaker 1: Roosters attack as well.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they've been They've been nice team to watch this year. Actually,
Speaker 2: I thought I fell out of love with the Roosters
Speaker 2: a few years ago because I thought they've been going
Speaker 2: quite a grubby team. Yeah, they seem to have cleaned
Speaker 2: a lot of that up and just playing quite nice football.
Speaker 2: And I think i'd rate seam Walker massively.
Speaker 1: Same, he's a gun. I think they've cleaned it up.
Speaker 1: They particularly clean this week because Jared Way Hargreaves is
Speaker 1: serving a band Oh yeah, and it.
Speaker 2: Doesn't it doesn't help when he's Jared Hargraves and Victor
Speaker 2: Radley in you.
Speaker 1: So that's right. You just need Heatherington on your side,
Speaker 1: and you've got the Big Three of giving away massive
Speaker 1: penalties for head highs.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and Kane Evans coming off the bench.
Speaker 1: Kan Evans. Oh, he I'd kill to him back. All right,
Speaker 1: let's wrap things up for the final Mad Monday Monday
Speaker 1: episode for twenty twenty four. And what an eventful season
Speaker 1: it has been. It has been a roller coaster. It's
Speaker 1: something we need to really now, like we've got to
Speaker 1: buy this week the Warriors do we can just watch
Speaker 1: some footy with no stakes on the line. Obviously Hurley
Speaker 1: will be watching the Titans pretty closely still and still
Speaker 1: getting pretty rived up for them. But what we're going
Speaker 1: to do, Ben, I see if you know, actually, I'm
Speaker 1: not even gonna lie. This was your idea and I'm
Speaker 1: now pretending like I'm just pitching it to you. We
Speaker 1: should all get in one room and just talk out
Speaker 1: the season at some stage soon.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'd like to do our Teams of the Year
Speaker 2: compete from anywhere. If there's any you know, any Warriors
Speaker 2: on that side, it's probably Mitch Bonnett and that's it.
Speaker 1: But I'll picking of course, Oh yeah, of course, yeah.
Speaker 2: Yeah, So we'll get room and sort of wrap up
Speaker 2: the season now that the Warriors done. I believe we
Speaker 2: are commentating the Grand Final. That's rightday in October.
Speaker 1: The first Sunday in October, which is bloody exciting, the
Speaker 1: Panthers taking on the Store, I mean the winner. Who
Speaker 1: it could be anyone. It could still be the Knights
Speaker 1: or the Dragons or the Raiders. We just don't know.
Speaker 2: Bulldogs Dragons final.
Speaker 1: What an absolute vintage slog is that would be be
Speaker 1: massively into that though. So we are doing the Grand Final.
Speaker 1: Keep an ear out a little likely beyond Skysport nine,
Speaker 1: but we will be commentating that one and we will
Speaker 1: over the next couple of weeks figure out a day
Speaker 1: to all get together in one room myself, Mania, Diehindred
Speaker 1: and Ben Hurley as well and just talk over the season.
Speaker 1: I love the idea of your favorite team of the
Speaker 1: year with all your best players and a few other
Speaker 1: things like that's keep an eye out on socials for that. Otherwise,
Speaker 1: thanks heeps for listening to the Mad Monday Podcast for
Speaker 1: another year, and we will be back ready to go
Speaker 1: next season as well. Thank you very much, Ben Hurley.
Speaker 2: God bless Jay and God bless you Kiz.
Speaker 1: Thanks mate, and jazz and jazz.
Speaker 2: Australia without league and Australia without rugby league is not Australia.