WEBVTT - The game's too fast! Time for ten interchanges 0:00:06.120 --> 0:00:08.840 G'day. Welcome to the offload on this Monday I'm James Willis, 0:00:08.840 --> 0:00:13.160 joined by Josh Morris and journalist Andrew Webster from The Australian. 0:00:13.240 --> 0:00:15.560 We've got there's plenty to get through after round two. 0:00:15.600 --> 0:00:19.360 Some big headlines out of the weekend, some teams struggling already, 0:00:19.400 --> 0:00:23.520 others setting the way. James good to see you mate. Firstly, 0:00:23.520 --> 0:00:27.040 I want to start with Friday night. Alex Johnston incredible. 0:00:27.080 --> 0:00:30.760 Broke the all time try scoring record surpassing Ken Irvine 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:34.400 after decades and pretty special scenes. And you were amongst 0:00:34.400 --> 0:00:35.920 it because you were on the sideline. 0:00:35.920 --> 0:00:38.440 Yeah I was it was a amazing scenes. I was 0:00:38.440 --> 0:00:41.560 sidelined for that. And um, just to see the fans 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:44.159 reacting the way they did, I mean they, the NRL 0:00:44.159 --> 0:00:45.680 came out and said that they were going to find 0:00:45.680 --> 0:00:49.000 everyone who jumped over the fence. And within 30s there 0:00:49.000 --> 0:00:51.839 was 5000 people on the field. It was such a 0:00:51.840 --> 0:00:54.360 crazy experience. I had people coming up to me trying 0:00:54.360 --> 0:00:57.120 to steal my mic and had to shoo a couple 0:00:57.160 --> 0:00:59.080 of them away, almost had to tackle a couple of 0:00:59.080 --> 0:01:02.310 blokes coming up. to me, they were a bit aggressive, but, uh, no, 0:01:02.310 --> 0:01:05.910 it was, uh, and and to. It would have been, um, 0:01:06.310 --> 0:01:09.790 probably a travesty if he got it this week against um, 0:01:09.830 --> 0:01:12.149 the Tigers up in Central Coast, there would have been 0:01:12.150 --> 0:01:15.550 probably 5000 people there. So to do it in a 0:01:15.590 --> 0:01:19.670 sold out Allianz Stadium, as they were the visiting team 0:01:20.150 --> 0:01:24.350 on the scoreboard with all that little, uh, sidelines to 0:01:24.350 --> 0:01:27.110 the book of feuds, it was just a wonderful spectacle. 0:01:27.110 --> 0:01:31.470 And congratulations to, uh, to AJ and I'll always remember 0:01:31.470 --> 0:01:34.110 where I was when he scored the winning, uh, the, 0:01:34.110 --> 0:01:35.350 the try to take over. 0:01:35.390 --> 0:01:38.670 Ken Irvine Yeah, special scenes and Webby, the unfortunate thing, 0:01:38.670 --> 0:01:42.150 I think for Souths was it kind of cost them momentum. Although, 0:01:42.190 --> 0:01:43.350 you know, in the end they made a lot of 0:01:43.550 --> 0:01:46.590 silly errors in that second half. Um, what have you 0:01:46.630 --> 0:01:48.910 what did you make of it? Wayne Bennett's reaction was 0:01:48.910 --> 0:01:51.550 interesting in the press conference as well. And of course 0:01:51.550 --> 0:01:53.710 there's a bit of drama out of it. As Josh mentioned, 0:01:53.750 --> 0:01:56.190 given the rivalry between these two teams. 0:01:56.630 --> 0:01:59.980 Um, one, it was exactly the type of scene that 0:01:59.980 --> 0:02:04.060 we forecast on this very podcast a week ago. Just 0:02:04.060 --> 0:02:06.820 how it would be an amazing moment for the game. 0:02:06.820 --> 0:02:09.140 And that's exactly what it was. I do find it 0:02:09.180 --> 0:02:11.780 hilarious that both South Sydney in the NRL of like 0:02:11.780 --> 0:02:14.220 putting it all over their socials and saying the same thing, 0:02:14.260 --> 0:02:17.540 even though they specifically said not to do it. Um, 0:02:17.540 --> 0:02:19.340 so they should have leaned into it in the first place. 0:02:19.380 --> 0:02:20.980 There's still a bit of drama out of it. So 0:02:20.980 --> 0:02:24.660 the whole visiting team, uh, that the, this what I 0:02:24.660 --> 0:02:28.339 love about the Souths Roosters rivalry, they're so petty. It's 0:02:28.340 --> 0:02:32.139 so childish. We got prime ministers and billionaires and Hollywood actors, 0:02:32.139 --> 0:02:35.380 and they're all just basic, uh, rugby league bogans, like 0:02:35.419 --> 0:02:37.820 the the rest of us. Giving it to each other. 0:02:37.820 --> 0:02:42.780 But apparently the NRL. I'm not. Apparently they are investigating 0:02:42.780 --> 0:02:45.860 why the Roosters called it visiting team. Not, uh, not 0:02:45.860 --> 0:02:48.500 putting South Sydney because it's a breach of the rules. 0:02:48.500 --> 0:02:50.139 It's a breach of the rules. 0:02:50.620 --> 0:02:53.019 Let it go. It's it just adds it just adds 0:02:53.020 --> 0:02:55.740 to the the feud doesn't it? It does, it makes, 0:02:55.740 --> 0:02:58.730 it makes it more interesting and sarasil get their turn 0:02:58.730 --> 0:03:01.609 when they play at a stadium they want. That's not 0:03:01.610 --> 0:03:03.970 their home ground. Allianz isn't their home ground. 0:03:04.010 --> 0:03:06.770 It's ours. Put stickers all over Allianz every time they 0:03:06.770 --> 0:03:09.889 go saying South is our home ground. So as I said, 0:03:10.010 --> 0:03:12.690 the the pettiness between the two clubs is it's a 0:03:12.690 --> 0:03:13.410 thing of beauty. 0:03:14.330 --> 0:03:16.329 Is anyone going to be fined? No one will be fine. 0:03:16.330 --> 0:03:16.730 Will they? 0:03:16.810 --> 0:03:20.650 I'll tell you what happened. One one guy has, um, uh, 0:03:20.730 --> 0:03:24.130 went early. One guy jumped. It went after the first 0:03:24.130 --> 0:03:26.450 try and got held down on the ground. I know this. 0:03:26.490 --> 0:03:26.810 Right. 0:03:27.130 --> 0:03:28.370 That's right. He did too. 0:03:28.770 --> 0:03:30.970 I thought we were supposed to run on. I thought 0:03:30.970 --> 0:03:34.290 we were supposed to be on it. Apparently, there's another 0:03:34.290 --> 0:03:37.130 two fans who ran onto the field, but then have 0:03:37.130 --> 0:03:40.970 been charged with assault. Because they are. Because they belted 0:03:40.970 --> 0:03:41.850 up the security guards. 0:03:41.850 --> 0:03:44.450 So, yeah, one one happened right in front of me, actually, 0:03:44.450 --> 0:03:47.330 when there was a, a young fella with a, um, 0:03:47.490 --> 0:03:50.570 a his camera phone on and was baiting a security 0:03:50.570 --> 0:03:53.250 guard and swearing and getting up in his face. And 0:03:53.250 --> 0:03:56.610 the security guard went to tackle him. And then he 0:03:56.650 --> 0:03:58.930 tried to punch the security guard. And then after that, 0:03:58.970 --> 0:04:01.730 he got swarmed on and got taken away. So there 0:04:01.730 --> 0:04:04.810 were a couple of people that ruined it. Um, and 0:04:04.810 --> 0:04:06.930 they got dealt with, which is what you want to see. 0:04:07.130 --> 0:04:09.410 Yeah. Special scenes overall though. And of course, the Prime 0:04:09.410 --> 0:04:11.210 Minister was one of the people that made the walk 0:04:11.210 --> 0:04:14.890 onto the field and was interviewed after the game as well. Hey, uh, 0:04:14.930 --> 0:04:16.690 out of the weekend, before we talk about some of 0:04:16.690 --> 0:04:20.290 the positives, there are a couple of teams and coaches 0:04:20.330 --> 0:04:23.370 as part of that that are probably under pressure already. Webby, 0:04:23.370 --> 0:04:26.490 I'm keen to get your thoughts firstly on Manley, then 0:04:26.490 --> 0:04:29.610 zero from two to start the year. Very disappointing against 0:04:29.610 --> 0:04:32.410 the Knights at the weekend who played the second half 0:04:32.410 --> 0:04:33.930 without their two star players. 0:04:34.050 --> 0:04:35.850 Yeah, not good signs is it. I mean the drums 0:04:35.850 --> 0:04:39.890 have been beating about Anthony Seibold for, you know almost 0:04:39.890 --> 0:04:43.370 since he arrived at Brookvale, but particularly towards the end 0:04:43.370 --> 0:04:47.130 of last year, whether whether Manley decided to pull the 0:04:47.130 --> 0:04:49.849 trigger on him or not. I can't see him lasting. 0:04:49.850 --> 0:04:53.810 If they keep performing like they did at Brookvale for 0:04:53.850 --> 0:04:56.000 Pines on a. On a Sunday afternoon they had it 0:04:56.000 --> 0:04:59.600 all there. They had the two. The Newcastle two best 0:04:59.600 --> 0:05:02.480 players sidelined in the first half with injury. If they're 0:05:02.480 --> 0:05:06.160 not ripe for a victory then I don't know, James. 0:05:06.200 --> 0:05:08.000 I'm more interested in what you think about it. Like 0:05:08.040 --> 0:05:09.920 like that's a team that that should be your top 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:12.400 eight teams shouldn't it? With that, the quality that they've 0:05:12.400 --> 0:05:13.320 got in that team. 0:05:13.839 --> 0:05:16.400 They do have quality. But one thing they have lost 0:05:16.400 --> 0:05:19.640 is a lot of experience. You can't undervalue the the 0:05:19.800 --> 0:05:22.840 the loss of um Daly Cherry-Evans. Like the way he 0:05:22.839 --> 0:05:25.240 got them around the park for the last ten years. 0:05:25.600 --> 0:05:29.880 And then someone like Josh alloy as well. He was a, a, 0:05:30.080 --> 0:05:33.119 a figure in that forward pack as well. Um, and 0:05:33.120 --> 0:05:36.400 for me, look Jake, he played, I think he played 0:05:36.400 --> 0:05:39.200 something like 68 minutes or something and only had five 0:05:39.200 --> 0:05:42.560 runs as well. So there's probably a couple of players 0:05:42.560 --> 0:05:44.800 out there that need to do a bit more in 0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:47.120 terms of their senior players. You can't just try and 0:05:47.360 --> 0:05:50.080 hope that Tommy Turbo has a good game and can 0:05:50.080 --> 0:05:52.279 win it by himself, because he he can't do that 0:05:52.279 --> 0:05:54.630 at this stage of his career anymore. He needs help. 0:05:54.630 --> 0:05:57.390 He needs people to lean on, and I just don't 0:05:57.390 --> 0:05:59.390 think they have that at the moment. And the fact 0:05:59.390 --> 0:06:02.430 that they've been beaten twice at home to start the 0:06:02.430 --> 0:06:05.710 season and like you said, they lost Dylan Brown and 0:06:05.710 --> 0:06:08.870 Kalyn Ponga, who were absolutely electric in that first half. 0:06:09.029 --> 0:06:11.150 It's worrying signs for manly. 0:06:11.470 --> 0:06:14.070 Uh, the the thing that really interests me is like, 0:06:14.110 --> 0:06:16.190 I mean, last year, so much of it was put 0:06:16.190 --> 0:06:19.830 down to the the drama around Jerry Evans and whether, 0:06:19.870 --> 0:06:21.710 you know, there was all this talk about a split 0:06:21.710 --> 0:06:23.990 in the player ranks, about the players not liking the 0:06:23.990 --> 0:06:27.989 coach and being off off Anthony Seibold. There's no excuses now. 0:06:28.310 --> 0:06:31.630 You know, there's no excuses. Whatever. Whatever animosity was towards 0:06:31.630 --> 0:06:35.429 Tony Mestrov, the former CEO. Like that's that's no longer 0:06:35.430 --> 0:06:37.190 a factor. Whether it was a factor in the first 0:06:37.190 --> 0:06:40.110 place or not. So they don't really have any other 0:06:40.110 --> 0:06:43.510 excuses but to to be winning games of football and 0:06:43.510 --> 0:06:47.349 certainly not losing games like they did, uh, yesterday afternoon. 0:06:47.830 --> 0:06:50.150 And Josh, three of the Queensland sides are yet to 0:06:50.150 --> 0:06:53.299 win a game. The Broncos the Cowboys and the Titans. 0:06:53.300 --> 0:06:54.820 So a disappointing start for them. 0:06:55.220 --> 0:06:57.979 Yeah you wouldn't think that the Broncos would have gone 0:06:58.020 --> 0:07:00.620 oh and two to start the season. But purely off 0:07:00.620 --> 0:07:03.380 the back of the way that they've been uh completing 0:07:03.380 --> 0:07:06.779 and holding onto the ball. They haven't respected it at all. 0:07:06.779 --> 0:07:09.940 And um, they got themselves out to a very comfortable 0:07:09.940 --> 0:07:12.460 lead against the eels, but then it's almost like they 0:07:12.460 --> 0:07:14.180 put the cue in the rack and just thought that 0:07:14.180 --> 0:07:16.460 they'd breezed through it. And you can't afford to do 0:07:16.460 --> 0:07:19.220 that in this day and age in the NRL and 0:07:19.300 --> 0:07:22.580 with the six agains and the momentum, uh, switches. And 0:07:22.820 --> 0:07:25.420 I'm happy for Parramatta that they uh, they went up 0:07:25.420 --> 0:07:27.860 there and got the win. Obviously with what happened in 0:07:27.860 --> 0:07:31.860 round one against um against the storm. Jason Ryles would 0:07:31.900 --> 0:07:34.700 have liked to have seen a better performance and they 0:07:34.700 --> 0:07:36.900 had to come from behind to win. So it would 0:07:36.940 --> 0:07:39.460 have been very happy there. I gotta switch the game 0:07:39.500 --> 0:07:42.700 off yesterday. Halfway through the Dolphins and Titans game because 0:07:42.700 --> 0:07:45.060 it was a drop a thon. And if they're going 0:07:45.060 --> 0:07:46.540 to play like that for the rest of the year, 0:07:46.540 --> 0:07:48.660 they won't feature in the in the finals. Like I, 0:07:48.660 --> 0:07:51.180 I think the Dolphins have got the team to play 0:07:51.290 --> 0:07:54.770 finals football, but at the moment they just the teams 0:07:54.770 --> 0:07:56.570 that are struggling at the start of this year, it 0:07:56.570 --> 0:07:58.930 all comes down to their ball possession and and their 0:07:58.930 --> 0:08:02.370 completion rate. And yeah that that's probably the main reason 0:08:02.370 --> 0:08:05.810 why they're not winning. And look I do feel a 0:08:05.810 --> 0:08:09.730 little bit sorry for the Cowboys. Um in round one. 0:08:10.010 --> 0:08:12.830 Uh they lost uh Braden Burns in the last ten 0:08:12.830 --> 0:08:15.530 minutes and they ended up losing the game from there on. 0:08:15.530 --> 0:08:18.050 And then, uh, I think it was Kai O'Donnell got 0:08:18.050 --> 0:08:21.170 sinbinned and it was, it was a soft sin binning. 0:08:21.170 --> 0:08:23.650 Like you could have just said, rightio. Give it, give 0:08:23.650 --> 0:08:26.290 it six, uh, six again or a penalty. I didn't 0:08:26.290 --> 0:08:28.250 think it deserved to go to the bin. And then 0:08:28.250 --> 0:08:31.170 from that position, uh, the tyre gets kicked on with 0:08:31.170 --> 0:08:33.570 it in the first half. And by first half the 0:08:33.570 --> 0:08:35.970 game was pretty much over. So I do feel a 0:08:35.970 --> 0:08:39.450 little bit sorry, uh, for, for Todd Payten in that instance, 0:08:39.450 --> 0:08:41.490 but he's got to start winning games because he is 0:08:41.490 --> 0:08:44.290 probably the other coach that's under the most pressure this year. 0:08:45.690 --> 0:08:48.050 Yeah, absolutely. And that is the thing. Todd Payten coming 0:08:48.050 --> 0:08:50.010 off a disappointing season last year. And they've got a 0:08:50.120 --> 0:08:52.960 pretty good roster. Webby with a lot of representative players, 0:08:52.960 --> 0:08:55.280 both Queensland and Australian players. 0:08:55.480 --> 0:08:57.040 I don't know what's happened at the Cowboys. I mean, 0:08:57.040 --> 0:08:59.040 Todd Payten was coach of the year a few years ago. 0:08:59.040 --> 0:09:02.400 And um, I was in Vegas. I like Todd. There's 0:09:02.400 --> 0:09:04.680 something about him. He's I like the directness of the 0:09:04.679 --> 0:09:07.800 way that he speaks publicly. And he's very open, honest 0:09:07.840 --> 0:09:10.160 guy from from what it looks like on the outside 0:09:10.160 --> 0:09:12.680 looking in. I heard a great story in in Vegas 0:09:12.679 --> 0:09:16.520 about Todd Payten, about how he went to the board and, and, 0:09:16.520 --> 0:09:19.720 and pitched so strongly for Tom Dearden to go to 0:09:19.760 --> 0:09:21.840 that club. I think people sort of forget when Tom 0:09:21.840 --> 0:09:24.960 Dearden left the Broncos, he was damaged goods and people thought, 0:09:25.000 --> 0:09:27.480 you know, at the age of 22, he had lived 0:09:27.480 --> 0:09:29.480 up to the next Allan Langer tag, which is ridiculous 0:09:29.480 --> 0:09:32.240 in itself. But, um, you know, Todd Payten really came 0:09:32.240 --> 0:09:35.080 out swinging for Tom to come to that club and 0:09:35.080 --> 0:09:37.520 he's turned into, as we all know, you know, one 0:09:37.520 --> 0:09:39.200 of the best sevens, if not the best on his 0:09:39.240 --> 0:09:42.240 on his day in the competition played for Queensland in Australia. 0:09:42.240 --> 0:09:45.480 So um you know I'd like it. I don't really 0:09:45.480 --> 0:09:48.200 know what the better option is than Todd Payten up there. 0:09:48.280 --> 0:09:51.310 Uh there's Ben. Oh, I remember calling. I called him 0:09:51.309 --> 0:09:53.710 last year saying, is it right to, you know, that 0:09:53.710 --> 0:09:55.630 that you got fronted by some of your senior players 0:09:55.630 --> 0:09:57.950 about your coaching style? And he said, I did, and 0:09:57.950 --> 0:09:59.910 I took it on board and I was receptive to it. 0:09:59.910 --> 0:10:03.230 But for whatever reason, it's not sort of, uh, it's 0:10:03.230 --> 0:10:07.150 not resulting in, in, in, in victories. And if, if, again, 0:10:07.190 --> 0:10:10.390 like Anthony Seibold, if, if they don't start putting some 0:10:10.390 --> 0:10:12.830 victories together, then he's got to be under enormous pressure 0:10:12.830 --> 0:10:13.790 if he isn't already. 0:10:14.350 --> 0:10:16.390 Hey, Josh, uh, on the podcast last week, you had 0:10:16.390 --> 0:10:18.150 a bit to say about the rule change and how 0:10:18.150 --> 0:10:20.230 you thought it had played out in round one. I'm 0:10:20.270 --> 0:10:22.310 keen for an update from you on whether you think 0:10:22.309 --> 0:10:23.830 it's settled down a little bit. There's a lot of 0:10:23.830 --> 0:10:26.310 points scored at the weekend and a lot of teams 0:10:26.309 --> 0:10:28.189 winning by 40 plus as well. 0:10:29.630 --> 0:10:31.350 And even the coaches don't know. 0:10:31.670 --> 0:10:32.670 Was that a pin drop? 0:10:33.510 --> 0:10:37.150 It was. That was a pin drop. Even the coaches 0:10:37.150 --> 0:10:41.429 don't know. Like Craig Fitzgibbon is still bemused with it. 0:10:41.429 --> 0:10:45.510 Like he he he didn't realize like the Jesse Ramian one. 0:10:45.510 --> 0:10:47.950 And I think we're going to see like if you 0:10:47.950 --> 0:10:50.510 just make any contact at all, it's going to be 0:10:50.510 --> 0:10:54.510 a penalty. Like there's some. Sometimes there needs to be 0:10:54.510 --> 0:10:56.590 a bit of common sense added to the rules. And 0:10:56.750 --> 0:10:58.550 we saw a couple of times there. There was one 0:10:58.550 --> 0:11:01.470 with Dylan Edwards where he just got hit on the 0:11:01.470 --> 0:11:03.670 legs as he was making the catch. Now that wasn't 0:11:03.710 --> 0:11:07.309 a genuine attempt at getting the ball. Jessie Raymond kind 0:11:07.309 --> 0:11:10.150 of wasn't really looking and then made contact. He was 0:11:10.190 --> 0:11:12.630 he was kind of looking up in the air and 0:11:12.990 --> 0:11:16.270 he gets penalized for that. And I think there's still 0:11:16.270 --> 0:11:18.709 frustration from the coaches. I think a couple of them 0:11:18.710 --> 0:11:21.710 over the weekend were still unclear on on the rules. 0:11:21.710 --> 0:11:25.310 And and with the six agains, we're seeing still seeing 0:11:25.309 --> 0:11:27.510 plenty of six agains. And I was speaking to Debbie 0:11:27.510 --> 0:11:30.429 about this just before we went on on air. I 0:11:30.429 --> 0:11:33.630 almost think that the interchange bench needs to go back 0:11:33.630 --> 0:11:36.430 to ten, like with the the speed of the game 0:11:36.429 --> 0:11:38.270 and the way we're seeing it and the fatigue and 0:11:38.270 --> 0:11:42.510 these blowout scores, like we we dropped from 12 to 0:11:42.510 --> 0:11:45.230 10 to speed up the game and, and increase fatigue 0:11:45.230 --> 0:11:47.540 so we could see more football. than we went down 0:11:47.540 --> 0:11:50.459 from 10 to 8 for the same reason. But now 0:11:50.460 --> 0:11:54.060 we've introduced these six again and introduced them from 20m out. 0:11:54.500 --> 0:11:57.100 Now they're just giving six away again all the time. 0:11:57.100 --> 0:11:59.100 And I don't say this very often, but I feel 0:11:59.100 --> 0:12:01.660 sorry for the middle forwards. Yeah. Your hook is your 0:12:01.660 --> 0:12:06.180 your front rowers, your back rowers because most of the teams, 0:12:06.179 --> 0:12:08.020 when they get the six again, they don't shift the 0:12:08.020 --> 0:12:11.300 ball unless they're inside the attacking team's 20. Like they 0:12:11.300 --> 0:12:13.819 go straight back through the middle of the field. These 0:12:13.820 --> 0:12:16.900 middles are having to make a lot more tackles under 0:12:16.900 --> 0:12:19.140 a lot more fatigue. And you know, we brought in 0:12:19.140 --> 0:12:23.460 this extra player for hire. But if we maybe go 0:12:23.460 --> 0:12:25.900 back to ten substitutions we're going to see a bit 0:12:25.900 --> 0:12:29.420 less fatigue winners, see some better contact and better wrestle. 0:12:29.420 --> 0:12:31.460 And we might be able to slow these rucks down 0:12:31.460 --> 0:12:33.820 again and get to a speed where we're not going 0:12:33.860 --> 0:12:36.620 to see all these six again's happening. So I, I 0:12:36.740 --> 0:12:40.020 just think at the moment, again, the game's too fast. 0:12:40.020 --> 0:12:43.260 You look at the Panthers and the Cronulla game like 0:12:43.580 --> 0:12:45.970 there weren't as many in that game And the Panthers, 0:12:45.970 --> 0:12:49.610 they've only conceded six points. So they're doing something right. 0:12:49.650 --> 0:12:51.770 I don't know what it is, but I think teams 0:12:51.770 --> 0:12:54.929 should be watching what they're doing in defense because obviously 0:12:54.929 --> 0:12:56.850 it's working for them and no one else at the moment. 0:12:56.850 --> 0:12:59.210 But I just think with the way that the game 0:12:59.210 --> 0:13:02.650 has sped up, like it needs to be taken into 0:13:02.650 --> 0:13:05.570 consideration that we look at maybe going back to ten, 0:13:05.610 --> 0:13:08.050 ten players, uh, substitutions. 0:13:08.290 --> 0:13:10.610 Yeah. Where we are, I'm noticing just teams are rolling 0:13:10.610 --> 0:13:14.410 through other teams very, very quickly. Like it's momentum from 0:13:14.410 --> 0:13:16.570 one end to the other. And as Josh just said, 0:13:16.730 --> 0:13:19.250 there'd be an argument. And the thing is, there is 0:13:19.250 --> 0:13:21.449 a bit of policy on the run here. So if 0:13:21.450 --> 0:13:23.530 they figure out by round four, it's not working and 0:13:23.530 --> 0:13:27.290 the scorelines look like they are now, they could always shift. 0:13:27.290 --> 0:13:30.209 The administration has shown they can do that well. 0:13:30.570 --> 0:13:32.929 They did well. They rushed through all these changes and. 0:13:33.490 --> 0:13:35.530 They didn't get rid of the line drop out rule. 0:13:35.730 --> 0:13:38.730 No, that's that's fine. But I mean, you know, they 0:13:38.730 --> 0:13:41.610 they like the, the changes to the to the six 0:13:41.610 --> 0:13:45.040 to go's coming from, you know, the penalty, not being 0:13:45.040 --> 0:13:48.880 rewarded within the from 20m out. Um you know that 0:13:48.880 --> 0:13:52.120 dropped on Boxing Day that edict to clubs so they 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:54.400 can quickly change it that way and they can change 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:57.680 it back. The number one complaint from all the former 0:13:57.679 --> 0:14:01.280 players and coaches that I speak to, uh, at the 0:14:01.280 --> 0:14:04.880 moment is just the, the, the set restarts and just 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:08.600 how it's, it's, it's tipped the balance too far one way. 0:14:08.640 --> 0:14:10.559 So at some point you think the NRL are going 0:14:10.559 --> 0:14:13.120 to have to listen to all those stakeholders and think 0:14:13.160 --> 0:14:15.560 that you know, it's um it's too much. 0:14:16.240 --> 0:14:20.160 Uh meanwhile there's a discussion about the finals potentially having 0:14:20.160 --> 0:14:23.000 a shake up, the biggest in the games 118 year 0:14:23.000 --> 0:14:27.120 history with a potential ten team playoff series instead of eight. 0:14:27.280 --> 0:14:29.360 Just now, I feel like we hear this story every 0:14:29.360 --> 0:14:32.680 couple of years. They've spoken about conferences before. They've spoken 0:14:32.680 --> 0:14:36.040 about different finals. Series are in principle. And keep in mind, 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:40.080 we've got two new teams coming into the competition. How 0:14:40.120 --> 0:14:41.520 do you like the idea? Do you like the idea 0:14:41.520 --> 0:14:44.190 of a ten team finals. Or if it's not broke, 0:14:44.230 --> 0:14:44.950 don't fix it. 0:14:45.310 --> 0:14:48.510 Oh yeah, I'm a bit. If it's if it's not broke, 0:14:48.510 --> 0:14:50.510 don't fix it. But what I will say is the 0:14:50.510 --> 0:14:52.910 season needs to be shorter as well. Like if we're 0:14:52.910 --> 0:14:56.070 going to have 20 teams, let's just play every team 0:14:56.070 --> 0:14:59.470 once and then get into finals. You can you can 0:14:59.470 --> 0:15:01.150 have a little break for origin if you want. You 0:15:01.150 --> 0:15:03.830 stick origin in the middle and play that over, you know, 0:15:03.870 --> 0:15:07.510 2 or 3 weeks and then and then that'll lengthen 0:15:07.510 --> 0:15:09.350 the season out a little bit. But we've got to, 0:15:09.390 --> 0:15:11.590 you know, fit in international football at the end of 0:15:11.590 --> 0:15:14.070 the year. I just think there's so much football being 0:15:14.070 --> 0:15:17.430 played at the moment. Let's get the season length right 0:15:17.430 --> 0:15:19.750 before we change the final series. 0:15:20.150 --> 0:15:23.190 I think that's definitely what Peter V'landys has. I've talked 0:15:23.190 --> 0:15:25.950 to him about it. He he likes that idea. A 0:15:25.950 --> 0:15:29.350 20 team competition where they play each other once, um, 0:15:29.910 --> 0:15:34.310 with a big, uh, origin slash international, uh, window in 0:15:34.310 --> 0:15:35.950 the middle and also at the end of the year. 0:15:35.990 --> 0:15:37.870 But that's still a long way off. But in terms 0:15:37.870 --> 0:15:41.590 of ten teams, even if it's a 2010 competition, well, 0:15:41.700 --> 0:15:45.540 if it rewards mediocrity, like just. 0:15:45.580 --> 0:15:47.020 Yeah, well, you're going to see you're going to see 0:15:47.020 --> 0:15:49.260 the teams that are ninth and 10th get flogged in 0:15:49.260 --> 0:15:50.500 the first week anyway, aren't you? 0:15:50.940 --> 0:15:52.860 And it's like, but it's it again. And I know 0:15:52.860 --> 0:15:54.980 I say it every time on this podcast. All these 0:15:54.980 --> 0:15:57.740 decisions are about the TV deal. It's all about trying 0:15:57.740 --> 0:16:00.820 to monetize the game even further when you know at 0:16:00.820 --> 0:16:03.260 some point you're going to dilute it. 0:16:03.540 --> 0:16:05.940 Can you imagine if the if they had the ninth 0:16:05.940 --> 0:16:08.540 and 10th position for the last ten years, the Tigers 0:16:08.540 --> 0:16:09.619 would have been sweet. 0:16:11.740 --> 0:16:11.980 There you. 0:16:11.980 --> 0:16:17.140 Go. Well, last year the Dolphins, the Dolphins and Manly 0:16:17.140 --> 0:16:20.220 finished two points outside of the top eight with 12 0:16:20.220 --> 0:16:22.620 wins and 12 losses. Yeah. So they would have they 0:16:22.620 --> 0:16:25.620 would have snuck into the finals and played. I don't know. 0:16:25.660 --> 0:16:27.820 The Sharks and Warriors in week one. 0:16:28.700 --> 0:16:31.540 Would that mean that the the teams that come first 0:16:31.540 --> 0:16:33.380 and second of the week off potentially. 0:16:34.180 --> 0:16:37.340 Oh yeah. I, I don't know I'm not sure. But 0:16:37.380 --> 0:16:39.500 I think the current system is great and it's far 0:16:39.500 --> 0:16:42.580 better than the old system where it was 1V8, 2V7 0:16:42.580 --> 0:16:44.500 and all that sort of stuff. Hey, just before we go, 0:16:44.540 --> 0:16:48.420 what's happening with Bronson? Uh, Sherry and the Bulldogs. Webby, 0:16:48.460 --> 0:16:49.860 what are you hearing about this? 0:16:50.020 --> 0:16:53.460 Oh, look, I don't think it's as dire as some have, uh, 0:16:53.500 --> 0:16:57.300 have have, uh, painted it, but it's certainly not all 0:16:57.340 --> 0:17:00.860 rainbows and unicorns at Belmore for Bronson Cherry. I think 0:17:00.900 --> 0:17:02.700 the way it's been explained to me this morning by 0:17:02.700 --> 0:17:05.660 someone is pretty high up at Canterbury, is he's just 0:17:05.660 --> 0:17:09.180 not happy about the positional shift. I think it's it's 0:17:09.220 --> 0:17:12.660 a done deal that he won't be given a contract extension. 0:17:12.660 --> 0:17:15.620 So um he hasn't but but look who's taking his 0:17:15.619 --> 0:17:18.460 place at left centre. I mean in all fairness to 0:17:18.500 --> 0:17:20.620 Bronson Cherry he's done well since he's come back. But 0:17:20.619 --> 0:17:25.140 Canterbury don't necessarily owe him anything. He's uh he's um 0:17:25.700 --> 0:17:28.100 I thought the giveaway was his, um his stand in 0:17:28.100 --> 0:17:30.739 manager because he's, uh, his new manager is suspended at 0:17:30.740 --> 0:17:33.020 the moment saying, you know, you got to fight for 0:17:33.020 --> 0:17:35.060 your position. That gave it all away to me. 0:17:36.020 --> 0:17:37.859 Yeah. Jameis, what do you make of it as a 0:17:37.859 --> 0:17:38.540 former Bulldog? 0:17:39.609 --> 0:17:44.090 Ah, look, it's it's a tough one because, you know, 0:17:44.130 --> 0:17:46.490 the Bulldogs gave him gave him the shot when no 0:17:46.490 --> 0:17:50.410 one else wanted to. And Bulldogs fans don't forget that either. Like, 0:17:50.410 --> 0:17:52.490 if he goes and asks for a release after they've 0:17:52.490 --> 0:17:54.690 given him a shot. And to me, like he had 0:17:54.690 --> 0:17:56.449 four years out of the game, like you would have 0:17:56.450 --> 0:17:58.530 thought he would have built up a bit of resilience, 0:17:58.530 --> 0:18:01.650 having to play a different side of the field and 0:18:01.650 --> 0:18:04.290 cracking the shits about it. I, I don't get there's 0:18:04.290 --> 0:18:06.690 no resilience there. And if you did get dropped to 0:18:06.730 --> 0:18:09.810 to reserve grade, well then show some resilience, put in 0:18:09.810 --> 0:18:12.570 good performances and get back in the team. Like I 0:18:12.570 --> 0:18:17.409 just think these days players, when they, they just expect 0:18:17.410 --> 0:18:19.650 to be first graders. And if you you're not, you're 0:18:19.650 --> 0:18:23.570 still a professional athlete. If you get dropped, don't kick stones. 0:18:23.810 --> 0:18:27.290 The jersey isn't yours. It doesn't like yesterday they had 0:18:27.290 --> 0:18:30.010 your name on it in Vegas, but it doesn't for 0:18:30.050 --> 0:18:31.890 for most of the year. It's not. Your name's not 0:18:31.930 --> 0:18:34.050 on the back of the jersey. It's not your jersey. 0:18:34.250 --> 0:18:37.330 You have to perform. And if Cameron doesn't think he's 0:18:37.330 --> 0:18:40.000 performed well, then that's fair enough. He gets put down, 0:18:40.200 --> 0:18:43.320 he gets he he kicks stones. But you get over it. 0:18:43.320 --> 0:18:46.040 You go down there, you play the best you possibly 0:18:46.040 --> 0:18:48.280 can and you get yourself back in the side off 0:18:48.320 --> 0:18:51.159 your performances. So I just think he needs to do that. 0:18:51.200 --> 0:18:54.560 Too often we see kids, um, you know, get dropped 0:18:54.560 --> 0:18:56.800 and then straight away they're not happy. They speak to 0:18:56.840 --> 0:19:00.080 their managers, they agitate for a release. And I just 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:03.360 I can't cop that. I really can't like you've got 0:19:03.400 --> 0:19:06.040 to show a bit of resilience, a bit of character, 0:19:06.080 --> 0:19:08.440 go through the tough times. Right? And like I said, 0:19:08.440 --> 0:19:11.760 he's gone through tough times before. So I, I want 0:19:11.760 --> 0:19:13.440 to see him stay in the Bulldogs jersey. I think 0:19:13.440 --> 0:19:17.200 he's a great player. But um yeah, we'll have to see. 0:19:17.240 --> 0:19:19.119 Wait and see because a lot can happen in rugby 0:19:19.119 --> 0:19:20.320 league boys. 0:19:20.320 --> 0:19:22.240 That's it. We're out of time. Thank you. We'll catch 0:19:22.240 --> 0:19:23.520 you next Monday on the show. 0:19:23.880 --> 0:19:24.480 Thanks, boys. 0:19:24.480 --> 0:19:25.119 Thank you. 0:19:25.400 --> 0:19:27.640 Josh Morris and Andrew Webster joining us there. Make sure 0:19:27.640 --> 0:19:30.679 you subscribe to the Continuous Call team through your podcast channels. 0:19:30.680 --> 0:19:34.000 We're also on YouTube and Instagram. We'll see you next time.