The Muster- Nick Bewley: NRL Finals

Nick Bewley looks ahead to the NRL finals which are getting towards the pointy end of the season.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Well, my daddy left all when I was three, and
he didn't leave much tomorrow and me just this all.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Guitar and an empty bottle of booth. I don't blame him.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
Welcome back to the muster. Nick Bewley joins us at
a news storg ZBB as well. You can hear his
commentaries on gold Sport. Of course we've seen the scenes
last week there at Addington Stadium whatever the name is
these days. Nick, Good, afternoon Canterbury giving up the shield
to Otago and your commentary there you sound very enthusiastic
about the log of wood moving on once again.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
Yeah. I just thought the energy of my commentary needed
to match the occasion and it was a heck of
a game ebbed and flowed. I thought Canterbury were going
to run away with it on a couple of occasions.
It was fourteen narl after thirteen minutes, I think it
was thirty six twenty one? What about this? A little
over twenty minutes to play and I fargo to play
in the bin. I thought it was going to really

(00:56):
open up. But my credit to Mark Brown and his players,
so they found a way in g Don't they have
some talent in that Otago team, particularly open side flanker
and half at Lucas Casey with a couple of the
best individual tries I've ever seen. And then just the
crisp distribution and decision making of that Dylan Pledger and
he's yelling out the twenties half back who signed on

(01:18):
with the Highlanders as well. They had a couple of massive,
massive impact on the turnaround and gee, it's hard to
defend the shield, isn't it. I think that's the fifth
different team Otago this year and that hadn't been done
since nineteen fifty and now Otago have to turn around
and put it on the line again, all beat against

(01:40):
the North Harbor team who ever won this season. But
crazier things have happened. Who knows the Ranflly Shield Mary
Go Round might continue on Saturday.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
And that's the crazy thing about it. At North Harbor wins,
they get their first one of the season, they get
the win, they get the log of Wood, Southland gets
a final challenge for the year. I mean, it's crazy
the way it's gone, but it's brilliant.

Speaker 2 (01:59):
Yeah. I think it's added another layer of intrigue on
into the competition and probably more so for the casual
sporting fan asn't quite as invested in the NVC. But
absolutely I can't really remember a season, certainly in recent memory,
where just by the nature of the drawer and the
way it's moved around, that the defense has immediately followed
a changing of the hands. You know, sometimes usually get

(02:21):
a week off to really you know, go overboard into celebrations,
maybe have an away game, then focused the following week
on a defense. But it is it's must be the
sixth or seventh week in a row now that the
RAM for this year has been on the line, but
I think it's still very much cherished. It's not it
hasn't been because the holders have have just relinquished it

(02:45):
softly every time it's been up on the line, that
the challenges have really earned it. And like I schooled
in in the North Harbor region and part of the movies,
is pretty excited to see if this Harbor team, after
a season from hell, can pull something out of the fire.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
This weekend, North Harbour came close against North and arguably
should have won that game. Nick, But the yeah, we
hear the grains there in your voice, condolences, mate, you're
talking to a Southland fan, remember that. But when you
look at North Harbor, they're using a club player, a
club player's policy. This year, they're not buying in players.
And the argument is it's a short term. For the
long term, how long do you think they can tolerate that? Again,

(03:26):
they're not going to win the game.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
Though, Yeah, that's that's the key question, isn't it, Andy?
You know how much? How long until that patience begins
to wear a bit thin? It's a results business. You're
as as a coach as an organization and sort of
that's what it's it boils down to. But I really
do admire the approach, and it is one where you've
got to look at the medium long term. You know,

(03:50):
it's probably going to do more harm than good now
to throw the baby out with the bath order and
in twenty twenty six North Harbor start pulling all these
players from outside of the region, around the country or overseas.
Looks you learn a lot in the in these sort
of tough times and I think ultimately if they do
step with it, they'll be better for it. But how

(04:13):
long is a piece of string sort of depends on
what sort of patients you have within a high performance environment.
As I say, where where results is your currency. The NRL.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
We're down to the semi finals, Broncos, Panthers, Storm Sharks.
The argument goes it should be a Panthers versus Storm final.
But you wouldn't discount the Brisbane Broncos under Reese Walsh
playing the way he is, and I wouldn't discount Granulla.
They've got form playing in Melbourne.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
Yeah, well just on Friday nights game first and foremost
Storm Sharks, you bang on. I think everyone has written
off Cranulla and as you know, every pundit is surprised
that they've even made it out a week one of
the finals against the Roosters in a five v eight,
let alone going to canber and getting the job done there.
But they've been on a rail, you know, strong surge

(04:59):
of form. I think they've nine of their last ten.
Craigfit Sgibvens built an identity around how they want to play.
They're getting plenty at a Braid and Trendle. You know,
people say it's Nico Hines's team, but Braden Trendle's very
much the architect of the Cronulla attack and this is
a Storm team there's just a couple of lingering question
marks around. I suppose the fitness of some of their

(05:19):
key personnel. Jerome News has been named, Ryan Pappenhausen has
been named, and look, there's no denying their experience in
these big finals. But it would not shock me if
Cronulla did another upset. I suppose you'd call it and
made their way through to a Grand Finals. Something treat
to see how that one goes. But personally for me, Andy,

(05:39):
I think the winner of the Nral of the season
comes out of Sunday's prelm in Brisbane. Whoever wins that
Bronco's Panthers clash goes all the way. I think the
way that Penrith are humming at the back end of
the season, givenly they were in the winter Stone Cold
Motherless last it's been a ridiculous turnaround. They are so good.

(06:00):
When Nathan Cleary is steering the ship, it's basically an
extension of his dad in terms of having a coach
out there on the field, and they've got so much
class and experience across the park. But as you say,
the way Reef Walsh is going, he's the most high octane,
exciting X factor player left in the NRAL finals. He
might just determine the game either the waiver has been

(06:23):
wanted to go or the way they don't want it
to go based on a few of his decisions, such
as his influence with Born Hands. So it always sets
up really nicely. I'm sort of too soft to call
it myself, Andy, but as I say, I think whoever
wins that Sunday Sunday afternoon game at sun Corp is
going to go all the way.

Speaker 1 (06:42):
Is there a chat that Nathan Cleary starts getting bored
with wing championships? Let's be honest, it will be five
in a row. Do you think he might look for
a different option of life considering challenges right in front
of him? Perhaps the Rugby World Cup? Would that be something?

Speaker 2 (06:55):
Again, consider I don't know the guy at all, but
he seems pretty comfortable and content. I know there was
a little bit of murmurings. Would he go over to
England and try and play in the Super League and
be close with his partner Mary Fowler, who plays professional
football in Manchester? But gee, I mean, you know what

(07:18):
twenty twenty seven Apia will Cup. It's in Australia, wouldn't
it be a massive coup for that rugby code if
they were to get Nathan Cleary across. They probably still
is one position as we think about the Bleeders though
this week, and they're still leaning on a James O'Connor
and not dismissing his ability. But you know there's probably
one position there, the first five position where they haven't

(07:38):
quite landed on someone pushing forward to that twenty twenty
seven Will Cup. Why not Nathan Cleary in terms of
what he can do in terms of controlling the tempo
and his kicking game, running passing. I think he might
be one of the ones I was trying to think
off the top of my head. Could his game translate
to playing first five in rugby union? I'd love to see.

Speaker 1 (07:59):
It, Nahan Cleary running the cutter. That would be intriguing.
Nick Beauley out a news talk Ziby, always appreciate your time.

Speaker 2 (08:06):
Cheers Andy. I'll tell you laugh out loud with ag
proud because life on the land can be a laughing matter.

Speaker 1 (08:15):
Brought to us by sheer Well Danta working to help
the livestock farmer. A man was sitting quietly reading his
paper when his wife walked up behind him and whacked
him on the head with a magazine. He goes, what's
that for. That's for the piece of paper and your
trouser pocket with the lame with the name Laura Low
written on it. She replied. He said, look, two weeks ago,
I was at the races. Laura lou was the name
of one of the horses had been on. I bought

(08:36):
you those flowers for winnings. Oh, darling, she said, I'm
so sorry. I knew there was an explanation. Three days later,
he's watching Telly when she walked up and whacked him
on the head, this time with the frying pan and
knocked him out. When he came around, and he goes,
what was that for, she replies, your horse phoned.

Speaker 2 (08:52):
I knew that flag was miles down.

Speaker 1 (08:55):
That's us for the vot. I meany muy. You've been
listening to the musterro on Hockinui thanks to Peter Janetta Joy.
The afternoon, say tomorrow.

Speaker 2 (09:02):
It was big and bare and gray,