June 16, 2025 • 42 mins
Live from Perth, Gus dissects the Queensland Maroons' Game 2 selections, admitting, "I'm not sure they've addressed the problem" with a forward pack that "doesn't make sense to me."
Gus also weighs in on Jarome Luai’s inclusion making NSW "stronger," the crucial role of Kurt Mann, and Kalyn Ponga's impact.
He dives deep into the mental side of Origin, answers listener questions on Billy Slater's job and NSW's biggest dangers, and gives his final predictions for the match.
00:00 - Welcome
- Live from Perth
- Perth Bears
- Poor schedule for Panthers this weekend
- Lightning delay in Bulldogs Souths game
- Round 15 results
04:00 - QLD
- Perth form wont matter
- QLD changes: Capewell into team
- Gus is not sure QLD have addressed the issues from Game 1
11:30 - NSW
- Mitch Moses out, Jarome Luai in
- Max King starting, Stefano to bench
22:00 - Kurt Mann
24:00 - Kalyn Ponga
26:00 - The mental side of the game
30:00 - #AskGus
- Pat Carrigan to the bench
- Is Billy’s job in trouble if they lose game 2
- What is the biggest danger for NSW heading into this game
35:30 - Ampol Power surge
- Which players will have a game changing moment
39:00 - Final predictions
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Nine podcasts.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Welcome to a special State of Origin preview of six
Tackles with Gus, presented by tab We're live on the
ground here in Perth, where it's very sunny and it's
very warm, and it looms. Is one of the most
important Origin games that has confronted Queensland for many, many years.
The Blues have not won four straight State of Origin
games since nineteen ninety six ninety seven. Do they seal
(00:26):
the series here in Perth and look to sweep it
in Sydney or can queens They make it a decide about.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
At a core.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Welcome Phil Gold, Matthew Thompson. How are you doing.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
I'm good. It's nice to see some warmth and sunshine.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Yeah, a little bit different the weather over here in
Perth to what we left in Sydney, but yeah, I
always like coming to Perth, been here a few times
over the decades. Lovely clean city, very relaxing. It is
big country town. I think they won't like that you're
a city, it's a.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Major city of Australia, but no, it is. It is
lovely play to visit. It does take a long time
to get here though, Yes.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Well we've got a little taste of what the challenge
might be for the Perth Bears in a couple of
years time, when they're traveling every second week. I think
they're going to have to adjust their draw They're going
to have to work with the NRL pretty closely. I'd
imagine it's best for them to probably play two or
three in a row at home and then two or
three in a row in Sydney and get a home
base over there, rather than traveling across the country as
(01:26):
often as they do.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
The Warriors don't get such favors there, No, they done.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
It's only two hours. I mean, towns will further than
the New Zealand for a lot of the games that
they play. Yeah, I guess travel is just part of
it and you have to work it in. What about
the ridiculous scheduling for the poor old Panthers this week?
I just noticed that, Well it's not this week, is it?
Or yeah, this week is it? The Warriors on the weekend?
How ridiculous. They're playing Wednesday night in Perth, all these
(01:52):
origin players and they've got them backing up Friday night
in New Zealand. How would they ever expect those players
to back up? Do that?
Speaker 3 (02:01):
That's a strange, bitter scheduling. That's really terrible.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
If I was the Panthers club, I've been blowing up.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
It makes it impossible for Penrith, doesn't it.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Well, then they're not going to take their origin players
across there. They're not going to take you know, someone
at the NRL would have said, oh, it doesn't matter.
They probably won't play anyway because they haven't played in
previous years. Well, in previous years they are leading the
camp that's short. Now they're in a battle for the
top eight. I'm sure they would have loved to had
those origin players available.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
How do we do that? I don't know.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
How do we do that to our game?
Speaker 3 (02:30):
That's shooting yourself in the foot.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Well, shooting the product in the foot, that's what it's doing.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Don't think they've be any lightning interruptions over here.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
No, that was bizarre yesterday, wasn't it.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
You don't plan for that stuff, do you?
Speaker 1 (02:43):
No, you don't know, you don't.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Did you know what the protocol was?
Speaker 1 (02:47):
No? I knew that. I knew. I've got some recollections
back in the past where games were delayed a little
bit for lightning. In the old days, we didn't. We
just kept playing. It could have been lightning everywhere. They
wouldn't have cared that kept going. But yeah, it was
a strange game because it was really we never got
(03:07):
a second half. We had a long delay between the
first half and the second, a couple of long breaks there,
and so it was Yeah, it was difficult, but please
the team got the win. It was an interesting round
of rugby league, wasn't it. Only five games played on
the weekend, but some great results. I mean, the Dragons
looked as though they had the Sharks measure at halftime
the other night and then capitulated. The Sharks went home
to win. Never saw the Titans beating the Seagles, and
(03:30):
particularly by that score. I mean, that was a bizarre performance.
The other night, Gold Coast.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Beating the Seagulls mainly got some issues.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yeah, Roosters had to work really hard to beat the Knights,
and Nights led for most of that game, but the
Roosters did well to get them in the end.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
And then they fled a sharp in that game either.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
And then a stunning performance by the Dolphins, absolutely stunning
performance fifty eight to four against the Cowboys up in
North Coinsland. Fifty eight to four. They're a good size.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
You've been on the Dolphins bandwagen for a couple of weeks, now.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Yeah, Well that was stunning, absolutely stunning what they did
to them, and they did it with ease. It could
have been more. It really could have been more. The
Dolphins are on the way, baby, They're going to be
very hard to beat.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
So to the point of Origin, the Blues have been
here twice before and won both games by thirty two points.
Yet the scenario is very different because on both of
those occasions they lost the series opening game. So it's
now up to Coeensland to win here to keep it alive.
A bit of extra pressure and one how that plays
(04:37):
into the mentality of both states.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Well, New South Wales are in the box seed, I
mean winning a game in Brisbane, winning Origin one in Brisbane,
it's a big bonus for them and they did it
so convincingly too. They are in game three. Whatever happens
here in Perth, New South Wales are in game three.
Game three is going to mean something for them. It's
either a decider or it's going to be for a whitewash,
both of it which will be important for the Maroons.
(05:03):
They're not in game three. Yet they've got to get there,
and they've got to get there by winning this one.
And they've made some changes to their lineup, they've taken
some gambles. I'm not sure that they've addressed the problems
that beset them in game one. And you know, right
from the start, I think New South Wales will win handsomely.
But Origins are funny beast. They can get out there
and get on the wrong leg early Queensland can get
(05:25):
on the right leg. And if New South Wales haven't
done their homework, if New South Wales don't improve from
game one to Game two, then they're just inviting disappointment
into their life, because we know how Queensland will rally
around this one. I wouldn't read too much into perth
form in the past. As you say, Queensland were one
up in the series when they came here the last
couple of times, and they're renowned for kind of losing
(05:46):
game two if they win game one. But yeah, to
get this to a decided, they've got to improve them
measurably out of what we saw in the first game.
And I'm not sure they've addressed the problems that they've had,
they're going to have to do it mentally rather than personnel.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Was so, I think we've covered the Cherry Evans thing
pretty well over the last little while, but I'm curious
on your thoughts on the other changes Billy has made.
Now you were talking about and I think anybody that
watched that first game saw that news South was completely
out muscled Queensland and the thinking was they'll go for
a forward enforcer. Well, in fact, they've gone for Kurt Capele,
the veteran back rower. They will start the arrow at
(06:25):
Locke and they'll bring Carrigan and Nana, who is probably
their best playering game went off the bench.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
What does that all say to you, Well.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
It says to me I highly doubt that's going to
be their starting pack. I think they'll be changes before kickoff.
They've probably named them that way, I don't know, just
to have some thinking music in the background. They've got
the personnel that they probably wanted. Kurt Capble is an
experienced performer. He's played center, he's played back row, he's
played in the middle. I guess they've brought his experience
(06:56):
into the lineup and he's work ethic and I would
imagine that he's going. Well, I don't know where he'll
defend early because Nana I was sort of over on
the right. But I guess he's going to contend with
one of the harms in the opposition to him. But
whether they thought it was going to be Moses or Cleary,
now it's going to be Lewie. Of course that's a
(07:17):
big change to the new South Wales side. But yeah,
Caple coming back to be a starting back rower in
such an important game. I have some question marks on
that one. He's a good player, been a good player
for a long time, but it.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Probably wouldn't have questioned if he was there in game one, would.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
You, Well, it would have made more sense. It would
have made more sense if he was replacing Ruben Cotter
in the background. I don't know that playing Ruben Cotter
in the background is is where he's best served these days.
It just seems like a funny looking pack for me,
given what they've got on the bench and what they've
needed out of game one. If they were going to
(07:53):
address it, I just I don't understand it at all.
I can't understand the Patrick Carrigan coming off the bench.
I can't stand cape Will starting in the second row.
I can't understand Cotter starting in the second row, and
I still say they won't start with Harry Grant. I
still think Kurt Man will start the game with a hooker.
(08:13):
They have to. I think they lose whatever chance they've
got if Harry has to get out there early in
the game. Reven Cotta might started hooker, could well do.
It doesn't matter who it does, but I just don't
think it should be Harry. If they want to use
Harry as a weapon, if Harry's going to be a
grain breaker for them and a winner for them, I
think he's best coming off the bench. That doesn't mean
I'm saying he's a bench player. That doesn't mean I'm
(08:34):
saying he can't play eighty minutes. But at this level,
they just pump so much defense, you work into him
early that he just hasn't got the sprint in the
legs when they need it most, when he normally comes
off the bench and has a big impact. I think
they're missing out on a great opportunity to turn him
into a weapon. Now, maybe they're hoping to jump out
of the blocks, get the jump on New South Wales,
get to the front on the scoreboard and then play
(08:56):
a spoiling game from there, which is Queensland's way. But
I don't think they have addressed personnel wise. I don't
think they've addressed the issues that beset them in game one.
Now you can do a lot of that with attitude.
You can do a lot of that around game planning
and the strategy, etc. But to do that, that's why
I thought they needed Cherry. Evans won't go back overall ground.
(09:18):
It's Diden's job now, but it's a big ass from
him as well. Making months to the captain is interesting
because I think that'll give him even more responsibility about
loading the team and taking ownership of their big moments
and ownership maybe even to the kicking game. And so yeah, Queensland,
they've got a lot of work to do in a
short space of time to turn around that Game one,
(09:39):
not just the result on the scoreboard, but the result
of the flow of play of how dominant it looked
in New South Wales. I think if New South Wales
can just learn from game one, I think they can
really put Queensland to the sword in game two.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
So you do think they'll be changes, I'll be.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Surprised if there's not changes to the starting line up
prior to kick, well, will I be surprised. I don't know.
I can't think like a Queenslander. I gave trying to
do that years and years ago. I don't know how
Queenslanders think, but me I can't.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
It's an odd looking pack.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
It doesn't make sense to me. It doesn't make sense
to me what they're doing there. There's other strategy available
to them, just in that seventeen that were probably you know,
but you know, we'll have to see what Billy does.
I mean, he's obviously got a plan. He's the coach,
he knows them better than anyone else. But from my perspective,
(10:37):
I'm not sure that they have addressed the issues from
game one. Now a lot of this is going to
come back on to Fadawaka and for Sulmula. Are we who?
As I said prior to Game one, I'm playing with
the goldcast Titans where defense has not been the priority
there for a number of seasons. You know, it might
be getting a little better, but you've got to take
that club mentality, in that club form into origin and
(10:59):
they just didn't do it game one. They weren't seen
the pain Hearts and a sigh Yo and Barnett they
were just running rough shot over them through the middle
of the field. So they're going to need a lot
of possession. They're going to need a lot of luck.
Origin can do that. They can. They can get on
the good food early and go from there. But right
at the moment I'm not seeing it in the selections now.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
The one thing they've got in their favor, everyone's writing
them off.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Well, it's exactly where Queensland wants to be. This is
where Queensland love it, and Queensland loved being the underdog.
They love being written off, and every done commentator like
you and I and everyone else around that keeps writing
them off. They'll be replaying that and writing quotes up
on walls and.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Would be the first time you're better in a Queensland wall.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Nah, that's right. I probably should invoice them from.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Motivation services rendered. So the thunderbolt in New South Wales
was the injury to Mitchell Moses, which is very untimely
for both the Blues but also paramatter. But that New
South I was doing the luxury of power shitting Jerome
Lewie back in there. He was among New Southwell's best
last series a lineball call. You were saying he thought
he probably deserved to keep his spot when he gets
(12:04):
his chance in game two.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Yeah, now, please take this the right way. I think
it makes New South far stronger. But that's nothing against
Mitchell Moses simply because of the long term combination between
Cleary and Leui. This is the way I would have
gone for game one. Moses did an outstanding job, outstanding
job in last year series playing on the right, playing
half back in place of Nathan Cleary, and he did
a great job in Game two. And in fact, what
(12:27):
I saw in Game one, I thought, well, game two,
he'll demand the ball even more because there's some real
opportunities on his own side of halfway to be releasing
the outside backs there in latrel down that left hand side.
And I'm sure that's not lost on Loui either. I'm
sure he watched the game as closely as everyone else
and he'll be seeing his opportunities as well. But on
(12:48):
sheer combination under pressure, on sheer decision making under pressure,
familiarity is important. Their relationship between the two Cleary and Leui,
the relationship between them and the lock four, the relationship
between those three fellas and the fallback Dylan Edwards. It's
got to make them stronger, it's got to make them
better under pressure. Not saying that Mitchell Moses couldn't have
(13:10):
done it. He probably would have and it's not a
slight on him that I say this, but technically, theoretically
it actually makes them stronger to have that combination that
the scrum base, the fullback of the lock on the
two halves. So New Southwales certainly haven't gone backwards because
of the injury.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Max King gets a starting spot. It's a final one
of the bench. I think they missed Mitch Barnet. He
thought he was tremendous. In fact, he said two Origin
games he's been outstanding in both of them. Now both
of them the band's uncle.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Yeah, really strong, really strong constitution. You know he's one
of them, bony, hard bodied, hard working forwards. And you
know he played really well in Game one. He was
a big part of that. I'm very happy for Max
King to get a start. He won't let them down.
His attention to details excellent, his leg speed's great, his
defensive responsibility is really good. I thought he was really
(13:59):
good in game one. Will be it coming off the
bench in New South Wales had done a lot of
good work early, but he will be on the back
of paying hearts and he will be on the back
of a CIA and you know, if he needs it,
if he has to go first before they run, he'll
do it. If he gets to come on the back
of them, well he'll do that too, and he'll do
it very effectively. So and they've also got some strength
coming from the bench. So New South Wales steady as
(14:20):
she goes, very little change from the Game one. They've
actually brought in someone who's even more familiar and I
think I thought Kalama tongue in key On Kalama tongue.
He was very unlucky not to get that front rower
spot off the bench. Stefano form has been all right
for the Storm this year, and I guess the fact
that he was in camp for Game one swayed the
(14:42):
coach and the selectors that well, at least he'd been
around the unit and that was a bit of familiarity
as well. But you know he needs to rise to
the occasion coming off the bench. There Hudson Young, Spencer
Lanyu and Connor Watson it's a great bench. It's a
real good bench. Can if they're in front, they can
(15:03):
come home and ram home the advantage. If they're behind,
they can actually come on and change the game, so
they can do it both ways. I think the bench
can be influential.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Huts and Young actually look really dangerous in the middle
when it came off the bench.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
It's a growing trend in the game for edge fords
to be playing in and around the middle, particularly in
the middle part of the game. Not so much at
the start, but certainly for the rest of the game
their first twenty minutes. You know, sometimes size and bulk
matters and you need that Ronaldo strong middle forward running
those you know, those tough runs. But as the game
breaks up and evens up, size becomes less important. And
(15:38):
that's where these fleet footed backgrowers and the ones that
can dance around a little bit come into their own.
And he was very effective, particularly when he came onto
the field dancing around the middle of the field.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
There.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
He's got great leg speed, he runs hard, he bounces
off people. You know, he can be a weapon if
he used that way. But by the same taken he's
you know, if New South Wales behind. If the game
is not going well for them, Connor Watson can come
on and Spencer len you can certainly come on and
change the trend. Hudson Young, whether he plays on the
edge in the middle, can do that. And Stefano is
(16:10):
the one that's pretty much you see. What you see
is what you get. He's just that big bulk front
right in the middle of the fields. Size and hit
ups and plenty of work rate and plenty of defense
around the middle. So they've got a little covered from
the bench. As I say, I can't work out the
Queensland bench. I can't work out how they're going to
use them for impact unless there are changes to the
(16:33):
starting lineup going forward. I honestly think kurk Man will
start at nine. That's my belief. If it doesn't happen, well,
I can't explain that.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
But if it was intending on starting someone specifically at hooker,
you think he'd pick a specialist hooker, ain't you.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
No, Not necessarily, Well, Ben Hunt wasn't a specialist hooker.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
Well, no, but someone kirk Man's highly versatile. Don't get
me wrong. I'm sure he can do the job, but
he's not known as a nine.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Well, they made plenty of substitute nine at Newcastle doing
the same thing playing lock and nine. I think when
Phoenix Crossland was finding his feet and it was one
of the reasons we bought him at the Bulldogs was
because he had that versatility. But he's ended up. He's
morphed into our probably major player playing lock forward at
the moment, so he can certainly do that role. I'm
(17:19):
not sure if Queensland need a ball playing lock Ford.
I guess he's there covering a few positions, but primarily
I'd be using him in the hooking role to start
the game, if only for fifteen or twenty minutes, just
to save Harry Grant from a lot of grunt work early,
(17:40):
which no doubt New south Wales will do. You know,
New south Wales will get the ball and every time
they get the ball, they'll run a play at their hooker,
they run a play at their half back, they'll run
a play at the hooker, they run a play at
the five eight. They'll just keep running their big men
at their little men. They'll keep moving their mobile they're
bigger forwards around if their bigger forwards have got to
chase to make tackles. It's only going to wear they're
mout and that's the strategy, you know. And if it's
(18:02):
every second tackles Harry Grant, well he can't be a
weapon of attack. He just can't be. We did and
is going to get them under pressure.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
A strangers the.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Pack as it looks, and I agree when it was announced,
I'm thinking this is odd.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
But the more I look at it, it's a work
rate pack. Yeah, they're workers.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
His mentality might be just to try and hold the
scoreline close and then trust Munster and Ponger and these
fellows to get the wind at the back end, which
is pretty much a Queensland mindset. But and Queensland forward
packs have always been picked on work ethic, absolute work ethic.
They want people to pressure kickers, they want people to
chase kicks, they want people to you know, work hard
(18:42):
around the middle to get back and hit the ball
up like they're this work great players. They're not part
of the strategy of the team at all. Where I
think in Origin you probably need a little bit more
than that. I think the new South Wales pack's far
more dangerous, far more balanced, and has more strike to
it and more versatility to it, and I think there's
more impact from the bench as well. I think there
are more options off the bench to change the momentum
(19:05):
of the game or reinforce the momentum of the game
that exists from the fellows on the bank. I can't
see New South Wales losing. I just can't. And as
much as I respect Queensland and what origin is and
how these games can change, on the surface of it,
I can't see a Queensland win.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
There's another headline for the dressing room all well, yeah, but.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
We're sitting in We're sitting in the soundproof birth. No
one cares what we say. But I'm just saying I
can't see it. I can't see Queensland getting out of
that game one. What happened up there, If New South
Wales do their homework and if they can improve again
on what happened in game two, and I think with
that in mind, Luai is the perfect one to come
in and do that as well. I think he can
(19:48):
be a real expect.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Energy, energy and enthusiasm.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Energy and no fear, no fear. He's got that, He's
got this instinct that he wants to attack it all
at all costs. He's also got the left footed kicking game.
So if they're going to pressure, if they think pressure
and kickers is a thing, you know, Mitchell Mays's right
foot kicker on the left hand side of the field
sometimes doesn't work so well. Clearing doing the bulk of
the kicking makes him vulnerable. And Cleary didn't really kick
(20:14):
that well in game one. They're sort of blaming the
football a little bit, but he wasn't hitting the ball
at all well, either goal kicking or even with his
general play kicking. You know, we'll see how that goes
in game two as well. But he and Leui I
know when to mix it up. They know when to
kick left and right. They know when one's going to
be under pressure for the other. They've got each other's back,
(20:34):
they've done it so often together. I just think it's
going to help because that's one of the things Queensland'll
be looking to do. Queens And will be looking to
put pressure on opposition kickers, not that the rules allow
it too much these days. Give him a bump and
they give a penalty.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Their best kickchaser in game one was Nana. He chased everything.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
He's on the bench well he chases the ones he
can score off. They're the ones he chases. The short
kicking game, they all chase if they think they're a
chance of scoring a try.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Good point. It's a longer dropping five bucks on the road.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Yeah, well, it's the kick chases I'm talking about. Are
the ones where you've had your backs to the wall
and defense and you get out there and you're only
on about the thirty or the forty on tackle five
and your half it happens on tackle two and your
half back six now is a good time to kick
and doesn't find tuts. Well, then you've got to find
your kick chase, and not on your own. You've all
got to go down together. That's kick chase is so important.
(21:26):
Meters made from kicks downfield. It's such an in crucial
part of the modern day rugby league game, and particularly
in origin as well. So got plenty of blakes. You
chase it when they are a chance is scoring a try.
But when they chase it, will they chase it? When
you know the pulse is under and eighty and there's
no air in the lungs and the legs are burning,
and they've been defending a few sets of six on
(21:46):
their line and suddenly the half access chase this. You know,
we're going to get down there and chase it, and
if they don't, we'll deal on. Edwards runs it back
as far as you can kick it. So, yeah, he
chases the good kicks. All got to chase the other kicks.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
He was remissing me not to mention that kurk Man's
about to become the oldest Queensland debutntent Arthur beats and
in the first Origin, what.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
A story, what an absolutely got a great story. And
I've told you so. I tried to sign him twelve
thirteen years ago. It's a young five eight at Panthers
at the time. He had the choice, I saw the
Melbourne Storm. He chose the Melbourne Storm, which was a
good pick at the time. We weren't going that well
Melbourne were Melbourne's always going well.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
But it was a bit of a whiz kid back then,
wasn't he He was?
Speaker 1 (22:28):
He was young five eight from Queensland and I think
he's from country Queensland, way out the back somewhere, but
he Yeah, he's You've got a good old fashioned attitude.
He's got a hard edge to him. He's been great
for the Bulldogs. But we're not talking about the Bulldogs
the other day. But he's he's been wonderful for our club.
And he's got leadership and he's just raw bone, old tough,
(22:53):
you know, old old set of values.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
And he's had a wretcheder injury.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
He won't let anyone down, no, he has. And he's
played every position on the field, very versatile.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
He's from Winton.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Winton. Yeah, Winton's a long way out in Queensland. Somewhere
where's Winton?
Speaker 3 (23:11):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
The other Queenslander me from Penrith. Yeah, but you called
a lot of foods I did.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
Yeah, at Central West coins that one hundred and seventy
seven kilometers northwest of Longreach. That's right, that's out there,
that's out there. That'd all be tough from Winton, wouldn't they.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
Well, they have enough for a football team in Winton.
He probably had to do it all himself. That's where
he learned all the positions.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Yeah, I remember, right in the middle of right in
the middle of Coinslands.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
And he was very young when I first spoke to him,
very young, but you could see there was a man there,
you know, he was he wasn't a boy, he was
already a man. You could just tell the country kids
are good stock mate.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
So Winton's as close to Alice Springs as it is
to Brisbane.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Well there, they're going to be tough out there.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
I'm conscious that the Queensland forwards were sitting Game one,
but I can't help but think it's a big night
for Carl and Ponger. He hasn't he really hasn't had
a great year and it's been a while since his influenced.
Speaker 3 (24:08):
In Origin game.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
Well, I know he's played a lot, a lot consistently
because of injury, but I feel like it's a big
night for him, particularly with Walsh Pack.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
Well, it's a big night for all of them. It's
a big night for Tom did and it's a big
night for Camera Munster. I mean, they've got to get
things happen. It's a big night for the forwards Pack,
I mean Tino and mat To they've got to show
show their class in this game. They've got to get
coins and on the front foot. And I think if
they do, Like how much of Ponger is his own
personal form? How much is he a victim of what's
(24:39):
happened at Newcastle over the last twelve months and how
they've been fairing and you know, and you don't like
to you don't like to be a victim, but sure
Klin's got the ability. You don't lose your ability. It's
just that New South Wales was so great on controlling
the ball, so great on kick chase. There was really
nothing on offer for him on kick reception. He didn't
(25:01):
have time to wind up or position other players. They
weren't getting a lot of ball at the New South
Wales end of the field, so we never really came
into the action. He's now got a new halfback to
combine with nothing in the way really until kirk Men
gets on the field of a ball playing type lock
to tap into. It's probably him and Harry Grant and
(25:22):
him and Munster. I guess you know which news our
worlds will be aware of that, and I think that's
where they'll concentrate there, or at least where Dylan Edwards
will be marshaling the troops. He'll be very wary of
where they're bobbing up on the field. And Calen Ponger
in that head gear is not hard to spot. He
was out the back waiting for the ball, but a
big game for him. It's a big game for all
the Queenslanders. But that again, that's where Queensland liked to be.
(25:44):
This is by the time they've sat in their circle
and hold hands and sat around the campfire and sunned
their songs and you know, pat of each other on
the head and forget game one. Now we've got them, now,
we've sucked them in. Everyone's tip. We just where we want,
the boys them just where we want, just where we want.
We've seen this movie before, trust me, we've seen this
(26:06):
movie before. And if the scores are close, if the
scores are close, when we get down to the back
end of the game, who's going to prepare for that
the best? I mean, if the scores are locked with
ten minutes to go, just put yourself in that scenario
for a moment. Who do you think is prepared for that?
Who do you think is expected that New South Wales
or Queensland. I mean, if Queensland are going to win this,
I think that's probably where the game is going to be.
(26:29):
It's going to be close with ten minutes to go,
and then they come up with the big play or
they're able to defend a two point lead or something.
A New south Wales preparing for that, a new South
Wales ready to go down to golden point or go
down to field goal territory, or you know, be just
behind or just be in front when with ten minutes
to go. Mentally, there's a rehearsal there as well. I
(26:49):
guess Queensland know that they're probably not going to blow
New south Wales away. It's going to have to be
close if they win, so they're thinking about the eighty
minute effort. I used to say to origin players, you know,
like particularly young fellas coming in or you know, important games.
One of the messages I gave was that it's really
easy to get excited and get nervous. And everyone's excited
(27:12):
and nervous for the start of the game, and you
want that first touch and you want that first touch
to be good, and you kind of lie away thinking
about that first hit up or that first tackle, or
that first catch of the bomb and all the things
you're talking. You're thinking about. It's a bit like going
to golf. What do you think about on the way
to golf? You think about that first hit off the
first te don't you. But it comes and goes so quickly,
your first hit up, your first tackle, your first touch,
or your first involvement in the game. It comes and
(27:34):
goes so quickly. Where most of these are decided by
the last thing that you do. A lot of games,
the big games, are decided at the back end, in
the final moments, And so I used to ask them
to put themselves in that position when you're gassed, when
you're injured, when the game's on the line, when we're
two points in front, were we're two points behind, think
about the last thing you do, your last kick chase,
(27:55):
your last tackle, your last support play, your last run,
your last fall on a loose ball, your last cover defense.
You know, think about that last play, because that could
be the one that actually decides it. You know, not
when you're fresh and ready and nervous and excited and
feeling good, but at the back end where you feel terrible,
where your lungs are burning and your legs are aching,
and you're probably injured, and you know you've been out
(28:16):
there for a long time, and you know the game's
in the balance, the results in the balance. There's not
long to go your two points in front of your
two points behind, and put yourself in that scenario with
your visualization. Interesting watching. Danny Widler interviewed New South Wales
fullback the other night, Dylan Edwards, and he said, you
(28:36):
know what's been the development of our game over the years,
He said, the visualization, the mental part of the game.
They're sitting down and rehearsal, the mental rehearsal of the game.
Putting yourself in those types of scenarios the whole time.
And I think all professional sportsmen need to do that.
They pretty much all do sort of yoga and breathing
and meditation and all those sorts of things, and it's
about putting yourself in those positions, putting yourself in those
(28:58):
moments visually before the game, you know, and saying all right,
well I'm there, I'm tired, I'm buggered. You know the
scores in the balanced referees, you know, giving them a
penalty they shouldn't have got, or got a flaer in
the sin bin, or it's teaming rain and or two points,
all the scenarios that can be really difficult to handle.
(29:20):
Put yourself there mentally before the game because then when
you get in that moment, you actually rehearsed your thoughts
you rehearsed how you're going to feel, and you rehearsed
what you're going to be telling yourself. If you don't,
then it can get the better of you. And we've
seen that happen so often, and it usually happens a
few times before you realize I need to I need
to rehearse this before I go out and do it.
(29:41):
It's like doing goalkicking practice, putting yourself under game pressure.
Put yourself under game pressure and your rehearsal and your goalkicking.
You know, I used to do a drill with Iven
clear you when he was at the rooster. I say,
you had to kick twenty out of twenty before he
could go home. And he said, when you got down
to seventeen, eighteen and nineteen, if you get if you missed,
you had to go back to one.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
Where was it kicking from?
Speaker 1 (30:03):
No, just conversions just around the post. You know, it's
just titting around the post. But you know it was
just a it was more a mental thing, you know,
like he said when he got down to seventeen, eighteen
and nineteen, knowing that if he missed one, he had
to start back at zero. And he's dying to get
armed towards the sale of the century or what if
you want to watch on TV? You know, he said,
that's that that was the pressure. You know, that's game pressure.
(30:25):
You could feel it, you know, And I think you've
got to do that same you know they do putting
drills in golf. I got all this from golf analysis
and the golf books that I used to read in
the mental game on golf and try to put footballers
in the same scenario. And but Origin, it's just heightened,
that's all. It's just a heightened state of awareness and
a heightened state of rehearsal and visualization.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
And it works.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
It works.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
We've got some ask us Origin addition questions. Thanks to
our friends at TAB, the NFL season is in full
swing and for the best time in sport, TAB has
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Speaker 3 (31:05):
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Speaker 1 (31:08):
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org dot au.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
Archie binks what's around? Carrigan says, it's a big core
medium to the bench.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
What does it say?
Speaker 1 (31:18):
Still don't think you'll start there. You could well start
the game anyway. I just don't know what what the
thought process is whether or not they're just hoping. You know,
if if Queensland start with the pact that they've got
fad Awake at Grant and Tina up front and trently
Eero trently Aero at Locke, they're just hoping that they
(31:39):
get some ball early, get on the front foot, Harry
can do something with him with Ponger and Munster and
then they can sneak a couple of quick tries or
get to the front and the scoreboard, you know, dominate
a little bit of field position, dominate a little bit
of possession, get New South Wales a little bit nervous
and then bring on their tacklers, then bring on their
high work rate players to come out and you know,
go from there. You know, I don't know, Maybe I
(32:02):
don't I don't know. I just don't know why Paddy
Carrigan's not starting the game, to be honest, other than
the fact that they've probably picked something they think can
get to the front. Now, if you're going to do that,
we'd have Nanai starting because he can get you a
try out of a kickchase or a line break or
what have you.
Speaker 3 (32:17):
So or they might have picked Corey Hawsbro.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
Well, yeah he was. He was one that I really
would have considered. Yeah, I don't know, as I say,
I can't see the strategy there in Yeah, in the
way the team has been picked.
Speaker 3 (32:41):
Oh, this is a tough one from Michael Edwarods.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
He's asking the hard question if Queensland loses game too,
what does the future hold for Billy Slater as coach
and what kind of rebuild would the Marines need to
undertake for twenty twenty six. We haven't him lost yet,
but he's asking what might happen if they do.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Yeah, I don't think Billy's in any danger of losing. Yeah,
well that hasn't happened yet. We'll worry about that when
we get the result.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
It's a hard one to answer it out, Dan Finnigan.
After their dominant performance in Game one, what's the biggest
danger for the Blues?
Speaker 1 (33:17):
The biggest danger from my perspective, is in your mental
preparation for the game or in getting ready for game two.
You think it's going to be exactly like Game one.
But if you go out and do exactly what you
did in Game one, things will go exactly the way
they did, and that's not going to happen. It very
rarely happens that way. That whatever you did in game one,
you've got to understand there's going to be a reaction
(33:38):
from the opposition, and they've already reacted both in in
the naming of their team and the dropping of their
captain and sparking a results. So if we go out
with exactly the same game plan we had for game one,
it won't be good enough because queens and will be
ready for it. These are the best of the best.
This is not a club game and we go out
and play the same way every week. You know you
(34:00):
get the same results, but you know origin there will
be a bounce back from Queensland. What New South Wales
needs to learn there's not so much what happened in
game one, but what could have happened, what what other
things were there that they didn't explore. And I saw
some real opportunities for New South Wales that if they
choose to go that way, I think can really pull
Queensland's pants down. And I'm not sure that Queensland will
(34:22):
be ready for it, certainly not ready for it for
the way they've picked their team. So I just think
that you know, if New South Wales can advance, they'll
be they'll be too strong. But if they don't, my
greatest fear for New South Wales is it's not complacency,
but it's to think that this will just be a
continuation of what happened in game one. The game one,
(34:45):
Game two will start exactly the same way. Remembering they've
got a few six agains, they've got a couple of penalties,
and they've got a couple of turnovers. All right, cut
the turnovers out. Queensland's not going to drop the ball
this time. Cut the penalties out because that's not going
to happen. All right, Now, can we set for set grind,
set for set grind, set for set grind, and still
be nil all after twenty minutes? Who's winning? At nil all?
(35:07):
It's nil all after twenty minutes? Who's winning? Who's ready
for that part of the game? And as I said
to you, who's ready for the part of the game
at the last ten minutes when the score is a level, Well,
Queensland's got their nose in front, or you've only got
your nose in front there, or we get down the
field goal territory, because that might be a part of
the game that New South Wales haven't mentally prepared for.
I'm sure as professionals they will have. But that's always
(35:30):
the danger that you just expect. It's a continuation of
the previous game and it never is.
Speaker 2 (35:37):
All Right, We've got Airpole on board now with six
Tackles with GUS. They sponsor State of Origin and they're
sponsoring this award winning podcast. So the Ampile Power Surge
this week. Our good friends at ampole Gus. They want
to know the top three players to have a game
changing moment on Wednesday night.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
The top three players to have a game changing moment.
Speaker 3 (35:56):
If you're going to throw three in there that could
have a game changing moment, who would you choose?
Speaker 1 (36:00):
Well, the other night someone asked me about the top
three who I think the top three players will be?
Speaker 3 (36:04):
And I think that was me.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
Last week?
Speaker 3 (36:08):
Was it?
Speaker 1 (36:09):
Yeah, so I went paying half Asi and Nathan Cleary.
But if you're looking for game changing moments, game changing moments,
a game changing moments could be a Xavier coach, a
leap and catch, which I think is one of the
ways that they can score. A hammer tack will break
(36:29):
in a sprint. Yeah, well that's going to have to
come from an offload somewhere. You know someone's going to
have to put him away. You know, a monster can
come up with a game changing moment. Harry Grant can
come up with a came changing moment. Buttrell Mitchell, No, No,
off the bench, Latrell Mitchell. There's plenty of you know,
that's the beauty of Origin. You've got plenty of players
(36:49):
that can win it for you. And there are plenty
of fellas out there and also not just can win
it for you, have the confidence to do it. They
want the ball in their hands in those big moments.
And that's now those fellows that I've said, But the
game breaking, the game changing moment.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
But your game changing moment was it a couple of
years ago? When it might have been a couple of
years ago? Remember married to Lunge, he made in about
two or three games in a row, he made these
incredible trice having tackles in the corner, saving tries, game
changing moments in origin, same desperation.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Absolutely absolutely getting a charge down, forcing a kicker to
kick out on the fall, you know, falling on a
loose ball. You know, like it's game changing moments. A
fella that is not renowned for an offload, getting a
pass away. That's that's where the Origin moments are made.
Someone getting up when they're hurt to make a try
saving tackle. You know, it could be anyone to chase,
(37:41):
you know, someone taking an intercept.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
There.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
There are lots of ways that the game changing moments
can have. Just mister referee can have a game changing
made as puts his whistle away in Origin. Yeah he didn't.
He didn't early in game one. There was plenty of
the little six agains and penalties in game one.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
But they generally they still generally let it go a
bit in Origin. They don't referee the same.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
Yeah they should be.
Speaker 3 (38:13):
Well, I don't disagree anyway.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
Forget the referee. You haven't got three. You're just going
to leave it. You'll leave your answer at that.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
What's that?
Speaker 3 (38:22):
You top three? Your top three changing players?
Speaker 1 (38:25):
Game changing players? Well, New South Wales full Latrell Mitchell
can be a game changing player.
Speaker 3 (38:31):
Put him in for one. Yes, Xavier Coats one of
his miracle catches.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
Jerome lewe Oh, he was the game changing moment in
game three last year. I was very very tight. He
was on to come up the line break and got
Braban best away, but there are plenty of a monster
can do it. Grant can do it. You know, Tino
can do it. Valentine Holmes can do it, Hamaso can
do it. Steve Stephen Crichton can do it. You know
(39:01):
there's plenty of game breakers there.
Speaker 2 (39:04):
Whether you're cheering on from the sidelines or the living room.
Airpole has got your back on and off the field.
Proud to partner with Australia's own sporting nation. Great to
have Ampole part of the podcast. Right, I guess your prediction,
your final thoughts. You think New South Wales will win?
What's the score going to be?
Speaker 3 (39:19):
Can I see.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
Four or five tries from New South Wales and maybe
one or two for Queensland? So you know five tries
to two wouldn't surprise.
Speaker 3 (39:32):
Me, so thirty to tenish? Yeah, So if New South Wales.
Speaker 1 (39:37):
Score one less four and Queensland score one more three,
well you know that'll be a pat As close as
I get it, things, but I can I can feel
four or five tries from New South Wales. I can't
get to three tries for Queensland.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
I can't.
Speaker 1 (39:51):
I just don't see it. But things can happen. Could
be sindbins, could be sendoffs, could be magic moments, could
be Munster, could be Xavier.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
They've got the people to do it. I just it's
been a rain around here this week too.
Speaker 1 (40:03):
That's a fact that in the short time we've been here,
any of the grass areas here are actually all pretty muddy.
It's all pretty heavy. So they've had some good rain
here and I think there's going to be rain on
Wednesday as well, so that could change things. You never know.
It's origin, mate. Anything can happen. Anything can happen.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
Remember the first game here when it absolutely threw it
down and Turbo scored three.
Speaker 1 (40:24):
Anything can happen. They're all great players. They can all
come up with the magic moment. It's just keeping yourself
in the contest. Queensland couldn't keep themselves in the contest
in Game one. They just couldn't get enough possession. At
the other end of the field. New South Wales were
two controlled. The forwards rumbled away and the kickers were good.
The chasers were good, they were disciplined, they didn't give
away penalties. But they've got to do that and more
(40:46):
to win Game two. We know Queensland will react a
lot of pressure on the halfback, A lot of pressure
on the halfback. Need now to step up into daily
Cherry Evans's shoes and run this team and be responsible
for that big pressure on him.
Speaker 3 (41:02):
Who's your player of the match.
Speaker 1 (41:04):
If New South Wales win, usual suspects us so you Cleary,
Dylan Edwards and they're the players that will decide it
for them. If queens aind't going to win, I think
that Palmer or Munster have got to have big nights.
(41:25):
But I think New South Wales win.
Speaker 2 (41:27):
The market on tab Queensland two dollars seventy five, New
South Wales a dollar forty five. They wouldn't have started
that shorter price in a long long time.
Speaker 1 (41:37):
Now. It says if we played the game, if we
played the game three times, they'd win twice. Just depends
which ones tonight on Wednesday night, doesn't it all right?
Speaker 2 (41:48):
You'll see all the Magic of Origin two exclusively live
and free here from perth Opter Stadium.
Speaker 3 (41:53):
The venue.
Speaker 2 (41:53):
It's a fabulous vene. I was only talking last week this.
You feel like there's eighty thousand in here, but it's
only it's sixty thousand.
Speaker 3 (42:00):
Tops isn't it.
Speaker 1 (42:01):
Yeah, we've been here a few times and I keep
forgetting what it looks like. But as we drove past
her today coming to hear it reminded me a little
bit of the Las Vegas Stadium, Allegiate Stadium out there
in Las Vegas. From the outside. It was just a
glimpse there and see it's very, very similar to over there.
Speaker 3 (42:20):
But it's a magnificent stadium.
Speaker 2 (42:21):
It's brilliant. Yeah, No, it's great, absolutely wonderful. Lovely city Perth.
We're on here at Big Country Town. We're on here
at seven pm. You can catch it all on nine
and I'll see you out there, Gus. Good to see
in the wild West.
Nine podcasts.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Welcome to a special State of Origin preview of six
Tackles with Gus, presented by tab We're live on the
ground here in Perth, where it's very sunny and it's
very warm, and it looms. Is one of the most
important Origin games that has confronted Queensland for many, many years.
The Blues have not won four straight State of Origin
games since nineteen ninety six ninety seven. Do they seal
(00:26):
the series here in Perth and look to sweep it
in Sydney or can queens They make it a decide about.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
At a core.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Welcome Phil Gold, Matthew Thompson. How are you doing.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
I'm good. It's nice to see some warmth and sunshine.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Yeah, a little bit different the weather over here in
Perth to what we left in Sydney, but yeah, I
always like coming to Perth, been here a few times
over the decades. Lovely clean city, very relaxing. It is
big country town. I think they won't like that you're
a city, it's a.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Major city of Australia, but no, it is. It is
lovely play to visit. It does take a long time
to get here though, Yes.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Well we've got a little taste of what the challenge
might be for the Perth Bears in a couple of
years time, when they're traveling every second week. I think
they're going to have to adjust their draw They're going
to have to work with the NRL pretty closely. I'd
imagine it's best for them to probably play two or
three in a row at home and then two or
three in a row in Sydney and get a home
base over there, rather than traveling across the country as
(01:26):
often as they do.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
The Warriors don't get such favors there, No, they done.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
It's only two hours. I mean, towns will further than
the New Zealand for a lot of the games that
they play. Yeah, I guess travel is just part of
it and you have to work it in. What about
the ridiculous scheduling for the poor old Panthers this week?
I just noticed that, Well it's not this week, is it?
Or yeah, this week is it? The Warriors on the weekend?
How ridiculous. They're playing Wednesday night in Perth, all these
(01:52):
origin players and they've got them backing up Friday night
in New Zealand. How would they ever expect those players
to back up? Do that?
Speaker 3 (02:01):
That's a strange, bitter scheduling. That's really terrible.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
If I was the Panthers club, I've been blowing up.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
It makes it impossible for Penrith, doesn't it.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Well, then they're not going to take their origin players
across there. They're not going to take you know, someone
at the NRL would have said, oh, it doesn't matter.
They probably won't play anyway because they haven't played in
previous years. Well, in previous years they are leading the
camp that's short. Now they're in a battle for the
top eight. I'm sure they would have loved to had
those origin players available.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
How do we do that? I don't know.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
How do we do that to our game?
Speaker 3 (02:30):
That's shooting yourself in the foot.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Well, shooting the product in the foot, that's what it's doing.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Don't think they've be any lightning interruptions over here.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
No, that was bizarre yesterday, wasn't it.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
You don't plan for that stuff, do you?
Speaker 1 (02:43):
No, you don't know, you don't.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Did you know what the protocol was?
Speaker 1 (02:47):
No? I knew that. I knew. I've got some recollections
back in the past where games were delayed a little
bit for lightning. In the old days, we didn't. We
just kept playing. It could have been lightning everywhere. They
wouldn't have cared that kept going. But yeah, it was
a strange game because it was really we never got
(03:07):
a second half. We had a long delay between the
first half and the second, a couple of long breaks there,
and so it was Yeah, it was difficult, but please
the team got the win. It was an interesting round
of rugby league, wasn't it. Only five games played on
the weekend, but some great results. I mean, the Dragons
looked as though they had the Sharks measure at halftime
the other night and then capitulated. The Sharks went home
to win. Never saw the Titans beating the Seagles, and
(03:30):
particularly by that score. I mean, that was a bizarre performance.
The other night, Gold Coast.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Beating the Seagulls mainly got some issues.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yeah, Roosters had to work really hard to beat the Knights,
and Nights led for most of that game, but the
Roosters did well to get them in the end.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
And then they fled a sharp in that game either.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
And then a stunning performance by the Dolphins, absolutely stunning
performance fifty eight to four against the Cowboys up in
North Coinsland. Fifty eight to four. They're a good size.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
You've been on the Dolphins bandwagen for a couple of weeks, now.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Yeah, Well that was stunning, absolutely stunning what they did
to them, and they did it with ease. It could
have been more. It really could have been more. The
Dolphins are on the way, baby, They're going to be
very hard to beat.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
So to the point of Origin, the Blues have been
here twice before and won both games by thirty two points.
Yet the scenario is very different because on both of
those occasions they lost the series opening game. So it's
now up to Coeensland to win here to keep it alive.
A bit of extra pressure and one how that plays
(04:37):
into the mentality of both states.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Well, New South Wales are in the box seed, I
mean winning a game in Brisbane, winning Origin one in Brisbane,
it's a big bonus for them and they did it
so convincingly too. They are in game three. Whatever happens
here in Perth, New South Wales are in game three.
Game three is going to mean something for them. It's
either a decider or it's going to be for a whitewash,
both of it which will be important for the Maroons.
(05:03):
They're not in game three. Yet they've got to get there,
and they've got to get there by winning this one.
And they've made some changes to their lineup, they've taken
some gambles. I'm not sure that they've addressed the problems
that beset them in game one. And you know, right
from the start, I think New South Wales will win handsomely.
But Origins are funny beast. They can get out there
and get on the wrong leg early Queensland can get
(05:25):
on the right leg. And if New South Wales haven't
done their homework, if New South Wales don't improve from
game one to Game two, then they're just inviting disappointment
into their life, because we know how Queensland will rally
around this one. I wouldn't read too much into perth
form in the past. As you say, Queensland were one
up in the series when they came here the last
couple of times, and they're renowned for kind of losing
(05:46):
game two if they win game one. But yeah, to
get this to a decided, they've got to improve them
measurably out of what we saw in the first game.
And I'm not sure they've addressed the problems that they've had,
they're going to have to do it mentally rather than personnel.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Was so, I think we've covered the Cherry Evans thing
pretty well over the last little while, but I'm curious
on your thoughts on the other changes Billy has made.
Now you were talking about and I think anybody that
watched that first game saw that news South was completely
out muscled Queensland and the thinking was they'll go for
a forward enforcer. Well, in fact, they've gone for Kurt Capele,
the veteran back rower. They will start the arrow at
(06:25):
Locke and they'll bring Carrigan and Nana, who is probably
their best playering game went off the bench.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
What does that all say to you, Well.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
It says to me I highly doubt that's going to
be their starting pack. I think they'll be changes before kickoff.
They've probably named them that way, I don't know, just
to have some thinking music in the background. They've got
the personnel that they probably wanted. Kurt Capble is an
experienced performer. He's played center, he's played back row, he's
played in the middle. I guess they've brought his experience
(06:56):
into the lineup and he's work ethic and I would
imagine that he's going. Well, I don't know where he'll
defend early because Nana I was sort of over on
the right. But I guess he's going to contend with
one of the harms in the opposition to him. But
whether they thought it was going to be Moses or Cleary,
now it's going to be Lewie. Of course that's a
(07:17):
big change to the new South Wales side. But yeah,
Caple coming back to be a starting back rower in
such an important game. I have some question marks on
that one. He's a good player, been a good player
for a long time, but it.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Probably wouldn't have questioned if he was there in game one, would.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
You, Well, it would have made more sense. It would
have made more sense if he was replacing Ruben Cotter
in the background. I don't know that playing Ruben Cotter
in the background is is where he's best served these days.
It just seems like a funny looking pack for me,
given what they've got on the bench and what they've
needed out of game one. If they were going to
(07:53):
address it, I just I don't understand it at all.
I can't understand the Patrick Carrigan coming off the bench.
I can't stand cape Will starting in the second row.
I can't understand Cotter starting in the second row, and
I still say they won't start with Harry Grant. I
still think Kurt Man will start the game with a hooker.
(08:13):
They have to. I think they lose whatever chance they've
got if Harry has to get out there early in
the game. Reven Cotta might started hooker, could well do.
It doesn't matter who it does, but I just don't
think it should be Harry. If they want to use
Harry as a weapon, if Harry's going to be a
grain breaker for them and a winner for them, I
think he's best coming off the bench. That doesn't mean
I'm saying he's a bench player. That doesn't mean I'm
(08:34):
saying he can't play eighty minutes. But at this level,
they just pump so much defense, you work into him
early that he just hasn't got the sprint in the
legs when they need it most, when he normally comes
off the bench and has a big impact. I think
they're missing out on a great opportunity to turn him
into a weapon. Now, maybe they're hoping to jump out
of the blocks, get the jump on New South Wales,
get to the front on the scoreboard and then play
(08:56):
a spoiling game from there, which is Queensland's way. But
I don't think they have addressed personnel wise. I don't
think they've addressed the issues that beset them in game one.
Now you can do a lot of that with attitude.
You can do a lot of that around game planning
and the strategy, etc. But to do that, that's why
I thought they needed Cherry. Evans won't go back overall ground.
(09:18):
It's Diden's job now, but it's a big ass from
him as well. Making months to the captain is interesting
because I think that'll give him even more responsibility about
loading the team and taking ownership of their big moments
and ownership maybe even to the kicking game. And so yeah, Queensland,
they've got a lot of work to do in a
short space of time to turn around that Game one,
(09:39):
not just the result on the scoreboard, but the result
of the flow of play of how dominant it looked
in New South Wales. I think if New South Wales
can just learn from game one, I think they can
really put Queensland to the sword in game two.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
So you do think they'll be changes, I'll be.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Surprised if there's not changes to the starting line up
prior to kick, well, will I be surprised. I don't know.
I can't think like a Queenslander. I gave trying to
do that years and years ago. I don't know how
Queenslanders think, but me I can't.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
It's an odd looking pack.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
It doesn't make sense to me. It doesn't make sense
to me what they're doing there. There's other strategy available
to them, just in that seventeen that were probably you know,
but you know, we'll have to see what Billy does.
I mean, he's obviously got a plan. He's the coach,
he knows them better than anyone else. But from my perspective,
(10:37):
I'm not sure that they have addressed the issues from
game one. Now a lot of this is going to
come back on to Fadawaka and for Sulmula. Are we who?
As I said prior to Game one, I'm playing with
the goldcast Titans where defense has not been the priority
there for a number of seasons. You know, it might
be getting a little better, but you've got to take
that club mentality, in that club form into origin and
(10:59):
they just didn't do it game one. They weren't seen
the pain Hearts and a sigh Yo and Barnett they
were just running rough shot over them through the middle
of the field. So they're going to need a lot
of possession. They're going to need a lot of luck.
Origin can do that. They can. They can get on
the good food early and go from there. But right
at the moment I'm not seeing it in the selections now.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
The one thing they've got in their favor, everyone's writing
them off.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Well, it's exactly where Queensland wants to be. This is
where Queensland love it, and Queensland loved being the underdog.
They love being written off, and every done commentator like
you and I and everyone else around that keeps writing
them off. They'll be replaying that and writing quotes up
on walls and.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Would be the first time you're better in a Queensland wall.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Nah, that's right. I probably should invoice them from.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Motivation services rendered. So the thunderbolt in New South Wales
was the injury to Mitchell Moses, which is very untimely
for both the Blues but also paramatter. But that New
South I was doing the luxury of power shitting Jerome
Lewie back in there. He was among New Southwell's best
last series a lineball call. You were saying he thought
he probably deserved to keep his spot when he gets
(12:04):
his chance in game two.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Yeah, now, please take this the right way. I think
it makes New South far stronger. But that's nothing against
Mitchell Moses simply because of the long term combination between
Cleary and Leui. This is the way I would have
gone for game one. Moses did an outstanding job, outstanding
job in last year series playing on the right, playing
half back in place of Nathan Cleary, and he did
a great job in Game two. And in fact, what
(12:27):
I saw in Game one, I thought, well, game two,
he'll demand the ball even more because there's some real
opportunities on his own side of halfway to be releasing
the outside backs there in latrel down that left hand side.
And I'm sure that's not lost on Loui either. I'm
sure he watched the game as closely as everyone else
and he'll be seeing his opportunities as well. But on
(12:48):
sheer combination under pressure, on sheer decision making under pressure,
familiarity is important. Their relationship between the two Cleary and Leui,
the relationship between them and the lock four, the relationship
between those three fellas and the fallback Dylan Edwards. It's
got to make them stronger, it's got to make them
better under pressure. Not saying that Mitchell Moses couldn't have
(13:10):
done it. He probably would have and it's not a
slight on him that I say this, but technically, theoretically
it actually makes them stronger to have that combination that
the scrum base, the fullback of the lock on the
two halves. So New Southwales certainly haven't gone backwards because
of the injury.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Max King gets a starting spot. It's a final one
of the bench. I think they missed Mitch Barnet. He
thought he was tremendous. In fact, he said two Origin
games he's been outstanding in both of them. Now both
of them the band's uncle.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Yeah, really strong, really strong constitution. You know he's one
of them, bony, hard bodied, hard working forwards. And you
know he played really well in Game one. He was
a big part of that. I'm very happy for Max
King to get a start. He won't let them down.
His attention to details excellent, his leg speed's great, his
defensive responsibility is really good. I thought he was really
(13:59):
good in game one. Will be it coming off the
bench in New South Wales had done a lot of
good work early, but he will be on the back
of paying hearts and he will be on the back
of a CIA and you know, if he needs it,
if he has to go first before they run, he'll
do it. If he gets to come on the back
of them, well he'll do that too, and he'll do
it very effectively. So and they've also got some strength
coming from the bench. So New South Wales steady as
(14:20):
she goes, very little change from the Game one. They've
actually brought in someone who's even more familiar and I
think I thought Kalama tongue in key On Kalama tongue.
He was very unlucky not to get that front rower
spot off the bench. Stefano form has been all right
for the Storm this year, and I guess the fact
that he was in camp for Game one swayed the
(14:42):
coach and the selectors that well, at least he'd been
around the unit and that was a bit of familiarity
as well. But you know he needs to rise to
the occasion coming off the bench. There Hudson Young, Spencer
Lanyu and Connor Watson it's a great bench. It's a
real good bench. Can if they're in front, they can
(15:03):
come home and ram home the advantage. If they're behind,
they can actually come on and change the game, so
they can do it both ways. I think the bench
can be influential.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Huts and Young actually look really dangerous in the middle
when it came off the bench.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
It's a growing trend in the game for edge fords
to be playing in and around the middle, particularly in
the middle part of the game. Not so much at
the start, but certainly for the rest of the game
their first twenty minutes. You know, sometimes size and bulk
matters and you need that Ronaldo strong middle forward running
those you know, those tough runs. But as the game
breaks up and evens up, size becomes less important. And
(15:38):
that's where these fleet footed backgrowers and the ones that
can dance around a little bit come into their own.
And he was very effective, particularly when he came onto
the field dancing around the middle of the field.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
There.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
He's got great leg speed, he runs hard, he bounces
off people. You know, he can be a weapon if
he used that way. But by the same taken he's
you know, if New South Wales behind. If the game
is not going well for them, Connor Watson can come
on and Spencer len you can certainly come on and
change the trend. Hudson Young, whether he plays on the
edge in the middle, can do that. And Stefano is
(16:10):
the one that's pretty much you see. What you see
is what you get. He's just that big bulk front
right in the middle of the fields. Size and hit
ups and plenty of work rate and plenty of defense
around the middle. So they've got a little covered from
the bench. As I say, I can't work out the
Queensland bench. I can't work out how they're going to
use them for impact unless there are changes to the
(16:33):
starting lineup going forward. I honestly think kurk Man will
start at nine. That's my belief. If it doesn't happen, well,
I can't explain that.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
But if it was intending on starting someone specifically at hooker,
you think he'd pick a specialist hooker, ain't you.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
No, Not necessarily, Well, Ben Hunt wasn't a specialist hooker.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
Well, no, but someone kirk Man's highly versatile. Don't get
me wrong. I'm sure he can do the job, but
he's not known as a nine.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Well, they made plenty of substitute nine at Newcastle doing
the same thing playing lock and nine. I think when
Phoenix Crossland was finding his feet and it was one
of the reasons we bought him at the Bulldogs was
because he had that versatility. But he's ended up. He's
morphed into our probably major player playing lock forward at
the moment, so he can certainly do that role. I'm
(17:19):
not sure if Queensland need a ball playing lock Ford.
I guess he's there covering a few positions, but primarily
I'd be using him in the hooking role to start
the game, if only for fifteen or twenty minutes, just
to save Harry Grant from a lot of grunt work early,
(17:40):
which no doubt New south Wales will do. You know,
New south Wales will get the ball and every time
they get the ball, they'll run a play at their hooker,
they run a play at their half back, they'll run
a play at the hooker, they run a play at
the five eight. They'll just keep running their big men
at their little men. They'll keep moving their mobile they're
bigger forwards around if their bigger forwards have got to
chase to make tackles. It's only going to wear they're
mout and that's the strategy, you know. And if it's
(18:02):
every second tackles Harry Grant, well he can't be a
weapon of attack. He just can't be. We did and
is going to get them under pressure.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
A strangers the.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Pack as it looks, and I agree when it was announced,
I'm thinking this is odd.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
But the more I look at it, it's a work
rate pack. Yeah, they're workers.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
His mentality might be just to try and hold the
scoreline close and then trust Munster and Ponger and these
fellows to get the wind at the back end, which
is pretty much a Queensland mindset. But and Queensland forward
packs have always been picked on work ethic, absolute work ethic.
They want people to pressure kickers, they want people to
chase kicks, they want people to you know, work hard
(18:42):
around the middle to get back and hit the ball
up like they're this work great players. They're not part
of the strategy of the team at all. Where I
think in Origin you probably need a little bit more
than that. I think the new South Wales pack's far
more dangerous, far more balanced, and has more strike to
it and more versatility to it, and I think there's
more impact from the bench as well. I think there
are more options off the bench to change the momentum
(19:05):
of the game or reinforce the momentum of the game
that exists from the fellows on the bank. I can't
see New South Wales losing. I just can't. And as
much as I respect Queensland and what origin is and
how these games can change, on the surface of it,
I can't see a Queensland win.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
There's another headline for the dressing room all well, yeah, but.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
We're sitting in We're sitting in the soundproof birth. No
one cares what we say. But I'm just saying I
can't see it. I can't see Queensland getting out of
that game one. What happened up there, If New South
Wales do their homework and if they can improve again
on what happened in game two, and I think with
that in mind, Luai is the perfect one to come
in and do that as well. I think he can
(19:48):
be a real expect.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Energy, energy and enthusiasm.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Energy and no fear, no fear. He's got that, He's
got this instinct that he wants to attack it all
at all costs. He's also got the left footed kicking game.
So if they're going to pressure, if they think pressure
and kickers is a thing, you know, Mitchell Mays's right
foot kicker on the left hand side of the field
sometimes doesn't work so well. Clearing doing the bulk of
the kicking makes him vulnerable. And Cleary didn't really kick
(20:14):
that well in game one. They're sort of blaming the
football a little bit, but he wasn't hitting the ball
at all well, either goal kicking or even with his
general play kicking. You know, we'll see how that goes
in game two as well. But he and Leui I
know when to mix it up. They know when to
kick left and right. They know when one's going to
be under pressure for the other. They've got each other's back,
(20:34):
they've done it so often together. I just think it's
going to help because that's one of the things Queensland'll
be looking to do. Queens And will be looking to
put pressure on opposition kickers, not that the rules allow
it too much these days. Give him a bump and
they give a penalty.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Their best kickchaser in game one was Nana. He chased everything.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
He's on the bench well he chases the ones he
can score off. They're the ones he chases. The short
kicking game, they all chase if they think they're a
chance of scoring a try.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Good point. It's a longer dropping five bucks on the road.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Yeah, well, it's the kick chases I'm talking about. Are
the ones where you've had your backs to the wall
and defense and you get out there and you're only
on about the thirty or the forty on tackle five
and your half it happens on tackle two and your
half back six now is a good time to kick
and doesn't find tuts. Well, then you've got to find
your kick chase, and not on your own. You've all
got to go down together. That's kick chase is so important.
(21:26):
Meters made from kicks downfield. It's such an in crucial
part of the modern day rugby league game, and particularly
in origin as well. So got plenty of blakes. You
chase it when they are a chance is scoring a try.
But when they chase it, will they chase it? When
you know the pulse is under and eighty and there's
no air in the lungs and the legs are burning,
and they've been defending a few sets of six on
(21:46):
their line and suddenly the half access chase this. You know,
we're going to get down there and chase it, and
if they don't, we'll deal on. Edwards runs it back
as far as you can kick it. So, yeah, he
chases the good kicks. All got to chase the other kicks.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
He was remissing me not to mention that kurk Man's
about to become the oldest Queensland debutntent Arthur beats and
in the first Origin, what.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
A story, what an absolutely got a great story. And
I've told you so. I tried to sign him twelve
thirteen years ago. It's a young five eight at Panthers
at the time. He had the choice, I saw the
Melbourne Storm. He chose the Melbourne Storm, which was a
good pick at the time. We weren't going that well
Melbourne were Melbourne's always going well.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
But it was a bit of a whiz kid back then,
wasn't he He was?
Speaker 1 (22:28):
He was young five eight from Queensland and I think
he's from country Queensland, way out the back somewhere, but
he Yeah, he's You've got a good old fashioned attitude.
He's got a hard edge to him. He's been great
for the Bulldogs. But we're not talking about the Bulldogs
the other day. But he's he's been wonderful for our club.
And he's got leadership and he's just raw bone, old tough,
(22:53):
you know, old old set of values.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
And he's had a wretcheder injury.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
He won't let anyone down, no, he has. And he's
played every position on the field, very versatile.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
He's from Winton.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Winton. Yeah, Winton's a long way out in Queensland. Somewhere
where's Winton?
Speaker 3 (23:11):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
The other Queenslander me from Penrith. Yeah, but you called
a lot of foods I did.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
Yeah, at Central West coins that one hundred and seventy
seven kilometers northwest of Longreach. That's right, that's out there,
that's out there. That'd all be tough from Winton, wouldn't they.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
Well, they have enough for a football team in Winton.
He probably had to do it all himself. That's where
he learned all the positions.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Yeah, I remember, right in the middle of right in
the middle of Coinslands.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
And he was very young when I first spoke to him,
very young, but you could see there was a man there,
you know, he was he wasn't a boy, he was
already a man. You could just tell the country kids
are good stock mate.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
So Winton's as close to Alice Springs as it is
to Brisbane.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Well there, they're going to be tough out there.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
I'm conscious that the Queensland forwards were sitting Game one,
but I can't help but think it's a big night
for Carl and Ponger. He hasn't he really hasn't had
a great year and it's been a while since his influenced.
Speaker 3 (24:08):
In Origin game.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
Well, I know he's played a lot, a lot consistently
because of injury, but I feel like it's a big
night for him, particularly with Walsh Pack.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
Well, it's a big night for all of them. It's
a big night for Tom did and it's a big
night for Camera Munster. I mean, they've got to get
things happen. It's a big night for the forwards Pack,
I mean Tino and mat To they've got to show
show their class in this game. They've got to get
coins and on the front foot. And I think if
they do, Like how much of Ponger is his own
personal form? How much is he a victim of what's
(24:39):
happened at Newcastle over the last twelve months and how
they've been fairing and you know, and you don't like
to you don't like to be a victim, but sure
Klin's got the ability. You don't lose your ability. It's
just that New South Wales was so great on controlling
the ball, so great on kick chase. There was really
nothing on offer for him on kick reception. He didn't
(25:01):
have time to wind up or position other players. They
weren't getting a lot of ball at the New South
Wales end of the field, so we never really came
into the action. He's now got a new halfback to
combine with nothing in the way really until kirk Men
gets on the field of a ball playing type lock
to tap into. It's probably him and Harry Grant and
(25:22):
him and Munster. I guess you know which news our
worlds will be aware of that, and I think that's
where they'll concentrate there, or at least where Dylan Edwards
will be marshaling the troops. He'll be very wary of
where they're bobbing up on the field. And Calen Ponger
in that head gear is not hard to spot. He
was out the back waiting for the ball, but a
big game for him. It's a big game for all
the Queenslanders. But that again, that's where Queensland liked to be.
(25:44):
This is by the time they've sat in their circle
and hold hands and sat around the campfire and sunned
their songs and you know, pat of each other on
the head and forget game one. Now we've got them, now,
we've sucked them in. Everyone's tip. We just where we want,
the boys them just where we want, just where we want.
We've seen this movie before, trust me, we've seen this
(26:06):
movie before. And if the scores are close, if the
scores are close, when we get down to the back
end of the game, who's going to prepare for that
the best? I mean, if the scores are locked with
ten minutes to go, just put yourself in that scenario
for a moment. Who do you think is prepared for that?
Who do you think is expected that New South Wales
or Queensland. I mean, if Queensland are going to win this,
I think that's probably where the game is going to be.
(26:29):
It's going to be close with ten minutes to go,
and then they come up with the big play or
they're able to defend a two point lead or something.
A New south Wales preparing for that, a new South
Wales ready to go down to golden point or go
down to field goal territory, or you know, be just
behind or just be in front when with ten minutes
to go. Mentally, there's a rehearsal there as well. I
(26:49):
guess Queensland know that they're probably not going to blow
New south Wales away. It's going to have to be
close if they win, so they're thinking about the eighty
minute effort. I used to say to origin players, you know,
like particularly young fellas coming in or you know, important games.
One of the messages I gave was that it's really
easy to get excited and get nervous. And everyone's excited
(27:12):
and nervous for the start of the game, and you
want that first touch and you want that first touch
to be good, and you kind of lie away thinking
about that first hit up or that first tackle, or
that first catch of the bomb and all the things
you're talking. You're thinking about. It's a bit like going
to golf. What do you think about on the way
to golf? You think about that first hit off the
first te don't you. But it comes and goes so quickly,
your first hit up, your first tackle, your first touch,
or your first involvement in the game. It comes and
(27:34):
goes so quickly. Where most of these are decided by
the last thing that you do. A lot of games,
the big games, are decided at the back end, in
the final moments, And so I used to ask them
to put themselves in that position when you're gassed, when
you're injured, when the game's on the line, when we're
two points in front, were we're two points behind, think
about the last thing you do, your last kick chase,
(27:55):
your last tackle, your last support play, your last run,
your last fall on a loose ball, your last cover defense.
You know, think about that last play, because that could
be the one that actually decides it. You know, not
when you're fresh and ready and nervous and excited and
feeling good, but at the back end where you feel terrible,
where your lungs are burning and your legs are aching,
and you're probably injured, and you know you've been out
(28:16):
there for a long time, and you know the game's
in the balance, the results in the balance. There's not
long to go your two points in front of your
two points behind, and put yourself in that scenario with
your visualization. Interesting watching. Danny Widler interviewed New South Wales
fullback the other night, Dylan Edwards, and he said, you
(28:36):
know what's been the development of our game over the years,
He said, the visualization, the mental part of the game.
They're sitting down and rehearsal, the mental rehearsal of the game.
Putting yourself in those types of scenarios the whole time.
And I think all professional sportsmen need to do that.
They pretty much all do sort of yoga and breathing
and meditation and all those sorts of things, and it's
about putting yourself in those positions, putting yourself in those
(28:58):
moments visually before the game, you know, and saying all right,
well I'm there, I'm tired, I'm buggered. You know the
scores in the balanced referees, you know, giving them a
penalty they shouldn't have got, or got a flaer in
the sin bin, or it's teaming rain and or two points,
all the scenarios that can be really difficult to handle.
(29:20):
Put yourself there mentally before the game because then when
you get in that moment, you actually rehearsed your thoughts
you rehearsed how you're going to feel, and you rehearsed
what you're going to be telling yourself. If you don't,
then it can get the better of you. And we've
seen that happen so often, and it usually happens a
few times before you realize I need to I need
to rehearse this before I go out and do it.
(29:41):
It's like doing goalkicking practice, putting yourself under game pressure.
Put yourself under game pressure and your rehearsal and your goalkicking.
You know, I used to do a drill with Iven
clear you when he was at the rooster. I say,
you had to kick twenty out of twenty before he
could go home. And he said, when you got down
to seventeen, eighteen and nineteen, if you get if you missed,
you had to go back to one.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
Where was it kicking from?
Speaker 1 (30:03):
No, just conversions just around the post. You know, it's
just titting around the post. But you know it was
just a it was more a mental thing, you know,
like he said when he got down to seventeen, eighteen
and nineteen, knowing that if he missed one, he had
to start back at zero. And he's dying to get
armed towards the sale of the century or what if
you want to watch on TV? You know, he said,
that's that that was the pressure. You know, that's game pressure.
(30:25):
You could feel it, you know, And I think you've
got to do that same you know they do putting
drills in golf. I got all this from golf analysis
and the golf books that I used to read in
the mental game on golf and try to put footballers
in the same scenario. And but Origin, it's just heightened,
that's all. It's just a heightened state of awareness and
a heightened state of rehearsal and visualization.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
And it works.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
It works.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
We've got some ask us Origin addition questions. Thanks to
our friends at TAB, the NFL season is in full
swing and for the best time in sport, TAB has
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Speaker 3 (31:05):
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org dot au.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
Archie binks what's around? Carrigan says, it's a big core
medium to the bench.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
What does it say?
Speaker 1 (31:18):
Still don't think you'll start there. You could well start
the game anyway. I just don't know what what the
thought process is whether or not they're just hoping. You know,
if if Queensland start with the pact that they've got
fad Awake at Grant and Tina up front and trently
Eero trently Aero at Locke, they're just hoping that they
(31:39):
get some ball early, get on the front foot, Harry
can do something with him with Ponger and Munster and
then they can sneak a couple of quick tries or
get to the front and the scoreboard, you know, dominate
a little bit of field position, dominate a little bit
of possession, get New South Wales a little bit nervous
and then bring on their tacklers, then bring on their
high work rate players to come out and you know,
go from there. You know, I don't know, Maybe I
(32:02):
don't I don't know. I just don't know why Paddy
Carrigan's not starting the game, to be honest, other than
the fact that they've probably picked something they think can
get to the front. Now, if you're going to do that,
we'd have Nanai starting because he can get you a
try out of a kickchase or a line break or
what have you.
Speaker 3 (32:17):
So or they might have picked Corey Hawsbro.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
Well, yeah he was. He was one that I really
would have considered. Yeah, I don't know, as I say,
I can't see the strategy there in Yeah, in the
way the team has been picked.
Speaker 3 (32:41):
Oh, this is a tough one from Michael Edwarods.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
He's asking the hard question if Queensland loses game too,
what does the future hold for Billy Slater as coach
and what kind of rebuild would the Marines need to
undertake for twenty twenty six. We haven't him lost yet,
but he's asking what might happen if they do.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Yeah, I don't think Billy's in any danger of losing. Yeah,
well that hasn't happened yet. We'll worry about that when
we get the result.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
It's a hard one to answer it out, Dan Finnigan.
After their dominant performance in Game one, what's the biggest
danger for the Blues?
Speaker 1 (33:17):
The biggest danger from my perspective, is in your mental
preparation for the game or in getting ready for game two.
You think it's going to be exactly like Game one.
But if you go out and do exactly what you
did in Game one, things will go exactly the way
they did, and that's not going to happen. It very
rarely happens that way. That whatever you did in game one,
you've got to understand there's going to be a reaction
(33:38):
from the opposition, and they've already reacted both in in
the naming of their team and the dropping of their
captain and sparking a results. So if we go out
with exactly the same game plan we had for game one,
it won't be good enough because queens and will be
ready for it. These are the best of the best.
This is not a club game and we go out
and play the same way every week. You know you
(34:00):
get the same results, but you know origin there will
be a bounce back from Queensland. What New South Wales
needs to learn there's not so much what happened in
game one, but what could have happened, what what other
things were there that they didn't explore. And I saw
some real opportunities for New South Wales that if they
choose to go that way, I think can really pull
Queensland's pants down. And I'm not sure that Queensland will
(34:22):
be ready for it, certainly not ready for it for
the way they've picked their team. So I just think
that you know, if New South Wales can advance, they'll
be they'll be too strong. But if they don't, my
greatest fear for New South Wales is it's not complacency,
but it's to think that this will just be a
continuation of what happened in game one. The game one,
(34:45):
Game two will start exactly the same way. Remembering they've
got a few six agains, they've got a couple of penalties,
and they've got a couple of turnovers. All right, cut
the turnovers out. Queensland's not going to drop the ball
this time. Cut the penalties out because that's not going
to happen. All right, Now, can we set for set grind,
set for set grind, set for set grind, and still
be nil all after twenty minutes? Who's winning? At nil all?
(35:07):
It's nil all after twenty minutes? Who's winning? Who's ready
for that part of the game? And as I said
to you, who's ready for the part of the game
at the last ten minutes when the score is a level, Well,
Queensland's got their nose in front, or you've only got
your nose in front there, or we get down the
field goal territory, because that might be a part of
the game that New South Wales haven't mentally prepared for.
I'm sure as professionals they will have. But that's always
(35:30):
the danger that you just expect. It's a continuation of
the previous game and it never is.
Speaker 2 (35:37):
All Right, We've got Airpole on board now with six
Tackles with GUS. They sponsor State of Origin and they're
sponsoring this award winning podcast. So the Ampile Power Surge
this week. Our good friends at ampole Gus. They want
to know the top three players to have a game
changing moment on Wednesday night.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
The top three players to have a game changing moment.
Speaker 3 (35:56):
If you're going to throw three in there that could
have a game changing moment, who would you choose?
Speaker 1 (36:00):
Well, the other night someone asked me about the top
three who I think the top three players will be?
Speaker 3 (36:04):
And I think that was me.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
Last week?
Speaker 3 (36:08):
Was it?
Speaker 1 (36:09):
Yeah, so I went paying half Asi and Nathan Cleary.
But if you're looking for game changing moments, game changing moments,
a game changing moments could be a Xavier coach, a
leap and catch, which I think is one of the
ways that they can score. A hammer tack will break
(36:29):
in a sprint. Yeah, well that's going to have to
come from an offload somewhere. You know someone's going to
have to put him away. You know, a monster can
come up with a game changing moment. Harry Grant can
come up with a came changing moment. Buttrell Mitchell, No, No,
off the bench, Latrell Mitchell. There's plenty of you know,
that's the beauty of Origin. You've got plenty of players
(36:49):
that can win it for you. And there are plenty
of fellas out there and also not just can win
it for you, have the confidence to do it. They
want the ball in their hands in those big moments.
And that's now those fellows that I've said, But the
game breaking, the game changing moment.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
But your game changing moment was it a couple of
years ago? When it might have been a couple of
years ago? Remember married to Lunge, he made in about
two or three games in a row, he made these
incredible trice having tackles in the corner, saving tries, game
changing moments in origin, same desperation.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Absolutely absolutely getting a charge down, forcing a kicker to
kick out on the fall, you know, falling on a
loose ball. You know, like it's game changing moments. A
fella that is not renowned for an offload, getting a
pass away. That's that's where the Origin moments are made.
Someone getting up when they're hurt to make a try
saving tackle. You know, it could be anyone to chase,
(37:41):
you know, someone taking an intercept.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
There.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
There are lots of ways that the game changing moments
can have. Just mister referee can have a game changing
made as puts his whistle away in Origin. Yeah he didn't.
He didn't early in game one. There was plenty of
the little six agains and penalties in game one.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
But they generally they still generally let it go a
bit in Origin. They don't referee the same.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
Yeah they should be.
Speaker 3 (38:13):
Well, I don't disagree anyway.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
Forget the referee. You haven't got three. You're just going
to leave it. You'll leave your answer at that.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
What's that?
Speaker 3 (38:22):
You top three? Your top three changing players?
Speaker 1 (38:25):
Game changing players? Well, New South Wales full Latrell Mitchell
can be a game changing player.
Speaker 3 (38:31):
Put him in for one. Yes, Xavier Coats one of
his miracle catches.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
Jerome lewe Oh, he was the game changing moment in
game three last year. I was very very tight. He
was on to come up the line break and got
Braban best away, but there are plenty of a monster
can do it. Grant can do it. You know, Tino
can do it. Valentine Holmes can do it, Hamaso can
do it. Steve Stephen Crichton can do it. You know
(39:01):
there's plenty of game breakers there.
Speaker 2 (39:04):
Whether you're cheering on from the sidelines or the living room.
Airpole has got your back on and off the field.
Proud to partner with Australia's own sporting nation. Great to
have Ampole part of the podcast. Right, I guess your prediction,
your final thoughts. You think New South Wales will win?
What's the score going to be?
Speaker 3 (39:19):
Can I see.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
Four or five tries from New South Wales and maybe
one or two for Queensland? So you know five tries
to two wouldn't surprise.
Speaker 3 (39:32):
Me, so thirty to tenish? Yeah, So if New South Wales.
Speaker 1 (39:37):
Score one less four and Queensland score one more three,
well you know that'll be a pat As close as
I get it, things, but I can I can feel
four or five tries from New South Wales. I can't
get to three tries for Queensland.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
I can't.
Speaker 1 (39:51):
I just don't see it. But things can happen. Could
be sindbins, could be sendoffs, could be magic moments, could
be Munster, could be Xavier.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
They've got the people to do it. I just it's
been a rain around here this week too.
Speaker 1 (40:03):
That's a fact that in the short time we've been here,
any of the grass areas here are actually all pretty muddy.
It's all pretty heavy. So they've had some good rain
here and I think there's going to be rain on
Wednesday as well, so that could change things. You never know.
It's origin, mate. Anything can happen. Anything can happen.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
Remember the first game here when it absolutely threw it
down and Turbo scored three.
Speaker 1 (40:24):
Anything can happen. They're all great players. They can all
come up with the magic moment. It's just keeping yourself
in the contest. Queensland couldn't keep themselves in the contest
in Game one. They just couldn't get enough possession. At
the other end of the field. New South Wales were
two controlled. The forwards rumbled away and the kickers were good.
The chasers were good, they were disciplined, they didn't give
away penalties. But they've got to do that and more
(40:46):
to win Game two. We know Queensland will react a
lot of pressure on the halfback, A lot of pressure
on the halfback. Need now to step up into daily
Cherry Evans's shoes and run this team and be responsible
for that big pressure on him.
Speaker 3 (41:02):
Who's your player of the match.
Speaker 1 (41:04):
If New South Wales win, usual suspects us so you Cleary,
Dylan Edwards and they're the players that will decide it
for them. If queens aind't going to win, I think
that Palmer or Munster have got to have big nights.
(41:25):
But I think New South Wales win.
Speaker 2 (41:27):
The market on tab Queensland two dollars seventy five, New
South Wales a dollar forty five. They wouldn't have started
that shorter price in a long long time.
Speaker 1 (41:37):
Now. It says if we played the game, if we
played the game three times, they'd win twice. Just depends
which ones tonight on Wednesday night, doesn't it all right?
Speaker 2 (41:48):
You'll see all the Magic of Origin two exclusively live
and free here from perth Opter Stadium.
Speaker 3 (41:53):
The venue.
Speaker 2 (41:53):
It's a fabulous vene. I was only talking last week this.
You feel like there's eighty thousand in here, but it's
only it's sixty thousand.
Speaker 3 (42:00):
Tops isn't it.
Speaker 1 (42:01):
Yeah, we've been here a few times and I keep
forgetting what it looks like. But as we drove past
her today coming to hear it reminded me a little
bit of the Las Vegas Stadium, Allegiate Stadium out there
in Las Vegas. From the outside. It was just a
glimpse there and see it's very, very similar to over there.
Speaker 3 (42:20):
But it's a magnificent stadium.
Speaker 2 (42:21):
It's brilliant. Yeah, No, it's great, absolutely wonderful. Lovely city Perth.
We're on here at Big Country Town. We're on here
at seven pm. You can catch it all on nine
and I'll see you out there, Gus. Good to see
in the wild West.
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