“Reece Walsh: Best 15 Minutes Ever? & Will He Be Suspended?" | Finals Week 1 Review

The boys break down a huge weekend of footy with a spotlight on the Raiders v Broncos clash — and that blistering 15-minute masterclass from Reece Walsh that might go down as one of the greatest bursts we’ve ever seen.
From Walsh’s brilliance to the fallout — will he or Carrigan face suspension? We also roll through the rest of the weekend’s blockbusters: Sharks v Roosters, Panthers v Warriors, and Storm v Bulldogs. And of course, it’s Backfence Player time — four times over!

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0:00-Raiders v Broncos Reaction

18:20-Back-fence Player

20:20-Sharks v Roosters

29:20-Back-fence Player

32:00-Volkswagen

36:30-Panthers v Warriors

41:50-Back-fence Player

45:00-Storm v Bulldogs

57:50-Back-fence Player

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Matthew, I think we have just witnessed one of the
greatest finals games in history. Can travers the Brisbane Broncos.
I mean we anticipated it was going to be good,
but that was Does this set the final series up
for a horrible Grand Final?

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Mate, Coops And as we talk here to let people know,
this is one game that we really haven't had a
second look at the other games that we'll watch and
then go and I'll go back and review certain parts
of it to get to understand the nuances of the
game and how it was panned out. This one, I've
just come straight from work straight into here made I'm

(00:35):
still blown away by it.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
Unbelievable, the controversy, the drama in it. There were so
many different dramatic points, and then you look at the
even key moments like Reese Walsh missing a couple of
those goals, hits them, hits the crossbar on a two
point field goal, and you think, oh, this is done.
After the siren a penalty to then make a kick

(01:00):
a goal from in front. I mean, that was so
proper dressed up as an NRL game, Mate, it was.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
It was incredible. And Jack and I were talking on
the drive home. I rang him on the way back
to say, mate, I'll be back in about twenty minutes,
and we had a broad discussion about the game and
Jack made a point which I hadn't thought of until
Jack said it, And it is so accurate in the
fact that the Reese Walsh sin bidding for the headbut

(01:34):
actually played into the Broncos hands. Now, people say, oh,
that's you know, that's crazy, but think of it like this.
He goes off for that ten minutes. In that ten minutes,
like the pace of the game, in the intensity of
the game, he got a ten minute breather. He went back.
Now they went down to eleven men, right, but he's
sitting out there. He gets to breathe for ten minutes,

(01:56):
goes back on the field. By that point, I think
they're down by sixteen points. And he comes on totally
fresh in a game where all the big men of
fatigued and just goes wham wham wham. It is one
of I can't remember a game where an individual has
had such a eventful game, an eventful afternoon like he did.

(02:16):
But his last his last fifteen minutes when he came
back on after the sin bin, I'd almost put up
on level as far as performance with Nathan Cleary in
that Grand Final, I agree with the Penrith yeah over
the Broncos.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
Well, this is the thing. And you look at the
best finals games of all time, and most of them
are Grand Finals because it's just the most memorable. You
think of Broncos verse Cowboys twenty fifteen, Ben Hunter drops it,
Jonathan Thurston kicks out field goal. You look at twenty
twenty two, I believe it well, twenty two to three
Penrith versus Broncos and Nathan Cleary puts on that clinic

(02:51):
to get him back. And now you look at this
game camera Verse Broncos. Broncos have been in the three
probably biggest finals games of the last twenty years.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
And I was sitting in that last dramatic as it
went to extra time. We went into the studio and
I'm sitting next to Kevy Kevy Wallas in the studio
and he's watching the game and like of course with
his son Billy playing, who by the way, has been
playing outstanding, but he's sitting there and I watched him

(03:19):
the most crucial part of the game when it's going
to the golden point extra time and all that sort
of stuff. Every time Billy got the ball, I just
saw Kevy Titan, and I know what that's like, as
father is just like, don't make an error, just get up,
play the ball, yep, okay. And I could see that
with keV and made. He was right, he was made.
He was on the roller coaster.

Speaker 1 (03:37):
You can imagine what he would have been like as
a coach when he was coaching them in those big
games as well, with Billy out there, because it's one
of those games where people will remember where they were
when they watched it. And I reckon because I was
sitting there with five minutes to go in that game
when Reese Walsh missed that field goal hit the crossby,
I thought, I think it's all done. I ordered chicken

(03:58):
wings right from Wings and Tins. Now they're up the
road and they give you the I scheduled it for
twenty minutes time just in case it went to like
extra time or whatever. But anyway it goes through, it
goes to extra time, it gets to golden point. My
chicken wings are ready, like they're ready to be picked up.
And you don't want to leave chicken going to like
too long reasons and shit, yeah, and then it gets

(04:19):
into extra time and it just continues to go and go.
I can only imagine what it was like for you
buy the time I got there, my chicken wings were
color I was.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
I can imagine. I feel so sorry for your wings.

Speaker 1 (04:28):
They were Blake was like, where have you been? But
I can only imagine what that's like for you guys
in the studio too. You're you're thinking you're about to
go straight on an and then an extra half an
hour so you don't get on in.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
The crowd in the studio because we had Broncos fans
in the crowd, we had numerous Raider supporters, and it
was just it was crazy, Coop, Yeah, it was. And
you know, there's so much happened in that last twenty
twenty five minutes. There's a lot. I just forget a
lot of it. Like you know when you said, Reese
Wash hit the ball, hit it hit the crossbar, crossbar. Oh,

(05:00):
that's right. I've forgotten about that because just so much
was going on.

Speaker 1 (05:03):
So many key moments, obviously the sendoffs, but then even
that that last penalty. You know Zach Hosking, great friend
of the potty who probably probably wouldn't have been penalized
for it if not for seven weeks ago when Harry
Grant got panalized for it against Many. They sort of
set a precedent there. Yeah, because I'm watching it. You
go as a fan, you go an unbiased fan, you go,

(05:25):
it's probably not a penalty. You didn't actually put dangerous
kick pressure on. But they set it. They set a
precedent where if you hit that leg at all, it's
a penalty. After theo like the ref had blown on
his whistle, they're all celebrating on the sideline. And then
they brought in that new rule not long ago where
you can review if it's the last play, the bunker
can intervene, like so dramatic.

Speaker 2 (05:46):
So dramatic, so much they would be sitting there those
Raiders plays with the head on the pillow, staring at
the roof, saying, if only if that, if that just
had happened, and if we go through the game now
and earlier in the week, I thought, I was looking
at this game, and I thought, yeah, you know what,
what gives what gave the Broncos and would get and
gave the Broncos gems going into the game. Sorry is

(06:08):
the fact that they liked to play very similar style.
It was going to be a day game. It was
going to be a fast track and you can move
the ball around. They both like to play attacking football,
so it was going to be okay, who attacks best.
It's not like when you have an opposition like a
Penrith and they are right they can out. They might
out attack you, but they also might suffocate you with
that style. Both of those sides, mate, they've got their DNA.
They like to move the football. They like to open

(06:29):
the field up for their for their quick guys, particularly
the guys out the back, Walsh and and Kyle Weeks.
And so as the game started to getting I was thinking,
he's going to win this. Earlier in the week I
thought Broncos might. But today I got up and were
driving into work, I went, man, it's a fatal complete
I just for me. The Raiders in my mind were
already going to win this. And then the game started

(06:51):
and the Broncos started so quick and energetic. I thought, wow.
But Raiders, after a bit of an unsettled start, sort
of steady themselves, absorbed a lot of that pressure and
then counterpunched and from there up until up until it
was forty minutes ago. I just went watching it and
I'm saying right out, it's basically getting to the point
there's going to be raiders by how many raiders by what?

(07:15):
And then they score that try, and over the commentary
they go, oh, you know it's not over yet, and
I'm thinking, well, yeah, technically it's not, but it is.
I can't. I just don't know where Broncos are going
to get their points that quickly. And then of course
they just keep going down cameras right hand side defense
and later we're going to talk midweek, we'll give our preview,

(07:35):
but that's an area they've got to tighten up, that
right hand.

Speaker 1 (07:40):
Defense. It was all at Sooner and Stuart, Yeah, he just.

Speaker 2 (07:46):
Kept going down that side, Reese Walsh continually.

Speaker 1 (07:48):
And you could see when they when you go down
an edge and you start to lose confidence like that.
I think the first the first try they scored, he
Walsh went down, he made a line break himself. Timmico
turned out, he went through Foggety and then scored the
next time they go down there, Timmico and everyone turns
in obviously not wanting to take a dummy that he

(08:10):
throws long, the winger scores, then the next one Billy
Walters pumps long jets, Stewart goes out and then Shibasaki
goes through. You just see how you toy you with
an edge defense by just showing the different variations.

Speaker 2 (08:23):
Beautiful little variations all the time, nice little variations, and
that they were it was.

Speaker 1 (08:29):
The game was at an intensity. It was a completely
different level to all the other three finals games.

Speaker 2 (08:33):
But I totally agree it was not just the exciting finish,
but the intensity and the spoed of the game made
it the best finals game. And Coop, that's day football.
We all say, mate, day football is you can move
the ball around. It's a faster game. And and the
reason why Cooper gets more exciting at the back end
of the game is the nature of the game of

(08:54):
day football. The moving, the intensity of the pace means
that the big guys really tire out. Like you look
at the last the last twenty minutes, it was just
like touch football moving around they were. And that's that's
the sorry, Coops. That's the thing about it is if
you if you go back and you go back and
watch the game, and what will show is that first
thirty minutes was so fast and so intense. You got

(09:15):
a little You've got a little clue of what was
to come. And that last ten minutes, you see the
middles were out on their feet and they were so vulnerable,
and Makaye scored that try checked off his right foot
went through basically untouched. And that's when you went right,
this second half is going to be all about the
little guys. Yeah, and that's that's how it transports.

Speaker 1 (09:32):
There were different cycles where I was watching the game, going, jeez,
Broncos are out on their feet. Here they looked they
looked so tired, and then ten minutes later like Raiders
look completely out on their feet. It just kept the
fatigue just that was like a burt on. They just
kept passing the fatigue over. And even though it was
a high intense game, when twenty minutes in, Madge brings
paying hals off because he's a bloke that can play

(09:54):
huge minutes. Is played eighty minutes in numerous games, but
it's so intense and he wants him to be effective,
not out there just trying to get through the game.
He's got to be playing at a high INTENSI that
even pain has to come off and then obviously goes
on hurts his ankle and he ye soldier through the
rest of that game.

Speaker 2 (10:10):
And people say at the time sport is ninety five
percent mental, five percent physical. This is an example of
it in the fact that you're watching that second half
not long after halftime, on watching and I say to
Fletcher Hind and said, hey, look at the Broncos middles.
They're gone, They're out on their feet. I said, they're
just going to blast away here the Raiders. But when
Walsh comes back on the field and that first try

(10:33):
they scored to bring it back to what was it
twenty eight to sixteen, anyway, that within twelve and suddenly
what happened there was the Broncos all of a sudden
get energized. And it's not like the Raiders hit the wall.
They didn't hit the wall. What they did they stopped playing.
They got nervous straight away and they scored that try.

(10:53):
It's almost all in their minds are going, we can't
lose this from here, surely not. Then they score again
and the Raiders just stop playing football. They will look
back on that game in that in that last fourteen
minutes and more than just talking about the right side defense,
all the errors they made and little defensive misroads and
all that. The biggest thing Ricky will say is, boys,

(11:16):
we stopped playing and in the modern game, with the
speed of the rucks of the momentum, is it mate,
If you stop playing right and you're just trying to
defend mate, side is just going to go wham wham
whim and just rattle am up.

Speaker 1 (11:26):
Well, particularly a sidelight the Broncos, like you saw it
throughout that whole game. Canber kicked a lot of seven
tackle sets and you see the effect of seven tackle sets.
You saw it across the whole weekend. How during the
round you probably don't see it because you're not playing
up against the best sides a lot of the weeks,
so sometimes you might be playing against the bottom four
side kicker seven tackle set. They don't really make you

(11:47):
pay for it in finals footy, little errors like that.
There was one where Cayo kicked it early and it
went seven Broncos you don't see. You don't wrestle the
momentum back for ten to fifteen minutes. They good sides,
they get down there, they put you in a corner,
they get a repeat set and you do not get
back down your side of the field for an attacking

(12:08):
chance again for a fifteen to twenty minutes. It takes
all the fatigue out.

Speaker 2 (12:11):
It does and Coop. It happens to the best of them.
We're going to talk about the wires and Penrith a
little bit later, but Nathan Cleary once in the second
half just put them through a bit of a frivolous
kick seven tackle set Warriors worked, went down the other
end of the field like a hello. Seama scores. Yeah,
it happens to the best from the best defenses. Whenever
when you give away a seven tackle set, momentum just swings.

Speaker 1 (12:31):
Can I ask we're going to get to our back
fence player of this match, but I want to ask
you we're going to preview during the week, but pain
halfs obviously those boys go through to a pre limb.
We don't know the extent of pain. Hass is injury.
Can they win the pre lim Grand Final without paying
hass Do you think the Brisbane Broncos.

Speaker 2 (12:52):
I think they can. Look that they can, but it
just makes everything a little bit harder. That's you know,
other guys are going to have to stand right, step
right up. Here's the thing about it too. They they've
got a nervous weight the Broncos for next day or two,
not just as far as injuries concerned. The ref Walsh
head butt, yeah right, and made the Pat Carrigan one,

(13:12):
which might even be more serious than that the resh one.
I'll say this in the Broncos favor the na Real
really want Walsh there, you know.

Speaker 1 (13:24):
What I mean? And can I like and I looked
at that incident right and and how like there wasn't
a lot in it, like the head part was and
and I get the head butt and yahda YadA, and
it should have been a penalty to the Raiders. I thought.
I didn't like that Hudson had actually been sent off
for just instigating and niggling, because that's part of the game.

(13:44):
Sometimes the game, you try to get under the opposition
skin so they make an error like punching or something,
so they get sent off. It's your advantage. But that
I didn't think there was a lot in Reswash went off.
I don't think you should be suspended for it.

Speaker 2 (13:55):
Okay, yeah, yeah, I hope he doesn't on him there.
It's like it's he's so powerful for the game. It
brings people to the game. I hope he doesn't. I
hope he plays, but I think it's gonna be nervous weight.

Speaker 1 (14:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (14:11):
And the same with the carrigan. I mean, I want
the I want the best players. I just want the
best player with the best sides out there. And it's
funny with the hard someone getting tend to sim Come on, guys,
what's that you know? Just because one person gets yes,
there's a bit of a melee, a melee melee merle mellie.
Just because there's a bit of a push and shove
doesn't and someone is going to go to the symbing

(14:33):
doesn't mean a player from the opposition as together symb a.

Speaker 1 (14:36):
Well, the modern game, it's it's like they're so they
are afraid of criticism, so they try to make it equal. Yeah,
even though it's not like even though it's Hudson got
in his face and I understand he probably instigated it,
but at the end of the day, like it is
on you as a player to hold your nerve a
little bit. And while she probably got a bit angry,
gave him a bit of a gave him a bit

(14:58):
of a love tap, a little bit of Liverpool kiss.
But you know, I didn't think that you need to
send HUDs yet, just to just to square it up.

Speaker 2 (15:06):
You get, Look, someone gets in your face and sledges.

Speaker 1 (15:09):
Yeah, then part of the.

Speaker 2 (15:11):
Professional is you've got to take it. Yeah, you can
give a little bit back, but the reason they're sledging
you is that come on you and have a go.
They're trying to they're trying to unnerve you, or they're
trying to get you to react. And Rees did that.

Speaker 1 (15:23):
Hunds to tell you it was great acting from Huddy
as well. Honey, you would have wanted to Silver argue
for it, because you like, he gave him a little
little nudge on the chin and then he then he
pushed him. Hudson fully hit the deck, but he did
it so well it didn't actually look like a flop
and it looks like he actually got pushed over.

Speaker 2 (15:38):
I don't say silver like you had to say gold load. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (15:40):
I just thought, you know, there's been some good performances.
Harry Grant probably takes the goal.

Speaker 2 (15:44):
Yeah, I'll just say this, coop. This is both coaches
would have been up in that box when the game
went into up into toward one hundred minutes going geez,
we're going to get through here, you know, like we've
got it, We've got We've got to get through here
because Ricky's got a huge job now to get the
players up mentally physically, yes, but more mentally to get

(16:07):
to try to climb that mount and again when you're
just about you're just about home. And let's talk about
the Broncos for one second. You saw the effect of
the Broncos in the last eighteen months after losing that
Grand Final, after being ahead in almost such a similar
situation we're in our head with fourteen fifteen minutes ago
and getting run down and beaten, and the effect that

(16:28):
that had on them in the next season, right even
into the next year. It had an effect. Ricky's got
one week to get them up and get them going again.
And that's without talking about the physical side of it.
Where Madge goes okay, he goes away, They fly back
tonight to Brisbane. They exhale, right to put our legs
up for a few days. Let's get ourselves ready. Well.

Speaker 1 (16:52):
I remember Cameron Smith used to say this leading into
finals when he was at the Storm. He said, you
need the week off, he said, he said, I've played
these people have got different theories. Sometimes people like to
play consistently week in week out and get momentum going
to a grand final. He said, I've done it every
single way someone can in finals footy, and the way

(17:14):
you win a grand final is you got to win
that if you're in the top four. This is why
people don't win outside of the top four, not because
they're a worse team or they you know, they finish
lower on the ladder. It's not because of that. It's
because you don't get the opportunity to get the week off.
You have to go the lot. You have to play
each week against top eight teams and then get into
a grand final. But Melbourne have done it when they've

(17:36):
won the Grand final. They've always gone week off, play
a pre lim and then get to the Grand final.
And I think it's a point that probably isn't stressed
enough how important that week off is to go straight
to a pre limb.

Speaker 2 (17:47):
There's always been that discussion, keep playing football, keep winning
and get momentum, or have a week off. There was
always the debate. And I'll remember back when years when
I played, and even the years just before that preceded me.
The feeling was no, no, keep playing now. The week
off can break your momentum, you know, and you get
out hop you get out of the groove. Now everyone

(18:09):
universally just goes you need it, you need the week off.

Speaker 1 (18:12):
Yeah, Who's who's your best?

Speaker 2 (18:14):
Who's your's a back fence.

Speaker 1 (18:15):
Player of the match, back fence player of the match,
I mean my one. He was my ex factor in
the review. In the preview for this week, Reese Walsh,
I think he was at halftime. I had Hudson written
down Hudson Young. I thought Hudson was unbelievable, set up
a try off a kick, scored one off a foggedy kick,
and he was given Ben Hunt nightmares all game running

(18:36):
at in one on one. But Reese Walsh two forty
twenties two try, assists a try of his own, and
is just his overall impact and energy when he come
back on that field, I thought he was unbelievable.

Speaker 2 (18:48):
One of his greatest performances. And as I said before
that last fifteen minutes, the way he came on and
just basically almost single handedly won that game, I'd say
his greatest performance, greatest at fifteen minute period. You just go, wow,
frame that put it up on the wall. Look, I said,
it's really well. So I'll go a different way my

(19:08):
bad fans. But I'm going to have Billy Walters. I
just think Billy defensively, he was really strong, made his
running game is really strong, said nice little death moments.
And we'll talk about this more on the preview. But
I without a doubt I think that Reynolds will come back.
Reynolds will go, in my opinion, into the team. I
reckon Kevin, they will keep Billy Walters at six. And
I think Ben huntle got nine. Yeah, I think so.

(19:32):
I think sometimes with Ben Hunt and Reno there's a
bit of the sameness. Yeah you know what I mean. Look,
but Billy just brings a little bit of something different.

Speaker 1 (19:40):
It's a tough it's going to be a tough decision
for me. I mean, good decision to have because he's
got blokes so we can do a job there. But yeah,
I think that's interesting.

Speaker 2 (19:48):
And world undermage because he he's copt a lot of
stick through the year when you know about all the stuff,
how hard he trained him. Here we go, oh, here
we go again, Madge. We'll I tell you what the
reason he trained him hard? It was an evident this afternoon. Yeah,
because mate, they dug in and we're able to win
that game. And I'd see what they don't win that
game last year? No, no way, they they do not

(20:09):
win that game last year. This year they're much they're
more battle hardened. I think they've got a mental toughness
about them. You're going to take a lot of stopping.

Speaker 1 (20:19):
On the Now to the Saturday night game. The Roosters
played the Sharks, obviously elimination game. Roosters are now out,
They're on Mad Monday. Sharks will play the loser of
that Broncos Verse Raiders game. So the Sharks be the
Raiders next week, which will preview. But what did you
take out of this Roosters and Sharks game? Because I
think a lot of a lot of the games this round,

(20:41):
they all started the first twenty minutes very physical, very
high intense. Well how did you see this one?

Speaker 2 (20:47):
Look in a nutshell coop the Sharks. They played smarter,
but I think more important, I mean, that's primary importance,
but as important was how physical that played. The Roosters
have been beating sides on the back of their physicality
like their pack has been enormous but made the the

(21:07):
I just thought the Sharks pack were outstanding and one
of the things that allowed them to defend so strongly
was the fact that the back three well and Ronalda
like the work that they do in yardage just make
mate weaving through getting them on the back of They

(21:29):
dominate sets of six a little bit like Brian Toe
and Dylan Edwards you know, do with Penrith when they're flying.
The fact that they dominated sets of six, they would
bring the ball back to the to the Sharks forwards
and it basically it just it just allowed the Sharks
forwards to take a little breather in yardage and then
keep the gas in the tank you for defense. And

(21:51):
that was always going to be really important because they
are up against the side that had seen Walker who's
been flying and in attack. But the other one made
Tedesco to defend, you know, the Shark pack. They needed
energy in the tank to be able to withstand what
Tedesco is going to do with his fast feet through

(22:13):
the middle and his past selection. So that that was
it for me. I just thought I thought they played smart,
I thought they played tough, but I thought Ronaldo and Sionakutawa.
I thought they were so good for their folls.

Speaker 1 (22:23):
Yeah, I agree, And you make a good point on
their physically. I think all the games were physical as
but what the Sharks did so well was they actually
attacked with their defense, if that makes sense. Yeah, a
lot of times they front loaded so much energy into defense,
forcing errors out of the roosters. But a key moment
for me was I think it was Ronaldo Milatalo's second

(22:47):
try in that first half right before halftime, which was
a real uh you know, nailing the coffin. I thought,
like a a big moment to score right before halftime.
But Sammy Walker makes an error and their mental when
I say they use their defense to attack the transition
straight away, someone picks it straight up off the ground.

(23:07):
They get on the attack, find Billy Burns. Billy Burns
almost scores, he gets tackled. They go pass, Nico gets
a quick play, the ball finds Trendle, Trindle kicks it
across the Mulataalo. But just that fitness and a lot
of teams off the back of an hour sometimes use
it and they get a breeze and they go, oh right, right,
we've got the ball back. Let's slow things down, let's

(23:27):
get into our set. They just picked it up. Transitions
so quickly went down. Their roosters were scattered. They get
the ball to the right man, Mullatalo and ends up scoring.

Speaker 2 (23:35):
I really like that about the Sharks. They did less
set up football, and that's that's important because at times
in the game, like what you just said there, you know,
the attacks cook and there's opportunity on. Mate, Let's just
keep playing football. Let's trust ourselves. Let's back ourselves here,
because oftentimes in situations like that coupe, you'll see it,
they'll go may just take one of the middle. For us,
we used to call it back and they just take

(23:56):
as a settler.

Speaker 1 (23:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (23:57):
All it does is settle the defense. It resets the defense.
So I loved about the Sharks. Whenever there was opportunity,
that backed themselves and they went for it. Trindle from
early in the game, you could see that that week
off has served him well. He looked fresh and you
go made he was really on. I think it's the
best game he's ever played as an NLE player. And
I actually think at the moment, because winning competition is

(24:19):
all about timing, I reckon, this is the best that
I've ever seen the Sharks play while Craig Fitsgiven has
been coached there. Yeah, and that one you just said
about there where the ball come out from Sammy Walker
a tear. What was crucial in that moment too, was
the fact that they didn't score on that play. I reckon,
if they score on that play, they go back and

(24:40):
look at that, and I reckon there might have been
a hand in there, But the fact that they didn't score,
and that's little anomally in the rules that they pushed
it on the following play and we're able to score.

Speaker 1 (24:51):
And we're talking about the settlers before. A lot of
people use that settler I think as a cop out
to buy themselves time to think of what you're going
to do when your set Yeah, and you were both
half shitn here, but we got Jack here. Who's Jack's
actually got for those who are watch on YouTube, he
set himself up a little camera where we can actually
see him now.

Speaker 3 (25:08):
Actually set up budget, set up budget aside.

Speaker 1 (25:11):
Yeah, but you from a bloke who's actually played in
the forwards and back row, is that how you see
the settler as well? Sometimes because you're oftentimes the halves
are giving you the ball to just take it to
a point to settle it for them. Yeah, is that
how you see that?

Speaker 3 (25:26):
There was I think the second try for the Broncos
you saw I'm not too sure which ford it was.
It might have been. I'm not too sure which one
it was, but I think Benny Hunt just dropped him
off and you saw him accelerate into the You saw
him accelerate into the line and there was nothing really doing.
Even the commentators were saying, there's nothing going on. And

(25:48):
then he just exploded like almost goose steps half through
the line. Gotta quick play the ball. And then they
have that that try on Tamale on the edge and
they just Catonis Dack just like tipped it on. I
think that's showed like if you are going to do
something like that, you sort of have to offer something
a bit different. You have to sort of get through
the line a bit more, and it's.

Speaker 1 (26:06):
Hard to do.

Speaker 3 (26:06):
I think a lot of that relies purely on your
physicality and your fitness when it goes to those like
back ends of the halves.

Speaker 1 (26:13):
Great example, I mean, we are previewing now we have
we are we have moved on from that game. We
actually are on the Sharks first. The Roosters do right.
It's you see that even you're not listening.

Speaker 3 (26:22):
It'll be nice if you use it'd be nice if
you use an example here and there, good.

Speaker 2 (26:25):
But it nice. Can I use one here? And oftentimes
I'll talk about shot shot football when you're saying, like,
and it works at shot shot football. He's very, very
good against an enthusiastic, enthusiastic defense. And we're going to
talk about this later when we talk dogs storm and
it's working to one side of the field, gathering numbers,
and then immediately, don't set, don't reset, Just send the

(26:47):
ball to the other side of the field, as quickly
as you can to the far to the far post,
shot shot short, gather numbers, hit on the other side.
There's another one I want to do. There's another little
raw it's not the right word, but the little thing
in the game to have a look at, right, is this,
when I think it might be the Shark's second try,
have a look at what happens. Talakai gets tackled inches

(27:11):
from the try line, right underneath the posts. Now, what
happens in that instance when you have a when you've
got a player on your side that has been brought down,
and it is tackled right near the try line. Okay,
in and around the post. What happens is booze to
the honeypot. Have a look next time you see that situation.
How have a look at how many defenders are all

(27:31):
gathered around, gathered around just garden that inches off the ground.
There's five or six blokes. So on either edge there's opportunity.
So what you've got to do in that instance is
you've just got to go clinically. You just got to
go pass past to an edge really quick. There's a
fair chance you're going to score. Most teams stuff it
up because they say it's it's very very hard to

(27:51):
attack that close to the line. Well it isn't. Just
drive another one in close to the line, gather them in,
then hit them on an edge. Sharks do that. Their
second Talakai Neilli scores gets brought down. Just showed the line,
the roosters all condensed and around and they just go
bang bang to the edge and school I just it's
just a again, it's evidence that sharks just took the

(28:13):
opportunities that were there. We're very good at taking their opportunities.

Speaker 1 (28:15):
Ye are. I think they were that they finally found that.
We said it last week, but they found their football.
They found it and I found coops.

Speaker 2 (28:22):
And this is, for whatever reason, the combination of Brandon
Trindle and Nico Hines always Gunner's attention and critique. You know,
everyone's talking about who's the boss, and he's not doing this.
He's in good form, he's not well. I think what
we saw the other night was it working perfectly in
the fact that Trendle he had the hot hand, so

(28:45):
he was doing most of the finessing and the organizing.
What I loved about Nicko's game, did you have a
couple of hers? Yeah, a couple of hers. I loved
how aggressively you played. That's the thing I sit and go.
That's what how Trendle plays. The organizing and that's the stuff. Hey, Niko,
that's exactly how you play. I don't give a fuck
about getting making errors here and there. Mate, I just

(29:06):
need you taking that ball the line and just threatening
the defense all the time. The size you look at
your speed, look at your footwork. And Nico the Blake Brayley,
the elevation of his game in the last six seven
weeks has really elevated Nico. The scoop and goal of
Blake Brailey. That's encouraged Nico to play in the front

(29:27):
football less thinking, more just reacting and that's I think
that's Nico's best football yep.

Speaker 1 (29:32):
And my back fence player of this game, we just said,
you just said it before Braden Tricky Trindle, I think
he had the hot hand in this game. Nico has
probably been their main man the last five or six weeks.
He's had the hot hand. He's been putting on all
the trices and stuff. I think Tricky was unbelievable and
it was always going to be a good battle battle

(29:52):
between and Mullatalo ended up getting the upper hand in
the end. Loves shits during love.

Speaker 2 (30:00):
I love that mate. He brings the swagger and the menace.

Speaker 3 (30:04):
You need it.

Speaker 1 (30:05):
Yeah, But I thought Tricky was unbelievable and giving him
good opportunities and just always always found the right pass.
Always happened to find the right but I knew where
the space was and knew how to get it there.

Speaker 2 (30:15):
And another thing really impressed before I do my back
fence player. The thing that really impressed me about the
Sharks is in that last ten minutes when the game
was on the line, they came up with a couple
of errors, but they held their nerve and they were
able to defend it. They showed mental toughness to get
through it. My back fence player and the reason they
brought this bloke to the club. He highlighted the other night,

(30:35):
Adam Fanula Blake mate. I said on the show just
an hour or so ago. If you're watching, I said,
when you talk about the greatest middlemen and yardage men
of all time or the ones that I've seen, I
go Glenn Lazarus, Jason Talmalala, Payne Hass, Adam Fanola Blake.
He is a phenomenon and there was periods in that

(30:58):
game where the game was really in the balance. He
just kept taking it up and just kept punching through.
And this was against the Rooster's pack mate that's been
dominating other packs in the back half of this year
and made at times he was just taking on himself
the bloke. The bloke is that he is a phenomenal football.

Speaker 1 (31:16):
And some of the some of the front rowers who
probably don't get the recognition, like Glenn Lazarus's and paying
hasses because they don't play state of origin like Adam
Fanila Blake and Tamalolo in there both in their primes.
If they were to play state of origin there, they
would be recognized way more than they would because origin

(31:38):
is seen as the as the pinnacle. But they are
both like they are so unbelievable through that middle.

Speaker 2 (31:44):
Fanilla Blake, you know the way he the way he
played L's you just go, yeah, Craig fitz Greenwood in
the box and gown. That's that's why we bought that bloke.
That's why we bought that bloke to win those matches
and to win next week and if we get to
the Grand Fold, to be able to win ground finals.
He's the type of bloke you need in the side.

(32:04):
They're the blokes that win titles.

Speaker 1 (32:06):
To be a good game next week. All right, Matthew.
We were lucky enough to have a little drive around
in the new Volkswagen EV range, the ID four Pro
and the ID five. Big fan of it. I loved it.
Did you like it?

Speaker 2 (32:18):
I really really enjoyed it.

Speaker 1 (32:20):
I got to I got to say my favorite feature
the front seats. They've got the built in massage seats
and look, massads. I've been in some cars before where
they've they've claimed that they've got massage seats, but this
one's next level.

Speaker 3 (32:34):
It was.

Speaker 2 (32:35):
It was insane in fact, Coop, it is. Actually I'm
considering making a comeback after it because I tell you
what to make it? What my got it? Rugby league,
I mean camera monster are the best to me and
Dylan Brown thirty me and for ten years, dear lord
one point five of me in a lot of money.
I want I want in. I mean those massage seats.
I'm telling you, mate, these are the bulging disc in

(32:57):
the back and the neck loosen, the sadic nerve stretch,
the right hit flex.

Speaker 1 (33:02):
I've got to say, if you made it, I don't
know if you'd want to take a pay cut to
go back into rugby league. Your bloody killing and how
many gigs have you got?

Speaker 2 (33:09):
How many kids?

Speaker 1 (33:09):
Too?

Speaker 2 (33:12):
Yeah? Yeah, yeah, yeah that's true. I'd always find time.
I mean, I could do this podcast still if I
was playing. You've got Bill Eggs number, give me a call. Yeah,
what do you want to go to Melbourne? I would
you know?

Speaker 1 (33:23):
Let me tell you right now. Okay, Yeah, they've trained
they trained pretty hard back in back in your day. Yeah,
but you wouldn't survive if we sent no, no, no,
if we sent prime Matthew John's down to Melbourne. I
don't reckon you'd last the preseason.

Speaker 2 (33:37):
Okay, I said to your numerous times my last year
and rugby league at the Sharks was the hardest overtraining.
US guys scoffed off. But when we had Paul Galla
on the podcast, he confirmed it. He said it was
the hardest he'd ever trained. So I can if I
can handle that what Gal handled, give what he's done
his career, well, let me tell you I can handle
whatever you guys serve up down south of Melbourne.

Speaker 1 (33:59):
Gal's still going. Maybe this car's got a bit of massuge.
Maybe it has no bulging disc.

Speaker 2 (34:03):
On that man. Yeah, yes, but the range you know,
with an TV cart it offers up to five hundred
and forty four kilometers range. I was ready. You know
how long that is. You know if we were on
a trip that's Sydney to Armadah. You said, you ever
been Armadad.

Speaker 1 (34:15):
I've been Armadad. I played a mate back in the
day at a school tripped Armadad. We played union comp
down there. Did, yeah, but I think killed it.

Speaker 2 (34:23):
How'd you go win? Ah?

Speaker 1 (34:25):
I can't remember it really, but I probably would have.

Speaker 2 (34:29):
I love Armadah play. We've played a tril there as well,
two tries, three conversions? Who for two trysis nights?

Speaker 1 (34:35):
Who'd you play against?

Speaker 2 (34:37):
We played against Paramatta there.

Speaker 1 (34:38):
Did you Yes? Is there a big rugby league community
in Armadall a huge.

Speaker 2 (34:43):
Regular community back in the day They had all these
specialized camps back in the day at the end of
every in December in Armadale is to host them there
at the University Universe. Now what Koper? What a university is?
It's a place of learning.

Speaker 1 (34:56):
I know what university is, right, Although I didn't go,
I did. I did a UNI. I did one thing
semester of UNI.

Speaker 2 (35:02):
It sounds like really spell it.

Speaker 1 (35:05):
I can't even pronounce it. I did do one semester
when I first moved to Melbourne. I did the first
because they said for all you young players you need
if you're going to play in the NRL, you also
have to be doing studying on.

Speaker 2 (35:16):
The side, have a backup plan.

Speaker 1 (35:17):
So I did it for one semester and then I
deferred relentlessly for two years.

Speaker 2 (35:23):
Well Jack Jack went to university. You can tell by
the way he handles his sort of addresses himself. Tresh
went to university. Not as obvious, I'll to you.

Speaker 1 (35:32):
You know, yeah, obvious, clearly not well she, she claims,
she goes to university as the most of us, yet
she is the least articulate. And I say this relentlessly.
She can barely stringer sentence together sometimes.

Speaker 2 (35:42):
Matt, what time are you going to get home from
the pub? Matt way home at two hours late?

Speaker 1 (35:46):
Hello? I what I will say as well? On the charging,
because yeah, five hundred and forty four kilometers, that's pretty handy.
A lot of people, and my knock on EV's has
always been, well, where am I going to find a
place to charge? It might take a while. They've got
quick charge incapabilities. Now it charges from ten percent to
eighty percent in around twenty two minutes.

Speaker 2 (36:05):
That is that's insane.

Speaker 1 (36:06):
That's pretty handy.

Speaker 2 (36:07):
That is very that is insane. That's very very good.

Speaker 1 (36:10):
That's quick because the knocks always been oh well, yeah,
it's not as quick, but twenty two minutes. If you're
stopping on a highway, you stop in twenty two minutes
and you have a feed, go to the toilet. They
the picnic rug have a snack ring ring on one
of those emergency phones.

Speaker 2 (36:24):
Yeah sounds good, coops.

Speaker 1 (36:26):
Thanks Matthew. Let's get back to the podcast and then
to the Saturday afternoon game. Penrith Panthers played the Warriors
over in New Zealand afternoon here at night in New Zealand.
But it was bloody, an absolute dog fight the first half.
Horrible weather, great march. It was good to what yet
Warriors brought a physicality but I hadn't really, I hadn't

(36:49):
seen a lot of the year, given injuries and whatnot.
But they give it to Penrith at the start. They
give it to them.

Speaker 2 (36:55):
The wars really dominated long periods of the game with
their physicality. But mate, Penrith had the smarts because they
had the seven. Yeah, that's it, Like it's just the
importance you know, if putting on the putting in the
right kick at the right time and little things like that,
you know, making sure and Isaiao had a lot to
do with as well, making sure, Okay, the ball's got

(37:17):
to get there, let's get it there.

Speaker 1 (37:18):
And we and we did say that in the preview
during the week we said that the Warrior's side is
a great side, but they do lack the creativity. That's
that's where we were going to question in comparison to
Penrith Panthers who had Nathan Cleary. You saw with the
weather as well, it actually played into that into the
Warrior's hands because because it was so wet, there wasn't
a lot of creative play happening. But they were down

(37:41):
there for the first half. Warriors had so many play
the balls inside and they just couldn't create points. They
got they kicked the two points early, but they just
couldn't create points. Then you see Penrith go down there
when momentum finally shifts, Nathan Cleary just building pressure the biggest,
the biggest moment, and I saw in the impact in

(38:01):
the game because it ended up sort of blowing out
the schoolne but it didn't The school line did not
represent the game, not at all. Nathan clear the pressure
that he put on the Warriors forward pack in defense
just by he did an early kick in the right
corner on third tackle kept him down there and then
after that he kicked. He kicked about three or four
repeat set he did, and there was a ten to

(38:23):
fifteen minute period where the Warriors didn't even see the ball.
You are spot on.

Speaker 2 (38:28):
It took a little while for them to really get
their template on. And Penrith's template is like you just said,
kick long early, chase ferociously, and defend like killers. Attack
like you just said before, attack through your defense. And
they did that, and the first time they got one
of those suffocation sets on where they got him in
the corner and kept going at him, they scored the
following set, and then not long after, You're right, Not

(38:51):
long after they went Nathan went repeat set, blaze to lunge,
you went repeat set, Nathan went repeat set, and mate,
you're right. The Warriors didn't have the ball for almost
ten minutes. Then they go into half time and you
come out after half time and Brad Schnyder scores a
soft trip from Dobb me half, Well, why do you
score a soft try? Because it was fatigue and it

(39:13):
was pressure, that physical and mental pressure that they built.
I will say, like, I've got so much respect for
the Warriors for the amount of players and crucial players
they lost. Metcalfe the best example there, but a forward
leader of the quality of Mitch Barnett to leave him.
But there's certain things that like, like early in the game,

(39:36):
when you play a team like Penrith and the underdog,
what they needed to do early Warriors is strike a
blow early right, strike a blow and suddenly you find
you pincher try early six nil and suddenly that little
bit of pressure goes on Penrith. Then what happens is
you get a penalty and you take the two points.
It's eight nils. So all of a sudden you're outside
of that six point split. And that's how like to

(40:00):
cause an upset. A lot of times, you've got to
start well and then bit by bit you just scoreboard
pressure goes on the red hot favorites. And that was
the opportunity they had. They had an opportunity, had a
penalty early. A tenor boy didn't put it out. That
is unforgivable, unforgivable at that level the importance of that game.

(40:20):
To not put it out in that situation, you know,
that's that is bread and butter for a playmaker. You've
got to put it out in a finals match when
you know you're the underdog and you're playing against a
high flying team, a team of the quality of Penrith.
They give you an opportunity that you've got to take it.

Speaker 1 (40:38):
And now you see like that was you saw a
little bit of weakness from Penrith that start of the
game where Worries sort of probably got it over and physically.
But now you there is an eerie feeling about any
team that comes up against Pendri I would not want
to be playing Pendrith after that sort of win. But
have you got a back fence player of this match?

Speaker 2 (41:00):
Well, I'll just say just have them. I get some
random notes. I've got to say this. Paul Alamodi. Alamodi
saved that forty twenty, pushed it in, then found he
found a way of getting it out of the end
goal and then a few tackles later, Nathan kicks, bounces, bounces,
a lucky bounced get it and they go through and

(41:21):
you go, oh that's luck. Yeah, but you make your
own luck.

Speaker 1 (41:23):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (41:23):
That's a perfect example of a bloke that has just
done in this incredible play and got out there the
effort and suddenly you get lucky.

Speaker 1 (41:32):
But had a mix ye, I thought he had a
bit of a mixnight They went after him a lot
in the air Force. Couple of errors but yeah, that
moment was a very key moment. You see why Ivan
picked him now.

Speaker 2 (41:44):
Two blokes off the bench for Penrith to deserve great praise.
Luke Garner I thought it was great when he come on.
But Liam Henry, I think Liam Henry's best game as
an NRLE player. He come off off the bench. He
gave him an enormous lyft.

Speaker 1 (41:57):
Isaiah Papalii was really good too.

Speaker 2 (41:59):
He's my back defense player. Oh was he ye in
those conditions in the wet, in the wet, tricky conditions,
which was a grind and the Warriors really wanted them
with physicality. I thought he was fantastic.

Speaker 1 (42:10):
Yeah, Ice I baby shout out to him. Mine was
Nathan clear If just for reinforce what I said before.
I think in big games, kicking games and kicking threats
where you turn him over, that's the most important thing.
And he played so simple built pressure. It was good
to see the old people actually going for repeat sets

(42:31):
and probably getting rewarded for it. Ever since the short
dropouts coming to the game, people don't really go They
all go for attacking kicks to try to go for
a try because you don't really get rewarded for repeat
sets these days, because everyone's good at getting the ball
back off a short dropout. But yeah, I thought Nathan
did an unbelievable job. Now to the Friday night Oh yeah.

Speaker 3 (42:52):
Sorry, ask is the back fence player is inspired by
our man Bruis.

Speaker 1 (42:58):
Of course, yeah, yeah, I wanted to say it, but
I thought, you know what, you know, let's we'll just
let the listeners may piece it together. Probably not, but yeah,
shout out to Bruises.

Speaker 3 (43:08):
And also I have a shout out to my major
sponsor for this week, which is the Old Bard Tavern,
which was providing lots and lots of good times through
everyone up at Old Bar over the weekend.

Speaker 2 (43:17):
It's got back tonight with a couple of mates.

Speaker 3 (43:19):
Yeah, golf the Yeah, it's they got all this merchandise,
reverse hats, Old barsaving Jack.

Speaker 1 (43:26):
Jack's getting sponsors. Jack's getting sponsors now yeah yeah, side sponsors.
Yeah it's thanks. Yeah, sorry that the back fence aloys
turned him down because he's just heavy breathing true Blue
brew Yeah hey, true Blue Yeah, yeah, Bruiser. This was
his bib Bruiser. But I also I look at the
back fence player because back back being a back fence.

(43:47):
You don't need to be an NRL player just to
be back fence. I look at the people who absolutely
obliterate themselves dad, like you on the piece on the weekend. Yeah,
and then they wind up on the back fence on
a Monday morning and just get after their week And
I think that's a lot of our listeners. A lot
of our listeners listening to this in the car right now.
They've had thirty schooners over the weekend. They're driving, they drive,
they're driving, but like it's out of their system. But

(44:10):
they're driving into work right now thinking how am I
going to get through this? And they are just winding
up off the back fence, trying to get to Friday.

Speaker 2 (44:16):
People, just trust me on this. Oftentimes on a Friday Saturday,
we've got a big Sunday night show coming up, certainly
in finals. You know, going to take it easy this week.

Speaker 1 (44:24):
But guess what I never do and you never will,
never will Storm versus Bulldogs Friday night footy.

Speaker 2 (44:31):
And it was entertaining game coupe, second verse, third really
enjoyed it. But both sides, including your Melbourne Storm, I
got to pick up significantly if they're going to win
this title, I could.

Speaker 1 (44:42):
Not agree more. I looked at this side, I mean
the game. Sorry, and Melbourne have always been going to
just grinding wins out even when they're not necessarily playing well.
But I think this time of the year, I think
they'd be really disappointed in not playing. They're not playing
their best football in five finals. They pride themselves on

(45:02):
wanting to go into the game and not beating themselves
and not get if you play good, the only way
you're getting beat is by the other team playing better.
This game, I thought both sides both played quite average.
A lot of errors gave the opportunity to the other
side to actually take it with both hands. No side
really grabbed it by the horns. Yeah, I think Melbourne

(45:24):
at will have a lot to review this week.

Speaker 2 (45:26):
Last week, I've never seen Belly out lock this at
this time of the year.

Speaker 1 (45:31):
Like even.

Speaker 2 (45:35):
Even after the game in the press conference, I'm trying
to find the right word, it was still almost like
a bit of a softness to him, like you know,
he's usually he's got that hard edge. As part of me,
I was watching him going with no Jerome perhaps wasn't
playing the other day, but there's no Nelson Is he
sort of resigned? Is he sort of looking going, mate?

(45:55):
If we piece this title, well, like, I don't know,
maybe just reading the completely wrong. I just haven't seen
him like this at this time of the year. Ever.

Speaker 1 (46:05):
Yeah, I don't think. I don't think so. I don't
think at all he'd be thinking like that because they've
got the troops and they proved it the other night
with pasit how good Jonah was and wish you when
he come off the bench. We said that they were
probably going to swap them. But I think without perhaps
without Hughsy, they can definitely still win this competition. And

(46:26):
I think No One Belly and how he is day
to day, maybe he's a little bit worn down from
the year and it's disguising itself as softness, but he
he'll be giving it to him and driving them very
hard this week, I guarantee you.

Speaker 2 (46:39):
Early in their game, and I would say, basically the
first half, Storm really dominated yardage early on, mate, They
were just punch them through all the time, and I
was going, holy, do look at this yet at halftime
the school was eight six and that flat of the dogs,
but it was it was it was a reward to
the dogs. For their their defense and their quarter is

(47:01):
very good. Like they missed some tackles to the game.
But once they you know, once a team starts to
attack their line, you know they are good. I mean,
errors are really hurting them. I mean, I don't want
to sound boring. You're talking about errors. I got to
stop making errors. Well, thanks god, but they're really hurting them.
And dogs are going Dogs have a very good defense,
structural structural defense, but the amount of errors they're making,

(47:22):
even their excellent defense can't absorb them. And that's if
they can just eliminate a lot of these unforced errors.
My god, they're going to find a big difference in
their game. The storm first try, I'll say this, you
know one I said, this defense structurally was good. This one.

(47:43):
They really went at Lucky Galvin a few times. And
that first try come about. And if you go and
watch the people, this is really interesting. Now. One of
the golden rules of defense is that you do not slide.
You don't slide outward until the ball goes past you.
That is a golden rule of defense. And what they
do is the ball goes across the munster and he
got Joe Chan who is flying on an in straight

(48:05):
line on the inside shoulder of Locky Galvin. Now get
Lockey in his mind. You can see he wants to
slide out. He's trying to protect the potential three on
two on the outside and he's holding, he's holding, he's holding,
and then all of a sudden, Months just delays the
pass a quarter of a second and Locke loses his
nerve and slides and Chain goes straight through straight heylikt

(48:30):
he went straight through. They got tackled there. Then Jonah
threw the ball to Eli Katoa, who's scored. But the
pebble in the pond was pebble and the problem with
the Joe Chan with Lockey just holding and that's just inexperience,
like he's still a young guy. But hold, hold, hold,
and I'm gonna slide. And that just beautiful little delay

(48:50):
from Munster and just goes, just goes straight.

Speaker 1 (48:52):
That's what it's. It's it's your train. It so hard
and you try to get yourself in that mindset of
don't slide, don't you gotta protect your side shoulder, don't
take a dummy. But when you got camera monster and
they have shapes around you, it's very hard. But I
agree with you. And you know what I loved about
having a look at if you go back and have
a look at the highlights of a lot of Melbourne's tries,
and we said, how in big games you don't you don't.

(49:15):
It's not the big players that actually score the tries.
Sometimes it's good kicks for your attacking threats, or getting
quick play the balls and playing that. You saw the
quick play the balls that Melbourne were able to create
with Harry Grant coming back into the side three of
their key tries that that like the one you just said,
car toa. They get the quick play the ball through
Joe Chan They go one pass, two pass, nothing actually doing.

(49:38):
They kind of just found Katoa and because it was
such a quick playaball, they slid and Ellie went straight
through and scored the And then later that first half
Lasarti scores on the short side where they get a
quick play the ball monster goes down little short ball
Loasardi scores and then in that second half the real
game breaking try Stefano, Harry gets out, drop Stefano off,

(49:59):
he gets an off to Harry Wishy, the contortionists who
just come on fresh legs, just punches a hole using
his foot instincts, drops whatever they've got. He just punches
a hole off Harry kick out hits him with everything.
He ends up scoring. Like those three tries. Very simple things,
but they are playing off the back of a quick
playable really leans in the Melbourne hand that one with.

Speaker 2 (50:18):
Months to gun up the short side in that at
instance there coop it made by everyone doing their job well.
Made it look easy. Harry just taking a step forward
and getting months to pass the market depth Munster identifying
his target defender and pulling him out of shape, and
his ball and his whole runner just hitting the right
half of the hole at the right time.

Speaker 1 (50:39):
It was good. It was a good coach. Very simple,
very old school coaching rules, but they did it well.

Speaker 2 (50:45):
A couple of big moments in the game which I'm
going to talk about the second try in the Dogs
in a minute. Remind me that if I forget as
you get to a certain age and you.

Speaker 1 (50:52):
Get tied, that's what drinking does.

Speaker 2 (50:54):
Yeah, it does. The introduction of TB Sexton bottom of
the field, Yeah, and look it they looked a different
side when he came on and Galvin went to his
natural role at six. They just looked a better side.
Burton I thought played very good at left center. We'll
save what we think is going to happen this week
for the preview. Wants some stuff to talk about there.

(51:15):
But in my opinion, Sexton is in a little bit
of doubt. They're saying it's a it's a sternum or
like a shoulder. Yeah, so I don't know where where
is that. He'd expect him to play Crichton and Tuala
highly up got a break. He won't play Crichton. Yeah,
I've seen reports streamed out.

Speaker 1 (51:35):
They say Liz Frank at one point, which is you
don't play with I don't know.

Speaker 2 (51:40):
They said if they if they get through this game,
he's a chance the next week, but he'd be extreme doubt.
I want to talk about that. I want to talk
about the second try firstly. I want to talk about it.
I want to talk about that first try where it
was Sexton's first touch of the wall. He went on
what they did there. They did something there that they
didn't do nearly enough in the game, and that was

(52:01):
isolate Villi Army kickout with Jonah j Peas like Jonah
Jonah's an edge defender. You're noticed like, mate, you've got
kickouts big, it's got footwork. Yeah, And they hit him
there and he went over and did that thing, did
a pass which bounce off and he got like, that's
that's the drama he can cause. He once in the
second half they did a shot shot, they went down

(52:23):
one side, went one to three passes to kick out
again and he got the ball off to Burton who
scored again. The press the presence of kick out, they
didn't do that enough. They played two match set up
football against an enthusiastic defense like Melbourne, you take him
to an edge to gather numbers and you hit him
out of the fast side. That is that is a
very very strong principle against good defensive sides. But you

(52:46):
just said something before, you said about when you look
at tries at this time of the year, where they
stem from, and guys just doing simple things right the
second try once you're going to have some people right.
And this just shows you the importance of plays two
and three. Now they're doing a yard set at the

(53:08):
time the Bulldogs and at the time they're struggling to
get for a little bit. But on this what leads
to this try is this and again a little thing
that makes an enormous difference, and it's Jacob Kraz right
coop Jack. Jacob Kraz gets the ball and he just
straightens behind the ruck and he punches half through, not
a bit and it didn't make a break. But he
punches through, gets his body through the line, gets up,

(53:31):
plays the ball quick. He makes about twelve meters. What
happens there still Tupennur, who by the way, my god,
what a player. He gets on the back of that
and he goes bang. He takes twelve meters. Now what
happens in that instance the playmakers, if the dogs suddenly
go from saying, oh mate, we're going to kick ourselves
out of trouble, to going mate, let's put an attacking
kick in. They put an attacking kick in Tabe sexton

(53:53):
and Nick Mooney drops the ball. They get scrum fooed.
In that set of six they score. Jacob Kraz scores.
The right side is a double Karraz, but he starts
at two or three minutes earlier. By simply getting forward,
getting on his front and playing the ball quick. The
most basic, simple fundamental at the start of a set

(54:14):
led to a try that happened two or three minutes later.
That is just the importance, the importance of those basic
principles on getting forward and plays one, two and three.
And if you look at Penrith, one of the cornerstones
of their success in the last five years has been
to getting forward on early tackles and Edward's dominating that

(54:35):
yard each.

Speaker 1 (54:35):
It's a snowball effect and it's that hard. It's hard
enough to try to make a dominant tackle and get
someone on their back on a slow play the ball
when it's a big blow. When Karaz and get quick
play the balls for whatever team they it's so hard
as a defense when you're on the back foot to
try to win the tackle. It just continues to snowball
right into the fifth tackle.

Speaker 2 (54:55):
Well, we know that the Broncos. Magal sort of rests
this his team up this week. Got the week off Melbourne.
What do you think Melbourne will do.

Speaker 1 (55:03):
They had a beer on they knew that they had
a beer on the weekend. They'll they'll get some time off.
I imagine there's a few boys this time of the
oar car and some niggles and whatnot, So I imagine
that they'll probably train during the week, try to get
the weekend off potentially, maybe like a Friday Saturday.

Speaker 2 (55:19):
Just a special mention when I'm mad. I was going
to ask you about Mounster's ankle, but shout out to Munster.
I thought his second half was phenomenal.

Speaker 1 (55:26):
It wasn't.

Speaker 2 (55:26):
It wasn't a typical Monster performance. In the fact that
I found a lot cop Munster was doing a lot
of half field plays, which I don't think suits Munster
quite as much. In the fact that when he wants
to run the ball from a half field position, the gaps,
you're not spreading the defense and they can sort of
umbrella him a little bit and sort of place him
in a phone box. If I'm Monster, well, if I'm really,

(55:47):
I'm telling Monster, hey, listen, if you're looking to run
the football, have a bit of impact with your running game.
Let's work the ball past the far post and catch
the ball with a little bit more width. Okay, first receiver,
but outside the second or third defenders so they can't
outside in you. Yeah, it'll make them defend passively, and
that's all Monster needs. But his second half was so
gutsy he just kept taking it up.

Speaker 1 (56:10):
When he went to fullback, I love one run against
the full back and he doesn't have to organize. He
gets in. He takes those most fullbacks take the last
carry before the kick so that they can get a
full kick. Chase line in the kick, and then the
fullback's already back there. He just runs back when he
was in there trying to get a quick playable there.
He looks so dangerous a couple of times, just making
people miss. I'd love to see him bring more of

(56:31):
that to his five eight game, because I felt like
there was a lot of he was trying to organize
a lot of stuff that first half and he couldn't
get his game on.

Speaker 2 (56:37):
Jack found something today which we might use going forward.
Jack tell us what this might or might not be
interesting interesting sometime in the next couple of weeks when
we prove you and review, Jack coops what you found today?

Speaker 3 (56:53):
Yeah, well, the camera's already gone, so that's a great
start to the camera. Sorry, guys, having main sponsor.

Speaker 1 (57:01):
What I found was my.

Speaker 3 (57:02):
Old algebra Brook algebra book and papers from my HC.
I was doing Pythagoras theorem, and then on the back
of it is Dad's entire game plan for the one
six to seven model for the twenty seventeen Melbourne storm
side with all his notes, and he wrote down quotes
that he had with Kray during the twenty sixteen season

(57:23):
and how he yeah and how he needed to change
things up, and then it talked about it had like
quotes in it. I've got Pythagoras theorem on the other side,
and then on the.

Speaker 2 (57:33):
Other side stuff on the other side.

Speaker 3 (57:35):
It literally says like in quotations like has Cooper will
run the show. He has the full stick of it,
and then Cameron and Billy, Billy has the say, but
they'll swap rolls on Billy's mark and it's pretty crazy.

Speaker 2 (57:46):
So we can pull that out and we'll read through
some of it, and I'll talk about that principle, which
my principal was one two three football. So we'll talk
about that a lot.

Speaker 1 (57:55):
We'll do and we'll frame it and we'll auction it
off to our listener.

Speaker 2 (58:00):
But not want that, No, I.

Speaker 1 (58:02):
Don't know, but minimum bid twenty grand because that shit's
important and it wins premierships. Back fence our back fans
player for this game. Now, I got two blogs I
want to shout out here. This is more of a
feel good one Sex Toby Sexton. I think I actually
think he was probably I think Kickout was amazing for them,
but I think Toby was the real game breaker for that.

(58:22):
They looked a different side when he came on, So
I think he was one of their best players out there.
But reward for effort during the year, had a tough
time getting dropped the media scrutiny everything that he's gone
through this year, and a week is a long time
something as a player that you get told when you're
going in and out of reserve grade is just hanging

(58:43):
in there. A week's a long time. It can be
easier said than done to just hang in there. Sometimes
you think he's so far away. Toby wouldn't have thought.
He probably would have been in this position six weeks ago,
gets a call up off the bench, goes into the
side when who got who got hurt? Crichton, Crichton gets
hurt and then he's one of their best players out there.
So shout out to Toby. He could you know, you

(59:05):
know who knows where he's going to be through. It
could be winning a Grand Final, and.

Speaker 2 (59:08):
Good on him for the class he showed during times
when a lot of most people thought he has been dubted. Yeah,
the fact that he didn't drop his card, and you
can see his teammates when he scored that try and
the Bulldog's crowd.

Speaker 1 (59:20):
And it looked like Cam serroud. I saw him do
an interview before the game. He praised he said, he's
you know, he's worked so hard. He's been playing hooker
in cut as a kid. And another shout out William
Wilbrick fantasy start of this year, he got hurt in
the trials, played round one. Brick, he didn't even think
he was going to potentially come back this year, let alone.
There was a period there he didn't even know if

(59:41):
he'd ever come back and play rugby league. So you know,
had a had a pretty bad Yeah, it's pretty bad.

Speaker 2 (59:47):
Had difficult start to the game, but finished so strong.

Speaker 1 (59:50):
Second half was and I thought he was so so
physical and then he obviously had the nail in the
coffin getting the intercept and go one hundred meters.

Speaker 2 (59:57):
So shout out to Willie, Well done, will mine until
I'm going to go on losing, so I'm going to
I cannot tell you how I'm impressed. I remember that
guy in the last since he's come back from injury.
He's a powerhouse. He's going he's a great player. From
the Big Loss, from.

Speaker 1 (01:00:12):
The Roofs to I mean Terrell may too, probably the
best buys of the year and they both left the
rust undoubtedly.

Speaker 2 (01:00:20):
Yeahs, I'm going to get some sleep, man, I really
got I've been doing too much work and too much drinking, well,
too much fun.

Speaker 1 (01:00:28):
Are you going to compromise?

Speaker 2 (01:00:30):
Uh, compromise.

Speaker 1 (01:00:32):
I can't even spell it.

Speaker 2 (01:00:34):
This is set in there, somewhere