Tony Kemp Podcast: Warriors bag third-straight win, Latrell Mitchell's antics, & more

Strap yourself in, another episode of the Tony Kemp Podcast is here! Every Monday during the 2024 NRL season, Kemp - the former Warriors coach and Kiwis representative - is joined by Martin Devlin, renowned sports broadcaster and now host of It's Only Sport on The Platform. Together, they recap all the main talking points in rugby league's biggest club competition.

The NRL season is beginning to take shape after round five concluded on Sunday night with a bounce back victory for the Canberra Raiders, who hammered the Parramatta Eels 41-8 at home. Currently on top of the table sit the Dolphins with three wins from four games and a bye, just ahead of the North Queensland Cowboys on points difference, who themselves have four wins from five. The Warriors have moved up to sixth after an impressive 34-4 road win over the South Sydney Rabbitohs. The Gold Coast Titans remain the only winless team in the competition, but the bye and a better plus-minus means they are second-to-last on the ladder just ahead of the Rabbitohs. Kempy and Marty go through all eight games with a fine-tooth comb and pick out the key elements to discuss, including what was arguably the game of the year so far with the Storm beating the Brisbane Broncos 34-32 in Melbourne, and the Manly Sea Eagles upsetting the three-time defending champion Penrith Panthers 32-18.

Following that, it's Up The Wahs - a talk segment solely focussed on the Warriors, and why not when they're in such good form! The Auckland-based NRL club are three from five so far this season and looking better by the week. Their 30-point win over the Rabbitohs is their third successive victory, their biggest of the young season and solidifies their place inside the top eight. Is the fullback debate finally over with Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad's solid return in the one jumper? Should hooker Wayde Egan's form be rewarded with State of Origin selection for New South Wales? All of that and more discussed between Kempy and Marty.

This week on He's A Ledge, the pair catch up with Richie Morgan from Warrior Nation. Richie's arguably the club's most passionate fan living on the other side of the ditch, and has done a stellar job for over a decade now at bringing together Australian-based Warriors fans for gamedays and meet-ups, as well as banging the drum and leading the chants at the matches outside of New Zealand. He discusses the atmosphere at Stadium Australia on the weekend in what was a South Sydney home game, but at times sounded like a clash in the Warriors' backyard.

Then, Kempy and Marty go head-to-head debating a handful of rugby league subjects, including whether or not the Warriors have the best fans in the NRL, if Sydney Roosters captain James Tedesco should consider retiring after suffering the 10th concussion of his career, and the case to get rid of the bunker. Kempy hands out the Effluex clean-up award for the player, coach or team who did their job better than anyone else on the weekend - someone who rolled up their sleeves and turned gunk into gold. It's a slightly left-field choice this week from Kempy.

And to finish things off, he lists his five best teams in the NRL right now on TK's Top 5. Spoiler alert, the Warriors aren't quite back on top just yet.