Roosters win the Grand Final

0:00Just a bloke in a bar. What is up ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of bloke in a bar. Before we get into it guys, the season review, that's right, the biggest show of the year. It drops next Monday at 3pm. Make sure to be there across all platforms where we deep dive every single team in the comp. Yeah, it's our biggest show of the year guys. So make sure to put it in the calendar, be there or be square. And yeah, we're going to call that this week. We're going to put a lot of work into it. So hopefully it's a big episode. It's also going to be Tommy's welcome to first grade moment. Ooh, okay, yeah. This might be his green forna for the year, you know, it's all day long. I actually had a different grand final which we'll get to. Yeah, I was wondering how I was in the first grade moment. You played a bit of club for me this year. You know, I can play when the finals fully steps up and the real, I can big dog step up. Let's see what you got. I'm just humbled to avenge ours and say, also 100. What is it, pressures of privilege? Yeah, that sort of stuff. Yeah, some NBA player like Lenny, that's the under what do you call it, like a basket or something? Yeah.

1:00I sure just got it from the line. Jerome, I've made one more sense. I'm sorry. You're making more sense. That's fair. Okay, don't forget guys, NordVPN Defense Player, the week will be in the show. Also powered by Ashley Mazzer, Luke Camelot, who give them a follow, LDC, I'm just going to scroll one if you do a car and longtail, longtail.net.au slash bloke. Make sure to get the internet if you need it. They've also got a footy game that you can play on the website and also Tyson, the terminator isn't here. He's actually had a muscle building festival where they talked to each other about basically improving their aesthetic. I cannot wait to hear the information we get back from that. But don't forget, coach. He coached for the story of the week next week. It might be. It might be. In his budget. You want to say? In his budget. Maybe he's just completely nude. Get the ratings. We'll see. But anyway, vice coach sports.com.au slash bloke. Use your code, get your discount. Okay. Let's face some music. Brought to you by sports.com.au. Follow on the feed. He gone. Pleasure.

2:00I'm going good. I'm going good. What a grand final that was yesterday. Huge day. For Rooster fans yesterday. Huge. Huge day for Tommy yesterday. The Rooster's women. Obviously playing their grand final. Got up the chooks. Got up in their grand final. Tommy's competing in one as well. Can I get the job done? Yeah. In this one. Tommy versus Maddie. Unfortunately, some great performances on face music through the year. I mean, I'm going to be a great partnership. I fell. A couple of members in the top four fell. The wooden spurnal was out as well. Can't be. Obviously went out. Yeah, but honestly, like the people's team. The people's team. Yeah. Sure. 19, 18 was the score in the grand final. Here's what Maddie and Tommy locked in respectively. So Maddie, I'm going to go through each market one by one. Maddie took the night plus six and a half. Kick. Doll nine in the bank. Tommy took the chooks minus six and a half. Mrs. Maddie. That is fucking. That is terrible punting from you. Yeah. I don't know. That is terrible punting from you. You just taken him.

3:01He got greedy. Got a little bit greedy. He hurts. Yeah, you may come home. We moved on to the tri-scorey. Maddie took. Got a feeling down. Daniel Tupo didn't get over. Didn't get over. Tommy took Teddy to score. Did not get over. Clive Churchill medalists. Maddie took. Kaelin Pong at $7.75. Robbed. You should have won it. And Tommy took Teddy at $8. That's yuck. So well done. Tommy. That's a lot of fun. I'm going to pray today for the club. That's a fun. NRW. NRW and Tommy Yega in Face to Music. Most important. This will go down in Roosters folklore. $1,000 a charity and $1,000 in his back pocket. If I report very quickly. There you go. That's nice. That's a good thing. That's a good thing. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. That is a shit win. I've got to be honest. What do you mean? I don't like that win. I'm a hater.

4:01I just want to thank James Desker. You took the favourite for a club and he got your own. No, he wasn't the favourite. No, he was the only one. Okay, sorry. You know what? I'll take the book. Terry Evans with shorter. Kaelin at the time we put the tips in. And then Terry Evans with shorter. I'll take that back. I'll take that back then. I'm fifth. That's a fish. The thing is that I'm really battled with the idea of Sam Walker and Terry as well. And I thought like I actually had a moment on Tuesday where I was like fuck should I have gone Sami. But yeah, thankfully you didn't. Thankfully, didn't we just give a shout out to Timmy Williams as well. She's tipping him so bad at the start of the year that it made Tommy's story even better. Yeah, yeah. It's the same effort. Very true. Ross is the ass as well. Yeah. You did Ross from the ass who was actually. Did the root actually just on Timmy? Did the the the rabbit I was finished six didn't they? So it's safe. I finished out of the top six. I do that half marathon in a. He did declarables and doing it. Oh, I can't. Oh, did he say it wasn't doing anyway? He's got to be that in that. He's got to be that in that. Little bit of that in him. Yeah, that's the cow or the stuff. Now that's I tell you what we have to give credit where credit is due. That's one of the all-time great day boots to come in.

5:02It's really good. And win based the music. Yeah, wow. I know you're a rooster's fan, but there is a little bit of new cast who nights of romance in that coming from the bottom to the you know, playing in the grand final. But obviously you got the job done. So congrats. I'm not surprised. Would you say you're the Kaylon Palmer of tipping or you the Teddy of tipping? Oh, that's so hard. What did you dream? Buller. I feel more like your own ballerina's moments, me honestly. I think it was a bit. It was hard to go for your own team against such a well-supported side. It's been so exciting to follow, you know. So with the tipping, I was like, I just have to go all in here. And my team wins the grand final and good chance I win face music. Yeah. Or you don't have that hill. So yeah, really brave stuff was beautiful to watch. It is brave to have been. I've given that. I've given that. But you know, I got more re-small series. Obviously extremely good looking. Yeah, of course. Yeah. But you know, very inconsistent. I just got to say to like, I was going to come in here and try and build Montelont and sort of play it off. I wasn't following it really closely last night because we watched the grand final together last

6:02thought I was going to get found out. I was falling pretty closely. Yeah. I was going to play it last night. So that's why you were so when we were talking about who should have won the club. Very strong on it. Very strong. Literally would have dictated. Maddie wins if someone else wins a club. It's funny you say that because about 20 minutes into the game. And we were like, who do you reckon at the moment, depending on who wins? He's like, for such a sharp, enough white, which will probably the two main picks at that point. And I was like, I don't know, Teddy, I think. Yeah. That's great stuff. That's great stuff. Would it be fair to describe Tommy as the king of the mountain at the moment? I wouldn't go as far as that king is a mountain, one tip, a bit of a tip in comfort, whatever. He's also going to be the king of the mountain later this week. We're going to back to the 1000th. Oh, yes. I've tried the math, that's 1,000 and two now that we're going. Okay. That's a very strong big big car guys, eh? Huge car. A lot of car golfers. Jackson Ford. Jackson Ford. Mark Holden. Mark Holden. Touchdown. Wait. All right, that's basically music brought to you by SportsBet.

7:03Let's get into the game. Wow. I mean, for two reasons, I think I think the roosters aren't getting enough credit for what they, they did last night, but also, you know, it's hard not to say the nights were incredibly gutsy, their defense and their field position that basically had zero of it. And, you know, you could argue nearly any team had to defend that much. If any team was put in that position, the nights were put in, they probably have a 13 plus loss on them. Like that is, that is, it was unbelievable. However, I want to give the roosters credit for their defense because it was actually the roosters defense defending the nights coming out of their own end that dictated the entire match. And their line speed, honestly, that's the fittest I've ever seen the roosters. I'm trying to think of a time where the roosters are being this fit. Usually, the last couple of years, there's been periods where they've had this kind of real physical dominance, but they fade a little bit in the last 60. Tom, you could probably talk to this. That was a bit of a problem in the last couple of years. This was 80 minutes of balls to the wall, just line speed, unbelievable winning the contact constantly.

8:08Incredible in for the roosters. And I think they deserve a lot of credit for their patience. I think the roosters of the last couple of years, they get impatient and start looking for points rather than allowing it to come to them. You could argue there was a period there where maybe they were getting, they were being too patient, but they did exactly what they needed to do. And I understand it guys. Trust me, the nights, they're the underdogs. I think all of us, they weren't roosters fans. They're like, oh, we love watching the underdog win. It's part of what we cultured, they're back the underdog. But we've got to give the roosters credit for what they've done this year. They came into this season with one of the biggest calls in the off season. One of the biggest calls of the last few years. DCE coming to the club, they lost San is Smith who was in the nights. Then they've also got a bunch of pressure on them because they haven't succeeded in five years. And they've got a great line up. There's so many different stories in this rooster side that probably didn't get talked about enough. And to be fair, like we did speak about it last week. So it's not like, I'm not hindsight here. I'm like, oh, we should have spoken about the roosters more. This was last week. We'll talk about this. And for roosters fans, I'm glad they get that spotlight on those stories.

9:10It was an incredible victory, an incredible victory. Yeah, it really was. I think as well for the roosters, you know, one of my big takeaways when you have a look at this side. The roosters got a lot of stick. They buy everyone they do this, all the sort of stuff. But the reality is like so many of these guys have come through their system. And yeah, do they buy them when they're like 15, 16, sure? But I mean, that's a killer. I mean, the rate is do it when complement. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Don't miss yes, roosters side, when you have a look at the catchment area the roosters harbor at the end of the day. It's about eight sub

10:12A. Yeah. One of those clubs is, barbecue, what they were an touched. 籍. They were pretty much like, dark, dark paced conversation. There's a clip on socials that I'll share. I think they were that good. Yeah, my brother was in the side, but Naya was in it and Faketty was in the side. And I never forget, they went into the changing of Zahar in their celebrating. And this guy runs in with his shirt off and starts celebrating with him. And I'm watching it going, who the fuck is that? Those are what was it, see what I want. Oh, no way. So what was also a part of this used to just come down to training twice a week and just help out with this, you know, Bondi and I did under 18 side, which, you know, once again, they caught a lot of stick for not having anyone that are local juniors and all this sort of stuff. Like you've got Victor Radley, you've obviously got Fluff who didn't get on the field last night, but two genuine local juniors. Then a lot of these other guys who have come through their pathways. I just don't think the roosters get enough credit for what they do build. And you know, if you're going to bag him in 2013 for buying the three guys and bring them in, give them some respect for the guys that have actually brought through their ranks to win this championship.

11:13Absolutely, absolutely. I'll go to you, tell me, I know you're jumping out of your skins just to get out of the system. Come on, congratulations, mate. It's been a big relief for you, mate. Thank you. Who have thought a bloke that used to get, I guess people thought you were sunny building, you weren't. Would go on to win facing music, but also team win a championship. Yeah, it is very tough stuff. And, you know, I've already like laid down my tears last night, so I came in it together so well. But I couldn't believe like, I genuinely thought when we lost to the Panthers and like had that two week prayer, like I genuinely thought the winner of that game was gonna win the comp. And it was very deflating as a Russes fan that the boys played so well that day. And outside of a couple little moments there where you had DCA who that kick that just went dead. And then, you know, probably didn't have his best field goal set, hesitated, missed it, missed a field goal that you'd expect him to get from a very similar position for the one that he kicked last night. Great. And he's sitting there and you're like, far out, the boys really stood up. And it's such a fair take. The people have had over the last few years that the Russes sort of always fall short and underachieve.

12:14And I really thought that they put their best foot forward in that Panthers game outside of two sets and I thought far out, it's just gonna be too hard now. Like there's like to go the long way, but the boys did it. Little things along the journey like Robo taking enough while off the field against the sharks after about 25 minutes and resting the boys in that last game. He's up in the past, he's struggling. Resting the boys against south. Like all these little things that have really played into the the premiership that sort of came to fruition last night, even like, you know, you're talking about guys like Mark Noong and Eto Asse, like to Ruz Point before, when he came to the NRL, he was like a guy who was sort of in and out of the wall of his squad. A lot of league fans, if you're a league purist, you probably wouldn't have known who he was. And it's easy now, like because of what he's done in the last two years, like he's leaving his Mark Noong and Eto Asse, but he deburred it, went worth Park. You know what I mean? Like even from a coaching point of view with Robo, like I think he really is a victim of the fact that in that 2013, he comes in, he signs these three really high profile players

13:15that have come to the club at the same time. And everyone was like, oh yeah, of course they won. They brought in Sonny Bill. They brought in James Malay, they brought in Michael Jennings. They bring in Cooper Cronk to a side that was already, like in 2017, apart from the Melbourne storm, Ruz Point was also the team of the bait, you know. So they're underachieved that year, bringing Cooper Cronk, go back to back and everyone goes, oh yeah, well, you had Cooper Cronk. Outside of 2016, when, you know, we had a tough year, I think we came for 15th that year, maybe like, he's made the finals every other year. You know, like it is incredible. And I think to get it done last night in the fashion they did, against the side that, you know, just refused to go away, to hold their nerve enough to get it done. Like, yeah, it's a great feeling as a Ruz Point. I mean, mate, what do you think? Yeah, very impressive stuff. You know, true recruitment. I think this, to be honest, is probably, I feel like it's a bit of a smaller window for the Ruzs. I don't know whether they can do, you know, a couple in a row, or I'm definitely not as confident next year, just because of the quality of the, the cattle that you're losing, Mark Angus Crighton thought he was amazing as well. And he's a student that he came onto the field, daily cherry Evans as well.

14:16You know, that's a master's straight now. You know, if you don't have him, who else has probably got the presence of mind to keep your goal with 10 minutes to go, like, what a great get for one. You know, there was a lot of criticism about it at the time. Dean Eadim, Savaler and Walker were combining really well. Yeah, you know, it was just really true. It's staff really well done from Robo. And they've been there about for a few years. They've had these slow starts to the year. They kind of got that out of their system a bit this year. And set themselves up a little bit better. But yeah, they, yeah, as I said, I reckon they had a bit of a smaller window than other teams, probably to win a comp. I could be proven wrong, but they absolutely capitalized on, you know, when they had their moment and, you know, they deserved to win last night. The night showed plenty of ticker, so much ticker. But I do feel like the roosters, you know, they kind of felt like they had it in control, even though it got a bit tight towards the end there. And yeah, they came from behind, but yeah, they just, they'll fairly, I don't, they definitely weren't clinically in their attack, but they were just in control of the game. If it be parts played it in the parts of the field, they wanted it to be in and, yeah, very impressive win

15:16and yeah, deserved premieres this year. I mean, there's so many different things to speak about with the roosters, but the first one I want to speak about is Trent Robinson. You know, we've seen clumps of, like, what is the one thing you say about Wayne, other than the fact he's done it at multiple clubs, but the one thing you say about Wayne during his dominant period, or when he won on his premier ships was, he's done it in different generations. Trent Robinson has truly done it in multiple different generations, like 2013, 2018, 19, 2016, like the game couldn't be any different for what it, like the game is so different to 2013. And Trent Robinson's ability to still be at the highest level of coaching and do what he did. And I've got to put my hand up, like, I wasn't at the point saying he's under pressure now, but if they went loss, loss, and now, or even if they went, you know, loss, win, loss, I would say, Jesus, probably going to be some questions around the roosters of, you know, is Trent Robinson the guy still to win a supremacy ship? And I don't say that because he's not a good coach.

16:19More, they have it on their jerseys. It says we play for premier ships. And so to do what he did, it's not going to get the credit he deserves. For example, Mark Noongi Nito wasa, he came to the club, the mark we see today, we have to remember at the start of just this season, not just like, you know, not like two, three years ago. At the start of this season, when his name was brought up for origin, what did we all say? Oh, that are rocks and diamonds. Yep. Oh, that defense, I don't know. Like, yes, he can defend relatively well. And if you actually go and look at the press conference, Trent Robinson says, when Mark Noongi Nito wasa arrived at the club, his arms were painted on. He couldn't tackle. He just didn't know where to be, and he's worked his backside off. But not only that, he ran for 240, 15 meters last night. That's the most of anyone on the field outside of Teddy. And maybe just the same as KP. Now, you have to remember with full backs, they get those quick return meters, Mark Noongi Nito wasa didn't make a line break. And it counts as a line break when he scores, but a genuine line break.

17:20That's another part of his game, where he has worked on and become one of the best meter eaters in the competition. Trent Robinson did that. Then you look at Sam Walker's development. So many coaches would have said to Sam Walker, or there would have been a period where they said, you know what, this guy's on a lot of money, and it probably hasn't delivered. It's time to move on. Or there's friction here. They went all the way trying to make Sam Walker that kind of similar Cooper-Cronk style half, had the humility to go, you know what, maybe that's wrong, and maybe we need to lean more to Sam Walker. Well, that was that. You got Sam Walker. DC to the club, getting DC to play second fiddle. Also did that. There are so many things, not white. And far who white going from a young rookie that was pretty good to the best front-row in the competition this year. I mean, I could continue the list for Keti. Nat Butch has been a club forever. He's standing in incredible way. There are so many different stories around Trent Robinson as a coach. And I just think that he's actually a liquor land legendary moment of the week, guys, brought to you by a liquor land.

18:20Serve up the ultimate at home occasion with a sound of legendary drinks from liquor land, where you're stocking up for the week ahead of cook it, or a head, stocking up for the week ahead, or cooking for a full house. The liquor land has the perfect drinks to match. It's a legendary moment. And it is Trent Robinson, thoughts on Trent Robinson Lane. Yeah, I think he deserves all the importance. He can possibly get all his assailant. I was more on the avenue of if he doesn't win a partnership this year with Grant and Tom, I think he should be under pressure. I know, I've had a rooster spandes last 12 hours. So send me the thing on the jersey like, yeah, just now, I'm like, well, now that's a standard I was holding you guys. That was the standard we held the rooster to, the use set for yourself. He's now gone and done it. He's now for knowing Grant Farners, which is an unbelievable achievement. And I think there's a lot of revisionist history in it now that, you know, I'm seeing people on social media. Oh, you had a great team and then you signed one of the best half-facts in the game. It's like, hold on, you weren't saying that at the start of the year. You weren't saying that when he signed. Like, no one was saying that at the time. Oh, yeah, I was saying I need to see more. Yeah, I was. Exactly. Like this work needed to be done this year by Trent Robinson and work was done.

19:20Work was done. And, you know, when you look at the work that was done, as far as, you know, did anyone have fakedias and 80 minute back row and a grand final? Keeping Angus carving this. By the way, yeah, like it's just a lot of big calls that he has made. And, you know, we'll talk about it last night on my podcast that, you know, it's also easy to look at Rob Toyon and go, oh, yeah, he's an international. It's like, well, no, he was a kid. There was terribly injury prone when he came into first grade. Yeah. Robbo was turning him into the player that he is. Robbo was turning him into the premier center in the world. I think the ultimate compliment to him, boys, is, he was two, three years ago. They lost, Jardiré, a high-grave, he retires. They got Terrell May real so excited about it. Robbo goes, we're good. You can go, we're all going, fuck, what are they doing? That's crazy. At that time, in my opinion, that's why it was a bit of a hit and miss football. You didn't quite know what you were going to get week to week. When Robbo said he's press conference last night, the white was 24 years old. That means that when he was 22, Robbo made the decision. He can let him shine. You're in, he's the spear. And think about that. So you got 24-year-old that Robbo's developed. Yep. Into the top tier.

20:20You've got Rob Toyar, who I think he won the battle last night. I think he got probably, it's probably won all between him and Bravin Bess, Bravin Bess and Origin. Toyar, he's 22 years old. Vaketty, he's 21, 22 years old. So this idea that Trent Robinson and the Rousseau can't develop players, it's just factually not true. Yes, do they have the added advantage that they are a big club and they can attract talent? They do. That's just the way life is. You know who else has that? The Brisbane Broncos. So they're not the only club that has that. The idea that Trent Robinson and they can't develop players is just nonsense. Look at the player that Victor Radley has had to turn himself into. Like this guy for a period there, looked like the game had kind of passed him by not talent wise just for his aggression. Like it just looked like he was too aggressive, he was old school, they managed to work him into the player that he used to stay. Look at a guy like Billy Smith. Everyone said he goes, Oh, I should get that center position. Billy Smith was unbelievable last night. Even just the Tri-Score was phenomenal. The fact that the Rousseau stuck by Billy Smith through all those injuries. A lot of clubs wouldn't have done that. They wouldn't have done that.

21:21So yes, you cannot, you can identify that yes, the Rousseau are a big club that have advantages. You could argue that other clubs don't, but you cannot deny the facts on the ground of what. Like if you're gonna say that, give them the credit they deserve when they deserve it. And they deserve credit this year and when in the premiership. And it's all good and well to say they're a big club, it's easy for them to attract players, but the other reality is that they weren't always like that. The Rousseau's in the 80s and 90s were an absolute fucking tyre fire. Nick Politis turned the club around completely. We talk about all the time. If you don't have the front desk right, you're not gonna get it right on the field. I think it's one thing the Rousseau also don't get credit for is just the amount of things they get right off the field. And it's easy, he's like, oh, the Trudem and Salary Cup. It's like, okay. Yeah, sorry. They're watching them do it. Like the NRL, it is unbelievably important to them to have a good and successful team in Melbourne and they pulled them out up on the Salary Cup treat. The Rousseau's they haven't. Yeah. Yeah. It's not just me. I know. It's absolutely me. It's just a brain dead argument.

22:22Yeah. I agree. Like the Salary Cup, yes, I do understand that certain clubs have much more third party stuff for players. If the Rousseau's were the only club doing that, then you could go, okay, they have, but there are plenty of other clubs that are also massive that can offer players third party. Yeah. And there's also, you know, when they win a premiership and you say, oh, there must be over the cap, but then when they don't, you go, how don't you win with that team? It's like, pick a side of a fence. You gotta give credit where it's credits to. I just think Trent Robinson to do it in three different areas the way he has, you know, even with, you know, he's, he's a guest contemporaries. You look at Craig Bellamy who I still believe is the best player developer of all time, yet to win a comp without, Kim Smith, with that Kim Smith, I'm sorry. And I know it's not one for one guys. I'm not saying that. No, I still would have Billy A. above, but I personally think this puts Trent Robinson in the tear of greatest evocations of all time. I just think that four premierships, four NLN grand finals to do it with multiple different calls of playing groups. Like the core of the 2013 playing group

23:25couldn't, it couldn't be more different to the core of the 2018 and the 2018 call couldn't be more different to today. That's good coaching. And I don't care how good a roster you have on paper, you still gotta be a one of the greatest coaches we've seen to pull it all together and do that. We've seen plenty of good rosters across the years not have success. He's done it with three different rosters. Trent Robinson for me, he goes into that tear of one of the greatest of all time. And it's gonna be a debate that goes on forever, but is he going to the top tier for you? Yeah, he's sitting at the table for sure. Like, I know there will be a lot of people out there that I'm gonna look at roosters' premierships differently to others, but like, as you said mate, when you have a look at those four premierships, there's only one common denominator. Well, two actually, Trent Robinson, Daniel too. Who po? The one that I think deserves so much credit. I don't know if you remember boys, but first two weeks of the season, two people look slow. You're the gold. He looked old. He looked like he had aged massively. And you know what, Mark got all the applaudants this year

24:27and he 100% deserved it. He was unreal last night, but when the moment came for Daniel to put a stand up off that short drop out, he came out with an absolute fucking clang out. Mate, most of the time. Like most of the time they went to him with the short drop outs, he nailed it. And Daniel to po full premierships. I mean, I say it, you know, probably 10 times a year, every single year, but Daniel to po does not get the love he deserves as a winger. And again, another guy that Robinson has developed, he was not the two po that we see today that's safe as houses, that gets through a bunch of work. When he first came into grade, he didn't do the hit ups coming out of Arizona. He wasn't safe. You could speak on a tummy. Yeah, he was the opposite. He was actually for a long time, I said to Rulas night like for a long time, he was rocks and diamonds. You know, you had him in Sean Kennedy, the other sort of playing in the same side for a while there. And Sean Kennedy, our sort of was known for that across his career too, being very rocks or diamonds. And to once you become known like that in rugby league, like as a rocks or diamonds, you go like, I even look at someone on the other side of the fence last night, like even like in Greg Mars, you. It is so hard to turn that tide,

25:29not just so that people stop thinking of you like a rocks and diamonds player, but to actually be like, he is safe as houses, he's reliable. And across his career, Tupes has done that. And I think Roussets fans get it, like they appreciate him for what he is. And that's the nature of fully lucky. If it's your club, you're watching more closely, but I do agree that he's probably not as wide as he should be in terms of what he's achieved in the game. Nothing I want to say to just in terms of when you talk about Robo, like I'm a Roussets fan. Like no, I want someone to do better than their fans. When they saw a DCA, my gut instinct was like, fuck, really? Do we need to? And I don't know if I even talk any Q-go in the pre-season and you're saying how he was really keen to learn from DCA, but he was going to push him all the way and wanted to contest for that jersey. I said multiple times, like if DCA isn't playing well at work, struggling, play Q-go. So the fact that it's easy to look back now, like Roussets and go, oh, well, yeah, DCA, you signed him and you want to come, but it just wasn't like that. It wasn't us. In actual fact, Reese Robson was a way bigger signing at the time in terms of, but contextually.

26:31And I mean, what it was going to do for our team. And I think we specifically said where the most sure Reese Robson will play well out of anyone that's coming to any club. And DCA was the one we were sitting here going, maybe. That he's four more than great last year at the main of the Seagulls. And granted, you know, there's all reasons for that. Again, that's a huge call. So yeah, Trent Robbins for me, is he one of the greatest coaches of all time? I don't have any as a greatest, but for me is one of the greatest. That's cemented for me. Yeah, I think he's at the table, like Rousset, and I think he's on his way, like, you know, no, Craig Bellamy has done it for long enough now. At the one club that people don't question the fact that he didn't do it elsewhere. No one brings up with Bellamy. Oh, like I'd love to see him do it elsewhere. How successful he's been over a long period of time is enough, you know. I think with Robbo, he's still got a long way to go before it's the same length that Bellamy's done it for. But the comps are already there in terms of, he's already got more. And I think he's only missed the finals one year so far.

27:33Bellamy did it for the first time in this year. They missed the finals. And, and finally enough, if I remember reading at the time or a few years after actually, Robbo actually went to the board, I'm pretty sure, and said in 2016, listen, it's not gonna be a great year, just give me a year to recoup and revitalize this squad. So no one intends to come, you know, obviously all the off-field stuff happened that year. But to my understanding, it was actually part of the plan almost to miss the eight, like, again, they would have been working towards playing it, which is just more credit to Robbo that he was very aware that he needed to fully pull, take a step back to take two steps forward. What about yourself? Is Robbo one of the, is he at the table? Absolutely, well, four premierships, I mean, speaks for itself, and he's done it with different rosters, as in, you know, 42, like the footy couldn't be more difficult. Absolutely, the ability to adapt and all that sort of stuff. I think he definitely deserves to be in the conversation, for sure. One little shout out to Robbo, an I sort of story out of last night, obviously, kind of Watson missed out on playing category one, H.I.

28:33The week before they were trying to get him off at sound like he might, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to play. And yeah, here in the reports today that Robbo has given him his premiership ring, which I think is just like such a great, a great kind of gesture. It's incredible. And what's also incredible is in the end, the roosters didn't even apply to have him play. So the roosters made the choice of going, we're not going to even apply to do the test to see if he can play the exemption or whatever. Yeah. Like you're going into a grand final. You've got a guy that's been your best impact player and you sit down as a bloke, as a human being and say, you know what, his health is more important than me. You can still win it, obviously, they went on to win it, but it reduces your chances by whatever percent. You need every percent. I mean, there was a one point for Robbo to be able to say, you know what, putting his health first, like mate, that is truly selfless behavior. And if it was going to be any coach, it doesn't shock me that it's Robbo because he's done it on numerous occasions over the last few years between Keri, Kordon,

29:33and all these guys. And obviously it's the ultimate pressure at Grand Final week. Yeah, credits Robbo, Matt, a great call there. But it's just quickly, the kangaroo squads just been announced. Oh, how's it? Yeah. Oh shit. So guys that have already played for the kangaroo is previously Patrick Carrigan, Lindsey Collins, Ruben Kodder, Tommy Deed, Tino, Harry Grant, Kown Colman Tungey, Liam Martin, Trial Met, Mitch Moses, Munster, Kermari, Stags, Tadesco, Tom Travović, Reese Walsh, Isaiah Yeo, Debbie Tons, Bradman Best from the Newcastle Knights, Jack Bostock from the Dolphins, Blake Braley from the Sharks, Dave Fede, from the South Sydney Rubberdose, Jacob Preston from the Canary Bulldogs, and from the Sydney Roosters, Sam Burega. Okay, so Edward's injured, Trial Met, Good to go. So Jenkins not in. Shadow players, Jenkins, Hamish Stewart, Ethan Strange. Yep, Toya has played to Tonga, and I've been after his back on the Dellium, Fred Carp at the end of the year. Yeah, because he's coming out and said, I made, I spoke to him privately.

30:37Was on the red carpet. He was completely torn. He locked his in, but didn't, so Kevin said that was said to him. No, I spoke to him the red, as soon as I asked him, I could tell, and I just put the mic down and I said, oh, you know, and I just said, oh, privately, what's in, he goes, I am so torn, but that's made me so much to me yet. Because, you know, he would feel Australia. 100%. But also he's got heritage and the pressure that's on these boys to make these calls is, I mean, I don't know what it feels like. It would be friggin' unbelievable. It seems like it'd be unbelievable. You say you're gonna play for Australia, you're getting ham and boy. And then if you say you're playing for Tonga and all of a sudden it's, you know, mate. It's family pressure as well. Yeah, so what is the best way to describe it? I'm glad to imagine that it's exactly how it looks. No, he was genuinely divided and like getting emotional about it. Yeah, nearly unbelievable. It's all in one of the great songs all the time. Fire, that's good for me. I thought you were like 99% drag sort of a fire. No. Oh, yeah, that's sort of, that's sort of a dish, I genuinely thought. How did you hear what he just said? Is that completely off the mark?

31:38He's a, that is fucked. Well, I don't mind his music. I just, as a blow, it's like, no, no, it's a blow. I mean, that's like a, I'm gonna lock him as a blow to enjoy it. Like, if you're my favorite artist, I'm gonna kind of lock his a blow. Whereas, his music's decent, but anyway, we'll get into that. We'll speak about the Australians for later. No, no, no, keep going. We'll speak about the Australians for later. That's super interesting. But they're really a very good in Johnny English, by the way, just around that out. That's yeah. All right, it's time to keep it real. And that's all thanks to Jack Daniels. Oh, the grand final is here. And there's no point to her coating it. So let's keep it real. Alrighty. Tadesco wins the Clive Churchill. First of all, I thought Tadesco was outstanding. However, I wanna ask the question, and we'll keep it real. Was Tadesco your Clive? Yeah, I think he was a no-brainer for Clive Churchill. Matt, I think there was a couple of other guys who had fantastic games. I think the white could have gone very, very close to getting in. I thought he was the best forward on the field.

32:38I thought Faketty wasn't too far behind him. I think if Mark would have scored that third try, I have the conversation about Mark. But for me, it was those three, and honestly, I'd put K.P. in there somewhere as well. I thought he was outstanding for Newcastle. My thought Teddy was the best on ground running for Amos. 400 metres. He was just enormous. It was a game without many points. He had a hand, obviously, in the mark try. I just thought the way that he played through the middle all night, I couldn't go past Teddy. I thought it was a no-brainer, personally. Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I thought, the full white, there was other guys where, if they'd been given it, I would have absolutely been able to live with it. If the Knights had stolen that game at the end, K.P. is a no-brainer for me from their side. In terms of Teddy, yes, he didn't have some of the moments he had in other grandfathers in terms of him scoring the trial, being the guy that directly sets it up. But I thought it was a pretty selfless performance like got through a ton of work, played the percentages on that Mark's second trial. I think he's natural instinct, Teddy would have been a back himself

33:39and probably would have gone close to scoring himself there, but just put it in Mark's hands. And I think even some of the takes at the back end there when the Knights were putting up some really good bombs and Teddy just had all the answers. I just, as much as I think we don't win without Mark, I think the same can be said for Teddy. Yeah, I was out at the ground and I've got to be honest, great game by Teddy, but I probably didn't pick him as my best on ground. Look at the back of the stat sheet down like, how could you probably give it to anyone else? Out there with Roo, I reckon if Mark gets that ball down, you're having a very serious chat about him, he was just chaos anywhere, he went near it, and they really weren't able to contain him. We've never seen a win one, but I thought he put a pretty good case together. The other one I thought was Nath White, very, very good. I just reckon especially to start the game, he just had blokes hanging off him, just like, you know, Rans so hard, he's grown into this play this year that's like leading the pack, and I thought he'd let a really good platform.

34:39So I probably had those two guys, maybe ahead of Teddy watching it live at the ground, but then I mean, you can't really deny 385 metres, can you, like, that doesn't happen every day. I think the most integrand final before that might've been Gutho, was it 350 odd when he was lost a few years ago, but yeah, I reckon Mark was more about, without Mark, they probably, I don't know if the chicks get there last night. Yeah, so I want to be extremely clear, don't have an issue at all with Teddy getting it, Teddy played outstanding, got through a mountain of work, over my personal pick, just by Whisker, was Mark Noggin to last say. I had him as a Clive, and I think the reason for this, and I want to be real clear guys, this is not taken away from what Teddy did, but I just think with Marky Mark, without him, they constantly were without any answers in attack, and they just basically said, let's get the watermark and he'll do something unbelievable. I think that because he's done so many crazy things, he's Sokka Tried that he scored, he's not getting enough credit right now,

35:40they have, that's a grand final miracle that Tried, because it's Mark Noggin to last say. And also, adding the fact that, Mark Noggin to last say, out of his own end, you think he ended up running for about 240 meters or something like that, they are all just pure hit up meters. So you add in the meterage, yes, I know that Teddy ran for 380, I think a lot of that, like some, not a lot of that, would be like, let's say 40% of that would be kick return meters, which you get off the back of Paul Kickchase because obviously the roosters dominating, still incredible, still incredible from Teddy, but they're my thoughts for why I would go Marky Mark. I just think that definitely without him, they absolutely don't, they would have had no way through that Newcastle defensive line on their line. And also I think he did all the tough stuff out of his own end. So yeah, I add Marky Mark, thoughts on that. I think it raises a good question, can be around, what would a winger have to do in order to get one? Like I know, probably the one winger that really comes to mind when people talk about how the wingers and claws is Brett Morris in 2019.

36:42And toto, the roosters. And yeah, toto, but I think, yeah, in terms of on the day out of it being, because I think with toto, there was still other guys that were definitely in the conversation, whereas I think 2019, it was either going to be Jack White or it was going to be Brett Morris. What does a winger have to do in order to, okay, because the only reason we won in 2019 is because Jack Whiteen had probably the best kicking game he ever had. And the only reason they didn't win is because Brett Morris had all the answers. Last night to your point, Marky was two tries. He goes millimeters away from scoring a hat trick in a grand final, ran for a ton of meters, like defended, defended really well. Like what would a winger have to do in order to be given? Because the thing I find hard to understand, he's like, even when a winger scores three tries, four tries, someone's throwing the pass, someone's put the kicking, someone's made the line break that leads to it. So like, I, the more time goes on, I wonder if we are ever actually going to see a winger win one. Because like, that's what I mean. Like for example, Toe went very close to when he won a few years ago.

37:42And Marky Mark ran for the same amount of meters plus also had magical, I mean, the kick and try was incredible, but even that one-on-one with Marju, like that wasn't an easy feat to do. Like, you know, we, I just feel like with Marky Mark, he's in this area, er, sorry, or I guess this, he's in these heights where, because we've seen him do freaking crazy things, we just expect it, and we don't actually appreciate it. Like, I'll never, when they, when he scored that soccer try, the commentators barely, those are, oh yeah, Marky Mark said, whereas if another player did that, we'd be going crazy. But anyway, that, that, that's just, because of him. No, I was just going to say on top of that, like, there was other moments as well, where it didn't result in a trial, whatever, but there was one where he kind of, Pete set, put a little kick back inside. Yeah, you know, which nearly resulted in a try, that's a mop it up at the back, like he had one, as he's done countless times, one foot in, one about a meter over the sideline to put the kick back in like, he just does crazy stuff, you know, just like, there was flick passes, like,

38:43there's just, just, yeah. Anyway, so that was my pick. He was fantastic. Don't, don't get me wrong. That, that played the use, but about there, Rick, let's be honest here, walk us through a rubbish ball, there was nothing on it, but to your point, you only throw that pass to wonder. Oh, and the way that he caught that him, like he caught that him, I don't think he's left hand ever touched the ball. I think he caught it in one hand, then put that kick in. Yeah, it's a freaky shmome, it's 100%. You put up a very fair argument, but I just, I think as well, you're probably not given enough credit to Teddy, like as much as they dominate the whole game, I think a lot of that was, because how dominant Teddy was through the middle. He just created momentum all night for the first time. Right, he was phenomenal. Let's talk about Teddy. Like, so there was a question for me internally, you know, Ken Teddy is a captain, winner comp, because he'd won, he's back-to-back comps, with Cupercon, because the main man, and then Kiri to a degree as well. And you guys know we've spoken about quite a lot. I've said for quite a while, you know, were those comps like Teddy as a leader?

39:45Can he lead this side to it? That's the last question for Teddy's career. He's done everything else, origin, Australian, everything like that. And I had my doubts, I genuinely had my doubts that could Teddy lead this team. If he's the main man in a side, would he lead this team to a premiership? And he did exactly that. And finally enough, it's the first question he got after asked after that grand final, it's immediately what he went to. So he was in tears and he said, you know, every day I walk into the rooster's head office and I see rooster's great captains winning premierships. And I just wanted to be one of those great captains, the one of premiership. And now obviously he's finally done it. When it's all said and done, I think he's at the very, very least second or third greatest fullback of all time. I think that he's one of the greatest roosterers of all time. You know, I think Freddie Fitler probably goes down as that. We've got after beaten as well, but I think you're crazy. If you don't have him as one of the greatest roosters of all time, I think it's absolutely undeniable cemented. I think he's the greatest rooster. And this comes from the biggest Brad Fitler fan of all time. But I don't know how he can possibly deny him as not the greatest rooster.

40:49When you look at what he's done, he's been there for I think nine years. He's won the Jack Gibson medal seven times at a club that you all tell me a star started over the cup. And so many guys, he's the best year in year out. He's now won three premierships. He's won one of his captains. He's got the Clive Churchill medal and 2019. He scored the match winning try in that one as well. I just, I don't know how much more Teddy has to do. I think Freddie's got an amazing legacy in our game. And I think that, you know, he's, and to me, he always has been as well, elevated just to another level totally. But you don't remember like Teddy's done this and he might still have two or three years to go. Hmm. Like, yeah, I, I personally, the achievements he's got as a rooster right now. I think it does elevate him above Brad Fitler. Greatest rooster all time. I, mate, I think it's a no brain up. OK. Yeah. How many? What are you reckon? Yeah, well, it was interesting. There was a lot of chat and good conversation around this topic, leading into the ground final this week. And one guy that never gets mentioned is boy, Gordon, he had three comps to his captain. Obviously, first deal back to back.

41:50And I know he got retired young, but like, to me, he's no brainer that sits in that conversation. Like, people still reach for beats and before him. And I think I can't speak to that because I wasn't around for it. But with Teddy in 2018 and 2019, he had all the big moments when you actually think about it. And people always talk about like on grand final day in 2018, you had cronk playing through that broken scapegoat and you had Keri who had the game of his life. I'm really glad. Yeah. Teddy won the game for us in 2019. He also did in origin that year. And to be clear, as well, Keri in 19 had this in his Moses. So like, he was a very serious injury that needed like eight weeks healing. Yeah. And I think that was the thing that I was really happy about that year, where like Teddy was the guy with the big moments in big games, including the grand final. And you know, I can live with the fact that Jack Watten got the club that night. As I said, I think Brett Morris was the only other guy that could really contest that. But doesn't change the fact Teddy scored the winning try that night. There's always this conversation though about Teddy as if like, those two don't count as much for him as it would

42:51for say a kippa cronk, which I've always thought it was completely unfair. And then over the last five or six years in one constant, like Keri's had some great years, Walker's had some great years. They've had their injuries too. There's been guys that have been in and out with injury. They've tried different guys in different positions. So for him to be the guy that's led us through that period and for him to be not just the premiership when he kept in the hour, but to have got the Clive church on metal, I just think it makes it very hard for whatever reason. A lot of people really want to always see, see the things with Teddy in the most negative way possible. That's a lot of people that'll be like, I selfish or overplay his hand and all these things when, as a rooster's fan, you watch him and you go, he never stops trying. He works his ass off. Like just the different ways that you can look at the same set of facts. And I think makes it harder and harder to sort of knock Teddy after his performance last night and what that does for his resume. Where do you really more time pull back then? Two, three, one A, slider, one A and one B. And I think we said during the week that I think the conversation has been at slider

43:51in a daylight in Teddy. I don't think it's daylight anymore. I think slider is number one for me, but then I think it's Teddy and... What about the break D-lock? Well, I mean, lock is hard to rank. Yeah, that's because he's... Fallbacks on their day, he's top three for me, but like he played half a career at fullback. He achieved an amazing amount of things and I think if he did play his entire career at fullback, it probably is lock here that is the number one fullback. But history's also got to be what history is. Yeah, for sure. Unfortunately, if anything, I think it's weird. It elevates down and lock here as I play. But not as a fullback then. I could say the same thing about him as a five-eight and a fullback that if he played his whole career, he would be the best at it without a doubt. But it can't be ignored that he did swap halfway through his career. So yeah, I would have... Yeah, I'd have Teddy at number two. And for the first time ever, I think there's a genuine chance he can catch sight. Because he doesn't look like... Like, what does he 32? Teddy? I mean, he might play for another four years

44:51when he looked at some of the other... For 400 meters in a grand final. And for all you know, 33, 33 like for all you know, in the next two or three years, like this comp could go to like a 20 game comp as well. Yeah. It might allow him to play a little bit. What I admire about Teddy is that he never rested on his own. There were probably a period there where, you know, like I do think he was overplaying his hand a little bit. Now, granted, the context-matterity. There was a lot of injuries that, you know, the half situation wasn't really working. So he needed to step up and carry the team. So you got to, you can't remove the context. But what I liked about, it was two years ago, I think, you got interviewed and you said, you know, like sometimes I do just overstep up the mark a little bit. I just got to take a step back. What I like about Teddy is that he's always, every single year, he's looking to improve his game. And I think that the tee that we see now, maybe he's not as explosive of in contact as he was in 18 or 19. But he's a far more, he's a far smarter player, he's far more wise. And he's finding other ways to get that same,

45:54those same stats, he's finding other ways to do it. Because I think you'd agree, as a, as a Roussefian, he's probably not as explosive as he was in 18 or 19, in contact and tackle breaks. But he just finds other ways to do it. And I do think even this year, even though attacking wise, he's not as potent as a pong or a Welsh, I do think especially the back-end, the final series, very rarely did I say, oh fuck Teddy's fucked up, my up he's taken a run. I felt like he picked these moments, whereas if you take it back two or three years ago, he probably is stepping in and hurting the momentum of the team, not momentum, because he's getting a quick play, the ball. But the systems of the team, and I think that that's what I really admire about Teddy is that, doesn't matter how good he got, he was always looking at ways to either take a step sideways and be good in this area or improve his game overall. What do you reckon Tom? Yeah, well I think it's so fascinating the whole debate around Teddy, because it's like, well, when you look at him verse slater,

46:54it depends what you value, right? Like Slater did what he did in origin, but then one of the main knocks on Teddy until last night was, you know, I will keep a cronk, was there an alien on it? And he's now got a premiership without Cooper Cronk. Billy Slater didn't, you know? Like he had a chance to in 2018, didn't get a premiership without Cooper Cronk. Like, in terms of resumé, I think especially club resumé, Teddy starting to really stuck it over Slater, but then I think you can't ignore what Slater did in the rep or any. And also Slater changed the game in terms of, you know, the way fullbacks, I guess what the expectation became of what fullbacks are able to do. It also very different fullbacks, you know? Definitely. You know, Teddy is a meter eater, high amount of runs, whereas I feel like, you know, you give Slater a good feel position, he's gonna make your pay. So it's definitely like that. I've got Slater as number one, or well, I got down and lock here, but it's a hard argument. And it's probably biased. I got Slater as number one. I will say there used to be a gap where I was just like, just he's not on that level. He's like, he's one of the greatest wall time, but Slater is in kind of a league of his own.

47:57I agree with you, Rua. I think it's close. I think it's closing. Now, the rep orina, yes, I understand, but we could remember Teddy, the rep orina has been pretty fucking good too. Absolutely. I'm like, Maddie, if you've got a mic, like he is, I think he's the top three in yourself, well, it's not all time. Yeah, so it's like, it's, yeah, it's closed massively for me, the gap for sure. Just to run your series career, Daly M. Fullback of the Year 16, 19, 22, 24, 25, RRPA player of the Year, so voter vice peers, 17, 19, 22, 22, 2025, he's also been voted by his peers as the best fullback in the game on six occasions. Three Brad Fittler medals, two Daly M player of the Year's, two Daly M captains. He's now got a Clive Churchill medal next to his name. And like at the Roosters alone, which is where I think this conversation had been the greatest rooster. He arrives in 2018. He won the Jack Gibson medal player of the Year in 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 Lindsey Collins won it. And then James Sesco won it in 24, 25. I mean, is he going to get it this year? He'll have to go damn close, won't he? After a Clive and all that.

48:57Because he can't be close to the pressure. Or what did he say? One of the two Rob Marky Mark again. But like to be at the Roosters for eight years and win that seven times, like you got to remember as well, as per any sporting award in the world, when you win it once, it's hard to win it again because you have to go above that. Yeah. Because if someone else comes from nowhere and does really well, it's always like the improvements for you. Yeah, the improvement. Teddy's won it seven out of eight years in a squad that you all kept telling me he's over the salary cap that's too many good players. Yeah, I'm with you mate. I do think that the gap is closed. And, you know, if you say he's your number one, I don't think it's super unreasonably. He's not mine, but I don't think it's super unreasonably. And he's not mine either. But the daylight conversation, I think that's dead in the water. If you're still running with that, I think you're anti-tetti or anti-rooster. Yeah, if you said to me two or three years ago, is he like, is he your number one? I was like, listen, I can't get there. I can't, there's no reasonable way I could say he's better than Billy Slater. But I mean, yeah, he, like, also like,

49:58again, I just want to reiterate, he's last couple years in origin. I understand it's been up and down, it's been hit on miss, mate. You go back to, you know, 18, 19, that kind of error. He was essentially the best player on the field in every origin game. And even, like, can't be, I know there was a massive group of people that thought Edward should have been the full back for the blues this year. The match winner in that first game. Yeah, you know, when you said, well, I was not in the series with our James Deskis. That match winner, yeah. Like, it's, and that's what I think is like, what puts you in the great conversation. Even a guy to learn Edwards, like, he can work his ass off all day and, you know, he's constant and he's just such a competitor. But like, I think what separates Teddy and guys like Teddy, Billy Slater, and Locky to your point, is just the moments that they can create out of nothing. And whether you think Teddy overplays his hand or not, or wherever you sit on the argument, you can't deny Teddy's ability to create these moments for the teams he's in out enough. I don't think, I don't think in this final series, you did at all. Like, I genuinely think that this year has been really good. Like, and especially in the final series,

50:59you go back to last game. He had a pretty quiet game and they were outstanding. So I think, yeah, I think that he played two, he's strengths in this final series and he didn't interrupt at all. I think as well, the other thing to note with Teddy is that, you know, I think you all look at his career at the roosters and what he's done. And once again, there's the argument that it's a stacked roster or a sort of bullshit. Like, he arrives in 28 A.N. They win a premier ship. How much you want to put that down to Cooper, Cronkin, whatever. Pretty much getting zero out of it, essentially. The other thing I just want you to note is that in 2017 when he was at the West Tigers, the players voted him as the best player in the game. He was at the West Tigers. Yeah. Nice unbelievers. It was fun. Yeah. So it's not like he's arrived at the roosters and they turned him into a weapon like the players voted him as the best player in rugby league when he was at the West Tigers. Yeah. Coming off numerous injuries. Yeah. Absolutely. So incredible stuff, guys. That's keep it real. Thanks to Jack Daniels. There's only one Jack of Woody Finals, Jack Daniels, please drink responsibly. Alrighty. It's time for man shake.

51:59That is right. Turn and back the clock. And the man shake turned back the clock segment. Is DCE? That's right. DCE, what an incredible journey. Talk about turning back the clock. 1A premiership in his first year. Windsor premiership in his last year. And so yeah, proudly brought to you by the man shake. Lose the beer gut without losing the beers. Get off the sidelines. Don't drop the ball on your health and your family. Turn back the clock to your glory days. Prove it in simple. It's helped over 2 million Aussie men. Lose weight and feel great. No complicated diets. No starving yourself. No giving up the good stuff. What's in it? A tasty high pre-protein shake with 25 essential vitamins and minerals plus fiber helps drop the kilos and stops the hunger in its tracks. Ready to bring back your glory days? Head to the manshake.com.au and grab the buy three get one free deal, just $275 a meal. Guys, I use it. I use it all the time. Actually, I've used it for many, for quite a few years. It's really good for meal replacement guys. So get around it. And the great mad dog McDougall here is the owner. Okay.

52:59DCE boys, the field goal. Now, like I actually thought DCE had a relatively quiet game. But, you know, just because that one grand final game, he didn't play out of his skin. Making grand finals and winning grand finals are about so much more than the performance in the grand finals. It's about the performance leading up to while Sam Walker was injured. It's about that one point ended up being the difference. And think about the, I guess, the poeticness of the fact that he misses the field goal against the Panthers. Then he nails the field goal. That is the difference when the night's because I tell you what, if, Marju goes over and it's 18 or, I felt like the night's had a bit of momentum. They had their tail up after that Marju trial. There was a last little five minute period where you could see the roosters just holding on. They looked a bit gas because they were so good in defense. DCE is intelligent. Like, if you said to, you know, to Trent Robinson, he's going to actually be the one point difference in a grand final. That alone would be worth bringing him to the club,

54:01not including everything else he's done this year. It is insane to think that they made one of the biggest calls in rugby league over the last 24 months or so. And his point ended up being the difference. It's crazy. Yeah, it really is incredible when you look at his career and what he's done and everything. Boys, two years ago, the RLPA had a golf day and Clinton said, you know, I do want to come down. I'll see you in a hole and you can just interview you guys. They come on, he goes, I want you to ask each of the players, former players, what they're doing now, and all that sort of stuff. Anyway, there's only like two current players that showed up and Ches is one of them. I never met Ches before. Ches shows up at the hall and I thought, oh, I lost Ches, but he's plans, this is the end of 2024. I'm like, oh, this is November 2024. This is before any verse, something like that. But I lost Ches, but he's plans are for post-created, because it's coming. It's 34. Yeah, it's coming. Anyway, interview Ches, uncomfortable as shit. He will all go to book, do I have to return to Katnogger? I just defended it, didn't I? Yeah. Yes, yes, he did. Here we are two years later and he's won a comp for a different club. Oldest man in the Grand Final.

55:02And if I'm, how is he going to, I think? Yes. Over there, I'm going. Beautiful. We're getting a classy play. We're not getting a veteran experienced guy. We're getting a still classy player today. Not getting a guy on his last legs. Nope, you know, barely holding it together. He's not coming in for a holiday. He's coming here to win. And there's like, like, Oldest player in the Grand Final to have the wisdom to take that feel going, when it happened, I was like, oh, shit. Like, honestly, even as a fan viewing, where we get so much more time to think about things like this needs to happen, that needs to happen. I was like, oh, shit. I didn't even think about a field goal. And it ends up being the difference. Like that just, it couldn't have worked out more perfect for the Ruse administration in Trent Robinson. Yeah. And we were, we were speaking about it last night. I think with a lot of these young halves coming through and everything, I think that 10 minute period, most of them don't think about it at that point. But it was just a game where scoreboard pressure was going to win. I think the other really good call, which I would assume, he would have had to say, was the penalty goal earlier in the game as well. And then we go from his entire season where it's points galore and score from anywhere all this sort of stuff. And you get to finals and it does close up a little bit more.

56:04It was just scoreboard pressure for the Ruse in the second half against at night. So because they're going, we know you're running on empty. Just got to keep ticking over. And there's something to be said about DC and the halves with Sam Walker. Like they didn't really have their best game. But I never saw them panic. And obviously that's Sam Walker getting older. But I also think DC would have had a hand in saying to him, mate, it's all good. Don't chase it. Don't chase it. It's going to come. We just need to be patient and trust out offense. I think the reality is for halves is their job to win games a football. No one. Doesn't matter how you win it. One point. Like honestly, it's like all that talk, you know, all and including from me, I'd, it gunned ahead. I didn't agree with it. I was like, I don't know if this is going to work. And then his point is the difference. It just it genuinely blows my mind. And as much as the halves didn't blow the world away, look, I mean, at the end of the day, Sam Walker had a perfect kick for Mark, which he should have scored off. But KPN knocked it out of his hands. And we spoke about it last night. The grubber from DCE, where the marks, Mark scored the other try. The one that bounced up into the post like, whether it was aimed for the post or not, I don't know. I think he probably was,

57:04but even if it didn't hit the post, when you get that third bounce, it's up that high. It's perfect. You can't defend it. Mate, you have to catch it. It's, it's not a seven-tag of said. It's not on the full. You can't defend it. Yeah, absolutely. Tommy, what do you think, mate? DCE. Oh, back of clock. It's so funny when you, when you put it like that, it can be that, you know, despite all the, I guess, debate around him coming to the roosters, one point, like one field goal. If you ask any roosters fan, if you're like, oh, is it worth signing someone for that one field goal in a grand final? The answer is always, yes, right? What rattled the shit out of me last night, though, was understanding and sort of learning that his older than Cameron Smith was in 2020? It's crazy. Cameron Smith felt like a grandfather by the time he finished his career in terms of just how established he was. What is skincare like? DCE. Pretty good. I know. Every day. It's unbelievable. Like he, he's older than Cameron Smith. And at the time, the conversations around Cameron Smith and the 400 games and these guys don't for so long and he could keep going. And it just seemed so incredible.

58:04And it was only, only six years ago. The chair, obviously, like a whole year older, essentially. And he could have kept going in the NRL, too. There's no doubt about that. Like he's, it's crazy. Like he is put together such a long career and for him to book end it with that premier sheet last night and to play such a key role in it. Like it's going to, it's only one game. It's one season in a very long established career, decorated career already. But where do you put him? Yeah. What changes everything for him doesn't it? Not really. And I'll go to you on this homey lot. We always sit internally without origin. There's a lot of questions around DCE, not in regards to individual ability to play well. We all agree he was the best player for Manly for many years. But just the job isn't to play well for yourself. It's to win comps or at least go deep. And the question was always like, is it DCE, you know, he's taken a lot of the car, is it Manly not being out? And it was always like, there was questions around it. Now, origin just completely quelled that because I like, listen, he goes away to origin and he just, an humble, like he's, his, his origin career ended up being putting himself,

59:06maybe not in the exact same tier as the greats, but it's not as far off as some people would say. That's how good his origin career was. Goes to the roost is in his first year in Windsor, Comp. It changes the conversation as to his whole career. Yeah, I'm going to push back in that a little bit. I think he is a great of origin. I think he was the guy that got it Queensland out of that big three year, that eight in a row here, that when you look at that new survival side, Queensland should not have won a series. They won fucking heaps of series. And DCE, it was his long kicking game that completely turned the screws on and was like, yeah, I think for me anyway, DCE, I think he is like a great of origin. But I think if you take origin out, my question would be, then there's no question about him as an individual player, but I think the question as far as NREL would have been, can he elevate a team to another level? And I'd probably argue for the last 10, 15 years, he probably hasn't with family in my opinion, but then he comes over to the roosters. And I think the ultimate compliment to DCE as well is gonna be, you know, I think we all look at Sam Walker this year, what did you know, I'm like, oh, Billy Slater, what's he done for it's like, well, he's also spent a couple of months there

1:00:09next to the most experienced half of the game. He's probably had influence on him and it'll be interesting to see. Once DCE goes, it's gonna be Walker's team and he's ready for that now. You have to give some importance to DCE for that. And in regards to Sevens, he's probably the closest two style of Sam Walker. Like a lot of people, for some bizarre reason, C.D.C. as a conservative 70s, he's anything but a conservative seven. And I think that that was a masterstroke again, the roosters, I didn't have that. How many? What does it do for his career? What do you mean? Well, definitely, it definitely kind of vindicates the signing. There's a little bit of noise at the time. Do they need him? All this sort of stuff we spoke about earlier. He goes to Valor, Jill really well with Sam Walker last year, but he ended up being the difference. To have the calm head, the cool head to go, all right, yeah, there's still 12 minutes on the clock, but I don't know, it's not the field gone now because it's a bit of a grind this game. We probably haven't been super clinical and we've got down their end. And the nights, they can turn it on and kind of get you pretty quickly. So it was the difference in the end. So it completely makes the signing make sense.

1:01:11It completely ticks the box. So he was a worthwhile kind of get. He got him out of jail as well. He don't forget Sam Walker went down six weeks ago and everyone's like, he's done for the season. So he kind of got him to the finals. You know, one of the finals, they weren't pretty close with the Panthers as well. Like he played a super important role in this, you know, premiership season. So yeah, Kudos for, you know, the tricks for having the caernos to sign him, you know, it cost him a bit of money, but it was worth it. And I think to now book Andy's career first season, with a premiership and the final season as well. You know, he's a kind of player who really, that kind of quality deserves a couple of premierships in his career. So it's a nice way for him to kind of finish up in the NRL. And yeah, I definitely think it kind of elevates his legacy to go to another club, help him get over that final hurdle as well. So yeah, definitely elevates. You know, he's got a tough question for you. Well, I think we spoke about this last one Friday. In club litent, just club, just club. Who will be your other at your club for 10 years?

1:02:13Adam Reynolds or DCU? Reynolds. You mean like at their peak? Just like you got one guy to bring to your club for 10 years, you know, for their careers, who would you rather? I think I'd rather Adam Reynolds. My answer is still Reynolds. Yeah. Yeah, I think I'd probably have him as well. Okay. It's just stuff I'm in like two comms. You know, he's obviously a very different play. Like he will be remembered because of his origin career. Probably, I mean, Reynolds will be remembered quite a bit, but DCU, I'd say he gets put in a tier, probably above rennet. I think for more casual NRL fans, yes. But I think for those that watch weekend, week out, season after season, then remember how seasons played out. Adam Reynolds. The other aspect of DCU though, that's a nice, I guess, arc as part of his career. When he backflicked on the Titans, and there was a lot of media around it. You know, it's hard to sort of keep track of what's completely true and what's not in situations like that. But that a lot of guys took under to stay together.

1:03:16And because of what he was asking for, that was going to change that. That was the narrative that was pushed by a lot of people. And I mean, there's been a lot of ex-players that he won a comp with that have come out and spoken about him at that time. At the back end of his career, and I know for a long time, he did take up a massive chunk of Manly salary cap. And I think there's a lot of Manly fans that would still argue having a lot of the cap in him and the Tervoy Beach brothers was the right play. Or they still made a lot of pre-limp finals and had some success and has making finals. But for him to then, at the back end of his career for one season to go on others to another club, play second fiddle when you've been the main guy. And you know, you had such a big moment at the start of your career that sort of, a lot of people really turned against him after that and whether that was fair or not, like that's up for debate. But for him to then finish like this, I think it shows a massive level of maturity and just the growth that he's sort of chasing of his career. Because I understand the argument is like, well, see when he did take a pick, that you know, that would have went, he wasn't on that much more than the other best players

1:04:16in the competition, like through the recovery. And I'm not saying that you said this, but like, because I've seen some Manly fans, oh, it's because he was taking up so much of the cap. It's like, I don't know, say he was on, yes, he was in the top 10 players being paid, but it's not like he was on 1.5 and everyone else is on 800 grand, is in the other best players in the competition. He might have been on a million dollars and the other best players were also on a million dollars or 9.50. So I don't really buy this idea that he was taking all the cap. It wasn't his choice for them to concentrate so much in their cap in two other players just around him. So I don't really buy that argument too much. I think as well, optically, it's probably the worst club to be in that situation. Because of that old school, we get changed in our car. We shower with hose at the front. We win comms with, you know, not the best facilities. That's how that was the Manly way for a long time. I don't remember their training camp. We used to go there on school camp and you have Manly training there when you were on break and that sort of stuff. Like that was their legacy and all the sudden winning comms.

1:05:18And then they are, you know, they've got this, and then you had players getting disgruntled. And I think that, that, probably that conversation with TCA, that I must have felt like a bit of a turning point as far as, I don't know if the word is like professionalism in rugby league, but as far as like how you look at a salary cap. It's really for Manly anyway, because everything had been very old school and everything. It was sort of like, okay, it's time to modernize this. Yeah. Yeah. Again, just because I think that there is this feeling that he was paid hundreds of, like hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars more than other best players in his position. And I don't think that was true. It was just a very long contract. And he was on, let's just say, let's say the top five was on 1.1 million. He might have been on 1.1 or 1.2 or something like that. You know what I mean? You're telling me a hundred grand is why they, you know, so yeah, it's a fascinating discussion. And that's also just good management. He was the youngest ever half-backed in Maniacom. Yeah. If that happened today, it'd be really fought like, any first year, until yesterday Sam Walker hadn't won a comp and we were still having those same comps. And it's not like he played poorly during his career at Manly,

1:06:20you know, so. It shows you though, like people will always value premiership small venues. Like in his time there, like after that first year, 2011, pre-limp final of the year after. Obviously lost the grand final of the year after that. He won a club, whether you agree with that or not, he did. 2014 semi-final, 2017, they made the finals again, 2019 semi-final, 2021 pre-limp final, 2024 made the finals again. Like he still took them to a lot of finals campaigns, you know. So I think as much as that is the case, unless you are winning it, like people will always sort of undercut you. You know, so. But anyway, DC, turn back the clock. All thanks to Maniac, guys, get around it. I use it, I love it. Let's talk about some other players in this game and you could pretty much talk about, like, you know, the far who white was incredible. But mate, the one that stood out for me that won't get the hype and I know Rue will get the hype and I'll throw it to you, Rue. But I thought Fiketty was unbelievable. Like I genuinely couldn't believe how strongly he was in contact. How many blogs got snapped by him. They got a special talent

1:07:20and I think he's found his spot. I like him at 13. I thought he offered a lot. I think edges his position. Yeah, he, um, he won a comp with the bundle in it. I had a couple of years ago that my dad coach, my dad doesn't hand out too many compliments to guys. But mate, from the moment Fiketty arrived, that was obsessed with him. Like he's always said that if the rooster's hold on to him long term, he will be one of the greatest roosters where, like, even from that age, like, and he was, I was expecting about it on this show. He used to, he was an absolute hit man as a junior. Like some of the shots he used to put on all that sort of stuff. And also, like, I was talking to dad early this morning about him. And he was sort of saying that, you know, he used to be amazing wherever he was defending. Fucking guaranteed the opposition would not go anywhere. Well, they always had to know where Celeste was. And him to be doing it at the age he's at, like, was, it was two years ago, we were talking about Angus Criot and as the, you know, the best backroar in the game. And I, arguably, the best forward in the game. He's coming off the bench for this young guy. Mate, if you said at the start of the year,

1:08:21Angus Criot is going to come back from injury and he's going to be on the bench, I would have said, you are kidding yourself. Yeah, you're kidding yourself. And if you had cast your mind back, I think it was about two years ago, funnily enough, it was against the Newcastle Knights. The moment where the Kettie exploded, he scored a try against the Newcastle where he broke through on about halfway, put on a big left foot step and scored. And, you know, he's always had those sort of plays in him, but I love last night. It was just tough and great. All the way through. And you got these two backroars for Newcastle. I've got all the applause over the last few weeks. And rightly so, if Kettie, he was the best backroar on the ground last night. I thought it was phenomenal. And that's why for Kettie is, I asked him how to serve us of the week. The service he provided with his aggression was second to none. Make sure, follow LD Sanus Criot one on Instagram. Give him a message, you've been in the car. A massive thank you to ask him how to be a partner with the podcast guys. We couldn't do what we do without them. But yeah, for Kettie is exactly that. And at 22 years old, bro. What's his heritage? Sam Arnold, Tony. I think he was coming from New Zealand. I think he was flying over from New Zealand when he was,

1:09:24I think with these good luck. Like surely he's making someone's international side. LG before New Zealand and Tonga. So is he? I mean, he should, whatever squad he's, you know, pledges his allegiance to, he should be made. Yeah, 100% believe him. Yep. That worst coming off a bench for one of those sides. But honestly, why not start? I will say you've got to give Rob a lot of credit. For many years, I've been very, I've probably been against this idea what he does where he like brings guys in, plays in the middle, on the edge in the middle. I'm just like, it's Starfle's career sometimes. But in the long run, it works out because you've got it now. You've got a guy like for Kettie that can play anywhere in the forward pack. You've got Angus Crichton. That, remember that year or so where he's spending a little bit in the middle? It came back in Trent Robertson's favour because he's come off the bench. I thought Angus Crichton was great off the bench. Now the guy I want to speak about, you know what? He's also our service of the week, service of the bench. It's brought to you by Spencell and you. Mate. This is why you stick with guys.

1:10:26You can't have every player like this and there can only be one or two in your team. Guys that cross the line sometimes. Because for every time they cross the line, they give you performances like this. That was a grand final performance for Ice, Spencell and you and him coming on. So San is Smith makes one of the great try savers you'll ever see in a grand final. And you cast on the lights are up about there. Any of each other. Yeah, we've done it. We've pushed, we've repelled them again. And they get completely deflated the next play because Spencell and you shoots out a line born young drops the ball. That was the moment of the game. I won't say turn because they were already dominating position every night. But I feel like that and break, break the night's back is a bit too harsh. But I feel like that was the point where the rooster said we got this. We got this. Spencell and his impact. As I said, there's a lot of people, I know today's game, we can't have players like in it because they cross the line, they get 10 in the bin or whatever. But if you're going to have moments like this in big games, this is exactly why you need

1:11:27a player like Spencell and you. And before I say this, I'm well aware he didn't get on the field last week. And obviously there was a bit of context around that with the corner watch and HAA. I think they just wanted to get you going the field. But if you cast your mind back a month ago, the rooster's rested everyone in the last round. Except Spencell. So he may add there against the dolphins and he almost like, so suspended for the rest of the season. He went nuts, but that's what we love about Spenser. And I think that that was the night where, you know, it was a bit weird with the rooster's and Spenser up until that point. You weren't sure where his place was in this team. There's rooms about him leaving. He's minutes were a little bit up and down and everything. I think you would have come off that field last night. That night said Robbo. The big moment comes. I mean, what's funny? So Robbo, I think said to him to Spencell and you know, sorry, yes, like, you know, to had a chat to him yesterday. And Spenser said, basically almost like, I'm going to try to pull it back a bit. So I said, I'm going to focus on my tackle, my defense and just get through the work. And Trent Robinson said to him, I need you to be spent to learn you tomorrow. Yes. And so that just unleashed him, took the leash off and said, fuck, I need you to be a dog

1:12:29after every single, every single player. And because he didn't play as many minutes, you know, you couldn't put him in the clive chat, you know, hot take he could. But if playing 25 minutes to have the impact he had was outstanding. Yeah. And I think Robbo piqued his moments perfectly as far as let the dog off the leash for 24 minutes. Have you impact let white gather himself and get him back out because they just, there was never a drop off. No, no, it was he was constant. It was constant barragement. So Spenser, he's also serviced at the week. Thoughts just quickly on Spenser before we move on. Yeah. I mean, there's been a lot of chat about people being like, oh, of course the roosters were going to end up like, like they were so dominant. And I think the knots to be up after the full white first, it was going to take Spenser having his best performance in a roosters jersey to maintain that momentum. Like you spoke before like, I remember watching last night, can be when Santa made that tackle and K.P. comes in and he grabs sand and whoever was next to Santa at the time, they put their heads together and he's yelling and it looked like Katelyn Pong was breathing

1:13:31energy and he saw that just had nothing at that point. And I remember as a roosters handgun, fuck, we still haven't scored. They're gassed and that's what they've got in them. Like it was rattling. And then Spenser to shoot out of the line and force that error on Tom Young straight away. That was the moment. It was the game. It was and you know, like despite that, they still put themselves in a position and win at the end. So it was these little moments that I think Spenser to have that. And it was weird. Like there was always chat when he first came to the roosters eye. He's going there because he wants to start. And so to he, you say that about Robo Santa, you know, he spent the landing like Spenser is who who he is and he's done this for the panthers. He's done this for the blues and hadn't really done it for the Chouks in a big game like he did last night yet. Like I said, I said just before it was his best performance in a roosters jersey. It's right up there with the best performances he's had for anyone he's played for in terms of turning again. No, and again, that's why you just sometimes players get to, sorry, when you're judging it, a 40 team, you get a little bit too caught up in like an ingrained.

1:14:34So I said players are going to be consistent and they've got to have good stats and all that kind of stuff. But you get a little bit too caught up in trying to homogenize a 40 team and just go, all right, let's just all look at the stats and get the best statistical side possible. But this is why you keep guys like Spenser and he statistically you're not going to look at it and go, oh, that's crazy. You come up, like for example, Nap Butcher, who is the most underrated forward in the whole competition, he starts when he came on was phenomenal and he played phenomenal. So if you were, if you weren't to watch the game, you would look at those stats and say, it's all in, it was like, didn't do much. But if you actually watched the game and the intangible moments that matter, that's why you've got to have at least one or two guys like Spenser in it. Mate, who stood out for you in the Rousseff forward pack? Well, those two players, you've just kind of touched on. I reckon the 28 minute was a huge kind of turning point in the game moment and wise. I mean, we just had the mark no try, but then Criton and Spencer came on at the same time. And I reckon you get really kind of feel the game shift a little bit there. You know, the Rousseff and the Emerge a little bit, obviously the Knights got a try against the run of play, but pretty quickly after they got two quick ones to get kind of back in

1:15:37it. And I reckon you really feel, yeah, those two guys just came off with a bit of an axe to grind. Spencer obviously didn't play last week. He was fresh and obviously Angus Criton's come back in the last couple of weeks desperate to win a comp before he leaves the club. So those two guys at that moment, I thought those are huge turning point in the game and, yeah, what a luxury kind of tab. Those two guys to come on at the same time right when the game kind of needed it. Yep. Nap butcher boys, unbelievable. So granted, Nap wha, no far who white for sure, best forward on the field, no denying that. But Nap butcher's a kind of guy you watch and because it's not as glitz and glamour, you kind of, you're kind of, okay, yeah, he was solid. Then you look down and this is where you do look at that and go, holy shit. He nearly had as many run meters as Nap wha who white hat in the same amount of minutes. So the most underrated forward in the competition this back is final series in my opinion. I was going to say he's without a doubt the most underrated at the roosters, his final series. And I'm sure there would be a lot of sort of casual fans out there that honestly, not

1:16:37not even real as he's playing throughout this final series. But he has been so important to this side. 30 second or third print. I think it's his second. I just thought is not his eighth and I mean, was it, well, was he injured for one of them? Second, I'm pretty sure he played in 90. I think he played out of the game. Was he 18 or something? I think so. Yeah, we'll look at that. But yeah, I mean, minimum two championships for Nap butcher. Two muddy. Yeah. Yeah, just incredible. Obviously, a South guy growing up and whatnot. I'll man play for South, but he's not has been a good gap for the roosters and has just played such a crucial role in so many different spots over the last 10 years or so. And he is a guy he's probably on under and also moved around so much by the roosters, probably could have taken a bigger contract elsewhere and become a main player, but it's just stuck around played his role unbelievably well. So I thought Lindsey Collins wants to get big game. How good was it to see Lindsey Collins in tears talking about how much the roosters

1:17:39meant to him? Mist out on the 18 the 19 finally gets to inner premiership. Talk about a big game player. My God, he just goes to a higher level. Yeah, he's unbelievable. He had a huge final series and it's funny with butcher campy like Rooja said before about how he was signed from South. When he was signed from South, it was like it was such big news in our area in terms of like these two South brothers who were sort of like the next two big guys up. I spoke before about how tough 2016 was for the roosters as a year for the NRL side. They had a Toyota Cup side or the 20 side that won the comp that year where there was a few big names in that team. You had Joey Mahners, Victor Radley was in that side was a crazy comeback against Penrath. Not put your captain that side. And I think if you'd seen him at that point in time, like you would have said, whether it is at 13, whether it's as a front row or a back row at that point in time, he's going to be one of these main guys that comes through and how I remember as a rooster fam since he's been in first grade is often coming off the bench.

1:18:40But I look back now and I look at even like this year just to be before is it better than any other year for me. He is a main guy. He doesn't have a starting number on his back more often than not, but the work that he gets through when it's a lot of our thankless unsung work, but you don't win cons throughout these guys. And that's the reason why as your sunny bills have sort of come in out of the club, they brought him back in 2020. You've had all these guys that are so high profile that come and go at the roosters. That which has always been a constant and there's a reason for that. So yeah, I think that the other thing that would you go back to that grand final like he was the captain in the lock forward row. Victor Rade was on an edge in that grand final. Yeah, well, and even if you have a look at, you know, he was the captain of the roosters in the lock forward row. They beat Penra that day, sitting on the bench for the Penra Panthers. Blair Martin. Oh, yeah. Butch was captain of that rooster side of that point with Rade on an edge. Oh, yeah, that's crazy. Wait a minute. No one. So listen, incredible win from the roosters. I thought Rob Toyar, we spoke about earlier.

1:19:40He locked that up. I thought Billy Smith was phenomenal. Yeah. What else is there to say? I've been Billy Smith. I've said it before on this podcast, but like Rob has examples of all of his junior players is if you conduct yourself the way that Billy Smith does, we will always take care of you. Like I don't want to take anything away from Billy Smith's talent because he's a bloody good center. But his character has essentially won him a grand final. Yeah. He was as good as he is, but even just an okay bloke and that kind of applied himself. He would have been moved on two, three years ago. They have truly said, if you give everything you've got to the rooster's way, we will stick by you. And he is now on a pro. Let me ask you, this bloke has had so many injuries to think that he would go on to win a comm. And it was, it was as late as two weeks ago that we were debating. You go, I'll Billy. You go, I'll Billy. Do you feel a little bit, so Hugo didn't get on the field, I don't think? How he did, just on Billy as well, it's the things that you don't see. I ran into a guy that lives with Billy a few months ago.

1:20:41I was talking about just how, you know, saying how incredible is the Billy is still playing, considering all the stuff his body's been through. And he said to me, he goes, mate, it's the stuff that you don't see. Like he reckons that Billy is spending hours and night rolling around on cricket balls, tennis balls, golf balls, just trying to get to certain areas in his body, just to give himself a chance to compete at his best. He said a few years ago, like he's in like total diet change. And I don't mean, you know, a little bit of a diet change. I'm like, oh, I'm going to eat healthy now. Like he, he meticulously watches everything that goes in his body to make sure that whatever possible advantage he can get, he'll get it. Feel for Hugo for sure. He had such, look, he was there, but definitely feel he couldn't get on. Obviously feel for Connor Watson, Trent Robinson gave him the ring. Another guy that didn't get spoken about, I put it up in my story, Cody Rams. Like, I know he didn't get on the field. He's like, was told he's not playing football. He just sat on the bench in a grand final and he's got a premiership ring now. Crazy. That's insane. That's insane. I remember running into him at the playground, both had a little ones there.

1:21:45And yeah, you could just tell he was just, because when you have that time out, you're appreciate what you've got. And he was just so appreciative for the opportunity that hadn't funny him. So, Ben Eis, the other one that sat on the bench last night, he got to ring out of it, didn't get on the field, but another one that, you know, he was in this same, Bondo and I had a side and just, just the best kid in the world. So, congratulations to Rousse's incredible stuff all right, onto the nights. Why don't you stick too long on it guys, because I know if nice fans are probably not listening because it stinks so much. Can I just quickly tell you why? I think we didn't mention about Chez. That was his 30 second field goal that he hit. Wow. And when you look through the history of the game, there's, you know, your JT, your Andrew Joneses, who are better players than Jerry Evans, but, when you come down to that moment, if you need someone to take that shot for you, I would argue, do you have DCA is the most confident field goalkeeper I've seen off both feet. No, it was incredible. I like to be the point. I just cannot believe it like how rugby league works. Okay, onto the nights and look, the bush range of Batler of the week, it is the nights. It is the nights of the bush range of batler of the week is brought to you by bush range of power equipment, tough reliable gear, built for hardworking Aussies, whether you're

1:22:48on the tools or on the land, sorting the backyard on the weekend, bush ranger is built to get the job done. That's the gutsy as final series over the scene. I've never seen a rugby league team be as gutsy as the Newcastle nights was. And yes, of course, in sport, we look for winners and losers and we look for, and at the end of the day, the ultimate goal is to win a premiership. So in Newcastle and in the camp right now, it's going to be a very disappointing. But when you zoom out a little bit and you look at what's important in life, it's the journey. And I just think that the impact that the nights have had on their city, this, this final series will last much longer than a win or a loss on a sheet of paper. And as I said, I understand winning a premiership. I'm not discounting that at all. That's what they're there to do. But they could not have given more. They couldn't have given more. And I don't want to take away from the roosters, but let's think about their had both of their front row missing. This is in a game where they got dominated physically through the middle where they

1:23:49were camped down their own end. So I feed him missing train movie two of their starting front rows. I started this year. Dylan Brown also not in the side. Dylan Lucas coming back from injury. There are so many reasons why they didn't have in there. Phoenix wasn't obviously in the side. Their best defender, the heart and soul of their defense. For them to even be close in this game, the fact that it was 1918 is unbelievable. And they, it is truly like if there was ever a game where I could assign this attribute to of hold your head high. You did yourself proud in the loss. It is this game. There is no shame whatsoever in that loss. There are a lot of games where you might throw that out willy nilly. Oh, you know, they, they will really brave. They're really tough, but you can look at the game and kind of go, you know, I can find, I can't find any fault in what the nights did. They gave everything they had. I'll tell you, in my opinion, the biggest positive coming out of this for your castle is that you've got squatter players there who have grown up with stories, watching videos

1:24:49of what the towns like when they're in a grand final. Yeah. They're serving myth. They've never seen it. They've never experienced it. Now, some of these guys like your hotwood, your crutches, your harassing games, these guys that they're age are out to get a taste of it now. And to know, we did that off pure grit. Absolute pure grit. You know, you got to remember whole broke, you know, we had this conversation the other day about the, um, Dalyam coach of the year and whatnot and like, well, one thing that stands out for me is that, you know, where we've got the award like, yeah, he had a lot of key injuries, did incredibly well. But that's also his squad that he's built for last for four years. I'll just to ride and I said, here's your team. Let's see what you can do. And he's done. I would argue more, like more with a squad that he had nothing to do with whatsoever than we've seen before. I, I, I, I cannot believe what Newcastle have done over the last few weeks. I, I almost think like it'll be very interesting to see, can't be like, I think we always have these conversations around. Okay. Well, they did it without their front rowers, did it without Dylan Brown.

1:25:51They get them fit, you know, coach, I have another year like everything says they should be back there next year. It's going to be interesting to see how they bottle it up. Yeah, because there was magic in the year for the nights in this final series. It's truly something once in a lifetime that you experience and, and it can also be a double edged sword where you expect the magic to be there next year. The magic's not going to be there next year. You're going to have to work for it. I mean, look no further than the Brisbane Broncos. I was about to say the difference for me is Brisbane, they caught lightning in a bottle. That, that they won that permission. Well, moving the football, planning exciting, Brandon Fuddy like Newcastle won that off just being the toughest fuckers out there. And that is their DNA. It has always been the Newcastle DNA when they are out there best. Yeah, I don't want to, I don't want to jinx it, but I, I'm just excited to see what they can do with a few years of this cultural standard set. Because I promise you internally they would have been sitting there on. This wasn't part of the plan. Like we were supposed to make the eight and then, you know, shock everyone.

1:26:53We made the eight. What do they look like in four years when these guys are a little bit older, when they get their juniors coming through? That's what's going to be scary, the scary prospect. But you just can't fall victim to, oh yeah, like the magic's just going to happen. Like this, this, it has to be where, and I do, I do think that I'll be, look, the only way they could kind of struggle a little bit is KP is so vital to that, you know, like style of footy that maybe, but even then, there's been, he's been injured part of this year too. So look, as I said, it was the gutsyest thing I've ever seen. I, they can hold their head, her, her head's high. I'm so excited to see what they do next year. What do you think of the nights? I mean, well, can we, I put up a clip this morning where I sort of said, is this the greatest grandfather in the modern era? And I've been getting absolutely roasted for that and I understand why. And a lot of people sort of throb these other grand finals. They throb 2025. They throb 2023. They throb 2019, 2016, 2013, 2015, 2015. And I think in all those examples, just named all the fucking roosters.

1:27:57I'm not going to say. No, but in all those, um, 2025, 2005, outside of the one you just said, how many, and then all those other examples that it's a game of two sides that everyone sort of had right there at the back end of the year from the start. They were, it was a contest where in throughout the game, like, they might have in periods of the game were one side dominated more than the other, but it was a genuine contest. Last night, the roosters ran for more post-contact meters and had more tackle breaks than they did when they beat the Cowboys 82 to 12. So I'm sorry. Like, when people make out like, you know, I've sent a few comments already, not just my stuff, but on other, other areas on social media where people are going, ah, you know, the roosters played shit. They should have scored more points. I think it's completely disrespectful to this night side. The roosters had less post-contact meters, less tackle breaks, and they fucking put 82 points on a side, not that long ago. So the way that the nice showed up yesterday, I actually think it might be whether, and whether

1:28:59this is unfair on teams that have one premierships, like, you know, the roosters beat them last night by a field goal. I think it is in the conversation that the bravest performers have ever seen on the Grand Final stage, like, you've already spoken about the guys they were missing. Like, I'm sorry, 82 to 12. And like, yeah, they just, like, they were completely dominated and they kept showing a jersey and to be able to put themselves in a position to be playing for the game at the back end there with the guy leading them, not their first choice, halfback. Also, it wasn't our third choice, halfback. That's why he's there. And with the coach that was our assistant coach, like, it is, it is unbelievable what Justin Holbrook and the side there's been out of building. I don't think we're going to see a situation where it's just lightning, lightning in a bottle or a flash in a pan. I think they've built something this year that, as Roos spoke about, like, not only have the fans seen it for the first time, a lot of the young fans, but guys that grew up suffering watching their team play for spoons every year, like, they're the guys with the keys now. And I think it's just, it's so exciting.

1:30:01And they've been reading Joey yesterday saying how less than 12 months ago, he said, I think K-P has to leave the nights to he deserves to win a comp. And he's not going to do it here. And it's funny, like, how purely off their own pace, it fully changed. With everyone's opinion, go back to when it got leaked that Wayne said to him, basically, if you want to be the best player, you can come to the Dolphins, essentially. And then that reportedly, if you believe the reports, that actually frustrated Pongra a little bit. He was almost a bit like, you know, he had a connection to Newcastle that period and he was like, no, I'm going to prove that wrong. Has he proven that wrong? Has he proven that wrong? What about the images from the stadium in Newcastle? 80. Far out. Unbelievable. I will say, on the watching the grand final, cutting to like some pub. Sorry? No, the Pato in. I should have let him know there was a game. Yeah. Did they have it on the screens here? Not sure. No single roosters, Jersey, nothing going.

1:31:01It could have been Caterpillar Club, I know, would have been. Did they, they didn't cut to the Newcastle stadium, did they? They cut to some pub there, didn't they? No, they cut to a couple of different, there was one in Rome that had more atmosphere in it than what the Pato in Santer. It was like, it was more clear there was an hour or a grand final. Yeah. Like a normal good night at the pub. Sure, the Pato is a great pub. Yeah, I was just like, you've got this stadium full of people. They go in there. What the, anyway. And made, look, I agree with you in the sense that it was the braver's performance I've ever seen. I can't think of a braver grand final performance than what the nights could on. They should have got pumped. Like, they should have got dominated. Yeah. Like when you look back at, like, I think the most like for life situation is probably the 2017 Cowboys with the HAT, how deep they went. And then they got to grand final night and Melbourne absolutely blew them out of the water. And I heard a lot of chat this week that people thought that was going to happen. I never thought there was a world that was going to happen. It was a cast was nice. They are just there.

1:32:01They just built different. Yeah. Yeah. I think it's the most ticker I've pretty much ever seen to go from a wooden spoon to losing a grand final by one point without your best front roller. You're probably your best defensive player. You're $14 million a half back. And you've gone from last to the grand final and you've lost by this much. It's remarkable. Who was recruited in specifically for that? But you also mentioned 27 A.N. Like if you think back to that grand final, Cowboys get pumped and you've heard Cooper Cronk talk about the whole Tamil Lolo theory. They just made him make more tackles than never made before in that first half. People spoke about after the game. Look at the stats. Now overwhelmingly the stats were in the favor of the Melbourne Storm. It doesn't even hold a fucking candle to last night in terms of how disproportionate the stats were. Oh man. It's the bravest performance I've ever seen in a grand final. There's maybe there's ones that have happened before I started watching Rugby League. But I genuinely, how could you not like that? The stats say they should have been beaten to 30 to 6.

1:33:01Probably 40 is like genuinely pumped. They somehow held on. I want to talk about some positives. That Kaelin Ponger, length of the field, tried. That would have gone if they win that game. That goes down as one of the greatest trials I've ever seen. We had a segment this week. Greater San Arell grand final tries that aren't remembered because they lost. And for me, Cody Walker is one. Stacey Jones had an absolute, there's a number of them that were just unbelievable. I'm happy to say this might be Reese's advice right now. I can't wait to look back in five years time to see what it sits. But my butt trived when he came from and even when you look at, you know, when the balls tap back like K.P. he has a sense of work. He runs to space. He runs to where he thinks that ball is going to land. Like you talk about guys that the football just bounces to K.P. He's one of those guys, but he's one of those guys because he constantly puts himself in the right spot. He did it multiple times last night as well. And what's, it wasn't even his job. Like it's the front line. Like the wing is in the center.

1:34:01They're the ones that's supposed to go to the ball first because he's supposed to always stay back just in case something happens. In straight lines, like outside of zigzagging to that, it's essentially the longest you could possibly run on a rugby league field. It's going from one side line where you're the marker, keep your like the amount of times you get told to keep your feet moving, but you get gas and you don't do that to get there and win that battle. Well, I love so much about it as well as we're talking about a guy that has some of the most talent we've ever seen a rugby league a play, rugby league play over. We've footwork, we're passing with everything, but it was ticker. We've got him one of the great green final tries. So the only thing about him last night that I don't think it's enough credit for, like, I'd argue probably the best half back in the game as far as I'm identifying when a full back's out of position and taking advantage of it. Sam Walker. Yeah, we didn't get that opportunity at any point last night. No, no. It was a moment earlier in that game where KP made the tackle on the right hand side and they went a shift to the left and it ended up being Dom Young making the tackle on Billy Smith.

1:35:02I would see Sammy Walker, I will and see where KP was and as you got the bully realized, I don't know how KP's got from there to here, but he has here. And I think that through the play a little bit. Mate, I just, Colin Ponger has just gone to a whole nother level. He could not have done more. He couldn't have done more. And that play just typified Newy. It genuinely typified Newy. And it's hard to be to, you know, yeah, K, there were errors made by some of these new cast will players, but it's like, well, they're gassed. Like they're so gassed. Of course. But I mean, that's when errors happen usually in finals for years when you're fatigued and they couldn't have been more fatigued. Like you looked in at half time, it looked like they, they're a full time. But they were blowing at half time, sitting in there just gasped beyond belief. They somehow stuck in that. And those mistakes you talk about, they should have happened in finals week one. Yeah. Yeah. Not grand final day. Yeah. And despite all the mistakes and everything that they didn't get right and they came because they were exhausted. They were people at one point. One point. It's been the roosters after you hit that field guy, you got by seven, you go, it's

1:36:05time's been to hell and bad. This is it. And then you're standing behind your post with three minutes to go going, we're up by one point. Yeah. How is this mob still in this fight? It's, it's, and just to think that it was DC smart. Like if DC doesn't do that for your guy, like they could have gone on, but wouldn't it? Yeah. And they're standing there going, what in the line you have just had the games of their life? We've got guys over there that with all due respect, and the start of the season, but some of those guys would have struggled to make this roosters top 30. If we're, if we're being 100% genuine, yeah, I think so at the start of the season, absolutely. And they are going toe to toe with them on grand final. It's fucking crazy. It's genuinely crazy. I want to speak about, look, it won't get spoken about because they lost. Thomas Carnot number nine was un, well, I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. How did this guy go from a back rower to throw on 20 meter spirals out the final players in a grand final for the first 28 minutes? It's sort of like has he been training to be back up number nine for the whole season or something? Do you know anything about here? Yeah, like he's played nine, but he's like, he's, yeah, I didn't expect him to be as good

1:37:09as he was. I also didn't expect him to be out there as long as he wasn't a star. 28. I mean, he was just, he was unballed. It took some runs. Yeah. Like that, that was, that would have gone down in folklore as well. Thomas can't step it up in a grand final where the pace of the game is as fast as ever you're going to be against a forward pack that is as dominant as ever me. And he played like that in a position he doesn't really play that much. Yeah. And you know, I remember like he day booed at center. He's a back rower that can play middle that is now jumping in at hookah. It like it, it genuinely is insane. I actually thought that was a chance last night. And I did, you know, obviously it became too much to throw on his play, which is very fair. He's also the best goalkeeper club. I thought it was a world where he might take the fucking tee as well. Could you imagine? Could you imagine? I thought some of Stanislaus Missed Defence was phenomenal. I thought Fletcher Shark worked his back. So I mean, it's, who do you really point to and go? No, you were cool. And that ball that Fletcher Shark threw for the first try. Oh, God. And just the amount of eyes are on KP's or cheese. That was just a, that's a well coached try.

1:38:09They ran a lot of traffic at Fletcher Shark. And he was just mullet flapping in the breeze, just hanging on for deer like I thought he was outstanding. Yeah. You want to talk about our balls that will get forgotten too. The one that Manu Le Lua threw on that Mars you draw. Oh, look at the back of his hand. Oh, yeah. I haven't really seen a lot of coverage of that because of how it all played out, but fuck like the, some of the plays he's come up with this final series. You know, like it's as much as, I think it's unfair to the roosters to sort of throw out hyper-thedicals. But when you think about even the fact that you spoke about Thomas, like if Phoenix, if if even just Phoenix playing, can't become the guy off the bench who is just that extra middle two. Like the guys that I was missing and even like people spoke about them being the outsiders against South, which was like absolutely a point. We've spoken about that already. But every week so far, more than more than reasonably people have been like, oh, is it a bridge too far? They had to go over to New Zealand and beat New Zealand. Penrath last week with 12, like you're breaking history there. A to roll in and be a feel goal away was just unbelievable.

1:39:11So let's just sharpen Bradman Best. Obviously, you know, Lorda traffic down there in. They made 50 tackles together. Only miss four. On edge. Yeah. That is unbelievable. Like you're talking about not, you're not just getting that many tackles in a slow game where you're also winning field position and you go back and forth. You are canned on your own end, getting rolled through constantly. 50 tackles and you only miss two each. Jesus. You know what's inside? Despite what he's done this final series and how good he's been this year. If they're full strength round one, you're seeing it's getting on the field. It's insane. It is so cutthroat, but I assume Dylan Brown will be the half-back. And I also think Harrison Graham has been so good. I don't know if you can leave him out of that 14 roll. Phoenix will be the nine. You've got what could have been a grand final hero that's how strong this squad is as well. Yeah. I'm the fact that like Dylan Lucas is actually their best back role. And he's coming off the bench.

1:40:12That's what's exciting about this night side. This is where they're at now. If they can keep this culture, keep this cultural standard. Palmer's got at least another four or five years in him. You'd have to say. They are going to be hard. Like this is what they did. You know, it's one thing to have belief without runs on the board. Belief with runs on the board can be a scary thing. And so what do they look like knowing that they can go toe to toe with the best of the best, even though they're missing two of their front rowers and also their main reciting over this. It's exciting times at the night. Yeah, I can't expect. Can be two like the guys they're missing. But Hobel said in the press conference last night and he sort of he sort of stopped himself because he realized how it could be taken. But he sort of said, I know a few lucky tries in the second half. There was luck involved in every single versus try. Like it took, which is Mark knowing the last day. It took free. He's played. But even like even the fact like Mark drops it on both both feet there. And like Hobel, he said this, but Bradman goes to trap and scrap there goes dangerously close to doing it potentially stops that try.

1:41:14You had like the broken play like Faketty with the offload and even like he bobbled that ball. If it touches a knife finger, it's a knock on hit the goal post as well. Hit the goal post like all these little things that you know, as much as they were freakish plays from the roosters and the roosters, I said like it took. It took some second phase play for the rooster even scored a point last night. It's incredible. Incredible. So yeah, I'm so excited to see guys. So what they've done for their city and look. This is too early to call, but I want to I want to live in a world where they're not to repair our house. I want to live in that world. That's exciting for rugby league. Alrighty, before we get to the Australian squad and wrap up right now, Lontella are organizing free fiber upgrades with NBN faster speeds, more reliable internet call Lontella to see if you're eligible. If you've seen my stories, me downloading steam game, video games, that's because I've got I have got NBN guys. It is so freaking good. And they're upgating for free. Back in the day when it first came out, it's cost you like thousands of dollars to upgrade. So NBN is upgrading people who are on copper to fiber, better technology, which gives

1:42:15the higher speed capability and more reliable internet. They can either look up their address on the Lontella website or call to see if they're eligible. So make sure you're called Lontella on 1-800-528-583 or the alternate number is 036338888. And use code bloke for 7-day free trial, 180 days of discount and $25 credit at Lontella.net.au slash bloke. Alrighty boys, the Australian team. Can I just say one last thing on Newcastle? Do we all agree? It's their obese that are their strength and their side. Yeah. That's what. Tom Young, this year he averaged 164 run meters per game. He only ran for 119 last night. Gags averages 116. He went for 107, so got reasonably close. He went for 83 last night. Marsu, he averages 185 run meters per game. He only got to 150. So not a single of those four outside backs got to their average and they lost by one point.

1:43:16It's just mental. It's just mental. That defense. And the NordVPN defense play of the week was the Nights defense guys. I was overseas before the season and used my NordVPN. Myself sporting events TV shows, movies you name it, I watch it like I was back home, which was super convenient. And the great feature is that you can switch your virtual location to so many different places in the world. This allows you to save money by purchasing flights, hotels, subscriptions. I'll be heading over to China later in the year and I'll be using NordVPN. It's also super safe. NordVPN drives you with privacy online, leaving no digital footprint by hiding your IP address to get the best discount off your NordVPN plan. Go to the link in the description. Our link will also give you four extra months on the two-year plan and there's no risk with Nord's 30-day money back guarantee. The link is in the podcast episode description box. I'll be using it. I'll be using NordVPN. I'm going to China. I'm going to try to review China's sport. So go to a few games and review it for the podcast. So make sure to stay tuned for that. Cannot wait. Beak does China. Oh, they've one of the biggest beaks in China. Think about it. Without a doubt. Yeah.

1:44:17So there you go. The great beak of China. There you go. The great beak of China. That's what it's going to be called when I review China for the podcast. I'm heading over there. I'm going to go to different sporting events in China to see what it's like. Similar to what I did in Japan was really, very fun. Okay. The Australian side boys thoughts about some of these selections. We just figured out when we had a break. It feels like there's a bit of a lack of wingers just generally in the squad. You know, obviously they've got the three guys. His primary position is fullback in there to the SGO. Turbo and Reese Walsh. You'd imagine probably Turbo. Maybe it's one of those players that goes to the wing for the sake of balance of the squad. I'm not really sure they do the other one. Maybe Jack Bostock goes out there. But if one of those guys gets injured, someone's going to have to play at a position. Maybe look at a Reese Walsh on the wing. I don't know. That for me was something that kind of stuck out off the bat. I don't know what you guys think. Yeah. So I'm looking at it and I would assume Bostock on one wing and then Tommy Turbo on the other wing.

1:45:17Yep. I'm just thinking like in regards to the balance of the squad. So they've got four halves. They've got Sam Walker, Moses, Munstar, Deedin. Front rows, they look a bit light on. So they've got what Tino Keon and Lindsey. Lindsey. Pat Carigan. Yeah. Okay. So four. Connor. Okay. Keon. Oh, yes. I say counting out. In edges they've got Martin. Preston. Preston. So edges they've gone light on. Yeah. I guess Colt are probably plays on an edge. Yeah. So that's where they've made up. So they've gone light on the edges with the Hamish Shield, obviously being the shadow players. Who's a bigger mission to you, Ru? Obviously just going through live reaction here. But I sort of thought someone cobbled. I'll get a bait in this side. I don't know if you guys know to see him there. He's been going over the year in the Dalai M. Zia, the night. I thought he was pretty stiff as well.

1:46:18He's had a great year, played great for the origin. He's potentially ruled himself out with an injury or something like that. So that's anything I might stand shortly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Interesting. Especially when you consider how many wingers they aren't in this squad. And Kebi had him at the Broncos as well. So it's not like there. And is Mark not allowed to play, I assume? No, he was in the opposite room. Remember? Any show's not so. That's it, old. But even though, yeah, you know, Jenkins and the shadows like Katani stacks. He would have to be a bit of a pick where it's because Kebi knows what he's going to get from him probably, right? Like, yeah, I think so. Like Stags was good this year, but you're leaving out wingers of the year. I think I'd be going so and I'm a Stags. Yeah. Yeah, you could even argue Jenkins is better than Stags this year. Now I know Stags is more of a center. I can only assume he's seeing Bostock and Tervoy which has the wingers. Yeah. I mean, yeah, like it. It's also a World Cup, usually the kangaroos. You have, you know, a few games where you play other guys as well. And I'm very interested to see who plays wing in those games as well. Okay, assume you're, it'll be interesting if you're running a turbo out there for, you

1:47:22know, a game you're pretty confident. It's a good point. You're going to win. And maybe they are. Maybe this is just a sign of where the World Cups are that, you know, all teams are getting better or whatnot. Is Mitch, Mitch Pone any? No, no. Wow. I'll tell you the one that I thought is a little bit unlucky. And once again, I don't know how to balance, but I just, because of his vest, he'll do everything. But really thought fletch a sharp and get a bite. Yeah. Same thing. I thought that. So any one new cast or night selected here, Brahm and Best, he 100% deserves that spot. I think it'll be very interesting to see whether they go Brahm and Best or LaTrile, both being left centers, whether you shift one of them over to the right side. Cause Stags, I think is the only genuine right center there. See, I would have gone probably JoJo for Fedor over Stags issue. Yeah, yeah. I can, yeah, I find the Stags pick a bit strange. So, so odd. So odd. I mean, even like, you know, shouldn't there's no world where they're going to play Teddy or Walsh on a wing like you just shouldn't be one of the other depending on the game and

1:48:23who they pick there. And I know you've already said like Bostock can obviously play both. Um, three swaps. Three swaps. Three swaps. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's fair. Yeah. Yeah, Blake Brahli obviously chewed with Kangaroos last year, but didn't play it. But yeah, I think that's a bit tough on Ray Schwabson. I mean, you also, you know, he's obviously picked a squad to play a style of footy that he wants to play, um, which is just, yeah, we don't be guessing that obviously. Uh, it tells Duncan. Yeah, another one of the things unlucky. Plath. Yeah. Yeah, to be honest with Robson, I can understand it given if they've been like Harry Grant's, how guy like sort of makes sense. But yeah, those like you just mentioned then, like they've all been stiff like, yeah, Plath, they might get a bat at all. It's crazy, I reckon. Um, yeah, I think I would have liked C sharp. And I know that I can select a certain amount of people and you can't put him in over strange, I'd say, you know, because of what strange done in right footy.

1:49:23Yeah. But yeah, the one area where I, I actually probably, he would have been in a squad not the starting side. And I don't know if he is it would have been Munster. I would actually probably started. If clearly was good to go, it would have been either did and and strange or did and and, um, I'm sorry, it moses in strange. Yeah. Munster would have been in the squad and they would have fought for the Jersey. But I just, I do think that it's getting, like this is the passing of the toss moment for Munster. A great opinion. Yeah. Um, do we, have we all got Teddy as our full bike? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think, yeah, I think you have to. Not that I listened to the press conference today. I know as I spoke there, he's been named it captain. He was one that was rumours floating. He wasn't going to feature in this world car. It's incredible. It is fully unbelievable. Unbelievable. It is just like, yeah, that was because I, I've said it's on last night. If I was a, yeah, it was to be ruled out. I think they would have gone look to the future. Can Murray captain or think of what we're going to throw back to Teddy? I reckon, can Murray. Murray. Yeah, I reckon, Murray, then Plath gets brought in for, surely.

1:50:24You, this room, Plath, would come in for, oh, yeah. I was just like, it wouldn't shock me if Teddy was made captain again. That's what I was kind of thinking too, because it's pretty severe injury. And yeah, he got through a couple of games at the end there, yo, but I don't know what the likelihood of redoing it. But probably for me, it would make sense to give it to Teddy. Who do you think they're going to opt for in the halves as like the best side? Like, do you think they're going to troll it? Or do you think it's going to be like a mose of seven months or six? Or is it going to be like a, I don't, I'm, maybe it's my Queensland bias. I'm a little bit surprised moses is so clearly to everyone of ahead of the end. I did, I agree. Do you think they're going to be together? Yeah. And Monsda makes way. Possibly. Yeah, I think, I think, I think, I think, did is hard done by both spots. Walk, walk, walk, I did, potentially. Well, you're, there's no chance. You reckon one of the older blocs is 100% going to be there at least. I think it would be very, very old blocs. Yeah. But I just, I feel like, did and he has never played bad in a rap, rap jersey. And even a club, Lanny, rips constantly. Yeah. At least moses like, he had origin in this year. I kind of, his club foot, he wasn't great side struggled, but like,

1:51:27Monsda really struggled this year. So, yeah, they've been hard done by, if it ends up being that didn't, and Sammy Walker, like if neither of them are sort of there as first, first pick, it's pretty tough. I think it once again comes to the end of the star, you want to apply in it. You know, I assume Naive Cleary was the first choice. I think out of all their mishmoses is probably the next closed system. Is it all like the lifestyle? Yeah. Yeah. What it would have been interesting to see a, a clearly strange, like, was that partnership, just magic, you know, off the one off, or is that a magic? Because I, clearly with a big ball, one and six, that gets me going. Yeah. Yeah. Just to open things up for him, he just, anyway. Yeah, especially on the five age, I agree with you. I think right now, I didn't, like today, I think, didn't need so better football and can't Monsda today. Yeah, I think so. And I don't, don't get me wrong. You guys know, and support guys were all about culture and everything. So I think you'd be crazy not to have Monsda in the squad that they're very lazy and give an opportunity to fight for the jersey and also pass the torch. But I think if you're being fed in, you know, it's strange or, or, or did and

1:52:30potentially even Sam Walker, now I know he's seven, but you know what I'm saying. So yeah, fucking excited to see Charles met in the referendum again. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. All right, face the music, break this week. Yeah, I guess we'll come back ahead of the World Cup the, the first week of that, but yeah, we'll just give, tell me the opportunity to sniff his own fluffs and enjoy the win. Okay. Yeah, I think it's a great way for cricket face music. It's where I'm going to do my real work. You understand. We should do a chef here. Should run this year. Absolutely. That's it. You guys, everyone's like, oh, you're going so bad. What's your? You're also bad in your main sport. But cricket's actually in my main sport. That's why my tipping was off season podcast. The rugby league just kind of breaks up. Well, the season's starting for us. Yeah, it's right. Well, I try to make you feel like I won the Auckland Nines boys. You won the Aucklands rugby league. Not even my first sports. So cricket's where I do. Some of my na, they actually played rep laser tag for a long time growing up. Can you do a tipping comfort rep laser tag? No, we went, no, when you're playing conflict interest. A lot of betting as well on, on, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, a lot of punting. Okay. Anyway, massive thank you to sportsman for parting with the show.

1:53:31Very, very appreciative. I just want to give a very quick, um, hammies hero this week. I'll say a few honorable. No, not you. Oh, definitely not you. There's a few people who, um, honorable mentions. A sweat about Trent Robinson earlier, given his ring to, um, kind of what's when we love that. I've got to give hammies hero this week to friend of the show, um, Brendan Haynes. Um, you know, the roosters, you know, Tommy, uh, rightly or wrongly, kind of, a couple of the criticism for where your fans, all this, all of that stuff. There's a bloke who just shows up every week, um, right, rolls with the punches, uh, they get thrown his way, watching his, um, coverage of the night last night, party bus, wearing, um, Angus Crichton's Premiership ring, holding the Premiership trophy. That's what it's all about as a fan. Um, Haynes, you well done to your fangin' in there and, um, I'm chuff-wire. I, like 100% genuine to shut out to Haynes. He, like, lives in Brisbane, flies down for every single game, uh, just leads everything that is the fans. I love the way the Newcastle Knights got around Neilson stuff and his, like, I just, I love that these fans that care about the game more than they fucking should have getting there real.

1:54:33They're the lifeblood all the game. They are the game. And it is so good to see an inspires other fans to get out there and do the damn thing. It is fantastic. Yeah. Cricket to your Haynes. I mean, the Joking LaWayer was kind of like, man, I'm so sick of all these, like, these, these, these blowing fans going, having viral clips. I'm like, when the grandfinal comes around, it should be the, the guys that have been around, the guys and girls that have been supporting forever going every game. They're the ones who have the viral clips. Absolutely. Haynes, you're doing the Rooster Man Dance with Angus Crichton, while wearing Angus Crichton's ring, it's just, the Louvre is approaching capacity with something you can get in there, but get that in there. And then he's doing it with 20 to go last night to brave stuff. Brave stuff. How many nervous. Warpie time. Really, Warpie time. Right. Really, Warpie time. The Roosters. Really, Haynes, he's on the Roosters. Oh, that's great stuff. And he's, too honest as well. They played it after the, every Roosters trial last night. The Roosters fans came out to it on stage today as well. The whole Rooster Man thing. That is a bit of a thing that Haynes started as well on his own socials.

1:55:33So, yeah, just great at doing. Enjoy it. Did you go to a Roosters game once with Haynesy? Yeah, I got to sit there and chuck Penn with him. And he took Carey's. He did. Looked after us. Out at Pennroth, last game in Pennroth before they knocked over the stadium. Oh, that's beautiful. It's a face of music punishment. That was beautiful. Yeah, it was, you told the right route. It was, and, I mean, it was great to see some of these content creators that are so dedicated to a team. Have their actual teams reach out and create content with them. Yeah, I think the smart clubs are realising if you're lucky enough to have those dudes. Playing in two. Absolutely. Absolutely. Already, that's us done and thus, so the massive congratulations to the Rooster and, obviously, Tommy for winning the Face to Music in reserve grade. First grade starts in a couple weeks. That's when first grade starts. Yeah. And it's obviously Tommy Shirt at Bloke, Mad Monday in a couple weeks. Working on your CBM at Boxing Sucks, Mind for King. Wow. He's hungover as shit. You have a shot in it. Pick it up. He's not putting out much of a fight over there.

1:56:34The Roosters. The Roosters have one to call him, and he's hungover. He's... He's hurting. He's hurting. And you just put the booty in. Go in. You know, you guys, he doesn't have a mic, but he said it's my master's fault. He's a shit coach. Oh, he said. Oh, no, we, we're all, we have a quality. We all work in just one heartbeat of harmony, mate. Okay. That's us done and dusted. We'll go and fuck ourselves. We'll see you in the season review. Next week, we'll go fuck ourselves now. What's gambling really costing you? For free and confidential support, visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.