September 8, 2025 • 26 mins
Matty is joined by Cooper Cronk to preview Finals Week 1 - including JFH v Leota & possible Bulldogs change. Plus they assess teams outside the Top 8.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Well keeps here we are you just come from the
nightclub with that shirt on? Is that your shirt of wardrobe?
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Wardrobe? But it's about the mind shirt. You ever pinched
any stuff from him?
Speaker 1 (00:12):
No, I haven't.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Okay, let's talk about the finals and one of the
most crucial things when it comes to finals football, there's
the spine. Crucial factor of course, yardage of course, but
the spine. Let's rank the various spines one.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Number one, we think alike Cleary.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
To Lungey Edwards, the captain of defense, Mitch Canny, and
you've got to have Isaiah in the in the spine.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
When I was sitting down through it, going through, I
was trying to find who was the best. And there's
arguments for the Raiders with their speed, There's arguments for
the Broncos with Roos Walsh and the Rusters are there
as well. But I just can't go past Nathan Cleary
and how he's bought lung Elong. But if there was
one thing that the Panthers spine needed, it needed some
(01:03):
sparks and energy, some youthfulness, and he is just working
with Nathan and just that combination when he moves right,
Nathan Blaze knows needs to move out this side of
the field. It's starting to warm up.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
It is to start warm up. And you know, I
like about Blaze through the year, through the middle of
the year, started to find his feet in the system,
but actually still started to do for a little ball
playing and stuff like that. But I expect that in
this final series you will see him essentially as a
ball running. You got your Isaiah and you've got Nathan there,
(01:36):
Chip and I over your ball playing. You don't need another
bloke for nessing the ball sideways. I think he'll be a.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Runner and the game managers are Isaiaho and Nathan, so
he can just literally you take care of options. What
are you going to number two? I've got the Raiders.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
I've got the Raiders as well. Foggedy, Strange, kayle Weeks,
Tom Starling, energy, confidence, Foggedy is the glue.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
He's the glue. But here's the one it is under
pressure and the one that needs to bring that whole
thing together. They have had a tremendous year and Foguti
has his best year so far. But here's the one
that needs to make really good decisions through September if
they are to win the Grand Final. There will be
a lot of players on the Raiders' rosters that will
(02:18):
get more attention. But you said he's the clue. If
he makes rock solar decisions, gets the ball to Weeks
and Strange at the right time, connects Potaphany to those
outside backs, they can do it. And I think he
is the one that I have a question mark over
whether he can or not.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
But number two, this is exciting Number three roosters.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
I just like the balance. Tedesco is playing career best football,
Connor Watson's doing a really good thing, and then Hugo
Savala's kicking game compliments what Sam brings. Sam probably has
a point of difference to most has in this competition.
Probably rees Walsh esque right that teams would be worried.
So if they can put it together, I think they
(03:02):
can be danger.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Like teams three to six, there's not a lot of them.
They can interchangeable. I've gone the broncos. I can ask
you a question here because Adam Reynolds, Ben Hunt, Reece
Walsh and Billy Walters and they mix and match a
little bit with the nine. Firstly, Adam Reynolds is if
he's available Sunday, does.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
He go straight back here.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Yep, definitely straight back here. Okay, see one.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
I think he's the germal Fog Brisbane Definitely. I think
he Mark's really good decison. Yes, the Broncos have played
well since he's gone down, and Ben Hunt is an
experienced campaigner, but Rees Walsh has gone through the roof
in terms of his performance and I feel like in
big games he's going to sit on the red line
and he could tip over either way. If he gets
(03:44):
it right, he'll be damaging. But I think Renolds needs
to come back in.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
He's a left of center question for you because Billy
Walders has been so good a six. It's he's been outstanding.
It's fantastic at fourteen, he's great at nine, but almost
six he's gone to another level. Again, question for you,
if you've got Reno Adam Renolds in the seven and
you've got you got Reese Walsh in the one, Ben
Hunt and Billy Walders, is there a temptation to go
(04:09):
Ben Hunt nine Billy Walders six.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Ah, not for me.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Okay, move Onore.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
I think Billy Walters has been a point of difference
for the Bronx off the bench, play longer minutes. I'm
not going to say start six. I think Ben hunts Stay's.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
There number before. I've got Melbourne Storm. You know Jerome Hughes.
Of course, question is Wishart or Peasant? Who who who
plays seven?
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Peasant?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Okay, I think, But.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
I like Harry Grant's back in month, so that's what
I've doubling down on.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
He's the focal point in Harry number number five. I've
got roosters there, Yep, it could be Look, that could
be number three. You go seem off the bench to
desk to Desco might go it.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Career best football. Bronco's fifth for me, but then sixth would.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Mean the Sharks yep for me as well.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Yep. I think Nicko Heines played really well the other day.
Brawley's in good touch. That's the key there. The I
have seventh myself, just that rhythm of Galvin Burton, you know,
the Marney Hayward thing, Salmon Kurt Meant. There's a lot
of moving parts and they just haven't found the right.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Mix and coops. I looked through the other side. I
know who the chief playmaker is. Those top ones like
Adam Reynolds at the Broncos Nathan without without a doubt.
He goes without saying, and Jamal Foggart is the glue there,
I look at ballots, who's the glue? Who's the boss?
Speaker 1 (05:29):
It's almost like Matt Burton does it in the yardage
because he's long kicking game and then gets the middle.
Jamis Salmon steps up for a little bit, but when
they split halves Galvin and Preston it's they're not They
don't seem to be on the light and was the.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Then smashed with their spine. Metalf was a monumental loss.
Tenor Boyd chance with Sam Wade Egan so important.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
But yeah, what about Storm Verse Dogs mate cops? First?
Speaker 2 (05:56):
A question for who's in better form? Yea, the dogs are?
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, yeah, I mean I think they are.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
But I'm going to ask you a question here. The
question I could ask you is Kendon Melbourne Storm win
the competition? Well, of course they can win the competition.
There's five thousand bucks.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Is it yours of mine?
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Hey?
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Is it yours of mine? I'm taking it?
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Yeah, So I give you five greend. You got to
put it on any team in the finals. Do you
put it on Melbourne?
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (06:31):
I do do?
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Yeah, yes, I do. Look, I just feel like what
happened last year, I've been there, I've lost Grand Finals
and it plays a part. They're not playing well at
the moment. But in terms of Storm versus Dogs, you
talk about the matchup, I think this is one of
the coach's box. I don't think it's two players on
the field that determine who wins. I think it can
(06:53):
Craig Bell me pull out the magic dust and get
that team back on track and play like they are
because you don't forget to write a bike this team
could play. I mean, it's just falling off a cliff
the last two weeks. The Dogs on the other side, well,
I think they were the best team for the majority
of the year when they were doubling down on their defense.
(07:14):
Then they made a couple of decisions and now they've thought, oh,
if we're going to beat the best teams, we need
to be more creative with the ball in hand. And
I think they've dropped DNA defensively.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Totally agree, Totally agree, And do you know what coops
The other night with Melbourne, I thought the first time
for a long time, I saw Melbourne trying to put
football their way out of trouble. Like I think, and
I understand Harry Green not being there. They're pushing the
ball sideways. They were forcing their attack game and coming
(07:43):
up with a lot of errors.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
I think for Melbourne to be great and win, no
Pabenzen and Hughes this week, they almost need the rest
of the team to focus on stopping the opposition and
just doing their role and just trust Harry and Monster
come up with the players. Don't get too cute trying
to design this elaborate way of dismantling the Dogs. Just
(08:08):
take them on through the front and when a quick
play the ball comes, trust that Harry Grant Munster will deliver.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Regress. Yeah, that's right. Question for the Dogs. Another left
left center one that crazes out. Of course, Montoya is out,
Bronze and Cherry is out. Which is which is a
big one? Okay, Bronze and Cherry is out left side center.
Let's throw something that cha please, don't just dismiss it.
I'll wait till you throw and Burton left center. Galvin
(08:36):
six sext in the seventh thought.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Honestly, you're not far off the mark, But I don't
think they'd do it.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
They wouldn't swallow prior.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
I don't think so. Their kicking game, long king game
particularly is effective. We saw what happened with Burton went
there on the weekend. You know, their long king game suffered.
So we got at half time, got moved back in
the sixth I just yeah, I put sections on the
bench for me. There you go, he's on the bench.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Okay. Said along that, who wins? Do you think Melbourne win?
Not a chance the Dogs. So I think the last
time they played they really took it to Melbourne in
that second half.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
What they need to do is the middle forward's leg
speed defensively, need to get back to swarm in the
opposition wist Penrith.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Tough road trip to Auckland, but very tough matchup for
the Warriors. I want to talk about Nathan for a second.
He's the key man in this most probably the key
man in the finals, just to his precision against the Dragons.
And I thought there's a couple little things for a
clue of how they're going to go about their work
in this final series. And we've spoken about this before.
They're are very as far as their attack is very much,
(09:49):
very cerebral, very much an exact science and we talk
about the play for the play. A little example here
where they scored the first try against the Dragons. Now
there they go, they go past a far past. Now
what's this, Yes, now Nathan's going to drop someone off
here or one of his fours. Now you see where
the Dragon solve this problem. It is solved from the
inside right, which means they've taken a defender from the
(10:12):
other side. Very clever. They've gone back that way and
we're seeing that more and more rut with Cooper.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Here we are. This is where I think James Fisher
Harris plays a part in this game. I think he's
the key man in this game. I've played finals against
a team that a new inside out. Now Peith are
not going to change their style yep. In the finals.
Every time they get the good ball, when they drop
off a player, they hardly ever go on to keep going.
What I mean by that is that play there they
(10:37):
don't go to the right. Nathan will drop off of
play and do the overload principle and shift back to
the side where the play the ball came from. Why
because the fullback might get the numbers wrong and they
feel like it's harder to get it's easy to set
that short side first, but then shifting. I think Fisher
Harris plays a huge part in this game. Two things.
(10:58):
One for intel, he knows how to play webson, knows
come up with a plan, a defensive plan to stop
their attack. On the flip side, I think him coming
up against Moses Leoda.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Something is so good. It's like an old fashioned softening
up period.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Yeah, and it's almost like I don't know who's going
to kick off, but kick to the other one and
I want to see both of them go into it.
Because there's a spirit about Fisher Harris that I believe
if he can have a first carry and smash the
Panthers pack, I think it gives Halma Cape well all
those other forwards belief. But on the flip side, if
(11:33):
he takes his first carry and Penrith smash him, they're
all going to go, oh, if he can't do it,
how are we going.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
To do it? Yeah? That intimidation either side.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
So I would kick to him or Lioda and just
let them go.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Let's have a little play here. What I think it's
a snapshot of how Penrith goalbent work in big games
in final series have a look at this set here,
and it's a frill set what they build to and
of course it's one of the back three. Take it forward,
you're doingwards. Then it gets dominated by whether it be
tot or and they get there again another outside back,
(12:07):
just alleviating the pressure off the forwards, and then Nathan
Cleary goes, you know what we got forward, Let's have
a crack at the forty. We're going to kick early
and we're going to chase really hard, looking for the
forty twenty bit. If we don't get it, we're going
to exert pressure, suffocating with our keick chase.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
So this is exactly why I think James Fisher Haarris
plays a part in the intel because if that's their style,
what would you do tie up in defense shoulder and shoulder. No,
they're going to go one two three outside backs and
Nathan normally stands behind Isaiaho when they want to shift
the ball. If he's standing up in front of Isaao
inside the forty meter, I guess what's happening. He's kicking
(12:43):
the ball. So there's little Yeah, a game is brutal,
but there's a game of chess that goes on as well,
and I just think if Fisher Harris can get that
across and Webster comes up with a plan with that
emotion of being a home ground, yeah, there just might
be a chance there. They are a long shot, but
they could be a chance.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
They've got to punch his change, you know, if they
can dictate the terms of the contest, mate, who knows,
you might get over there and it's pouring with ray
and becomes that sort of match and it.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Has to be their best performance by a country mile
in a long time.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Saturday Night Sharks and Rusters. I find this one really
really difficult to pick. Nico's coming through big one, big
big one. To make of that, yeah, I thought it
was the right decision. Was downgrade, to be honest. You know,
when I heard they were going to fight it, I
thought he'll be okay.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
I thought that too. It was right on the edge
of it. But I just don't like that. You can
be charged for one week, then something else comes in
and you can go, oh, no, minute, he's all right,
he can come through this. Get it right first, don't
stuff around and retract things.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Back three got to dominate yardis when the Sharks play great.
You see that back three they fire in YARDI so
they dominate the yardists. So you have to do that here,
particularly because the Sharks Ford's They're going to have their
hands full with Tedesco and the guy's just drilling through
the middle.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
If you'd have asked me the Shark's chances before the
weekend for winning, I would have gone, ah, no, not really.
But that was a very good performance.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Timing is everything.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
It was suddenly very very good. And I think the
key player in this game is for neuwel Blake. I
feel like Niko Heines is decision maker and now that
he's available, he'll be the guy that comes up with
the players right. If he can deliver on that alpha
male and smash the Rooster's pack and give his halves
the chance.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
I think the is what they're boarding for big time.
And you know it's just he's by his very like
he's own. If you ask someone I do I reckon
Faniel Blake's sees me and you go, oh, yeah, you
know he's been good. Really, if you didn't know who
he was, you go, this bloke is outstanding.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
And the other part to it too. If the Roosters
can't control him, it gives Brayley first chance to run,
and then we've seen when Brayley runs, Nico gets up
and starts becoming a support player.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
I mean Tedesco's impact, you know it speaks for itself.
Big final series for Semi Walker.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Yeah, I think so. Tedesco's just been brilliant. I'll win
the Dally M. But Sam Walker, I think the Roosters
have a couple of things to get right. Their completion rate.
They just cannot give the opposition too many opportunities, and
Sam Walker needs to get that perfect balance a bit
like Reeswash, Like if Sam gets the option to make
(15:32):
good decisions but then back himself for different parts.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Yeah, he could wins.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
I'm going to say, Roosters, I'm going to wait the
first fifteen minutes, and if Neil Blake's the best player
on the field, I think the Sharks can win. If
he's not, I think the Roosters win.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
On lining towards the Sharks at home. I like what
they're doing at the moment. They've had inconsistency through the year,
but timing is good. Brawley's you said last week, when
he scoops and goes, that's the bear of the Sharks.
We've seen that more and more bring out the best
to Nicos. So interesting game.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
It's a tight one, there's no doubt.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
Sure. Now massive one on Sunday Raiders and the Broncos.
Historically the Broncos Brisbane struggling camera.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Because it's forty degrees in Queensland. Now it's minor six
and camera.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Well that's it, Coops, even those great great Broncos sides
back in the day that even they struggle down there
because totally different conditions night football and cameras really you know, slippery,
it's quite wet, it's freezing cold, but Sunday afternoon football
and camera is fantastic. So that goes back towards them
a little bit.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
And you talk about the matchups, they're pretty even across
the board. Michael maguire vers Ricky Stuart pretty similar, Yeah,
Payne Huss, Patrick Carrigan, Tarpney, PAPAALII exciting, young, energetic outside
backs and then the shot caller and the seven is
an experience hand. Yeah right, so they're balanced. Well, So
I think the matchup for this is the forward packs
(16:59):
will deliver because of their experience. The hars will probably deliver,
But which one of the outside backs for both teams
gets up and about is it Weeks, is it, is
it Walsh? Is it typical or stags Like I feel
like whichever young energetic outside backs gets a moment like
a try earlier, a break of the tackle.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
I think.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
I think it feeds confidence.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Great great clash with the middle forwards.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Yeah yeah, I think they're going to just match each other, right.
I don't think one of them are going to turn
up and go have a bad day. I just feel
like it sits in the outside backs. Is there an intercept?
Is there a poor miss read defensively that allows someone
to score a try? I think this is a good matchup.
But Canbra should be super confident at home on a
Sunday afternoon.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Jez Jess Walsh has been good the last couple of weeks.
I thought his performance the other night was one of
the very best of his career. I thought he was
that good. You know, he played, he played one, he
played little to seven, played little bit six. I mean
the best example just after halftime is the big double play.
This one here, the ball knocks it down, gets a
(18:06):
beautiful little bounds, gets forty twenty and you know thirty
forty seconds later. You know, very typical, Recee Walsh, just
show speed speed.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
If you show that forty twenty again, I think a
lot more halves should do this. He's sitting behind the
ruck and the comes out to the right hand side,
which sends Papenhausen all the other way, and he just
pops out on the left hand side. Like, I think
that's a very clever play. That's not just made up
on the run, that's designed. That's sending Papenhausen the wrong
way and then a left foot of coming back and
(18:39):
then he doesn't finesse the ball that's through monster. It's
a left fend on monster. Yeah, he has put it together,
Reese Walsh. Since Adam Reynalds.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Went down, who wins Coops? Who wins this?
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Uh? Raiders? I think Raiders at home they need to Unfortunately,
like I feel if they lose this, the Raiders, it
could be bang bang out right. I feel like they
just need to capitalize on this. They need this moment
for them to progress further.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Let's all the eliminated teams just quickly give them a
rating out of ten. Who you thought their best player
was before?
Speaker 1 (19:18):
We do rating out of ten? If you get a
pass mark, it's got to be five above, right, So
there's not too many of these teams haven't passed the mark.
But I will I will do this. I'm going to
give the Dolphins at six. I thought, you know, through
all their injuries, through everything they went through, and then
Isaiah car told their best play, they're attack the best
in the competition. I thought they deserve to play finals,
(19:41):
and I'm going to give him a six. Very good
majority of the year.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
I'm a soft touch. I've actually gone seven and a half.
Just the fact that they were smashed by injuries. The
pack was decimated. Herbie is one of the most important players.
They lost him, and you know it was a lot
of young guys who blooded along a lot of young guys.
I was saying on out Sunday and I show last night,
if they have a decent run of injuries next year,
Carto was twelve months twelve months on old, the same
(20:07):
with Donahue and some of those other young players. I said,
don't we're playing finals football next year. They could easily
be a contender. They can improve that much.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
I agree with that.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
What about Manly, Manly, I've given a Manly five out
of ten. You look at the talent and the side
and what they did very it was. You know, that
side should be playing finals. They've got a great home ground,
were hard to all those things.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Are you even them before? I thought ol Kawatu when
he went down and hurt them, But they at the
first part of the year were looking like top four
bound and obviously Daily did his thing and they just
fell apart. They should not be sitting on the sidelines
at this time.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
And I thought their best player was Cola, you know,
and Manly's dramas at the back end of the year
I think just highlighted what a fantastic season he had.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
I could mount a case for the Eels down the
bottom ladder for the start of the year, jumped up
into eleven. You know, they've almost had a six out
of ten year too, But I'm going to give him
five just because of their poor start. But Moses makes
them a twelve, fourteen to fifteen point better team. He's
that important tool.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
I've give him a seven half out of ten. I
know they finish, you are I have massively self touched.
I'm just really excited for next year. Every individual in
that side improved, even the veteran players. Josh had a
car Juba and and as far as improvements can get,
you give them a ten out of ten. But they've
(21:34):
earned an emerging superstar.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Man what a football go didn't it was the best
player for the Cowboys, which is twelfth. That's straight up
with that roster and what they have done before. Their
heights are borderline top four and their worst is so.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
Much talent so little Greek.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
Give them two out of ten. It was it was
a bad year for the Cowboys. Like they showed signs
that they could do it, then they showed signs that
they're just a few years away. But I don't know.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Jackson Purdue was probably young.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
There's a lot of good things about the Cowboys.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Yeah, that's like just so frustrating. We got to Tigers,
who was the thirteenth. I've given them. I've got them
a six out of ten, and that's that's based on
the fact they dealt with a lot of stuff at
the start of the year and then I thought their
mid season was outstanding. But I thought they're back. I
thought there last month was really disappointing. I thought that
(22:34):
that lost to the Cowboys just really pricked the balloon and.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Even even on the weekend up by twenty odd or
something and run down like the Tigers are improved under Benji.
I'm going to give them boardline five.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
A number of players, usual suspects, appy chorus sound was
trivic dream Buller, I'm going to roll mate. I thought
I thought he was. He's proven to be really a
great buy and his brother arrive late Taylor May Wow.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
I'm going to give Buller their best player at the moment.
I just really like he is the point of difference
when he gets going. He's the guy that can score
points for him.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
South fourteenth I'll give him five out of ten based
on the fact no team have been smashed. I don't
think in the last decade like Souths have been smashed.
There were some weeks that the team was just unrecognizable.
But the silver lining is the fact they blooded a
lot of young guys who showed a bit. So next
year if they can have a decent run of injuries,
they've got a lot of depth.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
A bit like elm was South so fooththrd but just
didn't have the class in the field at the time.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
I thought Joe Grave was.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
It needs to be in their team. Joe Gray, like,
if you're going to win a finals match in September
of South, I think the Trolls your fullback. But I'll
tell you what. You cannot leave Joe.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Gray out now you can Dragons fifteenth, I've given him.
I've given him a five. Really thought, look, coops, I
reckon they've improved from last year. I thought the last month,
the couple of the games in this last month, we're terrible.
They let themselves down. Start of the year. They gave
a lot of cheek. They lost a lot of narrow games.
(24:07):
I thought their mid season you saw and pick up
the end was disappointing.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
But I agree. They had a couple of one point
losses in the first half of the year and Gutherson
was their best player a country mile. But then something
happened at the back end. They struggle to score points.
If Gutson didn't do something, they were sort of down
and out a little bit.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
Titans. Look Saturday night, they showed what they're capable of
when they apply themselves in their second half. There's no
excuses for their poor season. I gave them three out
of ten. You just expect, you expect more. It's a
really big season next year for a lot of individuals
on that side. I think, I think Hannay, I think
you'll see the Titans move up into the mid table
(24:52):
under Josh Hannay, but some bakes them to really pull
their socks up.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
I put them in the cowboys category. They've just got
origin type players in todayational players. And if you can't
defend well for long periods of time and just rely
on your attack to win every week, you're going to
lose more games than you win.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
And the Knights apologies another Wooden spurn. Really I feel
for the supporters and the community up there because they
this year, they just kept turning up and turned it
up and turning up, and the last six weeks really disappointing.
They had a bad run of injuries. They lost their
attacking sparks in Kaylon Poer, Fletcher Sharp and Dylan Lucas.
(25:33):
We haven't spoken a lot about Dylan Lucas. He was
huge loss and he was in my opinion, I think
I had Dylan Lucas is our best player.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
Gag Guy was for me the most consistent player for
the Knights a bad year, and O'Brien Whatt four finals
in six seasons like he's a good coach who when
given a job, can do it as an assistant and
obviously the limelight got a bit to at different stages
they this is a really important decision that it's for
(26:02):
the next coach. There's some holes in that program that
we've spoken about, but on field performance in terms of
the list and where it goes to the next coach
appointment is a big.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
One excellent coops job. With that shirt, you're going to
seal it, not
Speaker 1 (26:24):
H
Well keeps here we are you just come from the
nightclub with that shirt on? Is that your shirt of wardrobe?
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Wardrobe? But it's about the mind shirt. You ever pinched
any stuff from him?
Speaker 1 (00:12):
No, I haven't.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Okay, let's talk about the finals and one of the
most crucial things when it comes to finals football, there's
the spine. Crucial factor of course, yardage of course, but
the spine. Let's rank the various spines one.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Number one, we think alike Cleary.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
To Lungey Edwards, the captain of defense, Mitch Canny, and
you've got to have Isaiah in the in the spine.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
When I was sitting down through it, going through, I
was trying to find who was the best. And there's
arguments for the Raiders with their speed, There's arguments for
the Broncos with Roos Walsh and the Rusters are there
as well. But I just can't go past Nathan Cleary
and how he's bought lung Elong. But if there was
one thing that the Panthers spine needed, it needed some
(01:03):
sparks and energy, some youthfulness, and he is just working
with Nathan and just that combination when he moves right,
Nathan Blaze knows needs to move out this side of
the field. It's starting to warm up.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
It is to start warm up. And you know, I
like about Blaze through the year, through the middle of
the year, started to find his feet in the system,
but actually still started to do for a little ball
playing and stuff like that. But I expect that in
this final series you will see him essentially as a
ball running. You got your Isaiah and you've got Nathan there,
(01:36):
Chip and I over your ball playing. You don't need another
bloke for nessing the ball sideways. I think he'll be a.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Runner and the game managers are Isaiaho and Nathan, so
he can just literally you take care of options. What
are you going to number two? I've got the Raiders.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
I've got the Raiders as well. Foggedy, Strange, kayle Weeks,
Tom Starling, energy, confidence, Foggedy is the glue.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
He's the glue. But here's the one it is under
pressure and the one that needs to bring that whole
thing together. They have had a tremendous year and Foguti
has his best year so far. But here's the one
that needs to make really good decisions through September if
they are to win the Grand Final. There will be
a lot of players on the Raiders' rosters that will
(02:18):
get more attention. But you said he's the clue. If
he makes rock solar decisions, gets the ball to Weeks
and Strange at the right time, connects Potaphany to those
outside backs, they can do it. And I think he
is the one that I have a question mark over
whether he can or not.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
But number two, this is exciting Number three roosters.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
I just like the balance. Tedesco is playing career best football,
Connor Watson's doing a really good thing, and then Hugo
Savala's kicking game compliments what Sam brings. Sam probably has
a point of difference to most has in this competition.
Probably rees Walsh esque right that teams would be worried.
So if they can put it together, I think they
(03:02):
can be danger.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Like teams three to six, there's not a lot of them.
They can interchangeable. I've gone the broncos. I can ask
you a question here because Adam Reynolds, Ben Hunt, Reece
Walsh and Billy Walters and they mix and match a
little bit with the nine. Firstly, Adam Reynolds is if
he's available Sunday, does.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
He go straight back here.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Yep, definitely straight back here. Okay, see one.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
I think he's the germal Fog Brisbane Definitely. I think
he Mark's really good decison. Yes, the Broncos have played
well since he's gone down, and Ben Hunt is an
experienced campaigner, but Rees Walsh has gone through the roof
in terms of his performance and I feel like in
big games he's going to sit on the red line
and he could tip over either way. If he gets
(03:44):
it right, he'll be damaging. But I think Renolds needs
to come back in.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
He's a left of center question for you because Billy
Walders has been so good a six. It's he's been outstanding.
It's fantastic at fourteen, he's great at nine, but almost
six he's gone to another level. Again, question for you,
if you've got Reno Adam Renolds in the seven and
you've got you got Reese Walsh in the one, Ben
Hunt and Billy Walders, is there a temptation to go
(04:09):
Ben Hunt nine Billy Walders six.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Ah, not for me.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Okay, move Onore.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
I think Billy Walters has been a point of difference
for the Bronx off the bench, play longer minutes. I'm
not going to say start six. I think Ben hunts Stay's.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
There number before. I've got Melbourne Storm. You know Jerome Hughes.
Of course, question is Wishart or Peasant? Who who who
plays seven?
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Peasant?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Okay, I think, But.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
I like Harry Grant's back in month, so that's what
I've doubling down on.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
He's the focal point in Harry number number five. I've
got roosters there, Yep, it could be Look, that could
be number three. You go seem off the bench to
desk to Desco might go it.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Career best football. Bronco's fifth for me, but then sixth would.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Mean the Sharks yep for me as well.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Yep. I think Nicko Heines played really well the other day.
Brawley's in good touch. That's the key there. The I
have seventh myself, just that rhythm of Galvin Burton, you know,
the Marney Hayward thing, Salmon Kurt Meant. There's a lot
of moving parts and they just haven't found the right.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Mix and coops. I looked through the other side. I
know who the chief playmaker is. Those top ones like
Adam Reynolds at the Broncos Nathan without without a doubt.
He goes without saying, and Jamal Foggart is the glue there,
I look at ballots, who's the glue? Who's the boss?
Speaker 1 (05:29):
It's almost like Matt Burton does it in the yardage
because he's long kicking game and then gets the middle.
Jamis Salmon steps up for a little bit, but when
they split halves Galvin and Preston it's they're not They
don't seem to be on the light and was the.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Then smashed with their spine. Metalf was a monumental loss.
Tenor Boyd chance with Sam Wade Egan so important.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
But yeah, what about Storm Verse Dogs mate cops? First?
Speaker 2 (05:56):
A question for who's in better form? Yea, the dogs are?
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, yeah, I mean I think they are.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
But I'm going to ask you a question here. The
question I could ask you is Kendon Melbourne Storm win
the competition? Well, of course they can win the competition.
There's five thousand bucks.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Is it yours of mine?
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Hey?
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Is it yours of mine? I'm taking it?
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Yeah, So I give you five greend. You got to
put it on any team in the finals. Do you
put it on Melbourne?
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (06:31):
I do do?
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Yeah, yes, I do. Look, I just feel like what
happened last year, I've been there, I've lost Grand Finals
and it plays a part. They're not playing well at
the moment. But in terms of Storm versus Dogs, you
talk about the matchup, I think this is one of
the coach's box. I don't think it's two players on
the field that determine who wins. I think it can
(06:53):
Craig Bell me pull out the magic dust and get
that team back on track and play like they are
because you don't forget to write a bike this team
could play. I mean, it's just falling off a cliff
the last two weeks. The Dogs on the other side, well,
I think they were the best team for the majority
of the year when they were doubling down on their defense.
(07:14):
Then they made a couple of decisions and now they've thought, oh,
if we're going to beat the best teams, we need
to be more creative with the ball in hand. And
I think they've dropped DNA defensively.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Totally agree, Totally agree, And do you know what coops
The other night with Melbourne, I thought the first time
for a long time, I saw Melbourne trying to put
football their way out of trouble. Like I think, and
I understand Harry Green not being there. They're pushing the
ball sideways. They were forcing their attack game and coming
(07:43):
up with a lot of errors.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
I think for Melbourne to be great and win, no
Pabenzen and Hughes this week, they almost need the rest
of the team to focus on stopping the opposition and
just doing their role and just trust Harry and Monster
come up with the players. Don't get too cute trying
to design this elaborate way of dismantling the Dogs. Just
(08:08):
take them on through the front and when a quick
play the ball comes, trust that Harry Grant Munster will deliver.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Regress. Yeah, that's right. Question for the Dogs. Another left
left center one that crazes out. Of course, Montoya is out,
Bronze and Cherry is out. Which is which is a
big one? Okay, Bronze and Cherry is out left side center.
Let's throw something that cha please, don't just dismiss it.
I'll wait till you throw and Burton left center. Galvin
(08:36):
six sext in the seventh thought.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Honestly, you're not far off the mark, But I don't
think they'd do it.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
They wouldn't swallow prior.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
I don't think so. Their kicking game, long king game
particularly is effective. We saw what happened with Burton went
there on the weekend. You know, their long king game suffered.
So we got at half time, got moved back in
the sixth I just yeah, I put sections on the
bench for me. There you go, he's on the bench.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Okay. Said along that, who wins? Do you think Melbourne win?
Not a chance the Dogs. So I think the last
time they played they really took it to Melbourne in
that second half.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
What they need to do is the middle forward's leg
speed defensively, need to get back to swarm in the
opposition wist Penrith.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Tough road trip to Auckland, but very tough matchup for
the Warriors. I want to talk about Nathan for a second.
He's the key man in this most probably the key
man in the finals, just to his precision against the Dragons.
And I thought there's a couple little things for a
clue of how they're going to go about their work
in this final series. And we've spoken about this before.
They're are very as far as their attack is very much,
(09:49):
very cerebral, very much an exact science and we talk
about the play for the play. A little example here
where they scored the first try against the Dragons. Now
there they go, they go past a far past. Now
what's this, Yes, now Nathan's going to drop someone off
here or one of his fours. Now you see where
the Dragon solve this problem. It is solved from the
inside right, which means they've taken a defender from the
(10:12):
other side. Very clever. They've gone back that way and
we're seeing that more and more rut with Cooper.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Here we are. This is where I think James Fisher
Harris plays a part in this game. I think he's
the key man in this game. I've played finals against
a team that a new inside out. Now Peith are
not going to change their style yep. In the finals.
Every time they get the good ball, when they drop
off a player, they hardly ever go on to keep going.
What I mean by that is that play there they
(10:37):
don't go to the right. Nathan will drop off of
play and do the overload principle and shift back to
the side where the play the ball came from. Why
because the fullback might get the numbers wrong and they
feel like it's harder to get it's easy to set
that short side first, but then shifting. I think Fisher
Harris plays a huge part in this game. Two things.
(10:58):
One for intel, he knows how to play webson, knows
come up with a plan, a defensive plan to stop
their attack. On the flip side, I think him coming
up against Moses Leoda.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Something is so good. It's like an old fashioned softening
up period.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Yeah, and it's almost like I don't know who's going
to kick off, but kick to the other one and
I want to see both of them go into it.
Because there's a spirit about Fisher Harris that I believe
if he can have a first carry and smash the
Panthers pack, I think it gives Halma Cape well all
those other forwards belief. But on the flip side, if
(11:33):
he takes his first carry and Penrith smash him, they're
all going to go, oh, if he can't do it,
how are we going.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
To do it? Yeah? That intimidation either side.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
So I would kick to him or Lioda and just
let them go.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Let's have a little play here. What I think it's
a snapshot of how Penrith goalbent work in big games
in final series have a look at this set here,
and it's a frill set what they build to and
of course it's one of the back three. Take it forward,
you're doingwards. Then it gets dominated by whether it be
tot or and they get there again another outside back,
(12:07):
just alleviating the pressure off the forwards, and then Nathan
Cleary goes, you know what we got forward, Let's have
a crack at the forty. We're going to kick early
and we're going to chase really hard, looking for the
forty twenty bit. If we don't get it, we're going
to exert pressure, suffocating with our keick chase.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
So this is exactly why I think James Fisher Haarris
plays a part in the intel because if that's their style,
what would you do tie up in defense shoulder and shoulder. No,
they're going to go one two three outside backs and
Nathan normally stands behind Isaiaho when they want to shift
the ball. If he's standing up in front of Isaao
inside the forty meter, I guess what's happening. He's kicking
(12:43):
the ball. So there's little Yeah, a game is brutal,
but there's a game of chess that goes on as well,
and I just think if Fisher Harris can get that
across and Webster comes up with a plan with that
emotion of being a home ground, yeah, there just might
be a chance there. They are a long shot, but
they could be a chance.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
They've got to punch his change, you know, if they
can dictate the terms of the contest, mate, who knows,
you might get over there and it's pouring with ray
and becomes that sort of match and it.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Has to be their best performance by a country mile
in a long time.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Saturday Night Sharks and Rusters. I find this one really
really difficult to pick. Nico's coming through big one, big
big one. To make of that, yeah, I thought it
was the right decision. Was downgrade, to be honest. You know,
when I heard they were going to fight it, I
thought he'll be okay.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
I thought that too. It was right on the edge
of it. But I just don't like that. You can
be charged for one week, then something else comes in
and you can go, oh, no, minute, he's all right,
he can come through this. Get it right first, don't
stuff around and retract things.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Back three got to dominate yardis when the Sharks play great.
You see that back three they fire in YARDI so
they dominate the yardists. So you have to do that here,
particularly because the Sharks Ford's They're going to have their
hands full with Tedesco and the guy's just drilling through
the middle.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
If you'd have asked me the Shark's chances before the
weekend for winning, I would have gone, ah, no, not really.
But that was a very good performance.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Timing is everything.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
It was suddenly very very good. And I think the
key player in this game is for neuwel Blake. I
feel like Niko Heines is decision maker and now that
he's available, he'll be the guy that comes up with
the players right. If he can deliver on that alpha
male and smash the Rooster's pack and give his halves
the chance.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
I think the is what they're boarding for big time.
And you know it's just he's by his very like
he's own. If you ask someone I do I reckon
Faniel Blake's sees me and you go, oh, yeah, you
know he's been good. Really, if you didn't know who
he was, you go, this bloke is outstanding.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
And the other part to it too. If the Roosters
can't control him, it gives Brayley first chance to run,
and then we've seen when Brayley runs, Nico gets up
and starts becoming a support player.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
I mean Tedesco's impact, you know it speaks for itself.
Big final series for Semi Walker.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Yeah, I think so. Tedesco's just been brilliant. I'll win
the Dally M. But Sam Walker, I think the Roosters
have a couple of things to get right. Their completion rate.
They just cannot give the opposition too many opportunities, and
Sam Walker needs to get that perfect balance a bit
like Reeswash, Like if Sam gets the option to make
(15:32):
good decisions but then back himself for different parts.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Yeah, he could wins.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
I'm going to say, Roosters, I'm going to wait the
first fifteen minutes, and if Neil Blake's the best player
on the field, I think the Sharks can win. If
he's not, I think the Roosters win.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
On lining towards the Sharks at home. I like what
they're doing at the moment. They've had inconsistency through the year,
but timing is good. Brawley's you said last week, when
he scoops and goes, that's the bear of the Sharks.
We've seen that more and more bring out the best
to Nicos. So interesting game.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
It's a tight one, there's no doubt.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
Sure. Now massive one on Sunday Raiders and the Broncos.
Historically the Broncos Brisbane struggling camera.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Because it's forty degrees in Queensland. Now it's minor six
and camera.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Well that's it, Coops, even those great great Broncos sides
back in the day that even they struggle down there
because totally different conditions night football and cameras really you know, slippery,
it's quite wet, it's freezing cold, but Sunday afternoon football
and camera is fantastic. So that goes back towards them
a little bit.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
And you talk about the matchups, they're pretty even across
the board. Michael maguire vers Ricky Stuart pretty similar, Yeah,
Payne Huss, Patrick Carrigan, Tarpney, PAPAALII exciting, young, energetic outside
backs and then the shot caller and the seven is
an experience hand. Yeah right, so they're balanced. Well, So
I think the matchup for this is the forward packs
(16:59):
will deliver because of their experience. The hars will probably deliver,
But which one of the outside backs for both teams
gets up and about is it Weeks, is it, is
it Walsh? Is it typical or stags Like I feel
like whichever young energetic outside backs gets a moment like
a try earlier, a break of the tackle.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
I think.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
I think it feeds confidence.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Great great clash with the middle forwards.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Yeah yeah, I think they're going to just match each other, right.
I don't think one of them are going to turn
up and go have a bad day. I just feel
like it sits in the outside backs. Is there an intercept?
Is there a poor miss read defensively that allows someone
to score a try? I think this is a good matchup.
But Canbra should be super confident at home on a
Sunday afternoon.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Jez Jess Walsh has been good the last couple of weeks.
I thought his performance the other night was one of
the very best of his career. I thought he was
that good. You know, he played, he played one, he
played little to seven, played little bit six. I mean
the best example just after halftime is the big double play.
This one here, the ball knocks it down, gets a
(18:06):
beautiful little bounds, gets forty twenty and you know thirty
forty seconds later. You know, very typical, Recee Walsh, just
show speed speed.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
If you show that forty twenty again, I think a
lot more halves should do this. He's sitting behind the
ruck and the comes out to the right hand side,
which sends Papenhausen all the other way, and he just
pops out on the left hand side. Like, I think
that's a very clever play. That's not just made up
on the run, that's designed. That's sending Papenhausen the wrong
way and then a left foot of coming back and
(18:39):
then he doesn't finesse the ball that's through monster. It's
a left fend on monster. Yeah, he has put it together,
Reese Walsh. Since Adam Reynalds.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Went down, who wins Coops? Who wins this?
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Uh? Raiders? I think Raiders at home they need to Unfortunately,
like I feel if they lose this, the Raiders, it
could be bang bang out right. I feel like they
just need to capitalize on this. They need this moment
for them to progress further.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Let's all the eliminated teams just quickly give them a
rating out of ten. Who you thought their best player
was before?
Speaker 1 (19:18):
We do rating out of ten? If you get a
pass mark, it's got to be five above, right, So
there's not too many of these teams haven't passed the mark.
But I will I will do this. I'm going to
give the Dolphins at six. I thought, you know, through
all their injuries, through everything they went through, and then
Isaiah car told their best play, they're attack the best
in the competition. I thought they deserve to play finals,
(19:41):
and I'm going to give him a six. Very good
majority of the year.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
I'm a soft touch. I've actually gone seven and a half.
Just the fact that they were smashed by injuries. The
pack was decimated. Herbie is one of the most important players.
They lost him, and you know it was a lot
of young guys who blooded along a lot of young guys.
I was saying on out Sunday and I show last night,
if they have a decent run of injuries next year,
Carto was twelve months twelve months on old, the same
(20:07):
with Donahue and some of those other young players. I said,
don't we're playing finals football next year. They could easily
be a contender. They can improve that much.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
I agree with that.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
What about Manly, Manly, I've given a Manly five out
of ten. You look at the talent and the side
and what they did very it was. You know, that
side should be playing finals. They've got a great home ground,
were hard to all those things.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Are you even them before? I thought ol Kawatu when
he went down and hurt them, But they at the
first part of the year were looking like top four
bound and obviously Daily did his thing and they just
fell apart. They should not be sitting on the sidelines
at this time.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
And I thought their best player was Cola, you know,
and Manly's dramas at the back end of the year
I think just highlighted what a fantastic season he had.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
I could mount a case for the Eels down the
bottom ladder for the start of the year, jumped up
into eleven. You know, they've almost had a six out
of ten year too, But I'm going to give him
five just because of their poor start. But Moses makes
them a twelve, fourteen to fifteen point better team. He's
that important tool.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
I've give him a seven half out of ten. I
know they finish, you are I have massively self touched.
I'm just really excited for next year. Every individual in
that side improved, even the veteran players. Josh had a
car Juba and and as far as improvements can get,
you give them a ten out of ten. But they've
(21:34):
earned an emerging superstar.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Man what a football go didn't it was the best
player for the Cowboys, which is twelfth. That's straight up
with that roster and what they have done before. Their
heights are borderline top four and their worst is so.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
Much talent so little Greek.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
Give them two out of ten. It was it was
a bad year for the Cowboys. Like they showed signs
that they could do it, then they showed signs that
they're just a few years away. But I don't know.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Jackson Purdue was probably young.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
There's a lot of good things about the Cowboys.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Yeah, that's like just so frustrating. We got to Tigers,
who was the thirteenth. I've given them. I've got them
a six out of ten, and that's that's based on
the fact they dealt with a lot of stuff at
the start of the year and then I thought their
mid season was outstanding. But I thought they're back. I
thought there last month was really disappointing. I thought that
(22:34):
that lost to the Cowboys just really pricked the balloon and.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Even even on the weekend up by twenty odd or
something and run down like the Tigers are improved under Benji.
I'm going to give them boardline five.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
A number of players, usual suspects, appy chorus sound was
trivic dream Buller, I'm going to roll mate. I thought
I thought he was. He's proven to be really a
great buy and his brother arrive late Taylor May Wow.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
I'm going to give Buller their best player at the moment.
I just really like he is the point of difference
when he gets going. He's the guy that can score
points for him.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
South fourteenth I'll give him five out of ten based
on the fact no team have been smashed. I don't
think in the last decade like Souths have been smashed.
There were some weeks that the team was just unrecognizable.
But the silver lining is the fact they blooded a
lot of young guys who showed a bit. So next
year if they can have a decent run of injuries,
they've got a lot of depth.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
A bit like elm was South so fooththrd but just
didn't have the class in the field at the time.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
I thought Joe Grave was.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
It needs to be in their team. Joe Gray, like,
if you're going to win a finals match in September
of South, I think the Trolls your fullback. But I'll
tell you what. You cannot leave Joe.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Gray out now you can Dragons fifteenth, I've given him.
I've given him a five. Really thought, look, coops, I
reckon they've improved from last year. I thought the last month,
the couple of the games in this last month, we're terrible.
They let themselves down. Start of the year. They gave
a lot of cheek. They lost a lot of narrow games.
(24:07):
I thought their mid season you saw and pick up
the end was disappointing.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
But I agree. They had a couple of one point
losses in the first half of the year and Gutherson
was their best player a country mile. But then something
happened at the back end. They struggle to score points.
If Gutson didn't do something, they were sort of down
and out a little bit.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
Titans. Look Saturday night, they showed what they're capable of
when they apply themselves in their second half. There's no
excuses for their poor season. I gave them three out
of ten. You just expect, you expect more. It's a
really big season next year for a lot of individuals
on that side. I think, I think Hannay, I think
you'll see the Titans move up into the mid table
(24:52):
under Josh Hannay, but some bakes them to really pull
their socks up.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
I put them in the cowboys category. They've just got
origin type players in todayational players. And if you can't
defend well for long periods of time and just rely
on your attack to win every week, you're going to
lose more games than you win.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
And the Knights apologies another Wooden spurn. Really I feel
for the supporters and the community up there because they
this year, they just kept turning up and turned it
up and turning up, and the last six weeks really disappointing.
They had a bad run of injuries. They lost their
attacking sparks in Kaylon Poer, Fletcher Sharp and Dylan Lucas.
(25:33):
We haven't spoken a lot about Dylan Lucas. He was
huge loss and he was in my opinion, I think
I had Dylan Lucas is our best player.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
Gag Guy was for me the most consistent player for
the Knights a bad year, and O'Brien Whatt four finals
in six seasons like he's a good coach who when
given a job, can do it as an assistant and
obviously the limelight got a bit to at different stages
they this is a really important decision that it's for
(26:02):
the next coach. There's some holes in that program that
we've spoken about, but on field performance in terms of
the list and where it goes to the next coach
appointment is a big.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
One excellent coops job. With that shirt, you're going to
seal it, not
Speaker 1 (26:24):
H
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