May 15, 2026 • 14 mins
Brisbane has been inundated with footy-kit wearing fans this weekend.
Magic Round has flooded the city with dedicated fans repping their teams and eager to see the wins and losses all in one place.
NRL legend and coach of the incoming Perth Bears, Mal Meninga told Piney the weekend is a happy festival – there's less focus on the adversarial nature of the competition, instead people are just having a good time.
He says that having it collectively in one spot is excellent, and having it in Brisbane is even better, as Queensland is the hub of rugby league globally.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
One of the most iconic figures in rugby league, he
starred for Queensland and Australia during a glittering playing career
spanning the nineteen eighties and nineteen nineties. A dominant center,
he played in multiple premiership winning sides with the Canberra Raiders.
He captained Australia, becoming the first player in history to
(00:33):
be part of four Kangaroo Tours of Great Britain and France.
He played more than four hundred first grade matches, earned
thirty two State of Origin caps for Queensland, and was
widely regarded as one of the game's toughest and most
influential players, overcoming multiple broken arms during his career to
remain at the very top. He was appointed a Member
(00:56):
of the Order of Australia in nineteen ninety four, inducted
into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and later elevated
to Immortal status in Rugby league. He went on to
coach Queensland through an era defining State of Origin dynasty,
led Australia to World Cup success and last year was
appointed head coach of NRL expansion team the Perth Bears
(01:19):
ahead of and through the club's inaugural season in twenty
twenty seven. Who else could I be talking about but
melman NINGEP who joins us now. Mel, great to have
you on weekend sport broadcasting across New Zealand. Let's start
with Magic Round. It's become one of the signature weekends
in rugby league. Why do you think it resonates so
strongly with the fans?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
My personal opinion that Queensland's the hub of rugby league globally,
you know so I think that's a great start I've
seen with so many Warriors fans come here, you know,
so it's obviously it's great for I think anyone, anyone
even outside of rugby league. This is what I've noticed
over the years is that it's a festival, you know,
(02:02):
so it's not and it's a happy festival. It's not
around a competition and you know, I support this team
and someone else supports the other team. It's all those
adversarial stuff. It's just a happy, happy time, that's what
I find. And having a collectively in one spot is excellent.
Having in Brisbane is even better.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah, Well, as you say, this is the heartland, isn't it,
As far as you're considered, and as far as at
a lot of fans are concerned, You're right.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
About Warriors fans.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
I mean I flew over yesterday and the plane was
full of them. What have you made of the Warriors
in twenty twenty six?
Speaker 3 (02:31):
They've been great, They've been excellent obviously, you know, every
website's got them buzzing. The clubs in a great state
at the moment, well led having success on the field
and then we have full crowds now at go Media Stadium.
It's you know, it's fantastic and it's great to see.
It's been obviously an advocate of rugby league. It's you
(02:52):
see that happening in New Zealand is fantastic.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
When people bump into you here, what do they want
to talk about the most? When they I mean, I'm
sure you can't walk down the street without you know,
seeing somebody every ten minutes here who wants to talk
with you.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
What do they want to talk with you about? Normally?
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Is it your playing career, your coaching career, what you're
up to now?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Probably two things they obviously a bitter respect, you know,
from from the playing career, I think, which has been
nice and and it's not overbearing, which is fantastic. It's
really sincere, which is which you know, I really appreciate.
The other thing is about the Perth pairs, you know,
so they're all wishing me, you know, the best to luck,
you know, which is fantastic. And it's everywhere I go
(03:33):
travels and I go to w A or you know,
I'm in down in Sydney or m Brisbane or go
down Melbourne or wherever I go to. It's it's all around,
you know, the wish you know, the Perth bears all
the best to luck and they want to see us
be successful. So you know, I'm not surprised by it,
but you know, I'm really really grateful for it.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
So how is that project going.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
It's it's it's a challenging project, but you know, and
at the same time it's it's very enjoyable, you know.
It Actually to start up a club from its very
beginnings and and trying to build it into something, you know,
something successful when sustainable, it's you know, it's a I
feel very I get very honored and grateful.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
I'm in that position in terms of recruiting, because people
want to know who's going to be playing for this team.
What's how challenging has recruiting been? I mean, rugby leagu's
very much Eastern Seaboard sport, isn't it. How how how
challenging has the recruitment side of this being not?
Speaker 3 (04:27):
I don't think it's been. I don't think it's been challenging.
I feel that we've got the right story. You know,
We've got the right story. Perth is a great Liverpool state,
you know. I don't think in every player that I'm
talking to, and the reason why I'm talking to them
is that they want to make some really courageous, bold decisions.
They want to get out, they want to get out
of their comfort and go to go to uncomfortable. They're
(04:50):
all great advocates of our great game and you know,
part of our charter is to is to build participation
and popularity of rugby league in w A. That's part
of our charter. So every player that we've signed has
got that that vision, you know, which is really good
and obviously be part of something that trail blazing. Being
pioneers part of the foundations of the club. And collectively,
(05:13):
and this is what I probably say to everyone. Collectively,
we can we can actually start a bit of a
movement around who we are and what we what we
who we represent and build respect in the in the
w A community.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
So building culture, building to speak, that sort of thing
as well. But do you feel also pressure to be
competitive from day one?
Speaker 3 (05:31):
It's always that's a lot of a head coach, and
you know the football department really is to be successful
and be competitive. You know, I feel you know, we're
putting a team together that's going to be a competitive.
It's really is that simple. And you know we're not.
We're not going to be in my mind, we're not
going to be that team that goes over to what
plays against any other team that's going to get flogged.
(05:52):
You know. That's that's the perception sometimes of people who
watching Ammal, I've got a grand opinion of our game,
you know. So that's not who I am. I'm not
I'm not a loser. I'm a winner. And that's why
my it was going to be.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
Can we talk about about your playing career.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
You wore those jerseys with such pride and we loved
over in New Zealand watching you play for Cambra, I
played for Queensland, played for Australia except when it was
against US. Obviously, which Jersey do you think meant the
most to you? Or did they mean different things to you?
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Well, they put them on the same pedestal, but they
mean different things to me, you know, So it's a
bit of both. I guess, you know, I wouldn't be
playing for Queensland and Australia if it wasn't for the
club's success, you know so, and that clubs success with
the Raiders, it was all around, you know, playing for
your mates. It's just a great environment to be involved.
(06:45):
And that's the one thing you miss when you retire
is that going to going into that environment, club environment
every weekend, you know, every week to prepare for a
game and doing it together. So that's that's huge. It
was huge for Cambra because you know, we're the first
team outside of Sydney to do it. And then because
of that success, you get an opportunity to play for Queensland,
and then from queens And you get an opportunity play
(07:06):
for Australia. But Australia is the biggest honor, personal honor.
I think you know, that's to put on your country's
jersey and represent that on foreign soil as well, in
particular with us. You know, that's that's a great acknowledgment
of your of your career. You know. So I often say,
because you know, obviously I was coach of the Australian side,
often said that, and you know what that what's what's
(07:27):
the one what's the one jersey? If you had to
pick one jersey to put above your mantel piece, that's
that represents your career. That's that, that's that national jersey.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
Amazing.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
At what point in your playing career do you start
thinking about coaching.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
I never did. I never did. It was it wasn't.
It wasn't until Sheensy left the Raiders that I was
approached by the club and and I had a good
yard to the players because you know, I was just
out of ot a plane as well, and they felt that,
you know, I could do a good job. So it
was from there, but I quickly found out I didn't
want to be a coach. You know, well, you know,
(08:06):
I think you've got to do. But it's the one
thing I believe around coaching, you've got to do your apprenticeship,
You've got to understand who you are. You've got to
have a philosophy around how you want to present your
teams and things they have present yourself. So over a
long period of time, I think I've managed to do that,
you know, with all the rep representative size that I've
had over over many, many years. And I believe I'm
(08:28):
in a situation now where I've got the experience and
knowledge is to be part of a startup.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Kind of going on in the NRL at the moment.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Expansion obviously the Perth Bears, P and G, this Las
Vegas obviously, now Magic rounds well and truly entrenched. Does
it feel like the code of rugby league is entering
very bold and exciting era right now?
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Yeah? It is excited to be involved, I think you know,
everyone everyone involved in support can see that, you know.
So yeah, it's it is exciting, It is bold, and
you've got to have a bit of courage, you know,
to do what peer of land is and his team
is doing, and I think what we're trying to achieve
over in Perth, you know. So that's the type of
touristics that we want in people and players, you know,
(09:09):
that's going to be part of our club. So yeah,
I think we're representative where the game is trying to
take our game.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Just to finish, I want to finish on a New
Zealand question about the Warriors. I mean, you know, we
all say it's our year, it's our years. It hasn't
been yet. Do you see the green shoots there for
Warriors success? If not this year, then then at some
stage in the next little while.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
We understand over here how strong the game is over
there and the talent pool over there, you know. So
most clubs are sort of searching around out there, you know,
to see where that next Kiwi is coming from, honestly,
or Pacific Islander, you know. So it's it's in a
it's a really healthy state. And I probably I probably
agree with Karen George in this sense that they've still
(09:53):
got to they still want to entrench themselves more. They
obviously it's all Auckland cent centric in the moment, and
they need to need to help propagate the game in
all parts of New Zealand. You know, New Zealand is
a stronghold for rugby as we all know, you know,
and and athletic prowess. You know, it's it's a great
when you talk per Capito, it's highly successful and the
success of all your team's over there. So yeah, it's
(10:16):
it's exciting, it's exciting, but you've got to tamper that
with a bit of patience. I reckon and and I
think I sort of agree with Cameron George at this
stage of the development of the of the Warriors and
the game development of the game over there in particular.
But I'll get to a stage where you know, I
believe that, you know, you could proply carry a second team.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
Meal.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Great to see you all the best with getting the
Perth Beers up and running. Can't wait to see you
over in New Zealand sometime in twenty seven.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Well, it's a long way from Perth. We'll see if
we'll see what happens, you know, maybe it's a maybe
it's a Warrior's Perth game at Magic Round. I mean
that we can start talking about that maybe in twenty seven.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
It's a great to see mail things.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Yeah, thank you, no.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Thank you, Mel mel Meninga, the one and only you.
What about that Perth Beers Warriors at Magic Round the
year from now? Who knows? I mean, the Warriors are
such a big draw cards. I know it gets said
a lot, and those of you who have had the
chance to watch the Warriors overseas will know this, but
(11:19):
it's not until you actually get here. And I cannot
imagine what tomorrow is going to be like, but I
simply cannot wait to find out. But the number of
Warriors fans, they are everywhere, absolutely everywhere, And you talk
to fans of other teams and they say, look, whenever
the Warriors come to play us, Magic Round or otherwise,
(11:40):
there are always so many fans. And I think obviously
in Queensland, I mean there's a lot of Keywis on
the Gold Coast, you know, up into Brisbane, and probably
a bit further up towards the Sunshine Coast as well.
A lot of Keywi's around here anyway, and I'm sure
a lot of you know, a lot of the fans
I'm seeing and Warriors Jerseys loove here, of course they do.
But there were so many people coming in to Brisbane
(12:03):
in the last couple of days as well. The plane
I flewent on was just absolutely rammed with Warriors fans.
I can tell you the airport was like a nightclub
before before.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
We took off.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Everybody in full celebration mode. And that's that's the feeling
you get here at Magic Round.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
It is a.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Feeling of celebration. Yes, all these all these fans support
their own teams, but you do hear a lot about
how fans can be a bit feral, and maybe that's happened,
but I haven't seen any evidence of it at all. Basically,
yesterday on Caxton Street, you threw fans of all seventeen
(12:40):
teams into a big melting pot. Even I even saw
some Canberra Raiders jerseys and they're not even playing here
this weekend, but there.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Are a lot of Raiders jerseys around.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
But you threw all of these fans into this big
melting pot with Rugby League at the center of it,
because that's the reason, let's face it, that we are
all here. And the sense I got was just one
of just celebration, just an absolute carnival atmosphere. It was
a lot like the Sevens used to be. That's the
(13:12):
vibe I felt that the very early days of the Sevens,
you know, around that kind of sweet spot of once
we'd worked out that we needed to dress up sort
of the two thousand and three four five around there,
you know when the sevens rarely used to pump. That's
what it felt like yesterday here at Magic Round, and
it made me think that we have to propagate Super
(13:33):
Round for Super Rugby. We simply cannot let that be
a one and done. And while we know there's going
to be an Anzac Day Rugby Test next year, now
that Super Round, we have to find a way to
keep that alive, to have fans of all the teams
come to one place where their colors mix and mingle,
make it a celebration weekend. Yes, watch the rugby and
(13:53):
cheer so loudly for your team, but also just be
part of something that is bigger than that, bigger than
your team. That's what Magic Round feels like to me.
I would urge you if you get the opportunity. And
this is me speaking before I've even seen the Warriors
against the Broncos tomorrow, which is going to be absolutely
jam packed full of fans from both sides and a
(14:14):
sprinkling of others as well. But if if you're a
rugby league fan, or you're a fan of sport, or
you're a fan of occasions, then I would urge you
at some point to make this something you tick off
your bucket list, because even at this point, even two
games into an eight game weekend, it has been simply
superb here in Brisbane.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk sed B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
One of the most iconic figures in rugby league, he
starred for Queensland and Australia during a glittering playing career
spanning the nineteen eighties and nineteen nineties. A dominant center,
he played in multiple premiership winning sides with the Canberra Raiders.
He captained Australia, becoming the first player in history to
(00:33):
be part of four Kangaroo Tours of Great Britain and France.
He played more than four hundred first grade matches, earned
thirty two State of Origin caps for Queensland, and was
widely regarded as one of the game's toughest and most
influential players, overcoming multiple broken arms during his career to
remain at the very top. He was appointed a Member
(00:56):
of the Order of Australia in nineteen ninety four, inducted
into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and later elevated
to Immortal status in Rugby league. He went on to
coach Queensland through an era defining State of Origin dynasty,
led Australia to World Cup success and last year was
appointed head coach of NRL expansion team the Perth Bears
(01:19):
ahead of and through the club's inaugural season in twenty
twenty seven. Who else could I be talking about but
melman NINGEP who joins us now. Mel, great to have
you on weekend sport broadcasting across New Zealand. Let's start
with Magic Round. It's become one of the signature weekends
in rugby league. Why do you think it resonates so
strongly with the fans?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
My personal opinion that Queensland's the hub of rugby league globally,
you know so I think that's a great start I've
seen with so many Warriors fans come here, you know,
so it's obviously it's great for I think anyone, anyone
even outside of rugby league. This is what I've noticed
over the years is that it's a festival, you know,
(02:02):
so it's not and it's a happy festival. It's not
around a competition and you know, I support this team
and someone else supports the other team. It's all those
adversarial stuff. It's just a happy, happy time, that's what
I find. And having a collectively in one spot is excellent.
Having in Brisbane is even better.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah, Well, as you say, this is the heartland, isn't it,
As far as you're considered, and as far as at
a lot of fans are concerned, You're right.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
About Warriors fans.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
I mean I flew over yesterday and the plane was
full of them. What have you made of the Warriors
in twenty twenty six?
Speaker 3 (02:31):
They've been great, They've been excellent obviously, you know, every
website's got them buzzing. The clubs in a great state
at the moment, well led having success on the field
and then we have full crowds now at go Media Stadium.
It's you know, it's fantastic and it's great to see.
It's been obviously an advocate of rugby league. It's you
(02:52):
see that happening in New Zealand is fantastic.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
When people bump into you here, what do they want
to talk about the most? When they I mean, I'm
sure you can't walk down the street without you know,
seeing somebody every ten minutes here who wants to talk
with you.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
What do they want to talk with you about? Normally?
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Is it your playing career, your coaching career, what you're
up to now?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Probably two things they obviously a bitter respect, you know,
from from the playing career, I think, which has been
nice and and it's not overbearing, which is fantastic. It's
really sincere, which is which you know, I really appreciate.
The other thing is about the Perth pairs, you know,
so they're all wishing me, you know, the best to luck,
you know, which is fantastic. And it's everywhere I go
(03:33):
travels and I go to w A or you know,
I'm in down in Sydney or m Brisbane or go
down Melbourne or wherever I go to. It's it's all around,
you know, the wish you know, the Perth bears all
the best to luck and they want to see us
be successful. So you know, I'm not surprised by it,
but you know, I'm really really grateful for it.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
So how is that project going.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
It's it's it's a challenging project, but you know, and
at the same time it's it's very enjoyable, you know.
It Actually to start up a club from its very
beginnings and and trying to build it into something, you know,
something successful when sustainable, it's you know, it's a I
feel very I get very honored and grateful.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
I'm in that position in terms of recruiting, because people
want to know who's going to be playing for this team.
What's how challenging has recruiting been? I mean, rugby leagu's
very much Eastern Seaboard sport, isn't it. How how how
challenging has the recruitment side of this being not?
Speaker 3 (04:27):
I don't think it's been. I don't think it's been challenging.
I feel that we've got the right story. You know,
We've got the right story. Perth is a great Liverpool state,
you know. I don't think in every player that I'm
talking to, and the reason why I'm talking to them
is that they want to make some really courageous, bold decisions.
They want to get out, they want to get out
of their comfort and go to go to uncomfortable. They're
(04:50):
all great advocates of our great game and you know,
part of our charter is to is to build participation
and popularity of rugby league in w A. That's part
of our charter. So every player that we've signed has
got that that vision, you know, which is really good
and obviously be part of something that trail blazing. Being
pioneers part of the foundations of the club. And collectively,
(05:13):
and this is what I probably say to everyone. Collectively,
we can we can actually start a bit of a
movement around who we are and what we what we
who we represent and build respect in the in the
w A community.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
So building culture, building to speak, that sort of thing
as well. But do you feel also pressure to be
competitive from day one?
Speaker 3 (05:31):
It's always that's a lot of a head coach, and
you know the football department really is to be successful
and be competitive. You know, I feel you know, we're
putting a team together that's going to be a competitive.
It's really is that simple. And you know we're not.
We're not going to be in my mind, we're not
going to be that team that goes over to what
plays against any other team that's going to get flogged.
(05:52):
You know. That's that's the perception sometimes of people who
watching Ammal, I've got a grand opinion of our game,
you know. So that's not who I am. I'm not
I'm not a loser. I'm a winner. And that's why
my it was going to be.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
Can we talk about about your playing career.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
You wore those jerseys with such pride and we loved
over in New Zealand watching you play for Cambra, I
played for Queensland, played for Australia except when it was
against US. Obviously, which Jersey do you think meant the
most to you? Or did they mean different things to you?
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Well, they put them on the same pedestal, but they
mean different things to me, you know, So it's a
bit of both. I guess, you know, I wouldn't be
playing for Queensland and Australia if it wasn't for the
club's success, you know so, and that clubs success with
the Raiders, it was all around, you know, playing for
your mates. It's just a great environment to be involved.
(06:45):
And that's the one thing you miss when you retire
is that going to going into that environment, club environment
every weekend, you know, every week to prepare for a
game and doing it together. So that's that's huge. It
was huge for Cambra because you know, we're the first
team outside of Sydney to do it. And then because
of that success, you get an opportunity to play for Queensland,
and then from queens And you get an opportunity play
(07:06):
for Australia. But Australia is the biggest honor, personal honor.
I think you know, that's to put on your country's
jersey and represent that on foreign soil as well, in
particular with us. You know, that's that's a great acknowledgment
of your of your career. You know. So I often say,
because you know, obviously I was coach of the Australian side,
often said that, and you know what that what's what's
(07:27):
the one what's the one jersey? If you had to
pick one jersey to put above your mantel piece, that's
that represents your career. That's that, that's that national jersey.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
Amazing.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
At what point in your playing career do you start
thinking about coaching.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
I never did. I never did. It was it wasn't.
It wasn't until Sheensy left the Raiders that I was
approached by the club and and I had a good
yard to the players because you know, I was just
out of ot a plane as well, and they felt that,
you know, I could do a good job. So it
was from there, but I quickly found out I didn't
want to be a coach. You know, well, you know,
(08:06):
I think you've got to do. But it's the one
thing I believe around coaching, you've got to do your apprenticeship,
You've got to understand who you are. You've got to
have a philosophy around how you want to present your
teams and things they have present yourself. So over a
long period of time, I think I've managed to do that,
you know, with all the rep representative size that I've
had over over many, many years. And I believe I'm
(08:28):
in a situation now where I've got the experience and
knowledge is to be part of a startup.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Kind of going on in the NRL at the moment.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Expansion obviously the Perth Bears, P and G, this Las
Vegas obviously, now Magic rounds well and truly entrenched. Does
it feel like the code of rugby league is entering
very bold and exciting era right now?
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Yeah? It is excited to be involved, I think you know,
everyone everyone involved in support can see that, you know.
So yeah, it's it is exciting, It is bold, and
you've got to have a bit of courage, you know,
to do what peer of land is and his team
is doing, and I think what we're trying to achieve
over in Perth, you know. So that's the type of
touristics that we want in people and players, you know,
(09:09):
that's going to be part of our club. So yeah,
I think we're representative where the game is trying to
take our game.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Just to finish, I want to finish on a New
Zealand question about the Warriors. I mean, you know, we
all say it's our year, it's our years. It hasn't
been yet. Do you see the green shoots there for
Warriors success? If not this year, then then at some
stage in the next little while.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
We understand over here how strong the game is over
there and the talent pool over there, you know. So
most clubs are sort of searching around out there, you know,
to see where that next Kiwi is coming from, honestly,
or Pacific Islander, you know. So it's it's in a
it's a really healthy state. And I probably I probably
agree with Karen George in this sense that they've still
(09:53):
got to they still want to entrench themselves more. They
obviously it's all Auckland cent centric in the moment, and
they need to need to help propagate the game in
all parts of New Zealand. You know, New Zealand is
a stronghold for rugby as we all know, you know,
and and athletic prowess. You know, it's it's a great
when you talk per Capito, it's highly successful and the
success of all your team's over there. So yeah, it's
(10:16):
it's exciting, it's exciting, but you've got to tamper that
with a bit of patience. I reckon and and I
think I sort of agree with Cameron George at this
stage of the development of the of the Warriors and
the game development of the game over there in particular.
But I'll get to a stage where you know, I
believe that, you know, you could proply carry a second team.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
Meal.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Great to see you all the best with getting the
Perth Beers up and running. Can't wait to see you
over in New Zealand sometime in twenty seven.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Well, it's a long way from Perth. We'll see if
we'll see what happens, you know, maybe it's a maybe
it's a Warrior's Perth game at Magic Round. I mean
that we can start talking about that maybe in twenty seven.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
It's a great to see mail things.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Yeah, thank you, no.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Thank you, Mel mel Meninga, the one and only you.
What about that Perth Beers Warriors at Magic Round the
year from now? Who knows? I mean, the Warriors are
such a big draw cards. I know it gets said
a lot, and those of you who have had the
chance to watch the Warriors overseas will know this, but
(11:19):
it's not until you actually get here. And I cannot
imagine what tomorrow is going to be like, but I
simply cannot wait to find out. But the number of
Warriors fans, they are everywhere, absolutely everywhere, And you talk
to fans of other teams and they say, look, whenever
the Warriors come to play us, Magic Round or otherwise,
(11:40):
there are always so many fans. And I think obviously
in Queensland, I mean there's a lot of Keywis on
the Gold Coast, you know, up into Brisbane, and probably
a bit further up towards the Sunshine Coast as well.
A lot of Keywi's around here anyway, and I'm sure
a lot of you know, a lot of the fans
I'm seeing and Warriors Jerseys loove here, of course they do.
But there were so many people coming in to Brisbane
(12:03):
in the last couple of days as well. The plane
I flewent on was just absolutely rammed with Warriors fans.
I can tell you the airport was like a nightclub
before before.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
We took off.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Everybody in full celebration mode. And that's that's the feeling
you get here at Magic Round.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
It is a.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Feeling of celebration. Yes, all these all these fans support
their own teams, but you do hear a lot about
how fans can be a bit feral, and maybe that's happened,
but I haven't seen any evidence of it at all. Basically,
yesterday on Caxton Street, you threw fans of all seventeen
(12:40):
teams into a big melting pot. Even I even saw
some Canberra Raiders jerseys and they're not even playing here
this weekend, but there.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Are a lot of Raiders jerseys around.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
But you threw all of these fans into this big
melting pot with Rugby League at the center of it,
because that's the reason, let's face it, that we are
all here. And the sense I got was just one
of just celebration, just an absolute carnival atmosphere. It was
a lot like the Sevens used to be. That's the
(13:12):
vibe I felt that the very early days of the Sevens,
you know, around that kind of sweet spot of once
we'd worked out that we needed to dress up sort
of the two thousand and three four five around there,
you know when the sevens rarely used to pump. That's
what it felt like yesterday here at Magic Round, and
it made me think that we have to propagate Super
(13:33):
Round for Super Rugby. We simply cannot let that be
a one and done. And while we know there's going
to be an Anzac Day Rugby Test next year, now
that Super Round, we have to find a way to
keep that alive, to have fans of all the teams
come to one place where their colors mix and mingle,
make it a celebration weekend. Yes, watch the rugby and
(13:53):
cheer so loudly for your team, but also just be
part of something that is bigger than that, bigger than
your team. That's what Magic Round feels like to me.
I would urge you if you get the opportunity. And
this is me speaking before I've even seen the Warriors
against the Broncos tomorrow, which is going to be absolutely
jam packed full of fans from both sides and a
(14:14):
sprinkling of others as well. But if if you're a
rugby league fan, or you're a fan of sport, or
you're a fan of occasions, then I would urge you
at some point to make this something you tick off
your bucket list, because even at this point, even two
games into an eight game weekend, it has been simply
superb here in Brisbane.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk sed B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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