September 23, 2025 • 29 mins
Catch up on all the Rugby League news from NRL 360, Thursday September 18th, with hosts Braith Anasta and Gorden Tallis.
Braith Anasta and Gorden Tallis are joined by Dean Richie and Paul Crawley to unpack a massive week of finals footy on NRL 360.The panel dives into the both headline game on the weekend, who will dominate the game Walsh or Cleary?, plus did Gus Gould's changes during the season hurt the Bulldogs finals campaign.
For more of the show, tune in on Fox League CH 502 or stream full episodes on KAYO.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I was three sixty Rugby League from every angle, brought
to you by Regain joining me again the great cordin
Tallis Spring the journals in Paul Crawley and Dean Richie.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
How good was that?
Speaker 1 (00:10):
For a scene set out of the Melbourne Storm taking
on the Crno Sharks and Bulldog Fanila Blake says that
he fears no one.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Yeah, absolutely, Braith. I spoke to the big fellow down
there at Shark Park for a media day yesterday, quote unquote,
I have never feared anyone, and I'm not about to
start now.
Speaker 4 (00:28):
Bite down on your mouthguard.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Let's fight fire with fire, and I'm taking this game personally.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
This is good. This is big Blocker circa twenty twenty five.
Speaker 5 (00:38):
I was you in the two shot and I saw
that on the news last night.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
It was a free shot because he was about two
heads bigger than me.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
He asked you something. Did he fear you though?
Speaker 6 (00:45):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (00:45):
He checked me over a bit breath. I think it
was a bit intimidated.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
But as a journalist, none.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
As a journalist, he's lucky physical seen. But you know what,
I love a bike that.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Comes out pregame and has a whack good on him.
He's drawn a line in the sand, Gord. He wants
to rip in and he's basically saying, follow me, I'll
lead you into battle.
Speaker 7 (01:05):
Absolutely, that's what your front rowers are supposed to say.
That's what pretty much the four teams left I supposed
to be saying as well. And the last time the
Sharks won, they had a front row like him and
Andrew for Feeder. They had a big body in the
front that could do something different, had a bit of
X factor, you know, and Andrew for Feeder. He scored
that winning, tried to put Melbourne out of it. If
we all remember and when and when.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
You listen to Craig Fitzgibbon talk about him and how
he describes him as a man like he's the man
on the field and he's the man off the field.
Like the difference he's made to that club in both areas,
it's been enormous.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
What are going forward to What about the match up
Grant v.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Brawley, Well, Harry Grant, Harry Grant since Origin won his
worst game, the way that he's responded to that and
led the Storm this year, and as Matt Nabel just
said in that opener, he is Melbourne's main man at
the moment, but Brayley's leadership on and off the field.
He's a man of actions, not necessarily words. He's so crafty,
(02:04):
he is intelligent, and he's so tough and it's underrated
how tough he is.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
I'm really looking forward.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Let's take a look at the ins and outs for
the prelim finals thanks to Sports Better. I don't think
I've seen bigger inns to prelims than this. Jerome Hughes
has been named at seven for the Melbourne Storm with
that dislocated shoulder returning from the broken wrists. Now Pappenhausen
returns also from injury. Kfusi onto the bench for Hazelton
(02:30):
for the Sharks. Now the combination here Reynolds at halfback
and Ezra Man named on the bench for the Brisbane
Broncos at the right time of the year and the
Pendeth Panthers after their demolition of the Dogs are unchanged.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Let's start with Melbourne firstly.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Jerome Hughes interestingly gets selected under a huge injury clout
racing the clock.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
To get back, but he has been named.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (02:54):
Look, I was at that game live just as a spectator.
When he played Brisbane and he was struggling before that.
I don't know whether his shoulders like he sub black
sid or you know, so hopefully he's right, but it's
all chips in in it for the Melbourne Storm. They
probably need him because they lost a fair bit that night.
I thought with Harry and Munster they were probably a
little bit lost without you know, Hughes and his running game,
(03:16):
and Papa isn't out the back, so there's a fair
bit of X fact they come back.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
They did check him with Melbourne to day gents and
he's been training all week, but today was the first
time he did contact, so they haven't led on as
to how he pulled through that. We've seen no press releases,
so assume it's okay.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
But it's a game. There's no doubting it's.
Speaker 7 (03:34):
The last time was Shane Webke what twenty twenty odd
days and I played with Shane webkn that game. He's tough,
different position, one's a front rower. But Webby was in
a fair bit of pain with it right, He's going
to get a fair bit of traffic, would you would imagine?
Speaker 3 (03:47):
It was interesting listening to Cooper Kronk talk about this
on the Cooper and Maddie podcast the other day. He
actually said if people would have known how bad his
shoulder was going into that Grand Final with Roosters, he
doesn't think they would have won because they would have
targeted him more.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
And yet everyone.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Knows that Hughes has done. He's dessiccated his shoulder and
now he's got a broken arm. So you would think
if Bellamy's ready to back in, Hughes has told him
that he's right, there can be no excuses, but they
will go after it.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
It to be cool too, because they've got Wishart at fourteen.
No Jonah Pezzant after his performance a couple of weeks ago.
So hopefully he is fit and firing and gets through
the game because they need him to win now. Adam
Reynolds and Reese Wall relishing the chance to avenge their
twenty twenty three Grand Final loss ahead of their sun
Court showdown with the Panther.
Speaker 5 (04:39):
Racy can do whatever he wants to do.
Speaker 8 (04:42):
I'm there a pretty much guy the boys around the
park and if while she sees an opportunity, well I'm
more for while she to get the ball, the media
can make what they want over the last couple of months.
But prior to that, I was trying to get while
she probably more ball. I'll do whatever it requires for
the team to win. If that was for me to
sit out, then I'll i'd sit out.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
How do you reflect them? Twenty three Grand Final? And
does that? Does that motivate you?
Speaker 8 (05:05):
I'm sure it motivates everyone in each and every way.
But for me, it's it's a new opportunity. It's a
new team pretty much, it's new coaching staff, you know,
new players in that group all about. There's still a
lot of that group here, mate. It's another great opportunity.
I'm coming towards the back end.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
Of my career.
Speaker 6 (05:19):
The boys were eleven man down, Will it was fifty
to sixteen points down with fifteen minutes ago, whatever it was,
And yeah, a few swear words were said, and we're
just like, we're just going to go after it. So
everyone's got a role in the team and Big Pano, Patty,
they're their jobs to kick, chase, run hard and my
job is to execute those moments.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
So how do you stop mat thing clearing made like
he crueled you in the twenty twenty three Grand Final.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
How do you deal with it?
Speaker 4 (05:41):
How does he deal with us?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
That's one question mate.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
No, it's exciting.
Speaker 6 (05:45):
He's world class player made and if you give him opportunities,
going to take it.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
It's like the same as us.
Speaker 6 (05:49):
If they give us opportunities, we're going to take it.
So I guess it's just trying to minimize them.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
And then yeah, I'm looking forward to a challenge. How
does he deal with us? That's so good. I love that.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
That's such a great response from Rhys Walsh. Now the
master conductor comes up against the master magician.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
This is mouth watering.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
I loved what Walsh said.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Then it's I've had a crack at him in the
past for being too cocky in different things, but that's
just honor self belief. He believes he's at the peak
of his powers right now. That performance when he came
on against the Raiders the other day was something special.
But Cleary, Cleary, and what we saw from him in
the first half on the weekend. You know who wins
(06:33):
this battle? Is it the conductor or is it the magician?
Because Cleari will Cleari will pick Walsh apart in areas
that won't get the same focus. Walsh is so brilliant
with the ball sometimes can be a little bit lazy
in defense, and his positional play and the way Cleary
(06:55):
his eyes just darting across the field last week, going
from one side to the going back again.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
It's clearly his.
Speaker 7 (07:02):
Kicking game is going to put pressure on him more
than any and that's where Reese Walsh.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
At times is going to have to be on his guard.
Speaker 7 (07:07):
And then if you go back to the twenty three
Grand Final long time ago, where they made those long runs,
but there's remember we're around Cleary's side, so there's a battle,
but every player thinks that no one says it.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
You tell you what breath.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
If you're going to pit the two stars against each other,
I know whose game.
Speaker 9 (07:26):
I'd like to be backing under pressure.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Nathan in the finals is irresistible, where I don't think
Reeese Walsh, as brilliant as he is, can be temperamental.
I'm sure they'll sledge him, they might bowl him over
after he's passed the ball. They'll be up in his
grill because they know if he is temperamental, that he
can unravel to some degree where the iceman will never
ever get rattled.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
He's at different levels.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
Now, this is career those two games.
Speaker 7 (07:53):
He's twenty minutes against Canberra was sixteen, and Hal was
on the.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
Back of the Melbourne performance too.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
He was going, good if things don't go good, that's
what I want.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
I realized that good.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
But I'm saying in that period though, I want to
see Reese, if he's put under the heat, under the pump.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
Individually, how he stands up.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
You know how Reynolds just said he kind of downplayed
the twenty twenty three Grand Final and how they fell.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
Apart and lost.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
How is that not a motivation for these blokes though,
because at that point they had that game won, they
had a Grand Final one. Surely, if nothing else, it
drives them to play out the four minutes.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
It's a definite motivator.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
And having lost the Grand Final and back in the roses.
And I've told this story a few times, but in
twenty ten we lost and we're in a position to
win it. And then the same group, well similar group
got a chance a few years later. I remember at
the time thing and these guys don't realize what they
missed out on. He I was at the back end
of my career. They're quite young. Two years later to
(08:50):
two or three years later they won it, and it's
definitely a motivator, but it's also when you lose one.
You know they're not easy to win and they're few
and far between and it hurts. So for sure, I
think they'll benefit from that loss, even though it was heartbreaking.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
It'll make him a better team. Now you said it.
Throughout the year, Reese Walsh does.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Have some deficiencies in his defense, and you think that
the Panthers will trying to capitalize.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
On that just the way that Cleary plays.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Clearly, this grand final play was a dummy half, wasn't
he at marker? And Cleary got him at that final moment.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
You've seen moments during the year.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
And this is not having a crack at Reese because
he's so brilliant to watch, but there are parts of
his defensive game that you've seen over the course of
the season where that's Tedesco. He's going at a million miles.
You watch this where this comes back. I think Clifford
puts the kick in and he's still standing over the
other side of the field, you know what I mean.
And there was a few moments in that game and
(09:49):
you just see these every now and then. And if
I see them, I reckon clear he might be seeing
them and it'll just be interesting to see how it
all goes.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
And Gordon, you mentioned it too.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Under the high balls like Cleary will put more pressure
on him than anyone's been able to. The Broncos did
a great job protecting Greece. Was it the game against Melbourne?
But yeah, it'll be interesting. Joey John's is the best
player I've ever seen, but I reckon Nathan Cleary in
all the years I've covered the game, is the smartest
football I think I've ever come across. In the eighties,
(10:23):
it was Peter Sterling it was always a bit ahead
and Wally Lewis was always a bit ahead.
Speaker 9 (10:27):
But this bloke, Cameron's very good too. But this bloke's education.
Speaker 7 (10:34):
I just said, Wally, if you were listening, which you weren't, disease.
Speaker 9 (10:40):
He is unbelievably intelligent when it comes to football.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
And have a few brains as well he is.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
I love Gordon what you said last night too. When
you're comparing players from different years, you've got to respect
the past because right now Nathan's the best. He's the best,
and he ticks all the boxes that Joey did.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Is he better than Joey? It's too hard to say
because they're just playing in different times.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
What about Adam Reynolds. How big of a game is
this for him?
Speaker 3 (11:08):
It's massive, Like go back to that twenty twenty three
Grand Final, like he should have closed that game out.
He should have closed that game out for the Broncos,
and he did and his kicking game went south. He
switched off for that moment at the end, you know,
like he'll be judged on this game. But like he
said a moment ago, he's at the back end of
his career. It might be his last chance. And yeah,
(11:30):
we've spoken about other halfbacks in recent weeks, you know,
owning these big moments in the big games.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
Well, Adam's done at time and again over the course
of his career. Pressure right and no disrespect.
Speaker 7 (11:42):
That was greg Inglisson, Sam Burgess get another chance for
South missed the kick, so this would be playing And
for him to say that it's not playing on his mind.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
When you get beaten in big games, they're always there breath.
Speaker 7 (11:53):
Well, well for me it was, and I still hang
on the Grand Final that I lost, right, and then
I had to find a I wasn't good in that game,
so he was bought for this moment and deep on
he probably let the young kids down and now the
young kids have got better.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
I think he does need to win it, Gordy. They've
been humming along without him. Let's be fair.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
When he comes back in, do they as the side
adapt to Adam Reynolds or does Adam Reynolds now to
the side.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
He's got to adapt to them and he knows that,
and he said that in that press conference. He would
have had conversation after conversation with Madge the last couple
of weeks, and then we even interviewed him on three
sixty asked him the question how does he compliment Reese Walsh?
He said, man, I just got to give him the
ball in the right spots on the field. He's an
experienced player. He's not going to overplay his hand. He's
not the type of player that does overplay his hand,
(12:42):
to be fair.
Speaker 5 (12:42):
And then Ben, he's still there right playing six.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
Sometimes that the fact that you've got these two halves
who both throughout the course of their career have been
the chief man, the chief playmaker. And I don't know.
I thought when Ezra man came back this year. It
sort of opened up Reese Walsham bit more than he
had been and just that the chemistry between Adam and
Ben has to steal. Both blokes have to realize that
(13:08):
the real force.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Is out the back as a man named on the bench.
Is this a yamble?
Speaker 3 (13:15):
I think it's a potential match winner because if there's
all the focus on Reese, well, Ezra can do the same.
Can't you imagine if he comes on twenty minutes to
go five eight? Yeah, I think you'll come on about
thirty minutes. That's just a gut feeling I've got that'll
push Ben Hunt into half, which would be strange. O
Gordon and that the Broncos have been so strong.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
The laugh few weeks. Can I please finish?
Speaker 3 (13:40):
Yeah, but I'm just saying that would be strange in
that Billy Wold is obviously not there and Ben Hunt
has been moved, so the two halves would be different
despite the Broncos have done.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
That's my coaching.
Speaker 9 (13:52):
Now you can use that if you want on.
Speaker 7 (13:56):
Your job, on your podcasts that you do on swinging
that they already on right and for more reports they've
been running the last couple of weeks right and within
the hamstring the luxury to have a week off like
probably under the pump. They they may have come back
last week, but Ezra's running threat. If he comes on
(14:17):
after thirty minutes and he's good, you know, with tired attack, sorry,
tired tired defense.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
He's a freak.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Yes, he had the Clive Churchill in the back until
the last twenty minutes and that got it back out.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Yeah, if was available, you put him in the team.
It's as simple as that. Now, imagine Maguire. He copped
it all year. It was a bit of a rollercoaster ride.
And Buzz thinks he's changed his ways. Has he changed
his ways? Or is he just stuck solid and it's
paid off and the players are enjoying their time under imagine.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Now, Well, it depends which way.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
When I think brave Buzz will have you say that
he's changed his ways.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
Others will say no, the players have changed.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
To adapt to Madge. Take the choice you want. Either way,
it's working. I don't think Madge will have changed. That's
my gut feeling. I know what mad is like. He's strong,
his fierce, his ferocis.
Speaker 5 (15:07):
As many blobs as he had in the change don't well,
you see it.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
They're on camera. But I don't think Madges changed.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
I think the players have learned to play under Madges' style.
I think their style has come back to what what
suits the best. Yeah, I think there's been a little
bit of give and take here, Like I think Madges
was taken up there to try and put a little
bit more steel in them, change a bit of attitude.
I think that he's been successful in that. But I
also think along bull journey, he's probably picked up some
(15:36):
tips and realized that the Broncos have to play the
football that suit.
Speaker 5 (15:41):
Then the last month they played, Broncos foot him what
I mean, like they.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
Thrown the ball around.
Speaker 5 (15:44):
We've always thrown the ball around.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
We're not going to grind.
Speaker 7 (15:48):
I've never played with the Broncos so that wants to
win tenn ever, and it's not in their DNA, so
that's really hard to try. You have bulldogs like sometimes
they've got but you know what he's added, but the
play need to like express like they've got an expressive roster. No,
you just saw Reswash That's how they got to play.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
It is incredible to turn around everyone's talking about Penrith.
Everyone's talking about the Sharks. Remember the Magic Round and
the Broncos and where they're at at that time and
how they were playing at that period and people who
are writing them off go all severely and they have
really just turned it on the back end of the year. Now, Bulldog,
what's your bite for us?
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Is a ground for us?
Speaker 4 (16:28):
I've got a growl. I'll do it after the segment.
Ivan clearly anticipation.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
Okay, what I've written Bulldogs bite in Tomorrow's Telegraph up
online this afternoon is that there it is. I'm saying,
Braith that if Ivan Cleary can there's a caveat on this.
If Ivan Cleary can win the premiership this year, he's
only one hundred and sixty minutes away from doing so,
that he will then become the greatest coach in Australian
rugby league's one hundred and seventeen year history. I think
(16:56):
right now he's a bit behind Bennett Bellamy and Jack Gibson.
But I think if he wins five straight titles in
the salary cap era, which incorporates six successive.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Grand finals, I think he goes to number one.
Speaker 5 (17:11):
Why don't you ever throw the Saint George going there
that won eleven.
Speaker 9 (17:14):
Because there were four in that era, not one.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
Full coaching correct, So that's pretty good one.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
You throw all four in that.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Want to go back through the court history, the salary
capira now is a lot more difficult than when Saint
George were playing.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
They had to go through wars in the early days.
Speaker 7 (17:29):
Wasn't everybody playing under the same rule. So if you
play under the same rules and no one had a
salary cap, isn't it the same?
Speaker 2 (17:34):
Get that.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
But if you are St.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
George back then there's every chance if there's a salary
cap that you would lose a Langman's, or you would
lose a raper or a gasnier.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
They would be forced out.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
But what this bloke's done and the players that he's
brought in, who have just come for an opportunity, not
so much money. The list that we've seen of them
loser has been written a couple of times. I won't
go through it again. But what he's doing this year,
I think this will be their greatest victory of the
five if they can.
Speaker 4 (18:00):
I agree with you on.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
That, because like every week we talk about how shoe
and far between premiership even opportunities are, let alone victories.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
I was going for five in a row.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
In the mind they're doing as a club and as
a team, and Ivan has the biggest influence over that
is world class, you know what I mean. Like you
think Chicago Bulls, like in professional world sport, what they've
achieved and what they potentially will with this.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
Extra premiership, it's unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
But I still don't like to take away from what
the greats of the past, like Jack Gibson when when
he was at the end of his career, you know,
he was the super coach dog he'd won five premiership three, one,
two and another.
Speaker 4 (18:44):
But to say that others might have gone.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Ahead like Bellamy for the last twenty years, you know
what I mean, for twenty years Bellamy has kept that
storm side at the top. Wayne Rennet seven premierships, fifty
years in coaching fifty years. Please don't mistaken the column
for dinner, those pipes, But nearly saying that someone who
I think we look at eras too often the latest
(19:07):
is the greatest.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
I truly believe that.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
And I think when you'd go back over the course
of the one hundred and twenty years or whatever, it
is in rugby league history.
Speaker 4 (19:15):
God, there's been some great coaches all right.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Bulldogs General manager of football Phil Gorder has hit out
at criticism of their mid year changes after the club
bounced out of the finals.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
In straight sets.
Speaker 10 (19:28):
We made a decision that we wanted him in our
club and that's.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
What we did.
Speaker 10 (19:31):
It's led to this media barrage and a lot of
it has been childish and extremely unfair. This boy was
outstanding yesterday in a badly beaten side of that. He
really showed his class. He's the real player of the
future and that's what we're boarding for. The player is
going to be, not the player is at the moment.
He's never played half back before. He's never played half
back in any junior football whatsoever. So it was a
big answer on him and I think he's done in
(19:52):
our standing job. Every decision that was made in there
was made by people who deal with these players every day,
who coach them every day, who know the players fly well.
And I trust the people that deal with them all
day every day, not the people that take pot shots
from the media. They don't have any influence over what
we do, obviously not.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Fiel Good lashes criticism of Galvin as childish, not the
first said it was immediate, blames a soft draw and
says that Galvin has never played seven before ever, yet
paid big money to get him to the club to
(20:30):
play seven while they're coming first.
Speaker 4 (20:33):
Doesn't that that they got it wrong.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
It's explain that to me because that sounds to me
like a huge contradiction.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
So he's just conceded that he'd never played halfback, never, never,
in any course of his career. Yet they brought him
in mid season when the team was on top of
the ladder to play halfback, So you can't.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
Use as an excuse now.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
And then on the weekend when he shifts back to
five to eight and the previous week Galvin finds he
finds his rhythm again. Like Gus is kidding himself on that,
like he's trying to spin his way.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Out of the argument. But the fact of the matter
is this is the proof.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
What Gus just said is the proof that they did
a job on themselves.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Have your opinion, Gus, you know, come out and put
your case forward, but to sort of take your potshot
of everyone who's having their opinion on the situation, the
way that they went out in straight sets and act.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Like we've been talking shit.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Come on, buddy, No, no, the reason, the reason why
is the respect.
Speaker 7 (21:37):
I've got so much respect for Gus. I'll start by
saying that he's one of the smartest brains. When he
said he's the best kid he's ever seen, the Rugby
League guys turned to him, and then the kid on
triple and goes, oh, mate, who cares about the noise
taking orders? Well, hold on, you generated a bit of
it by the way you acted when you left. And
Gus by saying that, by saying that, because I had
(22:00):
when Gus Tom was a bench player that around my
neck for like five years to have.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
A great story. So no, no, yes, that was just yeah.
Speaker 7 (22:09):
So when Gus like that made heavy on me, right,
so to say so the flipp it, right, but that
was motivation for me. But the flipp it and say
that you're the greatest, the greatest kid that he's ever seen.
And he's been what in the game for fifty years.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
And undearth's some great players and watch Laurie Daly and
Sunny Bill Williams and these guys come through, and I'm
sure there's others, right, Yeah, Gus two makes a living
out of being in the media offering opinions. So it's
a tad rich to bag other members of the media.
But I think it's important to you guys that we
heard from Cameron Serrello yesterday sorry on Sunday, saying that
(22:44):
the criticism.
Speaker 4 (22:45):
Of Galvin or the scrutiny was crap.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
And now we've got Gusts saying it's childish, it's a
smother because they got rolled by forty six points, and maybe,
just maybe those two should look in the mirror and
look internally as to what went wrong rather than trying
to shift the blame out onto the leaking.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
We all get it wrong, all of us of us
get it wrong every everything, whatever, a few times a year, whatever, whatever,
We all get it wrong.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
And all of us apart from read he admitting we
get it wrong.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
But you know, it's like Gus has got it wrong
lots of times in the past, and he will get
it wrong more moving forward.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
It's okay to admit it.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
It's okay to say, yeah, we made a mistake, we
probably shouldn't have went that way or the other decisions.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Don't they I've.
Speaker 4 (23:33):
Got some bad news for him though.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
This just continues now into next season because he also
said that Mitchell Woods will be the seven next year,
which means obviously Galvin becomes the six, which leaves Matt
Burton in the centers.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
And how does Matt Burton feel about that going forward?
You know what I mean? Like it?
Speaker 3 (23:54):
It continues to be the story and they've created it,
not us, as you said, Gordon Guss created this with
his initial column. Cameron Sialdo backed it up by changing
his team around and then now after what.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
They've endured this season, they go back to square one.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
We did get an admission though that he's not a
half back. So finally, you know, Guss has admitted he's
not a half back.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
He might be a thirteen the kid Braith's rot, he's
not a halfback and Guss has come out and clearly
said it. Then why was he picked halfway through the
year in the position he hasn't played before, in a
side that's leading the competition and surging into the finals.
And why did they get rid of the seven and
got rid of the blake who had done a very
professional job.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
They think he was they could turn him into a halfback.
They think that he was a half back and they
got it wrong quite.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
I don't think anyone ever, I don't think anyone ever
really had to go at Lachland Galvin's talent. And we've
all realized he's a twenty year old guy out there
doing his absolute best and whether it's by his design
or as many as a design or the Bulldogs, he's
been thrown into a very difficult situation and what he's
done has been incredibly brave.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
Just however we've.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Turned it into the people are criticizing him personally and
him as a player, no no where, critiquing him as
a halfback and why the Bulldogs made that decision And
it's not about Lochlin Galvin for us exactly. And that's
what see Gus is trying to swing the conversation to
get a little bit of sympathy for Galvin and take
the focus away from the fact that he and Siroaldo
(25:29):
have led this campaign to sabotage their own season. And
yet you listen to Cameron after that game and he
just won't admit it, mate, He will not admit it
until he's blue in the face. Despite the fact so
many and not just the old journos, so many really
great judges like yourselves and all the people around the
game are sit there and asking the same questions. I
(25:51):
want to go about to Burton because this is an
interesting one. If Woods does play seven, which is expected
Galvin six, where does that leave Matt Burton? You've got Crime,
You've got Sherry kind of Tracey?
Speaker 2 (26:02):
Is he the four guys?
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Do they put Crichton or Burden at full back? Do
they test that out? Where does that lead leave Matt Burton?
There has been rumors around Perth Bears not too sure how.
Speaker 4 (26:12):
Cowboys is that right?
Speaker 1 (26:14):
You've heard that as well, rumors? But is he a
chance of being moved on or leaving or just changing
positions or what.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
I haven't made official calls on it, but certainly there's
a lot of speculation around that.
Speaker 9 (26:28):
I think he might get moved on at some point
in the next year.
Speaker 4 (26:31):
I think so.
Speaker 5 (26:32):
So was that a mistake then what they made.
Speaker 4 (26:36):
In signing him or in playing him in the centers?
Speaker 5 (26:38):
But didn't they buy him to play five?
Speaker 6 (26:40):
Eight?
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Bon was one of the best places at center, So no, no,
I'm talking about the dogs.
Speaker 5 (26:48):
Didn't they buy him to fix the joint?
Speaker 4 (26:50):
We gave back?
Speaker 3 (26:52):
Melvin is a really, really exciting talent okay, and as
a five eight even more exciting than a half back.
But is he a better fight than Matt Burton at
this stage? Like he's kicking game. His kicking game is
not ready to take over from Matt Burton. It's just
not we saw on the weekend. You know, he has
not got the kicking game to be a lead at
(27:13):
that level.
Speaker 4 (27:13):
Burton is the bloke.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
If the Bulldogs are going to return to their best
next year, surely Matt Burton is the five eight.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
But it doesn't sound like a will.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
But they've just got a couple of pieces of the
puzzle to fix there that've got more complicated now as
this year's unfolded, because we know they're going to be
there again. I'm confidently going to be top four again
because they've got the team to do that also, you know,
but it's like, what do they do? Do they put
Crichton at fullback? I wouldn't move Crichton. I think he's
the best center in the game. I just actually said
(27:42):
earlier I wouldn't mind seeing Burton at fullback because I
see him like Latrell Mitchell in a and with Burton,
he's not a game organizer so get him on the ball.
Speaker 4 (27:53):
You want to run the boys.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
His big body, any support plays on the board, more
more touches. He can still kick effective from full back.
The way that he has it just brings him into
the game. I don't know if it's an option, but.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
It's a good option. Caraz at fullback an option.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
That's an option too.
Speaker 4 (28:11):
But do you put silkie skills? Hasn't he Yeah?
Speaker 2 (28:14):
He does?
Speaker 3 (28:15):
I think I think furthermore, you know, without to get
bogged down with this either, but if Mitchell Woods is
the guy to come in and play seven next year
having not played NRL, how many halfbacks do you see
go through in their rookie season in the entire season
and be able to stay at the top level and
then peak for the finals?
Speaker 4 (28:34):
You know what I mean? Like that, there's another one there.
Speaker 5 (28:37):
Gus said last night they got tired at the end.
Speaker 7 (28:40):
If you got two rookie half you'd imagine with the
pressure that they'd be under that by the end of
the year, they they might feel the same time.
Speaker 9 (28:47):
Quod question for you both Bulldog's legend.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
Is the season in hindsight disappointing, a failure or did
they overachieve?
Speaker 2 (28:57):
I don't any of them.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
They didn't fail. I thought it was a successful year.
Could have been a hell of a lot better with
a terrible ending. Really, you know, That's how I sum
it up.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
I stick around journals.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
On Friday the Ryder Cup against the US take on Europe,
and you can catch all the action from nine pm
on Channel five A through
I was three sixty Rugby League from every angle, brought
to you by Regain joining me again the great cordin
Tallis Spring the journals in Paul Crawley and Dean Richie.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
How good was that?
Speaker 1 (00:10):
For a scene set out of the Melbourne Storm taking
on the Crno Sharks and Bulldog Fanila Blake says that
he fears no one.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Yeah, absolutely, Braith. I spoke to the big fellow down
there at Shark Park for a media day yesterday, quote unquote,
I have never feared anyone, and I'm not about to
start now.
Speaker 4 (00:28):
Bite down on your mouthguard.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Let's fight fire with fire, and I'm taking this game personally.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
This is good. This is big Blocker circa twenty twenty five.
Speaker 5 (00:38):
I was you in the two shot and I saw
that on the news last night.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
It was a free shot because he was about two
heads bigger than me.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
He asked you something. Did he fear you though?
Speaker 6 (00:45):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (00:45):
He checked me over a bit breath. I think it
was a bit intimidated.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
But as a journalist, none.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
As a journalist, he's lucky physical seen. But you know what,
I love a bike that.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Comes out pregame and has a whack good on him.
He's drawn a line in the sand, Gord. He wants
to rip in and he's basically saying, follow me, I'll
lead you into battle.
Speaker 7 (01:05):
Absolutely, that's what your front rowers are supposed to say.
That's what pretty much the four teams left I supposed
to be saying as well. And the last time the
Sharks won, they had a front row like him and
Andrew for Feeder. They had a big body in the
front that could do something different, had a bit of
X factor, you know, and Andrew for Feeder. He scored
that winning, tried to put Melbourne out of it. If
we all remember and when and when.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
You listen to Craig Fitzgibbon talk about him and how
he describes him as a man like he's the man
on the field and he's the man off the field.
Like the difference he's made to that club in both areas,
it's been enormous.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
What are going forward to What about the match up
Grant v.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Brawley, Well, Harry Grant, Harry Grant since Origin won his
worst game, the way that he's responded to that and
led the Storm this year, and as Matt Nabel just
said in that opener, he is Melbourne's main man at
the moment, but Brayley's leadership on and off the field.
He's a man of actions, not necessarily words. He's so crafty,
(02:04):
he is intelligent, and he's so tough and it's underrated
how tough he is.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
I'm really looking forward.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Let's take a look at the ins and outs for
the prelim finals thanks to Sports Better. I don't think
I've seen bigger inns to prelims than this. Jerome Hughes
has been named at seven for the Melbourne Storm with
that dislocated shoulder returning from the broken wrists. Now Pappenhausen
returns also from injury. Kfusi onto the bench for Hazelton
(02:30):
for the Sharks. Now the combination here Reynolds at halfback
and Ezra Man named on the bench for the Brisbane
Broncos at the right time of the year and the
Pendeth Panthers after their demolition of the Dogs are unchanged.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Let's start with Melbourne firstly.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Jerome Hughes interestingly gets selected under a huge injury clout
racing the clock.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
To get back, but he has been named.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (02:54):
Look, I was at that game live just as a spectator.
When he played Brisbane and he was struggling before that.
I don't know whether his shoulders like he sub black
sid or you know, so hopefully he's right, but it's
all chips in in it for the Melbourne Storm. They
probably need him because they lost a fair bit that night.
I thought with Harry and Munster they were probably a
little bit lost without you know, Hughes and his running game,
(03:16):
and Papa isn't out the back, so there's a fair
bit of X fact they come back.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
They did check him with Melbourne to day gents and
he's been training all week, but today was the first
time he did contact, so they haven't led on as
to how he pulled through that. We've seen no press releases,
so assume it's okay.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
But it's a game. There's no doubting it's.
Speaker 7 (03:34):
The last time was Shane Webke what twenty twenty odd
days and I played with Shane webkn that game. He's tough,
different position, one's a front rower. But Webby was in
a fair bit of pain with it right, He's going
to get a fair bit of traffic, would you would imagine?
Speaker 3 (03:47):
It was interesting listening to Cooper Kronk talk about this
on the Cooper and Maddie podcast the other day. He
actually said if people would have known how bad his
shoulder was going into that Grand Final with Roosters, he
doesn't think they would have won because they would have
targeted him more.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
And yet everyone.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Knows that Hughes has done. He's dessiccated his shoulder and
now he's got a broken arm. So you would think
if Bellamy's ready to back in, Hughes has told him
that he's right, there can be no excuses, but they
will go after it.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
It to be cool too, because they've got Wishart at fourteen.
No Jonah Pezzant after his performance a couple of weeks ago.
So hopefully he is fit and firing and gets through
the game because they need him to win now. Adam
Reynolds and Reese Wall relishing the chance to avenge their
twenty twenty three Grand Final loss ahead of their sun
Court showdown with the Panther.
Speaker 5 (04:39):
Racy can do whatever he wants to do.
Speaker 8 (04:42):
I'm there a pretty much guy the boys around the
park and if while she sees an opportunity, well I'm
more for while she to get the ball, the media
can make what they want over the last couple of months.
But prior to that, I was trying to get while
she probably more ball. I'll do whatever it requires for
the team to win. If that was for me to
sit out, then I'll i'd sit out.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
How do you reflect them? Twenty three Grand Final? And
does that? Does that motivate you?
Speaker 8 (05:05):
I'm sure it motivates everyone in each and every way.
But for me, it's it's a new opportunity. It's a
new team pretty much, it's new coaching staff, you know,
new players in that group all about. There's still a
lot of that group here, mate. It's another great opportunity.
I'm coming towards the back end.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
Of my career.
Speaker 6 (05:19):
The boys were eleven man down, Will it was fifty
to sixteen points down with fifteen minutes ago, whatever it was,
And yeah, a few swear words were said, and we're
just like, we're just going to go after it. So
everyone's got a role in the team and Big Pano, Patty,
they're their jobs to kick, chase, run hard and my
job is to execute those moments.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
So how do you stop mat thing clearing made like
he crueled you in the twenty twenty three Grand Final.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
How do you deal with it?
Speaker 4 (05:41):
How does he deal with us?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
That's one question mate.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
No, it's exciting.
Speaker 6 (05:45):
He's world class player made and if you give him opportunities,
going to take it.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
It's like the same as us.
Speaker 6 (05:49):
If they give us opportunities, we're going to take it.
So I guess it's just trying to minimize them.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
And then yeah, I'm looking forward to a challenge. How
does he deal with us? That's so good. I love that.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
That's such a great response from Rhys Walsh. Now the
master conductor comes up against the master magician.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
This is mouth watering.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
I loved what Walsh said.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Then it's I've had a crack at him in the
past for being too cocky in different things, but that's
just honor self belief. He believes he's at the peak
of his powers right now. That performance when he came
on against the Raiders the other day was something special.
But Cleary, Cleary, and what we saw from him in
the first half on the weekend. You know who wins
(06:33):
this battle? Is it the conductor or is it the magician?
Because Cleari will Cleari will pick Walsh apart in areas
that won't get the same focus. Walsh is so brilliant
with the ball sometimes can be a little bit lazy
in defense, and his positional play and the way Cleary
(06:55):
his eyes just darting across the field last week, going
from one side to the going back again.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
It's clearly his.
Speaker 7 (07:02):
Kicking game is going to put pressure on him more
than any and that's where Reese Walsh.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
At times is going to have to be on his guard.
Speaker 7 (07:07):
And then if you go back to the twenty three
Grand Final long time ago, where they made those long runs,
but there's remember we're around Cleary's side, so there's a battle,
but every player thinks that no one says it.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
You tell you what breath.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
If you're going to pit the two stars against each other,
I know whose game.
Speaker 9 (07:26):
I'd like to be backing under pressure.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Nathan in the finals is irresistible, where I don't think
Reeese Walsh, as brilliant as he is, can be temperamental.
I'm sure they'll sledge him, they might bowl him over
after he's passed the ball. They'll be up in his
grill because they know if he is temperamental, that he
can unravel to some degree where the iceman will never
ever get rattled.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
He's at different levels.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
Now, this is career those two games.
Speaker 7 (07:53):
He's twenty minutes against Canberra was sixteen, and Hal was
on the.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
Back of the Melbourne performance too.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
He was going, good if things don't go good, that's
what I want.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
I realized that good.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
But I'm saying in that period though, I want to
see Reese, if he's put under the heat, under the pump.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
Individually, how he stands up.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
You know how Reynolds just said he kind of downplayed
the twenty twenty three Grand Final and how they fell.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
Apart and lost.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
How is that not a motivation for these blokes though,
because at that point they had that game won, they
had a Grand Final one. Surely, if nothing else, it
drives them to play out the four minutes.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
It's a definite motivator.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
And having lost the Grand Final and back in the roses.
And I've told this story a few times, but in
twenty ten we lost and we're in a position to
win it. And then the same group, well similar group
got a chance a few years later. I remember at
the time thing and these guys don't realize what they
missed out on. He I was at the back end
of my career. They're quite young. Two years later to
(08:50):
two or three years later they won it, and it's
definitely a motivator, but it's also when you lose one.
You know they're not easy to win and they're few
and far between and it hurts. So for sure, I
think they'll benefit from that loss, even though it was heartbreaking.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
It'll make him a better team. Now you said it.
Throughout the year, Reese Walsh does.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Have some deficiencies in his defense, and you think that
the Panthers will trying to capitalize.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
On that just the way that Cleary plays.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Clearly, this grand final play was a dummy half, wasn't
he at marker? And Cleary got him at that final moment.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
You've seen moments during the year.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
And this is not having a crack at Reese because
he's so brilliant to watch, but there are parts of
his defensive game that you've seen over the course of
the season where that's Tedesco. He's going at a million miles.
You watch this where this comes back. I think Clifford
puts the kick in and he's still standing over the
other side of the field, you know what I mean.
And there was a few moments in that game and
(09:49):
you just see these every now and then. And if
I see them, I reckon clear he might be seeing
them and it'll just be interesting to see how it
all goes.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
And Gordon, you mentioned it too.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Under the high balls like Cleary will put more pressure
on him than anyone's been able to. The Broncos did
a great job protecting Greece. Was it the game against Melbourne?
But yeah, it'll be interesting. Joey John's is the best
player I've ever seen, but I reckon Nathan Cleary in
all the years I've covered the game, is the smartest
football I think I've ever come across. In the eighties,
(10:23):
it was Peter Sterling it was always a bit ahead
and Wally Lewis was always a bit ahead.
Speaker 9 (10:27):
But this bloke, Cameron's very good too. But this bloke's education.
Speaker 7 (10:34):
I just said, Wally, if you were listening, which you weren't, disease.
Speaker 9 (10:40):
He is unbelievably intelligent when it comes to football.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
And have a few brains as well he is.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
I love Gordon what you said last night too. When
you're comparing players from different years, you've got to respect
the past because right now Nathan's the best. He's the best,
and he ticks all the boxes that Joey did.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Is he better than Joey? It's too hard to say
because they're just playing in different times.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
What about Adam Reynolds. How big of a game is
this for him?
Speaker 3 (11:08):
It's massive, Like go back to that twenty twenty three
Grand Final, like he should have closed that game out.
He should have closed that game out for the Broncos,
and he did and his kicking game went south. He
switched off for that moment at the end, you know,
like he'll be judged on this game. But like he
said a moment ago, he's at the back end of
his career. It might be his last chance. And yeah,
(11:30):
we've spoken about other halfbacks in recent weeks, you know,
owning these big moments in the big games.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
Well, Adam's done at time and again over the course
of his career. Pressure right and no disrespect.
Speaker 7 (11:42):
That was greg Inglisson, Sam Burgess get another chance for
South missed the kick, so this would be playing And
for him to say that it's not playing on his mind.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
When you get beaten in big games, they're always there breath.
Speaker 7 (11:53):
Well, well for me it was, and I still hang
on the Grand Final that I lost, right, and then
I had to find a I wasn't good in that game,
so he was bought for this moment and deep on
he probably let the young kids down and now the
young kids have got better.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
I think he does need to win it, Gordy. They've
been humming along without him. Let's be fair.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
When he comes back in, do they as the side
adapt to Adam Reynolds or does Adam Reynolds now to
the side.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
He's got to adapt to them and he knows that,
and he said that in that press conference. He would
have had conversation after conversation with Madge the last couple
of weeks, and then we even interviewed him on three
sixty asked him the question how does he compliment Reese Walsh?
He said, man, I just got to give him the
ball in the right spots on the field. He's an
experienced player. He's not going to overplay his hand. He's
not the type of player that does overplay his hand,
(12:42):
to be fair.
Speaker 5 (12:42):
And then Ben, he's still there right playing six.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
Sometimes that the fact that you've got these two halves
who both throughout the course of their career have been
the chief man, the chief playmaker. And I don't know.
I thought when Ezra man came back this year. It
sort of opened up Reese Walsham bit more than he
had been and just that the chemistry between Adam and
Ben has to steal. Both blokes have to realize that
(13:08):
the real force.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Is out the back as a man named on the bench.
Is this a yamble?
Speaker 3 (13:15):
I think it's a potential match winner because if there's
all the focus on Reese, well, Ezra can do the same.
Can't you imagine if he comes on twenty minutes to
go five eight? Yeah, I think you'll come on about
thirty minutes. That's just a gut feeling I've got that'll
push Ben Hunt into half, which would be strange. O
Gordon and that the Broncos have been so strong.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
The laugh few weeks. Can I please finish?
Speaker 3 (13:40):
Yeah, but I'm just saying that would be strange in
that Billy Wold is obviously not there and Ben Hunt
has been moved, so the two halves would be different
despite the Broncos have done.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
That's my coaching.
Speaker 9 (13:52):
Now you can use that if you want on.
Speaker 7 (13:56):
Your job, on your podcasts that you do on swinging
that they already on right and for more reports they've
been running the last couple of weeks right and within
the hamstring the luxury to have a week off like
probably under the pump. They they may have come back
last week, but Ezra's running threat. If he comes on
(14:17):
after thirty minutes and he's good, you know, with tired attack, sorry,
tired tired defense.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
He's a freak.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Yes, he had the Clive Churchill in the back until
the last twenty minutes and that got it back out.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Yeah, if was available, you put him in the team.
It's as simple as that. Now, imagine Maguire. He copped
it all year. It was a bit of a rollercoaster ride.
And Buzz thinks he's changed his ways. Has he changed
his ways? Or is he just stuck solid and it's
paid off and the players are enjoying their time under imagine.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Now, Well, it depends which way.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
When I think brave Buzz will have you say that
he's changed his ways.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
Others will say no, the players have changed.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
To adapt to Madge. Take the choice you want. Either way,
it's working. I don't think Madge will have changed. That's
my gut feeling. I know what mad is like. He's strong,
his fierce, his ferocis.
Speaker 5 (15:07):
As many blobs as he had in the change don't well,
you see it.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
They're on camera. But I don't think Madges changed.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
I think the players have learned to play under Madges' style.
I think their style has come back to what what
suits the best. Yeah, I think there's been a little
bit of give and take here, Like I think Madges
was taken up there to try and put a little
bit more steel in them, change a bit of attitude.
I think that he's been successful in that. But I
also think along bull journey, he's probably picked up some
(15:36):
tips and realized that the Broncos have to play the
football that suit.
Speaker 5 (15:41):
Then the last month they played, Broncos foot him what
I mean, like they.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
Thrown the ball around.
Speaker 5 (15:44):
We've always thrown the ball around.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
We're not going to grind.
Speaker 7 (15:48):
I've never played with the Broncos so that wants to
win tenn ever, and it's not in their DNA, so
that's really hard to try. You have bulldogs like sometimes
they've got but you know what he's added, but the
play need to like express like they've got an expressive roster. No,
you just saw Reswash That's how they got to play.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
It is incredible to turn around everyone's talking about Penrith.
Everyone's talking about the Sharks. Remember the Magic Round and
the Broncos and where they're at at that time and
how they were playing at that period and people who
are writing them off go all severely and they have
really just turned it on the back end of the year. Now, Bulldog,
what's your bite for us?
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Is a ground for us?
Speaker 4 (16:28):
I've got a growl. I'll do it after the segment.
Ivan clearly anticipation.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
Okay, what I've written Bulldogs bite in Tomorrow's Telegraph up
online this afternoon is that there it is. I'm saying,
Braith that if Ivan Cleary can there's a caveat on this.
If Ivan Cleary can win the premiership this year, he's
only one hundred and sixty minutes away from doing so,
that he will then become the greatest coach in Australian
rugby league's one hundred and seventeen year history. I think
(16:56):
right now he's a bit behind Bennett Bellamy and Jack Gibson.
But I think if he wins five straight titles in
the salary cap era, which incorporates six successive.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Grand finals, I think he goes to number one.
Speaker 5 (17:11):
Why don't you ever throw the Saint George going there
that won eleven.
Speaker 9 (17:14):
Because there were four in that era, not one.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
Full coaching correct, So that's pretty good one.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
You throw all four in that.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Want to go back through the court history, the salary
capira now is a lot more difficult than when Saint
George were playing.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
They had to go through wars in the early days.
Speaker 7 (17:29):
Wasn't everybody playing under the same rule. So if you
play under the same rules and no one had a
salary cap, isn't it the same?
Speaker 2 (17:34):
Get that.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
But if you are St.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
George back then there's every chance if there's a salary
cap that you would lose a Langman's, or you would
lose a raper or a gasnier.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
They would be forced out.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
But what this bloke's done and the players that he's
brought in, who have just come for an opportunity, not
so much money. The list that we've seen of them
loser has been written a couple of times. I won't
go through it again. But what he's doing this year,
I think this will be their greatest victory of the
five if they can.
Speaker 4 (18:00):
I agree with you on.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
That, because like every week we talk about how shoe
and far between premiership even opportunities are, let alone victories.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
I was going for five in a row.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
In the mind they're doing as a club and as
a team, and Ivan has the biggest influence over that
is world class, you know what I mean. Like you
think Chicago Bulls, like in professional world sport, what they've
achieved and what they potentially will with this.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
Extra premiership, it's unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
But I still don't like to take away from what
the greats of the past, like Jack Gibson when when
he was at the end of his career, you know,
he was the super coach dog he'd won five premiership three, one,
two and another.
Speaker 4 (18:44):
But to say that others might have gone.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Ahead like Bellamy for the last twenty years, you know
what I mean, for twenty years Bellamy has kept that
storm side at the top. Wayne Rennet seven premierships, fifty
years in coaching fifty years. Please don't mistaken the column
for dinner, those pipes, But nearly saying that someone who
I think we look at eras too often the latest
(19:07):
is the greatest.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
I truly believe that.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
And I think when you'd go back over the course
of the one hundred and twenty years or whatever, it
is in rugby league history.
Speaker 4 (19:15):
God, there's been some great coaches all right.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Bulldogs General manager of football Phil Gorder has hit out
at criticism of their mid year changes after the club
bounced out of the finals.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
In straight sets.
Speaker 10 (19:28):
We made a decision that we wanted him in our
club and that's.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
What we did.
Speaker 10 (19:31):
It's led to this media barrage and a lot of
it has been childish and extremely unfair. This boy was
outstanding yesterday in a badly beaten side of that. He
really showed his class. He's the real player of the
future and that's what we're boarding for. The player is
going to be, not the player is at the moment.
He's never played half back before. He's never played half
back in any junior football whatsoever. So it was a
big answer on him and I think he's done in
(19:52):
our standing job. Every decision that was made in there
was made by people who deal with these players every day,
who coach them every day, who know the players fly well.
And I trust the people that deal with them all
day every day, not the people that take pot shots
from the media. They don't have any influence over what
we do, obviously not.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Fiel Good lashes criticism of Galvin as childish, not the
first said it was immediate, blames a soft draw and
says that Galvin has never played seven before ever, yet
paid big money to get him to the club to
(20:30):
play seven while they're coming first.
Speaker 4 (20:33):
Doesn't that that they got it wrong.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
It's explain that to me because that sounds to me
like a huge contradiction.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
So he's just conceded that he'd never played halfback, never, never,
in any course of his career. Yet they brought him
in mid season when the team was on top of
the ladder to play halfback, So you can't.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
Use as an excuse now.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
And then on the weekend when he shifts back to
five to eight and the previous week Galvin finds he
finds his rhythm again. Like Gus is kidding himself on that,
like he's trying to spin his way.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Out of the argument. But the fact of the matter
is this is the proof.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
What Gus just said is the proof that they did
a job on themselves.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Have your opinion, Gus, you know, come out and put
your case forward, but to sort of take your potshot
of everyone who's having their opinion on the situation, the
way that they went out in straight sets and act.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Like we've been talking shit.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Come on, buddy, No, no, the reason, the reason why
is the respect.
Speaker 7 (21:37):
I've got so much respect for Gus. I'll start by
saying that he's one of the smartest brains. When he
said he's the best kid he's ever seen, the Rugby
League guys turned to him, and then the kid on
triple and goes, oh, mate, who cares about the noise
taking orders? Well, hold on, you generated a bit of
it by the way you acted when you left. And
Gus by saying that, by saying that, because I had
(22:00):
when Gus Tom was a bench player that around my
neck for like five years to have.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
A great story. So no, no, yes, that was just yeah.
Speaker 7 (22:09):
So when Gus like that made heavy on me, right,
so to say so the flipp it, right, but that
was motivation for me. But the flipp it and say
that you're the greatest, the greatest kid that he's ever seen.
And he's been what in the game for fifty years.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
And undearth's some great players and watch Laurie Daly and
Sunny Bill Williams and these guys come through, and I'm
sure there's others, right, Yeah, Gus two makes a living
out of being in the media offering opinions. So it's
a tad rich to bag other members of the media.
But I think it's important to you guys that we
heard from Cameron Serrello yesterday sorry on Sunday, saying that
(22:44):
the criticism.
Speaker 4 (22:45):
Of Galvin or the scrutiny was crap.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
And now we've got Gusts saying it's childish, it's a
smother because they got rolled by forty six points, and maybe,
just maybe those two should look in the mirror and
look internally as to what went wrong rather than trying
to shift the blame out onto the leaking.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
We all get it wrong, all of us of us
get it wrong every everything, whatever, a few times a year, whatever, whatever,
We all get it wrong.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
And all of us apart from read he admitting we
get it wrong.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
But you know, it's like Gus has got it wrong
lots of times in the past, and he will get
it wrong more moving forward.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
It's okay to admit it.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
It's okay to say, yeah, we made a mistake, we
probably shouldn't have went that way or the other decisions.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Don't they I've.
Speaker 4 (23:33):
Got some bad news for him though.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
This just continues now into next season because he also
said that Mitchell Woods will be the seven next year,
which means obviously Galvin becomes the six, which leaves Matt
Burton in the centers.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
And how does Matt Burton feel about that going forward?
You know what I mean? Like it?
Speaker 3 (23:54):
It continues to be the story and they've created it,
not us, as you said, Gordon Guss created this with
his initial column. Cameron Sialdo backed it up by changing
his team around and then now after what.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
They've endured this season, they go back to square one.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
We did get an admission though that he's not a
half back. So finally, you know, Guss has admitted he's
not a half back.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
He might be a thirteen the kid Braith's rot, he's
not a halfback and Guss has come out and clearly
said it. Then why was he picked halfway through the
year in the position he hasn't played before, in a
side that's leading the competition and surging into the finals.
And why did they get rid of the seven and
got rid of the blake who had done a very
professional job.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
They think he was they could turn him into a halfback.
They think that he was a half back and they
got it wrong quite.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
I don't think anyone ever, I don't think anyone ever
really had to go at Lachland Galvin's talent. And we've
all realized he's a twenty year old guy out there
doing his absolute best and whether it's by his design
or as many as a design or the Bulldogs, he's
been thrown into a very difficult situation and what he's
done has been incredibly brave.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
Just however we've.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Turned it into the people are criticizing him personally and
him as a player, no no where, critiquing him as
a halfback and why the Bulldogs made that decision And
it's not about Lochlin Galvin for us exactly. And that's
what see Gus is trying to swing the conversation to
get a little bit of sympathy for Galvin and take
the focus away from the fact that he and Siroaldo
(25:29):
have led this campaign to sabotage their own season. And
yet you listen to Cameron after that game and he
just won't admit it, mate, He will not admit it
until he's blue in the face. Despite the fact so
many and not just the old journos, so many really
great judges like yourselves and all the people around the
game are sit there and asking the same questions. I
(25:51):
want to go about to Burton because this is an
interesting one. If Woods does play seven, which is expected
Galvin six, where does that leave Matt Burton? You've got Crime,
You've got Sherry kind of Tracey?
Speaker 2 (26:02):
Is he the four guys?
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Do they put Crichton or Burden at full back? Do
they test that out? Where does that lead leave Matt Burton?
There has been rumors around Perth Bears not too sure how.
Speaker 4 (26:12):
Cowboys is that right?
Speaker 1 (26:14):
You've heard that as well, rumors? But is he a
chance of being moved on or leaving or just changing
positions or what.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
I haven't made official calls on it, but certainly there's
a lot of speculation around that.
Speaker 9 (26:28):
I think he might get moved on at some point
in the next year.
Speaker 4 (26:31):
I think so.
Speaker 5 (26:32):
So was that a mistake then what they made.
Speaker 4 (26:36):
In signing him or in playing him in the centers?
Speaker 5 (26:38):
But didn't they buy him to play five?
Speaker 6 (26:40):
Eight?
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Bon was one of the best places at center, So no, no,
I'm talking about the dogs.
Speaker 5 (26:48):
Didn't they buy him to fix the joint?
Speaker 4 (26:50):
We gave back?
Speaker 3 (26:52):
Melvin is a really, really exciting talent okay, and as
a five eight even more exciting than a half back.
But is he a better fight than Matt Burton at
this stage? Like he's kicking game. His kicking game is
not ready to take over from Matt Burton. It's just
not we saw on the weekend. You know, he has
not got the kicking game to be a lead at
(27:13):
that level.
Speaker 4 (27:13):
Burton is the bloke.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
If the Bulldogs are going to return to their best
next year, surely Matt Burton is the five eight.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
But it doesn't sound like a will.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
But they've just got a couple of pieces of the
puzzle to fix there that've got more complicated now as
this year's unfolded, because we know they're going to be
there again. I'm confidently going to be top four again
because they've got the team to do that also, you know,
but it's like, what do they do? Do they put
Crichton at fullback? I wouldn't move Crichton. I think he's
the best center in the game. I just actually said
(27:42):
earlier I wouldn't mind seeing Burton at fullback because I
see him like Latrell Mitchell in a and with Burton,
he's not a game organizer so get him on the ball.
Speaker 4 (27:53):
You want to run the boys.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
His big body, any support plays on the board, more
more touches. He can still kick effective from full back.
The way that he has it just brings him into
the game. I don't know if it's an option, but.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
It's a good option. Caraz at fullback an option.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
That's an option too.
Speaker 4 (28:11):
But do you put silkie skills? Hasn't he Yeah?
Speaker 2 (28:14):
He does?
Speaker 3 (28:15):
I think I think furthermore, you know, without to get
bogged down with this either, but if Mitchell Woods is
the guy to come in and play seven next year
having not played NRL, how many halfbacks do you see
go through in their rookie season in the entire season
and be able to stay at the top level and
then peak for the finals?
Speaker 4 (28:34):
You know what I mean? Like that, there's another one there.
Speaker 5 (28:37):
Gus said last night they got tired at the end.
Speaker 7 (28:40):
If you got two rookie half you'd imagine with the
pressure that they'd be under that by the end of
the year, they they might feel the same time.
Speaker 9 (28:47):
Quod question for you both Bulldog's legend.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
Is the season in hindsight disappointing, a failure or did
they overachieve?
Speaker 2 (28:57):
I don't any of them.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
They didn't fail. I thought it was a successful year.
Could have been a hell of a lot better with
a terrible ending. Really, you know, That's how I sum
it up.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
I stick around journals.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
On Friday the Ryder Cup against the US take on Europe,
and you can catch all the action from nine pm
on Channel five A through
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