Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Darcy Wildergrave
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
It'd be right let's talk some Rubbi Lee, raby Lee,
raby Lee. It's all about the Wars and why wouldn't
be another outstanding victory over the weekend? Really close run?
Well it wasn't for sessher Harris losing his mind at
the end of the game and trying to push his
cranium through someone else's head a bit more comfortable, but anyway,
(00:35):
the victory was there, the victory was taken. The Warriors
are looking pretty so how can they possibly dB derailed?
I've got my theories. I'll ask for yours later on
and the piece. But right now we're joined by former
Warrior half Michael witt get a wit dog. Very well. Hey,
(00:56):
great to catch up with you again. It's been too
long and really good to talk about the Wars in
the ascendency, like when you used to play for them
back in two thousand and what two thousand and seven,
two thousand and eight, two thousand year around there.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Yeah, it seems like a different lifetime sometimes and then
sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday. But it's
certainly some great memories and love seeing the Wars at
the top of the tablement very exciting.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Well, you're selling second hand houses now, which is a
fine thing to have. You've been doing quite some time.
But you're still engage with the game, aren't You still
got some connections with the club and connections with rugby
league in Australia.
Speaker 4 (01:30):
Yeah. I have some connections at the Warriors.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
I played with coach Webby way back in Parramatta days on.
Good mates with Robbo. Robbie used to live a few
doors down from me here on the Gold Case until
I sold his house and then he moved away a
little bit. But good mates with Robbo, so definitely, Yeah,
I want to stay in contact with those guys, and yeah,
I love the Warriors and my team.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
You gave tine to a Picky and Nudge too, didn't
you see a gun play for the Wires.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
Yeah. So I do a little bit of coaching here
at the Billy Bears.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Picky I'd coached him for two years and was really
impressed by him and something that I've never ever done before,
and to be honest, I haven't done since.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
But I reached out to Webby.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
I wanted to say give this guy a crack Webby
was very receptive of that, and so I had a
couple of chats and yeah, it was great to see
him head over there, and I think he's been fantastic
since he's gone there. He's just a little bundle of
energy and yeah, I'm so staked to see him doing well.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Well.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
The whole team is doing well, and that's why we've
got you on board. I suppose we'll start with last year.
It was I wouldn't say a train wrig but they
lost the close ones they couldn't turn them. Completely different
story this year, sitting nearly at the top of the table,
massive game against the Raiders, a bit of revenge as
well from round one coming up on the weekend seecond Place.
What have you noticed? Because they keep stringing together victories
(02:47):
regardless of who they've gone on board or not, it's
where does the success come from?
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Wi?
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Yeah, Look, success is contagious, and I think there's a
couple of games there this year that the boys haven't
played their best footy. I think everyone who agree with that,
but they're still scratching away with wins. So to me,
that just shows that their effort and energy is he's
second to nine, and they work really hard.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
I don't think it's any secret.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
That's how you win games, just by working hard, and
it seems as though that's what we're being The coach
and staff are preaching there and all the boys are
tearing in.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
The ability of players to slot inever they're needed. That
says a lot about coaching. Talk to me about there.
When you've got guys on the edge, you can slotting
into the center position, you've got guys playing prop, and
then they're at the back at lock. This also, of
course the fullbacks, the wings, they all chop around as well.
Where does that come from.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Michael Well, I guess it's just I guess you know
the guys that are missing out. That shows the strength
of the squad. But there's no doubt that's part of
your coaching. That's part of a preseason where guys have
been tried in different positions and the coaches know that if, yeah,
things injuries come, which they always do. It certainly takes
a squad to win win a competition, and yeah, there's
(03:56):
no doubt that the coaching staff tried players in different
positions and then they're easy to slot them in when needed.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
When you look at the defensive roles of the side,
and this fascinates me to myself. Not on the greatest
league mind in the world, but the trust on your
inside and outside is huge in the side right now.
It's hard to break that line unless they go to
sleep temporarily.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Yeah, well, I think that's been something I guess over
the years of worry has always been.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Out of school points and they can still do that now.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
But yeah, the defensive side of the game is so
important in the moment and the boys again, it's just
about working hard, continuing to turn up for each other,
and I think that goes back to what you do
off the.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Field as well. There's no doubt there are a good
bunch of mates and they're prepared to work hard for
each other.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
There's guys there that are playing out of their skin
and you just don't do that if you're not happy.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Lost a couple of players this weekend and no Fisher
Harris after that last minute infringement, which I'm sure drove everybody,
and it's no point in fighting it because you go
down such just one week. And of course Bonnett, who's
been extraordinary this year, inspirational he's off to Origin Land
really deserve. But how much of a loss of those
two you guys, do you think up front with their
(05:04):
not only their strength and their ability, but with the leadership.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Yeah, we're definitely gonna need some some other guys to
put their hand up this week because those two men,
Fish and Barnett have been leading from the front. I
think they're probably the one of the best front rows
in the camp and that's why we're at the top.
So some boys will have to put their hand up,
but there's no doubt I'm sure someone will do.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
That, and yeah, be tough game game into Raiders. I
think they'll miss one player. I think the back rowers
playing Origin.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
But yeah, missing the two big boys will be hard
to feel. But you know, next man up policy.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
What's the trick with Ricky Stuart? And as boys now come,
the suddenly turns it on, do.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
You know what? I think.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
I've had a few discussions because the half back there
is an old Burly Bears player, so I've had a
few chats to him about it, and he just tells
me he really cares about his players, and I think
you can see that.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
You can see how he gets the he.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Gets the ships, he kicks the tears, and he's very
you know, he's very invested. But he does things for
the players that you know, go unnoticed. I know, he
looks after the kids. He just just does things. He
just really cares and then that makes players want to
play for him. And when that happens, it's a winning culture.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
The way it's been refed so far, there's always bumps,
isn't there The way the NRL apply what they want
to see. You're going to go hard on this, You're
going to soften, You're going to go hard on that.
They're still getting it vaguely right. So it looks like
the Warriors aren't getting the bum deal they normally get right.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Yeah, I think referees went crazy there for a week
or two of putting guys in the bin.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
I think now it's sort of settled itself down a
little bit.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
And the end of the day, it's just something that's
out of you control. Some calls are going to go away,
some aren't. I mean, it's going to be able to
push through that.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
As far as derailing, and I've talked to a few
of the boys in the office, Big leg fans I said, Okay,
how the Warriors going to be stopped. What's going to happen?
And the general conceisus is they'll do it themselves. They'll unravel.
That's always lurking in the back of the mind. So
who will stop them? How will they stop them? How
much will the Warriors themselves have to do with that?
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Do you think? See? I think that's a big part
to play with it.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
There's no doubt the boys are playing good footy, so yeah,
the last thing you want to do.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
The games are too hard to win at the moment,
so you don't want to be making it harder on yourself.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
But I think there's guys there now, like Fish just
a leader, people following Aaron Clark's come there and doing
some great things. I think Luke Metcalfs, you know, obviously
going outstanding another year, you know, playing the Harves the
NRL injury free. But I think those guys have sort
of got control of that. And you know, I guess
when you see players miss out through injury and someone
else comes in and does the job, that's a really
(07:30):
good sign. And I think there's a real good balance
through the team at the moment, which is something that
I feel like goes back to the time that I
was at the Warriors. We've got old guys, young guys,
a real good mix of experience and youth, and yeah,
that's paying dividends.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
You mentioned Metcalf and he's been a phenomenon. A terrible
start to the season, but you're old mate, We'll be
stuck with them, which is good to see that that
combination is starting to show dividends. Aristavida probably not quite
up there yet, but what's going on as inside that
combination over the next four or five games beyond should
be enormously instrumental.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
Yeah, there's there's some big games coming up coming in
the Raiders and I think we got Bunnies and Sharks,
so tough games coming up. Through the Origin period, things
tend to change a little bit, but notoriously the Warriors
going from strength to strength during the Iridian period, so
hopefully that happens again this year. But yeah, as I say,
like Luke, Metca's been absolutely outstanding and long way that continue.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
What's he doing so well?
Speaker 3 (08:24):
The thing that he's got that I think you can't buy,
he's just got out and outpace. He's just speed, so
he get himself into positions that a lot of other
players can't get himself into. I think he's definitely maturing
as a as a half and.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
Steering the team around. He's been really good at that
good kicking game.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
You know, he's got the goal kicking as well, which
can be a struggle for him sometimes, but you know
he's he's doing good things and that means that the
big guys around him are doing their So you know
that forward packed gets him on the front foot and
that makes a big, big difference for the halves.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
We're going to do now Michael Whittner's work out how
to beat Storm? You remember how to beat Storm as
scary as it was when you did. But what is
it with that bogey team? It's crazy, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (09:05):
That was. I think they're a bogue team for a
lot of clubs, to be honest.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
The Melbourne Storm are a great team, have always been
a great team. I don't think they've ever missed the
finals or maybe.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
One year and their whole inception into the comp. So yeah, yes,
they are a bogie team for the Wires.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
But they're a bogue team for a lot of teams
in the NRL because they're so good and they just
one thing they don't do is which what we just
spoke about earlier, is they don't beat themselves. They make
you turn up and have to beat them. And you
can't just go there and go through the motions. You've
got to fire some shots and challenge them because, as
I say, they won't beat themselves.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Not unbeatable. Finally, Michael Witt, thanks very much for your time.
How do you feel top eight should be regulation? But
it is the NRL? How much further? Dare I say it?
But I'm going to Is it our year?
Speaker 4 (09:52):
How? Yeah, of course it is.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
I mean you've got to be confident, right, I'd love
to see the boys finish in the top four and
if they can finish up there then anything can happen.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Brilliant Michael, thanks so much for your time. You look
after yourself with Ted again seen I'm sure legendars.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
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