The SmartB Sports Update Episode 80 with special guest Craig Gower

Craig “Gowie” Gower dropped by to chat all things Origin and answer a couple of big questions about coaching and refereeing in the NRL.

As always, he gives amazing insights into the NRL, and playing at the highest levels.

John and Gowie go over a wide range of topics including the Tigers 2024 season, Game 1 of State of Origin, The Titans, Bulldogs, and Panthers.

A must not miss.

how you going thanks for coming in again go Johny how things Mike mate we’re just talking about it off well I think P was actually recording um how hard this year is everything’s good except rugby league it’s uh certainly The Bookies will be uh get a bit of cash I reckon because it uh doesn’t sort of make sense some of these uh some of these victories but it’s you know you wish you you could punt say 10 minutes into the game because you can see actually what teams you know on and you know you got your cuz that’s what it’s coming down to it’s just it seems like it’s more mental than anything it’s getting yourself prepared correctly to to uh play NRL for 80 minutes yeah you mentioned that last time we were here like it’s that’s it’s funny cuz it was it was I think around six or something right so six weeks ago um you mentioned like actually that’s what the game the team the uh competition looks like especially this year like it’s all about the mental thing and then as punters there’s no way that we can know how the team’s how well the teams prepared oh you just do your best that’s the thing uh and that’s a hardest thing you know you look at the teams and you see who’s in ins and outs and all the rest of it but it’s it’s what preparation how was their preparation during the week uh you you don’t know that unless you’re inside there and um that’s why it’s so difficult and that’s why you got a clump of teams all sitting around the the same points on the on the on the uh on the ladder and it’s going to be down to who makes a run during the season to once the origins over yeah who makes the yeah who makes the uh who makes the eight so yeah I was talking to a professional rugby league pter Tipper uh the other day and he was telling me one thing he’s been concentrating in past years is how much due is going to be there and he’s got this whole statistical analytics about like d and how certain teams perform if there’s more du in the second half but then he told me this year it’s doesn’t work it’s work for years I think you took it too far that’s what I said like dude if you go on that deep like it’s crazy us yeah um but yeah let’s talk about origin obviously the main thing to talk about is the sendoff soite send off um you know I said actually I was at the game and I said to the people I was we well that’s changed the series like it hasn’t that’s that’s done the series actually well it it certainly changed the the game um you know and first origin match in Sydney it’s um you know it was a great opportunity for New South Wales to to jump on the board but you know to that sendoff it’s it’s funny you know watching you know ex players have their opinions you know Peter Val Landy come out yesterday and talking about protecting reys Walsh and and you know Pete doesn’t get it wrong too often but I think he’s I think he’s Way Off the Mark you know you’re talking about a a player like R Walsh who if you don’t come up in defense and let him play at his own own time in his own time he’s young to carve you up yeah so and every player that is a high quality player Nathan clear whoever it is they get targeted in some way now no coach out there in this day and age has tells you to go out there and you know take someone out yeah it’s it’s the 1980s yeah there no way that Maguire told so go knock that is that is complete [ __ ] so for that is that’s one thing it’s straight out there now to the tackle itself yes I can see it was very ugly and because you hit him in the head yeah right but the circumstances around that tackle in in in such where they’re playing up and in defense they’re trying to cut down his time so so he’s gone in hard yes now as you see in in multiple replays he bends his back yeah right he bends his back in a in a in a a normal um tackling technique which you should be teaching all kids which most first graders don’t bend their backs these days okay now reys Walsh at that time realizes that he is going to get pumped right and he’s B and so’s done everything correct and reys Walsh has lost his feet yeah his right leg which is the only foot on the ground slips out from underneath him it’s really clear before even even the contact yeah well before now so and they they always put the owners back on the defender so you got two people running at each other let’s just say between 10 and 15 km hour how is he supposed to change his height within 2 steps and is completely impossible and it’s embarrassing to think that he can he’s at fault because he’s gone in with the right technique and the other players lost his feet if rwal doesn’t lose his feet he gets pumped at chest height yeah like uh Liam Martin did later in the match right exactly right he would have got smashed he would have known that’s how we’re going to treat you for the rest of the game and I understand the league is trying to get the shots from the head but we are play we play a Collision sport it’s and it’s at Fast Pace now that is completely accidental now if you call that if you anyone else wants to call that deliberate what what are they looking at so are they looking at ree Walsh not losing his feet or or not yeah well this is the thing right because Su charged up hard CU that was it was the beginning of the match they were trying to tell ree Walsh this is what you’re going to get we’re going to cover you in defense we’re going to hit you hard all night and unfortunately Reese WS fell over like a penalty no matter what they had the numbers and they’re playing up and in defense now that’s that’s their structure so he played to the structure doesn’t matter if it was early or late or whatever he was that you have to pressure the fallback in every game do they not come up and in and they fly up and in that’s just the way that’s the way the defensive lines are these days so for for all this stuff about oh they need to protect them and and all the rest of it so does that mean you’re know allow to play up and in now yeah exactly that’s exactly right that’s a great point because that happens as you said there’s two players two players involved in the tackle yes the onus is on the defender to not hit the head okay fair fair enough not hit the head there’s some conjecture over actually whether he hit the head as well you know if you slow it down real slow but there’s nothing he can do to prevent it every time you hit someone in the head it’s a penalty in theory but every sing tackle that you look at has contact with the head or neck you know every single tackle once they get to the ground it’s around the head and we don’t get penalties yes it was hard yes it was harsh yes Reese B got knocked out but it’s just that was so standard rugby league yeah but the other side if Rees stood up and didn’t try and backpedal because he knew he was going to get pumped right we wouldn’t have this problem so why is it always on the onus of I understand it’s on the onus of the defender when they launch at someone and they hit someone high in an upward motion where he hasn’t been his back 100% because that’s just that that’s just poor technique and it hinges being lazy but in Joseph’s sense he he he done everything correct yeah he done everything correct like he was making a legitimate tackle but because of the the the ball Runner lost his feet the ball Runner put himself in that position yes not the defensive player yeah like so that’s what I mean like you’re not allow to hit the head at Mo well at the very least it’s a penalty no matter what okay if ree Walsh had have got up I I think like really it it was most frustrating for me thing for me at the game is they continued to play and there was two more plays after it and if ree wsh had have gone back got up and run around in the backfield nothing would have happened and he would have surely would have been put on report after the match not too sure about that you know you you can’t get away from it how bad it looked terrible I understand that and and that’s where I I don’t believe it’s a send off right you know it was two things that happened in you know and the Collision happened because of you know more on re’s because he L he lost his feet that’s that’s the way I look at yeah 100% so and I understand they’re trying to Stamp Out the game and and all the rest and they they’re trying to make it cleaner but sometimes they there are just going to be circumstances around it where it’s there’s a no fault sort of situation where it’s a you know it happens you know yeah but so over the weekend uh I think it was in the param game the referee missed a trip right missed it completely and it was in the the match Review Committee put the charge in place and that’s if because I think like Ashley Klein which we’ll talk about later he missed actually the hit completely the two touch judges missed the hit completely the ball continued on uh Queensland got a six again you know they got tackled they played they got a six again they’re about to play the ball again before anyone noticed oh ree Walsh is up the back down and so if he hadn’t have been down in back play and no one had a notied the game would have continued on and in the match Review Committee s would have got charged and it’s just like it’s terrible that he got knocked unconscious yeah well but that’s what happened when tlor may flew in yes right and and that’s and so that was another accidental where they blooded heads yeah now that’s head CL is the dumbest one and that’s s that’s reckless from Talons I I I I get that but in Joseph side is he wasn’t being Reckless he was he was he had the proper technique so you know that’s where I I’m I standard that no one’s actually discussing that in itself you know I heard Woods the other day with on Matty johns’s podcast where where sali’s looked away and I was thinking well of course he’s looked away because he’s he’s put head to the side lead with the head he’s two steps he’s two steps away from contact So you you’re as we’re taught as kids you put your head to the side and you you hit with your shoulder first then you wrap your arms that’s that’s a that’s a tackle from without getting kned out I was teaching double leg takedowns last night in Jiu-Jitsu and that was exactly what I was telling you one make sure you keep your head to the side you’re not going head first so you know it’s it really hurt the the spectacle of the game and you know certainly New South Wales showed a lot of courage and defensively and and so forth you know coaching s of things you know mad missed not putting C to the that right side earlier after the first one he should have known we need Critter on the right because he’s such a great defensive player um you know there’s certainly going to be question marks about Niko’s game he played a lot of Cross Field stuff and and I don’t know if the players were you know they understood how niiko plays because he plays like obviously on the front foot looking for holes and blocks to run into holes and he all he did was run people out of their space jumping across them and so forth and um you know and his kicking game was it was like he was just trying to Crest it to put it on the Spot somewhere and I yeah he just it’s like he’s got a slow release too on his kick which which obviously um you know that brings more pressure to you because you you’re slow into your action but um yeah it’s going to be interesting to see this this weekend because it’s team’s named on Sunday Sunday stitched up last time to everyone out there I had pain ass in there but he got Johnny ruled him out so I had to change but all the news were saying but then yeah like your team got posted the earli yeah thanks don’t worry I’ll get you but um you know you got Mitch Moses so you Mitch Moses Now is it going to be up to this game or is he going to is m going to put his bollocks on there and just go like I’m sticking solid with who I first had you know and then then they got the question marks about jakovic who was unbelievable that in in a way defensively he was unbelievable you know no Mr his efficiency was you know 100% but it’s the attack sort of things where Jake looks a little bit lethargic you know he hasn’t got the same leg speed as you know the other boys and the rest of it um so there’s question marks about that the half why do you think he was kept on the bench for the whole game just because of that well no no one’s received any explanation it’s just a bizarre thing but for him to play 25 minutes or 26 minutes or something like that like he made 25 tackles you know so he tackled himself it wasid but I think he was fourth on the um sixth on the tackle count overall or something like that in his 25 minutes he played made more tackles and a bunch of the other players so like so there’s it’s just going to be interesting to see what the makeup is of the team you know will Dylan Edwards come back in for for Teddy um I’d have Latrell Mitchell straight in there just because lr’s if tr’s heads right and you know surely he knows himself playing for New South Wales is certainly and a privilege and an honor and you’re not going there with a not not the right head space and he has got the ability to break open the game did you watch the rabbit o Titans game on the weekend no Latrell Mitchell was phenomenal SC the first try in the eth minute set up three three more had to hand in three or four more four tackle breaks that’s the Titans let’s let’s see let see if he does it this week if he does this if he backs it up this week they got Broncos this week right you know you got to have it up in there you got to have him in there and the so the thing is right with Latrell we’ve hammered him on this podcast for the past like 14 weeks actually um in the in the team the games where rabitos have played some of the poor competition he’s also been poor but it was just this the game on the weekend was like that’s how the TR Mitchell should be carving up the Titans every you know and it was like that so we were like oh yeah he he’s I don’t know what’s changed Ben everyone just expects that from Little TR because he has the ability to do it every week yeah he’s such a big body you know he the way he plays the game you know he’s that’s why he’s one of the you know the class players of the competition so sometimes it’s unfairly because we expect so much of him but it’s because the ability is there that he can do it weekly yeah and and and at the end of the day he should be playing a seven or eight he and that’s the thing about Patrol is to try to get the consistency to be a to be one you know like a Nathan clear you know that that when he plays when he plays it’s always that you know around you know the seven you know he’s he’s probably one of the hardest markets on of his own game but it’s probably between that seven and nine you know most weeks and that’s what would that’s what you just want out on the he’s like the whole year it’s obviously the rabbit o have gone really really poorly all year um culminating in Dem getting sacked um and it’s there’s been a couple of weeks with Ben Hornby in charge but yeah like there was some something changed last week if you watch go check out that Titans game something changed their attitude is better the TR Mitchell individually his attitude is better because in the previous weeks like he had weeks at fullback where he was running like 84 met total seven runs 8 I was looking at his at some of his stats between him and Dylan and you you say he’s done like 12 runs Dylan’s done 20 something RS exactly something also that when you see LR and he gets there and throws it 30 moves Winger so he can take the up and you go but this week on on the last week he ran I think it was 18 times which the most he’s ran all year he ran the most meters he’s run ran more meters than any other player I think in his team or close to the top like I say scored the first try he set up three or four of the others four tackle B like and yeah it was the Titans and everyone you know the dragons beat the Titans in the first round and I thought they were going to win the Premiership I think I think with a trail he’s probably he’s one of those main players where you look and you go me if if he’s okay mentally that’s when he he’s able to play at his best on a consistent basis and whatever fact of that is if it’s off the field on the field you know whatever is happening at home or you don’t know but he’s certainly one of those guys that you need you get the best out of him when he’s he mentally he’s right you know some players can get away with it with and playing still good football when things aren’t going too well around them you know but for for him it it seems like he needs you know everything sort of going well mentally to for him to play his best football and consistently play his best football just put my tips in now and I think I tip the rabitos to win again d i I was I was I’m in an hour and then yeah I could change me change me you got like change it late I could change it late we’ll see what happens um yeah I’d like to wait 10 minutes into the game only you could but then everyone would know cuz yeah like everything is just completely right there’s been very few close games all year as well because of that like 10 minutes into the game you know this team’s going to win it doesn’t matter who you of can game was that was that was a good game cuz it went back and forth and and you know what can you I pick parab because I thought you know Moses and after that the week before that they they played they played really well but they just sort of that second half they sort of lost their way and I thought that’s where I wanted Mitch to really grab the game by Scruff of the neck and go come with me and I’ll get you out of the line and if he did that against canb he would have been straight in theide but he didn’t and that’s you know that’s why it’s going to come down to this week yeah they’re playing The Roosters which is going to be a tough game and so he he’s going to need to play quality and he’s going he’s going to need to have a good kicking game um you know Nikos they got the Dolphins down Shar Park so that’s not going to be easy um you know Wayne Wayne coach team and it’s going to be inter to see how he cuz he did a week off and see how he what see what he delivers for the team in that situation where Nico Hines is the main playmaker for origin and it’s not working do you expect Jerome Le who was the 58 to step up and do more it’s a difficult one because you’re down to 12 men and that that’s one thing that you just can’t get away from because all the structure that they have it’s more second phase the second man plays that come out the back to actually produce that extra number you’re never going to produce that number so it’s like you got to change your attack and the only way you can sort of break that down is more short passing you know cross plays trying to play back through the middle and trying and try and spear him open that way because you’re you’re not going to play around them and and and that’s probably took away a lot of their attack yeah so that’s why you’ve only seen two two tries from kicks yeah well the one we did that colax was awesome that was just a great kick yeah exactly that cuz yeah that’s that’s one of the things I think a lot of people aren’t really understanding cu the we concentrate a lot on defense when there’s a man down you know like people say like you can’t defend 13 on 12 you just can’t it’s too hard you get the overlaps but it’s also so much harder to attack because you can never create an over well you you know you can you can but the problem is is that you’ve just sucked all the gas out of you to defend because defend against 13 and then you go into attack where you need to try Front Load again and it’s like at the highest level of playing it you know like it’s it’s virtually impossible that’s so that’s one of the question consistently do it for 70 minutes yeah that’s one of the questions that um was was asked to ask you actually from Dan um and it’s about that fatigue Factor because we know like the the game has changed so much over the years reducing The Interchange trying to bring the smaller men into the game back in the game but it’s normally like the last 20 minutes of the game kind of thing where the smaller men can break open the game right but when you down a man how much how much more does that affect you earlier in the game having to do all that defense well if you if you look at most games and whoever the team is that turns over the most ball in that first half usually lose a game yeah and it’s and it’s not usually at that particular moment it’s in the back end where they start it starts to break open because it’s the fatigue Factor like I I don’t care you know there’s not many players out there that can just keep motoring for that for that s and especially at that level um because New South Wales had uh more possession it was 53% 47 made less tackles made more meters and were tackled more in the opposition to and so that’s like really the thing that I think when did they get broken down yeah that’s the thing that people are really curious in like when did it at what point did having that 12 men on the field over the 13 have that big an effect because at some point it just went bang and well the start of that second half they they were on top yeah but then then the possession started to equal itself up they made a couple of breaks and then it started started a break up in the game so it was the at the end of because they’ve just sucked up so much gas yeah yeah it’s just I can’t imagine how much harder it would be to do it actually like look at re Robson in the middle like I would have went with thaty but you know he was great like you’ve seen some wonderful performances from some of the players like Le Martin was outstanding he didn’t play much minutes yeah and he he was so good I thought it was a Superman trying to tackle some of those BS you know like like he was like horizontal when hit a couple of black so you know Zack lamax was was great you know like you know they talk about you know BLS missing tackles and so forth and all the rest of it you know L I know barzz brought that up but n when when you’re like when you’re scrambling and especially like to defend on those edges when you got numbers coming out you with ball players like Cherry Evans and and um H at the back like you know like trying to come up the right plays at all the time it’s you know hard to do never ever going to be chance for New South Wales to win like you can’t find a game in history where somebody gets sent off in the eighth minute and that team goes on to win very real yeah like um you like Z you know1 it’s never going to happen right and the fact that New South Wales ended up with more possession and as you said we’re on top in the beginning of the second half but still got so dominated could should show to everyone just how much of an effect it had like I said at the beginning I really thought straight away that’s that’s that’s the series like the series is now decided because we got to go down to Melbourne next week week after whatever it is and then go to Queensland to I don’t think that I just think as a great opportunity like if you think straight away it’s just straight a negative thought batter such a such a pessimist like it’s that’s where um you know the way you process things you head is the biggest part of the game itself getting yourself right to ready to play and it’s just thinking that this is a positive for us know like yeah we had one go like go and we there was times that we had it all over you know we and there’s there’s things that you know we can do do better with you know certain certain situations but it’s like any it’s that’s that’s why you you play at the top l like it’s to think that yeah we can we can we can win this game they could have won and I was well the score the score doesn’t flatter them at all cuz whatever it was like 3810 I don’t even want to know but they could have if you would have look at it on paper remove the score and show someone here are the statistics they would think instead who won they would think New South Wales won if you preted into an AI model or something like that here are the stats who won the game the AI model would say New South WS gone G won you know and that’s the thing like that’s that’s what I took away from it most afterwards yeah like 10 minutes in I was so disappointed with my entire like ohy origin again like it’s me I’m so sick of New South losing but post the game when I looked at it more I was like well they could have won actually if they had 13 men on the field yeah you’d have to think they would have won it’s all hypotheticals because you don’t but the way that they started you know we we made an error we gave them a seven tackle set then they come down and they scored like that was pretty poor yeah that was pretty poor like we got beat in the Rock Cherry went stand the B side you know that was actually not you know they’re not that good but just to see the what you know what guys the fight that they showed and but it just having that extra play going you just can’t you can’t actually on a fire because you all your attacks out then your defensive patterns are out like it’s you’re into hiding tonight really yeah you know for me I just forget about that just squash it and then go and if I’m Madge I’m going with the players that that he had originally picked and you got a coach turn the week yeah so on that he obviously has to replace Su because he’s out for four weeks and so I think everybody is now on the Latrell train latrell’s going to go in well who do you put in it’s it’s all LOL Stacks I had I had um you know one of my Ms is a Bulldogs fan he reckoned before that KZ should have been in instead of his Lomax well he’s ped that s from go been got good well come on and then the suggestion after s went out with low Max andz yeah well let’s just say stone that [Laughter] that’s what I said no LX is way better um but then so yeah obvious there’s no one else as well like that’s pretty much it like who else would you put over LR there’s guys like Caston sags Bradman B stuff like that but over LR who are you going to put yeah no well yeah well CR was unbelievable yeah and you know LOL gives you the X Factor so and you need points so now so who compliment L is it is it Hans or is it Moses that’s the question and then are you going to stick with the same bench or do you or do you put um ber I want there cuz he can he can replace a few one of the things about it right there was no utility on the bench and that that kind of I had this thing like I’ve heard it so much straight afterwards oh he didn’t have a utility bench and you know Brad fitler criticized Michael Maguire for not having having a plan for if if your back that’s why remember that time Brad Philip put Daman cook at Center he pic he picked a to as well out of nowhere from the dogs Freddy’s been earthing too much or something so that was the thing but you can’t have a plan doesn’t matter who you replace him with actually if they had had s and COBO on the bench like Billy did you put s Cobo in instead of I know it’s Ain like that’s a master well hold on he was probably not even going to go there to play fullback exactly he was going to play through the middle because that’s what they would have needed and if there was a and if there was a injury then he gets put out the back yeah exactly it’s like so some some the way some people look at it is going like I just shake your head but it’s no plan could be made for a player getting sent off in the 10th I bet you they wen’t thinking R is going to leave the field yeah EX that was I’m sure Billy slid was nothing that was the joke I made like you got every in the new South WS team you got like all right s is Off the Bench off the field at 10 and so we’ll have a foot back on the bench and over in the other things Billy SL has gone yeah Reese wall should be off after 8 minutes yeah like well this is the thing and you got Murray coming back for sou this week oh yeah actually so like oh he could have a Blinder and and so you know you got there you know he’s a tough player he makes his tackles but is he cam muray I don’t I don’t think so that’s the other side you don’t really want to make too many changes like you know as is like think he’s going to be loyal to these BS because that’s who he thought and the circumstances of that first game he’s just going to discard but you know it’s certainly on the line now where if they don’t then we’re gone but even with you know even with Jake because he’s the captain like you can’t get rid of him and like cuz I would have put yoi the front row yeah well because Le you got Le you you got a bit of ball playing out he came on and played a lot of minutes yeah and so that was like so weird Jake trovich as a captain goes off doesn’t play any more minutes come was Unreal like his legs speed and you could see that he was the best forward on the field I re he was better than all the Queensland like limited time he played he got he actually apparently came out for injured as well he didn’t he would have had more minutes yeah but he was hurt and that was like so my my thoughts as the fan not the expert is the only people that would be replaced is Dylan Edward comes in because he was the first choice anyway the only reason he wasn’t there was cuz he was injured and it could have been like you know he for Teddy to come in Queensland had to give permission anyway because Teddy wasn’t in the original 20-man Squad right okay so Dy Cherry EV said like it was it was up to him and Billy to decide whether they could New South WS could play Teddy otherwise it’s from the the 20 men Squad yeah right okay so Teddy was not First Choice Champion player but Dylan Edwards was first choice he’ll be back hopefully You’ know more than me um so he’d go in and then niik Hines versus Mitch Moses is what you have this week what happens this week you know like yeah if Mitch Moses has the best game of his life tomorrow of course you’re going to pick him over hind Loui stays um some people are saying L should be dropped and Burton should go to 58 um but I I yeah I don’t I don’t agree with that like what L the performances he showed for penth playing halfback over the last you know three four weeks or whatever it is and Nathan hasn’t been there has been like been it’s it’s actually showed that he can play half look at what he put on the Sharks after that game after that game was the West hogers I was going you thinkk yeah because we just we just outlay 1.2 and we need a halfback yeah we need a halfback so they do and and they show that you know but also he’s doing it in the penous system so that’s the other thing that you still you know cuz the West H system is who knows what’s going on there yeah we were talking about it this morning actually they’re worse this year than they were last year last year at this point in the obviously that they weren’t very good last year but last year at Round 14 they had three wins and the dragons were the bottom of the ladder now the Tigers have only had two at the bottom of the ladder only thing keeping Tigers off the bottom of the ladder for all year has been how bad the rabbit o and Titans are when when you when you go through Seasons where you you know you’re not performing or the team’s not performing and you know it’s hard you I’ve been there like it’s it’s it’s ugly like you don’t it’s it’s not something that plays en Joy like and and it’ be interesting to see if there’s you know little snickering you know behind the coach’s back little groups of blogs because that’s what happens you know and that’s until you get rid of all that garbage and get everyone buying into what the coaches is delivering and blocks that need to be called out because they aren’t delivering on what what the coach’s messages are and not being called out by the coach being called out by the players themselves the other play Captain why you doing that mate yeah what why why don’t you want to play in this our system that what what we’re doing and and being being marked by your peers let alone your coach because when when you when a player calls another player out it hurts more yeah because you’re playing next to the bike and I think it’s with West Tigers they just got to get that back to basics I understand you know it seems like they’re like throwing the ball around but you know completions High completions yeah you need to throw the ball around to score points but you need to be able to complete complete as well what and and and you need to be able to defend some errors the you never be able to do that Friday night against the dragons was diabolical it was the only I I dragons fan I was happy with it cuz it was like but they were I was it was so cold at w gong I just say the first half I was think oh they’re they’re up 1412 at half time and then 5414 or whatever 5214 so what’s what’s the head changed at half time then yeah because CU you don’t have those capitulations just on effort there’s got to be a mental there there’s a mental block there or there’s something there where they go out there and they just think it’s going to happen for them Zack LX carved them up like he carved them up and as much as anyone wants to say Zack LX did it is a great player the only reason it’s the same as like the South carved up Titans like Zack LX was able to get his was 32 points because the tigers were so poor he did it like only a superstar player is going to do that like Z like Zack LX but they were so poor we left because it was too cold but also it was boring for me because okay well it’s all changed down Zack LX is just going to kill him it’s it’s unbelievable what’s going on with the Tigers I I can’t well it’s it’s up to the up to every individual of the West tigers as a player when you go out in the field to do absolutely you you have to come off the field and you’re at a standstill you’re you’re you’re that exhausted because you put that much effort into what you know trying to defend trying to do the small things right kick chase you know move from marker cover cover from the inside you know all the all the all those little 1% plays that you need to perform they’re not doing it consistently enough they so they need to actually buy and go well today this is what I’m going to do personally right and if they all do that I’m sure that when the team comes together they’ll they’ll be up perform you can look at the Bulldogs and how they went even this year so they’ve obviously had years of shocking performances they bought into they bought into the system exactly they bought into the system and the first few rounds they look terrible like they really look terrible we were talking about how they looked like a wooden spoon team but then they’ve they’ve been able to get over that like you know exactly what he saying like they’re all buying into the 1centers they’re all making each other accountable look at them now they saying they they’re like one of the they well you look at their defense seven Cam’s known for for his defensive systems and that’s the thing he had players in that system that didn’t want to defend yeah that’s what it was and they got called out and kicked out and and asshol yeah so and then and then bikes a wing him because the trainers too hard and stuff like that well if if that’s what you think you’re not you’re not up to it mate yeah and if if there’s some BLS at West tigers are not up to it because of you know they want to [ __ ] in the background and they want to winge about about this and that well like move on yeah it takes a while to clean out the club yeah like so the Tigers have got it feels like tigers are sitting there and going we’re waiting for next year when Jerome La the worst part is that you got a couple of players now young players that are disgruntled and there’s you know you’ve got the agents going off you know you know there’s obviously there’s a clause and then you know there’s young locky gwn want to leave and you know like at the end of the day that kid is he had he was given an opportunity he played two good games games and now got suspended for 3 weeks weeks and what and now he’s come back and now he’s disgruntled well hold on I didn’t realize that he was playing for Australia yeah it was so ridiculous after one after one good game people were saying that Tigers don’t need L anymore that’s how piss people that’s why I’m giving him the nickname future Immortal Lo Galvin future Immortal if you’re an 18y old kid you just you head down and you perform yeah and you perform because you love you’re there and as a as when I was a young kid I just wanted to play first grade and yes you want to win of course you want to win I come through winning systems like I wonder like 15 years in a row when I was younger like no one likes losing like and that was the biggest thing for me but that’s where you you go out there to perform you go out there and and you make sure that you’re the best player out there every week and if you do that at least then you can look back yourself that you know I delivered today yeah I delivered I delivered today as long as you try and help other BLS around you that’s andless you come off satisfied yeah you’re not satisfied because of the um because you’re lost you’re satisfied because you you you just give your your all out there and that’s and then blogs want to play with you because M he he comes up he comes up every week that blog what do you think it is like so you like that’s the thing we’re hearing like the mo it’s uh I can’t remember the agent’s name the agent is trying to get him out there ISAC Moses yeah that’s it Isaac Moses but what what what what is Isaac what’s Isaac Moses’s what’s the point because where’s he going to go he’s not going to he’s not a million dooll player you know eight weeks ago future Immortal you know like I know it’s find it’s hard to find halves and so forth right um but it to see what system is he going to go and go straight into yeah that’s what I mean like where would he go that he’s so much better than the Tigers for him but also that would like pay him more than the Tigers utilize him better than the Tigers he walk straight into first grade where it’s a hard one because you don’t know what’s getting pushed behind scenes you don’t know the ins and outs which is which is hard you’d love to hear from the kid actually you know his his agents the one who put him under pressure Yeah by you know trying to shop him well and you don’t say you want out if you don’t know where you’re going to go yes idea right so you know that’s sus and he’s been done before so from the league so you know it’s very murky one everyone knows it happens everyone like someone will ring someone never do that would you would you you’re interested oh yes would be interested no one doesn’t that’s against the rules man what are you talking rules what rules why official Harris deal done in 5 days no one does that how they police those rules like come on well it’s a third party and talk a third party oh yeah we’re interested oh yeah okay let’s get yeah goes and talks the old man talk the old man it’s that’s one of the things I was discussing like uh earlier was um around that player contract though because for me the the contracts all seem to be really heavily fa in the favor of the club because the club has control right so the club says to you if the other way around Club said to you you free to negotiate with someone else and you say I don’t want to they don’t have to play you they can sit you in reserve grade or whatever and the same way you go to the club and say I want to look for someone else yeah it’s a two-way street there and that’s the other side to it where clubs do it to players yeah that’s what I mean like com with the players oh 100% And and that’s and that’s where with like he saying he wants out okay well he wants out and then the club’s going well we’re not doing it because we want you so and they got the right to go you’re not going anywhere and so and if and and and really if they want to be Pricks about it they go we’ll just sit you in Reser we won’t play we won’t play for two years the club the club can ruin the players I don’t think it’s ever happened that I know of the club can ruin the players’s career but the player can’t ruin the club in anyway although there’s the what’s the one somebody suing someone at the moment I can’t remember somebody suing the Bulldogs uh the the wrestling guy because he got train too hard yeah and then he’s he’s can’t get a club no one will hire of course he’s a s yeah why would you want he’s still want them for projected earnings of $4 million or whatever he’s never going to win but Bulldog are surely just settle to make it go away that’s yeah but it’s you know like you as a as an NRL player you know what’s required of you you know what how hard you you need to train to be at that level yeah and if you don’t you’re going to get you’re going to get hurt yeah that’s my thing around the training right so you went to wrestling at SM and Grange Rob Robert Whitaker’s gym um the day after that lawsuit was announced was public holiday and I went to Jiu-Jitsu and I trained I did 2 hours of sparring solid I’m a 43y old unfit I can do 2 hours you should be sing somewh yeah exactly and but he couldn’t do whatever it was 15 minutes of rounds like it’s you know like it’s it’s it’s to me it just sounds like a money group yeah well that’s it so we we there’s always the mental anguish thing right they always have the mental anguish you can’t make lot of mental um things you can never never know but hold on the difficulty of the training you can never bring that into question we’ll take that to the welfare officer that you that you that you have issues in the first place and then they’ll they’ll get they’ll get dealt with and our all clubs don’t turn up late and then all of a sudden you know you you complete the session yes you get mangled because you’re late and you had to wrestle everyone I get it you would have been your ass would have been hanging out right it’s not easy stuff going to come late again and and and you won’t come late again and you’ll make sure that you you’re early I don’t understand why people think oh I’ll just lob in the training like 15 minutes before you should know what time you you need to be there and you get there and you get yourself prepared and so that’s the Brandon Smith thing is he’s not playing this week because he’s been dropped because he didn’t turn up to a plan reading the next day see and he’s one of the things about Brandon Smith is he’s got a lot of like little controversies in his past but he’s taken ownership of it he said I should have checked the schedule I assumed cuz they normally have the day off after a game I assumed we had the day off we didn’t all I had to do was check the schedule and set my alarm I didn’t check the schedule I didn’t set my alarm I missed up my fault yeah well I yeah it’s it’s certainly a short cross a be from The Roosters to war te so it’ll interest to see what what Maneuvers they make but they’re losing a lot of quality players and then if you lose him as well it’s only if they got someone in mind to they’re struggling to sign people actually at the moment they you don’t normally see it right the roosters Uncle Nick Uncle Nick never has problems want someone he will get someone they didn’t get I can’t remember a few there was a few of them this year yeah they didn’t get I think he was just trying to pop up his casat that was the weirdest thing ever man like definitely not he made a public statement definitely not going to the roosters next day I’m going to the roosters next day I’m staying at the Titans wouldn’t bother what a waste of time yeah it was so bizarre and it it just does you as a player you’d be doing your heading like thinking oh you know and was what was he maneuvering for like was it just out just a cuz he he had the extension yeah he it was in his in his favor he got to choose yeah so what what was he it was so bizarre no one will never know what actually happened there seriously and so what what do you think of Billy dropping him from origin actually he’s picking David F well then what Billy does he picks the the players that that he watches and he watches closely and he’s very astutely he’s he knows what he wants in the team and if the BLS aren’t doing those small things right that make a footballer a great footballer who consistently do these small things on a on a regular basis he don’t pick him it’s as simple as that and David hasn’t shown the same same as what he did last year yeah he’s um I think he’s been underperforming at the Titans but it’s just the Titans have been underperforming as well yeah but even if they’re underperforming David is a player that should be the best player on the field consistently for that team yeah you can’t use it as an excuse just cuz your team sucks doesn’t mean that you should suck yeah and and I don’t believe it like I don’t give you know E A me player and all this like he’s a me player because they’re willing to pay him me yeah yeah absolutely that’s all it is but he’s a he’s a he’s a very good player but with a bloke with that ability and the size and all the rest of it he should be playing at a consistently high level where you know he’s regarded as the best player on that team yeah because he he has the ability to do it who is the best player in the Titans actually well turn up but he’s injured yeah true because because at least he does it consistently yeah he consistently does it at a high level yeah he would he was a walk into the Queens an of course he was you know then unfortunately got well yeah got injured um so all right back to the New South Wales team right so um what about the forwards and the bench rotation we talked about a little bit but is there changes there you would make you would think they should make um um yeah it’s a it’s a it’s a tough one it’s a tough one cuz they all played well that’s a thing you know when they were on the field they did they yeah this I would go I would put yoi the front row um Hudson young would come off McInnis would come off depending on how cam Murray plays cam Murray comes out and just brains it quick play balls and all the rest of it they and South B Broncos I’d have camaray in there and I’d have I’d have Berto on the on the bench yeah cuz he can cover back in halves and in if he has to I’ll put Jake back I back Jack I’ll put jacke back on the onto the bench yeah that’s like just because I think it’s I think with OE you get more there’s bit more ball playing out of him because he can play ball he can ball play a prop yeah and then you got Camari at lock yeah yeah C just it was so disappointing Camari was out that’s the thing like cuz he would have been a you know like C mckinness was machine in the way of defensively but he you know I think C us him more yeah simple as that well I cuz CU there was no utility on the bench it seemed like cam mckinness was going to be the utility if they needed a replacement in you couldn’t put him out the centers yeah and that was it right like that was the the thing like they that is not a good cover player that’s not a good cover tactic and it came to that like they first they tried Angus kryon in the centers and that was a massive face then they had to swap Steven Kon over to the other side yeah yeah but they can’t you can’t expect a second roller um to play in The Centers like there’s not many second RS can playing the yeah I can B Scott yeah that’s about it different game yeah not different game but you know like the speed is is gone to another level like B is just a mad tougher tougher St yeah that that whole the dragons whole thing was just purely on defense anyway they they wanted back rowers in the center to defend not to attack he went for season I think almost two seasons without scoring a try from Center you know so it was it’s not realistic like you said cuz all they’re going to do is just tackle the crap out of everything and yeah then what’s going to happen well I’ll give you a m te now if if if they all play well this week I it’ll be Dylan and then be L Max and and to and then uh CR and and Latrell Lui and Moses K Murray um Lam Martin um cron then you got H R Robson and Yi that’s me starting and then um how does appy get back in the team there’s a Tik Tok conspiracy can’t get back into because West tiger are [ __ ] diabolical yeah there’s a Tik Tok conspiracy he didn’t get pick cuz M hates the tiget N I love Tik toks because man so all social media seriously I get deep into Flat Earth and you know the moon landing was fake and Happ M hates the Tigers issues yeah no it’s nonsense yeah he he can’t cuz the Tigers just suck that’s that’s the real reason the tigers are just terrible and you can have guys like he’s the basically their best player every week but they are so bad yeah but but he’s their best player but then he’s doing a lot of things wrong but to you know he’s missing a lot of tackles CU he’s like he’s he’s doing so much work and you know like he’s some of his options aren aren’t as crisp as what they have been because you know he’s trying to do too much now he’s playing halfback this week yeah that’s you know what I mean like so yeah’s he’s on a Harding and nothing and so bad for him what about Queensland I Queensland but what about Queensland so they’ve lost ree B that’s it right yeah he’s out he’s what what he he’s just not playing this oh he’s not playing this week so he’ll be back and they’ll be exactly the same yeah he’s just inj um because he’s got that 11-day concussions stand down yeah they got the things that what they have do is they got a lot of speed in there and they got a lot of place who can who can create yeah and that’s you know and that’s the thing that got us you know Terry Evans you know honey d off very Grant at the backw at the back like you know like they they got a lot of creativity in that that team and they very dangerous Ben Hunt Harry Grant alternation combo thing is just works like a tree yeah you know and honey at his age like you know seems like he’s across the board like even Cherry Evans they’re probably I don’t think they they played better football no and that’s you always wait for as new South Welshman we always wait for the queenslanders to retire but it’s takes forever and then another guy with the sports science that that these boys got today you know consistently and then guys at 34 35 you know I think Honey’s 33 or something like that they’re playing unbelievable football they want to resign him till 2026 at the dragons and he’s open to it now so we I was at a dragons event recently and um Ryan web the CEO said they’ve got the one of the best hookers in the league playing at seven when he plays at hook of Queensland he’s Ben hun is ridiculous um well cuz what happens is when you play hooker it simplifies your game even more you don’t have as many options as playing as a half and maybe that’s condu you to it but he’s certainly a great number seven as well yeah absolutely like um he’s a lot of bitterness in the dragons because of all the stuff in dragons fans because of all the stuff last year about him coming out and literally saying I don’t want to be at this club anymore yeah but that’s got that what that’s got nothing to do with you know the the fans like it’s it’s a it’s a work environment for him yeah know and he and if you’re not happy in your work environment even though it’s a football team and now you know obviously what Fen has done he’s done a great job there he’s made some he’s made some changes he’s got some better players that that come in they’re in the market and now he’s happy why because they’re winning some games like it’s it’s not rock just outside the eight you know and but because he’s such a such a uh predominent player they need him to to bring BLS yeah yeah yeah so and then if they sign in for another couple of years well hold on well yeah it’ll be he’s signed until the end of 2025 now and then they just want to extend him for one more year which he’s open to according to the news reports you look at retire you look at the across the board so you got Nathan at penth Moses at parameter um Sammy Walker roosters Cherry evans’s Manley um Brisbane you got um Reynolds there yeah Reynolds he’s injured now yeah he’s injured um Sean Johnson over the Warriors hindy at at sharks um Melvin have got Jerome jome like you need those blogs you need and then you look at the Titans who haven’t really got anyone no I feel bad for the Titans at the moment the bo Tigers haven’t got anyone you know like when you and you you look at those can really you know Toby seon’s in he’s he’s going okay yeah well since he came cuz he was out and since he came in they’re playing better playing better because he’s more of a halfback yeah you know he’s more a Phil mentioned recently that they’re trying to turn Blake Taff into a half um so well hold on you try to I what a what a negative that is for Toby SE then it’s a bit weird to say that kicking in the gut because they all young as a fullback and I’ll just make him into halfback yeah cuz he cuz they bulldogs were bad well not going well and then Blake tff got injured and uh I can’t remember the name of the guy that came up um and then they started playing well yeah um and then now that yeah that was one of the comments that Phil good apparently made where full back’s been good yeah I can’t remember his name I always forget his name but the Bulldogs are ridiculously young as well that’s the thing so that’s why it’s really harsh on Toby seon because he’s so young and so his expectation and you’d think in he’s M I’m going to be here for a long time we’re winning now we’re in the eight it’s possible for them to finish the four at the end of this round which is meaningless but still saying that what what it does do there’s they’re fighting positions yeah and that makes it good for the team so that’s what could be that’s I was going to get to that could be the mentality field goal’s actually looking for now you Gus isn’t known to play with you guys heads you know now T’s going to go like I’m going to prove on the half forever you know he probably the best in the business to do it you know what I mean and if it gets if it gets the right U result well yeah he’s a master master stri the only thing that’s going to sa the Tigers is if Phil gold moves from the Bulldogs to the [Laughter] Tigers about two or three million there I don’t think there’s anything that can save the Tigers honestly um go so I sent you before the thing we got two main questions that people want to know um one of them is around Ricky Stewart right so Ricky Stewart has been a coach for since 2002 2003 20 22 years right he’s won one Premiership which was his debut year with the roosters since then he’s made I think it’s four grand finals and not won any of them very inconsistent in his win percentage and recently in the course of two days Brad Arthur who has a better record than Ricky Stewart was sacked uh Brad Arthur made a premier Grand final two years ago lost to the Panthers and Ricky short was resigned for a further five years y in the fan sentiment in the internet on Reddit and stuff like that people rate Ricky Stewart as the most overrated coach it’s it’s actually funny because the tie between him and Trent Robinson whereas all players ex players current players and media rate Ricky Stewart as one of the best coaches in Rec a couple of weeks ago there was a news article where one of one journalist was saying the best coaches in the league enlisted Craig Bellamy Wayne Bennett and Ricky Stewart as a massive outcry on the internet like so what is it about Ricky Stewart that players and so on ra him so highly but fans ra him so lowly um I think sometimes the way sticky comes across you know in press conferences and so forth but if you look at what he does you know I had a couple of run into with sticky when he was coaching the roas we had a lot of expies thrown at each other on the sideline but um we and we beat him that time too so was great but uh you know and I I had him coaching when in state of origin you know he’s very passionate he knows his stuff you know he’s very player driven because he’s he’s been a player um and he he just fights for the you know fights for the death with with his players like he he he’s in the trenches with you and you know that the Loyalty there from your coach is with you um you know if you step out of line he he he pulls you up on it um and people don’t sort of see that other side to Sticky you know obviously you just see him blowing up and the rest of it and he speaks his mind but it’s always for the players it’s all it’s always for the club you know putting the club first and obviously in CRA they they’ve had a a really good season this year and you know thinking that they lost Jack whon and they they’ve brought some young kids through and he’s getting getting the best out of him so and the club like what he’s doing um then you I don’t know what he does from you know obviously underneath for Grassroots and and all the rest of it how much he’s over over all that sort of stuff but as a as a player that’s played under under this he’s he’s he’s a wonderful coach and you know and you want him by your side really because you know he’s been there and done it he’s been there done it as a coach yeah he’s he’s won a grand final there’s a lot of coaches out there have never won a grand final so um and he’s he’s burn around the mark but sometimes you need the you need the players too you need the players to be successful um so as a coach you can become successful so um I think a lot goes into the those wind Ross loss ratios but you you can have a couple of down down years and ratio gets blown out a bit you know it’s when was at the eels they were terrible like that drops your ratio down a lot yeah you know that’s a thing not because of him I’m just saying like that brings your win loss ratio down a lot because Terri course it does and then you look at um about Arthur well what’s happened there like it’s just seems like they’ve just made a snap decision you know he didn’t he had moot Moses and G for half the year one of that thing they they had their three best players Bryce cart r clink gson and Mitchell Moses hadn’t been on the field together since round three the first time they’re on the field together since round three they won the game yeah well and I think they a bit quick to they could have just done it at the end of the year yeah like did they seriously think that they’re going to sack him and then baz’s going to take over and then B is going to take him to the end of the semi-finals that’s what it seemed like like it was so bizarre whoever’s running that joint there’s got to be something wrong with him as well because how they come up with that thought pattern where his his best players haven’t been in the team and they’ they’ve struggled and then all of a sudden they they come back in and then they they win you know and then they were inconsistent the week later so I don’t think that’s been because of Trent no it was so bizarre it was such a bizarre it came out of nowhere we expected um like at the end of the year depending on how paramural went you know cuz it would have been 2 years in a row if they missed the eight it would have been 2 years in a row end of the year any club misses the eight 2 years in a row the club does a review yeah but they’ve had a bit of [ __ ] going on too with the 5’8 um he got you know obviously he’s little IND discretion the year before and he was out and theyve had a few circumstances and you need everything to go right for you you know you can’t have injuries like or you got have minimal injuries like when we W in the Grand Final in 03 I think we used like 22 players like the cool players were there that’s one of the stats that always comes up like always it’s because you got your best players on the field consistently and that’s a big thing and when you have some other like stuff going on with the off field stuff and that that that URS you chances too manate yeah like the players and coaches always say oh we don’t pay attention to what happens off the field but coincidentally the team we [ __ ] off the field always seems to go down yeah it’s just yeah don’t worry I’ll be in there like Ricky Stewart in particular right so he’s he’s about to become the longest serving coach without without a yeah for CRA but also without a Premiership like another Premier ship like so and for most clubs it’s like two or three years Max without a Premiership or you know a consistent performance they change the coach but Ricky Stewart seems I know camur you got to change you don’t just change a coach because there there certain certain sex circumstan to that so if you CH if you change are you going to get someone in better or has there been circumstances around where they’ve landed and stuff like that you know there’s been injuries players left you know they’re bringing young kids through now you know and it’s also hard to get players top one players go to Camp yeah you know usually playing overs or or what so or they’re from England or they’re from England or or whatever it is so you know I think consistently they’re a hard team to beat yeah and they’re you know and it shows and don’t get me wrong because they they’ve got some inconsistencies they get dished up but um you know especially with the young kids in there but now like I think he’s he’s done he’s done he’s done a fair job without being great and they made the final the Grand Final well when the like win that yeah you know um and um did then they’ made the finals twice since then or they made the finals last year but fell out but they they had a really bad end of season last year yeah um they were going really well on the back end of the season they just lost like yeah but look look where they’re running now yeah like I didn’t expect that I thought they’d come like 14th or something everyone thought they were going to after the end of last year really thought they would you know like he’s done a great job this year with with what he’s got yeah you know and I one of the other things I actually had somebody else tell it’s it’s which I don’t think is true but I want to get your opinion on um was It’s probably hard to get a coach to coach CRA but there’s so many people who want to be coaches I don’t think that’s true because you know if you’re if you’re a coach you you want to coach it doesn’t matter where it’s at because it’s it’s in your blood and yeah well that’s why I use like Nathan Brown went to England and New Zealand you know like you go a coach will go anywhere and there’s so many coaches looking for a chance the cash is right yeah exactly exactly players is different but coaches is no so okay so that thanks for that second one is around um referee because you last time you were on we talked about refereeing and people actually commented about how um good your insights into refereeing was were were um and Ashley Klein in origin had like in my opinion and I had a big rant about it one of the worst referee pering performances I’ve ever seen seriously he um there was the tackle on James Tesco that was just a penalty and nothing that was terrible the hip drop on spenc elenu that was the injur he got injured from that as well no sin bin but every other hip drop in the universe was a sin bin he missed the fact that ree Walsh was knocked out for two plays yeah it’s almost it was almost a minute um but the NRL rates him as the best referee he seems to get all of the biggest games and again fan sentiment on the internet and so on rate him as actually the worst referee yeah in the olden days when Bill harrian um I think it was on Triple M he actually like was really vocal about how much he didn’t like Ashley kin as a referee so from you we want to know like what do why do you think the NRL thinks Ash Klein is the best referee whereas everyone else doesn’t because in someone’s opinion in there they like him that’s all it comes down to they rather him over someone else and it’s someone’s opinion that’s and that’s how our games done especially when you’re young kid coming through it’s it’s someone’s opinion of you as a player that gives you the opportunity and it’s and it’s someone’s opinion of you that don’t give you the opportunity it’s the same same thing but um you know I think Adam G is the best referee me too he refed the Grand Final last year why did he get the Grand Final and not the origin nobody knows for whatever reason and then but you you think that the league would come out and actually give the reasons why yeah they never do anything about they because is someone’s opinion and you you want to know what how how have you come up with that opinion when you got someone else sitting there that’s done this and done that and all the rest of it you know he made some poor decisions the other night are they going to go with him again probably yeah probably I I don’t know I don’t really understand how like obviously like you said it’s there someone’s opinion but I don’t really understand how the NRL goes on and on in the media about how the game is for the fans and they want they they’re doing whatever the changes they make for the fans but it seems to fans what they actually I see people make this point all the time on the internet cuz that’s that’s one of the things I do I research fan sentiment right they make the point the changes that they make and the decisions that they make are in no way ever going to bring anyone into the game like any new fans to the game like some of the rule changes and stuff like that but they will definitely make other F like current fans stop watching the game and it seems to happen so much things like that short Dropout rule that nobody liked um like no that’s not going to bring in any new fan no new no person is sitting out there going I kind of like rugby league oh now that they’ve changed the Dropout rule I’m going to start watching rugby league but a lot of people were like I don’t want to watch this [ __ ] anymore this is so stupid well let do there and Ashley so Ashley Klein is like one of those decisions where like he he broke that game the other day and no one’s going to sit there and go oh Ashley Klein had a good game I might start watching but also with that he that Ashley Klein is getting determined by the bunker yeah right so he the bunker in there so much this’s out cold he’s been hit in the head send him that’s what they’re saying now everyone hates the bunker I don’t know if this is controversial or not but in players contracts I would like to see because they’re so worried about litigation right that’s why all this stuff in I I’d like to see in there saying um some sort of Cl in regard to concussions and all the rest of it the the league will pick up the that’s me that’s over there but the they would pick up the the the medical bills of older players down the track yeah and there’s You’ be suspect to um head knocks and it’s either you agree to sign on to it and you waver so you can’t so you can’t sue them right and it’s up to you as a player if you want to play that sport yeah um I know that some Combat Sports organizations have that that in there because obviously Combat Sports get punched in the head over and over and over again because in in our game things happen and I understand the League’s doing everything they can to to to negate that but they’ll never be able to completely get it out of the game def because we’re at a high speed Collision Sport and think and people like ree Walsh slip over and gets one in the head yeah you can there was a many years ago Michael Wayman hit somebody really really hard good tackle and they fell to the ground I was when to play for the dragons and their head hit the ground so hard they were knocked unconscious right and then you know they were about to put Michael Wayman on report but then the video showed it come on and that’s the thing like no matter as you say no matter what happens even if they made it so everybody had to always bend over B their back bend over and could only tackle around the legs someone can hear someone’s head can hit the ground no matter what they do well hold on but even as a tackler you go in and and do a proper tackle and in that Split Second the bloke moves and you hit his hip and he knocks out yeah that’s when you mentioned the head Clash before you know like um the Taylor May yeah Taylor may I can’t even remember which may it is Taylor May so that happened a couple of years ago in a Sharks game I remember where that was like the first occurrence I can remember of a plane player getting put on report or S bin for accidental head clash and I thought to myself then I talked about a lot what if it was your teammate cuz that happens two going in for a tackle and the head Clash who gets put on report for that yeah and that’s it’s completely accidental yeah exactly no one’s going into head headbutt anyone like I’m telling you that now especially that fors broke me nose and and you know all the rest of it like I can’t believe they it’s not a fun thing I can’t believe they would have that was the really like one of those situations where I hate this game now because an accidental head Clash should never be something that that is put on report that is it’s not the ownest of anyone to prevent it actually because teammates accidentally do it to each other I’ve even seen I saw it like a few weeks ago a highlight of two attacking players accidentally head crashing so the guy with the ball and then you know they come in to help push and as he comes in he slips in the head clut it was in a low grade so who gets put on report for that yeah even the other stuff with the you know you know when back to the origin sort of stuff when you see when they promote the game and then they promote all the fighting yeah like you going hold on you can’t even do that now yeah like I just thinking even the other day when rud man was M off the CCI I think and he went he went to the bin I would have put one on his chin because least you go well you go to the bit anyway so what’s the difference Le least at least you putting in I like the thing right is The Grubby the grest play it’s and you know like Joey was I don’t think he looked too good when hea was shut uping that’s like Joey saying that’ll never happen in the olden days because you get one put on you that’s right um and that’s funny I fighting right but you know it’s you know it’s we G to we’ve gone to a stage now and and with all this how the world’s getting is that you can’t do it right fair fair enough but um you know I think we’re just we we’re trying to make the game as safe as possible but end end of the day our game is not safe no it’s not it’s it’s not safe in the way of you know people can get knocked out yeah and that’s my my other sport that I really love is MMA and I that’s when people say they should make these changes in rugby league I I said to them like it’s not s exactly that it’s not safe people get hit hard why aren’t you chasing boxing in MMA to take away punches because it’s the same thing it’s part of the game tackling hard is part of the game accidental head clust is part of the game it just is and you can change the game as much as you want but those things will still be part of the game otherwise it’s not the game otherwise it’s you know touch football o tag there are other games if you don’t like it go watch the other games well that’s the thing now like when you’re playing up and in defense now you just running to touch them I touched him well you know all that oh we like they want to take away the kickoff that’s that’s that is cuz you know in the NFL I don’t know if you watch much NFL but the because the ball is a different shape M dead anyway so they little touch back and then they come back up they can outrun the ball in the NFL um from a punt and the punt returner cuz I have a specific guy for it can put his hand up and take a knee and he’s not allowed to get tackled yeah and but they’re going to play from there do their first down from there or whatever no I get that but but usually it’s not contested so no like I don’t want the rugby league to be like go watch another game if you want to take the the NL never they never run and try and catch the ball definely and I I don’t understand why they changed it it was changed to be like that yeah right so that was the thing it was cat as a safety thing so they can they can catch the ball and run but but no one’s really getting pumped in in they have the choice which they do in the NFL the the punt returner can make the choice I don’t want to get tackled yeah and so that’s that’s what they want to do in in rugby league they want to make it like that and if you want to do if you want to make it like that instead of changing my game that I love so much as a fan go and watch a game that has that there are other games because you’re not going to MMA and saying take out the punches yeah you know they don’t change the only you know the only rules they change in MMA they change them to make them more violent so they have the down down rule where if you have um you’re not allow to in in the UFC you’re not allowed to kick a person in the head if they’re down down Al Sterling who was your used the champion used to do this thing where he’ put his hands on the ground as you’re trying to kick so you can’t kick yeah right and it’s like he’s he’s gaming rules so they changed it now you’re not all to intentionally do that or you get kicked in the head yeah that’s the thing you just they just F loopholes yeah exactly and so you can’t they shouldn’t change the game to make it like I hate to use the word softer but safer um but they should change rules to to cancel loopholes I think but I don’t think they need to change the rules they just need to close that loophole there’s a lot of the thing about the game at the moment there’s every year there’s there’s changes yeah and for me like when you do the Dropout now it’s just play the ball what why stupid I hate it so much [ __ ] I hate it so much you just you you’ve just made a foul pretty much because you kick the ball out in the fall or it’s gone short or it’s a penalty like it’s not just play the ball it’s so stupid like because then you just do it because you know there’s an option but you don’t get penalized for it I bet you don’t do it if it’s like 98 and you go you go short and you missed you going long aren’t you it’s it’s there was no I don’t no one was complaining about that even this old disrupted [ __ ] well just because you stick your arm up in the air it’s only because it’s the line of sight so trying to make him they’re all somebody one of the I’ve heard on the radio everyone is chasing the ball until they realize they can’t catch the ball and then they marking them in you know no one is running to disrupt they’re all trying to get the ball and they realize [ __ ] I can’t get the ball now I’ve got to mark my man they’re not barking it’s not [ __ ] handball but who car if they are yeah and that’s that’s the other thing like why does it matter about cuz you’re trying to make him make a mistake yeah why why does it matter it’s if they’re jumping up and tackling the person in the air yeah fair enough it’s against the rules rules but me jumping up and waving my hands or getting in the way as long as I don’t touch her I don’t know who come up with that one yeah this this is the thing like cuz they have the rules committee right with there some I don’t know who’s on it now but I know that Wayne Bennett and Trent Robinson used to be on it I don’t know Sur they’re not on it now I don’t know it it was so unfair it was so unfair just them being on it because they get the rules changes months in advance to when it gets released to the club that was the biggest issue everyone’s biggest issue with it why wouldn’t it just go out to all club and I don’t understand no one was complaining about every Club should be notified to come in because these are rules explain for sure this is and they should say like what do you think of these rules and other clubs should go that is [ __ ] stupid the 10minute out one is i’ probably never change any rules because that be all BL up the 10 re Dropout one is terrible like it just made they already had the seven tackle set and then now they have the the the Dropout team can recover the ball so easily and so you have look at like Melbourne they’ve clearly like Ryan paperhouse and and Xavier coats have clearly practiced it in the offseason they are ridiculous ridiculous back so like there was a game where Melbourne had to do like five dropouts in the game earlier in the year it was when p and hen was in and all five of them they got back yeah so what all that effort that the attacking team put in to get a repeat set they’re not getting repeat sets anymore well that’s you know that’s the thing like it’s it’s changing that game well you got to score you kick him the score instead of just going yeah but then it’s a double s you if you they get caught then you go seven tackle yeah exactly that’s the problem so you know what the best option is now get tackled run the ball and get tackle that’s what they do tackle in the corner that’s the best option cuz you got to go 100 and that’s the that’s actually the worst option you know that’s the one that that you don’t want but they’ve made the games I can’t understand who thought that was a good idea what was the thought process who was complaining about it and like I said before I’ve heard it raced so many times no one is sitting outside the game and going I’m a bit of a rugby League fan and now that they’ve changed this rule I’m going to start watching it more yeah no it’s it’s it’s the product itself way you you know people come to watch because it’s the physicality of it you know um and then there’s so much skill the BLS are bigger they’re athletes you know that’s why they that’s why you watch the game you don’t watch it because of rules exactly it’s bizarre it’s you know um and you know now if they they backtrack and change it again it’ll just be even stupider oh I don’t think they’ve ever done that or they changed the two three you’d rather go f up and go we made mistake there yeah every fan would and you know what I think I think if um they did something like that other people again like people who were like just on the cast go oh cool they changed it back I’m more interested in watching now and you’ll get fansy when I don’t want to watch this [ __ ] anymore come back so I I don’t know why I hate that so much anyway um tip for origin who do you think is going to win well we don’t know the teams but so um yeah I want I wanted to win because it makes it makes for the series and then you they have the opportunity to get up there and I understand that the you know I don’t know if it’s been done losing the first one to win the next two I think it’s back in but it’s it’s we looked up the stat recently so it’s it’s all about the mo main thing it’s all about the Queensland so New South Wales out of 11 times they’ve had to do it yeah they’ve only done it twice cuz going on to Queensland winnings then I as I said was it’s a great opportunity for the team um you know they just got all got to buy back in you know he’s M got to pick the picky side and you know get the victory down in Melbourne and let’s let’s go up there for uh game three yeah what do you think of the Melbourne what like the have you ever been to the MCG to watch a rugby league game uh we played we played the origin in 2006 where um uh we got bat in the last [ __ ] don’t worry that happened to everyone who’s ever played origin for New South WS I think if you went to every single New South walls fire they’d say have you ever been beaten in the last 5 minutes [ __ ] that’s when they went on their run to Fu so what a night 2006 the end of beginning yeah so it’s end of the day you need to showcase the game and a lot of people from Sydney go down there and yeah also you know like I don’t like when they play rugby league in the circle Fields I I get that but it it’s 9,000 yeah and that’s that’s the flip side of it like and you know it’s it’s it’s not the same as you know like I play a s with 880,000 and they’re on top here like it’s I get it you know CU they’re so far away but still have 90,000 there it would be great spectacle yeah it’s um I’ll I’ll be watching on TV anyway so I don’t really care I want to try and go but I don’t know like it might be end up all right thanks for that man it was really good um always for pleasure and we’ll have you back on soon and I’m going to get your origin team off you for social media just make it make it make it up mate you tell me and your tips thanks everybody um yeah so bye [Music] he