What's the matter, daddy, You're not yourself at the moment, you know, like you know, I'm just a little bit sad.

I tear.

What could really pick my mood up?

Could?

What do you want to know?

I'll do anything.

Do you really want to know?

Yes, I want people to hit subscribe, Hit that subscribe button.

It's going to really elevate my spirit.

If the people respect you as a man and as a as a medium mogul in Australia, I'm sure they will do.

It well, I hope.

So it takes me back to my own excellence.

How good was that that weekend?

That was horny rugby league?

Which would that be?

Both games were good, but I mean the Broncos.

It's so this final series has been so frisky.

Oh this is I think this is as horney as rugby league has ever been.

It's as horny as I describe it as horny as yeah, and honey is what horney?

Just as you know, we just leave it at that horny goat weed.

Cornyed horney.

As you remember, what's your favorite horny animal?

Not as in sex drivee as in with a horn I'll go first, rhino love.

I think you rhino is such a justic beasts in South Africa and being around the presence of such a beast that at one drop of a hat, it could kill you if it one or two.

But it chose not to the.

Black rhino and the white rhino because in the white rhina, it isn't called the white rhino because it's white.

It's called the white rhino because it was a misinterpretation because it's got a wider jaw.

Supposed to be wide rhino.

And then they decided to white rhino because actually we're going to get the white rhino on in a few minutes.

Christian Welsh, which he's known as the white Rhino, he gave himself that nickname the white rhino fun fact for u Rays because white runners are almost extinct, like they're the most endangered species of rhino.

And he considers the rhino an animal that is synonymous with the front rowers, and he thought that the white front rower was being endangered given that he was surrounded by mainly Polynesian front rowers, so he called himself the white rhino.

Yeah, and then the boys quickly pivoted and changed that because they thought rhino's quite tough and they changed his nickname to the Sea Cow.

The okay the jew go.

Yes as a young since he was inverted commas medically retired.

But we'll ask you.

We'll ask you.

I'm not sure, but Ras mend good to have you back in.

This is our last preview episode, so you know where this leaves you.

Raise in terms of rental houses, like whether Dad's going to allow you to keep staying in the garage.

I'm not sure.

Men, you can stay in the garage.

Mate, Yeah, I really appreciate it in hard times.

So it's been it's been great.

Being here, mate, Ras.

Listen, our garage doors always open you.

It doesn't look.

It doesn't block.

Our garage is your garage.

Yeah, it's right.

Tell you what we did.

Me and Ras on the weekend had a good time.

We went down and had Japanese together because everyone was away and Jesus was good Japanese.

We had sashimi, takoshimi, tark Kintara.

Younestly people, if you're Coolroyd, you must go to Kintaro.

Yeah, we're really like specific to our audience.

But if you're ever passing Choloro and it is doesn't take walking, so you make sure you book go there.

But the sashimi tacos, she's that good.

Yeah, unbeaten.

I think the only two sort of feeds that you get at the moment are Alimento's and Kintaro A couple of.

Doors down people.

If you want, if you want ace, pasta and pizza, go to Alimento's and say gooday to old Mario forus good.

Man, massive manly fan massive, although loves Gothe but he's not happy with some of their recruitment and retention.

He's going to be less happy next year.

And then we watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?

Have you ever seen you ever watched Harry Potter?

Dad, never seen an episode.

Not interested to a movie, but yeah, okay, not interested.

You've got to get give it a chance.

Give it a girl.

You went on the roller coaster in in Diniversal Studios.

That's something that was good.

Yeah, trust me, you won't regret giving it a chance.

Nicol Klokstad.

A clot star clost sorry star.

A bit of controversy with the Grand Final this week.

None bigger than the two day advantage.

You've been a big advocate on saying how big an advantage?

It is that Melbourne have got playing two days earlier.

Watching that game on Sunday Broncos os Penrith.

Where do you sit with it now.

Well, Coop, it is an event.

It's a significant advantage.

I know Madge has done the right thing.

He's come in and said, no, it's garbage.

There's no advantage because of the fact that he doesn't go back to his players and go, you know, and give them like they're under the pump, or give Melbourne any sense that they have got an advantage.

But they have.

It's two days, not just the two days, Cooper, but the nature of the two games, the way they both sides went through.

Melbourne played a Friday night game against Cronulla in coolish conditions down there.

It was a very stop start game.

The tempo was only moderate and you compare that to what happened on Sunday, great next speed, hot conditions against the defending premiers.

Fourteen nil down and find a way to win and the last that last fifteen minutes will last most of the second half.

If you look at both packs for the Broncos and the Panthers, they were gone, just out on their feet.

You had players actually looking to the bench to be replaced.

It has to be an advantage.

Yeah, and I think Melbourne would understand.

They're going to I imagine they're going to play to that advantage in a sense where they're going to try to make the game as physically hard as they can, knowing that Broncos watching that game, knowing that Broncos are going to fatigue a little bit quicker, be a little bit sourer body wise.

When we go into the preview further, we can talk about the impact that the fatigue can have and where Melbourne take advantage of that, but also the X factor.

I want to talk about the Broncos preseason and how important that has booned from them them coming like basically doing two miracle recoveries in their last two outings in the finals, fourteen down, fourteen points down in both games.

We're going to get the jew going on, but we're going to get him because we want to talk about the Stefano comments.

At the start of this week.

Stefano has come out saying he can't wait to run at some of the Broncos players because he doesn't like a few of them.

Thinks they're stuck up.

I love to see it because you're seeing a lot of shit talk in the media and whatnot.

But I love seeing it from a front rower because he's in he's in the middle of the field, he's in the firing.

Like you see it from the spine players who have jabs at people and whatnot because they're sort of the creatives.

But to see it from a bloke whose Stefano is very quiet.

He's a quiet, my nature bloke and he's out there calling out the Broncos pack, I do actually like it.

I do like it, and I like the fact I like the fact that he's gone.

But if the Broncos are presenting themselves as stuck up, I actually like that as well, because that is the old Broncos DNA back in the day when you play the Broncos during their golden ear, Alfhie and Kevy and that even the blokes who carried the water, even Bunny Paul Bunn, who's the recruitment manager now at Melbourne when he was the recruitment guy at Brisbane.

Who the fuck is that bloke and why does he think he's better than normal?

And I will say that he is a part of the the Broncos DNA, Like you said, because you go up to Brisbane, they are lords up there.

You walk around Brisbane City, they've got posters up with the Broncos boys.

Even they come on.

Last they think they think the whole of Australia has posters up of them.

Sometimes even though you go you go to Melbourne, they don't even know who the Broncos are, but there is they do have that swagger about him.

You go up to Brisbane, you play for the Broncos like you are a rock star and that set that's it.

And whenever they're winning comps, that's how they present themselves.

That's part of their DNA.

The fin has probably got the hardest job on the weekend.

You know Pain half so like do anything you can to get in the guy's head and truck win And.

You know, Rasman, I'm not sure if he was talking about pain, but one thing I can guarantee is Michael Maguire will convince Pain that he was.

And I think we've got him on the line here, not Stefano, but we do have another in his mental one of his enforcing front rows, Christian Welch.

How are you buddy, guys?

Great to be on.

I love hearing people talking about front rollers.

Let's get going, mate.

We love players on minimum pay.

Yeah, Welchie as a as a former hard man of the Melbourne Storm had it was.

We're in the middle of talking about Stefano's comments going after the Bronx boys.

Did you love it as much as I did?

I loved it.

I couldn't get enough of it.

But yeah, he's going to be up against it because his past.

Yes, he is eighty minutes straight.

He's ny for all of it.

And there's the reason why the white front roller is our days, the numbered our feet, dwindling looks because the boys he's specific onland, Oh my life, so just so big and powerful.

And then he's got the combination of everything.

He's got the power and the endurance.

So it's going to be one hell of a bad all.

But yeah, I can't wait.

Yeah, you're right.

Well, she like the emergence of the Pacific gold on front rowers, the fact that they've got amazing endurance even though they're about one hundred and twenty kilos plus, they've got great footwork and mobility.

And I look the other day, well she and I was thinking, right, who are the best middle forwards of all time, and I go, well, you know the ones that I've seen, I mean, Arthur Beats.

I never got to see Arthur much, you know, very very little as far as life football.

But you go Glenn Lazarus and then I'll go, right, okay, Talmalola, Adam f Nol, Blake Painhass and well she of course, but you know what I mean, Like it's at the moment we are in like in the midst of the greatest era of middle forwards.

Absolutely, and for my career it has to be hard Graves and Vomits.

Yeah, the ten years they were by far the most dominant front rowers.

And yeah, it's it's really amazing.

And I think he used for some of those you know Toma, Like that's all those teams.

They're just a half away from some real international success.

They've always had a board pack just going to give it a craft of the Well.

I'm telling you now, I sat with it with Isaiah Kattowa two weeks ago when he was on our Sunday Night show.

We watched the Dogs Panthers game.

He's twenty one years of age.

Well, she, he is the smartest footballer I have ever spoken to as far as tactics and everything.

Mate, he was.

He just he blew me away smart.

I know, I know, I knew how I was sitting there Contemplamee said, do I say this out?

But and I immediately went to the blokes at Fox Sports and just said, mate, you've got to sign this kid.

So they put him on last Friday night on the panel Isaiahatawa and he's sitting there with Cooper Krank, Kiaran Forren and braithan Asta and mate, he was.

He was unbelievable, Like talking to they bought.

They were shocked at how good he was.

He will is my prediction, Isaiah Cattell will be the best player of all time when he finishes.

You say this, You say this every week on the It's a big call, but he says every week.

He will be.

He will be the best player of all time.

Welchy, mate, you're you're up.

You're up in Sydney at the moment.

Aren't you coming up to cash in on you know, your former club being in the Grand Final?

What's on?

What's on for the week for you?

Oh?

Just just spreading the sweet sweet word of rugby league, That's all I'm doing.

Yeah, you know, old brother wels down in the you know a fl heartland.

I'm just trying to grow our beautiful game and help us grow down here.

Why not?

But yeah, give the mighty time might have might have helped us get a few catches.

I'm unemployed in a month as well, fellas you know, yeah, yeah, if you know anyone?

Yeah, well, why don't you sell yourself now because we've got We've got a lot of people listening to this when it comes out in the morning.

You have a mower, any any brand, any brands, mate, you want to work with or just anyone that you want to sell yourself to it.

Well, I'm just struggling a bit.

I'll really happening to get on a top tier podcast, maybe Kenty or Buzzers, But I don't know if you've got the I don't know if you've got the audience started, and I.

Should follow you, son of a bit.

I'll tell you what was talking about growing the game in Melbourne?

What about was it your jersey flegg?

Yeah yeah, mate won the Grand Final and full of full of local products.

It just shows you the growth of the game down there due to.

The storm man, I reckon the storm had had a good look at Penrith and just look at that that nursery they've got there.

And obviously how you know, you can replane talent pretty cheap by just developing them in your backyard, you know.

And obviously you've got to do a good job at taking these fifteen sixteen year old to Tournam into first graded.

But that's what Penouthine's so good at.

Obviously I've lost so much guy, so many guys over the years, but they've brought them through.

You love guys like Lindsay Smiths and you know, a whole bunch of them.

Now.

I think the storm a going, hey, look this model of bringing Queensland and this Welshman down it works.

But if we can get them on our doorstep and start producing, and particularly the huge specifica community down there, you know, they're they're not built for AFL fields either, so they're right for the taking.

So we just got to put a bit more resources in, a bit more coaching and development at an earlier age and you will start to see the fruits.

I think, because it is it's probably not good enough to be fair.

I think we've got five or six victween and I think we're twenty six years old.

So there's a long way to go.

But I think Frank Pnie's he's really enjoying us trying to build that out and then having Anol's Cup stand alone team next year.

That's not cheap to do, so the club obviously facing a big emphasis on.

That'll come under the salary cat you reckon well chi.

Yeah, I think having on top of them out and there you don't get the downy and the discussion the other day by how many clubs are then caught cheating the cap right ever since?

But no one like everyone hates the storm for cheating the cap.

I only's been five or six, right, but no.

You're breaking out and you're breaking up.

Well, this is a wind free zone.

I'll tell you what in that Jersey Fleet.

So I've got a half back, special half back through a whit more about him later on.

Well, we were just on the ground final.

We were just talking there about the two days extra recovery and it has to be affected not just the two days well she but the nature of both both games.

I mean the Broncos played that game on the Sunday, steaming hot conditions, break neck speed.

It's it's got to be a factor.

I think I understanding there's just the violence and the physicality of that game.

It definitely was I think up from Friday Night's prelim.

So I think the Storm, you know, they'll be liking, they'll be well rested, but they need to go to that level of the penwith Bronx games.

I think that prelim probably was to step up, and I don't know, the Storm's been just drawn enough this year.

I think they're obviously so well coached and they've got enough talent, but I just don't think they really clicked as of yet.

But you know they're gonna be arrested, but they need to step it up because it's you know, the Bronx come out like that not I think the only difference between Bronx Penrith was the week off.

You could just see Penrith weather that storm early and then at last fifteen you could tell, I just reckon that extra game.

You know, in the lakes they just lost a bit of pop and then you know, all game the Bronx were catching you know, five ten meters out and then they started living in that field position battle.

But yeah, I think it's going to one hell of a game.

Well chie before we let you go?

Can we get you know, old boy, your former captain of the club medically retired this year.

You're in your first You're going to be doing the retirement lap on Grand Final night?

Is that right?

Yeah?

No doing please?

Yeah?

Yeah, you're sure you'll be fine.

But what's your predictions for the game?

Hit us with it?

Predictions?

I don't know.

We had storm low scoring and uh, they're going to probably go after Whiles trying to put him into the phone box, put him under pressure and try and fall some areas out of him.

But stease, he wasn't making so many areas on Sunday.

But let's go Jerome Hughes Clive, you know, with the web Ke sending off ruck forward scoring tries, I think he'll be our best on.

Well that not enoughing has been made of Jerome like Webke.

It's gone down in Broncos folklore playing the Grand Finals the broken I've we had five weeks.

That was five weeks after break any for arm and amazing achievement.

Jerome was twenty two days.

Yeah, I mean if you win.

I imagine if he wins this weekend, they'll make a big deal out of it.

But nonetheless, he's a tough man for a bloke who doesn't train or isn't really tough away from the football.

But I think he's already pulled out a quie.

I think he's going to get a shoulder off as well, so I think he's banged up the old boy.

But yeah, what a what a great player and a great story.

You think that he played one game, that one game of the Titans and got ressold from both of them and now he is a dali m Premiership player and trying to win his second one.

Pretty pretty impressive, certainly, is Christian, mate, We've we've given We've given you too much airtime made.

Good luck on your by the way, coming on.

Trisha is and on.

We've got the ras man here.

If you want to say, how to raise How are you mate?

You're doing well?

Really good.

Con sense to love this geez there.

The friction is amazing.

Oh what a piece of ship.

He is at least bagging.

It reminded me of the time.

Remember when we went down to Melbourne and we watched a game at the g It was the Swans verse Richmond whatever team.

We've been on the drink all day and we went back to I think it was Nico's or something.

Christian was there one of our mates, Jackie p.

He was so drunk and he had he's not a big Footy fans.

He had no idea who Christian Welsh was.

He's calling him Chrissy Hemsworth all day and then and then by the end of it he was offering Christian a place to stay in our airbnb if you need waste, I'm the captain of Captain of Queen.

Then yeah, he goes, mate, we've got to spare catch if I think he thought he was like like just like just a hanger on or like homeless mate of everyone, and he was if you want to play, well, she gets the Chris Hemsworth look alike all the time?

Does he really all the time?

Gets it?

Gets it?

But then the boys sort of caught onto it, and then whenever because girls would sometimes say to him, you look at Chris Hansworth and he if a girl when he was single, obviously, if a girl in a club said, oh, you look like Chris Hamsworth, he would walk her over to the table where all the boys were and say can you repeat that.

Oh he's a funny man.

All right, let's get into the Grand Final preview.

The team lists.

First of all, Melbourne completely unchanged, as we suspected, nothing really going on there, but Broncos Paddy Carrigan bigin comes into Locke and they've dropped Tyson Smoothie to the bench and Ben Talty comes out of the side.

Who taults was?

He's been playing really well for them.

He has sliding a lot of people won't know this Ben Talty.

He was a new Castle with Jack mate with Jack, but he actually did the preseason at the Storm this year.

He so he did the preseason at the Storm and then played reserve grade for the North Sydney Bears.

Bronco signed him out of that reserve Gode side.

So well, I mean if he was he's going to be eighteenth.

Man.

Imagine if he was on the bench and you're playing a Grand Final against the team you just did a preseason with great story, it would have been a great story.

Yeah.

Pat Carrigan's a begin huge if Broncos would have win, He's a pretty good bet for Club Churchill medal because they're going to need a big game for him because, as we said before, they're up against it.

After that game against Penrith on Sunday.

But he's fresh.

He's had two weeks off, but he's the fresh set of legs and fresh lungs and yeah, and he's going to need a big game, has needs him.

Hass has carried the load of that side for quite a while, and last week Hass was monumental.

Well, A lot of people probably don't realize how busted Pain is actually playing.

He doesn't really show it, but he's been injured majority of the year, and he hasn't missed as many games as he probably should have with like some knee stuff that he's had through Origin, and he hasn't done a whole heap of training on the field.

Cop I heard out of the Origin period there was talk that he he was getting an epidural in his back of sorts to play a tough mate.

He's a bloody tough man.

All right.

Let's talk about what about the the X factor, because I know You've got quite a lot to say on your X factor for this game.

And it relates to the two days off and how hard it's going to be for yeah, well not how hard it's going to be for the Broncos, just how significant a factor it is the way the Melbourne Storm play.

This is going to be the ultimate test of physical and mental toughness from the Broncos.

But I can tell you, I'll tell you what and the X factor is the blood, sweat and spew buckets that that michaelm maguire produced at the start of the year.

Now he got hammered because it right and the people apparently, you know, the the NRL investigator when it came out RLPA had a look at it.

People were saying, you know that Madge's training methods were Dryconian.

They were saying his players were off him, all that sort of stuff.

Well, let's just go back.

I want to tell you a story about a little story about the history of the Broncos which lends itself to you know, the price you have to pay to have success.

Now, the end of season nineteen ninety one, the Bronco still hadn't won a title.

And so what Wayne Bennett did.

Wayne Bennett stole the strength and condition from the Camper Raiders.

The philical Calvin Giles, Now Kelvin Giles was like he was, his background was he was a physical conditioner for the Great Britain Athletics side.

So you picked up by the Raiders.

They went back to back and Wayne and Wayne obviously that made we need a bit of still.

So he got him in all he said, and he was the mark.

The way Giles trained rugby league sides revolution was the way that we prepare footballers.

He had known.

It was about made physical condition with an onus on power training, turning rugby league players from being basically like middle distance runners into pure power athletes.

Right, but of course you need the cardio of ascular side as well, that hard cardio training, mate.

The only message the way he said to Wayne Bennett, what do you want me to do?

All Wayne said to him it was get some steel into this team mate.

The Broncos players and the Raiders' players before that talk about him.

They said it was terrifying.

They said, mate.

The training sessions, mate, every time you train, got you out in the field and started doing conditioning.

Everyone was physically sick, he said.

Not only that, he said, it was Laurie Daily said, Kelvin Giles is the only man who made me physically sick in the gym.

He trained them that hard and made like I'm talking mate, Kelvin was merciless and he pushed the players, you know, beyond what they thought was their mental and physical capability.

But guess what they went back to back in ninety two ninety three, And that's that's what it is.

For success, you need to pay a price.

And so for Madge, Madge handing those spew buckets on day one to the Broncos players was sending a message, this is what we're going to be about.

I'm going to put some steel into you blokes.

If you want to have success, you've got to pay the price.

So for the Broncos getting to this Grand Final, right, for the Broncos to have this, the two remarkable comebacks fourteen nil down against two quality sides against the Raiders, no less, and then the defended premiers, the Broncos Mate.

The secret of that of their success in winning those games sat at the bottom of that spew bucket way back in November, right, that's where it began.

That was the genesis of the success that the Broncos haven't.

And you don't.

I don't think there's ever been a team that would have won an NFL com who didn't train there have an amazing preseason.

That's right, well, exactly the second Melbourne.

The secret of Panrith Roosters when they went back to back, like those teams trained incredibly hard and a lot of people say, oh, you know, you get to the final, you hit the right side of the drawer and you fluke it and you get there and anyone can win on that night.

It's not like that, like you don't.

The old saying is you do not rise to the occasion.

You fall to the level of your training.

And in the big game Sticklar Grand Finals, the team that wins it is a reflection of how hard that they have trained in the preseason and the preseinson they've had.

Well, two other sports as side.

An example of two legends and two other sports.

Mike Tyson always said you need to train so hard that when you hop into the ring it feels easy.

And Luke Longley, who's a legend of Australian basketball who won titles with the Chicago Bulls, he said the Bulls training sessions were harder than the games because you were training against Michael Jordan and he set the standards and Jordan would they took about Jordan would play like it's an eighty two game season before the playoffs, so you've got to you know, you think about you know, where do you find the time to do your strength training whatnot?

They said Jordan would play a game and then go straight back to the hotel or back to his house and just work out, do an hour workout on the weights, like the importance and Uncle Joey like Andrew, Andrew for all the partying and everything, mate, no one trained harder at Newcastle.

Peace set the standards.

Yeah, there's and even when you talk about there, like how intense the bulls training was given that you're training against Michael Jordan Melbourne.

When we were at Melbourne, it was a very similar intensity.

Like the leaders in the NRL side would encourage the young guys who were training opposite them.

Don't go easy on us because a lot of the time sometimes in a NRL culture they'll go let them like, let them feel good, let them feel good.

The best sides, they don't encourage their like the younger player who an't playing a NRL to make them feel good, let them, you know, get the confidence up.

It's train us like you're almost wanting to take our spot.

Try to put us on show, try to try to outtrain us, try to make us look shit in front of the coaches because ultimately it's going to make this side a better team.

Well, in the in the mid nineties into the late nineties in Newcastle, one of the secrets of our success is we had a red hot We had a tremendous reserve grade site.

A number of those plays in a gun winning comps at Melbourne Storm Richard Swain, Bret Kamor Robbie Ross, Rodney Howe, Paul Marquette would sort of go between first grade and reserve grade.

So you had all these blokes who were just about who were good enough to be playing first grade.

But it was only because we had so much depth in the club.

And you're right, Cook, we do a post sessions on a Thursday and maybe it was full on.

You know, it was as fast and as competitive as what you're going to do on the Sunday.

Yeah.

Well, I've got stories of boys nearly punching on on the field.

I remember Nico Hines and Cameron Munster nearly had to punch on when because Nico was obviously trying to break into the first grade side.

He was good enough, he could have played first grade at any other club, but he had a training intensity where he was just going to kill the training every day and try to force his way into any position.

And there were days when the n R All Boys would get a bit pissed off about us putting him on show and Nico was in the firing line.

I feel with that there's a bit of push and shovel between having money both two fireheads.

But that's kind of what you want.

Yeah, it's what you want for your culture.

And I've just got admiration for magic.

Yeah, Matt Madge has had great success.

You look back at his time at the Tigers, he got into ninth a couple of times and sort of it fell away.

But my god, like the success he's had, the success lately in Origin, the New Zealand beaten Australia thirty nil.

Then he goes into Origin has success and then of course here we go and it's great because I mean we had him here in this room, yeah, chatting to him and before he was appointed Broncos coach and he was alluding to there's a club I'd love to go to and you know, I want to have success.

I'm hungry for club success again.

Years in hindsight, if you haven't listened to that interview.

Go back and have a listened to it, because we had him on probably I think it was about not even a month before he then got appointed.

It might have been only a couple of weeks.

But it is very interesting.

A lot of the stuff that he says as a coach then it was after he won the Origin series, but very interesting.

I listened back to it the other day when I was about to play this prelim.

But you were Madge to go back quite a long time, like you've known him since.

What when you were helping out Melbourne with their attack in two thousand and five?

Belly Ake asked, myself and Madge were belly Ake's assistance with the Country Origin side in two thousand and five and then BELLI actually the year before that, I went down and did a couple of sessions with Todd Carney when he was a young player coming through a camera when Madge was assistant there, and then he told belly Ake to get me on board for Country and then went to belly Ake and said make get made on board for Melbourne.

So me, myself, Madge and Steve Kearney we were underneath belly Ach in that era.

Two thousand and six, seven, eight and nine at Oken Storm.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's right.

I was to blame.

Yeah, that's right.

My one hundred bucks a day really just blew the cap a part.

But yeah, we were, you know.

And then he went to South Sydney and used to bring the South City boys over here.

You were there a few times with them.

And so I've had a long association with Madge and it's a funny story.

Like you know, it's funny to see him and belly Ache up against each other because they're really close.

We're in those sides that when he was the assistant, belly A looked after the discipline and the defense, and Magic did the attack.

They are a great combination.

And but I do have a funny story, can I Matt rasmondould like to hear?

Can I share with your funny story?

Absolutely?

So two thousand if you didn't, they lost when they lost their Grand final forty nil, right, that was eight two thousand and eight.

So that next off slution what they do every off sUAS in the Melbourne Storm, belly will take his assistance away and they'll go like they might out of Europe see ac Milan or Barcelona Arsenal whatnot.

This certain year they went to America.

They had a look at the Chicago Bears, and they went to Boston see the New England Patriots, and while there actually the Red Sox won the World Series first time.

Anyway, so on the way back through they said, mate, we'll stop off at Colroy at the house around the corner, and we'll just sit and have a talk about how we want to attack the next year.

So yeah, so Belly I can Madge come and stayed at the house.

Well that night we said, I said, what do you reckon?

Boys?

We go we go and have dinner and have a few beers, and Belly I said, oh yeah, okay, let's go.

So we're all sitting around having went down to one of the pubs down here.

We're having a meal.

Anyway, Billy I had about four or five beers, and as Billy A did very disciplined stopped, but me and Magics kept drinking right, having a great time.

And people say, oh, Image is so up tight and everything.

Mate, Magic has a good time down So we're drinking, having a bit and anyway, me Image.

By the time we get back to the house, we pretty much got to shine on well Hydra and it's a out probably about twelve thirty of Magic goes a Maddie, how about we going to the city.

And I went, oh, Madge, that's probably a bad idea.

Trish won't leave me number one.

But you know it's it's Tuesday night, okay, So you were convinced Madge to go to bed three o'clock in the morning.

Trish goes, oh my god, someone someone broke, someone's broken in the house and someone walking around the house.

And so we get up and it's Madge.

Right, Madge is dressed in his like going out here and that, and he goes, oh, yeah, boys, Maddie, we're going to call a cab.

We're going into the city.

And I was like, fucking Madge three am.

So me and Trisha wrestlinghim back to bed, put him in bed every hour.

He just keeps getting like.

A baby, like a newborn baby.

So he lets his hair down.

But yeah, we had a long association.

Would you make him sleep in the garage as well?

That's that's just for special post for you.

Yeah, where do you how do you see this game?

Right?

Like Broncos Storm, probably very similar to that.

Broncos Penrith outfit where Broncos I see Broncos as well I see Melbourne as you know what you're going to get from Melbourne yep.

Very not predictable, but very methodical with what they're going to do.

You know what you're going to face, what they're going to throw at you, Whereas Broncos are the polar opposite.

I see them as so unpredictable, like Melbourne would during this week sort of be looking at tendencies of individuals, but you don't know exactly what you're going to get from this Broncos outfit.

You don't and I think Reese Walsh typifies that.

You know, and often times people you know, I don't like the saying necessarily rocks or diamonds.

Well, nineteen nine percent of the stuff he's been doing the last month has been diamonds, right, But that's the very nature of the way the Broncos play and how they can be hitting me is very much, very similar to Reece.

The Broncos, Yes, have more unpredictability the Broncos also, But one thing they can do mate, they can really raise the tempo of a contest, and a lot of that's got to do with rees.

But some of the blakes who don't get enough credit are the wingers Josiah Yeah, Marandine Marinath.

They have they've been tremendous.

Those two blokes, they really mate.

They're players two and three have been really good and really helped hass out enormously.

But they can they can raise the tempo of the game.

One thing about the Broncos coops is that they've had some some key players out for a while.

But the players who returned last week I thought were good.

Xavier Wilson in particular, I thought was very, very good.

He's going to be a key man.

He'll be even better.

Second second outing, I thought Adam Reynolds was renot was rusty.

I thought he was rusty as you would expect him to be.

But that'll give him enormous confidence.

That that that kicked from the sideline.

He's good.

That might just sit at the at the front of his scrap book.

That will That was a beauty.

Funny ben ben Hunt and Adam Reynolds the combined age of seventy This is the oldest ever halves pairing in a Grand Final.

Yeah.

Well, well, and the other bloke coming off at fourteen he'll be He'll be better for Ezra, second at Ezra, and if the tempo is if it's a fast tempo and Broncos have a period of line share possession, if Ezra comes onto the field, he and Walsh could be the blokes that win the game for the Broncos.

But you're right about Bennie Hunt.

Benny Hunt is another bloke that hasn't been given enough credit.

On last week's win, he did a couple of really clever things with his kicking game, you know, shaping to go one way and going the other.

Just little things, things that you don't necessarily notice.

But nearly kick to forty twenty two.

I want to get I want to get our predictions.

But before we go to that, who, let's pick an individual who on both sides, who do you see is the most important one?

Because I look at Melbourne and I I mean, there's a lot of storm Spine players that you can pick the X factor, but I think Jerome Hughes is their key man for this week.

I know, given everything he's going through his forearm, but that left edge of the Broncos were put under a lot of pressure last week.

Alamodi scored a couple of tries on them.

I think that's the edge that Melbourne would want to go at.

They got found out a lot on that side, and I think Hughes is probably the bloke that's going to get a lot of the footy to put the pressure on them.

Coup.

I think the key men and stating the obvious here, but the men who could tear the Bronco and Broncos another one is going to be their spine players, because like we said last week about the Melbourne storm, you can put a hula hoop over the full spine players when they're just charging through the middle of the field.

They work as a perfect combination, the four of them, and if the Broncos are a little tied and start to fatigue the first area, you're going to see the fatigue of the blokes in the middle.

And if that is the case and they start to struggle, then they will just blow them open.

I'm not going to give my tip for Clove Churchill yet, but there's someone that I think is as special for it.

But those four blacks a key you know, Harry of course, with his leadership and just ability to get out and around the rucks and vary the go forward is really important.

Munster still is the best big game player in the game, and last week he was just sensational.

Madge will spend a hell of a lot of time focus focusing on Munster.

But how do you plan for bloke so unorthodox and who just reacts to visual opportunity?

Yeah, I think the only thing you can really do is and it'll be on both sides because they've both got players who are unbelievable off the back of quick play the balls, and that's when they want to get the footy.

Monster is one of them.

All Broncos can do is try to limit how many opportunities they get off quick play the balls, and that's why with their defense, we're slowing the ruckdown as much as possible.

You're not going to get that all the time.

You can't control that for the whole of eighty minutes.

But when Munster does get the footy, the way you stop him is is just two things that are his biggest strength, his big left foot step and his fend.

Yeah, they're the two things that the back rowers in the middle will have to be practicing defensively.

And coop for the Broncos, Reese is such a vital blow because if there's one area that I think Belliac will have real concerns about Melbourne is their left side defense.

Kronella found them out twice.

The first time was Katois called their first try where they all just rushed in and they caught him out.

The second time was there was lack of communication and Munster was actually backing off your hum so I said, come on, guys, what's going on here?

And they put Billy Burns straight through.

That's where they'll go.

Madge will go there relentlessly.

He will target Jack Howarth.

Yeah, and ka Tony Staggs is on is on Jack.

This is a massive challenge for Jack Howard.

I think it's a big game for him.

I think he came Arrogan is a big man coming in as well.

That's a that's a huge gid for the Broncast.

They'll have a lot, they'll be doing a lot of work that left edge definitely, and I think the job for Melbourne the big their big job.

Obviously there's a lot of threats, but I think it all starts with paying halfs for them.

He gets so much ruxby quick play the ball.

I think you're going to see and our back fences will be able to have a watch of this game.

Watch the role of Melbourne's markers.

Watch how hard they work for a marker to push half sideways and get into his legs.

Because that's when you've got a big, dominant front rower who's quick, you don't you want to limit his time to wind up and get into the line.

And the way you do that is you watch their markers just getting out hard and diving straight into his legs.

Well, that was the Talmalalo rule in twenty seventeen when Jason Tamalalo no one could stop his yardage going into the twenty seventeen Grand Final.

Craig come up with the Tamalolo rule in the fact that first marker get out quick and just chop at his legs and big man hate being tackled low in a case where these days everyone first man's tackle over the ball.

People the big blokes hate being hit around the legs from side on.

Yeah, Well, and people say why didn't you go legs on him?

It's easier said than done because you've got to wrestle them and slow they played.

Well, if you only tackle legs, it's it's very easy to attack, like they'll just they'll just get quick play the balls.

You'll be on the back for the whole time.

But there is an art of your markers getting out and get into the legs almost as they're hitting the line, so your defenders can sort of just catch them and put them straight on their back.

So I have no doubt they'll be doing that.

Let's get our predictions and who wins and who's your back fence player of the match aka Clive Churchill coop.

I like Melbourne on the back of They've just got so many players who have played in these type of games, these really big games, and not just played in them, but had success in them.

One tight games, blown teams away.

They've got many many ways they can win a football game.

But on the on the back coop of again, I don't want to sound like a breaking record, but the Broncos, the big Broncos men in the middle, I do expect them to start to fade and if they do fade in the middle, then the Storm spine against is going to blow them to bits.

So I've gone.

Now, I've got, I've gone, I've got Melbourne Storm to win.

I'm going to say Melbourne Storm.

I'll say Melbourne Storm by four points, but it could blow out.

I don't know.

I'm gonna.

I'm gonna.

I'm going to give Brisbane the respect they deserve and say Melbourne by four.

All right, but let's get who wins and your back fans player of the match.

Let's just get that.

We don't need the explanation.

My backs fence player is forward.

Who's going to charge?

Back fans player of the match is your Clive church I said before, do you listen?

Do you listen?

You really don't talk to your mother.

I don't listen.

I go Melbourne by four and I go Ryan Pappenhausen as a special for my Clive church women.

All right, ras Man, you got I am.

I'm going to go for the broncos.

I think they've been the funnest team to watch, to have been terrific, so they deserve it.

And I don't think I think they just I think they match Melbourne spine.

But then they've also got the X factor on the edges and that's why I'm going Tony stags for Clive Churchill.

Had a year and he'd be good.

It'd be a good year for him.

I've got storm.

I think that nine days and they I think they're going to be just a little bit fresher than the Broncos after they have how many big games they're playing in.

And then I've got our man back fans player of the match, Harry Grant.

Shock.

What did you just say?

I said, Shock, because you are you are the rabbit's foot allegedly.

Are you going into camp anyway, shape or form.

I don't know.

I'll I'll have a chat with Craig and I'll see what he wants.

Yeah, you know, he said he he's got a futon in his room that they've set up, so he said, I can stay there.

You can.

You can borrow ras Men's roller bed.

Better be handed by the way, Rasman, You've got the Craig Bellamy's his jacket.

Yeah, we haven't even acknowledged that.

Yeah, same size as belly ache, which is nice.

Yeah, I keep this on.

Yeah, it gets cold in the garage.

Obviously, have a better dental plan.

We have got the suits on, we have got the blazers on today because when this comes out, it's Daly m night tonight.

So we are going to go through some of the awards and give our predictions for it.

First of all, starting off with the big one, obviously the Player of the Year, Dallian.

Player of the Year.

Although we're going to do our personal player of the year, our personal awards, that's right, you.

Can't do it.

I thought, who you thought, what's personal?

So I thought it was going to be the backstage awards, meaning we each of us decide who has been the best player.

Want Obviously Teddy is going to be dam but you might think or someone.

That's it's your prediction for player of the year, it's your player of.

The Player of the year is paint House Okay, yeah, it's been remarkable.

Mine's Paint huss To.

So I actually had I had Teddy, I did actually have James Sesca.

I think it's always a dampener when the Dalliums comes in finals time and you've watched some of the players in finals and you go and then you get to the awards and you go, how didn't they win an award?

Then you remember there is twenty seven other.

Games recently.

That's it's almost like you'd want them to do Dalliums almost straight after the season, because then you know there's not a dampener on some of those players, and.

Teddy's pulled out of the ashes.

Yeah, he's brother's best man brother.

People say, oh good on him.

You know it's his brother's wedding.

Oh Man family first pooh.

I'm with him and I reckon Teddy, but have a little bit of you know what, you guys have taken me out of the side, out of the rep sides before.

Screw everyone controversy.

I like it, all right, what about our coach, coach Michael Wig, you've gone Madge.

I was Ricky all you, but look at Madges had to go through and they got a lot of controversy, put up a lot of stuff, and he's got them to good on the Grand Final.

Ricky, Yeah, meant to be, meant to be tip favorites for the Wooden Spoons.

So yeah, I had Ricky as well.

I think if finals came like comes into it, I probably go Madge, given like what what he's turned this side into.

But Ricky's turned aside that probably should have won the Wooden Spoon on paper and everyone A lot of people were tipping them to win the Wooden Spood and then get gets them to first.

It's pretty good job.

I'm hearing that Ethan strangers on the plane.

That's what let's see, there's twenty three men.

There was twenty two men squad.

Peter Landy's come out and said, now there's going to be twenty three and word is it was for Ethan strange young player to go away?

Yeah for the Ashes.

Sorry, yeah, yeah, he's on.

I was sing, he's on the plane.

Where's he young on?

Bally?

Yeah?

All right, and then let's go through our team of the year.

Then, all right, everyone, who's your fullback?

Tedsco?

You got Tesco?

I had Tedesco as well.

Yeah, I was going to go to the ESCO.

But I just thought I Brimson for this.

I could have picked him for CenTra or five marry him.

What if I.

Could get Teddy's best man?

Yeah, I reckon they'd be a few Tights players in there for Rays.

Who your wingers Beigame.

Ronaldo Mulatalo and.

Oh yeah, red Hot.

I don't even think Ronaldo's nominated.

He might have been ruled out because of suspensions.

I don't know, but I didn't see him on the list.

But I had Xavier Coats and Mark Nowangan need to I think there's been some red old wingers this year, yew.

I went the same as you cope, pretty standard.

Senner's car, Tony Staggs and Stephen Crichton I had.

I actually had the exact same.

I wanted to put Herbie in there somewhere.

Herbie fine with.

I thought he had a great He's incredible, such a good year in a side that like probably doesn't have as many stars.

But I just had a couple of injuries.

Mentioned the SEB Chris too.

I thought they had great suits.

Yeah, he is, and Timson.

I don't know how you guys are going past Herbie.

I think up until he got injured, he was by far the best center.

Don't care everyone else's choice, Well I will.

And then the other one was Tony stags.

Yeah, what about your halves, let's say five, eight and half back five.

It was temptation with these Ethan Traine, but I've got a game Munster.

Yeah, it's just he's just made.

He's he's just so good, like he's the standout six.

And I've gone Isaiah Katoa just ahead of Nathan.

Yeah, I'm sort of with you.

I had Ethan Stranger as my six and Isaiah Kato as my seven.

I just think monsters.

I mean Munster had a great year, particularly at origin level.

I think that was his best origin he's had in a long time.

But Ethan Strangers, I think his club season was probably a little bit better.

Ras Man.

Yeah.

Although I was tempted to pick Kieran four and Jaden Campbell, I went for Ken Munster and his guitar.

The front row who's your eight and year ten?

The two big front rows, Joseph Tarpani and Pain Hass straightforward from.

Me I had.

I had pain Hess and Terrell May the bum bag man.

I thought Terrell May in that tiger, so I did a good job.

I listened to him and tailor there may day the other day he listened to it with a good view of Benji excellent, really good.

We'll I have to get him on RaSE man.

I went for Pain Hush and you can guess the other one if you want.

Tina so many your lord, who a fault you are?

Who's your hooker?

My hooker is Harry Green.

Yeah.

I didn't actually have Harry in my Blake Brayley, but I was going off to Daly more the Daly em rules because Harry was rubbed out for unfortunately doing not much.

But anyway, that rule needs to be.

A mental player.

Harry Harry Hoodie as well.

Who's your back rollers?

Because this is a red hot field this one.

I've gone Hudson Young and Ellie kat I'm with you.

I think they they have been unbelievable, excellent, two blokes you'd want to date your daughter.

I don't know Ellie, but I'll be happy with Hudson.

I don't know.

I never met Ellie.

I went for Katara as well, but then I went like a.

Good choice, good choice, probably.

Probably rookie of the year.

I imagine he'll be I.

Mean Robert, it's Robert Toyer and him and someone else.

Letker is phenomenal.

Yeah, who's your lock, Isaiah?

See I've gone Aaron Clark.

Oh yeah, I thought Aaron Clark had had a great He did have a great in a Warrior side that were depleted by people leaving.

They still manage to get in the top eight and they fought a k but had too many injuries.

I'd love to see him winning in this couple of years been coming back in.

I'd love to see it.

Great for the game of rugby league.

I agree with you.

Coop the dove that the Titans that go.

Now, he's you know, I don't know what the word is.

He's got the dove and.

Full, he's seen his full potential, He's.

Realized his potential.

His potential is blooming cherry blossom.

What about Personality of the Year.

This is more of a backstage award.

It was tempted to go Brian, but Walsh got a sweet mate.

I'm with you.

Any bloke that can drink from a toilet that he's installed himself sober.

Yeah, I am one hundred percent with it.

And he did something else that got caught in the headlines this year as well.

He did something else other than drinking in the toilet.

But he's the.

Puncher, Yeah, he the boxing gloves.

Yeah, I love it.

I just loved.

One of my favorite moments this year was with the toilet water and the Broncos pretty in a statement saying to their fans, listen, don't drink toilet water.

Guys, you probably should give your fans a little bit more.

Who is yourss?

Yeah?

Hard to go past Reese Walsh.

He's just made the game fun again, I think, and it's good to see buzz and and all the other journals just hate when they're talking about him anything.

Right, No, it is.

It's nice to see like somebody who because the game can.

We can sometime we have it in the past.

Sometimes really like want characters and then hate people who become a stereotype.

So Reese comes out and goes, well, I'm just going to be myself, and then you really divides the camp.

Some people go, no, it's too much.

Some people are going, I actually like that he's an individual.

I love to see him just be himself.

Yeah, I love you, drinking toiler who cares journal of the you know my thoughts.

I've got bulldogo Ritchie on Tuesday nights, Rasmund when I sit there and I go, please be Bulldog, Please be Bulldog and he I go, And we've got the journals in.

We've got my carryanas and Bulloor Ritchie.

I go boys, Doggie time.

Yeah, mate, he Gordon Gordon told Gordon tell Us.

He told Doggie, he said, mate, the John's family when you're on they froth they and mate, you said, Bulldog was like really and he said, what do they love?

And he said, mate, love you jokes and you know, and some of your headlines.

So he now just plays it up all the time and says to Gordon, have you had anything from me?

He's some many stuff this year on Mary Fowler and Nathan.

He's obsessed.

He's obsessed with love.

I don't know what's going on.

I see.

I actually had him scratched from my awards, like the equivalent of players getting scratched for suspension.

I scratched Bulldog for his article he wrote about Joey, which I thought was in a really great, really bad taste.

So he's eliminated from mine.

I went, I actually went Brent Reid, the Red Man.

He's a great man.

Read myster Yeah, I mean it's tough between him and Buzz.

Between those two dribblers is very hard.

I went, Who's yours?

Honestly, when when I saw this one, I couldn't even think of anyone.

I'm just in different, I mean different to all the journals, and they're not like I don't have an opinion, So I'd just been making something up for.

The sake, you know what, And that's why we love you as because you're authentic, just who you're, You're.

Honest to fault.

Yeah, well, guys, that's it.

That's it, that's us, that's that's how Dalama wards that is and it's our last preview.

It's sad, it is.

Almost I wanted to end and letting you know too.

We'll just throw a bone for a fellow podcast as the Hollow Sport Boys on Sunday they are they're doing a live podcast at the manly St on Greend final play.

I'm going to go in for about thirty minutes appearance.

So come down there and say, hey, y'all, and.

Someone count how many schooners you consume in thirty minutes.

Oh mate, if they're free, I will inhale them.

You'd hope they're free.

They'd have to be surely surely.

To get you there, jes they must be free.

Free ocals and a lot of money is the only thing that usually gets you there.

Where you're going to want or the.

Where you going to watch the game?

There are you're just going to go.

I'm going to come back here and watch the game.

I'm really focused.

I'm out there.

You're going to go out of the game for some stuff, and you know I love watching it at home.

I mean, I'm not complaining of going out lams in a way.

But I've got a bit of work out there, but it is it is good atmosphere out there.

Where are you.

I'm actually going to a Techno Day event from two until like six, and then we'll leave that and go to a pub somewhere and then it's that Watson's Bay.

Don't take if anyone sees men don't take drugs?

No, I won't.

Huge young people of Techno Show, I know what happens.

What's it called RaSE ah sash sash by day, sash by Day, So everyone keep an eye.

If we got any listeners who were going on to sash by Day, message the backstage Instagram will put you in touch with.

Who knows, might not even remember the game.

Man, the best team win, Yeah,