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Speaker 1: This episode of Two Good Sports was recorded on Warundry

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Speaker 1: and gadigul Land. This land was never seated, always was,

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Speaker 1: always will be audy and Welcome to two Good Sports

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Speaker 1: Sports and is told differently.

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Speaker 2: I'm Georgie Tunny, I'm Nevos.

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Speaker 1: Our main story today, Nevo, we are going to be

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Speaker 1: talking about what in the actual hell is happening at

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Speaker 1: the South Singing Rabbitos.

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Speaker 2: I'm sure you'll work the Broncos into this discussion as well.

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Speaker 1: Join oh oh, Neivo. There is one hundred and ten

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Speaker 1: percent chance of that happening. Yes, the forecast is strong,

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Speaker 1: but they've lost their coach, their form is dismal. They

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Speaker 1: are really really struggling. So how do they fix it?

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Speaker 1: What has happened in the first place? We are going

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Speaker 1: to get to that, but first, Nevo, good Sport, bad

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Speaker 1: sport our favorite segment here at two Good Sports. What

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Speaker 1: have you got for me this week?

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Speaker 2: Do you know what? I was really working my way

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Speaker 2: up to having a bad sport this week? I was

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Speaker 2: like psyching myself out over the weekend. I don't know, No,

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Speaker 2: go good sport and shock everyone? What a league women's

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Speaker 2: Grand Final on Saturday? Ava George two of the most

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Speaker 2: successful teams in a league women's history. Going head to head,

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Speaker 2: Melbourne City hosted up against Sydney FC the sky Blues.

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Speaker 2: But my good sport is Mackenzie Hawksby, who was also

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Speaker 2: named player of the match. After Sydney FC one, she

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Speaker 2: handed over her captain's armband and Princess Ebeni is captain

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Speaker 2: of Sydney FC at the moment, but she doesn't usually

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Speaker 2: play a full ninety. McKenzie Hawksby end each game with

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Speaker 2: the captain's armband and she handed it over at the

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Speaker 2: end of the game to Nat Tobin, who started the

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Speaker 2: season as Sydney FC skipper. Tore her acl in round

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Speaker 2: one in front of a record crowd at Alliance Stadium

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Speaker 2: in a Sydney Derby talk about the roller coaster, And

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Speaker 2: she's been around the club all year, like led from

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Speaker 2: the sideline. She's back running again. She's re signed with

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Speaker 2: Sydney FC. She'll be back next season. But I've watched

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Speaker 2: Maka right throughout this final series and I'm sure she

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Speaker 2: was doing it before that and I just hadn't noticed.

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Speaker 2: But the game finishes and she takes off the armband

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Speaker 2: and she hands it back over to Nat on the

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Speaker 2: sideline and it's so bloody, bless It's yeah, I got

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Speaker 2: a bit teary. It's just lovely. And when you know

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Speaker 2: their severity of ACL injuries, how prevalent they are in

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Speaker 2: women's sport in particular, how tough the comeback is. I

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Speaker 2: just think little moments like that, little gestures like that

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Speaker 2: mean so much to the other player.

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Speaker 1: It's giving Luke Beveridge giving his Premiership medal to Bob

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Speaker 1: Murphy's when the Bulldogs won the Grand Final against the Swans.

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Speaker 1: I don't even know how many years ago that was now,

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Speaker 1: but that's it's the It's these lovely moments that at

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Speaker 1: the end of the sports movie everyone's crying, everyone's sobbing. Right, Yes,

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Speaker 1: I'm glad that you went for good sport, bever That's

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Speaker 1: so lovely and it also ties into my bad sport

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Speaker 1: because I have a real bone, a real bone to

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Speaker 1: pick with the injury gods whoever, they are cowards if

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Speaker 1: they ever show their faces. What the hell you take

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Speaker 1: out my Adam Reynolds from the Brisbane Broncos with a

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Speaker 1: ruptured bicep, Like, it's just so cruel. I could talk

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Speaker 1: about Adam Reynolds and what he means to the Brisban

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Speaker 1: Broncos for another fifteen episodes, I'm sure. But why I

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Speaker 1: actually have a bone to pick with the injury gods

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Speaker 1: is because Ryan Pappenhause, the Melbourne Storm fallback, is injured again.

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Speaker 1: Now he has had the worst run of injuries, and

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Speaker 1: I would say a lot of freak injuries that not

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Speaker 1: many people suffer. He shattered his kneecap once. Was it

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Speaker 1: a training accident or what did that happen on the field?

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Speaker 2: It certainly wasn't in a car crash, which is the

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Speaker 2: usual kind of location you hear about injuries like that,

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Speaker 2: exactly exactly.

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Speaker 1: He fought back from that, and then he had did

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Speaker 1: the most horrific ankle injury. I remember watching that game

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Speaker 1: being like, no, surely it can't be happy. And it

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Speaker 1: took him so long to get back from both of them.

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Speaker 1: And now he was limping on the weekend in their

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Speaker 1: narrow victory and he had to leave the field. He's

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Speaker 1: going to be out for I think it's four to

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Speaker 1: six weeks, which isn't horrific compared to what he's had

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Speaker 1: to endure. But he's got another fracture above the metal

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Speaker 1: plate that they put in to fix his ankle the

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Speaker 1: first time that he ruined it, Like, what is happening?

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Speaker 2: Poor Pappy?

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Speaker 1: And he just is such a lovely figure and I

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Speaker 1: just love He's one of those types like a Dustin

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Speaker 1: Martin where kids have his terrible haircut in the stands

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Speaker 1: right and they want to be Ryan Pappenhausen. Also, very briefly,

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Speaker 1: I do have a contender for a good sport and

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Speaker 1: a bad sport because Jack Bird played his one hundred

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Speaker 1: and fiftieth game of NRL ran out for the Dragons

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Speaker 1: this weekend. Bad sport to the embroiderers, because you know

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Speaker 1: when someone has it reached as a milestone and they

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Speaker 1: like get like, you know, Jack Bird Sharks v. Dragons

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Speaker 1: one hundred and fiftieth game like a memento that they

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Speaker 1: can keep it said, Sharks v Dargons, Sharks v. Dargons,

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Speaker 1: Like that's not Dragons is it Rugby League? Oh, it's

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Speaker 1: the gift that it keeps on giving. Nevo because the

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Speaker 1: coaching merry go round it has started again. Jason Demetrio

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Speaker 1: got the sack for the rabbit Os. So what does

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Speaker 1: this mean? Are they rudderless? Spoiler? Pretty much? Yes, But

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Speaker 1: how do they get themselves a new rudder. How do

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Speaker 1: they get this ship back on course? We'll get into

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Speaker 1: it next nevo question without notice, because I love doing

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Speaker 1: that to you. How would you describe a South Sydney fan?

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Speaker 2: Wow? I mean it is the most supported club I

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Speaker 2: think in the world, George, because they were owned by

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Speaker 2: Russell Crowe. He made it famous in the States. You see,

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Speaker 2: It's an ongoing joke, isn't it that you can find

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Speaker 2: a rabbit Os fan in any televised sporting game in

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Speaker 2: the world. Watch Manchester United play in the prem there's

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Speaker 2: your random Rabbitos fan. They're going to be there.

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Speaker 1: They're always going to be there in the red and

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Speaker 1: green looking like Christmas in the stands somewhere, and people

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Speaker 1: are like, what are you wearing? It's always a rabbit

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Speaker 1: Os fan and looks.

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Speaker 2: Some of those perhaps are attracted to the stardom around

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Speaker 2: the club, yes, but you cannot refute the fact, George,

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Speaker 2: that they have passionate, passionate fans who have been a

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Speaker 2: part for generations of the club and their fight to

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Speaker 2: get back into the NRL. So while there are fringe

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Speaker 2: fans who like looking like a Christmas tree, there are

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Speaker 2: also hardcore Rabbitos fans who like you lead for.

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Speaker 1: The club and you know our Prime Minister Anthony Alberizi

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Speaker 1: among them as well. With these very high profile fans, therefore,

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Speaker 1: this club is one of the most well known, if

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Speaker 1: not one of the most well loved clubs that exist

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Speaker 1: in this country across codes. But it's been the season

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Speaker 1: from hell for South Sydney and we are we even

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Speaker 1: halfway through the Rugby League season currently. I'm not sure.

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Speaker 1: They've had one win seven losses so far this year.

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Speaker 1: They're at the bottom of the ladder. Last week they

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Speaker 1: sacked their head coach, Jason Demetrio, and that came off

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Speaker 1: an absolute thumping in the big Anzac Dave Blockbuster with

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Speaker 1: Melbourne Storm. They lost that game fifty four to twenty.

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Speaker 1: They lost to the Panthers most recently forty two to twelve.

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Speaker 1: So where to now, Nevo like this is have we

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Speaker 1: hit rock bottom? Have we hit rock bottom for the

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Speaker 1: rabbit Os?

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Speaker 2: I don't even I feel like I'm putting the boot

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Speaker 2: in further George, because it's not even just this season.

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Speaker 2: Remember last year. By the middle of last year they

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Speaker 2: were on top of the table and everything looked sweet

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Speaker 2: and rosy. Yes, and they had the they had a

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Speaker 2: Newcastle Night style end of season run into the finals.

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Speaker 2: It was an absolute Debarkle George. They won four of

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Speaker 2: then NEX thirteen games because the were on top of

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Speaker 2: the ladder after round eleven. So that second half for

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Speaker 2: the season, after Latrell Mitchell was injured in Blues camp,

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Speaker 2: it just went south in the worst possible way so fast.

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Speaker 2: They missed out on finals after they'd made five straight

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Speaker 2: prelim finals. And then before that last game of the season,

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Speaker 2: Sam Burgess, allegend of the rabbit Os and you know

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Speaker 2: that Burgess family is such a key part of the

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Speaker 2: rabbit Os over their recent history, he walked out and

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Speaker 2: that got pretty public and pretty ugly really fast. So

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Speaker 2: even before the start of this season, which absolutely as

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Speaker 2: you say, hasn't gone to plan, things were not looking good.

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Speaker 1: Yes, and I think that that was, you know, the

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Speaker 1: Sam Burgess fallout. So for context, if you're not familiar

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Speaker 1: with the rabbit Os they last won at premiership in

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Speaker 1: twenty fourteen. He was key to that. He became part

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Speaker 1: of their folklore. He broke his jaw in that game.

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Speaker 1: This was before he played HJA rules and played on right,

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Speaker 1: so he's playing on with the broken jaw. Him and

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Speaker 1: Russell Crowe well were really really great mates. Russell Crowe

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Speaker 1: was integral and him bringing him over to this club.

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Speaker 1: So for him to have an issue and of falling

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Speaker 1: out to this degree and for it to become so

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Speaker 1: public and messy, I think that is when the wheels

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Speaker 1: were really starting to teeter. Right. They hadn't completely fallen

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Speaker 1: off yet, Nevo, but the signs were there. Talk had

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Speaker 1: started about the fitness level of this team, this the

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Speaker 1: commitment of their players, a rift between the coaching staff

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Speaker 1: and the players, and always, you know, a lot of

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Speaker 1: it is noise. But I'm not sure what you think

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Speaker 1: about this, Neva, but I always think that where there

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Speaker 1: is that much noise and that much sustained noise, there

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Speaker 1: has to like there usually is a little bit of

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Speaker 1: truth there.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's such a hard one, isn't it, George? Because JD,

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Speaker 2: who we're going to spend a lot of time talking about,

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Speaker 2: is a beautiful human, a lovely man. And you start

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Speaker 2: to hear that noise around the club and you know that,

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Speaker 2: you know that people are circling, and it's like, oh God,

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Speaker 2: I hope it's wrong. I hope it's going to go away,

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Speaker 2: but it just sometimes starts to snowball, doesn't it, and

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Speaker 2: almost gets a life of its own and you can't

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Speaker 2: fight it.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and even even last week when Jason Demetrio was

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Speaker 1: eventually sacked the day before I think it was, there

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Speaker 1: was a pack of reporters and I mean the NRL

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Speaker 1: press pack, like they're basically a scrum, Like it's literally

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Speaker 1: a media scrum. That's where it comes from. Like they

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Speaker 1: are hardcore two. So he's being fired, question after question

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Speaker 1: after question after question, being like are you going to

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Speaker 1: survive the week? Will you remain as the as the

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Speaker 1: coach and all of this, and he's like, guys, I'm

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Speaker 1: just trying to like get my training together for tomorrow,

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Speaker 1: like my training plans sorted. But in his own words,

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Speaker 1: he talked about the noise being not easy, like it's

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Speaker 1: not easy to handle that and then cope with whatever's

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Speaker 1: going on, because I think what we all forget is

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Speaker 1: sports fans nevo who demand perfection because we are perfect

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Speaker 1: beings ourselves, is that coaches are humans, right. And so

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Speaker 1: when the news actually came out that Jason Demetrio was

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Speaker 1: to be sacked, he had already sent a text message

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Speaker 1: to his players and NIVO, we're going to talk about

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Speaker 1: why you think that he is an amazing person. But

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Speaker 1: he sent this. This is apparently what some of the

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Speaker 1: transcript of what this tech said. Hey lads, just a

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Speaker 1: quick note from me to let you know sadly I've

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Speaker 1: been sacked. Being your head coach has been an absolute privilege,

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Speaker 1: and being part of many of your professional journeys over

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Speaker 1: the five and a half years has been a blessing.

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Speaker 1: Watching you make your debuts, hit milestones, become young fathers

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Speaker 1: are memories I will cherish forever, like.

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Speaker 2: What so lovely.

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Speaker 1: And he goes on to talk about how whatever he's

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Speaker 1: done in his time at the Rabbit O's and he

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Speaker 1: just wishes everyone luck in the future, and he hopes

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Speaker 1: that they then go on to have less careers and

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Speaker 1: whatever they want to have it happen for them.

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Speaker 2: Right. Yeah, So, not actually any of it about him.

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Speaker 2: He's just been sacked. He wanted to stay. He'd presented

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Speaker 2: to the board about why they should keep him and

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Speaker 2: why he had a plan moving forward. That decision was

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Speaker 2: taken out of his hands, which is absolutely that happens

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Speaker 2: to coaches all the damn time. And in that very

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Speaker 2: immediate response to his playing group, it wasn't about wins

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Speaker 2: and losses. It wasn't about losing his job, It wasn't

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Speaker 2: about where to next. It was about them and their

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Speaker 2: lives and their families and wishing them all the best.

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Speaker 2: And so even just in terms of that good human scale,

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Speaker 2: we don't really need to say anymore, do we.

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Speaker 1: No, he's a good human. He's a good human. But

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Speaker 1: was it the right call. Let's have a look at

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Speaker 1: I guess the history of Jason Demetrio because he was

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Speaker 1: a player overseas. I think he played most of his

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Speaker 1: actual rugby league professional career over in England. He also

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Speaker 1: represented Canada, which seems super random, but he represented Canada

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Speaker 1: at some point in his playing career. Then he turned

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Speaker 1: his attention towards coaching. He was coaching in the UK

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Speaker 1: before he made the move to Australia, and originally he

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Speaker 1: was coaching like a Queensland Cup team. They did very

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Speaker 1: very well, started to get attention, and then he kind

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Speaker 1: of then he went to the North Queensland Cowboys, I

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Speaker 1: believe in twenty fifteen. Now, what is so key about

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Speaker 1: that year? Nevo?

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Speaker 2: Tell me George one.

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Speaker 1: It caused my mental breakdown because the Cowboys beat Brisbane

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Speaker 1: Broncos in the Grand Final, the greatest.

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Speaker 2: Grand Finals of all time, one of.

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Speaker 1: The I mean, I've never never mentioned it.

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Speaker 2: Should we just dive in there?

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Speaker 1: Just the trauma, yeah, just the absolute trauma that you

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Speaker 1: know I live with every day.

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Speaker 2: But here we are.

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Speaker 1: So he joined that team obviously another very very successful team.

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Speaker 1: So from that success with the Cowboys, Demetrio then moves

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Speaker 1: to Saint George Illawarra. Now that was in twenty sixteen.

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Speaker 1: He was going to be the assistant coach of their

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Speaker 1: new South Wales Cup feeder team. So again like their VFL. Again,

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Speaker 1: that team does very very well and they actually get

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Speaker 1: awarded the Team of the Year award for that particular year.

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Speaker 2: So as an assistant coach, huge amount of success, George,

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Speaker 2: even before he joined the rabbit Os.

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Speaker 1: Yes, exactly. And then this is where it becomes keen Evo.

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Speaker 1: In twenty seventeen, JD joins Brisbane under the coach at

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Speaker 1: the time, Wayne Bennett.

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Speaker 2: Who had gone back to your Bronx after that huge

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Speaker 2: level of success that he had with them over what

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Speaker 2: twenty years, George.

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Speaker 1: Twenty years? Yeah, yeah, we'll get into Wayne Bennett's stats,

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Speaker 1: because this is why rugby League. My god, you couldn't

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Speaker 1: write scripts like this. And when we say Mary go round,

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Speaker 1: nothing embodies this more than this particular tale. So Wayne

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Speaker 1: Bennett is coach of the Broncos at the time, Demetrio

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Speaker 1: was there as his assistant. Now things go sour between

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Speaker 1: Bennett and the Broncos board. Eventually he has shown the

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Speaker 1: door and Anthony Sebold, who was at the time the

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Speaker 1: coach of the South Sydney Rabbitoes, because just.

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Speaker 2: To dive into that and things going south with the board,

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Speaker 2: they went south after he announced in twenty eighteen that

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Speaker 2: in twenty twenty he'd be joining the Rabbitos. Yes, and

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Speaker 2: the Bronx swam do you know what a couple of

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Speaker 2: months later, maybe go now?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, maybe maybe leave right now actually would be preferable

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Speaker 1: to us. And so were the craziest of times.

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Speaker 2: Sebes goes there little bizarre coaching swap.

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Speaker 1: And everyone just pretended like it was fine and normal,

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Speaker 1: and I was like, this is not normal. This is

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Speaker 1: not normal. You don't just usually have two coaches swap

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Speaker 1: positions earlier than any of them are meant to.

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Speaker 2: X Rugby league. George, what is normal?

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Speaker 1: Sorry, you're right, You're right, God, I keep forgetting that. Eh.

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Speaker 2: So then.

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Speaker 1: So we've done the coaching swap.

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Speaker 2: I think then the twenty nineteen Benet's twenty nineteen, Yes, Wayne.

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Speaker 1: Bennett goes to South Sydney.

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Speaker 2: Starts at South's Sebes. Yes, starts at the Broncos, and

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Speaker 2: JD goes South with WAYN Bennett. Yes.

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Speaker 1: So Wayne Bennett in the Merry go Round, has taken

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Speaker 1: JD with him to South Sydney. Now Wayne Bennett is

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Speaker 1: at South Sydney for a few years again has great

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Speaker 1: success there. JD is his assistant coach. But it's very

305
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Speaker 1: much of the mindset of I am your mentor, I

306
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Speaker 1: am leading you through. I'm going to teach you all

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Speaker 1: of the things that you need to know, Jason Demetrio,

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Speaker 1: so that you will become the head coach of this

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Speaker 1: football team. So when the Dolphins came a knocking to

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Speaker 1: Wayne Bennett a few years ago and said we needed

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Speaker 1: to be our head coach, he moved on there and

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Speaker 1: Jason Demetro becomes head coach of the South Sydney rabbit Os.

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Speaker 2: And it was part of a clear succession plan at

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Speaker 2: South they got to a grand finally twenty twenty one

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Speaker 2: under Wayne Bennett with JD as the assistant. Twenty twenty two,

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Speaker 2: as planned, JD takes over from Wayne Bennett and Wayne

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Speaker 2: leaves on good terms with the club.

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Speaker 1: Yes, which is going to become key now, And if

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Speaker 1: anyone else's head is spinning, it's okay ours too, We

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Speaker 1: get it ours too. I feel like we need to

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Speaker 1: draw a map. We need to like we need one

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Speaker 1: of those those whiteboard. Yes, we need the whiteboard with

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Speaker 1: all of the red strings being like what is happening here?

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Speaker 1: Because but in a center in its center is Wayne

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Speaker 1: Is Wayne Is Wayne Bennett? Like that's the one who

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Speaker 1: all of these little spindly little threads are coming from.

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Speaker 1: Because now that Jason Demetrio has been shown the door

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Speaker 1: at South Sydney, a job that he had taken over

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Speaker 1: from Wayne Bennett and the club now is that arguably

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Speaker 1: one of its lowest lows. Who were they looking for

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Speaker 1: to save them? Wayne freakin' Bennett. So now and he's

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Speaker 1: put his hand up NVO, He's like, yeah, I'm I'm

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Speaker 1: happy to do it. I think I might do it.

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Speaker 2: Because he's finishing because the Dolphins have a succession plan,

335
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Speaker 2: and yeah, they're in the top four and playing really

336
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Speaker 2: great football at the moment despite a whole heap of injuries.

337
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Speaker 2: There's a succession plan in place at the Dolphins because

338
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Speaker 2: and we can't believe we haven't mentioned this, Wayne's like,

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Speaker 2: what seventy four.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, oh yeah, sorry. Wayne Bennett is seventy four years

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Speaker 1: one of the most successful coaches, in fact, the most

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Speaker 1: successful coach in the history of rugby league.

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Speaker 2: And yet for some reason, clubs keep going, Yeah, but

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Speaker 2: you get on, Wayne, We'll give you a few years.

345
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Speaker 2: You can build the club from nothing, take us to

346
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Speaker 2: these great heights, and we've got to have a succession

347
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Speaker 2: plan in place and bring through this young coach underneath,

348
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Speaker 2: which George he is so good at yes, and so

349
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Speaker 2: respected within the game. He's still you know you hear legend,

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Speaker 2: has it, watches other games, calls coaches. He is a

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Speaker 2: mentor for so many coaches within the game, and a

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Speaker 2: mentor of JD's I'm sure a mentor of Christian Wolf,

353
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Speaker 2: who's his assistant there at the Dolphins will take over

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Speaker 2: at season's end after Wayne went started this club from

355
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Speaker 2: scratch and has built it in remarkably short time into

356
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Speaker 2: a key part of the National Rugby League. So if

357
00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:44,399
Speaker 2: the Dolphs don't go, hey, wait a minute, maybe we

358
00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:47,400
Speaker 2: should keep him a bit longer. He's actually an absolute gun.

359
00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:50,600
Speaker 2: Christian Wolf will take over at season's end, and once

360
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Speaker 2: again Wayne will be like, well, I want to keep coaching,

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Speaker 2: which he said publicly.

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Speaker 1: Which he has said publicly Nevo. In fact, the words

363
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Speaker 1: are his words were if I think I had something

364
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Speaker 1: to offer, I wouldn't do it. That's not the case

365
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Speaker 1: with me. I would be rather doing something and making

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Speaker 1: a contribution. I care about the game enormously and its people.

367
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Speaker 1: If I can go on help a club and make

368
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Speaker 1: them better, then that's what motivates me and drives me.

369
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Speaker 1: Coaching gives me something to do. I don't want to

370
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Speaker 1: sit at home and twiddle my thumbs and bore myself

371
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Speaker 1: to death.

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Speaker 2: Firstly, I loved that last week you and I talked

373
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Speaker 2: about how we could retire at thirty and we're both like,

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Speaker 2: oh oops, miss that boat. But still asap it'd be great.

375
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Speaker 2: Wayne at seventy four is like, I want to keep going.

376
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Speaker 2: But the timing of that, George, the timing of that

377
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Speaker 2: statement I think is key as well, because Wayne does

378
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Speaker 2: not undermine coaches while they still have coached. So while

379
00:19:42,359 --> 00:19:44,239
Speaker 2: all of this was happening around the rabbit O's, he

380
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Speaker 2: did not once make a comment about moving back to

381
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Speaker 2: the Rabbitos while JD was still in charge. He did

382
00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:52,159
Speaker 2: not once make a comment about the situation at South's

383
00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:54,639
Speaker 2: how it could change, whether they needed to look for

384
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Speaker 2: a change. He waited until after South Sydney had decided

385
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Speaker 2: to part ways with Jason Demetrio, and then he was

386
00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:03,960
Speaker 2: asked about it, and then he spoke to it.

387
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Speaker 1: What makes Bennett so good? Nevo? Because I mean, I

388
00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:11,040
Speaker 1: have thoughts. We have been watching rugby league our entire

389
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Speaker 1: lives and because wayn Bennett decided not to retire at thirty,

390
00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:18,960
Speaker 1: he has been a part of our entire lives. He

391
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Speaker 1: has a sixty one percent win percentage in the NRL.

392
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Speaker 1: He's won over five hundred games, and he's won seven Premierships.

393
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Speaker 1: But he's taken teams to ten Grand finals, so seven

394
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Speaker 1: out of ten when it comes to grand final success, right.

395
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Speaker 2: Even just that winning percentage, considering how many games he

396
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Speaker 2: has coached, is mind blowing in its own right. And

397
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Speaker 2: I think beyond that, George, he is a leader of men,

398
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Speaker 2: isn't he. So he brings he has this amazing ability

399
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Speaker 2: to build a culture within a club and to get

400
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Speaker 2: the most, to get the best out of players, and

401
00:20:55,280 --> 00:20:59,120
Speaker 2: to help young players who are coming through really believe

402
00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:02,320
Speaker 2: that they can make it in what is such an

403
00:21:02,359 --> 00:21:05,879
Speaker 2: incredibly tough game and an incredibly tough environment. So he

404
00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:10,359
Speaker 2: has this ability to unite players and to make them

405
00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:13,919
Speaker 2: believe in themselves as well, which seems to be what

406
00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:16,720
Speaker 2: he is most well known for. Rather than being some

407
00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:20,359
Speaker 2: tactical genius, it's that getting the best out of the

408
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Speaker 2: blokes that he coaches.

409
00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:24,679
Speaker 1: Yes, And I think that the prime example for that,

410
00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:28,480
Speaker 1: I'm going to call it exhibit Darius Boyd. So, Darius

411
00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:31,560
Speaker 1: Boyd was a Brisbane Broncos. I'm gonna say legend. He

412
00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:34,320
Speaker 1: was a former captain in the end, but he started

413
00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:37,760
Speaker 1: his career with the Broncos. When Wayne Bennett left the Broncos,

414
00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:41,600
Speaker 1: Darius Boyd followed him everywhere to every club that he

415
00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:45,960
Speaker 1: went to, Knights Dragons, Knights Dragons and then eventually back

416
00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:50,320
Speaker 1: to Brisbane. So that says something, right that one of

417
00:21:50,359 --> 00:21:53,399
Speaker 1: your players is like, I am going to play football,

418
00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:55,720
Speaker 1: but I'm only going to play football for you. Yeah,

419
00:21:55,760 --> 00:21:57,639
Speaker 1: and it has the ability to do that, and I

420
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Speaker 1: think I believe would have it written into a clause

421
00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:03,880
Speaker 1: some being like I must be able to follow Wayne.

422
00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:07,760
Speaker 1: That is the effect that he has on his players' lives,

423
00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:11,679
Speaker 1: not just their careers. But was it the right call

424
00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:13,080
Speaker 1: Nevo sacking Josent Demetria.

425
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Speaker 2: Do you know what, George? We talked about the noise

426
00:22:16,160 --> 00:22:18,480
Speaker 2: around the club, We looked at the results, We've talked

427
00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:20,879
Speaker 2: about what a great human he is. All of those

428
00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:27,000
Speaker 2: things stand. Ultimately, those results this season, I think didn't

429
00:22:27,119 --> 00:22:31,200
Speaker 2: leave the club with a whole heap of other options.

430
00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:33,399
Speaker 2: We can talk about how long it took them to

431
00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:34,879
Speaker 2: do it. We can talk about the way they did it,

432
00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:37,920
Speaker 2: the timing before a game on the Thursday night that week.

433
00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:40,880
Speaker 2: There's lots that can be dissected there and questions about

434
00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:43,160
Speaker 2: whether there is a little bit of a rift on

435
00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:46,280
Speaker 2: the South Sydney rabbito's board. These days, it's no longer

436
00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:51,040
Speaker 2: just a case of Russell Crowe being the boss man

437
00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:55,760
Speaker 2: and leading that organization. He now has a joint stake.

438
00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:58,000
Speaker 2: He's got a twenty five percent stake. James Pack has

439
00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:00,880
Speaker 2: a twenty five percent stake and Mike Cannon. They all

440
00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:02,720
Speaker 2: have equal shares of the club, and they all have

441
00:23:02,760 --> 00:23:05,479
Speaker 2: representation on the board, and perhaps the way this has

442
00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:08,440
Speaker 2: been handled this year indicates that they haven't always been

443
00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:11,960
Speaker 2: on the same page. But I think despite all of

444
00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:15,760
Speaker 2: those things, the noise was getting really loud, and the

445
00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:19,919
Speaker 2: players the results, they weren't responding in a way that

446
00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:23,080
Speaker 2: suggested they were playing to save JD.

447
00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:25,960
Speaker 1: Yes, something wasn't right, and something's not been right for

448
00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:28,879
Speaker 1: a long time, and unfortunately, when you are head coach,

449
00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:32,679
Speaker 1: the brunt of that blame has to lie with you. Yeah,

450
00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:34,880
Speaker 1: so I agree with you. I don't think that they

451
00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:38,520
Speaker 1: were left with much option other than to do this.

452
00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:42,040
Speaker 1: Ben Hornby, interestingly enough, is the interim coach. Now, if

453
00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:44,040
Speaker 1: that name sounds familiar, it's because he used to be

454
00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:46,320
Speaker 1: in a rugby league. Great he played for the Dragons

455
00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:49,160
Speaker 1: for a million years and now is moving into coaching,

456
00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:54,280
Speaker 1: and so he's the interim coach. He also has spent

457
00:23:54,359 --> 00:23:57,000
Speaker 1: a bit of time working underneath Wayne Bennett.

458
00:23:57,200 --> 00:23:59,080
Speaker 2: Isn't that right? Who hasn't We've got that right dragon?

459
00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:03,320
Speaker 2: Yeah at the Dragons, of course, And what did in

460
00:24:03,359 --> 00:24:06,960
Speaker 2: his first press conference George as interim coach after yet

461
00:24:07,080 --> 00:24:10,240
Speaker 2: they lost. But he was asked about, you know, whether

462
00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:13,000
Speaker 2: he had long term plans in the role, and he said, well,

463
00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:16,440
Speaker 2: aren't I just keeping the seat warm for Wayne? Yeah,

464
00:24:16,560 --> 00:24:20,440
Speaker 2: or something I paraphrase, I know something.

465
00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:22,480
Speaker 1: It is something like that, right. And also there is

466
00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:25,000
Speaker 1: an argument now though, Nevo that I know that we've

467
00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:27,440
Speaker 1: just talked at length about how you know, impressive Wayne

468
00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:30,199
Speaker 1: Bennett is as a mentor and you know, developing his

469
00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:33,000
Speaker 1: assistant coaches. We must remember that Craig Bellamy started as

470
00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:38,640
Speaker 1: an assistant coach for Wayne Bennett, right, But most recently

471
00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:41,720
Speaker 1: the people that he has brought along with him haven't

472
00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:47,480
Speaker 1: done amazingly well they've been they haven't had the most success.

473
00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:49,479
Speaker 1: And maybe that's me being a little bit too harsh

474
00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:52,800
Speaker 1: because the average last fan of an NRL coach is

475
00:24:52,840 --> 00:24:55,880
Speaker 1: apparently ninety three games, so that's less than four seasons now.

476
00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:58,480
Speaker 1: So also, just the way that the competition is now,

477
00:24:58,520 --> 00:25:01,840
Speaker 1: it is so so cut throat, but sometimes the results

478
00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:03,760
Speaker 1: haven't always come to his protegeese.

479
00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:08,000
Speaker 2: I also think they're very very hard boots to step into,

480
00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:12,399
Speaker 2: to step directly into. So Wayne Bennett coach side, who

481
00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,160
Speaker 2: is so used to the way that he goes about things,

482
00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:16,680
Speaker 2: the way he does things, the fact that he is

483
00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:19,080
Speaker 2: a leader of men, it does seem to be a

484
00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:22,120
Speaker 2: bit of a poison chalice to take over immediately off

485
00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:24,000
Speaker 2: the back of his success.

486
00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:27,920
Speaker 1: Yeah, and you're trying to carve your own path right

487
00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:34,399
Speaker 1: with one of the grandfathers of the sport like that

488
00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:38,200
Speaker 1: is that is wayn Bennett, regardless of all of this speculation, right.

489
00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:40,320
Speaker 1: The thing is that I want everyone to take away

490
00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:44,200
Speaker 1: is that think back to the fan that we described

491
00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:48,040
Speaker 1: at the start of this deep dive, right, the passionate,

492
00:25:48,280 --> 00:25:52,399
Speaker 1: rusted on South Sydney supporter who bleeds red and green.

493
00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:56,120
Speaker 1: Because this club there's going to be a lot more heartache.

494
00:25:56,119 --> 00:25:58,159
Speaker 1: They have so many injuries right now. I don't know

495
00:25:58,200 --> 00:25:59,919
Speaker 1: where their next win is going to come from the

496
00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:02,960
Speaker 1: till Mitchell returns from suspension, so that will be a positive,

497
00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:05,679
Speaker 1: but I can't really see them getting off the bottom

498
00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:07,359
Speaker 1: of the ladder. And at the start of the season,

499
00:26:07,359 --> 00:26:08,919
Speaker 1: if you had said that the Rabbito's were going to

500
00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:11,639
Speaker 1: finish with the wooden spoon, that's crazy. So there is

501
00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:15,840
Speaker 1: you know, there's work under way to fix things, but

502
00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:17,080
Speaker 1: it's going to be broken for a while.

503
00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:20,320
Speaker 2: They will rebuild without a shadow of doubt. It's just

504
00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:23,040
Speaker 2: when the pain stops and you start to see that

505
00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:24,959
Speaker 2: little bit of light at the end of the tunnel.

506
00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:27,400
Speaker 2: And that's that's the really hard bit to say.

507
00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:30,359
Speaker 1: Wayne Bennet will see it. He'll outlive us all.

508
00:26:30,359 --> 00:26:32,639
Speaker 2: He'll certainly still be working when you and I like

509
00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:36,679
Speaker 2: sitting with a glass of wine in hand, watching the

510
00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:37,440
Speaker 2: footing from the.

511
00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:52,600
Speaker 1: Couch, Nevo, I'm sorry to say that we do actually

512
00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:54,480
Speaker 1: still have to continue our careers.

513
00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:56,639
Speaker 2: Because at least another three minutes.

514
00:26:57,200 --> 00:26:59,160
Speaker 1: For at least another three minutes, because it is time

515
00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:02,840
Speaker 1: for another fun fact. Did you know that in nineteen

516
00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:06,800
Speaker 1: eighty eight Balmain Tigers player Steve Roach was suspended Steve

517
00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:10,199
Speaker 1: a tuck Steve Blocker wrote, You're so sorry, Nego that

518
00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:14,160
Speaker 1: is his correct pronunciation. Steve Blocker. Roach was suspended two

519
00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:17,520
Speaker 1: matches leading up to the nineteen eighty eight Grand Final.

520
00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:20,480
Speaker 1: So Steve Blocker came up with a sneaky plan that

521
00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:22,440
Speaker 1: would allow him to play a loophole.

522
00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:23,879
Speaker 2: I love this so much.

523
00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:28,400
Speaker 1: He signed a short term deal with English club Warrington.

524
00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:31,720
Speaker 1: What do you mean, Blocker? Steve then flew to London

525
00:27:32,119 --> 00:27:35,320
Speaker 1: and was named in the reserves on Saturday and first

526
00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:39,040
Speaker 1: team on Sunday. Therefore he served his two match suspension.

527
00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:43,959
Speaker 1: Or go round on, George, this is not this is

528
00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:47,200
Speaker 1: such ingenuity, you know, and sometimes you're not thinking ingenuity

529
00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:50,760
Speaker 1: when you consider Steve Blocker Roach. But I'll tell you

530
00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:54,920
Speaker 1: what this is genius. However, however, officials did catch on

531
00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:59,560
Speaker 1: to what was happening and quickly closed that loophole, said loophole.

532
00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:05,240
Speaker 1: So Steve Roach was stuck in London for the Grand

533
00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:08,960
Speaker 1: Final as Balmain lost to the Bulldogs twenty four points

534
00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:09,879
Speaker 1: to twelve.

535
00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:13,600
Speaker 2: Oh can you imagine the press conference is in the

536
00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:16,120
Speaker 2: lead up to that Granny as well, George, they would

537
00:28:16,119 --> 00:28:18,119
Speaker 2: have been like, so Blogger, is he gonna make it

538
00:28:18,119 --> 00:28:19,360
Speaker 2: back in time? Is he gonna play in the places?

539
00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:20,919
Speaker 2: We've been like, we're just taking a one brand at

540
00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:23,320
Speaker 2: the time. We're just focused on the game on the weekend.

541
00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:25,920
Speaker 2: We've got not a single thought about whether Blogger is

542
00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:28,560
Speaker 2: going to make it back. Come on, boys, Yeah.

543
00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:30,399
Speaker 1: You know it's all that outside noise, but we be

544
00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:31,600
Speaker 1: listening to that noise.

545
00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:36,399
Speaker 2: Now you're watching the arrivals at he throw from he

546
00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:38,840
Speaker 2: throw to Sydney Domestic Airport, going wait, is he on

547
00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:40,360
Speaker 2: that one, well is her name.

548
00:28:40,520 --> 00:28:42,520
Speaker 1: When Blocker got the news, he's just like they're sending

549
00:28:42,520 --> 00:28:45,880
Speaker 1: them photos like out the front of Big Ben be like,

550
00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:47,960
Speaker 1: hey guys, miss you, miss you.

551
00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:52,320
Speaker 2: Great pubs in England as well from which to watch

552
00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:53,800
Speaker 2: that Grand Final.

553
00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:56,480
Speaker 1: Oh my god, I mean you do you know we

554
00:28:56,520 --> 00:28:58,200
Speaker 1: do often hear that you do anything to play a

555
00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:01,880
Speaker 1: Grand Final, right, But that's that's next level. That's next level.

556
00:29:01,880 --> 00:29:03,560
Speaker 1: It's it's it's you know, it's wild that it hasn't

557
00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:05,120
Speaker 1: been done since or attempted since.

558
00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:09,120
Speaker 2: Really, I love that the NRL, often the most slow

559
00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:12,760
Speaker 2: moving of beests, managed to rectify that loophole in under

560
00:29:12,760 --> 00:29:15,720
Speaker 2: a week. Can take action when they need to do.

561
00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:20,840
Speaker 1: When they need to. Oh that is such a fun fact.

562
00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:22,880
Speaker 1: My god, that is I love that. I love that.

563
00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:25,600
Speaker 1: Hopefully you did as well. Dear listener, thank you once

564
00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:28,719
Speaker 1: again for listening to Two Good Sports. Thank you so

565
00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:31,400
Speaker 1: much Nevo for filling in for Abs once again. Remember

566
00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:34,800
Speaker 1: to follow at two Good Sports podcast on Instagram. We

567
00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:37,440
Speaker 1: will catch you next week, but until then, be a

568
00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:38,000
Speaker 1: good sport