Just Go

Episode Transcript
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(00:05):
This is the Mad Dragons bunker.We'll get a ladies and gentlemen and welcome
to the Mad Dragons podcast. Wewere completely outplayed by a Warrior's team.
That is no joke in twenty twentythree. What is a joke is the

(00:31):
Saint George La Warrior Dragons. Toallow Ben Hunt to play is perfectly fine.
Hundreds of players over the last decadeor so have requested releases from existing
contracts and still been able to performas professionals. But for the club to
allow Ben Hunt to run out asthe captain is way, way, way

(00:54):
more embarrassing than the performance the teamput out on Friday night. Yeah,
it was a weak performance, butthose that run the club, the faceless
men in the background that make thebig ticket decisions, have proven once again
that they are spineless dogs that havezero respect for this club. They have

(01:15):
zero respect for this jersey, theyhave zero respect for US fans. Every
single time a captain runs out inthe Red V, he should be a
person that loves the club and willgladly bleed for the Red V. That
was obviously not the case on Fridaynight, and I think the management spat

(01:38):
in the face of the great catcaptains this club has had in the past.
Now, I'll probably style it abit of your Thunder, but I
had to have my snakebox moment beforewe get into the show. So sorry
about that, has Man, butwe'll move new into this one. Locked

(02:00):
down, Down Down believe Yeah,thanks Tonny. This year's Heroes and Villain's

(02:28):
Warrior's edition. Now incoming Dragons coachShane Fanagan has really hit the ground running
despite still being involved at another club. He's identified the team's fitness as a
major contributor to the poor results thatwe've had this year, and has instructed
Dragons management to begin negotiations with highperformance expert Andrew Gray, who was actually

(02:53):
on the physical performance team for WayneBennett in twenty and ten and has also
consulted across multiple codes, including theEnglish Premier League, and also Dan Lawson,
who was part of Flano's medical andperformance team for Cronella in twenty sixteen
when they won the premiership. He'salso reported to have told Moses and By

(03:15):
his services will not be required intwenty twenty four, a decision which would
have been unthinkable by the previous headcoach. His dedication to a role he
is not even yet commenced, getshim the hero of the week. Now.
The villain this week is someone thatI'm sick to bloody death of talking

(03:35):
about the Willie Wodi stay bullshit hasdestabilized the playing group, and his performance
on Friday was that of a manwho mentally has already checked out. He's
meeting with the club on Monday todiscuss his future, and I really hope
the club shows a set of herefor two unseen balls and do not allow

(03:57):
him to drawn. The Broncos assbeen reported in the media in the last
few days. However, his playingdays in the NRLSH side should be well
and truly over, and he shouldbe made to either play in reserves or
sit out the rest of the contracthe signed an extension to in October last
year, knowing full well when hedid so that, barring a miracle worthy

(04:21):
of a sainthhood is, Buddy Griffinwould not see out the twenty twenty three
season. Ben Hunt, you've disappointeda lot of people with the immature cry
baby way that you've carried on lately. The politician like bat flips you've performed
and are fully deserving of the villainof the week. You have been weighed,

(04:44):
you have been measured, and youabsolutely have been found wanting. That's
it for heroes and villains for thisweek. Donnie, back to you in
the central missionary position. Thanks Mike. That's an absolute ball terror. Although
Chris Holmes is very disappointed that jacksonFord wasn't your hero, so you know,

(05:06):
you just missed the mark according toit's any consolation though that I did.
I did give that due consideration.I think I think jackson Ford should
be the ultimate villain Traders bastard comeback and play like that against us.
What a waker. Wasn't his footwe gave him a ship offer, No

(05:28):
it wasn't, but it's it's hisHe should play for free for the Dragons,
the Mikey Dragons generally, and CraigYoung there then goes and Buddy scores
against us to the prick. Anyway, I was a little bit. I
was a little bit happy with that. Have to admit it was just lucky
Billy Burns didn't play a month.All Right, We're gonna have to get

(05:50):
a lot of Billy Burns references into Night because we've got to cheer ourselves
up somehow. All right into theMad Dragon Vodcast. Player of the voting
in a tough night for the team, I think the panel might have voted
with their hearts in a night wherepretty much no player deserved recognition for good

(06:13):
performance, we have given the Manof the match to the bloke that does
bleed red and white and had hisspecial night overshadowed by a selfish captain Jesse.
You had JDB as our best?Was this more because of his milestone
or did you truly think that hewas the best dragon on the film?

(06:34):
Probably the latter what he said,I thought he was the best dragon on
the field on the night. Yes, it was a big occasion, meaning
two hundredth game at the place hedebuted as well, So yeah, I
thought he was. I thought hewas one of the few that had a
go, kept running forward all nightand really actually finished the game with fifty
five tackles, again the most fromany forward in the side. So in

(06:58):
a pretty disappointed night, he wasprobably the shiny lot fifty five tackles played
the full eighty minutes, and yeah, he just went forward all night and
he actually just finished under a onehundred meters But yeah, I thought he
was really ripping and tried his bestand always put it in. Not one
of his stand up performances, butstill good enough I think to win my

(07:19):
player that night. Yeah. Again, I thought that it was a high
effort game defensively, I thought therewasn't too many that really stood up in
attack in the pack, and Ithought our forward pack actually got dominated through
the middle. So I was reallysurprised when we when I tallied up the

(07:41):
votes that given we got absolutely smashedthrough the middle. That's where we lost
the game. That the guys thatgot the two most votes were both bikes
that played through the middle. Sosecond in the voting was another forward in
Frankie Molo Maza. You had Frankieas our best. Was it that stood
out stood Frankie above the rest ofthat? That that rabbel? Um Yeah,

(08:07):
rabbel was probably a good word forit, Donnie. Um. Yeah,
look, I just thought of especiallyearly on he was, you know
when we sort of still looked inthe game. He was Megan's could meet,
he's been in the line. Umjust tackled my van. It probably
um looking at it again, couldhave could have probably went to JDV as
well. But yeah, like wesaid numerous times on these bods. When

(08:31):
we lose like that, it's reallyhard to sort of work out who to
give free two ones too, andyou know when we put into performance like
that. But Frankie only played probablyI think, forty six minutes, so
you know, I just think inthat time, you know, I look
at the stats and he's running inthat I sort of looked at you.
If I double that this sort ofworkedload that he would have would have got
through, um, you know,probably would have put him right up there

(08:54):
anyway. But yeah, it couldhave easually went to JDV. But for
the time he was on, Ithought Frankie was stolen, but not our
standing. Like said, we gotdominated in the forward, so makes a
bit hard to to give blocks likethat the votes. But that's why I
saw it. Yeah, I thoughtFrankie was probably one of the one of
the few that did actually look halfwaylikely going through the middle, bent the

(09:16):
line a bit, had some somegood post contact meters. I thought Jack
de Bellon was largely pretty impotent inattack, while he was great great in
defense. Fifty five tackles is wonderful, but I think he had what less
less than twenty post contact meters outthere for basically the full game. He
was out there for the full Lady, And yeah, I didn't think Jack

(09:41):
de Bellan offered enough in attack,and I thought he was part of the
the issue in terms of our ourgo forward throughout that contest. But yeah,
I thought Frankie did rile up thesleeves a little bit. But yeah,
it certainly wasn't a standout performance thatnormally would have got in votes in
in a good, good, goodshowing, But yeah, I thought he
was probably the best of a badbunch. In the forward back. Zach

(10:03):
Loomax was the other player recognized bythe panel. Chloe, let us know
why you had Lomax as the Dragon'sbest. Um, I changed Zach because
when I saw him, he wasin like all around every round the field.
He was tackling like Dane, likehe tackled where it was dangerously close,
and I just thought he showed confidenceand he was just yeah, I

(10:26):
just thought he was really good onthe field. Yeah. No, I
thought Loomax was probably our best inthe first body. I didn't notice him
as much in the second half.I thought he went missing a little bit
and he certainly dropped down my rankingsby the by the end of the game.
But I thought he again that ourbest players, the best you can

(10:50):
say about them was that they werethat they were okay. I think poor
might have got gotten Your one votein this game was the rankings of the
rest of the seven ames. Soyeah, it was It's a tough one.
As mother pointed out in terms oftrying to award a three two one
once again, there was a couplethat refused to give volts and didn't really

(11:13):
want to do it, and youknow, threw the toys out of the
cot and eventually they yielded and sentme ship. All right, um into
the into the bit bit of anad has men. You've got the Mad
Dragons vodka shirt on there, soyou do give us a plug. Yeah,

(11:37):
a good good quality shirts washed itprobably a dozen times now and yeah
it's like nowhere near fading has didn'tshrink or anything that's good, good quality
merchant, get into it. Atleast you wash yours, not like the
soap dodging Palm big team. Whereis he who as he was honored,

(12:01):
who would have been there? Are? There are obviously many ways you can
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(12:24):
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(12:48):
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promote your products. Yeah, reachout, get in touch, all right,
Moving now into some moments of thematch. Now, has Man,

(13:11):
I don't want to spend too muchtime going through this match with a fine
tooth comb, but I think Tylerroll Sloan has become a real talking point
in the aftermath and is really dividingthe opinion of Dragons fans. He scored
an early try and looked ultra dangerousin attack in the opening twenty minutes or
so, but some of his defenseand kick diffusal has once again got some

(13:35):
fans calling for his immediate sacking.Is Sloan the future or is he a
downright impostor with no business as anNRL fullback. I think he's definitely definitely
has business being in NRL fullback.I just go back to that's what I
said about Flannagan bringing in these fanciveguys. I think that will probably help

(14:01):
him as well. Um. Ithink he just sort of runs out of
path sometimes, as you know,they pretty much all do. UM.
But he well, he is verysusceptible to have sort of moments of like
any other fullback. Some of theseballs that he drops, you know you
or I wouldn't bloody drop them.I don't think. UM, But he

(14:24):
just he needs to He just needsto work on his defense and get a
little bit more involved, um inattack when the when the forwards are looking
to offload or when you know atthe half back, whether that's you know,
hunt or Sullivan wherever it is,he has got to be right there

(14:46):
looking for it the exact way thatall these fullbacks do. But he you
know what's his face from Brisbane whogot in a little bit of trouble today
for saying something not too nice tothe referee, Reese whatever his name is.
And Reese, well, yeah,that's yeah, that's him. And

(15:09):
you see James Tedesco as well,he's right right in the action whenever there's
the possibility of an off lad he'salways sniffing around there. That's what Sloane
needs to do as well. Butno, he's with a with a decent
case lot we've we've got next year, I reckon we'll start to see him
improvement in a lot of areas.Yeah, I think some of the criticism

(15:35):
of Sloane Spain a little unfair.Yes, he's not a very good defender,
but I think he's probably a betterbetter defender than Reese Welsh. Wlish
is terrible and no one mentions itbecause he's because he's so good in attack
and he does all these other othergreat things that make up for it.
I think Sloan has has similar sortsof abilities. I think I think he
can be an absolutely wonderful attacking weapon. He's never going to be good in

(15:58):
defense. He never will be.They just forget about it. That's not
going to be a strength of hisgame. Ever. Yes he will work
on it, Yes he may getslightly better, but it's never going to
be a key aspect of his game. What we need to see from Sloane
is that he makes up for thosedeficiencies with attacking brilliance. And he did

(16:19):
that I think in the opening twentyminutes. But then he fades out of
games, and that's just something youngplayers tend to do. And you know
again, I think with more experiencehe will will get up, get over
that, and become more involved ashe as he gets a bit older.
But I think in general, Ithink you need to recognize what he's good

(16:41):
at and what he's never going He'snever going to be a great defensive player,
but there are plenty of other fullbacksthat are not great defensive players that
you don't even talk about the defense. You don't even talk about how woeful
Reese Walsh is defensively because it doesn'tmatter because of all the great things that
he's capable of doing. Mother Iwas just going to touch on that.

(17:07):
You're saying that he fades him andout of games, and that's got a
lot to do with the way thatthe team playing too. If we can't
get a forward pack that's moving forward, you know percund the time, then
you know, the halves and andhim choling in the back line, you're
going to see a lot more ofit. And he's you're talking to fade
him now as much a we arewhen we're getting we're on the back foot.
It doesn't give your fullbacks the opportunityto chow him in and shine,

(17:30):
you know, for for ninety percentof the game. But hopefully with the
new coaching staff that will that willchange the way we play and you know,
we get a bit of role andget a couple of big forwards and
you know, the backs of theseyoung fellows can payfully start to show this
stuff. But yeah, I thinkit's got a lot to do with the
way the team playing, obviously.I think that's a really fair point too,
mate. I mean, we've we'vetalked already and I'm sure we'll talk

(17:53):
a little bit more about how ourforward pack got absolutely dominated out our we
got small asked at the ruck andwhenever you whenever you lose the rock,
it doesn't matter how good your yourbacks are, it doesn't matter how good
your fullback is, He's not notgoing to be able to have any sort
of impact when you when you're forwardto getting completely dominated like that, and
the same same goals for the Harves. I know there's probably a fair bit

(18:17):
of criticism for Being Hunt's performance,but Ben Hunts performance was on the back
of a pack that was absolutely annihilated. So yeah, yeah, again,
I don't know that there was muchthat you can do about it. But
Jesse, Well, people say,like where we were dominated in the four
pack, but you look at theWarriors pack like no, no credits really

(18:38):
been given to them, like theysteam roller something middle they magged around easily
up the park and I've I've beenshocked with the way they've been going this
year and they've been really all thesurprise packets that credit to them. I
think the way they're playing, they'rebound for Semiot the way they're playing,
and that's the way. It's beentough for them the last three years and
they look like they're going to playto be final football and it's good to

(19:00):
say the Warriors actually semi vinyl footballmade. I think they're a top four
team. I think they are agenuine threat to the premiership. The way
that they are looking like that,that forward pack is legit. There is
not too many people that are goingto get the better of that pack.
Like they're they're a good team,yeah exactly, Like yeah, we were

(19:21):
poor, but I think Warriors didn'tlet us in the game as well,
Like twenty to twelve, you're probablytouching that. Later we're starting to come
back and then they just got backto back tries and as and then I
ran away with it again. Theway Johnson's playing easys in vincage form and
um they could be a smoky whoknows Yeah, well again Johnson. Johnson's

(19:42):
form coincides with playing behind a goodpack, and I think that's that's just
a key factor for the Dragons.If we get a good forward pack,
like if if we'll talk about abit later, don't getting a hid of
myself, but if we get ridof being one and getting two or three
mongrels in our forward pack and makeour forwards an elite force, we'll be

(20:03):
better off with Jaden Sullivan at halfback and a good forward pack than we
are right now with Ben Hunting.A shitty US pack like the forward pack
is crucial to your halves being ableto be successful and to have a good
time to actually win games of rugbyleague. So I think there's there's a
lot to break down and a lotof improvements we can make with that sort

(20:27):
of nine hundred and fifty thousand dollarsthat we might have to spend in the
not too distant future. Jesse,I'll stay with you. Twenty five minutes
into this game, we led sixpoints to four. It's hard to hard
to remember back to that point whenwe're in front and feeling confident. But
once again we had that that sortof big laps that we seem to have

(20:48):
in just about every game where wecan see tries in bunches, but the
Warriors striking three times in just sevenminutes. What do you put this regular
regular account range down too? Ithink it's fitness that team lacks really match
fitness, Um they are they notmatch. It's I don't know if it's

(21:10):
the way they're trained or the waythey defend. Um I put it down,
well, I'll allude to the defense, because the defense they're really stand
offish. They always wait for theopposition team to run. They've been doing
it for a number of years,not just this season, and it's really
alarming that they are wait, waitfor these big four packs of steam rolling
and then by their time they seethem, they're already at the try line

(21:33):
and they're already with them, andit's it's it's it's too late to make
the tackling. But do you findthat a bit a bit oxymoronic that or
maybe just playing old moronic? Thefact that we sit back and wait on
our heels in the middle of thefield, and then on the edges they
jam in and fly up out ofthe line and leave two or none on
the outside. Yeah, one part, one part of the field, they're

(21:57):
flying up on the other part.This staying back, Yeah, yeah,
he's not not affective. Now it'sa very dis jointed defensive line. And
yeah, as you said, likethe centers and wingers, they're always leaving
gaps and were Tennis Lesne made Mattelooks look very pedestrian the other night scoring
four tries and Tennis I've actually beenaround for a long time. He's never

(22:18):
scored four tries in a game.Um, and then Rava Laura again,
he's another one. He ran offthe wing of quite a few times as
well. So yeah, this defensivereally needs to be overall once planning and
gets into job because they've got toget out of this system. And um,
yeah again I don't I don't actuallyhave that that in the agenda,

(22:40):
but um, is that is thaton on Matt phinny? Is it on
him jamming in? Because a lotof people saying he's he's got to go.
But every wing we've had for tenyears has done this, Like every
everything we've had for a long timeseems to jam in make the wrong decisions.
We used to criticize the shoot outof you Aiken in the centers for
flying up out of the line.Jason Nightingale at the back end of his

(23:04):
career all of a sudden started doingit. Like every winger we have we've
had in the last ten years orso, it has jammed up out of
the line and has left the wingof unmarked again and again and again.
Isn't Matt Feiney's fault? Or dowe bring somebody else in exactly the same
thing keeps happening with everyone we bringhim. Yeah, Well, I think,

(23:26):
well, you say, like we'vehad to think he's been standing depends
when he's at his opportunity. ButI don't know if he gets any game
time but anymore this year because heprobably looking at moving him on at the
end of this year. M Yeah, Rabel is the same. He's a
player that he's had trouble depending aswell. Like he probably he score he

(23:48):
can score tries, but he letshim just as many. So as you
said, it's been a problem fora number of years. Whether Flan can
identify that, just on on on, Maddie, Fine, did he do
this a lot last year? Idon't seem to recall him doing it all
that often last year, And allof a sudden this season we've got a
new defensive coach and he's been horrible. Like, do we need to start

(24:11):
putting some pressure on Ben Wolf asthe defensive coach? Well, yeah,
you'd have to. Luck. Obviously, he's trying to prove himself and planning
and he's still looking for around.He's on two new assistants and he doesn't
improve like he Obviously he's planning goingto look to bring his own man in
Wolf. Wolf will no longer havea job at the Dragons. Um obviously,

(24:36):
Yeah, Flanning and wants to bringhis own and he wants to When
he was coaching Herod, what hewanted most was defense. And we need
to get back to being a realdefensive side if we're going to win a
lot more games in this competition,because right now we're probably ugly one of
the worst defensive sides. And yeah, we probably we let fifty points last
Friday night, Um, if youcount on jumps, No we didn't,

(25:02):
which which we can still win thecop hats man. Yeah, I just
want to do a double down onthat and say that I don't think there's
a single member of the Dragons organizationwhose name is Ben that should have a
bloody job next year, apart fromapart from Ben cray on the on the

(25:26):
board, and even that's even that'sdicey. You know, Murdoch was sella
hunts. But they can photos onconcern, they can they can all pass
off. I think that all theeveryone called Ben is an absolute bloody shocker
this year. Well it might beon the something man. Maybe you're onto

(25:49):
something all right, Chloe, justsort of getting back to the actual game.
Wednesday must grow scored to make ittwenty points to twelve, the Warriors
down to twelve men at that point, did you think there was there was
a glimmer of hope and that theDragons could get back into it. Yes,

(26:10):
I was hoping that. I waslike, yes, there's one less
on the field, let's do this. I was really hoping that there was
something positive to come out of thatfrom our team. But yeah, I
was like, come boys, comeon, come on, just try and
Lee, come on, let's getup there. I was in fantasyland.
Yeah, I got to say itat half time. I don't know that

(26:30):
I've been less confident at halftime.It was only twenty to six, and
but it just felt like the Warriorswere well and truly on top. But
when they did get that ships inmen again hoping against hope as having faith
in the absolute impossible, when wheneverything points to the end the other direction.
But it wasn't. It wasn't tobe. Rob Sigoona has Ben says

(26:53):
that maybe Moses and By's middle nameis Ben. Well, you certainly let's
see you taking side parting like theRed season. I don't I've started to
go off most sly diff to behonest, I think he's more trouble and

(27:15):
he's bloody worth. Um yeah,I mean Ben Ben Harron band Wolf Ben
Hunt. I think been great.He's probably the only person on the board
that knows a thing about bloody football. But those those three bands can definitely,
yeah, they can go bye byes. Jack Bird can go with them.

(27:36):
Yeah, let's let's swap one Jackfor another. Let's swap Jack Bird
for jackson Ford. Yeah, wehad a lot of Jack Slash, isn't
he jackson Ford, Jack Kachevski,We had them all, got rid of
a couple. Maybe there's another anotherto go in the not too euston future
right now. Quickly he got throughfrom a fan mother was mad lad at

(27:59):
once to know, if you thinkBilly Burns gets a new contract with the
Dragons for next year, look,you wouldn't think so. I've got a
feeling this question was chucked in justbecause of everybody's love affair with him.
But I don't know where that questioncame out of Annie, But look,
you wouldn't. You wouldn't think so. But you know, with Flano coming
in, the things that we haveto change, Unfortunately for big bad,

(28:25):
bustling Burnsy I think he's days inthe Dragon jersey or over and rightly so,
Look, we really need some aswe've touched on it a dozen times.
I really just this show we needsome big boppers and the forward pack
when needs some blokes to to getthe pack movement so the backs can work
off it. And Burns he's areservo or best. I think he's shown

(28:47):
that. Yeah. I haven't mindedhim filling in and doing his thing with
the first great side, but hejust hasn't been brilliant and I don't see
him being a part of Flannagan's plans. Yeah, I still think Billy Burns
is in our best seventeen this year, but I can't There's no way he
gets a contract next year. There'sthere's no way he gets an extension.

(29:11):
This is his last year. Yeah, this is last year at the Dragons.
I don't know where it'll end upafter that, probably over in the
Super League somewhere. But Jesse madLad wants to know if we still expect
the Dragons to be a competitive teamin the NRLW with the loss of so
much experience. Um, that's too. At the same at the moment,

(29:33):
we haven't even seen they even kickedthe ball in the season. Yet we
haven't seen the other teams go,so ask me that in about six weeks.
I don't really know at this stage. Yeah, I think my opinion
is that I think we're going tostruggle. I think Racing McGregor's obviously a

(29:57):
huge signing. I think we've gotgot some talent in the side, But
in terms of the forward pack,it is it is a very young,
young forward pack and we're asking ahell of a lot from from that young
side. And I think even ourspine overall, I think I think our
spine looks pretty pretty solid, prettycompetitive, but it's the forwards that that.

(30:22):
Again, I think there's a lotof a lot of very very talented
young girls in that side. Butyeah, I think we're asking a hell
of a lot of them to expectthem to be able to compete at r
ol W level straight away. Itmight be a rebuilding season. They've most
of them have got sort of multiyear contracts and all that sort of stuff,

(30:44):
and so I think that there's there'sgoing to be some good signs for
the future. But yeah, ifif I was to give my opinion right
now, I think strap yourselves inand it's going to be a tough one
with the women as well. Ithink I think we'll win a couple of
games here and there, but Idon't think we're going to be one of
the top sides in the combum.Yeah, I think that's exciting. Like

(31:04):
we've got a lot of exciting youngstersthere, like you've mentioned, like Tara
mcgrael, West's one, she's onlytwenty one. Um Tyler naf one is
going to be side exciting. Ithink she'll have apparent with Racy McGregor.
Um our last rugby seventh convert didseem to be a slash from Evertonic Gato,
so hopefully she's just as proved,just as worthy. And I'm excited

(31:27):
to see tign Berry light up atfullback if she gets the chance to play
where the number one and then you'rethrowing a Bobby Law as well as experienced
set up in the game, she'llbring a lot of experience to these younger
backs backs, outside backs as well. And yeah, it's going to be
an interesting new but hopefully they canjag a few wins. It's yeah,

(31:48):
it's very young, Sidon, whoknows. They may surprise a lot,
but that maybe something we can askJamie sal down the track. Yeah,
well, yeah, again it's lastlast time I was hesimistic about the Girls
season, we made a Grand Final, so you know, maybe it'll turn

(32:08):
out the same again that there's alot of unknowns, and there's a lot
of unknowns in every team in termsof how how new combinations and all that
are going to go. So Ithink it's going to be an interesting year.
My initial read though, is thatthat we're going to be sort of
down near the bottom half of theladder for this twenty twenty three season.

(32:28):
We did have one more viewer questionfrom Everything in ourl It had a lot
of stuff about ben Hunt that wewill get into a bit later. So
we're going to incorporate that a bitlater on. But we haven't haven't skipped
over you or ignored you. Wewe're just yeah, we're going to talk
about that a bit later on inthe show. So but for now,
we're going to get into some lowergrades. First of all, I just

(32:52):
show the video and this time I'mactually going to turn the sound off and
we can just chat. I'll chatabout it as well. We're sort of
watching it, which works a littlebit better for the actual the podcast version,
but yeah, just have it havinga look. So first drive for
the New Zealand Warriors, they standup Matt max Fini as there's a big

(33:14):
Superman dive there from Paul Turner.But this turned out to be actually a
crucial play from Sione Finn out chasingthere, kept keeps him out wide.
Given we end up winning by twopoints. I mean they missed that goal.
That's an absolutely crucial play. Softtry there for Ryan Couchment. This

(33:34):
one again a little bit of aricochet and then they come back to this
side of the field and just createsome numbers again wingers and sent us a
long way in field without any greatneed to be an era there from Dan
Russell, and the Warriors pretty quicklycapitalized on that. They led sixteen points
to six and a half time overin New Zealand, a young side,

(33:58):
and then this happened. See onlyfin out that we saw this last week,
we've seen it again. An intersectat plenty of speed and races the
length of the field to score.And then this one from Zach Herring the
match winner show and go slices overto score and the Dragons get get a

(34:19):
really good Win. As I saythat that basically the entire team, Yeah,
a really really young team. Yeah, it was good to see them
head over to New Zealand and andget get the win against a top five
team. Has meant one person whoactually watched this this full game. Obviously
I only got to see the highlightsand most other people only got to see

(34:42):
the highlights. Have they've observed thatthe defensive structures in New South Wales Cup
teams seem to have changed since HookHook has been sacked, and it appears
to be more effective. So whenHook was there, basically the reserve grade
side defended in exactly the same wayas the the top grade side. Now
they don't. They seem to holdthe hold, They hold their shape,

(35:05):
stay on their man, and itseems to be working for them. Do
you think the NRL coaching staff mightneed to have a look at the improved
defense on the edges in the lowergrades and maybe make some similar adjustments.
Well, they've got to try something. And if if that's working at lower
grades, isn't the harmy no drawingit with the big boys? But I

(35:25):
mean, who who actually comes upwith the defensive structures and for the for
that side, but they have somesort of defensive coach set up that that
the NL side has or is thatall down to Is that all down to

(35:47):
Bronx Coopman good one. It's thehead coach, but i'd imagine that he
has some assistance at reserve grade levelas well. I'm not sure who they
are to be honest. Yeah,look, i'd probably suggest that Ryan Carr
have a bit of a chat withRomsey and get some get some tips off

(36:07):
him as too. We can sortof get things moving a bit better because
so what's working in reserve grade probablyshould be at least try at at NRL
level. If what we're doing atNRL level is not work and which it's
obviously not, so what's what's theharm in Trine? Yeah, absolutely agree

(36:28):
with you. Um yeah, lookat what's working and and maybe try and
implement that, particularly when it's notworking for for the NRL side. Jesse,
Well, actually we've been chatting aboutfor a few weeks now, but
what why some of these are outstandingon New Soils Cup players up? Because
he looked at by the NRL's side, I've just come across this little bit

(36:52):
of a speel from the our friendsat the red V podcast earlier today.
So this is what he's take onit. I don't know if it's any
fact to it, but I foundit interesting. So he said a bit
of an update in regards to NewSouth Wild Cup players not being promoted to
the NRL side, It all surroundsfinances at the Dragons. If a player

(37:13):
is promoted to play nrrole, theyare owed free to five K in match
payments depending on their contract. Now, if a player that has paid ten
New South Wilds Cup games promoted toNRL and plays ten games, that takes
effect on our cap for next yeareffectively coached, costing them one hundred and
fifty thousand dollars, not to mentionthe free to five K per game plus

(37:36):
at times ten. So for whatit's worth up in the clubs should be
blooding some of these guys if anexperience, regardless of the cost and the
fact that he has become a financialissue, shows where their club's heart is
at. Yesterday, for example,Toby Catchman finished the game with sixty tackles
and Ryan Couchman finished ran for twohundred and fifty nine meters. These are

(37:57):
the types of guys that should atleast get the shot games left this year
in preparation for twenty twenty four.Yeah, but that is again, it
is something we've spoken about a numberof times before about any of those players
are eligible to our play NRL.But the impact it has on the on
the cap both this year and nextyear is something that the club has to

(38:21):
factor in. So if they're goingto start naming players that aren't in the
top thirty, then it starts impactingthe cap next year. So again it's
it's it's a matter of weighing up, do you impact what you've got next
year for a season that's already goneto try and get some some minutes into
some blokes, or do you gothis year's stuff, let's not screw up

(38:45):
next year, Let's just use thethirty players that we've got and starts start
with a clean slate next year.It's a it's a it's a difficult one
to try and navigate, but Itend to agree with that with Jack's thinking
that these guys are ready now,let's get them some time, because get

(39:06):
them getting them some minutes now isgoing to benefits next year, regardless of
what impact it has on the cap. I think for too often. The
Dragons are being absolute penny pinchers inthis regard, and every other club,
every other club is using players fromoutside the top thirty. Whenever they need
to any player that's ready, theybring them straight in. They don't worry

(39:27):
about what impact it has on thecap now or in the future. They
work out a way that make itwork and they create these great players.
And that's why we're sitting down nearthe bottom. Well not near the bottom,
we are the bottom. We're backin last. So yeah, again
I think the club's going the wrongway about it. I can understand that

(39:49):
that is a lot more complicated thanwe can probably understand. We don't have
access to all the books and allthe knowledge of everything that everybody gets paid
and all that sort of stuff.But yeah, from the outside of looking
in, I think we've got tostart using some of these players. Jesse
Um, Well, that's been saidtime and time again. But do you
think player salaries should be made public? I was watching a little bit of

(40:13):
The Footy Show today and Andrew John'sreckons that will be made better. So
we have a rough idea of whateach player at each club is is roughly
on per year now, then whatthe fuck are we going to talk about?
That's what that's after after part ofwhat we do. We just get
on here and guess what people aregetting paid and talk out our ass and

(40:35):
you know, every I think beingHunt's been on everything from one point five
million dollars to nine hundred thousand inhis time at the Dragons. It's no
one actually knows exactly what he's on, but everyone everyone says it's so authoritatively
that that and so convincingly he's hebeen ups on one point two million.
That's how the fuck would you know? Nobody knows what he's on. So

(41:00):
again, I don't think that playersalaries should be I don't think there's any
need to make them public. Ithink I can understand what fans want it
to be public because it's an interestingtalking point. But we talk about it
anyway even though it's not public.I don't know, do you want to
tell me what your salary is?I was gonna say, do we all
want to know? People want toknow what we're on, what you're making.

(41:22):
It's their business. I think,yeah, I'm a low incomer,
so no one can no, no, thank you, that's no. Yeah,
Mazzo talks starting on the new SouthWales Cup team. Very young side,
pretty much the entire team between eighteenand twenty two years of age,

(41:44):
the only players over the age oftwenty two. I think in this team
we're Dan Russell and Nick Luis Toso'snot exactly household names, so very very
young side makes the wind even evenmore impressive. But is there any particular
player in this team that you thinkshould be in the NRL side for this
weekend for Thursday in Larch game.Well, yeah, I think Jesse's probably

(42:07):
just touched on there and well youjust said there the ages those bloke that
you said that in our chat too, and yeah that was pretty surprising.
That's um yeah, that's a lookat the future again with what we've got
down there and the way they beforeme. Now, but certainly obviously the
Couchman boys definitely deserved deserve a shotin the top grade. Obviously, Ryan,

(42:29):
we've had to ran Toby Toby,We've already he's already had had his
shot and gone okay, um yathe see you only for now? Did
I pronounce that? All right?Yeah, see over the last couple of
weeks, what he's dished up inreserve grade and what we've had dished up
in first grade, you would thinkthat he's going to get a shot.

(42:52):
Um, Look, just how explosiveis I think he's run for four hundred
and fifty sixty meters in the lasttwo games, you know, ten twelve
tackle bus obviously very aware with acouple of intercepts as well. Um,
it's you've got a bit of toeabout him, which which you know we've
all been saying that we lack inthe back line. Um, if there's

(43:15):
there's a bloke in the back linedeserves a shot, it's got to be
him. Obviously, the Catman boysobvious obvious inclusions that we sort of need
to give a run. And wejust touched on the salary cap being a
little bit um, a little bitall over the place and a little a
couple of things that we we didn'trealize. But for for what it's worth
to give the blokes four or fivegames leading into the back end of the

(43:37):
year. If we don't do that, we're not going to know if there
if they're going to have a shot. You know, like they're just playing
reserve grade. There's reserve radors togive them a shot in a grade we're
in first grade. We know thatthey're going to be worth investing in,
and that's the only for now.I think it's got to be a he's
got to be a certainty to havea shot. Yeah. I think quite

(43:58):
often when you when you start bringingup reserve grade statistics to if people say,
oh, but they only did itin reserve grades, where else are
they supposed to do it? That'sthe only level where they can They've got
to be the most impressive they canbe there, and that's the only place
where you can judge from as towhether they should be making the step up.
And I don't care what the levelis. You've got who was Ryan

(44:23):
or Toby. Ryan run for twohundred and fifty four meters, Toby ran
for two hundred and forty four meters, both of them playing eighty minutes.
Is front rowers. It's pretty impressiveas nineteen year olds. I think they
are. They are massively in ourin our future. And I think he

(44:43):
only few knows a good shout aswell. He's come on in leaps and
bounds over the course of the season. I think his improvement has been out
of sight. You mentioned he's tacklebusting, which is which is obviously a
really impressive feature of his game.But probably something that we've seen in the
last last couple of weeks is thatspeed that we didn't really get a chance

(45:05):
to see. I hadn't really seenit too much through the early part of
the season, but definitely over thelast couple of weeks we've seen him in
open space and he's got some realworlds. But Jesse, I've seen a
lot of people commenting on the pagesto Trace Stewart, why hasn't he been
looking at? And then another onehas been impressive in recent weeks in the

(45:27):
sixth Royal m Zach Harry. Yeah, well he's actually been playing seven because
we don't we don't have any harvesin the lower grades at all, so
he's normally a six. But yeah, I think Zach Hearing's been been really
impressive. He's one of those playersthat, for whatever reason that the head
on shows don't seem to rate him, as every time I've seen play,

(45:49):
I'm really impressed by what he does. I'm impressed with him as a ball
player. I think he's got adecent kicking game, he's got a good
running game. He scored that thatmatch winning dry. As it turned out,
it was about twenty five minutes beforefull time when he scored that tribe
that ended up being the match winner. And yeah, and he's really good
defensively. I think he only hadwon his tackle in this game, and

(46:12):
that's crucial as a half and that'sthat's been one of the big things that
we sort of see with with alot of halves is that they struggle struggle
a bit defensively, and Zak Erringhe seems to hold his own defensively.
He's obviously not going to be aworld beat or as a half back,
but yeah, he's very very soliddefensively. I think he can go alright.
Tray Tray Stewart has been sort ofput in the chat. He said

(46:37):
he can't play in the national gamethough he doesn't have a passport, so
that's the reason why he didn't playin this particular contest. Apparently there are
a few players in the Dragons teamthat didn't play in this one because they
didn't have their passports sorted prior tothe game. Tray Stewart seems to be
the one that was the last oneleft out of the team because of it.

(46:57):
So I'm not sure whether he didn'ttell anyone or whatever, but I'm
assuming there was a few others reallyarmy for feeders didn't play in this game.
I'd imagine cout mogus short, butsure he got a passport and there
was other reasons why he didn't play. A few blokes that probably should have
played in this game and didn't.So yeah, it's again a poor,
poor indictment on our club that theyweren't sort of looking after this. But

(47:22):
at the same time, these areadult men that should know you need a
passport when you're going to New Zealandin a couple of weeks. But has
man Yeah, just on that,Who exactly whose responsibility would it be to
make sure that if you if youknow that you've got a game in New
Zealand in X number of weeks,who's responsibility is it to make sure that

(47:45):
all the players that could conceivably beselected for that for that game do have
the necessary passport to be able togo over there. Who does have that
responsibility? I asked me, Idon't know, I no idea, I
don't I don't don't know the individual'sname that would be a manager or you

(48:08):
know Ben Harron. Let's just sayBen Harron because we fucking hating to the
individual though, wouldn't you at first? Because if they want to go over
the seas themselves based on the passportanyway, like when they're when they're away
from the team and on holidays,you still need a passport to go over
the season. How can you gooverseas without a passport? I mean I

(48:30):
think that's on the person first,and then the club should have looked into
it, like make sure everyone hasthe passport before they before they make the
trip, like maybe a few weeksin events so they can plan it,
or I can organize this for you. We can. Has anybody ever gone
away like overseas for work? WhenI went overseas for work, the employer

(48:54):
asked a thousand times making sure thatI had a passport and that it was
all in date and that it wasn'tgoing to run out? Did within six
months before we were Like if theychecked on everything eighteen times, I would
imagine the dragons should be doing thesame thing. Masa, can I use

(49:14):
my analogy? You've already heard it. It's like we're going on a family
cruise. My daughter's twenty two.If she rocks up, she had that
she'd got a passport. Her sayto her, are you idiot? But
then I'm going to blame the missusfor not making sure we all had one.
Yeah, it comes from the top. Yeah, that's that's it.

(49:37):
It's always it's always the boss's faultat the end of the day. A
couple of people asking about the manlymanly guys as well. Obviously, Dileamy
Fafita didn't play in this game.Alec too, Devak. He got his
first first starting game in this game, So I started, but still only
played thirty one minutes. In thosethirty one minutes when for one hundred and

(50:00):
thirty three meters so had a prettygood work rate at twenty two tackles without
a NISS as well. So itwas it was a pretty pretty solid solid
out in his first starting game.And they're they're pretty decent numbers. Again,
it's it's not it's not Couchman Brothersnumbers that are absolutely storming the castle.

(50:22):
But I think that's that's good enoughto be asking a question given how
some other players are going at themoment. All right, staying on the
lyle grades, we don't get achance to do this very often because we
don't often have the highlights of ailable, but just wanted to go through the
under twenty ones, the Jersey flaghighlights. So we'll just have a bit

(50:43):
of look at a bit of alook at this. So yeah, this
is up against the Melbourne storm downin Melbourne. Is a really good strong
run from Bryce Magnone, just carriesthree three players another ten fifteen meters and
then on the back of that NickQuinn show and go he slices through.
I love his face as he throwsthe money ball the Harry Rudd to set

(51:07):
up that try. Then the nexttry it was Webster tips it on to
Tom Phillips, and Phillips again goodpost contact meters, drives towards the try
line, fights to get up andthen a nice harbor bridge pass he over
to Benny Johnson. He draws thewinger and puts Cooper Roberts over afton ward.

(51:31):
A great line here from Ben Johnsonagain, draw and pass the fullback
and Cooper Roberts gets his second tryof the game. And now we get
to see a little bit of speed, this time from our fullback Ben Rumble.
I'm not sure why he's defending thereon the last tackle, but glad
he was perfect positioning. Picks itup and look at that lanky kid go

(51:55):
strides away. The fullback tries tokeep him out wide, but he's none
of that, brings it around,dots it down beside the post. So
again a really good performance there fromour Jersey Flake side as well. So
similar assignment to the new South WalesCup side. They up against the top
five team on the road. TheMelbourne Storm had won six in a row

(52:20):
going into this game and they headeddown to Melbourne to take him on and
always in control, winning that gametwenty two points to twelve. We've just
got a question in the chat fromfrom Jesse. Jesse wants to know what
we think of Mary being linked withthe Newcastle job with Adam O'Brien under pressure.

(52:44):
I'll go to you, Jesse,what are your thoughts on it?
I couldn't really give a shit,but yeah, this question was just sent
to me. I don't really Ihaven't really thought about that's just to me,
to be honest. I didn't Vickieget another opportunities of the Rock coach
after what happened with us. Butif he goes for the job. Good
luck to him because it's a greatblow. Obviously it didn't work out here

(53:07):
with us, but if he getsthat job, good luck to him.
I hope he goes well for himand m Yeah, I'd love to see
him get another crack in the innor let's see how he goes. Yeah,
hasn't happened yet, so if it, if it does happen, I
would you say good luck Newcastle hatsman? Yeah, I just it's gonna

(53:30):
say say a simple sort of thing. If Newcastle want to go with him,
I mean he's record with us,plus I mean he's a he's actually
insistent coach for you out well itsorigin as well. We know how that's
bloody we worked out. So ifthey want to go ahead with that,
that's that's a funeral. Rooms.I'm concerned, but you know I both
really couldn't give it to us eitherway. To be honest, what I'm

(53:52):
saying would do whatever other teams you'regonna do. And if they they want
to repeat out mistakes and farther fromme to talk him out, Ye,
Chloe. One force change I'm movinginto some forced and unforced change. Is
one force change for Thursday that willbe Moses Suli, who will miss the
game with concussion. Who do youthink comes in for Sully? I have

(54:17):
three options now, one of theMax Bahey, I think maybe he might
come in. MGA. I don'tknow if he's back, Murga or or
Jack Bird. But I don't knowabout Jack Bird. That's all I got.
That's all I think. What doeseveryone else think? Because I was
thinking about this the whole time?Who could replace who else? Jack Bird's
a bit slow. I don't thinkhe's been enough to be there. Um

(54:39):
the Phinine Twins Mate, like Max, he's on and off. MGA,
I know he's injured. What doeseveryone think? Oh? Like over discussion?
Now, that's all that's all Igot. I think. Murga,
Yeah, is he back? Ithink he is. That he played.
Just saying he missed the miss theCup game, I'm not sure exactly why.

(55:01):
I all I got told us itwas a personal reason. So I
don't know if that's an ongoing personalissue or that's just a short term thing.
And he'll be back this week.So again, why understanding is it's
not an injury, he's not injured, but he missed the game on the
weekend. For some of the reasonsunknown. So yeah, I would say

(55:23):
he would be available, and helooks the most that the best option,
I guess, but we've used MaxFine in that position earlier in the season.
Maybe he gets another chance. Iknow there'll be a lot of Dragons
fans that don't particularly like that asa as a as an option. I
guess. The other one is youcould bring Maddie Fine, I could move

(55:45):
one in and we could use theonly fin now on the wing, so
we could. Yeah, there's gotto be a change there it somehow.
Again, I think Jack birds aninteresting one. Clothe. It's it's one
that well, I don't think anybody'sgonna like that option, but nice someone

(56:06):
with experience to fill that, toplug that hole. Again, I don't
know that there's a great deal ofgood options. Like sense yep, my
sense he's always in there. Yeah, he's always but yeah in sens any
anyway, So yeah, that's ithappened together. I wouldn't have them together,

(56:27):
but they were the last time theyplayed together, they were torn apart.
I wouldn't have the twins together ifMax Sketter recalled. Most of the
centers is another suggestion that oh yeah, I forgot about that. Oh yeah,
not in the starting please to talkabout on Tuesday. I mean,

(56:52):
it's an interesting one to think of. I don't I don't know that any
of them are good options in termsof what they're likely to do. None
of the ones that they're likely toactually do excite me at all like that.
The only ones that the only onethat I actually liked the sound of,
is you know, maybe moving MaddieFine into the centers and and see

(57:15):
only Fine on the wing. Yeah, that's that gives you somebody different that
we haven't had a chance to lookat before, and we don't know if
it's going to work or not,so you can can maybe pondure up some
sort of positivity out of it.But what about your man, Donnie?
What about birds? Lead bird inthe centers and bring your men in on
an edge? Well, I justput Billy Burns in the centers. Money,

(57:37):
Would you do that? Would youdo? You? Like they're surprised
at that one. Yeah, Idon't know. I'm look looking looking through
trying to trying to find in thecomments. But tau Molda to me that

(57:58):
that seems a pretty straight swapper.A guy that's that's playing pretty good footing
in and has been good when he'sbeen given the opportunity in the past.
He's got that experience. He's playedplenty of centers in his career. That
seems an obvious swap is if heis available, is he part of the
future though? No, Well,he's another one that I don't think it's
going to get a contract, That'swhat I mean. So you know we've

(58:20):
got off found someone that could bea part of the future. Yeah,
round a name. We go onnowhere. We need to look forward to
see what we're going to come upwith what we've got. That's one of
those beautiful situations that Bryan Carr isgoing to find himself in that no matter
what he does, someone on thepanel is going to think he's an absolute
goose for don there's there's no winning. There's no winning no matter what he

(58:46):
decides to do. I think hasmen definitely getting a few comments about this
guy. Jack Bird did not lookone hundred percent on Friday night after returning
from a few weeks out with aknee injury. In fact, he looked
like a complete passenger. Do youthink he's still in the seminary for Birthday

(59:07):
night? And if not, whoreplaces him? Um, I obviously don't
think he should he should be there. Um, you know if he if
he does end up going to goingto Sounder, I don't think Bryan cars
that stupid. But you know,if he has a few years a night
before and decides, yeah, that'swhat I'm going to put in, then

(59:29):
I think the only viable option isto bring in your men Billy Burns,
who has been ripping it up inNew South Class Cup for for several weeks
now. And although it doesn't seemto sort of translate into Annerell as we've
seen, but as you've said before, he's he's the only specialist edge backrower

(59:52):
that we have on that side.So you know, for me, that
would almost be almost be a nobrainer. But I mean we're not We're
not dealing with you know, notdealing with geniuses and the coaching stuff he
would all due respected Ryan carry ishe's hiding to nothing pretty much. Um.

(01:00:12):
But I've just been Burns in JesusChrist has Man, You've given me
that. It's a way easier thanI hope to like. My next three
questions are all about the players we'regoing to scratch to try and bring Burns
in. You've just given it tome with the first one, spoiling all
my fun that. No, Ithink you're probably right. I mean,

(01:00:35):
if I honestly think that. Andagain, Jack Bird's copying a lot of
shit for his performance on the weekend. I think his knee injury is a
lot worse than than we've been ledto believe knee soreness. I think there's
there's something a lot more going onthere. I know he copped a knock
in a tackle and he was complainingabout that, but he should have been
dragged off in that game. Hewas not. He was not right any

(01:01:00):
years Florida changes on that in thatgame too. Yeah, that was strange
than that one out. That's thatis It's true, that's the official stat.
Yeah. I didn't see too manychanges used either. I was at
the game and I didn't see toomany people come off it at the time
either. Um, what what?What? Why? Why would we only

(01:01:23):
use for inter changes the whole game? Did the coach forgett he was allowed
to subplay? I don't know.That's that's hook type stupidity. Well,
that's not even hook type stupidity.That's the dumbest thing that any coach in
the last ten years has ever done. Yeah, in the changes in our
website says that the Warriors used eightand we used four. Yeah, that

(01:01:46):
doesn't okay, that's some and oneand one of those was for silly question.
No one wouldn't account him. Whycouldn't we bring in Jaden? Hardly
if Sully was taken out for foulplay and that's that's a that's a.
That's again. They said that onthe coverage, that that activates the eighteenth
man because it was foul play andhe's ruled out for the game. The

(01:02:08):
eighteenth man was activated and available.We've never used him or we didn't didn't
know that we could use him.Again, the club's fucking rebel, mate,
They have no idea what they aredoing. I fitnesses on Ben Heron
or Ryan car because han's obviously theno. That's that's got to be on

(01:02:30):
that, that's got to be onthe head coach. Matey Ryan Cars the
acting head coach, he's the guythat's you know that, that's that's his
job as as the head coach.And I know, I know he's inexperienced,
but he's got the job he's gotthe role, and I think you
know you've got hold him accountable whathe makes mistakes like only using four inter

(01:02:51):
changes, not knowing that he coulduse the eighteenth eight eighth man that they
were activated. I we're getting absolutelytiled too. They looked tired, they
looked exhausted. There's no bloody wonderthey only used only used half the interchanges
were allowed to like, I don'tunderstand that at all anyway, Well that's

(01:03:15):
what the NRROL side says. Ifind it hard to believe. But we'll
not out here more about that indays and weeks to come. Where are
we up to? We did theJack Bird one? Jesse hasn't He has
already given me the answer I want. But we probably should discuss that.
Jaden Stewart it was probably another one, but at different stages didn't look like

(01:03:38):
he was at full fitness. Idon't think he's quite as bad as Jack
Bird. But if both second rollersare out injured, and what do you
think the edge looks like on Thursday, I honestly don't know. Do you
look at Ben Murdosella. Billy Burnsis another option. There's not too many

(01:04:00):
players. They're screaming out. Iwant to be picked in the first grade
side, but you'd have to thinkthey could do. Couldn't do any worse
than the other night. But Catchman, Yeah, I'd look at recall and
Catchman. Good good suggestion there,mus Um, I'd look at him definitely.
Um, he's been tearing up.I think. I don't think he's
been dreaming all that bad when hehad his chance in the top grade.

(01:04:21):
I think he deserves another crack umplaying for the future. We've got to
blood him and get him more minutes. And I'm trying to impress chain planning
because he's going to be watching everygame for the rest of the year.
Again, would you would you?Would you do that too? Would you
do that to them? Though thatthey've been playing exclusively through the middle of
the field in reserve right, andyou're going to bring him up and play

(01:04:42):
him in a different position in rO. Well, I mean they've played
in the h before and they cansee them themselves to be edged forwards.
So yeah, give him to givehim a chance, but just give him
some minutes. Yeah, I thinkthey should be given time in the top
grade because Agin Flannagan is going towant to have a look at these players
and see if they are see howthey's going to use it next year,

(01:05:04):
because I'm, as we've touched onplanning, is going to be looking at
these games very closely now that he'sthe head coach next year, and I'm
who we're looking to see what themakeup movie side will look like, and
you want to see if these folkscan impress it. I'm pushed for a
regular spot in the seventeen next year. Well, you're really is an interesting
point that I sort of brought up. I don't I don't know a couple

(01:05:25):
of weeks ago. I've lose trackof time. But yeah, you mentioned
Shane Shane Flanagan is going to bewatching it closely. Would Shane Flannagan have
a have a say in in thisscenario in terms of her he wants to
see? I'm saying probably he'd beprobably be in a regular chat with Ryan
Carr and see like who he wantsto have a look at. But at

(01:05:48):
the end of the day, Istill think it's Ryan Carr who's kicking the
team, but I think Shane Flanganmaybe having some input and seeing who he'd
like in the side. But yeah, who knows what what I'm car Flannel
up too. But obviously he's gothe's got a bit of an idea what
he wants to do. But ashe said today, he wants to dress

(01:06:11):
the fitness of the side. Sowho knows how he wants to make the
side look for the last time ninegames we've got this year, I'll go
to you has Man. But justthe general consensus in the chat is that
the NRL side is wrong in termsof interchanges because there's a few people going
through counting the ones that actually happenedthat they know happened, and they're up

(01:06:31):
to seven so far. So Ithink the NRL side might have might just
have the complete wrong information on them. Will be the first time, Yeah,
that's true. Yeah, just juston the Flanne, I mean he's
already having a look at him obviouslyif he's identified that, you know,

(01:06:54):
we're just not fit. So what'swhat's to say he's not having a look
at the sort of other aspects ofthe team and making up his mind is
to you know, who who wantsto see this year and how he wants
to keep for next year. Ireckon he's doing a bit of a little
bit of work on the side whichhe pissed manly off. But you know,

(01:07:15):
we don't give about well again.Another another point that I raised last
week is why the fuck would mainlykeep him on the payroll because he's clearly
going to be starting to his focushas got to be starting to move towards
the big job he's got to donext year. Like his attention's got to
be divided. Why do mainly wantthat? Why wouldn't they Why wouldn't they
just get released him straight away?It doesn't flo wants to stay. He

(01:07:39):
wants to. Yeah, I understandwhy Flanno wants to stay. You know,
he's got the best of both worlds. He can identify some talent over
there that he can use for nextyear. He you know, he gets
gets to keep his finger in afew different pies and still do his commentary.
I understand Flanno wants to do everything. Why the fuck do mainly want
he mean, well, maybe maybethey're hoping that when he comes over,

(01:08:03):
you'll bring Woodsy over with him.Does that? Yeah? If he does
that, I wouldn't give him threeweeks three years all right, months.
I've got a bit of a loadedquestion for here the year, but it's
one of my favorites actually Ben MurdochMassilla, saying we talked a lot about

(01:08:26):
options on the edge. Ben MurdochMassilla seems an obvious option on one of
those edges, but he seems tobe playing like a massive pansy. What
do we have to do to getthe best out of bmm? I really
don't know. I mean, there'sanother question. I think I've got last
week around about the same, andit was the fact that, yeah,

(01:08:49):
he comes on and he plays fortysix minutes or seventy minutes, and that
he's having five or six runs,you know, like it's and I said,
last week's just not good enough.What we do to get him going?
Keep him in reserve grade? You'retell him to pull his fucking finger
out. I don't know. He'sgot to put a rock it up in
some of it with with Josh Kergergone. Now, like he's he's the

(01:09:13):
biggest human we've got. Like heis, he's a mountain of a man
that can really cause some damage.But he doesn't. That's what I'm saying.
Like he's massive, he is aunit. And like I said,
when did you look at some ofhis stats? If he's running, if
he's only running eighty meters fifty ofthem post contacts, so he can you
know, he can move the ball, he can bend the line, he
can drag him down. But um, yeah, you just got to do

(01:09:35):
it more consistently, get more involved. How do we do that stuff?
Knows? I kind of felt likewe've used him incorrectly while Hawk's been there
playing, playing on an edge.I don't think is it's the way you
actually fire him up. I thinkgetting running through the middle. I want
you to have. I want youto have fifteen to twenty runs, just

(01:10:00):
on your arm. Run it hardand straight, as as hard and as
straight as you can, straight downthe hate it a little. Just fire
up and show some actual mongrel.Get him sitting out in the edge,
just trying to use footwork, andshow us our quick ears for a big
man who gives us shit. I'vebeen the line and hurt someone. That's
what we need you for. Yeah, you can do it. You can

(01:10:23):
do it. You can do itup the middle and do it, you
know, fifteen or sixteen times insteadof five or six what he needs be
doing. Yeah. Again, thatthat whole issue of fitness which we've we've
we've spoken about a couple of times, and we do have some more chat
on it a bit later that,Yeah, the Dragons just look like an

(01:10:44):
unfit team across the board, andthat's I guess part of that, part
of the reasoning why we struggled inthat area. Uh, did I say
hand you go up? There?Was that? Jesse? Yes, yep,
I just have a little bit ofa statement. Not really it.
Um gall was actually containing for nineat the game on Friday night. Um.
I didn't hear, obviously because Iwas at the game, but from

(01:11:06):
what I'm hearing, he was verycomplimentary of us early on. He was
early on, he was very complimentary. It was very hard to be complimentary
of the Dragons towards the back endof that game. He said a lot
of nice things very early. Yeah. Do you think it could be a
realistic chance that he may be assistantto Flanno? Oh again, we talked

(01:11:30):
about that that last week or thelast show, about the rumor of Paul
Gallen coming on as a specialist coacher, forwards coach or something under Flanno,
And certainly the way he was chattingearly on in that game, I thought
maybe there is some rumor to it. But I think that's why we let
play out to be honest, Andyeah, I think you can read as

(01:11:55):
much or as little into everybody's commentsin commentary as you want. Then you
hear what you want to hear atthe end of the day. All right,
Chloe, I want you to getyour crystal ball out because we well,
you won't know anything at all untilat Earl's closed a business tomorrow.

(01:12:16):
But do you expect Ben Hunt tostill be a Dragon by team list Tuesday?
And if he's not, how dowe line up sixty seven and fourt
eight? Any waiting for this question, so folks, buckle up. My
brand might be coming so well forme. Passionately, I hope that he

(01:12:39):
isn't going to be in the teambecause of all the shit that's going on
right now, the saga, likeI go through the waves of being angry,
sad, frustrated. So I hopehe's actually a New South Wales Cup.
I hope the Dragons play hardball andhe has to stay and honor the
contract at least till the end ofthis year and he can go to New
South Wales Cup. Because I likethe way he's carrying on and I understand

(01:13:04):
he wants to go home with family. I understand that, but the way
his action has done this and thenall this scrutiny, our team is always
on the news. Now we can'tbe happy and proud of our once lovely
club. So he can actually goto New South Wales Cup. Do it
the hard way, you know,because he's actually checked out. He looked

(01:13:24):
like on Friday night. He's actuallyjust checked out. And we don't want
that a player to be on thatfield playing like a piece of shit.
And we're already last. We don'tneed to go down the sailing ship the
barrel of the ship. So six, i'd love Bud to note seven will
be Bud seven. I don't knowhe's a moan back? Where's moan?
I don't know who's six would be? Then he was the four day and

(01:13:45):
the other night. Okay, wellthen maybe a moan can come come back.
And that's all I have to say. That's all I've got right now.
But yes, Jesse, you putyour hand up, my love.
Yes, Well, why was atthat game on Friday? And yeah,
when when when the grand announcer readout his name, there was it was
a deafening silence. When when whenhis name was read out, so they

(01:14:08):
were shooting for every other name.Now it was just deafening silence. Wow.
Um another when every other player wasread there was cheers, but Warrior's
supporters really were the ones making annoyance. We were out and numbered again by
noise or you've been in win Stadiuma few times as well, Um,

(01:14:28):
yeah, that our home game andthe opposition team creating more noise, like
the army wasn't even there as well. So another and two weeks ago we
had a sold out cogre And andyeah, not even an army or close.
I don't know if it was.I don't know what the total crowd
was win on Friday night, butI don't know the exact number of nine

(01:14:51):
and a half thousand. Yeah,and it wasn't too bad. It wasn't
cold cold as everyone expected that itwas going to be, So I I
didn't have a look at some somenumbers though. I mean that's for whatever
reason, across both cogra And andwin Stadium when we played that eight pm
Friday night game, that's about whatwe get. I think that the last

(01:15:14):
time we played there, it wasabout seven and a half thousand at Cogra
on a eight pm Friday game,so we don't tend to get to great
numbers in that time slot for whateverreason. We've got another game coming up
on our next home game, WinCEagain APM Friday and against Canbra because what

(01:15:35):
is it? Yes, that's aorigin So just about New South Walest Cup
person when we go to Queen's Let'ssee, Yeah, he definitely won't won't
be available for that one, sowe'll have a have a different harps combination
for that one, even if heis still at the Dragons, but the
Broads will be without Hunt that week. How do you all feel? Because

(01:15:59):
I actually crying when I heard stuffon Saturday, Like, um, I
think the emotions is coming out ofme, but I was actually crying because
I'm just over hearing all this negativityabout it, like like I've never experienced,
like I've heard Gordon Talis, butI've never heard like I've never had
a like a club like a captainlike this do it? You know,
like Sunny Bill back in the dayor it shocked when that happened. But

(01:16:21):
how do you guys feel? Likeas a Dragons fan, like I'm just
like this disappointed and really angry.How do you guys feel that our club
again in the media for the wrongthing, anybody, if that makes sense.
It's becoming a regular thing though we'rein the meeting for everything. Yeah,

(01:16:42):
we used to be one of thecleanest clubs in the game many years
ago. Like we were always competitive, competing for the premierships, being being
a top side. It's really sadto see us all in their headlines for
the wrong reasons, but rightly so. Our club is so badly run at
the momentum. Yeah, I've bosefor me. I mean, let's the

(01:17:02):
dragons sell newspapers that the dragons makepeople money. When whenever they write a
story about the Dragons, people wantto talk about it, people want to
share it, people, people wantto put it on social media. The
Gold Coast sacked their coach, didn'ttell him, meltmn Inga didn't have any
idea that they've been a couple ofarticles. But no one gives the shit

(01:17:24):
about the Gold Coast Titans. Noone cares. Yeah, it happening,
happened on the Gold Coast, Sowhat move on? Ye Like they're not
going to write a million stories aboutit because it doesn't sell newspapers. No
one gives a rats ass what happenson the Gold Coast when it's when it's
the Dragons, it's you get punishedsomewhat for being a big club. You

(01:17:45):
get punished somewhat for being a markableclub, for having a passionate fan base.
So they know that we will reactand we don't often let them down.
So that the fact that we arebaited so easily and believe absolutely everything
negative we read about our club,that's the reason they keep doing it.

(01:18:09):
Ye stop believing their bullshit and justwait until the truth comes out. Then
they'll stop writing it because they onlydo it because we actually bite. Well.
I actually thought funny you say that, Like Blaze, who's been in
a couple of times Mad Sport ofthe Titans, he's actually I agree with
him, Like, don't believe thesemedia bullshits until you actually here from the

(01:18:30):
clubs involved, because the club willmakerstatement when the salute, when the matter
is finalized. We say it allthe time, but we still get seventy
five million questions from fans about it, and yeah and other other panel members
that still want to talk about everylittle rumor that comes up. Doesn't matter

(01:18:54):
how ludicrous it is. Every everybodywants to everyone wants to talk about everyone
wants to chat about it. That'swhy we've got to that's what we've got
a program, while we've got aplatform because people are interested in this stuff.
There is basically discussing it and hearingother people's opinions and and all that
sort of stuff. Anyway, well, well we won't move on because the
next, the whole, the wholenext segment is all about Ben Hunt as

(01:19:15):
well. So you guys wanted totalk about it. So this was already
in the agenda. But Ben benHunt says he wants to move back to
Queensland. The Dragons have a contract, we have the position of power,
so there is no way, noway at all we should even consider rolling

(01:19:40):
over and simply letting him walk outthe door. We must get something for
it, So let's have a lookat each of the queens Land based clubs.
That's where he says he wants togo. We're only going to look
at the four Queensland clubs and workout what would be a fair deal for
ben Hunt. So at each ofthese four different clubs, so just looking

(01:20:03):
at a straight player swaps what's goingto be a fair deal for the Dragons
and has men. Let's start withthe most likely destination, the Gold Coast
Titans. What player or players doyou think the Dragons could swamp for Ben
Hunt that would make the deal fair. I was hoping you'd ask me this
one. Um So, I reckon, we've we've basically got the half situation

(01:20:28):
sorted. If does the side ofyou know disappear, um so, I'll
be looking to get some some bigboppers up front. So maybe have a
look at a fight Awake or ayou know fast or you know, ideally
both of them. I think thatwould be a pretty pretty gay, pretty
fair swap. Well for obviously,I mean again, I don't think we

(01:20:59):
get both. I don't think weget both TEENO where and Mode. But
if we if we could get teenNo, I think then we probably would
be happy with that trade. Andthe same if we were to get David
Feeder, I think I think we'dbe pretty happy with that as well.
I think, yeah, he's beencriticized a lot, but I think his
work rate has been really good thisseason, and he's an incredibly damaging edge

(01:21:20):
back row. It's certainly an areawhere we need. Fight Awake is a
good player. I think if weget fight Awaker, i'd want I'd want
somebody else as well on top ofthat, maybe a car Perreira that's just
solve our speed problem on the edgemaybe, or a J Brimson to put

(01:21:40):
some you know, to have him. And we've got either Sloan or a
Ramone on the bench. But unlesssomeone said Toby Sex has been let go
and he's a half, no,no, I don't think he's not better
than the two we've got. No, and he's not in the couldn't even

(01:22:02):
say he's in the same breath asBen't. No way. Well, I
think the other one that that Isort of look at and the guy that
maybe is a little bit of aforgotten man, is both Firma was probably
the Titans best player last season.He's done, he's acl so that'd be
a bit of a risk. Buthim on again on top of a player
like like an AJ Brimson, Nowwe were to get those two again,

(01:22:25):
it's something that I would consider.M Yeah, all right, Well,
moving on from the Gold Coast Titans, Jesse looking to the latest suitor that
the Brisbane Broncos. Although it lookslike they only want him for this season,
not for the foreseeable future. Butin any case, but what would
you see as a good deal wecould get from Brisbane? Maybe will you

(01:22:53):
look at Adam Ronalds. He's probablyin one of the top half backs of
the game. Um, maybe evenKirk Kate well or even um who else
is that? Um? Yeah,even um paying husk Maybe I'm paying asked,
I could be the best forward inthe game. We could we lack

(01:23:15):
some go forward in the outside.I reckon we could do with a player
like him and ugly the best fromaround the game. Nobody wants playing half
painting the asses. He's out therelike it's a It's a pretty good little
storyline really, you know, BenHunt wants to go home to coins Land,

(01:23:38):
playing hars, wants to come onthe new South Wild. Let's make
it happen. Yeah, there's beena lot of someone, a lot of
fans actually of calling the straight shropof if they want Ben Hunt, we
take Adam Reynolds now. But Ican't. I can't see that Brisbane Bronco
as well be that sillient to letum Adam Reynolds go. He's probably the
key to for them to win thecop if they are going to do that

(01:24:00):
this year. I don't want AdamReynolds. I don't. I don't want
him anyway. Like he's he's onthe wrong. He's in the same class
as Hunt at this stage of hiscareer. He's got one he's got one
year left on his contract, sohe's got one year less than Ben Hunt
on his contract and then we're sortof back in the same spot. I'd
be looking at a younger player andI'll certainly be looking at forwards. Would

(01:24:21):
be be what I'd be sort ofPaddy Carrigan's another one. Yeah, he's
really underrated forward. Well, I'veactually he's not underrated. I think he
gets through his work and he's beenone of the key reasons why Queensland retained
this year. He does get througha lot of work and he's actually really

(01:24:41):
is a future captain. That thatwas exactly what I've just got to say,
our captain for their future captain.Fucking brilliant. Fuck the Broncoes.
He's already the Origin Origin Test WorldCup winner and Origin win James Jimmy Grays
bet it going to be into meabout the square jaw this week. But

(01:25:04):
anyway, light it up. Yeah, I was twenty eight o'clock here.
But but but failing paying halt,you sort of look through trying to find
a fair trade. Again, you'relooking at I've got a click, a
couple of decent edge forwards. Ayoung guy like Jordan Rickey or a Kurtcake

(01:25:28):
will along with with with someone likeEzra Mam to come in and feel that
that sort of halves halves spot umalongside alongside Jaden Sullivan. But I don't
know whether it is from MAM's actuallyall that much better than than what we've
got. But he certainly plays ahigher tempo. But yeah, I don't
know that that one works entirely forus. There's certainly a couple of other

(01:25:51):
options that we could consider and negotiateand maybe you get three or four different
players. All right, mother,this one seems a bit less likely.
But still the Wayne Bennett connection andthey are a Brisbane based club, means
that it's worth looking at the Dolphins. Who would we need to get from

(01:26:13):
the Dolphins to make it fair forus to say goodbye to being hunt Um.
I think we're looking at a forwardexchange. I think we can't go
past followed made his debut from theweekend. Josh Kerr, I think we
could probably look at stay swap thenbasic, but now look, I think

(01:26:34):
from the Dolphins side, probably hammer. Yeah, that's probably the only way
that he'd go to the Dolphins withany sort of exchange. It's not going
to happen, we all know that. But I think the hammer, you
know where the Bromich boys maybe uhthrown in they will get a little bit
old, but definitely the Hammer,I think I think it's the only one

(01:26:57):
that you could probably target if we'regoing to do a straight swap. Yeah.
No, I've got to admit thatthat was probably the toughest one that
I've thrown thrown Hume muzzle. Ican't see much that the Dragons desperately needs
playing it Red Cliff at the moment. Tom Gilbert, he's a very very
good player, but he's probably notexactly what we're looking for right at this

(01:27:18):
moment. The Hammer, as hesaid, would be good too, but
it's it's not filling our most pressingneeds in my opinion. We need big,
intimidating middles or powerful led forwards,and I think everyone at the Dolphins
everyone that the Dolphins having those rolesare guys that are a bit too old
and not exactly what we're looking for. So I don't see too many good

(01:27:43):
deals to be made that with theDolphin, but I don't think that one's
happening anyway. But just Kurt,you're anakin Josh Kurty, obviously, just
just letting I actually sort of lookat a couple of the players I got
going there next year, a guylike Thomas Legler or a uh, you
know, Herbie Farnworth or Jake Avarillothat the Dolphins have that they've just signed

(01:28:04):
and they're going there next season.They wouldn't be bad options, but you
wouldn't think they're going to swap theplayer that they just bought. Uh whowie.
Talking about the least likely option,and this one really using fantasy land,
would be the Townsville based club,the North Queensland Cowboys. Looking at

(01:28:27):
though, who could the Dragons getfrom the Cowboys to make the Ben Hunt
released worth our while? I thoughtChad Tousand their captain, So takes our
captain and we get there. Captainum Nana, I thought, Nana,
you know he plays, he's beenplaying well. Tam Lolo as well,
even though he's injury print Breece Robinson, Uh, you know Scott Drinkwater um

(01:28:51):
felt you know as well, he'spretty good felt Um, yeah, that's
all I had. No What aboutour Holmes? Oh yeah, I was
thinking about him, but then Ithought my boys line a boy, but
yeah, he's pretty good too.Holmes too, he would be good.
There's a few good ones up there. Grub Connor is a good middle forward

(01:29:15):
as well. Yeah, I thoughtquite a two. Yeah, I a
couple of names you didn't didn't mentionthat Hele and Lukey Griffin name a couple
of good young forwards coming through theirsystem as well. That again, gods
that I wouldn't mind Jeremiah and thenI was the obvious one. But Hale
and Lukey given the depth they've goton the edge, he's a very good

(01:29:40):
young age forward that you know.It seems a lot more plausible than perhaps
some of the other ones that we'vespoken about. And Griffin name, I
think an absolutely monster through the middleof the field. So um yeah,
yeah, no, it has beeneverything NRL. He actually asked a bit

(01:30:05):
eight questions about ben Hunt and thatwas kind of all folded into that.
But the one bit we sort ofhaven't covered off. Wants to add to
the ben Hunt discussion. If bysome miracle, ben Hunt does stay at
the Dragons and sees out the remainderof his contract, can he win the
fans back? Um? No,I don't. I don't think he can.

(01:30:29):
I think he's already he's already gonepast that, past that point.
I mean that that performance that heput out on on Friday was absolutely abysmal.
M As I said in the Heroesand Villains, it was the It
was the performance of a guy who'swho's basically mentally he's already he's already left.

(01:30:50):
Um. And the way that he'sgone about it, I think is
just you know, pissed. Waytoo many fans off pass the find of
being able to forget. I thinkhe's well and truly burnt the bridge.
And yeah, look it's it's probablybetter off if he if he does go,
because I don't think many fans arereally gonna want him at the club

(01:31:14):
anyway. Mother. I was goingto throw my two cents in, but
I think you might do it forme, so I'll go to you.
He go from me. I justthink, um, yeah, yeah,
we're a fickle lot, supporters asa whole, not just a drag and
supporters. Um, you know,do I think it's going to happen Now?

(01:31:35):
I think I'll think he'll go.But you know, they sit on
a Monday and they read it allout. Then he puts in some decent
performance. In between now and theend of the season. Come next year,
I think I think we've all forgottenabout it. Yeah, everyone's pissed
off at the moment, everyone's emotional, but look at the end of the
day, if he ended up stainedagain, I don't think he will.

(01:31:57):
But if he does and he getsback to the best form that he's shown
this year and last year, Ithink by next year everyone will be over
it and will be getting on withit. Yeah. I tend to agree
with you, Maz. I thinkif we get to this time next year
and the Dragons are sitting in thirdplace, Ben Hunt at the top of
the Daly m Medal count and isour best player, and we're winning games

(01:32:20):
of football, I don't think anybodygives a ship. I think everybody's over
it. Nobody's calling for Ben Hunt'shead and wanting in the sacked immediately.
I yeah, I don't think Iagree with you. I think we are
are a fickle lot, and Ithink if we're winning games that that will

(01:32:41):
cover over most most things. Ialso agree with you that it's complete hypothetical
and it's not going to happen.Ben Hunt will be gone, He won't
He won't be at this club nextyear. I don't think all right,
um, where were we? Sorry? Lost my spot completely? That no,

(01:33:01):
not that one. Sorry. JJesse has been brought it up in
Heroes and Villains. But the othernews is that Shane Flanagan has tapped Moses
and By on the shoulder. Ithink this is unanimously a good call from
our future coach. But how manymore will be tapped on the shoulder before

(01:33:23):
we kick off the twenty twenty fourseason, Well, I think you,
old man Billy Burns will be probablythe next on that list. Um,
Tad Tam Mogus is probably going tojoin that list as well. Um.
I can't remember too many others ofTyrell as well. He's still on the
books. Whether or not he's extendednext year, I don't know what zero

(01:33:45):
chance at all, um, AndI think the rest is still um contracted
for next year. So anyone thatis contracted that you think might get the
tap on the shoulder and say golook somewhere else. Some I'd say someone
like a Ben Burdo Siller. Iknow he's only just arived, but I
don't think he's got hasn't shown enough. I mean his time here so far

(01:34:06):
that he's going to push for aspot in now seventeen Um, Dane Musgrav
hasn't had a lot of chance either. I'm not sure about him. Um.
And yeah, Bravallawa, I don'tknow what he's done with his player
option. He hasn't he hasn't activatedhis play option yet, so I don't

(01:34:30):
know what he's going to do.So we don't know what's going on with
his situation, whether he's going tostay on or look go to the market.
I haven't heard much about that,and has many I do agree with
Jack with jack Bird, um.But Jack Bird was actually one of the
ones that we've actually played. Obviously, he was part of that Shark's side
that won the copy twenty sixteen,so and playing again did get the best

(01:34:53):
out of it. But that that'sseven years ago. Now, that's seven
years ago. You know you're notgetting that out of him. Now no,
and then Nate's Battershawls that raised FrankieMolo. He came to the club
as a as an origin player onmaybe a bit too much money. Yeah,
I think he's more of a benchforward um in this competition. I

(01:35:15):
don't see him as a starting forward. I think if him and I'm Blake
Laurie are starting front rollers, nodisrespect to them, I just don't think
that they are. And if youif you put them in any other roll
side, they wouldn't be in thestarting side. M Yeah, you say
Matt, and I think Max.If Matt goes, I think Max would
probably go to Um. There's they'vecome through the system, but I don't

(01:35:38):
know they're just haven's chained enough tobe in that first ground side. But
who knows. I under flanning andthey may turn around. We'll have to
wait and see. Um. Yeah, that's all I've got. That's all
I've got to say on that fornow. UM, let's have to watch
this space. I suppose there'll bemore coming in the coming weeks. I'll
have to say. Yeah. Ithink that the point that you're raised is

(01:36:00):
is very valid though, and thatthere's not a lot of players that we
have off contract, you know mostof And again, if you want to
as a club, if you wantto get rid of a player, it's
actually a lot harder because usually theplayer you want to get rid of is
an underperforming player that nobody wants.So in order to get rid of them,
you have to have somebody else takeover their contract, because there's not

(01:36:24):
too many blokes that are gonna say, oh no, you don't have to
pay me, no worry about itdoesn't matter that they've got a contract.
Most players are going to stay onthe books and they're going to continue to
get paid, and they're going todo everything they can to try and prove
their their worth to it to afuture suitor and all that that. They're
not going to leave of their oftheir own volition and give up money that
they're entitled to. So it isit is a difficult one to offload players

(01:36:46):
that aren't performing. A guy likeJack Bird is a guy that might have
some currency. There might be someclubs that actually, yeah, but actually
like him and want him and wantto bring him on, So he's a
guy we could probably consider. FrankieMilo is probably another one. But some
of those players that are not goingto get a contract at another around our

(01:37:08):
club. I think he's stuck withthem. I don't think you're getting rid
of them now. We're just aboutto wrap up pretty soon anyway. But
Coco has got to go, SoSe see you later up Cocoa, do
you everyone, Let's see what outcomeis tomorrow. Yeah, I'm sure like
plenty to talk about on Tuesday.Yes, all right. Mother Flood again

(01:37:30):
has also noticed some stark issues withthe team's fitness. I do think that
that is a keen observation from anastute operator or something that's obvious to every
man and his dog dog except theclowns in Dragon's head office. Yeah.
Again, something that has been touchedon already. Yeah, well, we'd

(01:37:55):
be clanned that we didn't see it. We can see it, fans can
see it, the opposition can seeit. Um yeah. He don't have
to be too bright to work thatout whether it's um yeah, Jesse touched
on match fitness earlier and overall fitness. You know, obviously there's a little
bit of a difference, but youknow, it's got to come back to
the way they're training, you know, like Jesse said too, m you've

(01:38:15):
got to be training for for eightyminute footy. But I just don't know
what they're doing wrong. Obviously he'sseen it, he's he's pinpointed it,
which wasn't hard to do because we'veall we've all seen it. But you
know, hopefully he's a man's goingto come in and fix it and get
it. Yeah, but he's gothe's got to, um I think he

(01:38:36):
does have to have some input,some immediate input, um to to get
them, get them to get himstarted and ready for next year. So,
yeah, fitness is a big problem. I think everyone can see it.
Yeah, and all the comments arekind of indicating that as well.
Mate Battershaw says, we've been sayingit for two years on this board.

(01:38:57):
Larry Flick says, we saw itlast year. Act like we've we've seen
that the Dragons have lacks fitness forthe last couple of seasons. It's been
obvious that we need to bring insomebody that that's going to be able to
increase their fitness, and Hook hasnot made that adjustment. He hasn't noticed
that we've got a number of playersthat are walking around that are carrying way
too much extra weight. We justdon't look like other teams, and we

(01:39:21):
do seem to get tired and knockup pretty easily, and it is one
that I think is pretty obvious.It's nice to hear that Flanagan has has
identified that pretty quickly and as straightaway looking to put things in place,
to to rectify it and to overhaul. I think that gives gives Dragons fans
some sort of confidence and from everythingI've heard about the guys that they are

(01:39:45):
looking to target to bring him there, that they're the best in the business.
And that's what what Flannagan has haspromised to bring to the club is
a world class a coaching staff behindhim. So that's that's what he is
targeting. He is targeting the bestin the in their different areas, videotherapy

(01:40:05):
and that strength and conditioning, allthat sort of stuff. He wants to
the best in the business and they'rethe guys that he's going after, and
right I think that's that fantastic.Hopefully we can land them all bring them
to the club once again. I'dlike to thank everyone that's tuned in for
tonight's show. We'll be back onTuesday to preview our local derby clash with

(01:40:28):
the Sharks. I suggest that therewill be plenty to talk about. In
the lead up to that game.We tried to actually figure out what changes
are going to be made, andwe have no idea, And I think
that's one of the first times usuallywe've got some sort of clue as to
what's going to get going to happenon teamless Tuesday. I think there's going

(01:40:49):
to be a few different things forus to get through. I will say
to you, maintain the rage,maintain the fire. Let's show pride in
our club. They even if theyhave management dunk, come on Dragon's Fames,
fire up, fire up, redveys a pot of bag

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