July 10, 2025 • 35 mins
Georgie’s supported the Maroons for more than 30 years — and they’ve just delivered one of the greatest wins in sport. Like Blues tears through a leaky sieve, this was a victory full of emotion, defiance, and deep humanity.
With personal tragedy at the heart of the Maroons' motivation, this win wasn't just about rugby league — it was about resilience, connection, and playing for something bigger.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Here at Two Good Sports, we would like to acknowledge
the traditional owners of the land on which we record
this podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
This land was never seated, always was, always will be. Jimmy,
can you can you hear something? What's that?
Speaker 1 (00:19):
I think it's I think it's the sound of Maybe
it's football coming home, pot balls coming home, foot balls
coming home. Dear listeners, Hello, hello, and rejoice or welcome
to Two Good Sports. It's sports news told differently on
an incredible week. I'm Georgie Tunney.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Good morning to our blues fans, or good afternoon, or
whoever the hell you're listening are we of course referring
to state of origin.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
And if you know Georgie Tunny or have listened to.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
A singular episode of US to this point in season three,
you know that there's a certain part of her heart
that is reserved purely for morons andly Marone upsets and
success that is colored her hair morone. There's many, many layers. George,
how are you feeling? Because they had no right after
(01:12):
game one, they had no right. They had to win
two games on the road. She's levitating, She's levitating.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
I'm levitating, and I'm also wearing blue now that could
be considered bullying to our Blues fans.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
But I've just packed poorly. That's all it is. That's
all it is.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
However, I remember sitting across from you, Jelmy, and we
were talking to Ryan Hoffman, the Blues legend and all
round legend at the start of this series, and after
game one we were predicting it. Legitimately there could have
been a whitewash, a three mil series win to New
South Wales. And then somehow Queensland does what Queensland does and.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
We retain the title of the underdog.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
We use that title, we pick up a few sports
moviesque storylines along the way. Now we deliver one of
the greatest, and I'm being serious, one of the greatest
performances I've ever seen in football from a team, from
a team. I am ecstatic. I'm so happy, I'm so thrilled.
(02:17):
It was the best. I got to watch it with
my dad. It was just it was just the most
glorious game. Harry Tony, I know it was just the best.
It was the best, and we will get into it
in more detail, but before before we get there, good sport,
bad sport, Jelmy, I mean I promise, dear listeners, I
won't just name the team list of the Maroons as
my good sports from one to seventeen. I had considered it,
(02:40):
but jellm me, good sport you go first, Then who
is your good sport you launched? Oh, I'm actually going
to give good sport to Wimbledon as a whole. I
am loving this tournament, whether it be the players, whether
it be the crowd, and jell me, I think you'll
be able to appreciate this little moment I found.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, if you could avoid opening
bosses of champagne when the players are about to serve.
Speaker 5 (03:10):
Come on, I love that warm.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
It's the most Wimbledon warning you've ever heard. It is
the most wimbledning you've ever heard.
Speaker 5 (03:19):
It's also the most filmy warning.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
I've the most avvy coded warning I've ever heard. Although
do you know that I've been at the tennis before
with Caine, and I forgot I didn't even tell you this,
and i'd like taken a photo. Then I sneakily put
my phone down. You know how anxious I get about
doing the wrong thing. And then the security came to
like walking down the front were lucky enough to be
down the fronts who are having hospitality tickets, and Caine
(03:41):
jokingly has gone, they're coming for you, and I'm like,
don't even joke. They walked over and they're like, you
have your flashlight on. It's been reported.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
By the other team.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
No, I had my flash light because and old mate
serving and I'm creating a spotlight. I wanted to fucking
I wanted to die. And Kane lost it because he
knows how much of a goodie two shoes. But security
walking down and he's like, low, they're looking for you,
and then he's looked at me and I wasn't even
on the edge, so he had to let me and
(04:15):
a past people to be like ma'am, do you mind?
And I was like, I just got mammed.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
This is the end. With your flashlight on. Accidentally, that
is just the definition of man.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Oh joh, Karen, can you please turn your laptop off?
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Mate?
Speaker 1 (04:30):
You were that person with a laser pointer. That's just
being the most annoying person. Accidentally.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Oh but no, don't pop your champagne. That's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
I'm Wimbledon's I must admit is our cras just gonna
do it. Is he gonna make it three consecutive?
Speaker 5 (04:49):
I think so.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
I think, I mean, he's definitely in the front seat.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
I also along with my good sport of that person
popping the champagn bottles in the crowd, Yannick Sinner for me,
and I know that he himself is in. But he
was very close to defeat against Grigor Dimitrov in the
earlier rounds of the tournament. I think it was to
get through to the quarterfinal, and Dimitrov was up too set,
like he was two sets up on Yannick Sinner and
(05:14):
he had to retire hurt. And there's this incredible footage.
I recommend everyone going to find it. It's incredible footage
of Yanik just being very graceful in letting Grigor have
that shattering moment. Grigor's in tears, Yanni's helping him to
the side of the court. Yanik then packs his bag
with all of his tennis rackets because Grigor can't move
his arm properly. Like it was just such a wonderful
(05:37):
display of sportsmanship that I think really we do take
for granted in tennis because it's always this individual, individual
individual sport and you know, Yanick Sinner has had his critics,
of course in most recent years, but it was wonderful
to see that he can still be that person who
can help out a fellow tennis player going through absolute
(05:58):
hell when he self has reached such lofty heights.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
So I do still think it is Alchorizis to lose.
Speaker 5 (06:04):
Well.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
We remember seeing Roger and Raffa talk about it in
the Labor Cup doco. When remember how feder I had
the doco about his retirement and he sort of said,
we're so proud that the legacy that we leave is
that you can be a fierce competitor and still be
a friend of the person on the other side of
the net. And I think that that is the legacy
of tennis. And I know you know how I feel
(06:25):
about Yannisinner.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
I'm chips in.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
I think, like, you know, if your Massus had the
drugs whatever, I like. I just think that he is
I mean, he's singing is interesting, but I just think
he's a good person. I think we're going to get
on board. I think Ossie's will love him. Oh yes,
I think we'll be back on board. We just released
the Red Curls.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Yeah, athletes, athletes with drug problems in this country. We
forget cole Wickly. We will be back on board. So
long as you keep winning, sir, We'll find a way.
Chow welcome things that I'll and I I think as
Australian sports fans we have a bit of a crisis
(07:06):
happening at the moment where we are blurring the lines
between being passionate and being awful.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Yep. And there are more forums and more ways.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
And we've talked about this funnily enough in the light
of Billy Slater and the criticism that was leveled at
him and how personal that was. Now we have Michael
Voss with the APHEL Integrity Unit having to do an
investigation into threats made against him.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Now there is.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Speculation that the term murder was used and that it
was via text. And there's also been speculation by Andy
maher On Sen saying that this isn't some kid having
a laugh. This is someone who's known to the executive
So this is someone who's a senior leader and should
know better.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I am of the.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Opinion and I was listening to Gary Lyon this morning
and he's the same name, and shame yep. If you
want to be this revolting, you and I sit behind
microphones and we have to own what we say, and
people in the public spear like Michael Voss have to
own what he says. If you want to make threats
against someone, I'm sorry, whichever company that you're on the
(08:17):
board of deserves to know that you're a coward. And
these are the sort of things that you send to
someone and it trickles down, it really does.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
And also, you're so right, because.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Social media has just emboldened so many people who necessarily
maybe would well not even maybe no one would be
saying these things to Michael Voss's face. And if they did,
I mean, hey, if you want to say that to
Voss's face and you actually look in that man's eyes,
because hey, he's a man, a human.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
I've remember that earlier in the year he ran down
people that had hijacked a car.
Speaker 5 (08:53):
Exactly. No one's saying it to VOSSI.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
He's a good human by all reports.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
And I just think that social media has having these
text lines and things. I heard a report that one
of the threats made against him was sent to the
anti social behavior hotline pop up at the football.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
I mean, come on, come on, guys, just be better.
And I don't, but I don't. I worry it's not
gonna get better.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Tell me, I worry that we're gonna have this conversation
again and again and again and again and again.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
It's it's fans hanging over the race to spray their
team as they walk off. It's those sort of things
where I just think, yeah, you're passionate, I get it,
but also these are people and trust me, they be trying.
They're trying, they're trying, and sometimes you're just like I
just think sometimes we're dehumanizing people that are in positions
(09:43):
of leadership or power, particularly coaches. Like when you think
about the pressure that coaches are under, like it's it's
just so immense and it must be such a hard
environment for the players as well at Carlton to be
in at the moment. But I just think as a
sporting for two in Australia, we all need to sit
back and take a deep breath and think about the
(10:04):
behaviors that we're modeling. And I also think if one
more person on social media with some sort of cartoon
emoji profile, it's never a person that you can trace
to Now it's always some burner account with zero followers.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
That's just vile.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
And I think there needs to be a level of
accountability and that goes back to whether or not you
do need to verify who you are in order to
have an account.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
But I don't know.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
I This one really annoyed me greatly because it's just
been he's one man.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Oh copping to be copying this much. He can't run
out there, I know, Unbelieve me.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
I actually think Carlton maystand a better chance if he
did what Navy blue jersey on, sir, get there, get there, bossy,
come on, come on.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
And in the most two good sports coded thing he
started his press conference that everyone knew was going to
be related to this threat where he goes, I've got
a dog for my birthday. If anyone cares? Do we
start with that, I've got a dog? And someone's like
what kind of dog? He's like, thank you, it was
a port of Collie. But you know what I mean,
Like he's but he's also shown unwavering leadership and all
(11:15):
of this.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
No he has and to be honest, what I want
to happen this week is I want to see the
players back him up because it isn't his fault. And
I don't think that Michael Voss will be leading this
club potentially beyond this season, right, But I just think
that the playing group themselves they have more passion. Yeah, yeah,
it's on them now, It's on them, which is actually
(11:37):
quite a lovely little segue into something that we're going
to be talking about after the break, namely Queensland's dominant
performance in the Origin Decider.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
I'm just gonna caveat this.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
We're talking about the romance of that win, yes, and
the layers of it because if you love sport for
the stories, it's unrivaled in something that I've seen in
Australia in sport, Get the.
Speaker 6 (12:01):
Pop gone, Get the pop Gone.
Speaker 4 (12:14):
I don't like ranking things, but I've never felt like this,
like we're going to talk about it, but like the
bloke to my left, that's like, that's as courageous and
brave as I've ever seen that. I lost my dad
(12:37):
in January. I know what it's like. I know how
it feels like our dads are our heroes. And I
don't know how he did it, but you know, within
ten minutes of sitting with him in his room on
Sunday morning. He looked at me and he said, Bill
(12:58):
and playing and I know he wanted to. I know
his dad would have wanted him to. And boy, that's
one proud dad sitting up there watching his boy tonight.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Maybe I should have advised everyone.
Speaker 5 (13:09):
To get the t shoes along with the popcorn.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
That was winning Maron's coach Billy Slater, talking post match
after one of the most incredible performances I have seen
on a rugby league field, talking about his skipper Cameron Munster,
who devastatingly lost his father only a few days before kickoff.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
We talk about.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Storylines, Jelmy, We talk about the human the humanity behind sport.
This is one of the greatest stories that I've ever seen.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Unfold and you couldn't script it.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
You couldn't script the Daly Cherry Evans would be dropped
because everyone said it would be the biggest call in
rugby league history. You can't drop the origin captain mid series?
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Are you mad? Really? Did Billy Slater did?
Speaker 3 (14:01):
And the criticism that was leveled at him, and then
who was best on ground in the last game, Tom Didden, Yes,
and only through DC vacating is Munster even captain to
make this all as poetic as what it is. And
we say poetic. Obviously tragedy is at the core of it.
But what you and I believe so deeply is the
(14:21):
power of sport to be there for people and to
be for something better. And there was something so personal
and intimate that we all watched with the Catharsis that
came over Cam Munster when they won.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Oh yes, yes, we see it right.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
We see those moments that are plastered across newspapers and
it is the single frame of joy. There were moments
last night after the Morons had defeated the Blues twenty
four to twelve, of Billy Slater embracing his captain Cameron Munster,
both men having lost their dads within the last seven months.
They used to play together. We've got to remember that
(14:59):
as well. They used to be teammates at the Storm
for a short time. Now Billy is coaching Cameron in
the biggest spectacle in I'm going to say, Australian sport.
Yeah it's fair and you see those two men just
crying and holding each other, and you see that it
is so much more than a game. It is family first.
That there is no doubt in my mind that was
(15:20):
the message that Billy has absolutely embedded in this team
this week. It's something that Queensland is already. We usually
love to tell ourselves a tale about that the team
is a family, so always put your family first. But
this one hit a little bit differently and there is
no doubt in my mind that that was what was
reflected in the team's performance.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
It was literally perfect.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
It was perfect for I'm going to say, ah, I
think it was sixty nine minutes. The Morons completed every
single set. They did not make a mistake. That is
unheard of, unheard of in any any football game across codes.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Perfect for sixty nine minutes.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
What can you take me to the couch at your
childhood home. I'm guessing you and Terry what it was
like sitting there and watching it with your dad.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Oh, it was so great. And this it's another way
I get to go home, like homes Queensland. You live
in Melbourne.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
Now, you've been in Sydney before that, so you don't
get to go home and watch footy with your dad
very often.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Now I don't, I don't.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
I wouldn't have watched an Origin game with my dad,
like just sitting around the telly for years.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
I can't even remember the last time.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Let alone that be a decider, Let alone that be
with the backdrop of the ultimate theme of this game
being about fathers.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Really, and I'm there sitting with my.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Dad watching this team that we have loved for God,
as we always say on this podcast, how old am I?
Like more than twenty five years. I've loved this team
and I've loved it with him. So to see them
at the start, we were so nervous. We're both sitting
on the couch together in our origin Jersey. We're not
(17:00):
really talking to each other. We're not really talking about
the game too much because, hey, we weren't favorites to win.
There's way Queensland should have won this game. But then
within about oh I reckon, it was only three dodgy
minutes and they selected a bolter. They selected a guy
that wasn't even playing NRL last season. Oh, I know Shibasaki.
We adore he's a Broncos center. Yeah, this is the
thing that the Morons had no right to win this game.
(17:23):
The Blues with their talent, and it is unquestionable talent.
They've also got a man named Nathan Cleary in there.
You know, any time that he takes to the field,
anyone's a chance, anyone's a chance, because he can put
everyone on his back and say I've got this. But
we had a team of rookie centers Toya and Shibasaki.
Unbelievable performance. Unbelievable performance from both of them at the
(17:45):
height the pinnacle of the game. I cannot even begin
to imagine the anxiety and the nerves from them. Tommy
Dierden won not only Player of the match last night,
he won Player of the Series.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
That tackle he laid on top I'm like no one
else can do that. We talk about incredible people.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Brian to head and shoulders above everyone else nearly more
than did. And I wouldn't have been unhappy if he
was named Player of the Series in a losing team
like he was that good. And there was just so
many wonderful moments that just make you love rugby league.
And I yes, I'm saying that as a Queensland fan
on the right side of history.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
Do you know what I'll say though, as someone who's
an observer of rugby league, and so often rugby league
can at times be the butt of the joke of
toxic masculinity. Yeah, yeah, I think that last night and
the week leading up to this game has been the
most perfect example of what beautiful masculinity can be. Yeah,
(18:45):
And the camera monster says, you know, I call Billy
and I tell him what happened to my dad, And
then within ours, Billy's there sitting with me on my bed.
Because that's positive male friendship, and that CAM says, I'm
going to be there for you regardless, and then I'm
going to lean in. And then you see these two
men and we're talking greats of the game, the hard game,
(19:06):
the toughest game rugby league, with all these cameras in
their face, Like the cameras are mere less than half
a meter away from them because everyone's trying to get
the shot, and they're sobbing into one another, and you
can see that Billy's whispering and saying things to Cam
about how proud he would be or how Proudy's dad
would be, and I just went, oh, this is beautiful.
(19:30):
It's special and also just a sign of like, check
on your mates, how many times have we or what
being there for people in your life can look like.
And I think so much of the narrative that we've
had around AFL this year has been be there for
your mates when people go through hard things, be there
for them or or lean in or be part of
the community.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
And it was just, I don't know, it's came to be.
He's like, you're right. I'm like, this is the best
reality TV I've ever watched.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
Because that's what it feels like. It feels like you're
watching these characters that you think you know. Yeah, we
don't know them personally, but you feel like you know them,
and it's emotional.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
It's emotional and also because they've just delivered you such joy.
I could have cried emotional tears of joy last night
because how much I loved that performance and how much
I loved that game and what it meant to me.
And then I'm seeing my heroes for one of a
better word, I'm seeing my heroes up there letting, giving
into their emotions, Rugby League, you know, being a manly man,
(20:29):
all of that style, warsism, blah blah blah blah blah.
What we saw last night was You're exactly right. We
saw heart, we saw hat and it was on full display.
And that is what beat New South Wales, that is
what continues to beat New South Wales every single series
that the Morons win when we have not been given
a chance. Back in twenty the worst team we've ever
(20:51):
we've ever assembled won the series. There's you know it
should be a whitewash, won the series and that is
because it just means more. It means more, and we
had this element in this game in particular where it
meant even more because of the personal tragedy that's attached
to it.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
All of those players. There's no way I actually felt
quite confident.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
I was nervous, but that I had a confidence within
me when the players ran out onto the field because
I knew that not one of those Queensland players would
want to look Cameron monster in the face. Yeah after
that game if they didn't win, not one they would be.
They weren't. They weren't going to let that happen because
they wanted to win for Cameron. They wanted to win
for his dad, Steven, and they wanted to win for
(21:32):
the state because Cameron has put that state above so much,
so much in his career and this week was a
perfect example of that.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
And you think back to before Game two where it
was Cameron Monster saying I love this bloke talking about
Billy Slater who needed a lift up.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
Yeah, so you.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Think about like Billy Slater was in a world of
hurt after game one because he came out in the
post match press offense where they got some mashed and
it could have been so much worse if the Blues
actually kicked right, and he's like, no, we've got the
right men. Granted he did then make some big selection changes,
but he backed in his team and everyone's like this guy,
Oh my god. And so my question to you, now,
(22:10):
do you think that Billy Slater will remain at the
Helm or will he go out on a high.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Now, he'll remain at the Helm. He'll be there next year.
There's no way.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
There's no way that they'll replace him, especially after what
that performance meant.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
But he want to stay. I don't think they'll replace him.
But like, I don't think they'll replace him now.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
I think he'll want to stay. I think because Billy
as well, he's such as statesman. There's no way that
he'll want to let the team down. He won't want
to let the state down. I think that he will stay.
I think he'll stay because also he's shown that he's
not afraid of making those big calls, Like not only
did he have rookie pairings, he brought back he brought
back everyone's favor sete. I'm going to say second favorite
(22:48):
player if you don't happen to go for the Raiders,
but Josh.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Papa Litty after the man, Yeah done, big Papa.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
He was back after the man retired from orisin football
like three year ye ago, Like what what? And then
you have that moment like Billy isn't afraid to make
those big calls, And I just can't see him having
done all of that and walking away from the team.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
I can't see that. I think he'll be there in
twenty twenty six.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
It would also be addictive, right, like the high blows,
the big blows, like everything that he would have felt
last night, like in that excerpt you just played where
he's like, I just I've been proud, but I've never
felt like that.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
And I'm hoping, I'm hoping.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
I know it was on my outlist at the start
of this podcast season, but god, I hope someone was
filming the whole freaking thing. And there's a sports doco
that I can absolutely inhale.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
At the end of the year.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
I'm concerned because I didn't see enough Roven cameras, but
I'm really hopeful that they've captured everything everything, you know.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
That mean that's like I'm done, I'm done. Cut the tape.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
That would have been you after game one. They would
have been doing expos and the Maroons and you'd be like,
I'm out, I'm out.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
Do I need it.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
Now?
Speaker 3 (24:03):
It's really special and it's just one of those things
where backs against the wall playing for something bigger. Yeah,
I've got to hand it to rugby league. It's just
so cool. And also games were played in perse there's
a te like, I think rugby league is so far
on the up George.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
It's really exciting.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
But then that does beg the question of why does
an AFL have a crack at trying to implement an
element of this. I understand because they're like, oh, the
teams would never allow. The rugby league teams allow.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Yeah, we allow, and we've embraced it. There was I
think it was actually to the day to the day
the decider was forty five years since the very first
Origin game, so there was all of this history as
well for this particular match and this series. But going
back then, there was because of that, because of that milestone.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
Isn't that the word? That's the word?
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Let's say that because of that mile stone like commemoration,
A lot of players from that very first origin game
were interviewed and lots of them said that they actually
didn't want to play against their mates. They didn't want
to play against their teammates and ruled themselves out of selection.
They didn't want to be injured, they didn't want to
risk their club season for doing this standalone exhibition match
(25:21):
and we've just seen that. Thank goodness that they stuck
with it, because now it is the pinnacle of sport
in this country.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
Do you think that it's only because it was established
forty five years ago that it continues to exist.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Because if you had a.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Drinking game for every post match where they've blamed state
of origin for losses, And to be fair, if you're
the Panthers, like poor Ivan Clear, he's gotten a hand
behind his back because he's got like.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Four players that are out like four stars. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
Also, to be fair to Blues fans, there's no way
that Nathan Cleary doesn't have the flu or something like.
He just was not there last night on the field
and he was missing for a lot of the series
in what we're used to him being able to pull off.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
So I'm with you. I'm with you.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
There can be a huge casualty ward when it comes
to club football. But you ask any you ask any
rugby league player, They'll be like, I want to play Origin.
I want to play Origin.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
I love playing for my and I even think playing
for Australia.
Speaker 7 (26:15):
Yeah, that's always been a question, which is for Australia
state Like I feel like state of origin means more
than playing for your country, which is wild and again
in AFL that is an option, Australia taking on Australia.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Australia a champions of the World again, hooray for us.
You actually took my fun fact because my fun factor
was going to be that it had been forty five
years since Origin.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Oh really, inception, inception, because that was oh, here we are.
Speaker 3 (26:44):
I I do really hope that the AFL bring in
something because Georgie, we're seeing at the moment the gaping
chasm between the haves and the have nots of the AFL,
and this time last year, we were all celebrating and
the AFL was celebrating themselves about how tight the competition
was and how to get a whiteboard out about who
was going to make the eight. There's never been such
a gap between those that can make it and those
(27:05):
that can't. And I think that in order to keep
things interesting, we've seen Simon Goodwin even suggest that, you know,
why don't we have conferences? Because you have teams in
the AFL that have gone fifty years without winning a
flag or having something to really tangibly celebrate, why not
give them something else other than the premiership.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
How would it work, though? Explain this to me. Explain
this to me. I have been in my origin bubble,
so explain this to me.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Well, essentially, it would be the same as what they
sort of do in the NBA, as in there's different conferences,
but the conferences would always change, and of course that's
East Coast versus West Coast in the NBA, but it
would also I just think they would have different conferences
that would have to change so that you could have
different finals and different bits and pieces. And it's obviously
such a rolling concept because you've got new teams coming
(27:53):
in anyway.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
But for mine, I'd love like a wild card round.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
I don't know, just something to make it interesting because
it was a new first on the weekend.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
It really was. I'm playing the.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
Bottom nine and no one could have predicted that Sydney
would be in the bottom nine.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
But man, I'm not.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Against the idea jealmy. I just don't know how it
would work, and I know nothing officially has been tabled.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
This is just all you know, pie in the sky thinking.
But I'm not sure. I'm not sure how it would.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Work, although for like Prio fans, for Saint Kilda fans,
for North Melbourne fans, you know, for fans who haven't
had that sense or any real skin in the game
for so long decades or ever. For your poor doctors,
maybe maybe that would be maybe that would be of
interest so that there's something to keep them chugging along
(28:41):
for the whole season.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
I just think the AFL.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Needs to be creative and it's exciting that when all
the AFL heads of come together, which they do, the
presidents all get together and have a meeting occasionally, and
I think it's exciting that they're thinking innovative. But they
need to the sporting landscape now isn't restricted to just
what we can see in Australia. There's so much access
with cable to be able to watch American sports and
(29:08):
get into different things, and you've just got to make
it dynamic.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
And it is way too long. The game, Oh oh
my god. Last night, even State of Origin, I was like,
when are they? When are they going to kick off?
I was thinking of you, I was thinking of George.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
It was I got post eight and I was like, probly,
but I'm struggling and I'm really engaged in this.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
I napped before it. I'm not even joking.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
I slept in my son's bed and woke up at
like quarter eight and I was like, oh, thank god.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
Now I'm refreshed because I just can't.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
I can't and I don't know how genuinely, Like granted,
I'm a weirdo and I'm also getting little sleep at
the moment, but how are you meant to engage kids
in a game, Like if you've got young kids, yes,
at school holidays, but they're not staying up.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
It's I'm with you, I'm with you.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
I would have loved the kickoff to beat actually seven
spring everything earlier bring everything earlier. Have it be seven
oh five pm instead of the eight point fifteen seventeen
whatever it was. Eventually when we kicked off last night,
it's just so late, so late, And you could see
the players when they were doing their victory lap last night.
Valehelmes is there with this tiny, tiny, tiny baby, and
I was like.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
Oh, you awake to be fair, tiny tiny tiny babies
are the only ones that are find because in any context,
you're like, mate, you're in a cycle, It'll be fine.
I my heart just exploded for you last night because
I knew how much it would mean to you. And
now knowing that you're watching with Terry and that you're
in Queensland, there's just something really how good sport?
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Oh we're moments away from me finding Moron food coloring
and just dyeing the whole brown snake, you know, like,
that's that's where I'm at.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
That's where i'm at. That's where I'm at.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
However, plausible deniability, if that happens, it wasn't me.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
If you squint, it's kind of Morone. It's not far off.
You're so right, you're so right.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
Okay, before we wrap things up, I have a fun
fact for you, John Oh, I have a fun fact
which actually could tie in quite well, I think to
maybe making the AFL slightly more interesting. Maybe it's not
a conference style system. Maybe it's more of like an
Australia's Got Talent or an Australian Idol spin off series
that we can do at the halfway point, if you know,
(31:27):
if the team's just two separate.
Speaker 3 (31:28):
So if I'm Abby coded, then that's Georgie coded.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
I don't know. We can have you all.
Speaker 5 (31:33):
Sing well, not all, not all.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
I don't want all. I just want this man a
Sorry friends, you weren't there. There's a picture of as
a picture of.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
A fever.
Speaker 6 (31:54):
Trestle down.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
This er can't forty views and nice.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
If you're thinking maybe that's Zach Bryan or Luke Holmes
has been able to kick a Sharon. No, that's Sam
Lawler what number one drafts and Tigers.
Speaker 5 (32:15):
Yes, it is that's him.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
That's him playing the guitar as well. I might add
fun fact.
Speaker 3 (32:24):
That Dustin martinring incarnate it Dusty sing No. But what
I'm saying is like Tigers fans are like holding out
being like this man, like this first game. They basically
took every photo they could and put him next to
dust and they're like, aha, yesh, yes, same same.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
I mean he is injured again? What what?
Speaker 6 (32:43):
What?
Speaker 2 (32:43):
Yeah? Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
He's a gun on the field and an absolute song
stress off.
Speaker 5 (32:49):
It is that he write that song.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
I don't know what the song. I've never heard that
song in my life. It had originally it could be.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
It really was giving, was giving Taylor Swift?
Speaker 6 (33:01):
It was it was.
Speaker 5 (33:01):
Really giving Taylor. How good was he? I?
Speaker 3 (33:09):
That's it surprised me on many levels, but mostly that
he would put that out Has he put that out there?
Speaker 1 (33:14):
Well, I think, look, it's our it's our friend of
the pod. Daniel Gorange has found it somewhere and he's
tagged Sam. But he's put the wrong handle on. So
let me just I don't know where he has sound this,
but he's the voice of an absolute angel.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
Because he seems like a really humble kid and everyone
likes him. I'm actually devastated that he's injured again.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
I'm devastated that he's injured, but I hope he's just
like on the guitar writing the next hit.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
That's what he needs to be doing with his time.
Don't worry about rehabs on just focus focus on this.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
That has stunned me because there's certain characters, like, for mine,
if Harley Reid came out and was like here I
am singing, I'd be like that checks out, like as
in you know that he would post himself sing it
like I'm like cool, Yeah, I get that, like you
believe yourself in that rock star sort of energy. Whereas
that from him like firstly sing is he guitar?
Speaker 1 (34:02):
He's playing the guitar. That is him playing the guitar.
Very well, we've just on earth the next Keith Herbert.
Can I just say that was so good, so good.
I've watched her so many times, there's like a million views.
I'm nine hundred nine nine thousand of them.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
Oh, dear listeners, it's unhinged as usual. Yeah, I've got
that has stunned me. That was a wonderful fun fact.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Yep, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
I new you'd appreciate and you'd appreciate, and what a
wonderful episode.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Can I just say, once again, Jeremy, can you take
the chorus, I'll take the first Football's coming home.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
Good morning to all of our New South Wales listeners,
we do love you too, and it's been rough, but
she's a Queenslander.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
Maybe next year in New South Wales, and until then
be a good sport like me.
Speaker 5 (35:01):
The transop was first
Here at Two Good Sports, we would like to acknowledge
the traditional owners of the land on which we record
this podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
This land was never seated, always was, always will be. Jimmy,
can you can you hear something? What's that?
Speaker 1 (00:19):
I think it's I think it's the sound of Maybe
it's football coming home, pot balls coming home, foot balls
coming home. Dear listeners, Hello, hello, and rejoice or welcome
to Two Good Sports. It's sports news told differently on
an incredible week. I'm Georgie Tunney.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Good morning to our blues fans, or good afternoon, or
whoever the hell you're listening are we of course referring
to state of origin.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
And if you know Georgie Tunny or have listened to.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
A singular episode of US to this point in season three,
you know that there's a certain part of her heart
that is reserved purely for morons andly Marone upsets and
success that is colored her hair morone. There's many, many layers. George,
how are you feeling? Because they had no right after
(01:12):
game one, they had no right. They had to win
two games on the road. She's levitating, She's levitating.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
I'm levitating, and I'm also wearing blue now that could
be considered bullying to our Blues fans.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
But I've just packed poorly. That's all it is. That's
all it is.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
However, I remember sitting across from you, Jelmy, and we
were talking to Ryan Hoffman, the Blues legend and all
round legend at the start of this series, and after
game one we were predicting it. Legitimately there could have
been a whitewash, a three mil series win to New
South Wales. And then somehow Queensland does what Queensland does and.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
We retain the title of the underdog.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
We use that title, we pick up a few sports
moviesque storylines along the way. Now we deliver one of
the greatest, and I'm being serious, one of the greatest
performances I've ever seen in football from a team, from
a team. I am ecstatic. I'm so happy, I'm so thrilled.
(02:17):
It was the best. I got to watch it with
my dad. It was just it was just the most
glorious game. Harry Tony, I know it was just the best.
It was the best, and we will get into it
in more detail, but before before we get there, good sport,
bad sport, Jelmy, I mean I promise, dear listeners, I
won't just name the team list of the Maroons as
my good sports from one to seventeen. I had considered it,
(02:40):
but jellm me, good sport you go first, Then who
is your good sport you launched? Oh, I'm actually going
to give good sport to Wimbledon as a whole. I
am loving this tournament, whether it be the players, whether
it be the crowd, and jell me, I think you'll
be able to appreciate this little moment I found.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, if you could avoid opening
bosses of champagne when the players are about to serve.
Speaker 5 (03:10):
Come on, I love that warm.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
It's the most Wimbledon warning you've ever heard. It is
the most wimbledning you've ever heard.
Speaker 5 (03:19):
It's also the most filmy warning.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
I've the most avvy coded warning I've ever heard. Although
do you know that I've been at the tennis before
with Caine, and I forgot I didn't even tell you this,
and i'd like taken a photo. Then I sneakily put
my phone down. You know how anxious I get about
doing the wrong thing. And then the security came to
like walking down the front were lucky enough to be
down the fronts who are having hospitality tickets, and Caine
(03:41):
jokingly has gone, they're coming for you, and I'm like,
don't even joke. They walked over and they're like, you
have your flashlight on. It's been reported.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
By the other team.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
No, I had my flash light because and old mate
serving and I'm creating a spotlight. I wanted to fucking
I wanted to die. And Kane lost it because he
knows how much of a goodie two shoes. But security
walking down and he's like, low, they're looking for you,
and then he's looked at me and I wasn't even
on the edge, so he had to let me and
(04:15):
a past people to be like ma'am, do you mind?
And I was like, I just got mammed.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
This is the end. With your flashlight on. Accidentally, that
is just the definition of man.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Oh joh, Karen, can you please turn your laptop off?
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Mate?
Speaker 1 (04:30):
You were that person with a laser pointer. That's just
being the most annoying person. Accidentally.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Oh but no, don't pop your champagne. That's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
I'm Wimbledon's I must admit is our cras just gonna
do it. Is he gonna make it three consecutive?
Speaker 5 (04:49):
I think so.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
I think, I mean, he's definitely in the front seat.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
I also along with my good sport of that person
popping the champagn bottles in the crowd, Yannick Sinner for me,
and I know that he himself is in. But he
was very close to defeat against Grigor Dimitrov in the
earlier rounds of the tournament. I think it was to
get through to the quarterfinal, and Dimitrov was up too set,
like he was two sets up on Yannick Sinner and
(05:14):
he had to retire hurt. And there's this incredible footage.
I recommend everyone going to find it. It's incredible footage
of Yanik just being very graceful in letting Grigor have
that shattering moment. Grigor's in tears, Yanni's helping him to
the side of the court. Yanik then packs his bag
with all of his tennis rackets because Grigor can't move
his arm properly. Like it was just such a wonderful
(05:37):
display of sportsmanship that I think really we do take
for granted in tennis because it's always this individual, individual
individual sport and you know, Yanick Sinner has had his critics,
of course in most recent years, but it was wonderful
to see that he can still be that person who
can help out a fellow tennis player going through absolute
(05:58):
hell when he self has reached such lofty heights.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
So I do still think it is Alchorizis to lose.
Speaker 5 (06:04):
Well.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
We remember seeing Roger and Raffa talk about it in
the Labor Cup doco. When remember how feder I had
the doco about his retirement and he sort of said,
we're so proud that the legacy that we leave is
that you can be a fierce competitor and still be
a friend of the person on the other side of
the net. And I think that that is the legacy
of tennis. And I know you know how I feel
(06:25):
about Yannisinner.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
I'm chips in.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
I think, like, you know, if your Massus had the
drugs whatever, I like. I just think that he is
I mean, he's singing is interesting, but I just think
he's a good person. I think we're going to get
on board. I think Ossie's will love him. Oh yes,
I think we'll be back on board. We just released
the Red Curls.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Yeah, athletes, athletes with drug problems in this country. We
forget cole Wickly. We will be back on board. So
long as you keep winning, sir, We'll find a way.
Chow welcome things that I'll and I I think as
Australian sports fans we have a bit of a crisis
(07:06):
happening at the moment where we are blurring the lines
between being passionate and being awful.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Yep. And there are more forums and more ways.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
And we've talked about this funnily enough in the light
of Billy Slater and the criticism that was leveled at
him and how personal that was. Now we have Michael
Voss with the APHEL Integrity Unit having to do an
investigation into threats made against him.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Now there is.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Speculation that the term murder was used and that it
was via text. And there's also been speculation by Andy
maher On Sen saying that this isn't some kid having
a laugh. This is someone who's known to the executive
So this is someone who's a senior leader and should
know better.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I am of the.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Opinion and I was listening to Gary Lyon this morning
and he's the same name, and shame yep. If you
want to be this revolting, you and I sit behind
microphones and we have to own what we say, and
people in the public spear like Michael Voss have to
own what he says. If you want to make threats
against someone, I'm sorry, whichever company that you're on the
(08:17):
board of deserves to know that you're a coward. And
these are the sort of things that you send to
someone and it trickles down, it really does.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
And also, you're so right, because.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Social media has just emboldened so many people who necessarily
maybe would well not even maybe no one would be
saying these things to Michael Voss's face. And if they did,
I mean, hey, if you want to say that to
Voss's face and you actually look in that man's eyes,
because hey, he's a man, a human.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
I've remember that earlier in the year he ran down
people that had hijacked a car.
Speaker 5 (08:53):
Exactly. No one's saying it to VOSSI.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
He's a good human by all reports.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
And I just think that social media has having these
text lines and things. I heard a report that one
of the threats made against him was sent to the
anti social behavior hotline pop up at the football.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
I mean, come on, come on, guys, just be better.
And I don't, but I don't. I worry it's not
gonna get better.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Tell me, I worry that we're gonna have this conversation
again and again and again and again and again.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
It's it's fans hanging over the race to spray their
team as they walk off. It's those sort of things
where I just think, yeah, you're passionate, I get it,
but also these are people and trust me, they be trying.
They're trying, they're trying, and sometimes you're just like I
just think sometimes we're dehumanizing people that are in positions
(09:43):
of leadership or power, particularly coaches. Like when you think
about the pressure that coaches are under, like it's it's
just so immense and it must be such a hard
environment for the players as well at Carlton to be
in at the moment. But I just think as a
sporting for two in Australia, we all need to sit
back and take a deep breath and think about the
(10:04):
behaviors that we're modeling. And I also think if one
more person on social media with some sort of cartoon
emoji profile, it's never a person that you can trace
to Now it's always some burner account with zero followers.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
That's just vile.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
And I think there needs to be a level of
accountability and that goes back to whether or not you
do need to verify who you are in order to
have an account.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
But I don't know.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
I This one really annoyed me greatly because it's just
been he's one man.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Oh copping to be copying this much. He can't run
out there, I know, Unbelieve me.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
I actually think Carlton maystand a better chance if he
did what Navy blue jersey on, sir, get there, get there, bossy,
come on, come on.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
And in the most two good sports coded thing he
started his press conference that everyone knew was going to
be related to this threat where he goes, I've got
a dog for my birthday. If anyone cares? Do we
start with that, I've got a dog? And someone's like
what kind of dog? He's like, thank you, it was
a port of Collie. But you know what I mean,
Like he's but he's also shown unwavering leadership and all
(11:15):
of this.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
No he has and to be honest, what I want
to happen this week is I want to see the
players back him up because it isn't his fault. And
I don't think that Michael Voss will be leading this
club potentially beyond this season, right, But I just think
that the playing group themselves they have more passion. Yeah, yeah,
it's on them now, It's on them, which is actually
(11:37):
quite a lovely little segue into something that we're going
to be talking about after the break, namely Queensland's dominant
performance in the Origin Decider.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
I'm just gonna caveat this.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
We're talking about the romance of that win, yes, and
the layers of it because if you love sport for
the stories, it's unrivaled in something that I've seen in
Australia in sport, Get the.
Speaker 6 (12:01):
Pop gone, Get the pop Gone.
Speaker 4 (12:14):
I don't like ranking things, but I've never felt like this,
like we're going to talk about it, but like the
bloke to my left, that's like, that's as courageous and
brave as I've ever seen that. I lost my dad
(12:37):
in January. I know what it's like. I know how
it feels like our dads are our heroes. And I
don't know how he did it, but you know, within
ten minutes of sitting with him in his room on
Sunday morning. He looked at me and he said, Bill
(12:58):
and playing and I know he wanted to. I know
his dad would have wanted him to. And boy, that's
one proud dad sitting up there watching his boy tonight.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Maybe I should have advised everyone.
Speaker 5 (13:09):
To get the t shoes along with the popcorn.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
That was winning Maron's coach Billy Slater, talking post match
after one of the most incredible performances I have seen
on a rugby league field, talking about his skipper Cameron Munster,
who devastatingly lost his father only a few days before kickoff.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
We talk about.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Storylines, Jelmy, We talk about the human the humanity behind sport.
This is one of the greatest stories that I've ever seen.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Unfold and you couldn't script it.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
You couldn't script the Daly Cherry Evans would be dropped
because everyone said it would be the biggest call in
rugby league history. You can't drop the origin captain mid series?
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Are you mad? Really? Did Billy Slater did?
Speaker 3 (14:01):
And the criticism that was leveled at him, and then
who was best on ground in the last game, Tom Didden, Yes,
and only through DC vacating is Munster even captain to
make this all as poetic as what it is. And
we say poetic. Obviously tragedy is at the core of it.
But what you and I believe so deeply is the
(14:21):
power of sport to be there for people and to
be for something better. And there was something so personal
and intimate that we all watched with the Catharsis that
came over Cam Munster when they won.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Oh yes, yes, we see it right.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
We see those moments that are plastered across newspapers and
it is the single frame of joy. There were moments
last night after the Morons had defeated the Blues twenty
four to twelve, of Billy Slater embracing his captain Cameron Munster,
both men having lost their dads within the last seven months.
They used to play together. We've got to remember that
(14:59):
as well. They used to be teammates at the Storm
for a short time. Now Billy is coaching Cameron in
the biggest spectacle in I'm going to say, Australian sport.
Yeah it's fair and you see those two men just
crying and holding each other, and you see that it
is so much more than a game. It is family first.
That there is no doubt in my mind that was
(15:20):
the message that Billy has absolutely embedded in this team
this week. It's something that Queensland is already. We usually
love to tell ourselves a tale about that the team
is a family, so always put your family first. But
this one hit a little bit differently and there is
no doubt in my mind that that was what was
reflected in the team's performance.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
It was literally perfect.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
It was perfect for I'm going to say, ah, I
think it was sixty nine minutes. The Morons completed every
single set. They did not make a mistake. That is
unheard of, unheard of in any any football game across codes.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Perfect for sixty nine minutes.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
What can you take me to the couch at your
childhood home. I'm guessing you and Terry what it was
like sitting there and watching it with your dad.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Oh, it was so great. And this it's another way
I get to go home, like homes Queensland. You live
in Melbourne.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
Now, you've been in Sydney before that, so you don't
get to go home and watch footy with your dad
very often.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Now I don't, I don't.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
I wouldn't have watched an Origin game with my dad,
like just sitting around the telly for years.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
I can't even remember the last time.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Let alone that be a decider, Let alone that be
with the backdrop of the ultimate theme of this game
being about fathers.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Really, and I'm there sitting with my.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Dad watching this team that we have loved for God,
as we always say on this podcast, how old am I?
Like more than twenty five years. I've loved this team
and I've loved it with him. So to see them
at the start, we were so nervous. We're both sitting
on the couch together in our origin Jersey. We're not
(17:00):
really talking to each other. We're not really talking about
the game too much because, hey, we weren't favorites to win.
There's way Queensland should have won this game. But then
within about oh I reckon, it was only three dodgy
minutes and they selected a bolter. They selected a guy
that wasn't even playing NRL last season. Oh, I know Shibasaki.
We adore he's a Broncos center. Yeah, this is the
thing that the Morons had no right to win this game.
(17:23):
The Blues with their talent, and it is unquestionable talent.
They've also got a man named Nathan Cleary in there.
You know, any time that he takes to the field,
anyone's a chance, anyone's a chance, because he can put
everyone on his back and say I've got this. But
we had a team of rookie centers Toya and Shibasaki.
Unbelievable performance. Unbelievable performance from both of them at the
(17:45):
height the pinnacle of the game. I cannot even begin
to imagine the anxiety and the nerves from them. Tommy
Dierden won not only Player of the match last night,
he won Player of the Series.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
That tackle he laid on top I'm like no one
else can do that. We talk about incredible people.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Brian to head and shoulders above everyone else nearly more
than did. And I wouldn't have been unhappy if he
was named Player of the Series in a losing team
like he was that good. And there was just so
many wonderful moments that just make you love rugby league.
And I yes, I'm saying that as a Queensland fan
on the right side of history.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
Do you know what I'll say though, as someone who's
an observer of rugby league, and so often rugby league
can at times be the butt of the joke of
toxic masculinity. Yeah, yeah, I think that last night and
the week leading up to this game has been the
most perfect example of what beautiful masculinity can be. Yeah,
(18:45):
And the camera monster says, you know, I call Billy
and I tell him what happened to my dad, And
then within ours, Billy's there sitting with me on my bed.
Because that's positive male friendship, and that CAM says, I'm
going to be there for you regardless, and then I'm
going to lean in. And then you see these two
men and we're talking greats of the game, the hard game,
(19:06):
the toughest game rugby league, with all these cameras in
their face, Like the cameras are mere less than half
a meter away from them because everyone's trying to get
the shot, and they're sobbing into one another, and you
can see that Billy's whispering and saying things to Cam
about how proud he would be or how Proudy's dad
would be, and I just went, oh, this is beautiful.
(19:30):
It's special and also just a sign of like, check
on your mates, how many times have we or what
being there for people in your life can look like.
And I think so much of the narrative that we've
had around AFL this year has been be there for
your mates when people go through hard things, be there
for them or or lean in or be part of
the community.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
And it was just, I don't know, it's came to be.
He's like, you're right. I'm like, this is the best
reality TV I've ever watched.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
Because that's what it feels like. It feels like you're
watching these characters that you think you know. Yeah, we
don't know them personally, but you feel like you know them,
and it's emotional.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
It's emotional and also because they've just delivered you such joy.
I could have cried emotional tears of joy last night
because how much I loved that performance and how much
I loved that game and what it meant to me.
And then I'm seeing my heroes for one of a
better word, I'm seeing my heroes up there letting, giving
into their emotions, Rugby League, you know, being a manly man,
(20:29):
all of that style, warsism, blah blah blah blah blah.
What we saw last night was You're exactly right. We
saw heart, we saw hat and it was on full display.
And that is what beat New South Wales, that is
what continues to beat New South Wales every single series
that the Morons win when we have not been given
a chance. Back in twenty the worst team we've ever
(20:51):
we've ever assembled won the series. There's you know it
should be a whitewash, won the series and that is
because it just means more. It means more, and we
had this element in this game in particular where it
meant even more because of the personal tragedy that's attached
to it.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
All of those players. There's no way I actually felt
quite confident.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
I was nervous, but that I had a confidence within
me when the players ran out onto the field because
I knew that not one of those Queensland players would
want to look Cameron monster in the face. Yeah after
that game if they didn't win, not one they would be.
They weren't. They weren't going to let that happen because
they wanted to win for Cameron. They wanted to win
for his dad, Steven, and they wanted to win for
(21:32):
the state because Cameron has put that state above so much,
so much in his career and this week was a
perfect example of that.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
And you think back to before Game two where it
was Cameron Monster saying I love this bloke talking about
Billy Slater who needed a lift up.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
Yeah, so you.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Think about like Billy Slater was in a world of
hurt after game one because he came out in the
post match press offense where they got some mashed and
it could have been so much worse if the Blues
actually kicked right, and he's like, no, we've got the
right men. Granted he did then make some big selection changes,
but he backed in his team and everyone's like this guy,
Oh my god. And so my question to you, now,
(22:10):
do you think that Billy Slater will remain at the
Helm or will he go out on a high.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Now, he'll remain at the Helm. He'll be there next year.
There's no way.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
There's no way that they'll replace him, especially after what
that performance meant.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
But he want to stay. I don't think they'll replace him.
But like, I don't think they'll replace him now.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
I think he'll want to stay. I think because Billy
as well, he's such as statesman. There's no way that
he'll want to let the team down. He won't want
to let the state down. I think that he will stay.
I think he'll stay because also he's shown that he's
not afraid of making those big calls, Like not only
did he have rookie pairings, he brought back he brought
back everyone's favor sete. I'm going to say second favorite
(22:48):
player if you don't happen to go for the Raiders,
but Josh.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Papa Litty after the man, Yeah done, big Papa.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
He was back after the man retired from orisin football
like three year ye ago, Like what what? And then
you have that moment like Billy isn't afraid to make
those big calls, And I just can't see him having
done all of that and walking away from the team.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
I can't see that. I think he'll be there in
twenty twenty six.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
It would also be addictive, right, like the high blows,
the big blows, like everything that he would have felt
last night, like in that excerpt you just played where
he's like, I just I've been proud, but I've never
felt like that.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
And I'm hoping, I'm hoping.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
I know it was on my outlist at the start
of this podcast season, but god, I hope someone was
filming the whole freaking thing. And there's a sports doco
that I can absolutely inhale.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
At the end of the year.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
I'm concerned because I didn't see enough Roven cameras, but
I'm really hopeful that they've captured everything everything, you know.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
That mean that's like I'm done, I'm done. Cut the tape.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
That would have been you after game one. They would
have been doing expos and the Maroons and you'd be like,
I'm out, I'm out.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
Do I need it.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
Now?
Speaker 3 (24:03):
It's really special and it's just one of those things
where backs against the wall playing for something bigger. Yeah,
I've got to hand it to rugby league. It's just
so cool. And also games were played in perse there's
a te like, I think rugby league is so far
on the up George.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
It's really exciting.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
But then that does beg the question of why does
an AFL have a crack at trying to implement an
element of this. I understand because they're like, oh, the
teams would never allow. The rugby league teams allow.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Yeah, we allow, and we've embraced it. There was I
think it was actually to the day to the day
the decider was forty five years since the very first
Origin game, so there was all of this history as
well for this particular match and this series. But going
back then, there was because of that, because of that milestone.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
Isn't that the word? That's the word?
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Let's say that because of that mile stone like commemoration,
A lot of players from that very first origin game
were interviewed and lots of them said that they actually
didn't want to play against their mates. They didn't want
to play against their teammates and ruled themselves out of selection.
They didn't want to be injured, they didn't want to
risk their club season for doing this standalone exhibition match
(25:21):
and we've just seen that. Thank goodness that they stuck
with it, because now it is the pinnacle of sport
in this country.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
Do you think that it's only because it was established
forty five years ago that it continues to exist.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Because if you had a.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Drinking game for every post match where they've blamed state
of origin for losses, And to be fair, if you're
the Panthers, like poor Ivan Clear, he's gotten a hand
behind his back because he's got like.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Four players that are out like four stars. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
Also, to be fair to Blues fans, there's no way
that Nathan Cleary doesn't have the flu or something like.
He just was not there last night on the field
and he was missing for a lot of the series
in what we're used to him being able to pull off.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
So I'm with you. I'm with you.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
There can be a huge casualty ward when it comes
to club football. But you ask any you ask any
rugby league player, They'll be like, I want to play Origin.
I want to play Origin.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
I love playing for my and I even think playing
for Australia.
Speaker 7 (26:15):
Yeah, that's always been a question, which is for Australia
state Like I feel like state of origin means more
than playing for your country, which is wild and again
in AFL that is an option, Australia taking on Australia.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Australia a champions of the World again, hooray for us.
You actually took my fun fact because my fun factor
was going to be that it had been forty five
years since Origin.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Oh really, inception, inception, because that was oh, here we are.
Speaker 3 (26:44):
I I do really hope that the AFL bring in
something because Georgie, we're seeing at the moment the gaping
chasm between the haves and the have nots of the AFL,
and this time last year, we were all celebrating and
the AFL was celebrating themselves about how tight the competition
was and how to get a whiteboard out about who
was going to make the eight. There's never been such
a gap between those that can make it and those
(27:05):
that can't. And I think that in order to keep
things interesting, we've seen Simon Goodwin even suggest that, you know,
why don't we have conferences? Because you have teams in
the AFL that have gone fifty years without winning a
flag or having something to really tangibly celebrate, why not
give them something else other than the premiership.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
How would it work, though? Explain this to me. Explain
this to me. I have been in my origin bubble,
so explain this to me.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Well, essentially, it would be the same as what they
sort of do in the NBA, as in there's different conferences,
but the conferences would always change, and of course that's
East Coast versus West Coast in the NBA, but it
would also I just think they would have different conferences
that would have to change so that you could have
different finals and different bits and pieces. And it's obviously
such a rolling concept because you've got new teams coming
(27:53):
in anyway.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
But for mine, I'd love like a wild card round.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
I don't know, just something to make it interesting because
it was a new first on the weekend.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
It really was. I'm playing the.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
Bottom nine and no one could have predicted that Sydney
would be in the bottom nine.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
But man, I'm not.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Against the idea jealmy. I just don't know how it
would work, and I know nothing officially has been tabled.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
This is just all you know, pie in the sky thinking.
But I'm not sure. I'm not sure how it would.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Work, although for like Prio fans, for Saint Kilda fans,
for North Melbourne fans, you know, for fans who haven't
had that sense or any real skin in the game
for so long decades or ever. For your poor doctors,
maybe maybe that would be maybe that would be of
interest so that there's something to keep them chugging along
(28:41):
for the whole season.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
I just think the AFL.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Needs to be creative and it's exciting that when all
the AFL heads of come together, which they do, the
presidents all get together and have a meeting occasionally, and
I think it's exciting that they're thinking innovative. But they
need to the sporting landscape now isn't restricted to just
what we can see in Australia. There's so much access
with cable to be able to watch American sports and
(29:08):
get into different things, and you've just got to make
it dynamic.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
And it is way too long. The game, Oh oh
my god. Last night, even State of Origin, I was like,
when are they? When are they going to kick off?
I was thinking of you, I was thinking of George.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
It was I got post eight and I was like, probly,
but I'm struggling and I'm really engaged in this.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
I napped before it. I'm not even joking.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
I slept in my son's bed and woke up at
like quarter eight and I was like, oh, thank god.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
Now I'm refreshed because I just can't.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
I can't and I don't know how genuinely, Like granted,
I'm a weirdo and I'm also getting little sleep at
the moment, but how are you meant to engage kids
in a game, Like if you've got young kids, yes,
at school holidays, but they're not staying up.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
It's I'm with you, I'm with you.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
I would have loved the kickoff to beat actually seven
spring everything earlier bring everything earlier. Have it be seven
oh five pm instead of the eight point fifteen seventeen
whatever it was. Eventually when we kicked off last night,
it's just so late, so late, And you could see
the players when they were doing their victory lap last night.
Valehelmes is there with this tiny, tiny, tiny baby, and
I was like.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
Oh, you awake to be fair, tiny tiny tiny babies
are the only ones that are find because in any context,
you're like, mate, you're in a cycle, It'll be fine.
I my heart just exploded for you last night because
I knew how much it would mean to you. And
now knowing that you're watching with Terry and that you're
in Queensland, there's just something really how good sport?
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Oh we're moments away from me finding Moron food coloring
and just dyeing the whole brown snake, you know, like,
that's that's where I'm at.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
That's where i'm at. That's where I'm at.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
However, plausible deniability, if that happens, it wasn't me.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
If you squint, it's kind of Morone. It's not far off.
You're so right, you're so right.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
Okay, before we wrap things up, I have a fun
fact for you, John Oh, I have a fun fact
which actually could tie in quite well, I think to
maybe making the AFL slightly more interesting. Maybe it's not
a conference style system. Maybe it's more of like an
Australia's Got Talent or an Australian Idol spin off series
that we can do at the halfway point, if you know,
(31:27):
if the team's just two separate.
Speaker 3 (31:28):
So if I'm Abby coded, then that's Georgie coded.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
I don't know. We can have you all.
Speaker 5 (31:33):
Sing well, not all, not all.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
I don't want all. I just want this man a
Sorry friends, you weren't there. There's a picture of as
a picture of.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
A fever.
Speaker 6 (31:54):
Trestle down.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
This er can't forty views and nice.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
If you're thinking maybe that's Zach Bryan or Luke Holmes
has been able to kick a Sharon. No, that's Sam
Lawler what number one drafts and Tigers.
Speaker 5 (32:15):
Yes, it is that's him.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
That's him playing the guitar as well. I might add
fun fact.
Speaker 3 (32:24):
That Dustin martinring incarnate it Dusty sing No. But what
I'm saying is like Tigers fans are like holding out
being like this man, like this first game. They basically
took every photo they could and put him next to
dust and they're like, aha, yesh, yes, same same.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
I mean he is injured again? What what?
Speaker 6 (32:43):
What?
Speaker 2 (32:43):
Yeah? Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
He's a gun on the field and an absolute song
stress off.
Speaker 5 (32:49):
It is that he write that song.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
I don't know what the song. I've never heard that
song in my life. It had originally it could be.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
It really was giving, was giving Taylor Swift?
Speaker 6 (33:01):
It was it was.
Speaker 5 (33:01):
Really giving Taylor. How good was he? I?
Speaker 3 (33:09):
That's it surprised me on many levels, but mostly that
he would put that out Has he put that out there?
Speaker 1 (33:14):
Well, I think, look, it's our it's our friend of
the pod. Daniel Gorange has found it somewhere and he's
tagged Sam. But he's put the wrong handle on. So
let me just I don't know where he has sound this,
but he's the voice of an absolute angel.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
Because he seems like a really humble kid and everyone
likes him. I'm actually devastated that he's injured again.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
I'm devastated that he's injured, but I hope he's just
like on the guitar writing the next hit.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
That's what he needs to be doing with his time.
Don't worry about rehabs on just focus focus on this.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
That has stunned me because there's certain characters, like, for mine,
if Harley Reid came out and was like here I
am singing, I'd be like that checks out, like as
in you know that he would post himself sing it
like I'm like cool, Yeah, I get that, like you
believe yourself in that rock star sort of energy. Whereas
that from him like firstly sing is he guitar?
Speaker 1 (34:02):
He's playing the guitar. That is him playing the guitar.
Very well, we've just on earth the next Keith Herbert.
Can I just say that was so good, so good.
I've watched her so many times, there's like a million views.
I'm nine hundred nine nine thousand of them.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
Oh, dear listeners, it's unhinged as usual. Yeah, I've got
that has stunned me. That was a wonderful fun fact.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Yep, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
I new you'd appreciate and you'd appreciate, and what a
wonderful episode.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Can I just say, once again, Jeremy, can you take
the chorus, I'll take the first Football's coming home.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
Good morning to all of our New South Wales listeners,
we do love you too, and it's been rough, but
she's a Queenslander.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
Maybe next year in New South Wales, and until then
be a good sport like me.
Speaker 5 (35:01):
The transop was first
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