S1: When Reece Walsh is in the mood like he was
S1: against Penrith last night. I can't put a line through
S1: them to one, make the eight nor give the competition
S1: a shake because in a very unpredictable season made funnier.
S1: Things have happened than Brisbane winning the comp.
S2: Well happy Friday everyone. Thanks for tuning in to the
S2: Continuous Call Team daily podcast. My name is Adam Hawes
S2: and I'm joined by columnist for The Australian Andrew Webster. G'day.
S1: G'day, horsey. And do you mind if I also do
S1: a shout out to the random guy that stopped me
S1: on the street about 20 minutes ago and said how
S1: much he loves this podcast? And I said, I said,
S1: am I making sense? He said, you are. But that
S1: bloke Hawes seems to gibber a bit. So obviously he's
S1: a very, very, uh, very intelligent man. By the sounds
S1: of it.
S2: There would have been a line up of well-wishers, wouldn't there?
S1: They love it.
S2: Yeah. Just fending, fending them off. Okay. Um, I gotta
S2: ask you. Hey, can you hear that sound? Can you
S2: hear the sound? What's that? It's it's the Broncos galloping back.
S1: Galloping.
S2: Into the Premiership. Right? You like that? The galloping back
S2: into the Premiership race. What a game last night. I
S2: love this game against the Panthers.
S1: Can we have a listening?
S2: You hear something?
S1: I can hear it. I can hear some galloping. That's
S1: because that's what I've got. Sky racing on in the corner. Uh,
S1: yes you did. I thought it was, uh. It was,
S1: it was classic Brisbane, wasn't it? Um, you know, uh,
S1: Michael Maguire said in the lead up to that game
S1: that this is the strongest team for the first time
S1: since April, that they've been able to, uh, build a
S1: fully fit team. Although I don't think Adam Reynolds was
S1: fully fit. He's, um, how he got through those 80 minutes.
S1: I don't know, he's, um, he's a warrior, the little fella. Uh,
S1: but important to that Broncos team. And, um, you know,
S1: if you wanted to make a statement that the Broncos
S1: aren't dead yet, what better way to do it over
S1: the team that everyone expects to win this, uh, this,
S1: this competition in a canter? See that there's a little
S1: there's a little horse reference there as well. But but
S1: it was I thought it, I thought it was very
S1: I thought it was very Broncos like. The big question is,
S1: can they maintain the rage and sneak into the eight
S1: and scare the bejesus out of every other team in
S1: the competition?
S2: Well, that's what Madge Maguire said through the week. We
S2: can still put a fright into the teams above us,
S2: and I think the I think he did just that
S2: last night. That was very much. 2025 Broncos late season
S2: last night against the Panthers. As you say, they've gone
S2: and beaten the ladder leaders on their home turf. Webby
S2: and the man central to it all. A man who
S2: made sure they got the win was Reece Walsh. And
S2: he's the one that caught fire last year. Of course,
S2: that was his best game by a mile last night.
S2: No mistakes, just some great touches. Three tries since he
S2: was a danger. Every time he had the ball and
S2: he he just looked like he wanted to win from
S2: the very first kick off.
S1: 100% when Reece Walsh's into it. The Broncos are into it.
S1: It helps when they're going forward like like they were
S1: last night for a change. Um you know it's they
S1: haven't been playing the greatest football at all. I suppose
S1: the big question is can they beat. And this is
S1: probably works in their favour, but it also makes it
S1: a daunting task because there's no easy wins. Every team
S1: they play for the next seven weeks, uh, are above
S1: them on the ladder. Some of them are like, like
S1: the Bulldogs and Canberra almost on the same points, but
S1: all but also teams like, uh, like the Cowboys and
S1: others who are already established in the eight. So funnier
S1: things have happened. Horsie. I know they're coming from a
S1: long way back in comparison to what they did last year,
S1: but with the players they've got, and particularly when Reece
S1: Walsh is in the mood like he was against Penrith
S1: last night, I'm not. I can't put a line through
S1: them to one, make the eight nor nor give the
S1: competition a shake because in a very unpredictable season and
S1: I know the Panthers and and the Warriors have sort
S1: of been the frontrunners up there but in a very
S1: unpredictable season made funnier. Things have happened than Brisbane winning
S1: the comp.
S2: Yeah. Look, there are only 1 or 2 injuries away
S2: or a suspension away though aren't they. They just I
S2: just get the feeling they've left themselves too much to do.
S2: But like you, you're a fool to write them off.
S2: We all have egg on our face. What I think
S2: it has done, whereby it has breathed new life into
S2: the Premiership race, because I used to look at that
S2: bottom nine and think, well, who's going to really come
S2: through and do any damage? There was no one really
S2: standing out to me. But now you've got the defending
S2: premiers potentially at full strength, gathering some steam. Uh, suddenly teams,
S2: people are sitting up taking notice these last eight rounds.
S1: You know what I find like to me, they the
S1: Broncos showed in that game like they did in the
S1: preliminary last year on their way to the Premiership. The
S1: best way to try and I don't know if you
S1: can rattle Penrith. They're just not a team that's rattled easily.
S1: But if you can stay in the grind with them
S1: and if you can, you know, if you can unsettle them.
S1: I mean, the way that Haas, Payne Haas went after
S1: Liam Henry, you know all night, like if you can
S1: get up on them and cut their time down and
S1: you cut Nathan's time down in particular, you know, they
S1: can they can they've got a they've got a blue
S1: in them. Um they can, they've got, they've got an
S1: error in them now and then, but like, like all teams, um,
S1: you know, they're not robots but they're very hard to
S1: break down. Penrith. But Brisbane have showed again that they're
S1: capable of doing it.
S2: Just on the Panthers. That is now three losses from
S2: their last four games. Webby. I mean they were cruising
S2: for much of the season three losses in four games.
S2: Very upset. Penrith like is there any cause for concern there.
S1: I don't know. You know as well as I do
S1: that it's hard to make judgments on teams around this
S1: time of year coming in, going through origin, and then
S1: at the other side of it, like there's still a
S1: lot of footy to be played before the finals. So
S1: I still think Penrith are clearly the team to beat. Thanks, scoop.
S1: That's hardly breaking news. But but but I mean I
S1: don't think I don't I wouldn't even say they've got
S1: the wobbles. I know they've lost. They've dropped a couple
S1: in the last month. But again it's always makes it
S1: hard to to judge um you know through the origin period.
S1: So yeah. There you go. If anyone wants to clip
S1: that one up Bronco Panthers still the team to beat.
S2: Breaking news here every day.
S1: Breaking news here on the NRL daily.
S2: I think um look I think uh they're tapering. They're
S2: getting themselves ready for the back end. Nathan Cleary you
S2: can't tell me Nathan Cleary is flat out last night
S2: after origin. Uh, let's move it along to third party agreements.
S2: You love Tpas Webbe. And Jarome Luai is picking up
S2: quite a few with his PNG deal, which came out
S2: this week. It's a big reason why. Apparently the Tigers
S2: wanted to move him on.
S1: Uh, look, I'd love third party deals. I'd love to
S1: get my hands on some of these tax free third
S1: party deals that, uh, the PNG players are going to get. Look,
S1: I don't know how much that played on the Tigers
S1: minds to push him out. I mean, Alex Johnston's got
S1: a third party deal with PNG companies. You know at
S1: the moment he needs with South Sydney. And you get
S1: enough buys during your uh during a season to go
S1: service them. And if you if you can't, if you've
S1: got to go to, to Port Moresby and, and do
S1: promotional work, whatever. Most of the time these third parties
S1: are as much about putting, uh, you know, putting, putting
S1: someone's face on a billboard. I suppose the thing that
S1: I wanted to talk about mostly today, though, is the fact,
S1: and I think it's been forgotten entirely in this whole
S1: drama about Jerome Louis and him moving on. Louis, neither
S1: I nor Parramatta nor the the the Tigers and nor
S1: PNG from earlier this year when they sign him in
S1: the first place in in late April, have done anything wrong.
S1: You know, I find the whole comparison with what happened
S1: with Lachlan Gaven last year ridiculous. Lachlan Gordon wanted to
S1: break a contract to leave the club. Um, so to
S1: compare that to the Jerome Louis situation doesn't make sense
S1: at all. The thing that I think is forgotten in
S1: this whole thing is, uh, that when Jarome Luai signed
S1: with the Tigers in January 2024, no one knew there was.
S1: There'd been talk about PNG coming in the competition, but
S1: there was so much uncertainty about it, and nobody knew
S1: at all that they were going to get complete tax
S1: free dollars, not just on their contracts, their playing contracts,
S1: but also the third party agreements from 28 onwards when
S1: they enter the competition. Do you think the Tigers at all,
S1: or any club for that matter, would be putting in
S1: get out clauses like the one they gave Jerome? Louis,
S1: knowing that that incentive was around the corner to join
S1: a new franchise? Not at all. The Tigers wouldn't have
S1: done it. So I think the bigger picture here is
S1: just how much the NRL has thrown out the player
S1: market by rushing in all these tax free incentives to
S1: prop up the PNG chiefs without really thinking it through,
S1: because that's going to be a drama moving forward in
S1: the next few years when, you know, there's so many, uh,
S1: third party opportunities up there. And I know the reported
S1: number was around 900,000 a year. I'm told it's actually
S1: a hell of a lot more. Or has the potential
S1: to be a hell of a lot more with 3
S1: or 4 other, um, third parties in PNG ready to
S1: throw the bank of Jerome, Louis and whoever else is
S1: going to be there. Now, you talk to some club
S1: bosses and they'll say, you know, they're not that worried
S1: about it at all. They think it's overblown, but you
S1: talk to others and you talk to some player managers
S1: who are rubbing their hands together with glee. Um, you know,
S1: there's opportunities there. There's a lot of opportunities to make
S1: a hell of a lot of money, particularly if you're
S1: a marquee like Jerome Louis.
S2: Are you saying the problem is that, um, there's going
S2: to be a stampede to Port Moresby? Are you saying
S2: that players are going to be promoting these third parties
S2: while they're still at their existing club before they relocate
S2: to PNG, which is going to be the case with
S2: Jerome Louis next year at Parramatta.
S1: Well, that's what they. But they can do that now.
S1: That's you know, that's that's what Alex Johnston's doing as
S1: I said, doing it for playing for Souths and promoting um,
S1: uh PNG companies. He's doing that already. So I don't
S1: think Jerome's going to be doing anything that's untoward. I
S1: just think, as I said, the main problem is I
S1: don't think the NRL, in their haste to make sure
S1: the Chiefs were competitive, I think they've tipped the balance
S1: a little bit too far. And that's what I mean.
S1: The player market is going to be very, very skewed
S1: in the next few years. So where it lands I
S1: don't know. But it's very hard to take something back
S1: after you've given it, and I can't see the NRL
S1: having to backtrack on. I mean, those tax free incentives
S1: are enshrined for the next ten years of their existence.
S1: So you know.
S2: It doesn't win every it doesn't it doesn't win over
S2: everyone Webby because Mitch Kenny has just resigned with the Panthers.
S2: There was a lot of talk that PNG were going
S2: to chase him. But he says, you know what? I'm
S2: happy where I am. I'm at a successful club. I
S2: love it here. I'm staying. I don't ever want to
S2: hear what you've got to offer. So it's not for everyone.
S1: I agree, I understand that that's what I said. I
S1: don't think every club's sort of jumping at it, but
S1: I do. I can see it and there's a lot
S1: of talk amongst all the other clubs and player managers
S1: about how much it's going to skew the market because
S1: of those tax free incentives.
S2: I just want to come back to what you said
S2: about the governance situation with Jerome Lou. I think he
S2: did leave himself open to some criticism, Jerome, because he
S2: was saying all we're all in here. You know, let's, uh,
S2: we're all about team first, all those sort of posts
S2: he put out on social media, then then to use
S2: an exit clause to go and sign with someone else.
S2: He did leave himself open to that criticism. That, mate,
S2: you've gone against what you said.
S1: Yeah. To what? To a point. But he's the professional footy. That's.
S1: That's life in Australia.
S2: It is.
S1: Business break. It didn't break though did he.
S2: No no he didn't. But you got to understand.
S1: He didn't have he didn't have the other club sort
S1: of sitting there wooing him through media contacts and channels.
S1: You know, for the best part of a year. I
S1: think that's as I said, I understand the emotion around it,
S1: particularly from from Tigers fans and from Bulldogs Bulldogs fans.
S1: But in the dead set, fair dinkum department, they're chalk
S1: and cheese.
S2: Zac Lomax he's heading to the Chiefs. That seems to
S2: be the way it's going. He needs to make up
S2: some money that he's lost the last couple of deals
S2: he's done. So, uh, is that what you're hearing? It
S2: sounds like a three year deal at the Chiefs.
S1: Speaking of walking out of contracts. Yeah. Zac Lomax has, uh,
S1: walked out of a couple, but he won't be walking
S1: out of the one with Rugby Australia, which ends, uh,
S1: next season after he may or may not play in
S1: the World Cup. The feeling I've got from the phone
S1: calls I've made in the last couple of days is
S1: that it's pretty much feels like it's a done deal. Um,
S1: and for that reason, if he can make up the
S1: money that he's lost from walking out on these NRL deals, uh,
S1: there's money to be made. As I said in, in
S1: Papua New Guinea, um, uh, Rugby Australia, from the discussions
S1: I've had with them in the last 24 hours, they're
S1: more than comfortable with it. They haven't paid overs for,
S1: for Zac Lomax, it was never about trying to put
S1: one over uh, rugby league at all. Uh, I think
S1: it comes with a little bit of a rider. If
S1: Zac Lomax does, he's got an osteoporosis issue at the moment,
S1: which is a which is a bastard of an injury.
S1: But if he can come back from that and make
S1: his way into that Wallabies team, particularly, uh, next year
S1: during the World Cup, he may be able to, uh,
S1: garner a lot of interest from the likes of, uh,
S1: of French rugby and Japanese rugby who are playing, paying
S1: enormous amounts of money at the moment, as we know.
S1: But whether, uh, whether, uh, Zac wants to wait that
S1: long and wait to see how he's, uh, he's what
S1: his value is like in, in the rugby union market,
S1: as opposed to getting a deal done as soon as
S1: he can with, uh, with the Chiefs. I suppose that's
S1: going to be the big question.
S2: Uh, maybe just want to finish with a story in
S2: the Herald today, uh, with cam McInnes, one of the
S2: great guys in the NRL. And he says the sharks
S2: are on the wrong end of the penalty count because
S2: they are playing fair. Fair by the rules, Webby. They're
S2: not lying down looking for penalties like every other team.
S2: And it's come back to bite them apparently.
S1: I love that, I love Cameron McInnes as a Dragons fan.
S1: I was devastated when he, uh, he left the club.
S1: He's my type of player with the way he plays
S1: the things he says, his teeth. That's my kind of guy.
S1: That's my kind of player. And this makes him even
S1: more so because there is nothing that I hate more
S1: than watching players. They don't even lay down in in league.
S1: They just sort of even when they just sort of
S1: get up to their one knee while on the waiting
S1: to play the play the ball, waiting for them.
S2: You know why they do that.
S1: Waiting, waiting for the bunker to to step in. It's like.
S2: Because if they if they lie down on the ground,
S2: they've got to go off for an HR. I get it,
S2: I get it, I get it. They've twigged. Oh, let's
S2: take it. Let's take a knee. Yeah. And they can't
S2: order us off.
S1: But you know. But rugby league has never been about that.
S1: I found a story um recently from it was saying
S1: this is how long ago it was. Ricky Stuart was
S1: coaching Cronulla and Ivan Cleary was coaching the Warriors. And
S1: Ricky came out after a. It might have been a
S1: loss and he wins for Australia about the game turning
S1: into soccer. Now, if anyone's been watching the FIFA World
S1: Cup now that is uh, now that's diving at a
S1: next level. Like they get a broken eyelash and they're
S1: writhing around in pain on the on the ground. So
S1: hopefully rugby league doesn't go too far down that path.
S1: But it is certainly taking that, uh, that going in
S1: that direction in many ways. So, um, I've got on
S1: camera McGuinness and the sharks for saying no to diving
S1: no diving here.
S2: Yeah. In in what he's saying is right. Because because
S2: they're not diving. They're missing the penalties, though. That's wrong.
S2: That's where referees need to have a look at themselves
S2: and go, you know, it was a high tackle. Just
S2: because he's playing on doesn't mean it's not a penalty.
S2: That's right. You know the the teams that are throwing
S2: themselves on the ground are getting the favors from the refs.
S2: So this actually comes back to the match. Officials have
S2: a closer look and don't penalize teams for doing the
S2: right thing, which effectively is what's going on at Cronulla.
S1: I'm sure Peter, I'm sure Peter V'landys now is in
S1: the interim Supreme Leader role or whatever it is that
S1: he's going to have at the NRL. Now that Andrew
S1: Abdo has left, I'm sure Peter will will sort it
S1: all out for us.
S2: Okay. Well that wraps us up. What do you think
S2: you mate would have said about today's podcast?
S1: I think he would have been happy with both our performances.
S1: As you should. Good. I'm going to give you the
S1: three Dally M points. I'll take him. I'll take the two.
S2: All right. Track him down next week. Want some more feedback, Webbie?
S2: Enjoy your weekend. Thank you so much for your contribution.
S2: As always.
S1: Thank you horsie.
S2: And that is the continuous call team daily for this week.
S2: Make sure you tune in next week. You can catch
S2: us on Instagram and YouTube.