Origin 1 Review: “There are a lot more tries on offer for NSW”

00:00:01
Speaker 1: This is six Tackles with Gus with Matthew Thompson and Gus Good.

00:00:08
Speaker 2: Welcome to six Tackles with Gas, a special episode of the podcast. This week a review of two outstanding games of State of Origin footy, and we've got a whole round of Rabia League to follow. We are presented thanks to our friends at the tab Bill Gould.

00:00:23
Speaker 1: Welcome, Matthew Thompson. How are you doing.

00:00:25
Speaker 2: I'm fighting fit. You've covered some ground this week.

00:00:28
Speaker 1: I have.

00:00:29
Speaker 2: I have.

00:00:29
Speaker 1: I've been Brisbane Monday night for one hundred percent footy, back to Sydney on Tuesday morning, down to Woollongong Tuesday night, back to Sydney, up to Brisbane on Wednesday for Origin, back to Sydney, up to Newcastle for the game last night. I got home at twelve forty five am. This morning, I drove home from Newcastle after all of that, extremely tired, laid down on the lounge, fell straight asleep and the alarm went off at six because I had an eight am meaning this morning.

00:00:54
Speaker 2: Right, your scheff is having the week off, is he? So your schaef is having the week off? Is he?

00:00:59
Speaker 1: I did all the driving myself, Yeah, right.

00:01:02
Speaker 2: There, You are well, I'd love to have your mileage a quick explainer. So we were going to be here on Monday to do a preview of Origin, but Gus had to go to Brisbane earlier than we thought, and you might have noticed you had a bit on early in the week. So we thought, do you know what we'll do. Let's get together on Friday and review the two Origin games because we had obviously Men's Origin Wednesday, Women's Origin last night, so there's a lot to talk about. On the back of that, we're wondering who's going to back up for their club teams this weekend. When you were coaching New South Wales, Gus, did you always encourage your players to get back there and put him for their club?

00:01:36
Speaker 1: Was the one thing I said after every Origin game we had was I think the mark of an Origin player is not just to play the game in your origin, but to back up for your club on the weekend if you're asked to do so. They're the players that helped you get this jersey, they're the ones that got you into this representative team, and you need to go back and play well for your club. So I think it's the mark of an Origin player to be able to do that, to back up and go back into club football, and there are some poor games this weekend where they need their stars to back up. Sure Panthers, for example, in recent years, because they've been so well placed come Origin time, they've actually rested their Origin stars the last couple of years. I'm not sure they'll have that luxury this year. I need to keep winning, so and there's a few other teams in that, babe, so'll we thought by Friday. By doing it today that we'd have a better read on actually as who is backing up, but we probably won't know till an hour before kickoff with most sides what the representative players are doing well.

00:02:27
Speaker 2: The great news is that there were no injuries as such out of Origin, so if they can back up well, if they're up to backing up after the grueling nature of that game on Wednesday, that they should be okay to get there. Let's start with the women's Origin though, so the last take the five club games last week and the two origins. You know, six of the seven teams that won were outsiders, including Brisbane. Last night. He the tap had a about five bucks head to head, and they've been able to hold off the three Neil whitewash.

00:02:57
Speaker 1: I think for the whole season something like forty six percent of underdogs have been winning, which is an extraordinary high. Crazy, yeah, crazy. This competition could flip on its head, honestly for the back half of the season. I mean it could be completely different to what the first half has seen. So there's a lot of footy do we played just yet.

00:03:16
Speaker 2: Queensland eighteen, New Southwest fourteen mc donald Jones Stadium, nearly twenty two thousand, fantastic crowd, so it was. It was low scoring in the early stages. Queensland scored in the seventh minute and there are a couple of near misses, and none more so than poor Isabel Kelly. And then New South Wales went whack whack whack twenty thirtieth forty eighth minute, but as they invariably always seem to do, Queensland raised an effort and got there by four points in the end.

00:03:46
Speaker 1: Well, the first the first sort of fifty minutes of play was pretty much what we'd seen in the first two games. You know, Queensland strike early, New South Wales fight their way back and then sadly get some ascendancy and just when you thought last night we'd see a repeat of that, Queensland found something. Some full credit to them, I mean they'd been beaten thirty two twelve and twenty six to six in the two previous games. New South Wales were playing well and it scored some tries to get to the front fourteen six, and you thought, well, they'll just go on with it from here. Queensland found away. They just kept hanging in in defense. They defended really grimly, They played as physical as they could. They changed their starting line up a little bit. They they sent Chelsea Leonaducci out there early just to do a job and she did a great job. And then all of a sudden the second half you could just feel it. You could just feel New South Wales weren't going onto it. Queensland started to get a little bit of ball and then they crafted their way back to eighteen fourteen and from there you could tell New South Wales then started to protect the lead. So rather than trying to score more points and go further ahead as they had in the previous two games, they could see Queensland in the rear vision mirror and started to protect that and once you do that, you provite the opposition in and that's what Queensland did. It was Chelsea landa Ducci to scored the winning try, none more deserved than her. She got sent off virtually on the full time, Sireen sent to the sin bit on the full time. So but it didn't make any difference. So held on the Queenslanders and that's a great effort from them. Great Queensland spirit. We've seen it in Origin so many times. History just repeats, doesn't it in Origin football?

00:05:11
Speaker 2: Yep, the three nil clean sweet. Obviously this is only early days for three game series for women, but we've seen it in the men's the men's Origin. It's so hard to win three.

00:05:24
Speaker 1: Nil, absolutely so hard. Yeah, it's hard. You've either got to be really dominant or really committed. And it's a mental challenge. It really is a mental challenge more than the physical challenge, and sometimes the physical challenge too. But it's new. South Wales looked like they were going to go on with it last night and Queensland just found something extra. They really did and now whatever it motivated them, other than just Queensland spirit not wanting to lose three nil, maybe it was the last game for their skipper. I don't know, but they found a way to hang in there. They had a plan, they executed it well and they finished full of running at the back end. I thought their defense was tremendous where they'd been found wanting in the first couple of games. They put up the hero own wall and they refused New South Wales entry when it really counted.

00:06:11
Speaker 2: So with respect to Ali Briggan, sure she came off the bench last night, she did.

00:06:14
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, Chelsea started the game. She went out there as an extra big body and threw her weight around. She really got stuck into them. She burned herself out when she came off, she actually collapsed on the sideline. She just they've obviously said to her go out there, and she had plenty of runs, plenty of tackles, and she's a big girl and she really you know, she took some presidents with us. I'll tell you she was. She was really good. And then she come on at the back end of the game scored the winning try. So she had a great game.

00:06:38
Speaker 2: But Ali's been well an icon of women's rugby league.

00:06:42
Speaker 1: I think she six pioneer.

00:06:45
Speaker 2: No doubt, no doubt. And you know, probably the best women's player ever that we've had. If she's to retire from rep football, that would be an appropriate stage for her to leave.

00:06:56
Speaker 1: Yeah. We said that right on the full time side, and it seemed from her action that that might be the case. I don't know that we've had an announcement yet, but if that was to be her last game, what a way to go out. And I'm sure she won't be lost to women's rugby League and she'll be bobbing up somewhere post career. But if that was her last game, wonderful way to finish.

00:07:16
Speaker 2: So the stage is set for a great NRLUW season, which you can watch on nine. We've got every game. It's six games around on Nine's Wide World of Sports. It's the home of Women's Rugby League and we'll have it covered for you right throughout the NRLW season. State of Origin one, sun Corps Stadium Wednesday night, New South Wales eighteen over Queensland six, the first time since ninety seven ninety eight, but New South Wales have been able to win consecutive games at sun Corps Stadium. Obviously a dominant performance performance in the middle of the field. A lot of the fallout has been discussions around potential changes for Queensland and daily Cherry Evans is the man who's been discussed widely, but Payton has over the top of Queensland's pack that they just completely blew them away in the middle.

00:08:05
Speaker 1: He was stunning, and even more so when you consider that he hardly trained all week. He was in under an injury cloud the whole time, so he's quite a special specimen. He's paying hearts, but I thought he was ably supported by all these fords. I think a CEO was really good. I think in previous Origin series Queensland have done a good job when he's brought his Panthers game to Origin where he does a lot of passing and a lot of first receiver stuff. He caught them napping a number of times in that game because he had no intention of passing the ball and being a ball player, he just he just kept bouncing off that leftwood step when his big frame he kept pushing them out of the way. That Mitch Barnett was good. I thought Leam Martin was good. Really, all the forwards did their job and they totally dominated the Queensland side. It was a strange feeling game watching it. The one feeling I had the whole game was that New South Wales were never in danger, and I guess they felt that. I really think they felt that. I thought they played a controlled, conservative type game plan. I think their focus was physicality, to run the ball hard, and to really try and dish out punishment when they had the ball, to defend smartly, which they did, and I don't think they ever really felt threatened by Queensland. Queensland's only try came when they were down to twelve men. We'll talk about that little period later, but it was kind of a lot. We've got the game under control, so let's not invite them back into it by doing something silly and turning them all over and giving them a chance to pick up an intercept or a drop ball or what have you. And they really closed it out in typical Origin style. I guess if you looked at the three game series from a New South Wales perspective, if we want to win in Queensland, we just need to go up there and get the job done. It doesn't have to look pretty, it doesn't have to look fancy. It needs to be physical, it needs to be professional. And that's exactly what they did. Watching the game. There are so many more opportunities for them in attack. There are a lot of opportunities which won't be lost on them. And now that they're one up in the series, I think if they start Game two pretty much the same physical ways they started Game one, then as that game unfolds, you'll find them. I think that's when you really find Mitchell, Moses and Dylan Edwards come into their own and start to ignite these outside backs, and I think they can cause Queensland no end of trouble. I saw some real opportunities for New South Wales that I'm sure New South Wales have seen, but they just didn't want to go there on Wednesday night. Those opportunities to be available for them in game two.

00:10:32
Speaker 2: You know what, even from the first set of the game, they run sixty meters powerful, so much power.

00:10:38
Speaker 1: They got some penalties early which helped it certainly didn't help Queensland. And you know, when you talked about the Queensland some of the Queensland playmakers come under a little bit of criticism. But it's hard when you spend most of your time coming out of your own end of the field trying to get clearing kicks and you've got pressure on you the whole time, and they never really got in attacking zones all that much. I thought New South Wales just totally dominated the key areas of the game and you can see it in the statistics as well, line breaks and tackle bus and misstackles from Queensland like forty nine missed tackles which was incredible, twenty seven ineffective tackles New South Wales forty nine tackle breaks Queensland less than half that. It was just a dominant physical performance. It wasn't what I would call skillful. It wasn't based on structures and plays and strategy. It was just sheer origin brutality and they dominated and there wasn't much Queensland could do about it. Yeah, I think try Queensland square was against twelve men. Other than that, I never felt threatened at any stage that they're going to concede a try. And I think there are a lot more tries on offer for New South Wales as the series goes on. What are you seeing, Well, I'm not going to say, but there are plenty of opportunities. I mean plenty of opportunities plenty of opportunities. I mean, if they want to be more expansive from their own end of the field, I think they are tremendous opportunities.

00:11:58
Speaker 2: You sell it, little Trump, don't get.

00:12:02
Speaker 1: Called to give you a game planned.

00:12:05
Speaker 2: Tremendous opportunities, wonderful opportunity.

00:12:07
Speaker 1: Wonderful, more opportunities than I've ever seen. I know.

00:12:11
Speaker 2: I know about optun nowadays word opportunities than I do.

00:12:15
Speaker 1: Some say the most opportunities, some say the best opportunities.

00:12:20
Speaker 2: Oh, very funny, very funny. Your man Max King went.

00:12:23
Speaker 1: Good, terrific. Yeah.

00:12:25
Speaker 2: I was.

00:12:26
Speaker 1: Actually I was up in you know where the studio is there where we do this, So I sat up there on my own. It was quiet, and so when Max came out, he came out right in front of me, and I watched him. And as most kids do when they're having their first Origin game and they're coming off the bench, they get out there and it's pretty frantic because the game's going one hundred miles an hour and you want to keep up. And he was frantic for like two sets, like he was really rushing around, and then he kind of got into his rhythm and then I think we scored and he got the kick one up from the kickoff where they didn't kick the baller Dispenser and Max had to take it up on the other side of the field, and he kind of then got into his rhythm, and I said, I had some coffee with his family that afternoon, I went dound to see his family and come up to the game. I said, he'll enjoy it because Origin. There's so much fatigue in Origin, and when you want to have a run, you get to have a run. No one's going to get in your way if you want to go and have your run, So I said, he won't have to worry about getting his runs up and getting his hands on the ball. I thought his movements in defense were excellent. I thought his rock control was excellent, and he virtually did what he does for the Bulldogs every week. He was gassed. I mean, it's obviously a much faster and more brutal brand of football because at the club level he can play seventy or eighty minutes really easy. But he puts so much energy, particularly into his first stint, that he was great. I was really really happy for you.

00:13:41
Speaker 2: What did you think when he was picked.

00:13:43
Speaker 1: I thought it was suiting well, he'd earned it. He earned it, He really earned the spot, you know, like you know, bulldogs are having a good year. We're not getting carried away but where we are. But if you wanted to point the players that have been major contributors to that, Max King has been a forward leader in outside for a couple of seas and he's a tough kid and he's you know, he can play long minutes, he plays under durests and in origin. He's the typical type of player that Queensland had been picking for years and years and years that New South Wales kind of ignore. New South Wales tend to go for the bigger and flashier and the bloke and unload the ball and score the tries. Where Queensland have built their Origin history on really hard working honors forwards that don't want to be the stars of the team. They just want to do all the gritty hard work. And Max King is that bloke. He's the bloke that will go out and do that for you. He's happy to be an unsung hero. He's happy to play with humility and he did. And he's a wonderful blood, lovely blood, a lovely family and they were so thrilled that he was there and there was a special time. I know what he's been through and there was a really special day for him.

00:14:46
Speaker 2: Yeah. So he had two years out of the game between Melbourne and Canterbury.

00:14:50
Speaker 1: Yeah, he did. He had a very bad Achilles injury. He always showed promise. I think he was a Newcastle junior and he got recruited by the Gold Coast, went up there and showed real promise. I was at the Gold Coast and he was recruited by the Melbourne Storm. Now Melburne Storm died by duds, you know, and he went down there and he got this Achilles injury straight away and for whatever reason, you know, these are these tendon injuries like Achilles and ptell attendants. There's no rhyme or reason to the recovery period. It's virtually a genetic thing sometimes and if you're susceptible to as this has been explained to him met by medical people. I'm not a medical person, but you know, recovery can take a bit of time. And of course it was around the COVID period too, I think when he first got the injury, so he didn't have great access to medical staff and they just couldn't get it right in Melbourne and they ended up in They had to release him, and I think he went home to Newcastle and he was working with some rehab people up there and they kind of get it to about ninety percent, but he could feel it. It wasn't right. He didn't have power, he didn't have strength. And I'd only just started at the Bulldogs and I got a phone call. I actually I got an email from a guy up there that was doing his rehab to say, I've been working with this black Max King. I've never met a more dead case and disciplined individual. And he's not having much luck with this, but he's working really hard. Could you have a look at him? Could you? You know? And as it turned out, his manager, who I know really well, Stephen Gillis, rang me the next week. He said, I got this blake Max King. I said, yeah, where's he been? So he's been in Melbourne. He said, he's he's got this injury. I can't quite get it right, you know. I said, send him down, I get the medical people have a look at it. I said, we'll work with him, see what we can do. So we gave him an opportunity. But you know that's the easy part, the hard parts to get it right and get him going. And I think I said to you a few weeks ago when the day he had his first run on grass, a billmore Oble and I drove past and and I remember too, we had in the posed session early January, and I was there watching it was on the back obles out on the end. I just took a little ten second snippet of him hitting the ball up and I sent it to his manager. I said, your boy's back in work, and I said, he's going good. And then a few weeks later I rang his manager because we only signed it for twelve months and we signed him on just opportunity contract and we were going to go into the first trial game of the year. And I rang his manager and I said that Max King. He said yeah. I said, he'll probably plan the trial this week. He said, that's good, that's great. Is your right? I see he's going all right. I said, listen, I want to I want to sign him up for a couple of years. He said, is he gone that good? I said, no, he's going terrible. I said, I want to sign him up for a couple of years and he said, I can't get down this. I said, he's playing Friday night. I said, you'll see what I mean. You'll you'll, you'll suit us his seat. You'll see what I mean. And he went out in the trial game and from then on, it's just been one thing after the other. As I said to a couple of years ago, when the Bulldogs were having a very very tough year in twenty three, Max had a very very serious sternam injury. Played with a lot of pain, played every week, trained every session. Physically, he couldn't do his weights. He was sort of in rehab the whole week. He couldn't do the tackle sessions and what have you. He lost a lot of weight. Like he gives he goes around about one hundred and thirteen hundred and fourteen kilos. He's not small, but he was playing it like one hundred and one kilos, which was a big loss for him and it really affected him. But he kept turning up because we were short on troops and the results results weren't going good. I think of the twenty twenty two team that when I first went to the Bulldogs twenty twenty two, there are only two players that remain at the club. One's Max King and one's Matt Burton. Everything else has been turned over and Max King has been the cornerstone of the revival there at the Bay.

00:18:27
Speaker 2: He's played nearly I think eighty seventy six games. I think he's played.

00:18:29
Speaker 1: It's been and it gets better. He gets better every year, he's training gets better every year. This year he had a terrific offseason. You could just tell he's been terrific for the side this year and he deserved his Origin call up. It was an inspired choice by Lorry Daily and he's.

00:18:42
Speaker 2: So that mentality and those attributes is what Lorrie Daily pinpointed when he was asked to bet his selection.

00:18:50
Speaker 1: Absolutely, and Laurie gets it like Lurr gets Auction, gets Origin and he knows what Queenslanders have done over a long period of time that they really recognize those hard working players rather than the flashy players. And you know, I think Max King front row is such an important position in Origin football because if you get a couple of injuries and you've got to get someone to play long, long minutes in the middle of the field and you're playing against the smartest halves in the game and the smartest hawkers and fullbacks in the game. It can be a really dawning experience for those big men. Where Max King has got the ability to play long minutes at fast pace and keep up and keep finding something extra. And he did that. He was absolutely great and I hope he gets a chance to go to Perth and do it all again.

00:19:37
Speaker 2: A lot of the focal point of New South Wales, particularly in the lead, A lot of the analysis was around that left hand side. I think we spoke about it last week to or Mitchell Angus Crichton. Mitchell moses it was wrong of us to overlook the other side because Zach lame. I have never seen a player take to origin like him, but he is built for it. And this isn't the Bulldogs. You know, we're not blowing the Bulldogs trump. But I don't think I've seen a better sounder than Stephen Crouchton.

00:20:06
Speaker 1: Good player and he oh. I think with Zach Lamax, and I think in commentary I might have been saying it two years before he got selected. He was struggling at the Dragons were struggling. He was playing center and they ended up putting you on the wing. And I've said for a lot of years. I think even Brad Filer was coaching about someone time I said, don't be afraid to pick Zach Lamax. He's an origin player. He's just got that origin physicality about him. He's got a presence about him, and he can make things happen. He can force errors in the opposition, he can make big plays. All bounces for him. He's big and strong and athletic, and he kicks goals. And when he got his opportunity was probably a little bit of a surprise to most people, I guess, but he certainly proved his worth. And he's he's Origin class. He's Origin tough. People ask you what an origin player is and it's hard to put into words, but when you see it, you see it. The tougher the better for him, absolutely loves it, loves the physical confrontation. He can make things happen, as he did with the last try. Stephen Crichton brilliant probably, I think one of the best defensive centers I've ever seen in my life. Big, tall, long reach. What was interesting when Brian got sent to the sin bin just before halftime, I thought, well, I wonder how they'll manage this. And as soon as they ran out, Zach Lamax went to the left wing and I said, well, two things here. I said, what they're doing is saying to Zach Lamax, you're gonna have to look after Xavier coach and that high ball. We can't put another fillure out there that can't catch or hasn't been in that position before, which was very smart strategy. And number two, we'll leave Stephen Crichton to mark them other two blocks over there, only it's only Hammersages and Valentine Holmes, two of the greatest and fastest ball runners in the game. We'll just let Stephen Crichton look after that over there on his own. And when Queensland did they score their try, they scored it on the other side of the field. They didn't score it down stephenside. He's he's a great, great defensive center. And you know when you say that, then you have vision of the try he set up for Lomax the first try where he stepped back against the grain, had four defenders in front of him and managed to engage them all to get Lomas away. I managed to engage the more beat one, then gather the other three together to get the pass away was it was just so classy Latrell Mitchell's play on the other side of the field. I mentioned it that halftime in the broadcast. Crichton's service to his winger Lomax and Mitchell's mid air catch and pass. I've never seen anyone do that midair catch and pass, quick hands to put Brian away with just two great pieces of magic. That's what That's what Origin is. That's why the best are so good. Those elite players are so good they can come up with big moments like that. I thought it was an excellent mentality to take into the game. It was a great strategy and the good thing was they stuck to it. The two halves stuck to it. I thought the two halves were outstanding. I've heard some people talking about his game and Mitchell maze. They didn't do this and didn't do that. They played exactly the way Origin should be played round the ball. I think Cleary has now worked out that Origin football is not club football. I don't play like I play for the club. I don't set up with the same shapes and the same plays and try to go around teams. His running game was reminiscent of what it was in the Grand Final last year. He got some offloaders, he had some good runs, he dug into the line, he kicked well, he had a hand at some player stage of every one of the tries we scored. I thought he was outstanding, but I just didn't understand the goal kicking and it will probably mystify him as well as to what happened there. And even he shot at field goal. I mean, I didn't have the comment I had the commentary kind of in my ear because I was sitting up in the studio, so it was very faint. Did Andrew John's question the quality of the ball or the ball?

00:23:49
Speaker 2: He said it sounded different, and he wondered whether it was the same ball or whether it was inflated to the same pressure. I said it sounded different.

00:23:56
Speaker 1: Yeah, was coming off the boot different? If general play their general play kicking both sides now. Valentine Holmes miss kick too, and then he handed over to Zach Lamax and he missed his kick, which was a much more simple kick for a conversion. So I don't know. I didn't hear in any of the reviews if anyone questioned the ball or the quality of the ball. But I've never seen Nathan kick like that had he kicked them all as hers usually does. I mean it's a pretty big score line. Yeah, but New South Wales were very very dominant, very very controlled, masterfully executed. I thought the halves were brilliant, the Fords were outstanding. The outside backs did what they have to do. I think the big key for New South Wales is if they can start the second game exactly the same mentality, they will find an increasing number of opportunities to move the ball and I think Crichton and Latrell Mitchell, Mitchell Moses are going to have a different sort of game in game two. I think they'll be able to run in some points.

00:24:56
Speaker 2: Robert Toyer, he said, he go good.

00:24:58
Speaker 1: He's good playman. Yeah, look right at home. Wait'l after game three. He's a baby like he's only ten games into a career, you know, but he's he's origin class, no risk in the world. He's there for as long as he wants. Now you think he's going to play there for a long long time and you know, hopefully injury willing that gets him plenty of games as well. But no, he did his job no risk in the world.

00:25:22
Speaker 2: Okay, ask us origin. Addition, we all know what this question is going to be from Ben Robbins. If you were Billy Slater, what changes would you make to the Queensland team for Game two? Do you want to tell Billy how to suck eggs?

00:25:37
Speaker 1: No? No, Look, one of the things I said in the postmatch Laurie made a comment when they interviewed him in the dressing room, and his last comment was, as most coaches say when they win the first game of the series, we haven't done anything yet, you know. I came back and I said, well, I think you have done one thing. You've absolutely shattered Queensland. I can see it in the coach's face. I can see it in their faces. They'll right. Immediately after the game they were a bit shell shocked just how far behind they were in New South Wales. I don't think there's any hiding for the fact that they've come out of that game and gone, krikey, what are we in for here? Here we are at home, in front of our home crowd and our opportunity, and we got rilled up for the game. We had our best hope, we picked our best team possible and we were just never in it. So do they panic and make force changes hoping for a miracle some of the things they saw as a positive out of the game and saying, well, you know, let's put did into half back and drop Dady Cherry Evans And I made the point. Yeah, it didn't came on and showed some flash and looked good when he came on the field. But can he be out there for the first twenty five minutes and make twenty tackles when they keep running at him with the ball and still be able to give that bit of flare at the back end of each half. It's the same with Harry Grant. Harry Grant's best performances of Queens that have been coming off the bench. Ben Hunt gets out there and does the hack work early and Harry Grant comes off the bench and then does his stuff. You know.

00:26:57
Speaker 2: David Middleton told me a stat before kickoff the other night that he has Queens that have never won a game where Harry Green has started. Yeah, and which he isn't a knock on Harry Grant. No, he hasn't played much football early, but they get targeted by the opposition players. So the more juice you can take out of him defensively, and remember queens they had little ball for the first twenty minutes. New South Wales's dominator possession, got some penalties, dominated field position.

00:27:20
Speaker 1: Harry is out there doing a lot of work, a lot of hack work, and normally when he comes on after twenty twenty five minutes and he's sharp and fresh and everyone's getting tired, he's tired at that point he can't have the impact that he wanted to do. So I think if I was Queensland, I don't think Ben Hunt's going to be available, so I'd be looking to maybe a Reed Marni to start the game for them, to get them into the game and to do a lot of the hack work early. He's got a kicking game, which could be advantageous out of dummy harp. He's got a running game and he can roll the forwards and get them going forward. He's a busy, eager defender. He puts a lot of pressure on other papers, on other players, and then you've got Harry to come on fresh. That would probably be the first thing that I'm thinking of.

00:28:02
Speaker 2: Could I throw two other names at you that could feel that role? Yeah, Max Plath yeah, if he's back.

00:28:07
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:28:08
Speaker 2: And Jermaine Hopgood.

00:28:09
Speaker 1: Yeah, certainly Jermaine, but certainly not as a dummy.

00:28:14
Speaker 2: Half, not in the first twenty minutes.

00:28:18
Speaker 1: In the first twenty minutes of a game. Jamaine Hopgood is one of those Queensland type players that I would have no fear of playing because he's got a high work rate in him and he's readmand He's got a hell of a lot more experience than those two blocks, all right, and he's been in Origin Cans before. He hasn't played yet, but he's had a hell of a lot more experience than them a club level, and he's a real competitor. He's also a niggler. He's also in the face of the opposition. He can get them distracted. He can have people looking for him, you know, he can put people off their game. That's what he does really well. And he can if he could get through the early part of the game and then give Harry Grant opportunity to come into the game when other players are tied and there's a bit of fatigue in the contest, well, I think that's all. Well, I'm good. Harry had to do far too much work early and far too much hackwork to have an impact as he normally does. Later in the gapment, he hasn't played much football. He really hasn't played much football. The Cherry Evans thing, I don't I get it. Di Eden's time is close and it's probably getting closer.

00:29:17
Speaker 2: But Didan hasn't played halfback regally?

00:29:21
Speaker 1: No I would. I wouldn't make that change at the moment. I just don't think you can judge Cherry Evans based on the way the Queensland forwards were dominated and the way the game went early on, and then they got themselves behind on the scoreboard and New South Wales were able to pressure him and he never he never really got into the contest, but his forwards didn't allow him to get into the contest either. If they can get off to a better start, Cherry Evans will come into his own with his experience. So it's easy to find fault with some of the things that their playmakers didn't do, But there wasn't a lot of opportunity either, and that's they've got to get their start right. They've got to get into the game right. They've got to stop giving away penalties and the come because they're under pressure of course, you know they're trying to get up off and get in the face of the opposition, or they're trying to hold them down a little bit, and they're not getting square at marker. All the things that little things they got penalized for. I thought there were too many penalties, but that's just a personal thing about Origin. I don't like penalties in Origin. But it certainly played against Queensland and the opening part of the game. And once once that happens to you in an Origin game, the fatigue level drive rises very very quickly because the opposition is so good and it's so powerful, and you feel like you're on the back foot the whole time. And then you're working the ball out of trouble and you're making no meters and your kickers under pressure laid in the tackle count. He's kicking the ball and Dylan Edwards is catching it on the full under no pressure and roaring it back at you, and he's linking up with Brian on Zach Lamax. They say you kick the other way, and Zach Lomax is passing the ball to Dila is getting over to Brian again. So they were able to play from the back. Yeah, Queens. Look, they weren't in it. They just weren't in it, which means they've got to handle the start better. They've got to get themselves into the game better. So maybe you look at it up the starters.

00:31:01
Speaker 2: Maybe I was surprised Corey Hawes wasn't in the team.

00:31:06
Speaker 1: Yeah, now was he injured or did he ever? He wasn't. He had a HIA and then he come back and play.

00:31:12
Speaker 2: So Corey helayed every ins Inland.

00:31:14
Speaker 1: Yeahy, Corey is the type of Blake who could do a bit of the hackwork al so then mofat Awacer can have his impact when he comes off what comes on. I felt that those fowards just had to work too hard early in the game. Yeah, so they would be the only things I'd look at. I would definitely try to find a way to get Harry Grant back on the bench in the early part of the game, and maybe maybe another front rower to do a bit of the hack work early to have more impact from mofat Awaker coming off the bench. Other than that, I don't think there's too many other solutions. Pretty much everything else was as good as you can get, you know. Reecee Walsh is not going to be available. There's always that argument between m Ponger Cobbo.

00:32:02
Speaker 2: Well that's weird.

00:32:03
Speaker 1: So when Cobbo, I don't, I don't, you know, I don't.

00:32:07
Speaker 2: He wasn't even in the Jesse Arthurs was in the extended scored.

00:32:10
Speaker 1: But Jesse Arthur has been going good, of.

00:32:11
Speaker 2: Course he has. But has Cobo falling that far down the pecking water these form hasn't been too bad. I know the teams are going that well, but he's been playing okay.

00:32:19
Speaker 1: Yeah, No, I can't knock the selection of the Queensland side, I really can't. But the way the game was played, that game was over. I felt watching the game that game was over after about twenty five minutes. There was no coming back for Queensland. The twelve man situation, the sin bin gave Queensland some oxygen and the halftime break and they came out and they got the try which sort of got them on the but New South Wales virtually held them at bay. They they just kept them away, kept them away, kept them away, comfortable that they were leading fourteen six and it wasn't going to go any further. And then they got them they try to put it out the twelve. I see a lot more tries from New South Wales next time on they scored four this time.

00:33:01
Speaker 2: Tremendous opportunities, there's.

00:33:03
Speaker 1: Real tremendous of a lot of opportunities, some say great opportunities.

00:33:07
Speaker 2: So Queensland have never won in Perth, but every time they've gone to Perth they've been one kneel up in the series. They haven't been to Perth trying to save it yet.

00:33:17
Speaker 1: Yeah, no, I don't have the exact figures, but their records pretty good have been one kneel down on the series and leveling up and getting to it a site. Most series go to it a side, are you. But they're going to have to work hard. We've still got to get through two weekends of club football. You said that no New South Wales players had a new Stephen Crichton's got an elbow injury and that we're sort of monitoring hopefully he'll be all right. These players are still got to get through two club rounds and then they've got to be picked and go again. Queensland. Really, if I was not that I want to advise Queensland alone, I don't have to abilly you have a welling train. But for me, they probably need a rugged forward starter they can just burn out for the first twenty minutes, twenty five minutes to get them in the game, to give Fadawaker that impact off the bench, and I think I think they should go for someone like a Reid Marny to to give Harry grant and easier access into the game when he's needed to be able to provide what he does. I think it's too hard for Harry with the particularly with the little football that he's played too. He hasn't played a lot of football.

00:34:25
Speaker 2: He played fifty eight minutes against the Sharks, Yeah, after four weeks out.

00:34:30
Speaker 1: Yeah, so he's you know, it's not enough to go into Origin, and particularly to start when you're playing against a really good experience side who knew exactly where he was at all times. But the way Payne, Haas and Barnett and Yo really took to them, I mean those three middle forwards just absolutely took to them. And you know, Angus Crichton was good, Liam Martin was good, and then the fellows that come off the bench did their Joel King come on did really well. It was a really good solid performance to win eighteen six at Lange Park in the first Origin that's a big win. That's a four tries to one. That's a big win. Big win. And it's only twelve points, but that's a big win.

00:35:12
Speaker 2: Peter Simms is very switched on. He says, well, he asks, was having Craig Bellamy as an advisor a genius move, especially considering it's likely he taught Billy everything he knows about coaching.

00:35:25
Speaker 1: He taught a lot of them blokes what they know. I actually we were one hundred percent foot of the other night. I asked Munster. I said, I said, your club coach is helping out with the Origin side in New South Wales. My male is that he's going to do a tip sheet on all the opposition players when he gets the number six. What's he going to say about you? You know? He said, don't hang around with me, he said he was his tip Yeah. So when Laurie Daly is really good mates with our Bulldog chairman Adam drewser Yeah. And when Adam was saying that Rory really wanted to apply for the job, and I said, it's really important that he has experienced coaches and you know, whether it's Ivan Cleary or Ricky Stewart or Craig Bellamy, some fellas that are actually coaching all day every day just to be around just as a sounding board and all that and all. It's really pleased that he picked up Craig Bellamy and he really agreed to do it.

00:36:16
Speaker 2: What a huge cup.

00:36:18
Speaker 1: It's a huge cup, and it's just and I don't know what the relationship was like, you know, for the fellows that are in camp. You know, Craig Bellamy didn't have a lot to say and didn't have a lot to do, but he was always around. It was nice to talk to good to talk to him. I'd imagine in their quiet moments, Laurie's talking to Craig. But it's just nice to know that he had that experienced bloke on his shoulder there in case they need to be a decision around inner change or around changing positions. And you know, if they got down to twelve men and just a calm voice at a time, because it's not something if you're not coaching regularly every day every week, things like in a change and sin bins and all these sort of things can get you a little bit frantic and even in the organizing of training sessions, the way the place communicated players this year, the nuances in the rules and how referees are looking at the game. So he put together a really good team Matt King Young, Dean Young from Saint George, who he knows really well, and Craig Bellamy, who's probably the greatest coach of all time. To have them in his corner, I think that was really astute from Laurie to call on those people. And we know all know louri knows origin and Laurie's got the passion and Laurie can pull people together like no other than people play for Laurie. There's never been a question on that. But I really pleased he took someone like Craig Bellamy with him into that arena. And it's a greatst set to have.

00:37:38
Speaker 2: The NFL season is here. We're in Oragin time. We're right in the thick of things at the moment for the best time in sport. TAB has the best app in sport. You win some, you lose more for free and confidential support, visit Gambling help online dot org dot au. Now, just before we go to a break and come back to have a look at Round thirteen, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate my colleagues at nine's World of Sports. The ratings for both women's and men's Origin have been unbelievable. Women's State of Origin one nine hundred and twenty seven thousand, Women's State of Origin WHO one million, sixty seven thousand Last Night nine hundred and ninety five thousand. Series average nine hundred and ninety six thousand, three hundred and thirty three people per game throughout the entire series. A brilliant production and well done to everyone associated with nine and also the players themselves and on Wednesday Night GUS. From a ratings perspective, it was the best Game One result since twenty sixteen. It was Australia's number one program with total people and all key demographics. It secured a total national television reach of five point four four to nine million and a total TV audience of three point seventy five five million, up eleven point two percent year on year. The broadcast was fantastic. The tape pieces leading into Origin they were always a highlight, but they were really special leading in the Game one the other night. So to everyone that I work with at NI, congratulations to you. Has often said it's as good as any team he's been involved in. That that was. That was a brilliant broadcast, and the numbers I think are reflective of the quality.

00:39:15
Speaker 1: Channel nine makes the game bigger than it is, makes it better than it is. Very very talented people there. As I've said, I've been in team sport my whole life. The best team I've ever been involved with is Channel nine. The people there, and the talent and the work ethic and the quality of work, and how dedicated they are to their work. You know, they're inspiring people, really great people.

00:39:37
Speaker 2: Yeah. And the great thing being part of the team too is that we all we all genuinely love what we do and we all get on famously. There's even a little less tension between the Queenslanders and the New South Walster and these all.

00:39:46
Speaker 1: I don't know about that. I don't know about that. I saw Fatty before the game.

00:39:50
Speaker 2: Was he there?

00:39:51
Speaker 1: You know, he was at the Sophotl Hotel. I went over there to meet the King family just to wish them luck for Max's debut, and Faddy had been doing a funk there. Probably talking about nineteen ninety five.

00:40:03
Speaker 2: You can talk about it endlessly and it never gets any less funny.

00:40:06
Speaker 1: The stories get better. And I've actually got to go up and do a luncheon in a couple of weeks. It's a thirty year since the nineteen ninety five and they want me to come up. I said, what to sit and listen Fatty talk about it again. I've got nothing to say.

00:40:21
Speaker 2: It's hilarious. So one of the pieces before the game the other night was Fatty apparently that they set him down. He took for an hour. We had to cut it into three minutes. But truly take out your role in it. I think it's the best origin story ever.

00:40:35
Speaker 1: Oh it's great. It's one of the great It's look and at the time the game needed it. At the time, the game really needed it. You know. I'll elaborate on that story more one day. But at the time, and I said, I went to him after Game three. I so that's one of the greatest coaching coaching performances I've ever seen, Absolutely brilliant.

00:40:53
Speaker 2: Direct So Wayne Bennett stood down because this was all at the start of the Super League. Yeah, do you reckon Wayne Bennett would have won with that team. With that team, Yeah, Look, the point I'm getting it was a team perfectly suited to Fatty.

00:41:13
Speaker 1: Yeah. Look wayn Bennett's a great coach, but I don't think in that environment at that time anyone could have done it other than Fatty. It's just amazing, Yeah, because when that Origin series that year, You've got to remember that earlier in the year there was the Super League coup and they came in and one of the things that the Aarl had was its representative football and I remember Bob Fulton and I were responsible for signing the players. Our first job was to get an Australian team and the New Zealand team so we could have Test matches, and to get a new South Wales team and a Queensland team to get Origin matches. We wanted to put the representative football on, so we virtually picked those the best we could do earlier in the season and signed them all up. And then of course we had injuries and all sorts of things during the course of the year and it was it was a wonderful series. Two of the fellows who played in that Queensland side, Adrian Lamb and Matt Singh. I was coaching at the Roosters at the time, and it was important for the game that we put on a great Origin series and it went even though it was painful to lose, but it was great to be a part of that history. In the years since, I look back on it as a really one of the great series for Origin football and what it did for rugby league at that time.

00:42:28
Speaker 2: M I elaborate best stories in Australian sports.

00:42:31
Speaker 1: I'll elaborated more on it one day. But he did a great job for it was absolutely wonderful.

00:42:35
Speaker 2: And the first game of the series it was too nil. Yeah, a Wayne Bartram penalty goal.

00:42:40
Speaker 1: We bombed about six tries. Yeah, it was just but they kept turning up Queens and they kept finding away, they kept finding. The second game, we had have tried this allowed with a minute to go that would have put us in front the level of the series.

00:42:54
Speaker 2: He called it back a forward pass.

00:42:55
Speaker 1: I don't think it was, but now the funny gods, the past went that far and he called it forward and from the next play the ball Brett Dallas picked it up and running round ninety meters. But we would have won the game with one pass if that pass wasn't called forward. So and then I went into the dressing room after the game to congratulate them, you know, because I knew a lot of the kids. It was difficult time, the super League woman and all that, And I said, I said, now, don't rest on your laurels. I said, we're coming after in game three. Don't let us peach you, you know, make sure you really sayeah. I said, make sure we go back to Queensland and you blokes do it again. Don't rest on your laurels because you're tuned all up in the series. But they didn't need my encouragement, Fatty who already got into them, and you know, we busted our neck to beat him in game three and couldn't do it. They just I think we got to the front twice in game three and they just kept finding away. There was everything about Origin that we love, everything that we talk about and we talk about it not being about talent and being about courage and all those things that recommends that Queensland spirit. That there wasn't anyone better to articulate that to that group of players than what Faddy did at that time. And it was an incredible time. It was a difficult time for the game, but it was an incredible result. For the game and went a long way towards I believe the AARL surviving and the support that we got from the people in the public. I think the public were inspired by it and that's why the ARL had a lot of support in that particular confrontation.

00:44:22
Speaker 2: And there I say it had New South Wales it won that series. We don't even think about it again, would never.

00:44:27
Speaker 1: Get another mention. Look, had New South Wales that won that series, the game might be different today. Like I had a lot of things sliding doors moments, remember the movie Sliding Doors. I call them sliding doors moments. I just think at that time it was so important. And then when the two competitions split, I think the Newcastle went over merely in the Grand Final in our competition. The way that final series was played and there was roosters in North Sydney and Manly and Newcastle and all the games were sort of seventeen sixteen sixteen all and Newcastle winning their first ever premiership and the way they did it with the Darren Albert try, it was kind of like an inspiration for the way the game should be and the way the game people wanted it to be. And I think that's what held the arl together. To be honest, around that time. It's a long time ago, and I've got to think back in the memory bank about everything that happened.

00:45:15
Speaker 2: Well, a lot of people listening to us wouldn't even know about this.

00:45:18
Speaker 1: Players don't know it's thirty years ago.

00:45:20
Speaker 2: Well, you know, in two time, it's thirty years and two years. So we're gonna to do a documentary.

00:45:25
Speaker 1: Yeah, our players, our players, Our players weren't born.

00:45:32
Speaker 2: I remember it too well.

00:45:33
Speaker 1: The vast majority of players in the world today weren't born back then. They don't know what Super League was. I don't know what happened to the game back then.

00:45:40
Speaker 2: Well, we're handing out clawed. It's the colleagues. It's an absolute travesty. Fatt He isn't in the Hall of Fame, an absolute travesty.

00:45:47
Speaker 1: He'll be there one day.

00:45:48
Speaker 2: He should be there now. If they don't put him in this year.

00:45:51
Speaker 1: They should get g out. Is there a Media Hall Hall of Fame?

00:45:53
Speaker 2: Yeah, you could be in both.

00:45:55
Speaker 1: You should be in the Media Hall of Fame. But he also should be in the Rugby League Hall of Fame.

00:45:58
Speaker 2: Forty It is a player and a coach.

00:46:01
Speaker 1: He played twenty odd Origins.

00:46:03
Speaker 2: Captain coins and't you want a Captain Australia Once he's the funniest man ever. But when he tells the story of how he got the job, he said, I've just been filming an antiid for the Footag Show and I'm sitting in my car wiping off my lipstick.

00:46:19
Speaker 1: And Ross livermore Riggs asked.

00:46:20
Speaker 2: Me if I want to coach the Queens, then team. He goes a what number am I?

00:46:24
Speaker 1: Ross?

00:46:24
Speaker 2: Four? Five six? How many people have you?

00:46:27
Speaker 1: You know where I first met Fatty? I don't think Fatty remember this? You know where I first met Fatty? Back in the old days, this is in the seventies. You go and play against an opposition team. You go and play some Georgia Coger, or you play Manly at brook Fa, or you play Norse at Norse Sydney, Albuna at Cronulla or Western Suburbs at Income. You know, and you'd go and play and then you'd have your shower and then you go back to the Lages Club and have a few beers.

00:46:50
Speaker 2: That's what you do.

00:46:51
Speaker 1: And there were great days and then when you'd have a few beers and you'd meet the opposition players and then you know, you kick on back to the r Leagues Club and go try it back to a few more beers. And it was the most enjoyable on the social part of the game. And I think it might have been my first game at Brookville Oval in first grade. I can't remember. And anyway, I went back to Mermi mate, we went back to Manly Lee's Club and we were standing in Manley Lee's Club and just sort of a few of the Penrith boys were there, and you know, we could see sort of manly blokes in the distance and my mate and I were standing there playing a poker machine. We were standing on the corner. Anyway, this red edded thing comes over. He said hello, mate, haw you going I said good. He said Paul, Hey, Paul, are you going by? And he introduced us to the Manly boys and all that. But he came over welcomed us, thanks for coming back to the club, had a beer, and that's where I met Paul Vaughton for the first time back then. And you wouldn't believe it all those years later working together and he's coaching State of Aria. I mean, it's just incredible how life goes and what rugby league can do for you. But that was the first time I met Paul Vaughton. He went out of his way to come and introduce himself and introduce us to the Manly players that we played against on that day. And yeah, wonderful times, I tell you. I ran into the other day Terry Randall, Right, yeah, I was able watching a reserve grade game at Brookball Label Bulldogs were playing against Manly and Chad Randall, Terry's son, coaches. He coaches in our system and he was there because it was locally come over to watch the reserve g plan his dad come with him. Terry Randall hadn't seen him for Yonks, one of the great Manly players.

00:48:25
Speaker 2: So there's the Hall of Fame for players and coaches, I think, and there's a contributor category to do.

00:48:32
Speaker 1: They have a Hall of Flame? Do they have a Hall of Fame for comedians? We could make that one too, He could make that one. Is the funniest many of them met. Well, you look at what he did primetime TV show, The Footy Show Went was iconic. That's Graham Kennedy class Don Lane like they were the people that ran You wouldn't remember all those shows. Yeah, they were to night shows. And you know some of the biggest performers in Australian television and international television ran those shows and held an audience for years and years and years in primetime television, nighttime television, in variety entertainment and all that type of thing. And what fad he did. No one could have done what he did. No one could have run that show the way he did as absolute chaos and comedy.

00:49:17
Speaker 2: We just took the piss out of himself with hel Carey.

00:49:18
Speaker 1: Well, yeah, people, what do you.

00:49:21
Speaker 2: Say, You've got to be smart to play the fool.

00:49:24
Speaker 1: It takes a smart man to play the fool. He's a very smart man.

00:49:28
Speaker 2: He's a great bloke. So they can contribute a category. James Gilton, J. J. Gilton, George Piggins, Ken Arthurson, Peter frolingos Ian Heads, John Quayle, Rabs, Frank Hayden. My late friend David Morrow, who I missed dearly as well, was inducted just before he passed last year, so Fatty could be qualify for all of it. Very good. This is six Tackles with Gasia, our Origin review episode. We'll do some previewing on the other side, do you know of the last seven games that have been played, all the club games last week in the two origins has been six? Outside has been the at the start, I probably did. I think I'm getting Alzheimer's a break and we'll come back and have a look at round thirteen. All right. Our preview of Round thirteen thanks to our good friends at the Tab Friday Night Football from Jubilee the Red at Jubilee Guss he Yes from seven thirty tonight on Channel nine. The Dragons are a dollar fifty, the Nights are two dollars sixty. Now I'm going to go to my team list here. Oh yes, So for the Dragons, young Nathan Lawson, well, I don't know how young he is. I've got to have a look at that yet because i'm calling the game. But he's a dual Olympian in the Australian rugby sevens team. He's going to make his deboo on the wing for the Dragons, who outside of that are unchanged and we're expecting Kaylen Ponger to back up for Newcastle, who unbelievably again have changed our halves. Jack cogg Is out Gambles at seven Fletcher Sharp played fullback last week, goes back into the six. He was great at fullback, wasn't he? He's a lifewhile they almost looked more dangerous with him.

00:50:59
Speaker 1: Well, different type of game, but you know Caln pomer is obviously the mainstay of the team. But yeah, very interesting one red V at Jubilee. I see the red V at Jubilee probably been successful tonight.

00:51:13
Speaker 2: What's it worth typic anymore? Seriously, what we've been bothering for?

00:51:17
Speaker 1: As I said last week, anyone who knows anything about rugby league should be none out of five this week.

00:51:22
Speaker 2: Some breaking news right here as we as we record this at three point thirty on Friday, Harry Grant and Xavier Coates won't back up for Melbourne. So there's a bit of news with respect to our next game, which is the Titans versus Melbourne. The Gold Coast. Talking to te Karen Forn is going to start, Tom Weaver is going to play halfback. Jaden Campbell's going to fall back right and where's where's mate Brimston? He's out, So that's the change. Britt Campbell to fall back four and five eighth Weave that are half back Jack Howe is going to make his return menjury on the wing bronze and Garlic's going to play at hooker for the Melbourne Storm. That's three o'clock on Saturday.

00:52:07
Speaker 1: Yeah. Now I've got some memory of the Titans actually beating the Storm. I've been Brisbane at Lang Park at some stage in the last couple of years. Yeah, I reckon. I remember the game was like thirty six thirty four something, but it was a few years back then. Yeah, a few years back there. Anyway, sometimes those are memories are good ones.

00:52:25
Speaker 2: Yeah, you wouldn't fall over the Titans won this.

00:52:28
Speaker 1: No, well, I wouldn't fall off if they beat anyone. You know what I think of the Titans and where they're going. So who's out? So Xavier Coats is out?

00:52:36
Speaker 2: And did you say Harry Grant's out?

00:52:38
Speaker 1: Harry Grant's out? Okay, I'll go Storm, Okay.

00:52:47
Speaker 2: Queensland Country Bank Stadium the Cowboys versus the Tigers. Todd Payton confirmed on Friday his team would be one through seventeen with all their origin reps to take their place. So there you are. They're all going to play for the West Tiger. Samuela Faye, who is on track the players he recovers from a knee injury suffered in Round eleven before the bye last week. Young gun Heath Mason will play his first NRL game since around one after being named to replace Lachlan Galvin.

00:53:14
Speaker 1: Yep, ah, again a difficult one. I don't think West Tiger's uh coras so our throll may cowboys up and down? Is NANOI going to play? We definitely playing one through seventeen. Yep, They're all there, They're all going to play. I'm going to go cowboy with no confidence.

00:53:44
Speaker 2: Lachlan Galvin just came up there. Has he signed officially?

00:53:48
Speaker 1: Ah No, No, not at the moment.

00:53:50
Speaker 2: Okay, seven point thirty Saturday Night Manly versus Broncos. We know Turbo is not there and another blow because Jason Saba has been ruled out with illness. Guss So Clayton for Larlow is his likely replacement. Anthony Sebold will carefully manage daily cherr Cherry Evans through the origin period. He has been named, but a decision will be made on game day as to whether he plays, which gives us absolutely no help whatsoever and making you tip today. LeHo Hopawadi goes to fall back and Jake still out because of a head knock. Brisbane coach Michael Maguire says Payne Hears and Pat Carrigan a definitely played well. Payne arsonially didn't make it to the start line on Wednesday. He's got to back up. So they're intact, but mainly have got quite a few changes.

00:54:34
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm a bit disappointed in the Paramounta game the other night. The way Manly Paramatta were really good. I don't want to take anything away from their performance, but that was a bit of a shock to the system Manly. I guess if Cherry Evans plays that makes a hell of a difference and they are back at home and the Broncos well, they haven't been incintillating form themselves. But if Payne Hears is going to back up, and so to Patrick Harrigan Patty Carryigan, yeah I think I'll go. I don't know, no, I'm going to go. SEAgel to bounce back at home, Okay, depleted Siegel still.

00:55:12
Speaker 2: The win Saturday night YEP, two o'clock Sunday rabbit Oz versus Warriors at a course stadium. Now my understanding is Latrell won't play he's aggravated a knee in the Origin opener, so it seems Joy Gray is going to go to full back and Fletcher Myers will come on to the wing. Campbell Graham was eighteenth man on Wednesday night, but we'll play in the centers for the Warriors. James Fisher Harris back from suspension having missed one week last week the loss to Canberra. Mitch Barnett is going to back up Gus. So that's at the Course Stadium at two o'clock.

00:55:43
Speaker 1: Yep, yeah, difficult one now without Latrell. Warriors in good That was a great game the other day the Warriors than Raiders Chesu was finals quality class there. They're a good side. Another went down last week, but I think the Warriors are going better at the moment and I'll bet to beat the Rabbit.

00:56:01
Speaker 2: Four o'clock on Sunday. What a massive game. This is the old Battle of the West, baby. It's a combat stadium, but it's a Penwrith home game. Ivan Cleary has named all five of his Origin stars and he expects they will all play. Isaac Tungell returns to the centers with Scott Sorenson returning from suspension, while rookie Harrison Hassett retains his place on the bench Bratch night as eight eighth man, but would come out if Nathan Cleary doesn't play. Sean Russell will shift to the centers as the Eels work. Welcome Zach Lomack's back from Origin, but they've lost Will Pennescini because of concussion and Mitch Moses is likely to back up. So they played together on Wednesday night and they'll be opposites in the number seven Cleary and Moses. Penrith power.

00:56:41
Speaker 1: Yeah, we spoke about this earlier in the podcast. Penrith in previous years have been able to rest their Origin players a couple of reasons. They've always been very well placed on the latter so they could afford it, and number two, they had a lot of depth with young players coming in that were on the verge of playing NRL football. I don't know that the depth is as strong as it's been in previs years, and certainly their position on the ladder means that they have to keep backing them up, which could tell on both Penrith and New South Wales as this series goes on. If they've got to keep playing club football, you know, I don't know what their buy situation is going through.

00:57:12
Speaker 2: I think they're got to buy it next week. Yeah.

00:57:14
Speaker 1: I thought Paramatta were excellent last week against mainly, like really good.

00:57:17
Speaker 2: They're notice getting noticeably better every week every week.

00:57:20
Speaker 1: And you know that was without Zach Lamax and Mitchell Moses. I mean, if they back up, it makes them even stronger. And I look at the two benches, Dylan Walker, Lucam already, Ryan Madison and Joe s paper Lee. I just I think they've got a little bit of an edge off the bench. I think Paramata can beat them. They beat them earlier in the year, didn't They didn't Para beat Penrith earlier in the year. I think they did. I'm going to go eel okay, I was going to.

00:57:56
Speaker 2: Ask you if you thought maybe I thought all the parentth goes. I was played well in Origin on Wednesday night. They bounce off that does that become infectious within the team? I wanted they could well be. You know, oh yeah, Pandris get it right, they'll probably beat them. But I'm just wondering just how much fatigue is in that. And Paramatta going particularly well at the moment and strong off the bench. So if Origin players have got to be replaced through in the course of the game, yeah, the answer is I don't know, but I think Paramata got a chance of winning. And then Sunday Nights a round us out and what a good game of football. This is speaking of improvement. After the Rooster's got flogged in round one, everyone's going.

00:58:32
Speaker 1: They can't make the finals. They're going to make the finals, baby, Yeah, how good have they gone? They've still got Sam Walker to come back. I know so, which was why I was a little bit shocked that they let Brandon Smith go. I know that he was going to South Sydney, but I thought, well, your windows not finish this year yet going forward. But anyway, they made the decision. Connor Watson playing particularly.

00:58:52
Speaker 2: Well, so they're saying all the Rooster's origin players are going to back up. And similarly, Hudson Young have only played twenty six minutes for the Blues on Wednesday night.

00:59:00
Speaker 1: Yep, but this is a this Raiders team. They're going particularly well. They're fast and they're fit, they don't give up. This will be a cracking game. When's this Sunday night.

00:59:13
Speaker 2: Six fifteen allion cracking game?

00:59:16
Speaker 1: I'm going to go, Raider to beat Rooster.

00:59:20
Speaker 2: All right, so let's go through it. I've given you the odds. Mostly you're tipping Dragon.

00:59:28
Speaker 1: Let me go through a wait, I've got to bring him up. So I've got them all on the one page. Okay, Dragon to beat night Storm, to beat Titan, Cowboy to beat Tiger.

00:59:44
Speaker 2: Cowboys dollars thirty eight. Tiger's three to ten on the tab.

00:59:47
Speaker 1: Siegal to beat Bronco or that might change, depends who players.

00:59:50
Speaker 2: I suppose many Tittle is fifteen, Broncos dollars seventy at the moment. Warrior to beat Rabbit dollar sixty seven to twenty. Warriors favorites Eel's a real chance against the Panther, real chance Paneth dollar fifty eight, Paramatta two forty.

01:00:02
Speaker 1: And Radar against Rooster the toss of the coin anyway. Yep, thanks Gus, Thanks Matthew.

01:00:08
Speaker 2: It's been a very busy, busy week and we've still got Club forty to come.

01:00:11
Speaker 1: Yep.

01:00:11
Speaker 2: That's six tackles with gas this week. We're back to our normal timeslot of Wednesday, and we look forward to your company then Friday night forty Tonight Sunday footy from Combat the Battle of the West. The Panthers versus the Eels have a great weekend.