June 6, 2025 • 11 mins
On this #AskGus ep of Six Tackles Gus praises Wayne Bennett’s masterclass in coaching under pressure, reflects on Penrith’s gritty path back to finals contention, and shuts down a wild Origin rumour.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Nine podcasts.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
The NRL season is here for the best time in sport.
Tab has the best app in sport. Tab We're on.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
You win some, you lose more. For free and confidential support,
visit Gambling help online dot org dot you.
Speaker 4 (00:19):
Ask us.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Isaac, what's been your assessment on Wayne Bennett's performance this
year considering all the injuries and challenges he's faced.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Outstanding? Absolutely outstanding.
Speaker 4 (00:30):
She whiz.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
They've faced some hurdles the South Sydney side, haven't they.
But you know he's there for a short amount of
time and they look like a Wayne Bennett club. They
look like a Wayne Bennett team, don't They hard to beat?
Speaker 2 (00:43):
They look a formidable unit this week, although they travel
to Canberra to take on the Raiders in a record
breaking game. But I think, like we touched on earlier,
they've got so much talent and that's if they can
finally get them all back and fit, they're in the mix.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Is what his managed to do is keep them in
the fight. Yes, where are they fifty to fifty at
the man? He's kept them in the fight and on
the edge of the eight and they've easily got the
best part of their season in front of them now,
and they've got some artillery to come, you know. I mean,
there's you know, they had some terrible news earlier in
the year with injuries, but they've been able to get
a few back, and now they're buying a few players
(01:16):
for next year too. He doesn't muck around. The old
coach usually.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
Got next year a couple Oh, scuttle butt, scuttle.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
But yeah, but I won't say it until it happens.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
We'll get me a quote.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
There's no need for me to say it until it happens.
I'm not a journalist.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
This is where experience as a coach is absolutely paramount
in dealing with a situation like he has with South
with this injury crisis.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
He hasn't panicked, not at all. Sit there, six and six,
he's probably happy.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Yeah, probably a couple there they could have won. Probably
a couple where they could have lost, but they won
to in a row with a point by a point.
Latrol won one for them. Yeah, But that's what he does.
That's what his teams do. His teams just they gnaw
away and now away and then and then one day
they turn around and they're at full strength and they've
(02:08):
learned their they've learned what sort of football team they'll be,
and they look like a wayn Bennetts side and Wayne Bennett'
sides are hard to beat. They're fit, they don't make mistakes,
they've got good defense, they play with plenty of spirit,
they play for the eighty minutes. They're hard to beat.
It's pretty simple. He hasn't changed that for forty years.
(02:29):
You know, he's not really a strategist. He's just about
getting the best out of individuals and having them play
together as a team, and the spirit that they have
and they never give up attitude, and you know they
base their game on defense and ball control and then
individual flare. And when they get individual flair, well then
that's when the Cody Walkers, who's played very little football
(02:51):
this year in your Latrell Mitchells, who hasn't played a
lot of football himself, really come to the four and
in big games they can make the difference between winning
and losing. He pulled it out from on the weekend
again against the Warriors who are around number two. They're
on sitting second on the ladder. So yeah, he's done.
(03:11):
He's done a great joy as he always does. He's done.
He set up the Dolphins really well. He's done a
great job. He's had success wherever he's gone.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Thanks Isaac, I'm glad your relationship has been repaired to
the extent that you can send us questions on ask
us how much will Mitch Barnet's injury cost the Wars
and New South Wales as Alec.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
It's a big loss. Disappointing for him, disappointing for the
warritarz so the Warriors, and very disappointing for the Blues
because he was mighty in Game one.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
He's tremendous.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Mind you, it's a representative team, so you just go
out and there's no salary cap. You can just go
out and get another top line front row and there's
plenty around Stefano who took Amano. She's keen playing good
key on Kalama tonguey. I think Keon should go and
he's been terrific, you know, But I think Stefano was
in the camp. Wasn't he the first one there? So
Laurie will probably stay loyal there, I'd imagine. But yeah,
(04:04):
Mitch Barnett and what is he now thirty one years
of age, play Origin football at the back end of
his career like that, and he's doing really well with
the Warriors. Warriors got some good kids coming and they've
still got James Fisher Harris, which they haven't had in
previous years. I think they'll accommodate. Okay, obviously he's going
to be missed and sorely missed, but an injury like
(04:25):
that at this stage of front rower's career is not
a good thing.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Jimmy wants to know who Sam Walker replaces in the halves.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Well, I think he'll play seven. I think he'll play seven,
and I don't think it'll take too long for him
to get back to the position. They're probably just giving
him a run this week. Roosters are going along nicely.
They've got some really good young players there. We spoke
about this in the offseason and sort of proving as
the year's gone on. Yeah, there's still all this scuttle
(04:58):
about day Cherry Evans coming to the club. We've spoken
about and I don't understand. But Sam Walker, I'd imagine
once he's proved himself and had a run under his belt,
he'll probably come back in the number seven jersey.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
So how's this for a scenario. Yeah, Queensland lose Game two,
series over. Cherry Evans is left out of Queensland team
for Game three, replaced by Sam Walker. Terry Evans comes
to the Roosters and takes his spot at number seven
of the next year.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
What are you saying, though, Well, that won't happen. Yeah,
marked that. Then the tape place.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
That won't happen? Why not it won't happen.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
He might not play game to you.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Why do you throw up things like that?
Speaker 4 (05:44):
Why would that not happen?
Speaker 1 (05:45):
How ridiculous? Well, if the series is you as we
give him playing this Cup this weekend, he left three
games under his belt. He's not playing Origin three. Please.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Rick Martin sounds like a hop star from the sixties.
Given the Panthers' ability to.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Rick Martin, Ricky Martin.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Ricky mart We're getting some celebrity submissions this week. Given
the Panthers' ability to grind out wins even when they're
not at their best. Well, they haven't won that many,
but they well they've won four. Now is their championship DNA.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Four and a half. That one point that could be
very crucial at the back end of the year, could
be very well. I could keep them out. You've got
to make it work for you.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Is their championship, DNA is still the best in the competition.
I don't know what that means, but Ricky Ricky is
big on that well.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
If I ranked the probably top five or six performances
of any team this year, they rate in two of them. Panthers,
even though they're down where they are a couple of
their performances this year, we're outstanding and we know they've
got got it in them. You know they get through
this Rep season. If they can get through the Rep
season and keep ticking off wins over the next few weeks.
(06:58):
The hard part is in previous years there've been well
placed coming into the Rep season. They've been able to
rest their REP players. It hasn't been as draining is
what it's going to be this year because they're going
to have to keep backing up. They're not going to
be able to rest them. They're going to have to
back up after games to keep this role going. And
luckily they did on the weekend. They wouldn't have beaten
Paramatta without them. So they need to keep that going.
(07:21):
But they're hardened. They know the way, they know how
to play finals football. If they get there, then everyone's
going to have to work hard to beat them. We
know that they've got that in their ding.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
If we looked at the form guide from that game
on Sunday, how how does the form stack up for
the quality of that game.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Well, Paramatta seven days earlier belted Manly, Mainly came out
and belted Brisbane seven days later. You know, I think
Panthers had to pull out all stops to win on
the weekend. I don't think Panthers were at their absolute best,
but they when the game got in the balance, you
kind of like they had it under control. Clear they
(08:03):
were able to they were able to beak it out
and it was a paramounter, a outstanding They were really good.
Paramount were great against Manly the week before. They've been
building up and I think that the things about the
Panthers is if they can get back to finals football,
if they can get back to games that are in
the balance and they come to a high speed, grinding
football with plenty of ball in play and where they specialize,
(08:27):
then they've got the experience, they've got the talent, and
they've got the leaders that can do that where some
other clubs have to prove that they can do it.
A lot of clubs have to prove that they can
do it. There are a lot of clubs in this
league that haven't done that. They haven't played that sort
of football. That's why parent the won four comps in
a row. That's why they've hardly lost any games for
four or five years, because sides just can't go with
(08:51):
them when they get it right now. It's not the
Panthers team of yesteryear. It's not you know that every
year they've been watered down a little bit and there
are more kids coming into the side, but they've still
got the nucleus. I've still got five, four or five
of the best players in the in the game, in
the world in that side, and they know how to
play finals.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Football and clear it was unbelievable, as he always.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Yeah him, Brian, Brian, you know, like Dylan Edwards just marvelous,
absolutely marvelous, and you know, and the other fellows you know,
like young Kenny and Moses Leoda and Liam Martin, Brian,
Dylan Edwards, Nathan clipped you so hell are still they've
(09:36):
got half a dozen of the best players in the
world in those positions. They can do it. I think
we were all surprised where they are on the ladder,
but there had to be a breaking point at some stage.
You can't be you can't be great forever. They've just
had a difficult time through the first half of the competition.
But it won't surprise anyone if they string half a
dozen wins together, and if they do, they're going to
be well entrenched in the eight and then they can
(09:57):
set their sights on finals football. And if we're working
finals football, there are a lot of other sides out
there that they've got to prove that they can handle it.
Panthers will know how it.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
Might be the year a team from outside the four
winds of the camp could be.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
It's going to happen one day. It will happen one day.
All this thing you have to make the ford to
win the comp Well, no you don't. That's just the
way it's played out for the last twenty years. But
doesn't mean I'll go on forever.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
Reckon the Raiders and the Warriors will stay intrenched.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
The universe unfolds in funny ways, Matthew, funny world, there
are no there are no rules.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
Shamous wants to know.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Do you think the NRL's current disciplinary system, including fines
and suspensions, is adequately tearing.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Don't start, do not start. You've put that quick.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
I did it now when I make up the name Shamus, yeah,
Shamus Wolden.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Yeah, Well that's just a that's just a setup. That's
just a setup. We'll deal with that one day and
a whole.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
Podcast, will we.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yeah, look forward to that, or I might write my book.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
That's us, Gus. The NRL season is here for the
best time in sport. Tab has the best app in sport.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Tab.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
We are on You win some, you lose more. For
free and confidential support, visit Gambling Help online dot org
dot au.
Nine podcasts.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
The NRL season is here for the best time in sport.
Tab has the best app in sport. Tab We're on.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
You win some, you lose more. For free and confidential support,
visit Gambling help online dot org dot you.
Speaker 4 (00:19):
Ask us.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Isaac, what's been your assessment on Wayne Bennett's performance this
year considering all the injuries and challenges he's faced.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Outstanding? Absolutely outstanding.
Speaker 4 (00:30):
She whiz.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
They've faced some hurdles the South Sydney side, haven't they.
But you know he's there for a short amount of
time and they look like a Wayne Bennett club. They
look like a Wayne Bennett team, don't They hard to beat?
Speaker 2 (00:43):
They look a formidable unit this week, although they travel
to Canberra to take on the Raiders in a record
breaking game. But I think, like we touched on earlier,
they've got so much talent and that's if they can
finally get them all back and fit, they're in the mix.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Is what his managed to do is keep them in
the fight. Yes, where are they fifty to fifty at
the man? He's kept them in the fight and on
the edge of the eight and they've easily got the
best part of their season in front of them now,
and they've got some artillery to come, you know. I mean,
there's you know, they had some terrible news earlier in
the year with injuries, but they've been able to get
a few back, and now they're buying a few players
(01:16):
for next year too. He doesn't muck around. The old
coach usually.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
Got next year a couple Oh, scuttle butt, scuttle.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
But yeah, but I won't say it until it happens.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
We'll get me a quote.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
There's no need for me to say it until it happens.
I'm not a journalist.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
This is where experience as a coach is absolutely paramount
in dealing with a situation like he has with South
with this injury crisis.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
He hasn't panicked, not at all. Sit there, six and six,
he's probably happy.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Yeah, probably a couple there they could have won. Probably
a couple where they could have lost, but they won
to in a row with a point by a point.
Latrol won one for them. Yeah, But that's what he does.
That's what his teams do. His teams just they gnaw
away and now away and then and then one day
they turn around and they're at full strength and they've
(02:08):
learned their they've learned what sort of football team they'll be,
and they look like a wayn Bennetts side and Wayne Bennett'
sides are hard to beat. They're fit, they don't make mistakes,
they've got good defense, they play with plenty of spirit,
they play for the eighty minutes. They're hard to beat.
It's pretty simple. He hasn't changed that for forty years.
(02:29):
You know, he's not really a strategist. He's just about
getting the best out of individuals and having them play
together as a team, and the spirit that they have
and they never give up attitude, and you know they
base their game on defense and ball control and then
individual flare. And when they get individual flair, well then
that's when the Cody Walkers, who's played very little football
(02:51):
this year in your Latrell Mitchells, who hasn't played a
lot of football himself, really come to the four and
in big games they can make the difference between winning
and losing. He pulled it out from on the weekend
again against the Warriors who are around number two. They're
on sitting second on the ladder. So yeah, he's done.
(03:11):
He's done a great joy as he always does. He's done.
He set up the Dolphins really well. He's done a
great job. He's had success wherever he's gone.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Thanks Isaac, I'm glad your relationship has been repaired to
the extent that you can send us questions on ask
us how much will Mitch Barnet's injury cost the Wars
and New South Wales as Alec.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
It's a big loss. Disappointing for him, disappointing for the
warritarz so the Warriors, and very disappointing for the Blues
because he was mighty in Game one.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
He's tremendous.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Mind you, it's a representative team, so you just go
out and there's no salary cap. You can just go
out and get another top line front row and there's
plenty around Stefano who took Amano. She's keen playing good
key on Kalama tonguey. I think Keon should go and
he's been terrific, you know, But I think Stefano was
in the camp. Wasn't he the first one there? So
Laurie will probably stay loyal there, I'd imagine. But yeah,
(04:04):
Mitch Barnett and what is he now thirty one years
of age, play Origin football at the back end of
his career like that, and he's doing really well with
the Warriors. Warriors got some good kids coming and they've
still got James Fisher Harris, which they haven't had in
previous years. I think they'll accommodate. Okay, obviously he's going
to be missed and sorely missed, but an injury like
(04:25):
that at this stage of front rower's career is not
a good thing.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Jimmy wants to know who Sam Walker replaces in the halves.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Well, I think he'll play seven. I think he'll play seven,
and I don't think it'll take too long for him
to get back to the position. They're probably just giving
him a run this week. Roosters are going along nicely.
They've got some really good young players there. We spoke
about this in the offseason and sort of proving as
the year's gone on. Yeah, there's still all this scuttle
(04:58):
about day Cherry Evans coming to the club. We've spoken
about and I don't understand. But Sam Walker, I'd imagine
once he's proved himself and had a run under his belt,
he'll probably come back in the number seven jersey.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
So how's this for a scenario. Yeah, Queensland lose Game two,
series over. Cherry Evans is left out of Queensland team
for Game three, replaced by Sam Walker. Terry Evans comes
to the Roosters and takes his spot at number seven
of the next year.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
What are you saying, though, Well, that won't happen. Yeah,
marked that. Then the tape place.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
That won't happen? Why not it won't happen.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
He might not play game to you.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Why do you throw up things like that?
Speaker 4 (05:44):
Why would that not happen?
Speaker 1 (05:45):
How ridiculous? Well, if the series is you as we
give him playing this Cup this weekend, he left three
games under his belt. He's not playing Origin three. Please.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Rick Martin sounds like a hop star from the sixties.
Given the Panthers' ability to.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Rick Martin, Ricky Martin.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Ricky mart We're getting some celebrity submissions this week. Given
the Panthers' ability to grind out wins even when they're
not at their best. Well, they haven't won that many,
but they well they've won four. Now is their championship DNA.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Four and a half. That one point that could be
very crucial at the back end of the year, could
be very well. I could keep them out. You've got
to make it work for you.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Is their championship, DNA is still the best in the competition.
I don't know what that means, but Ricky Ricky is
big on that well.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
If I ranked the probably top five or six performances
of any team this year, they rate in two of them. Panthers,
even though they're down where they are a couple of
their performances this year, we're outstanding and we know they've
got got it in them. You know they get through
this Rep season. If they can get through the Rep
season and keep ticking off wins over the next few weeks.
(06:58):
The hard part is in previous years there've been well
placed coming into the Rep season. They've been able to
rest their REP players. It hasn't been as draining is
what it's going to be this year because they're going
to have to keep backing up. They're not going to
be able to rest them. They're going to have to
back up after games to keep this role going. And
luckily they did on the weekend. They wouldn't have beaten
Paramatta without them. So they need to keep that going.
(07:21):
But they're hardened. They know the way, they know how
to play finals football. If they get there, then everyone's
going to have to work hard to beat them. We
know that they've got that in their ding.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
If we looked at the form guide from that game
on Sunday, how how does the form stack up for
the quality of that game.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Well, Paramatta seven days earlier belted Manly, Mainly came out
and belted Brisbane seven days later. You know, I think
Panthers had to pull out all stops to win on
the weekend. I don't think Panthers were at their absolute best,
but they when the game got in the balance, you
kind of like they had it under control. Clear they
(08:03):
were able to they were able to beak it out
and it was a paramounter, a outstanding They were really good.
Paramount were great against Manly the week before. They've been
building up and I think that the things about the
Panthers is if they can get back to finals football,
if they can get back to games that are in
the balance and they come to a high speed, grinding
football with plenty of ball in play and where they specialize,
(08:27):
then they've got the experience, they've got the talent, and
they've got the leaders that can do that where some
other clubs have to prove that they can do it.
A lot of clubs have to prove that they can
do it. There are a lot of clubs in this
league that haven't done that. They haven't played that sort
of football. That's why parent the won four comps in
a row. That's why they've hardly lost any games for
four or five years, because sides just can't go with
(08:51):
them when they get it right now. It's not the
Panthers team of yesteryear. It's not you know that every
year they've been watered down a little bit and there
are more kids coming into the side, but they've still
got the nucleus. I've still got five, four or five
of the best players in the in the game, in
the world in that side, and they know how to
play finals.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Football and clear it was unbelievable, as he always.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Yeah him, Brian, Brian, you know, like Dylan Edwards just marvelous,
absolutely marvelous, and you know, and the other fellows you know,
like young Kenny and Moses Leoda and Liam Martin, Brian,
Dylan Edwards, Nathan clipped you so hell are still they've
(09:36):
got half a dozen of the best players in the
world in those positions. They can do it. I think
we were all surprised where they are on the ladder,
but there had to be a breaking point at some stage.
You can't be you can't be great forever. They've just
had a difficult time through the first half of the competition.
But it won't surprise anyone if they string half a
dozen wins together, and if they do, they're going to
be well entrenched in the eight and then they can
(09:57):
set their sights on finals football. And if we're working
finals football, there are a lot of other sides out
there that they've got to prove that they can handle it.
Panthers will know how it.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
Might be the year a team from outside the four
winds of the camp could be.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
It's going to happen one day. It will happen one day.
All this thing you have to make the ford to
win the comp Well, no you don't. That's just the
way it's played out for the last twenty years. But
doesn't mean I'll go on forever.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
Reckon the Raiders and the Warriors will stay intrenched.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
The universe unfolds in funny ways, Matthew, funny world, there
are no there are no rules.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
Shamous wants to know.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Do you think the NRL's current disciplinary system, including fines
and suspensions, is adequately tearing.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Don't start, do not start. You've put that quick.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
I did it now when I make up the name Shamus, yeah,
Shamus Wolden.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Yeah, Well that's just a that's just a setup. That's
just a setup. We'll deal with that one day and
a whole.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
Podcast, will we.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yeah, look forward to that, or I might write my book.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
That's us, Gus. The NRL season is here for the
best time in sport. Tab has the best app in sport.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Tab.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
We are on You win some, you lose more. For
free and confidential support, visit Gambling Help online dot org
dot au.
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