00:00:00
Speaker 1: Hi everyone, and welcome to Off the Record the Sports podcast. A breaking news, hard opinion and a little bit of gibber although I suspect a lot today. I'm Andrew Website from Australian and this is my friend, my colleague, my nemesis, my rival, Art Trival. Phil Good Phil, Hell are you buzz.
00:00:21
Speaker 2: Talk about Gibba. I'm going lunch today. I'm going to the chop House.
00:00:26
Speaker 1: I'm going to chop it up the chop House, great steak.
00:00:30
Speaker 2: And a great red wine there. So there might be some gibbering going on afterwards.
00:00:35
Speaker 1: What are you doing at the chop House.
00:00:37
Speaker 2: I'm having lunch with a couple of people. Where are a couple of connections. It's called networking, Andrew, which you occasionally do yourself.
00:00:47
Speaker 1: And I work in the shadows, working around Yes. Coming up on the Shaw today, Buzz has some breaking news on who will referee the NRL Grand Finals.
00:00:57
Speaker 2: Who I think I'll referee that?
00:00:58
Speaker 1: Okay, okay, you think, well that's a really breaking news, that's breaking.
00:01:03
Speaker 2: A well, yeah, I'd always move it to Fearless Forecast. But I think it's going to happen and.
00:01:08
Speaker 1: It will shock a lot of people to the core of the foundations of rugby league.
00:01:13
Speaker 3: Bombshell Reverla.
00:01:14
Speaker 1: Well, that's what we love.
00:01:15
Speaker 2: Here.
00:01:16
Speaker 1: We look at the final four contenders still standing in this is enthralling premiership. We indulge in our very favorite pastime of taking the absolute piss out of Gus and then our intergalactically popular war story segment, we pull back the curtain and talk about what it's like to be a talking sweaty head on NRL three sixty.
00:01:38
Speaker 2: We've got to tell people about the green room. The green room and the food and all those you do, you go for the snakes and all those others.
00:01:46
Speaker 1: I've got to hold my I'm under, I'm under, I'm held, I'm held tightly wound up. Yeah, I try not to go near him. Just before you get into a buzz, big shout out to our friends of Code Sports. You can get an annual subscription to Australi's best sports website for just forty nine bucks. Features australis best sports journalism. The Code Sports app is essential for every fan. Codesports dot com dot Au forward slash ot to get the special discount buzz Who is your Champion of the week.
00:02:15
Speaker 2: My Champion of the week is afternoon rugby league, and I've seen a couple of afternoon games in the last two weeks, one in the National Capital of the Broncos game ninety four minute classic and I was at a core on Sunday afternoon for Penrith and the Bulldogs. Now this is just absolutely Look. It's led to suggestions that the TV ratings were so good that the old chestnut of an afternoon Grand Final, which I think we're going to talk about later, but there was a poll in the Telegraph. I saw ninety three percent of people want that afternoon grand final. Mate. That was fantastic out there the other day, and I honestly think it's a better game of footy in dry during without the due and the football and to watch Penrith what they did and watch Campbell Brisbane the week mate. Do you are you an afternoon I am.
00:03:14
Speaker 1: A Dayti'd watch everything during the day if I could. Yeah, I think it's far better footy there always used to be. They always used to be during the day. Yeah, I think it's you know, I'm glad that the TV ratings sort of open up the conversation to go back to it, because the TV ratings is always the argument against it because it's always apparently better TV ratings of a night.
00:03:38
Speaker 2: Well, they're up thirty four percent. But let's chat after Grand Final later.
00:03:42
Speaker 1: Let's do that. You know who my champion is, Nathan mc cleary.
00:03:48
Speaker 2: Fair enough, that's all I got. You know, it's better than you going wide and overseas with I'm.
00:03:54
Speaker 1: Trying to be diverse. Our overlords, Mark Burris and Nick Forden want us to versified. Yes they do. Have you missed all those twenty got breaking and you min it's all those twenty memos from them saying we want a variety of sports.
00:04:09
Speaker 2: Yeah, I've got breaking news that I'm not across a lot of other sports.
00:04:13
Speaker 1: Well, anyway, you're a philistine.
00:04:16
Speaker 3: Do you know what that is?
00:04:19
Speaker 1: It's a.
00:04:20
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:04:21
Speaker 1: The same people who were wrapping him this week for what he did against Canbury, I note with interest of the same people who were bagging the absolute shit out of him after Origin. This guy is a superstar. He's more than a club player. He's one of the last four comps to Clive Churchills. He's everyone's saying, you know, he's never going to be as good as Wally or Joey. He's twenty seven. He's still probably got the best part of a decade of football left. Get off this kid's back. He is a super star. I think he's stop bagging, stop bagging greats.
00:04:57
Speaker 2: I think he's a future mortal webe I really do. No, I agree, And mate, Jowey's still up the top three I've ever seen. And that's when I include the back end of rapists career clear is off the charts. Just magnificence.
00:05:15
Speaker 1: He really is, mate, I'm with you, and I just think the way that he is he gets clobbered by the media and punters is just you know, you didn't have a good Origin three. He wasn't the lone ranger, but he's been part of successful New South Wales teams. He's been part of a successful World Cup team, including playing an absolute blinder in the final in twenty twenty one.
00:05:41
Speaker 2: So just yeah, I love how humbly is too. I heard an interview last week. Well, all he wanted to do was wrap his teammates. And so I'm the player I am because of the team I'm surrounding me exactly.
00:05:52
Speaker 1: All right, who's your chump?
00:05:54
Speaker 2: I have one last whack at Cameron Surrounder and he had a media conference the other day and who's talking about all the crap comments and media commentary around his spinal surgery, which I thought was self destruction.
00:06:09
Speaker 1: I thought it was a direct attack at you.
00:06:11
Speaker 2: Well, it probably was, because I've been one of their heavier critics. I just think in times like this you've got to have a bit of self reflection and have a look at go back on what he actually did to that team when you consider the telling statistic is they won one of their last six games, and that win was against Penrith, New South Wales Cup side.
00:06:37
Speaker 3: And p a side that was high balling.
00:06:40
Speaker 2: Just flying early in the year. I think he confused the football side. I think they lack cohesion and so I pointed out, and I don't want to just repeat myself. You look at a side like Cronulla with Brayley at Hawker, Heinz Trendall Kennedy has not changed.
00:07:01
Speaker 3: They're so solid, they're so steady.
00:07:04
Speaker 2: And I think Cameron fucked up. I really do.
00:07:09
Speaker 1: Well, look your thoughts. We're gonna get into. Yeah, we're gonna get into because Gus went to deaf Cone three on one hundred on Monday night. We're just going to have a little bit.
00:07:21
Speaker 2: Of fun show too late at night, but old people.
00:07:24
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm in bed by nine o'clock.
00:07:27
Speaker 2: Oh no, man, Yeah, I know you're you're looking at two up to twenty seven rounds, including Las Vegas.
00:07:35
Speaker 1: I often say, look at your head. We'll get your little head. Dare you.
00:07:41
Speaker 2: You've been up for thirty weeks and you know it's at the moment. Like player welfare, I think we need to introduce journalistic welfare.
00:07:50
Speaker 1: We need a buy round for journals. One, we need where's our hey, you know what, fuck the players? Where's our buy round?
00:07:59
Speaker 2: The two going on a four month in a couple of weeks.
00:08:03
Speaker 1: That's two f bombs and we're eight minutes into the show. You know who My champ is, my chump. But buzz I love nothing more than taking the piss out of Brent Read. He leads with his chin, He leads with both chins. There's only one person with worse takes in rugby league, and that's you, buzz. But the shameless beat up of the poor little fellow on three point sixty last night by you, a NaSTA and Talus was borderline. Hr staff I thought, and in many ways he resembled a pinard At a young Mexican child's eighth birthday, Merclelly wapped from all directions by big sticks, hoping that he would eventually fall apart. Braise was screaming at him.
00:08:45
Speaker 2: Well, I don't scream, but I will very passionately defend what I've written, and he challenges funny. I spoke to Rudy after the show. We are actually really good mates, and he had his dad from Brisbane staying in his house and he said, what about my dad? Even he was backing you on the shower.
00:09:04
Speaker 1: So no, look, he's got a I'm going to give him a bit of a bit of advice. You've got to fight fire with fire and just scorch everybody back. Yeah, he cops it a bit too much.
00:09:15
Speaker 2: Oh no, he came back, but I just didn't agree with his arguments.
00:09:18
Speaker 3: And when you throw you.
00:09:20
Speaker 2: Know, evidence at him, he appears to just ignore it, and I find it quite frustrating.
00:09:26
Speaker 1: But let's go funny. You did throw a funny little little body shot. Well you said, well, you're obviously close with Cameron Serroudo the way that you're talking.
00:09:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, yeah, that's a story for another day. Cameron Serroundo's media relationships, and I don't jump on that bandwagon.
00:09:47
Speaker 1: I just tell as I see it, you call it as you say it.
00:09:51
Speaker 2: But mate, I can't wait to do this three sixty segment as war stories. A lot of people I get stopped all the time and they say it's this has got to be staged, all this, and it's so natural, it is so natural.
00:10:09
Speaker 1: Well, the thing is, I find, because I've been offered for years and I've been back on it this year, I just find we just all yell at each other, even when we're green.
00:10:17
Speaker 2: Yeah, but yeah, you've been particularly nasty.
00:10:21
Speaker 1: What do you mean? But have I been nasty?
00:10:23
Speaker 2: You have been on that show?
00:10:26
Speaker 1: How So I'll just okay, let's see, I don't keep.
00:10:29
Speaker 2: A record of your nastiness.
00:10:31
Speaker 1: Yeah, well you're going to throw that out there. Backing up with some evidence for a change, all right, you heard it your first buzz? What have you got on the NRL Grand Final whistle blower?
00:10:39
Speaker 3: We'll tell you what I can tell you.
00:10:41
Speaker 2: Midyear, gran Atkins was putting massive, massive pressure on the one only Ashley climb around state of Origin time. And what I'm told is that if it had been a dead Raber. The third Origin game, of course, was decided. What they did, they played it safe and went climb. Had it been Den Rubbert, they would have gone with grand Atkins. Now with Atkins now, the people I'm speaking to at the NRL reckon he's a short half head of a nose in front. Is that the same as short head and the nose I think it is, but nearly half length in front, right, So yeah.
00:11:22
Speaker 1: With three lengths ahead by the end of this segment, well by the by the weekend.
00:11:29
Speaker 2: If he gets through without a major controversy, I'm told they are leaning towards him to referee the Grand Final, which I think would be widely applauded amongst the rugby league punters. Yeah, there you go.
00:11:46
Speaker 1: Look that's my applause.
00:11:48
Speaker 2: The safety first and look, I'm actually a climent fan. You know, he's a he's a very very you know, he's a safety first pick. And what they like about Clemmen is the fact he is so narchy. So there's any sign of wrestling Melbourne go back to there he'll get. And that's the one knock on Atkins is that he likes a flowing game around league and that that's what I love, but wheybe, I would not be at all shocked as I said, he's in front at this stage to referee the Grand Final.
00:12:27
Speaker 1: Has that changed because you said in this segment two weeks ago that he was the Climb was the pe despite his controversial performance in the canber.
00:12:36
Speaker 2: Bridge Rugby Rugby League. Is fluid?
00:12:40
Speaker 3: Is that the right word volatile? Yeah, it's a volatile.
00:12:45
Speaker 1: That word capricious, yes, I do you find that in Australia in those words?
00:12:49
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, yes, I couldn't spell it A P R, I C I O U S the US and see what it actually cyrus listen, saurus whatever, the worst the currus.
00:13:08
Speaker 1: Yeah, but you just made that word up.
00:13:11
Speaker 2: Will be the game does move? Yeah, I did think Climb was in front a few weeks ago.
00:13:18
Speaker 1: Mm hmm.
00:13:19
Speaker 2: But I think it'd be great. I think I think you've got to even though he's got past records of origins and Grand Poles, you need to put your best referee in charge of that game, and right now Akan is the best referee in the comp this year.
00:13:35
Speaker 1: Every time Ashley Klin does a big game, we seem to be talking about Ashley Klein instead of the game I find that's I don't know Ashley and he's obviously a great referee, good God, I don't know him, but but I think Akins, just for the sake of a rioting, let's go with someone else, you know what I mean?
00:13:52
Speaker 2: But I didn't you go with the best.
00:13:55
Speaker 3: I didn't like.
00:13:56
Speaker 1: I didn't like the camera Broncos game. I thought when he gave that penalty against the Heath Strange ethan strange. I keep calling them Heath strange, ethan strange. Early on, I just thought, here we go, this is going to be one of those Ashley Klein games. Yeah, I think I don't think that's shouldn't And I know, you know what, I want to say this, and I know it's hard for referees to be out of it, and I hate bashing up referees. I've done big pieces with with Matt Echen and Ben Cummins, you know, and and just try to highlight the pressure they're under and the said they get. But that doesn't mean they're above criticism. And I just don't think Ashley Klein is the best referee then.
00:14:42
Speaker 2: But could you imagine how hard the job is. Apart from fitness, they get fatigued too, and they've got to make big decisions the end of the game when they've run how many kilometers? I've got no idea. You can find out how far they run. But mate, they've got touch judges in their ear. They've got bunker in there that all this is happening and the game's are million miles from now.
00:15:04
Speaker 1: Too much. I still think it's time for a second referee. Bring it back.
00:15:08
Speaker 2: We got rid of at COVID, didn't we.
00:15:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was a cost cutting exercise.
00:15:13
Speaker 2: I agreed, But I think the second referee should be strictly in charge of the ten meters will be Yeah, just just ten meters.
00:15:24
Speaker 1: Keep on.
00:15:24
Speaker 2: Why the touch judges can't do that? I don't know what do the touch judges do we? You know in soccer the touch judges roll off side, don't they? Because the ref Why can't we do that and go really really heavy for the first two weeks of a season. Tell the clubs and then it'll stop.
00:15:42
Speaker 1: Yes, anyway, I'm with you, Okay, remember you heard you first, Unless, of course, it doesn't have.
00:15:48
Speaker 2: Us, not frigging happens, all right, I reconn. I'm batting about eighty percent with my heard here first, Well, why don't you come to the party where I heard it?
00:15:59
Speaker 3: You first?
00:16:00
Speaker 2: Your best one? Your best one was Ted Swims. You got entertainment. Congratulations. What do you put on here after you had this in your Australian.
00:16:11
Speaker 1: I've had a few.
00:16:12
Speaker 2: You can turned up with old soiled news. Had a few that was your big story.
00:16:18
Speaker 1: Oh I think I had some stuff on the Bears, the per Bears. Yes, you did other stuff.
00:16:23
Speaker 2: Yeah, I do have a hard news edge on you.
00:16:25
Speaker 1: You can write the so what I had one the other week and you spiked it? Remember, so that's not which one? Do you want to go into this conversition? No you don't, No, Aboard, I did not the old editor and you came out you said.
00:16:40
Speaker 2: No, we're not doing that. We are not publishing this. Andrew, you proceeded.
00:16:48
Speaker 1: When I was when I was working at the Telegraph and you were my sports editor. Is many many years.
00:16:53
Speaker 3: I defy you to tell me one story I spiked.
00:16:56
Speaker 2: No you did.
00:16:56
Speaker 1: I'll tell you what you did. I remember the Law is Savage, a piece that I wrote, and you said to me, wherebe is it right? And I said it's right, but let's publish it.
00:17:06
Speaker 2: Did we get sued. Well there, Yeah, lawyers are very conservative people have no fun at all. We're paid to published, they're paid to save millions of dollars.
00:17:18
Speaker 1: And you lawyers with your defamation laws.
00:17:20
Speaker 2: And we've only got two weeks to go, and I don't know if we have defametory insurance defamation insurance on this podcast, so please don't all.
00:17:29
Speaker 1: Right, well, well I'm glad. I'm glad you just said that. Before we talk about Gus. I got sued by Gus once. He loves you, some backyard lawyer. And the opening line was I act for Philip rural girl, and then you paid his name them. Then the thing was, dear mister Rothfield, I act for Philip, and you put his full name in the paper.
00:17:54
Speaker 2: So I, yeah, I did.
00:17:56
Speaker 1: I was there at the.
00:17:57
Speaker 2: Time, and I said, we've had a legal playing from Philip Ronald Gill and but you know what our lawyers did with it? Put it in the bin. Yeah, we didn't even reply. The lawyers normally reply out of respect.
00:18:10
Speaker 1: I love it when they just waste paper basket.
00:18:13
Speaker 2: Yeah, or paper shredder. These days, I think.
00:18:16
Speaker 1: How good we've had. I've had some good lawyers before. It will put like, you know, well, we'll probably get sued, but we need a good blue I.
00:18:25
Speaker 2: Got a couple of really really good ones who checked my column each week. Journa McWilliams at news Call Journa. I hope you're listening. Joanna has been there forever and Robert Todd was an old favorite of mine. You would have worked with Robert Todd, Blake, DAWs and Waldron very much.
00:18:44
Speaker 1: So. Yeah, it's great.
00:18:46
Speaker 2: Thankfully. I haven't had much of a history with criminal lawyers, but yeah, that's a good thing.
00:18:52
Speaker 1: We've been sued many times.
00:18:54
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, successfully not successfully, No on the fact checker. How many check I double and triple check probably through how many times?
00:19:05
Speaker 1: You know what you might want to you want to double check that statement?
00:19:08
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'll tell you what will be. I've settled a couple, have you, Yeah, because the expense are going to court.
00:19:17
Speaker 1: Yeah, I know we've done sterling.
00:19:23
Speaker 2: You know what's your record?
00:19:24
Speaker 1: Like I've been, I've been sued. When I was at the Telegraph, we got we settled on a story. They settled on a story. They settled on a story without me even knowing. And I was filthy because I was like I can spot on it, and I got the saurces lined up around the corner. But the same thing. We just didn't want to It wasn't worth the risk in court. And the other one was the Herald, and I got dragged onto the story at the last minute. I'm not going to talk about it at all, and we end up getting sued. And the less too dragged me on the story. He said, look, we got sued over our story, said our story. I think it was your story, and we got dragged onto it in the last.
00:20:10
Speaker 2: Just before, just before we get on the gas. I do have one funny story about getting sued, and we had a very small settlement. But part of the settlement was I had to do an apology to this person in the column that it does. But I got around it the week the apology had to go into the newspaper. Guess what I did. I took a week off. I apologized Paul Cameron Bell, so I got out of it.
00:20:50
Speaker 1: Go you good thing.
00:20:55
Speaker 2: And I think the poor the person Cameron pologized to, was more filthy about the fact that I hadn't apologized more than the actual thing I'd written about.
00:21:09
Speaker 1: Oh good old journalism.
00:21:11
Speaker 2: I've just wasted war story, that we should do it.
00:21:14
Speaker 1: That's a famous we should do world stories and when we've been sued, okay, news of the week, our old mates. Philip Ronald Gold has come out swinging in defense of the decision to sign Lockey Galvin mid season. He described the criticism as childish, that he knew Lockie would struggle playing halfback, and he told he's told the other players, the other Bulldogs players is this is the media scrutiny that comes when you play for the Bulldogs. So he's turning the players against the media, always a great strategy for football clubs. This to me, can I say this to me? This is a textbook Gus blaming the media for his decisions that haven't come out. And this is exactly why he said all along bars that he had nothing to do with the Locky Galvin decision in season so he could distance himself from it.
00:22:04
Speaker 2: What do you think when I wrote a column two weeks ago, third last part was your columnusts will be accused of an attempt of media destabilization because of Gus there and the history of Gus And this is so typical, this little rant on one hundred percent for the last night as I said both him and Cameron surround, I have to take some responsibilities, some self reflection, some accountability of a season of self destruction which I wrote on Monday morning, that football side didn't know who was playing where week after week in the key positions in the football side. Hooker and halfback they are and five eight that's three quarters of your spine. And they were all over the shop, even to an extent where the two players he sacked when he was leading the camp read Marny and Toby Sexton came back for one last goal in that they didn't know what they were doing. And for Gus to come out now and say that they knew Lackland Galvin wasn't half back. Why why did they pick him?
00:23:20
Speaker 1: Why did they get him so soon?
00:23:22
Speaker 2: But why did they pick him at halfway?
00:23:24
Speaker 1: Did I get it?
00:23:25
Speaker 2: Anyone who watches football knows that kid on Sunday had a really good game of footing. You know why I had a good game of footing. They took him out of the responsibility role of running the football side. He played his carefree West Tiger's football on an edge, didn't have to get involved in any structure and he was great mate, they stuffed up and they got to own it.
00:23:51
Speaker 1: I a hundred per agree. Look, and this is not a Gus bash up. And course it's nice. That's not a zero bash up. I got on great with zero, enormous respect for him and he's going to be a great coach. But this is this is my my read on it. This was the boss moved from Gus that didn't work, rightly or wrongly. They didn't think that they were going to be in a position to push for a premiership. You see with Toby Sexton at half back. That's what they thought. And that was evidence, by the way, when they dropped him, they leaked out within inside the club. They leaked all those those stats to the two papers.
00:24:27
Speaker 2: Yeah that was and I hate that.
00:24:30
Speaker 1: So why, oh, Nickolidis, are you going to answer it or in a brush him?
00:24:36
Speaker 2: I've actually got a suspend over something, so I'm not going to take that call.
00:24:42
Speaker 1: You heard it here first, Yeah, politis v bars.
00:24:47
Speaker 2: I'm just going to give him a day off.
00:24:50
Speaker 1: It's very controversy.
00:24:51
Speaker 2: Yeah, well let's tell me. Do you suspend people? Yeah?
00:24:56
Speaker 1: I suspend you all the time.
00:24:57
Speaker 2: Do you suspend people? Yeah?
00:24:59
Speaker 1: Yeah, gonna put them out on the put them on the out.
00:25:02
Speaker 2: It's all a part of relationships.
00:25:04
Speaker 1: Thank you every now on Exabra.
00:25:07
Speaker 2: Every now and again, you have collisions with people, you.
00:25:09
Speaker 1: Know what you should do. You should suspend yourself particularly.
00:25:13
Speaker 2: Sorry, what do we no? No, no, So this is my This is a banter section. It's not always hard news, you know, it's banter.
00:25:23
Speaker 1: Get back to fucking form. Yeah. I think they obviously didn't think Toby Sexton was the right half back for them to possibly win the camp. I thought Gus and Sero thought let's get Galvin mid season, look at what look like the smartest blokes in the room. And that didn't work. It didn't work, And I don't think and to categorize it as a media driven you know, hysteria, Listen to your own Listen to your fans.
00:25:53
Speaker 2: Listen to them. Look at the comments on the stories. They are the people they're writing for, not Gus, not Cameron.
00:25:59
Speaker 1: Listen to the fans when they flashed Toby Sexton's head on the big screen, you know what I mean. Listen to it like I've got heaps of bulldogs fans who are who are into me for not being more critical of them. You know, it's it's it's I think it's the target that's been put on Lochland Galvin's back has been done by Gas calling him, putting all those expectations, and on him last year by getting him out. I don't think they played the tape forward and thought if this doesn't work, they're going to come after that kid. And I think it's been unfair Unlocky Galvin that said you make your bed, you line it. Do you want to leave the Tigers as you did, then you know, look, that's what you've got to call.
00:26:40
Speaker 2: Gus put the Blowe Talk spotlight eyeballs on him by saying he's the best kid he's ever seen. But I'm going to blame his manager.
00:26:48
Speaker 3: Here too, Isaac Moses too.
00:26:51
Speaker 1: Why I blame him?
00:26:53
Speaker 2: He did not need to bring this to a head when it came to a head which called him in and wanted to talk to him about a contract extension. So Isaac walks in with a dossia of seven complaints about Benji Marshall which brought it to a head, had got published and then he lost the rest of the sheds Lachlan Galvin did. Why did his manager not say we are not in this what I would have done. You're rich out, I walk in on Isaac.
00:27:28
Speaker 1: That's my rich Ores.
00:27:29
Speaker 2: I would have said, you know what I said, rich I would have said, rich Out, look, I really appreciate the offer, and it's a very very generous offer. We are not in a position at this stage to commit long term. We want to get this season out of the way and then let's sit down in the off season. And he could have gone in then and said I don't want to be here. What the manager did was blow the but Jesus out of the story mate. He really did, oh recall, and he left a situation there where there was no coming back that he couldn't stay because the players were off him because he turned on Benji. Now that was Isaac's fault. Isaac could have said to the kid, Okay, you've got these complaints about Benji. Let's keep to ourselves. Let's get this season out.
00:28:21
Speaker 1: Of the way.
00:28:21
Speaker 2: We contracted here, knowing that if he did go to Canterbury, how mentally tough it was going to be on this kid, particularly to be thrown in to run a premiership contender. Yep and Gus was so expected last night.
00:28:41
Speaker 1: It was so obvious you could set your clock to it. It was going to be the media's fault. Yeah, it always is.
00:28:48
Speaker 2: And the thing is, if that had happened on an R three sixty, not one hundred forty, he would have been challenged last night.
00:28:57
Speaker 1: He was on there last night.
00:28:59
Speaker 2: I'm not sure if Danny was on there, but Danny wasn't on the segment you know where, tell you what I'd like this soon on it. And this is no reflection on Danny either, because he's very tight with Gus and I've got mates. I'm tight with two. But I reckon Chammy the challenge. Chammy's got a.
00:29:17
Speaker 3: History with gas.
00:29:19
Speaker 1: Chammy likes to get under his skin. Yeah, he enjoys it.
00:29:22
Speaker 2: Yeah anyway, and.
00:29:23
Speaker 1: It seems to annoy Gus anyway. Let's put a line under Lochland Galvin. If we don't speak about Lochland, Gavin or the Bulldogs ever again this year, it'll be a good thing.
00:29:33
Speaker 2: I reckon if we declared this, but you love.
00:29:38
Speaker 3: A free zone.
00:29:40
Speaker 2: Moses slash Lochland Galvin free zone, right, we'd get that sponsor. We need to continue there, and we're.
00:29:53
Speaker 1: Getting backstroking in money, mate.
00:29:57
Speaker 2: You don't need money. You're just born magnificent? Can I tell let's do it? What about your new ham? I bought a new house in the Southern Highlands where all the very wealthy people and me.
00:30:11
Speaker 1: It's a thirteen minute walk to the local pub. Yes, I've worked it out on Google Maps. There there's no uber there.
00:30:21
Speaker 2: You made nobody to get am You'll walk there.
00:30:23
Speaker 3: All right?
00:30:25
Speaker 1: I was gonna make one of those e bites. What do you reckon?
00:30:29
Speaker 2: What? What's your food of choice after you've had a long session, like the local Domino's pizza or well I live here in the cross so no, But when you're in the Southern Highlights, to have you thought about that?
00:30:41
Speaker 1: Make a ham and cheese toasted sandwich and go to bed. I don't eat when I drink, but holy shit, I make up for it the next day. Let's get into some footy Final four teams standing Storm, Sharks, Friday, bronchi Els, Penny Panthers, SUNCRP on Sunday afternoon. Now, buzz, Can I say this to you?
00:31:01
Speaker 2: Yep?
00:31:03
Speaker 1: So I backed Melbourne to win this year's Premiership the day after last year's Grand.
00:31:07
Speaker 2: Final, what price three eighty?
00:31:10
Speaker 1: I backed Brisbane at thirteen dollars midway through the season to win this year's premiership. If Brisbane win, I'll sell a stack of those Ivan Cleary books I worked on early this year in royalties.
00:31:23
Speaker 2: If Brisbane went no win.
00:31:27
Speaker 1: But you know who my team is at the final four. I'd love to see Cranala win, which I'm on the sharks man wagon.
00:31:32
Speaker 2: It's going to cost your book sales and cash, I know.
00:31:35
Speaker 1: But that just shows you how much of a rugby league romantic I am.
00:31:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, Wow, what do you find romantic about the shower?
00:31:42
Speaker 1: I love Fitz. Fitz has always been one of my favorite blokes in the game. And I love Niko. Nikko gets bashed up a lot. Niko's done some stuff away from footy for a member of my family, without any without any without me asking it all. He found out about it, and I won't to go into too many of the gory details. When I'm such a massive Nico fans, he gets he gets squared up for his performances on the field and drifting in out of the games. That's all good, but I know the good in Nico. Heines as well as anybody, and I just love and I just think they're the underdogs, you know, the battler's from the Shire. Yeah, and I love to see him win another comp with for.
00:32:22
Speaker 2: You, Buzz, I'd love it myself. And I think somehow use half fits he play, and all our listeners saw fits he play. He was a rat Price type competitor, same position St.
00:32:37
Speaker 1: George.
00:32:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah he And somehow he's been able to take his own DNA and injected into seventeen football players down at Coronula and they play like me every single week and they do not on paper have talent Like I was thinking about it the other night. Where be how many Carnola players would make the Penrotine right? How many Carnala players would make the Broncos team? How many Knla players make Melbourne? And I guarantee you if they were picking a side from the four teams left right, say your best side, who would make it? Out of the Sharks, Nika wouldn't make it, Trenda wouldn't make it, Adam Vanilla, Blake would Blake Brayley. It would be in a squeeze with Harry Grant to get in. But that's and I'm not downgrading them at all. It's a wrap for fits. He's coaching.
00:33:29
Speaker 1: It's a rap on on the ethos in that team, it is, and they've you know what, and they've been belt and everyone has been casting down on them basically for the last six months. Yeah, no matter what they do, no one's thought they'd be in the last four.
00:33:45
Speaker 2: No, no, no, I didn't. I gave up in the midiear wear. I put the red felt pencil.
00:33:51
Speaker 1: Hackneyed even this, like everyone will talk about Canberra being you know, they just couldn't get up after that epic match against against Brisbane, and there's always there's always an asterisk on on Cronulla's success, which is pretty unfair.
00:34:07
Speaker 2: It is, I wrote, and it's so hackney. They're not a team of champions, but they're a champion team where they really are And did I say this last week? There'll be thirty three players in three years. Yes, that's a big thing. Stability, cohesion, that's camaraderie.
00:34:30
Speaker 1: Blake's men incredible.
00:34:32
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're very tight. We do know on Stephen Mace, aren't you really?
00:34:37
Speaker 1: You will no more than you.
00:34:38
Speaker 2: I saw you come to lunch at Sea Level restaurant. You were there too, and I've never well, I've just said I saw you there. Of course I was there. I've never seen anyone demolished a full lobster with garlic part of rod in the manner in which you do.
00:34:53
Speaker 1: Well your form. You just eat the garlic butter. Do you want to talk about that?
00:34:58
Speaker 2: No? No, no that We'll get Brian Fletcher on this pod.
00:35:02
Speaker 1: We need to get fletched on you to discuss the garlic butter. It's Philip Buzz, which.
00:35:08
Speaker 3: I thought was short.
00:35:11
Speaker 2: I thought it was an entree buzz.
00:35:14
Speaker 1: Let's en line it. Buzz Buzz thought it was he was eating short soup, was actually garlic butter.
00:35:20
Speaker 2: Mate. I've had some issues in my marriage over the years, but the next morning I was dead set, ready to pack. My missus wanted to be out of the house. Why because of the garlic?
00:35:32
Speaker 1: Just just reeking of.
00:35:35
Speaker 2: Yes anyway, Okay, I like it where you're not so formal today.
00:35:43
Speaker 1: Well that's where I'm taking this podcast. I'm sort of steering the ship, taking less of a less structured approach and I'm more like I'm more of a just playing eyes up hosting.
00:35:55
Speaker 3: Do you know that?
00:35:56
Speaker 1: Sorry, you're going through your phone there? What are you going?
00:35:58
Speaker 2: I've got an urgent text I have to reply, but you keep going.
00:36:01
Speaker 1: Who's it from. I can't say, come on, give us a what club?
00:36:05
Speaker 2: Can't say what club? No, no, no, no no, I'm sitting on a story for the weekend. Immediate reply, okay, I can't wait to read it.
00:36:19
Speaker 1: What about the other so do you give him a chance against the Melbourne Storm?
00:36:23
Speaker 2: Absolutely? Okay?
00:36:25
Speaker 1: What about Brisbane?
00:36:25
Speaker 2: Penrith could be Look, you're never going to beat that Canberra Brisbane game, but this could be next door to that. You look, Welsh hass Stags. They've got a lot more to offer than Canterbury did. Yep. But this Penris side, we're spoken about Cleary, that the five eight.
00:36:46
Speaker 3: Trific player, too young blaze.
00:36:49
Speaker 2: He missed some tackles the other day, but he absolutely bashed a couple as well.
00:36:52
Speaker 1: He can defend for a young fellow.
00:36:54
Speaker 2: Yeah, great signing, Great signing.
00:36:57
Speaker 1: It looks like he's about ten Isa, William Martin, Dylan Edwards.
00:37:04
Speaker 2: Yeah mate, seriously, you know they're up There are the best sides ever seen and I go back to you know, those paramount back lines and what Clear's done is just so spectacular. With the football side, I think Penrith will win. I think they'll go through and they'll be hard to beat in the Grand Final.
00:37:27
Speaker 1: I think you're right. We'll do our tips, exclusive tips later. What do you think of Oh, I think they're an exceptional team. I think they're in terms of I'm not a big I'm not big with comparisons between rors. I'm not you know which is. You know, when you're a sports journal you got to but I you know, I'm the Dragons tragic and you know you can't compare them to that era because it's a different time, different game, same as when Paramounta dominated, same as when Roosters and Melbourne Moore recent even those manly teams in the nineties. They are all these great teams. But see Penrith. And this is where it gets tricky in terms of the debate about Ivan in his place as a coach. I know what you're saying on three sixty last night. He's got to be up there with the Waynes and the Bellamies and the Gibson's given his record. Ivans in the sense, Ivan's different in the sense and maybe the comparisons more like Wayne and the Broncos in the sense that Ivans had a pipeline of the best junior talent in the game at his disposal. But he's had to brink but he's had to bring that talent on so much earlier than normal because of the salary cap. Like I mean, people sort of forget after the twenty one the day after the twenty one Grand Final when they lost in the first week. They lost in that first week, remember the South and Wayne Bennett and all the mind games and to get them up and with the busted team to win that Grand Final final against they finally they finally win that twenty one Grand On the next day they sit Villa Villa Army kickout in and say we can't offer you a contract. And he's the best left edge back rawer in the game. And to be able to say goodbye to those players and not just get say you know you gott to go, but they'll stay for a year and then win one more premiership by the one foot out the door. That is some effort, you know, I know.
00:39:24
Speaker 2: And when Para wons, throw in a row sterlingk and he growth La Cron.
00:39:29
Speaker 3: And Price they stay, they stay.
00:39:32
Speaker 1: That's right.
00:39:33
Speaker 2: Salary cap, that's right. And ArKade tried to pinch him manly when he had the biggest check book in the game. But yeah, it's some if they win the camp I put Ivan up alongside Jack and Wayne and belly Ate.
00:39:45
Speaker 1: Who'd you say that last night? That's that's a big, cool, massive car and it's the right call there you go?
00:39:53
Speaker 2: Okay, taking us twenty seven rounds to a grand something? Yeah, well two, I knew i'd yet right once, just once.
00:40:05
Speaker 1: Buzzy Pump for the Walla. But he's playing at Eden Park on Saturday?
00:40:08
Speaker 2: Are we watching?
00:40:10
Speaker 1: They haven't won at Eden Park since nineteen eighty six? You know who the coach was, Alan Jones?
00:40:16
Speaker 2: Really? Yeah, hay six? How long has that poured? In? Twenty nine years?
00:40:20
Speaker 1: Yeah, they've played fifty one straight match level. It's fifty one straight matches there since. They've lost fifty one games since.
00:40:30
Speaker 2: It's crazy, isn't what's the betting? We any hope at all?
00:40:34
Speaker 1: Oh? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well this is considered our best chance in the years to win the Bledisloe.
00:40:39
Speaker 3: Yeah, and to win.
00:40:40
Speaker 1: If it's not now, then never because the All Blacks are coming off a record loss to the spring Box and.
00:40:44
Speaker 2: We beat the spring Box, right, we did at Ellis.
00:40:47
Speaker 1: Park first time since nineteen sixty two or three. Let me just have a look here at my.
00:40:54
Speaker 2: As you know where I do not look. You're rushed and the wrong guy, you know. But all I will say is and I think I'm a bit like a normal rugby league tragic. My interest has grown from about zero till very sharply about to follow the Wallabies this year.
00:41:21
Speaker 1: The Wallabies, they're four dollars forty.
00:41:23
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, my my, I'm really interested in the football team now, and not just Joseph Swali. He didn't drag me into the game. Winning drag me into the game. And a quality of football they play. And it's not like it doesn't appear to be as confusing as it once was. It doesn't appear to be penalty girl, penalty girl, penalty goal.
00:41:46
Speaker 1: I'll give you the right you get out for Rara. He's a sound supporter and Arara. And he's also got a new sort of number four haircut, just just shaved all over. He looks like he's just got out a one time to my bay.
00:42:01
Speaker 2: I love that.
00:42:01
Speaker 1: I love the orange jumpsuit also gives it pression there as well. Face our audience, our fans, what do they want to Yeah, what's the clip that's gone viral? Here we go, this is great podcasting.
00:42:29
Speaker 2: That was Gordian huh saying?
00:42:31
Speaker 1: What that was?
00:42:32
Speaker 2: Gordon? Yeah, it's got like this.
00:42:36
Speaker 1: What's it saying? Thousand shares?
00:42:39
Speaker 2: What is it? Did you know it was Gordon?
00:42:46
Speaker 1: Gordon?
00:42:48
Speaker 2: No, he just went he didn't agree with what I was saying.
00:42:52
Speaker 1: And I've been cures for letting one rip.
00:42:56
Speaker 2: You can't talk and let one rip at the same time.
00:42:58
Speaker 3: Can you.
00:43:00
Speaker 1: I'm sure you have. Yeah, yeah, you slip one out.
00:43:04
Speaker 2: Not guilty your honor, not guilty farthing on air.
00:43:08
Speaker 3: I tell you what.
00:43:09
Speaker 1: Don't do it in this little room after you've eaten your garlic butter.
00:43:13
Speaker 2: No.
00:43:15
Speaker 1: Yeah, So the Wallabies yeah.
00:43:18
Speaker 2: Yeah, oh what's that? Webbe?
00:43:21
Speaker 1: Will you? Yeah?
00:43:22
Speaker 2: No, I will.
00:43:24
Speaker 1: I'm going to be checking. Yeah right, they're going all right. You know what everyone bags are the referees in the NRL. I'll be worried about referees in rugby union. Sorry, is you contact? Go back to you?
00:43:36
Speaker 2: No?
00:43:37
Speaker 1: No, okay, good, all right, so we'll move the focus back to you. The War Story segment NRL three sixty The Jerry Springer Show of Rugby League. Yeah, wow, when did you first appear on.
00:43:49
Speaker 2: Them, ah, same time you did, probably ten years ago.
00:43:53
Speaker 1: When it first started. Were at the first year? No, I wasn't the first year I auditioned to be one of the host did you because I was in at the time and just well, Kenty and Ike and we're better. I'm not a host. As people who followed this podcast with a test.
00:44:11
Speaker 2: I've been on it for about ten years were I was so uncomfortable. I'll put it this way. I was in my comfort zone beyond a keyboard and a little bit that you were and doing a bit of radio, and for some reason I suffered massive anxiety in front of bright lights and a camera, knowing it's live, knowing you can't oh shit, I've made a mistake there. I'll go back and clean that up. That's what you got to You got to think on your feet. And the first few goes at it short, I sweated, and one one of my best mates got called Paul Sard. He's a bit of a fruit tycoon. He actually rang me on the way home and said, maybe you're okay. You look like you've got a medical issue, you know, basically suggesting I was pop into, you know, an outpatience and that's our ordinary looked and may eventually I sort of came around and got a bit more comfortable doing it, But I don't look, it's been great for all of us, you know. And because the people see you're a different person, the old grump behind a keyboard, right.
00:45:22
Speaker 1: I think you're just an old grumpered bottom.
00:45:26
Speaker 2: Yeah, but look, it's a fantastic place to work.
00:45:29
Speaker 1: The show.
00:45:31
Speaker 2: It's hugely successful now. As I said, I started off with ben Iikeen and Canty. Then Braith and Asta came along, and Canty was there, and then Gordy tell Us came along. And people think they don't know about you. People think we get in there from meeting now and a half before the show. We work out when to come in and bag ready, when to come in and have a stink with Gordy, when to have a shot. It's not right, is it. No, it's all it's safe, freaking natural, it's natural.
00:46:02
Speaker 1: I wasn't stage when Braith was screaming at Bread last time. Yeah, no, it's not. It's all well, but I remember when I was on there. I forget what the show was. It was over the gap when govin first I first kicked off and like. So the whole first segment was about Galvin and we come to the break and I said to Crawls and Gordy and Braith, I went, we just yelled at each other for like half an hour and agreed with each other.
00:46:29
Speaker 2: I'll tell you what would be better television if they put one of those little cameras up in the corner of the green room and watched this demolish the roast chicken and sneededy.
00:46:39
Speaker 1: I don't need anything. I don't need anything I do. I love a food.
00:46:43
Speaker 2: And then the lolly says, massive jar of snakes and minties and those I love those little banana lollies in the green room. I like a bit of sugar before I go on there. Yeah, little tip for you, little tip. It's probably shaky, Mitchell, But people who think it's staged seriously.
00:47:09
Speaker 1: Quote buzz loves little bananas. Well you know those sugar, Yes, I get them, but I don't like a black hat sound like. But to tell people how we put the show together. Mitch different the executive producer, and Michael Crawley is offside of Steve st who was great, great guy, great operator. They make their phone calls and they talk to us all day about breaking news developments, what our thoughts are. So the half hour you see on TV is actually full day's work together, Well it is, yeah, And but so you you have got the best of it on the Monday because you get all the issues. And then were me and Crawls on the Tuesday are sitting there.
00:47:59
Speaker 2: You know, come up, You're not right by the time you get on. I've warned the audience up. They're ready for more. They want more, and we'll come on.
00:48:08
Speaker 1: They want you, they want some stability. Crawls Webster, you know, the old wed.
00:48:14
Speaker 2: The lawyers exactly friendly you two of then you two can both be really.
00:48:22
Speaker 1: So people are nasty from the nastiest little man I've ever met in journalism.
00:48:27
Speaker 2: I'm here to give I'm here to give people an insight and what happens behind the bright lights.
00:48:33
Speaker 1: Well, I remember when we were first on together and you started sweating, and then I started sweating watching you sweat, and I said, I'm sweating because it buzz and ken he goes to the contagious sweat and I said, yes, it's.
00:48:46
Speaker 2: My favorite bit of television on you. Yes, was not three sixty. It was Sunday Footy Show Channel nine.
00:48:53
Speaker 1: I just want to sweat. No.
00:48:55
Speaker 2: Someone made a decision to bring Mark Levy and off the bench. That was and you've got similar body shapes, and he was he was a bit where he tore him a new one.
00:49:08
Speaker 1: I told him specifically not to bring something up beforehand. He said, I'm going to tell me. I said, don't do that, mate, it'll be I'll tell you what it was. It was about. It was about because it was things were frosty with me and Freddy because because they lost the first origin and I was critical of Pangye Junior's selection, and Freddie was very very frosty because Brad doesn't like criticism, even though he is in a role in which he criticizes people. But that's another story for another time. And I said to Mark Levy, out of respect to Freddy, don't bring it up, mate. Freddy's there. I don't want to upset anyone. Let's just be so what as Levy comes on and starts bringing up.
00:49:43
Speaker 2: And I was like, he defied you.
00:49:45
Speaker 1: And I said, right, if you're going to bring a knife to a gunfight, that's your decision. And I just went whack, whack, whack, whack, whack never to tour again. And I told we came off and I said, I told you, and yeah it with a knock out victory. He seems to think he went all right, did he?
00:50:05
Speaker 2: But he hasn't been back on television. Mate, Can I just say this isn't a He's doing a nice job on radio. I love, but maybe he should never ever again go on television now.
00:50:17
Speaker 1: Don't go on a journal segment and say, you know, we're supposed to be here to be supporters, not journalists.
00:50:24
Speaker 2: I ran the picture of him has been a blues wig once and cheer. He's not a bad fellow.
00:50:33
Speaker 1: He's a good guy. He's not a good guy, and he's just a bit on radio he is.
00:50:39
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's don't look he's following a tough geek, you know, following Hadley in one every survey exactly what else we got?
00:50:47
Speaker 3: Weabe?
00:50:48
Speaker 1: I do so reckon when we do our feelings?
00:50:49
Speaker 2: How long we've been going? This is a long podcast, two hours, two hours fifty one minutes. He Mason does two hour podcasts. I don't think I can hold nor.
00:50:58
Speaker 1: He's an NFL one that I've been steered into by our great major branch as a rafa that goes for three hours. That's great. I love it. It's like it's an incredible podcast. Not as good as this one, but it's very, very entertaining.
00:51:10
Speaker 2: But but you know what you've come. You're hosting, you're hosting. Today's been up there with your best doing No, I'll tell you what you've done. You've done a grand accors. You've let the game flow. You have, mate, you've let it flow. You've taken a lot of structure out of the podcast you have. You know what, You've told me to go out and enjoy myself.
00:51:40
Speaker 1: What else your camera? You ship yourself at the stage.
00:51:46
Speaker 2: You're playing playing eyes up hosts.
00:51:52
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm a game manager. I'm a I'm a I'm a podcast manager. I'm going to hate that term game manager.
00:51:58
Speaker 3: It's a half.
00:52:00
Speaker 2: Yeah. I don't mind game management.
00:52:03
Speaker 1: I don't like eyes up footing. You know who? You mentioned that to? Joey? His eyes rolled back into his head like a great white shark. He just hates the term. But he was, eyes up, that's what football. You're not run there looking at the ground.
00:52:18
Speaker 2: He did.
00:52:19
Speaker 1: Yeah, but that's like that's such a nothing. Turn. Oh, here's someone calling me it might be my my, my dog's getting in her scans today.
00:52:29
Speaker 2: Have you exchanged on the house?
00:52:31
Speaker 1: I settled, manager, I settled say that yesterday. I'll tell you what. It's terrible when you've got that big money, all that money sitting in that offset account, just going hurry up and hurry up and settle, so I don't have it there just crying to be used. Phelis forecast. Let's get this, let's put a button on this show to beat Melbourne. Well, here's my mom. Jesus, mum, I'm trying to do a pod cast. I like the Sharks at the Price. Yeah, how's that that's on each way back? Yeah it is Brisbane Penrith.
00:53:11
Speaker 2: I think Penrith will get the money, get the chocolates because they were so impressive last week and they play anywhere near as well as that. They'll be too good for Brisbane side. That I have to admit, despite bagging them all year, if had a sensational year, go you good thing, Madge too good?
00:53:28
Speaker 1: All right, Thanks everyone for following us this week. You can get involved with our socials YouTube and we'll see you next week. Buzz Grand Final Off the Record, Rand Final Edition, Grand Fole edition of Off the Record.
00:53:42
Speaker 2: See then
Speaker 1: Hi everyone, and welcome to Off the Record the Sports podcast. A breaking news, hard opinion and a little bit of gibber although I suspect a lot today. I'm Andrew Website from Australian and this is my friend, my colleague, my nemesis, my rival, Art Trival. Phil Good Phil, Hell are you buzz.
00:00:21
Speaker 2: Talk about Gibba. I'm going lunch today. I'm going to the chop House.
00:00:26
Speaker 1: I'm going to chop it up the chop House, great steak.
00:00:30
Speaker 2: And a great red wine there. So there might be some gibbering going on afterwards.
00:00:35
Speaker 1: What are you doing at the chop House.
00:00:37
Speaker 2: I'm having lunch with a couple of people. Where are a couple of connections. It's called networking, Andrew, which you occasionally do yourself.
00:00:47
Speaker 1: And I work in the shadows, working around Yes. Coming up on the Shaw today, Buzz has some breaking news on who will referee the NRL Grand Finals.
00:00:57
Speaker 2: Who I think I'll referee that?
00:00:58
Speaker 1: Okay, okay, you think, well that's a really breaking news, that's breaking.
00:01:03
Speaker 2: A well, yeah, I'd always move it to Fearless Forecast. But I think it's going to happen and.
00:01:08
Speaker 1: It will shock a lot of people to the core of the foundations of rugby league.
00:01:13
Speaker 3: Bombshell Reverla.
00:01:14
Speaker 1: Well, that's what we love.
00:01:15
Speaker 2: Here.
00:01:16
Speaker 1: We look at the final four contenders still standing in this is enthralling premiership. We indulge in our very favorite pastime of taking the absolute piss out of Gus and then our intergalactically popular war story segment, we pull back the curtain and talk about what it's like to be a talking sweaty head on NRL three sixty.
00:01:38
Speaker 2: We've got to tell people about the green room. The green room and the food and all those you do, you go for the snakes and all those others.
00:01:46
Speaker 1: I've got to hold my I'm under, I'm under, I'm held, I'm held tightly wound up. Yeah, I try not to go near him. Just before you get into a buzz, big shout out to our friends of Code Sports. You can get an annual subscription to Australi's best sports website for just forty nine bucks. Features australis best sports journalism. The Code Sports app is essential for every fan. Codesports dot com dot Au forward slash ot to get the special discount buzz Who is your Champion of the week.
00:02:15
Speaker 2: My Champion of the week is afternoon rugby league, and I've seen a couple of afternoon games in the last two weeks, one in the National Capital of the Broncos game ninety four minute classic and I was at a core on Sunday afternoon for Penrith and the Bulldogs. Now this is just absolutely Look. It's led to suggestions that the TV ratings were so good that the old chestnut of an afternoon Grand Final, which I think we're going to talk about later, but there was a poll in the Telegraph. I saw ninety three percent of people want that afternoon grand final. Mate. That was fantastic out there the other day, and I honestly think it's a better game of footy in dry during without the due and the football and to watch Penrith what they did and watch Campbell Brisbane the week mate. Do you are you an afternoon I am.
00:03:14
Speaker 1: A Dayti'd watch everything during the day if I could. Yeah, I think it's far better footy there always used to be. They always used to be during the day. Yeah, I think it's you know, I'm glad that the TV ratings sort of open up the conversation to go back to it, because the TV ratings is always the argument against it because it's always apparently better TV ratings of a night.
00:03:38
Speaker 2: Well, they're up thirty four percent. But let's chat after Grand Final later.
00:03:42
Speaker 1: Let's do that. You know who my champion is, Nathan mc cleary.
00:03:48
Speaker 2: Fair enough, that's all I got. You know, it's better than you going wide and overseas with I'm.
00:03:54
Speaker 1: Trying to be diverse. Our overlords, Mark Burris and Nick Forden want us to versified. Yes they do. Have you missed all those twenty got breaking and you min it's all those twenty memos from them saying we want a variety of sports.
00:04:09
Speaker 2: Yeah, I've got breaking news that I'm not across a lot of other sports.
00:04:13
Speaker 1: Well, anyway, you're a philistine.
00:04:16
Speaker 3: Do you know what that is?
00:04:19
Speaker 1: It's a.
00:04:20
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:04:21
Speaker 1: The same people who were wrapping him this week for what he did against Canbury, I note with interest of the same people who were bagging the absolute shit out of him after Origin. This guy is a superstar. He's more than a club player. He's one of the last four comps to Clive Churchills. He's everyone's saying, you know, he's never going to be as good as Wally or Joey. He's twenty seven. He's still probably got the best part of a decade of football left. Get off this kid's back. He is a super star. I think he's stop bagging, stop bagging greats.
00:04:57
Speaker 2: I think he's a future mortal webe I really do. No, I agree, And mate, Jowey's still up the top three I've ever seen. And that's when I include the back end of rapists career clear is off the charts. Just magnificence.
00:05:15
Speaker 1: He really is, mate, I'm with you, and I just think the way that he is he gets clobbered by the media and punters is just you know, you didn't have a good Origin three. He wasn't the lone ranger, but he's been part of successful New South Wales teams. He's been part of a successful World Cup team, including playing an absolute blinder in the final in twenty twenty one.
00:05:41
Speaker 2: So just yeah, I love how humbly is too. I heard an interview last week. Well, all he wanted to do was wrap his teammates. And so I'm the player I am because of the team I'm surrounding me exactly.
00:05:52
Speaker 1: All right, who's your chump?
00:05:54
Speaker 2: I have one last whack at Cameron Surrounder and he had a media conference the other day and who's talking about all the crap comments and media commentary around his spinal surgery, which I thought was self destruction.
00:06:09
Speaker 1: I thought it was a direct attack at you.
00:06:11
Speaker 2: Well, it probably was, because I've been one of their heavier critics. I just think in times like this you've got to have a bit of self reflection and have a look at go back on what he actually did to that team when you consider the telling statistic is they won one of their last six games, and that win was against Penrith, New South Wales Cup side.
00:06:37
Speaker 3: And p a side that was high balling.
00:06:40
Speaker 2: Just flying early in the year. I think he confused the football side. I think they lack cohesion and so I pointed out, and I don't want to just repeat myself. You look at a side like Cronulla with Brayley at Hawker, Heinz Trendall Kennedy has not changed.
00:07:01
Speaker 3: They're so solid, they're so steady.
00:07:04
Speaker 2: And I think Cameron fucked up. I really do.
00:07:09
Speaker 1: Well, look your thoughts. We're gonna get into. Yeah, we're gonna get into because Gus went to deaf Cone three on one hundred on Monday night. We're just going to have a little bit.
00:07:21
Speaker 2: Of fun show too late at night, but old people.
00:07:24
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm in bed by nine o'clock.
00:07:27
Speaker 2: Oh no, man, Yeah, I know you're you're looking at two up to twenty seven rounds, including Las Vegas.
00:07:35
Speaker 1: I often say, look at your head. We'll get your little head. Dare you.
00:07:41
Speaker 2: You've been up for thirty weeks and you know it's at the moment. Like player welfare, I think we need to introduce journalistic welfare.
00:07:50
Speaker 1: We need a buy round for journals. One, we need where's our hey, you know what, fuck the players? Where's our buy round?
00:07:59
Speaker 2: The two going on a four month in a couple of weeks.
00:08:03
Speaker 1: That's two f bombs and we're eight minutes into the show. You know who My champ is, my chump. But buzz I love nothing more than taking the piss out of Brent Read. He leads with his chin, He leads with both chins. There's only one person with worse takes in rugby league, and that's you, buzz. But the shameless beat up of the poor little fellow on three point sixty last night by you, a NaSTA and Talus was borderline. Hr staff I thought, and in many ways he resembled a pinard At a young Mexican child's eighth birthday, Merclelly wapped from all directions by big sticks, hoping that he would eventually fall apart. Braise was screaming at him.
00:08:45
Speaker 2: Well, I don't scream, but I will very passionately defend what I've written, and he challenges funny. I spoke to Rudy after the show. We are actually really good mates, and he had his dad from Brisbane staying in his house and he said, what about my dad? Even he was backing you on the shower.
00:09:04
Speaker 1: So no, look, he's got a I'm going to give him a bit of a bit of advice. You've got to fight fire with fire and just scorch everybody back. Yeah, he cops it a bit too much.
00:09:15
Speaker 2: Oh no, he came back, but I just didn't agree with his arguments.
00:09:18
Speaker 3: And when you throw you.
00:09:20
Speaker 2: Know, evidence at him, he appears to just ignore it, and I find it quite frustrating.
00:09:26
Speaker 1: But let's go funny. You did throw a funny little little body shot. Well you said, well, you're obviously close with Cameron Serroudo the way that you're talking.
00:09:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, yeah, that's a story for another day. Cameron Serroundo's media relationships, and I don't jump on that bandwagon.
00:09:47
Speaker 1: I just tell as I see it, you call it as you say it.
00:09:51
Speaker 2: But mate, I can't wait to do this three sixty segment as war stories. A lot of people I get stopped all the time and they say it's this has got to be staged, all this, and it's so natural, it is so natural.
00:10:09
Speaker 1: Well, the thing is, I find, because I've been offered for years and I've been back on it this year, I just find we just all yell at each other, even when we're green.
00:10:17
Speaker 2: Yeah, but yeah, you've been particularly nasty.
00:10:21
Speaker 1: What do you mean? But have I been nasty?
00:10:23
Speaker 2: You have been on that show?
00:10:26
Speaker 1: How So I'll just okay, let's see, I don't keep.
00:10:29
Speaker 2: A record of your nastiness.
00:10:31
Speaker 1: Yeah, well you're going to throw that out there. Backing up with some evidence for a change, all right, you heard it your first buzz? What have you got on the NRL Grand Final whistle blower?
00:10:39
Speaker 3: We'll tell you what I can tell you.
00:10:41
Speaker 2: Midyear, gran Atkins was putting massive, massive pressure on the one only Ashley climb around state of Origin time. And what I'm told is that if it had been a dead Raber. The third Origin game, of course, was decided. What they did, they played it safe and went climb. Had it been Den Rubbert, they would have gone with grand Atkins. Now with Atkins now, the people I'm speaking to at the NRL reckon he's a short half head of a nose in front. Is that the same as short head and the nose I think it is, but nearly half length in front, right, So yeah.
00:11:22
Speaker 1: With three lengths ahead by the end of this segment, well by the by the weekend.
00:11:29
Speaker 2: If he gets through without a major controversy, I'm told they are leaning towards him to referee the Grand Final, which I think would be widely applauded amongst the rugby league punters. Yeah, there you go.
00:11:46
Speaker 1: Look that's my applause.
00:11:48
Speaker 2: The safety first and look, I'm actually a climent fan. You know, he's a he's a very very you know, he's a safety first pick. And what they like about Clemmen is the fact he is so narchy. So there's any sign of wrestling Melbourne go back to there he'll get. And that's the one knock on Atkins is that he likes a flowing game around league and that that's what I love, but wheybe, I would not be at all shocked as I said, he's in front at this stage to referee the Grand Final.
00:12:27
Speaker 1: Has that changed because you said in this segment two weeks ago that he was the Climb was the pe despite his controversial performance in the canber.
00:12:36
Speaker 2: Bridge Rugby Rugby League. Is fluid?
00:12:40
Speaker 3: Is that the right word volatile? Yeah, it's a volatile.
00:12:45
Speaker 1: That word capricious, yes, I do you find that in Australia in those words?
00:12:49
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, yes, I couldn't spell it A P R, I C I O U S the US and see what it actually cyrus listen, saurus whatever, the worst the currus.
00:13:08
Speaker 1: Yeah, but you just made that word up.
00:13:11
Speaker 2: Will be the game does move? Yeah, I did think Climb was in front a few weeks ago.
00:13:18
Speaker 1: Mm hmm.
00:13:19
Speaker 2: But I think it'd be great. I think I think you've got to even though he's got past records of origins and Grand Poles, you need to put your best referee in charge of that game, and right now Akan is the best referee in the comp this year.
00:13:35
Speaker 1: Every time Ashley Klin does a big game, we seem to be talking about Ashley Klein instead of the game I find that's I don't know Ashley and he's obviously a great referee, good God, I don't know him, but but I think Akins, just for the sake of a rioting, let's go with someone else, you know what I mean?
00:13:52
Speaker 2: But I didn't you go with the best.
00:13:55
Speaker 3: I didn't like.
00:13:56
Speaker 1: I didn't like the camera Broncos game. I thought when he gave that penalty against the Heath Strange ethan strange. I keep calling them Heath strange, ethan strange. Early on, I just thought, here we go, this is going to be one of those Ashley Klein games. Yeah, I think I don't think that's shouldn't And I know, you know what, I want to say this, and I know it's hard for referees to be out of it, and I hate bashing up referees. I've done big pieces with with Matt Echen and Ben Cummins, you know, and and just try to highlight the pressure they're under and the said they get. But that doesn't mean they're above criticism. And I just don't think Ashley Klein is the best referee then.
00:14:42
Speaker 2: But could you imagine how hard the job is. Apart from fitness, they get fatigued too, and they've got to make big decisions the end of the game when they've run how many kilometers? I've got no idea. You can find out how far they run. But mate, they've got touch judges in their ear. They've got bunker in there that all this is happening and the game's are million miles from now.
00:15:04
Speaker 1: Too much. I still think it's time for a second referee. Bring it back.
00:15:08
Speaker 2: We got rid of at COVID, didn't we.
00:15:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was a cost cutting exercise.
00:15:13
Speaker 2: I agreed, But I think the second referee should be strictly in charge of the ten meters will be Yeah, just just ten meters.
00:15:24
Speaker 1: Keep on.
00:15:24
Speaker 2: Why the touch judges can't do that? I don't know what do the touch judges do we? You know in soccer the touch judges roll off side, don't they? Because the ref Why can't we do that and go really really heavy for the first two weeks of a season. Tell the clubs and then it'll stop.
00:15:42
Speaker 1: Yes, anyway, I'm with you, Okay, remember you heard you first, Unless, of course, it doesn't have.
00:15:48
Speaker 2: Us, not frigging happens, all right, I reconn. I'm batting about eighty percent with my heard here first, Well, why don't you come to the party where I heard it?
00:15:59
Speaker 3: You first?
00:16:00
Speaker 2: Your best one? Your best one was Ted Swims. You got entertainment. Congratulations. What do you put on here after you had this in your Australian.
00:16:11
Speaker 1: I've had a few.
00:16:12
Speaker 2: You can turned up with old soiled news. Had a few that was your big story.
00:16:18
Speaker 1: Oh I think I had some stuff on the Bears, the per Bears. Yes, you did other stuff.
00:16:23
Speaker 2: Yeah, I do have a hard news edge on you.
00:16:25
Speaker 1: You can write the so what I had one the other week and you spiked it? Remember, so that's not which one? Do you want to go into this conversition? No you don't, No, Aboard, I did not the old editor and you came out you said.
00:16:40
Speaker 2: No, we're not doing that. We are not publishing this. Andrew, you proceeded.
00:16:48
Speaker 1: When I was when I was working at the Telegraph and you were my sports editor. Is many many years.
00:16:53
Speaker 3: I defy you to tell me one story I spiked.
00:16:56
Speaker 2: No you did.
00:16:56
Speaker 1: I'll tell you what you did. I remember the Law is Savage, a piece that I wrote, and you said to me, wherebe is it right? And I said it's right, but let's publish it.
00:17:06
Speaker 2: Did we get sued. Well there, Yeah, lawyers are very conservative people have no fun at all. We're paid to published, they're paid to save millions of dollars.
00:17:18
Speaker 1: And you lawyers with your defamation laws.
00:17:20
Speaker 2: And we've only got two weeks to go, and I don't know if we have defametory insurance defamation insurance on this podcast, so please don't all.
00:17:29
Speaker 1: Right, well, well I'm glad. I'm glad you just said that. Before we talk about Gus. I got sued by Gus once. He loves you, some backyard lawyer. And the opening line was I act for Philip rural girl, and then you paid his name them. Then the thing was, dear mister Rothfield, I act for Philip, and you put his full name in the paper.
00:17:54
Speaker 2: So I, yeah, I did.
00:17:56
Speaker 1: I was there at the.
00:17:57
Speaker 2: Time, and I said, we've had a legal playing from Philip Ronald Gill and but you know what our lawyers did with it? Put it in the bin. Yeah, we didn't even reply. The lawyers normally reply out of respect.
00:18:10
Speaker 1: I love it when they just waste paper basket.
00:18:13
Speaker 2: Yeah, or paper shredder. These days, I think.
00:18:16
Speaker 1: How good we've had. I've had some good lawyers before. It will put like, you know, well, we'll probably get sued, but we need a good blue I.
00:18:25
Speaker 2: Got a couple of really really good ones who checked my column each week. Journa McWilliams at news Call Journa. I hope you're listening. Joanna has been there forever and Robert Todd was an old favorite of mine. You would have worked with Robert Todd, Blake, DAWs and Waldron very much.
00:18:44
Speaker 1: So. Yeah, it's great.
00:18:46
Speaker 2: Thankfully. I haven't had much of a history with criminal lawyers, but yeah, that's a good thing.
00:18:52
Speaker 1: We've been sued many times.
00:18:54
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, successfully not successfully, No on the fact checker. How many check I double and triple check probably through how many times?
00:19:05
Speaker 1: You know what you might want to you want to double check that statement?
00:19:08
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'll tell you what will be. I've settled a couple, have you, Yeah, because the expense are going to court.
00:19:17
Speaker 1: Yeah, I know we've done sterling.
00:19:23
Speaker 2: You know what's your record?
00:19:24
Speaker 1: Like I've been, I've been sued. When I was at the Telegraph, we got we settled on a story. They settled on a story. They settled on a story without me even knowing. And I was filthy because I was like I can spot on it, and I got the saurces lined up around the corner. But the same thing. We just didn't want to It wasn't worth the risk in court. And the other one was the Herald, and I got dragged onto the story at the last minute. I'm not going to talk about it at all, and we end up getting sued. And the less too dragged me on the story. He said, look, we got sued over our story, said our story. I think it was your story, and we got dragged onto it in the last.
00:20:10
Speaker 2: Just before, just before we get on the gas. I do have one funny story about getting sued, and we had a very small settlement. But part of the settlement was I had to do an apology to this person in the column that it does. But I got around it the week the apology had to go into the newspaper. Guess what I did. I took a week off. I apologized Paul Cameron Bell, so I got out of it.
00:20:50
Speaker 1: Go you good thing.
00:20:55
Speaker 2: And I think the poor the person Cameron pologized to, was more filthy about the fact that I hadn't apologized more than the actual thing I'd written about.
00:21:09
Speaker 1: Oh good old journalism.
00:21:11
Speaker 2: I've just wasted war story, that we should do it.
00:21:14
Speaker 1: That's a famous we should do world stories and when we've been sued, okay, news of the week, our old mates. Philip Ronald Gold has come out swinging in defense of the decision to sign Lockey Galvin mid season. He described the criticism as childish, that he knew Lockie would struggle playing halfback, and he told he's told the other players, the other Bulldogs players is this is the media scrutiny that comes when you play for the Bulldogs. So he's turning the players against the media, always a great strategy for football clubs. This to me, can I say this to me? This is a textbook Gus blaming the media for his decisions that haven't come out. And this is exactly why he said all along bars that he had nothing to do with the Locky Galvin decision in season so he could distance himself from it.
00:22:04
Speaker 2: What do you think when I wrote a column two weeks ago, third last part was your columnusts will be accused of an attempt of media destabilization because of Gus there and the history of Gus And this is so typical, this little rant on one hundred percent for the last night as I said both him and Cameron surround, I have to take some responsibilities, some self reflection, some accountability of a season of self destruction which I wrote on Monday morning, that football side didn't know who was playing where week after week in the key positions in the football side. Hooker and halfback they are and five eight that's three quarters of your spine. And they were all over the shop, even to an extent where the two players he sacked when he was leading the camp read Marny and Toby Sexton came back for one last goal in that they didn't know what they were doing. And for Gus to come out now and say that they knew Lackland Galvin wasn't half back. Why why did they pick him?
00:23:20
Speaker 1: Why did they get him so soon?
00:23:22
Speaker 2: But why did they pick him at halfway?
00:23:24
Speaker 1: Did I get it?
00:23:25
Speaker 2: Anyone who watches football knows that kid on Sunday had a really good game of footing. You know why I had a good game of footing. They took him out of the responsibility role of running the football side. He played his carefree West Tiger's football on an edge, didn't have to get involved in any structure and he was great mate, they stuffed up and they got to own it.
00:23:51
Speaker 1: I a hundred per agree. Look, and this is not a Gus bash up. And course it's nice. That's not a zero bash up. I got on great with zero, enormous respect for him and he's going to be a great coach. But this is this is my my read on it. This was the boss moved from Gus that didn't work, rightly or wrongly. They didn't think that they were going to be in a position to push for a premiership. You see with Toby Sexton at half back. That's what they thought. And that was evidence, by the way, when they dropped him, they leaked out within inside the club. They leaked all those those stats to the two papers.
00:24:27
Speaker 2: Yeah that was and I hate that.
00:24:30
Speaker 1: So why, oh, Nickolidis, are you going to answer it or in a brush him?
00:24:36
Speaker 2: I've actually got a suspend over something, so I'm not going to take that call.
00:24:42
Speaker 1: You heard it here first, Yeah, politis v bars.
00:24:47
Speaker 2: I'm just going to give him a day off.
00:24:50
Speaker 1: It's very controversy.
00:24:51
Speaker 2: Yeah, well let's tell me. Do you suspend people? Yeah?
00:24:56
Speaker 1: I suspend you all the time.
00:24:57
Speaker 2: Do you suspend people? Yeah?
00:24:59
Speaker 1: Yeah, gonna put them out on the put them on the out.
00:25:02
Speaker 2: It's all a part of relationships.
00:25:04
Speaker 1: Thank you every now on Exabra.
00:25:07
Speaker 2: Every now and again, you have collisions with people, you.
00:25:09
Speaker 1: Know what you should do. You should suspend yourself particularly.
00:25:13
Speaker 2: Sorry, what do we no? No, no, So this is my This is a banter section. It's not always hard news, you know, it's banter.
00:25:23
Speaker 1: Get back to fucking form. Yeah. I think they obviously didn't think Toby Sexton was the right half back for them to possibly win the camp. I thought Gus and Sero thought let's get Galvin mid season, look at what look like the smartest blokes in the room. And that didn't work. It didn't work, And I don't think and to categorize it as a media driven you know, hysteria, Listen to your own Listen to your fans.
00:25:53
Speaker 2: Listen to them. Look at the comments on the stories. They are the people they're writing for, not Gus, not Cameron.
00:25:59
Speaker 1: Listen to the fans when they flashed Toby Sexton's head on the big screen, you know what I mean. Listen to it like I've got heaps of bulldogs fans who are who are into me for not being more critical of them. You know, it's it's it's I think it's the target that's been put on Lochland Galvin's back has been done by Gas calling him, putting all those expectations, and on him last year by getting him out. I don't think they played the tape forward and thought if this doesn't work, they're going to come after that kid. And I think it's been unfair Unlocky Galvin that said you make your bed, you line it. Do you want to leave the Tigers as you did, then you know, look, that's what you've got to call.
00:26:40
Speaker 2: Gus put the Blowe Talk spotlight eyeballs on him by saying he's the best kid he's ever seen. But I'm going to blame his manager.
00:26:48
Speaker 3: Here too, Isaac Moses too.
00:26:51
Speaker 1: Why I blame him?
00:26:53
Speaker 2: He did not need to bring this to a head when it came to a head which called him in and wanted to talk to him about a contract extension. So Isaac walks in with a dossia of seven complaints about Benji Marshall which brought it to a head, had got published and then he lost the rest of the sheds Lachlan Galvin did. Why did his manager not say we are not in this what I would have done. You're rich out, I walk in on Isaac.
00:27:28
Speaker 1: That's my rich Ores.
00:27:29
Speaker 2: I would have said, you know what I said, rich I would have said, rich Out, look, I really appreciate the offer, and it's a very very generous offer. We are not in a position at this stage to commit long term. We want to get this season out of the way and then let's sit down in the off season. And he could have gone in then and said I don't want to be here. What the manager did was blow the but Jesus out of the story mate. He really did, oh recall, and he left a situation there where there was no coming back that he couldn't stay because the players were off him because he turned on Benji. Now that was Isaac's fault. Isaac could have said to the kid, Okay, you've got these complaints about Benji. Let's keep to ourselves. Let's get this season out.
00:28:21
Speaker 1: Of the way.
00:28:21
Speaker 2: We contracted here, knowing that if he did go to Canterbury, how mentally tough it was going to be on this kid, particularly to be thrown in to run a premiership contender. Yep and Gus was so expected last night.
00:28:41
Speaker 1: It was so obvious you could set your clock to it. It was going to be the media's fault. Yeah, it always is.
00:28:48
Speaker 2: And the thing is, if that had happened on an R three sixty, not one hundred forty, he would have been challenged last night.
00:28:57
Speaker 1: He was on there last night.
00:28:59
Speaker 2: I'm not sure if Danny was on there, but Danny wasn't on the segment you know where, tell you what I'd like this soon on it. And this is no reflection on Danny either, because he's very tight with Gus and I've got mates. I'm tight with two. But I reckon Chammy the challenge. Chammy's got a.
00:29:17
Speaker 3: History with gas.
00:29:19
Speaker 1: Chammy likes to get under his skin. Yeah, he enjoys it.
00:29:22
Speaker 2: Yeah anyway, and.
00:29:23
Speaker 1: It seems to annoy Gus anyway. Let's put a line under Lochland Galvin. If we don't speak about Lochland, Gavin or the Bulldogs ever again this year, it'll be a good thing.
00:29:33
Speaker 2: I reckon if we declared this, but you love.
00:29:38
Speaker 3: A free zone.
00:29:40
Speaker 2: Moses slash Lochland Galvin free zone, right, we'd get that sponsor. We need to continue there, and we're.
00:29:53
Speaker 1: Getting backstroking in money, mate.
00:29:57
Speaker 2: You don't need money. You're just born magnificent? Can I tell let's do it? What about your new ham? I bought a new house in the Southern Highlands where all the very wealthy people and me.
00:30:11
Speaker 1: It's a thirteen minute walk to the local pub. Yes, I've worked it out on Google Maps. There there's no uber there.
00:30:21
Speaker 2: You made nobody to get am You'll walk there.
00:30:23
Speaker 3: All right?
00:30:25
Speaker 1: I was gonna make one of those e bites. What do you reckon?
00:30:29
Speaker 2: What? What's your food of choice after you've had a long session, like the local Domino's pizza or well I live here in the cross so no, But when you're in the Southern Highlights, to have you thought about that?
00:30:41
Speaker 1: Make a ham and cheese toasted sandwich and go to bed. I don't eat when I drink, but holy shit, I make up for it the next day. Let's get into some footy Final four teams standing Storm, Sharks, Friday, bronchi Els, Penny Panthers, SUNCRP on Sunday afternoon. Now, buzz, Can I say this to you?
00:31:01
Speaker 2: Yep?
00:31:03
Speaker 1: So I backed Melbourne to win this year's Premiership the day after last year's Grand.
00:31:07
Speaker 2: Final, what price three eighty?
00:31:10
Speaker 1: I backed Brisbane at thirteen dollars midway through the season to win this year's premiership. If Brisbane win, I'll sell a stack of those Ivan Cleary books I worked on early this year in royalties.
00:31:23
Speaker 2: If Brisbane went no win.
00:31:27
Speaker 1: But you know who my team is at the final four. I'd love to see Cranala win, which I'm on the sharks man wagon.
00:31:32
Speaker 2: It's going to cost your book sales and cash, I know.
00:31:35
Speaker 1: But that just shows you how much of a rugby league romantic I am.
00:31:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, Wow, what do you find romantic about the shower?
00:31:42
Speaker 1: I love Fitz. Fitz has always been one of my favorite blokes in the game. And I love Niko. Nikko gets bashed up a lot. Niko's done some stuff away from footy for a member of my family, without any without any without me asking it all. He found out about it, and I won't to go into too many of the gory details. When I'm such a massive Nico fans, he gets he gets squared up for his performances on the field and drifting in out of the games. That's all good, but I know the good in Nico. Heines as well as anybody, and I just love and I just think they're the underdogs, you know, the battler's from the Shire. Yeah, and I love to see him win another comp with for.
00:32:22
Speaker 2: You, Buzz, I'd love it myself. And I think somehow use half fits he play, and all our listeners saw fits he play. He was a rat Price type competitor, same position St.
00:32:37
Speaker 1: George.
00:32:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah he And somehow he's been able to take his own DNA and injected into seventeen football players down at Coronula and they play like me every single week and they do not on paper have talent Like I was thinking about it the other night. Where be how many Carnola players would make the Penrotine right? How many Carnala players would make the Broncos team? How many Knla players make Melbourne? And I guarantee you if they were picking a side from the four teams left right, say your best side, who would make it? Out of the Sharks, Nika wouldn't make it, Trenda wouldn't make it, Adam Vanilla, Blake would Blake Brayley. It would be in a squeeze with Harry Grant to get in. But that's and I'm not downgrading them at all. It's a wrap for fits. He's coaching.
00:33:29
Speaker 1: It's a rap on on the ethos in that team, it is, and they've you know what, and they've been belt and everyone has been casting down on them basically for the last six months. Yeah, no matter what they do, no one's thought they'd be in the last four.
00:33:45
Speaker 2: No, no, no, I didn't. I gave up in the midiear wear. I put the red felt pencil.
00:33:51
Speaker 1: Hackneyed even this, like everyone will talk about Canberra being you know, they just couldn't get up after that epic match against against Brisbane, and there's always there's always an asterisk on on Cronulla's success, which is pretty unfair.
00:34:07
Speaker 2: It is, I wrote, and it's so hackney. They're not a team of champions, but they're a champion team where they really are And did I say this last week? There'll be thirty three players in three years. Yes, that's a big thing. Stability, cohesion, that's camaraderie.
00:34:30
Speaker 1: Blake's men incredible.
00:34:32
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're very tight. We do know on Stephen Mace, aren't you really?
00:34:37
Speaker 1: You will no more than you.
00:34:38
Speaker 2: I saw you come to lunch at Sea Level restaurant. You were there too, and I've never well, I've just said I saw you there. Of course I was there. I've never seen anyone demolished a full lobster with garlic part of rod in the manner in which you do.
00:34:53
Speaker 1: Well your form. You just eat the garlic butter. Do you want to talk about that?
00:34:58
Speaker 2: No? No, no that We'll get Brian Fletcher on this pod.
00:35:02
Speaker 1: We need to get fletched on you to discuss the garlic butter. It's Philip Buzz, which.
00:35:08
Speaker 3: I thought was short.
00:35:11
Speaker 2: I thought it was an entree buzz.
00:35:14
Speaker 1: Let's en line it. Buzz Buzz thought it was he was eating short soup, was actually garlic butter.
00:35:20
Speaker 2: Mate. I've had some issues in my marriage over the years, but the next morning I was dead set, ready to pack. My missus wanted to be out of the house. Why because of the garlic?
00:35:32
Speaker 1: Just just reeking of.
00:35:35
Speaker 2: Yes anyway, Okay, I like it where you're not so formal today.
00:35:43
Speaker 1: Well that's where I'm taking this podcast. I'm sort of steering the ship, taking less of a less structured approach and I'm more like I'm more of a just playing eyes up hosting.
00:35:55
Speaker 3: Do you know that?
00:35:56
Speaker 1: Sorry, you're going through your phone there? What are you going?
00:35:58
Speaker 2: I've got an urgent text I have to reply, but you keep going.
00:36:01
Speaker 1: Who's it from. I can't say, come on, give us a what club?
00:36:05
Speaker 2: Can't say what club? No, no, no, no no, I'm sitting on a story for the weekend. Immediate reply, okay, I can't wait to read it.
00:36:19
Speaker 1: What about the other so do you give him a chance against the Melbourne Storm?
00:36:23
Speaker 2: Absolutely? Okay?
00:36:25
Speaker 1: What about Brisbane?
00:36:25
Speaker 2: Penrith could be Look, you're never going to beat that Canberra Brisbane game, but this could be next door to that. You look, Welsh hass Stags. They've got a lot more to offer than Canterbury did. Yep. But this Penris side, we're spoken about Cleary, that the five eight.
00:36:46
Speaker 3: Trific player, too young blaze.
00:36:49
Speaker 2: He missed some tackles the other day, but he absolutely bashed a couple as well.
00:36:52
Speaker 1: He can defend for a young fellow.
00:36:54
Speaker 2: Yeah, great signing, Great signing.
00:36:57
Speaker 1: It looks like he's about ten Isa, William Martin, Dylan Edwards.
00:37:04
Speaker 2: Yeah mate, seriously, you know they're up There are the best sides ever seen and I go back to you know, those paramount back lines and what Clear's done is just so spectacular. With the football side, I think Penrith will win. I think they'll go through and they'll be hard to beat in the Grand Final.
00:37:27
Speaker 1: I think you're right. We'll do our tips, exclusive tips later. What do you think of Oh, I think they're an exceptional team. I think they're in terms of I'm not a big I'm not big with comparisons between rors. I'm not you know which is. You know, when you're a sports journal you got to but I you know, I'm the Dragons tragic and you know you can't compare them to that era because it's a different time, different game, same as when Paramounta dominated, same as when Roosters and Melbourne Moore recent even those manly teams in the nineties. They are all these great teams. But see Penrith. And this is where it gets tricky in terms of the debate about Ivan in his place as a coach. I know what you're saying on three sixty last night. He's got to be up there with the Waynes and the Bellamies and the Gibson's given his record. Ivans in the sense, Ivan's different in the sense and maybe the comparisons more like Wayne and the Broncos in the sense that Ivans had a pipeline of the best junior talent in the game at his disposal. But he's had to brink but he's had to bring that talent on so much earlier than normal because of the salary cap. Like I mean, people sort of forget after the twenty one the day after the twenty one Grand Final when they lost in the first week. They lost in that first week, remember the South and Wayne Bennett and all the mind games and to get them up and with the busted team to win that Grand Final final against they finally they finally win that twenty one Grand On the next day they sit Villa Villa Army kickout in and say we can't offer you a contract. And he's the best left edge back rawer in the game. And to be able to say goodbye to those players and not just get say you know you gott to go, but they'll stay for a year and then win one more premiership by the one foot out the door. That is some effort, you know, I know.
00:39:24
Speaker 2: And when Para wons, throw in a row sterlingk and he growth La Cron.
00:39:29
Speaker 3: And Price they stay, they stay.
00:39:32
Speaker 1: That's right.
00:39:33
Speaker 2: Salary cap, that's right. And ArKade tried to pinch him manly when he had the biggest check book in the game. But yeah, it's some if they win the camp I put Ivan up alongside Jack and Wayne and belly Ate.
00:39:45
Speaker 1: Who'd you say that last night? That's that's a big, cool, massive car and it's the right call there you go?
00:39:53
Speaker 2: Okay, taking us twenty seven rounds to a grand something? Yeah, well two, I knew i'd yet right once, just once.
00:40:05
Speaker 1: Buzzy Pump for the Walla. But he's playing at Eden Park on Saturday?
00:40:08
Speaker 2: Are we watching?
00:40:10
Speaker 1: They haven't won at Eden Park since nineteen eighty six? You know who the coach was, Alan Jones?
00:40:16
Speaker 2: Really? Yeah, hay six? How long has that poured? In? Twenty nine years?
00:40:20
Speaker 1: Yeah, they've played fifty one straight match level. It's fifty one straight matches there since. They've lost fifty one games since.
00:40:30
Speaker 2: It's crazy, isn't what's the betting? We any hope at all?
00:40:34
Speaker 1: Oh? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well this is considered our best chance in the years to win the Bledisloe.
00:40:39
Speaker 3: Yeah, and to win.
00:40:40
Speaker 1: If it's not now, then never because the All Blacks are coming off a record loss to the spring Box and.
00:40:44
Speaker 2: We beat the spring Box, right, we did at Ellis.
00:40:47
Speaker 1: Park first time since nineteen sixty two or three. Let me just have a look here at my.
00:40:54
Speaker 2: As you know where I do not look. You're rushed and the wrong guy, you know. But all I will say is and I think I'm a bit like a normal rugby league tragic. My interest has grown from about zero till very sharply about to follow the Wallabies this year.
00:41:21
Speaker 1: The Wallabies, they're four dollars forty.
00:41:23
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, my my, I'm really interested in the football team now, and not just Joseph Swali. He didn't drag me into the game. Winning drag me into the game. And a quality of football they play. And it's not like it doesn't appear to be as confusing as it once was. It doesn't appear to be penalty girl, penalty girl, penalty goal.
00:41:46
Speaker 1: I'll give you the right you get out for Rara. He's a sound supporter and Arara. And he's also got a new sort of number four haircut, just just shaved all over. He looks like he's just got out a one time to my bay.
00:42:01
Speaker 2: I love that.
00:42:01
Speaker 1: I love the orange jumpsuit also gives it pression there as well. Face our audience, our fans, what do they want to Yeah, what's the clip that's gone viral? Here we go, this is great podcasting.
00:42:29
Speaker 2: That was Gordian huh saying?
00:42:31
Speaker 1: What that was?
00:42:32
Speaker 2: Gordon? Yeah, it's got like this.
00:42:36
Speaker 1: What's it saying? Thousand shares?
00:42:39
Speaker 2: What is it? Did you know it was Gordon?
00:42:46
Speaker 1: Gordon?
00:42:48
Speaker 2: No, he just went he didn't agree with what I was saying.
00:42:52
Speaker 1: And I've been cures for letting one rip.
00:42:56
Speaker 2: You can't talk and let one rip at the same time.
00:42:58
Speaker 3: Can you.
00:43:00
Speaker 1: I'm sure you have. Yeah, yeah, you slip one out.
00:43:04
Speaker 2: Not guilty your honor, not guilty farthing on air.
00:43:08
Speaker 3: I tell you what.
00:43:09
Speaker 1: Don't do it in this little room after you've eaten your garlic butter.
00:43:13
Speaker 2: No.
00:43:15
Speaker 1: Yeah, So the Wallabies yeah.
00:43:18
Speaker 2: Yeah, oh what's that? Webbe?
00:43:21
Speaker 1: Will you? Yeah?
00:43:22
Speaker 2: No, I will.
00:43:24
Speaker 1: I'm going to be checking. Yeah right, they're going all right. You know what everyone bags are the referees in the NRL. I'll be worried about referees in rugby union. Sorry, is you contact? Go back to you?
00:43:36
Speaker 2: No?
00:43:37
Speaker 1: No, okay, good, all right, so we'll move the focus back to you. The War Story segment NRL three sixty The Jerry Springer Show of Rugby League. Yeah, wow, when did you first appear on.
00:43:49
Speaker 2: Them, ah, same time you did, probably ten years ago.
00:43:53
Speaker 1: When it first started. Were at the first year? No, I wasn't the first year I auditioned to be one of the host did you because I was in at the time and just well, Kenty and Ike and we're better. I'm not a host. As people who followed this podcast with a test.
00:44:11
Speaker 2: I've been on it for about ten years were I was so uncomfortable. I'll put it this way. I was in my comfort zone beyond a keyboard and a little bit that you were and doing a bit of radio, and for some reason I suffered massive anxiety in front of bright lights and a camera, knowing it's live, knowing you can't oh shit, I've made a mistake there. I'll go back and clean that up. That's what you got to You got to think on your feet. And the first few goes at it short, I sweated, and one one of my best mates got called Paul Sard. He's a bit of a fruit tycoon. He actually rang me on the way home and said, maybe you're okay. You look like you've got a medical issue, you know, basically suggesting I was pop into, you know, an outpatience and that's our ordinary looked and may eventually I sort of came around and got a bit more comfortable doing it, But I don't look, it's been great for all of us, you know. And because the people see you're a different person, the old grump behind a keyboard, right.
00:45:22
Speaker 1: I think you're just an old grumpered bottom.
00:45:26
Speaker 2: Yeah, but look, it's a fantastic place to work.
00:45:29
Speaker 1: The show.
00:45:31
Speaker 2: It's hugely successful now. As I said, I started off with ben Iikeen and Canty. Then Braith and Asta came along, and Canty was there, and then Gordy tell Us came along. And people think they don't know about you. People think we get in there from meeting now and a half before the show. We work out when to come in and bag ready, when to come in and have a stink with Gordy, when to have a shot. It's not right, is it. No, it's all it's safe, freaking natural, it's natural.
00:46:02
Speaker 1: I wasn't stage when Braith was screaming at Bread last time. Yeah, no, it's not. It's all well, but I remember when I was on there. I forget what the show was. It was over the gap when govin first I first kicked off and like. So the whole first segment was about Galvin and we come to the break and I said to Crawls and Gordy and Braith, I went, we just yelled at each other for like half an hour and agreed with each other.
00:46:29
Speaker 2: I'll tell you what would be better television if they put one of those little cameras up in the corner of the green room and watched this demolish the roast chicken and sneededy.
00:46:39
Speaker 1: I don't need anything. I don't need anything I do. I love a food.
00:46:43
Speaker 2: And then the lolly says, massive jar of snakes and minties and those I love those little banana lollies in the green room. I like a bit of sugar before I go on there. Yeah, little tip for you, little tip. It's probably shaky, Mitchell, But people who think it's staged seriously.
00:47:09
Speaker 1: Quote buzz loves little bananas. Well you know those sugar, Yes, I get them, but I don't like a black hat sound like. But to tell people how we put the show together. Mitch different the executive producer, and Michael Crawley is offside of Steve st who was great, great guy, great operator. They make their phone calls and they talk to us all day about breaking news developments, what our thoughts are. So the half hour you see on TV is actually full day's work together, Well it is, yeah, And but so you you have got the best of it on the Monday because you get all the issues. And then were me and Crawls on the Tuesday are sitting there.
00:47:59
Speaker 2: You know, come up, You're not right by the time you get on. I've warned the audience up. They're ready for more. They want more, and we'll come on.
00:48:08
Speaker 1: They want you, they want some stability. Crawls Webster, you know, the old wed.
00:48:14
Speaker 2: The lawyers exactly friendly you two of then you two can both be really.
00:48:22
Speaker 1: So people are nasty from the nastiest little man I've ever met in journalism.
00:48:27
Speaker 2: I'm here to give I'm here to give people an insight and what happens behind the bright lights.
00:48:33
Speaker 1: Well, I remember when we were first on together and you started sweating, and then I started sweating watching you sweat, and I said, I'm sweating because it buzz and ken he goes to the contagious sweat and I said, yes, it's.
00:48:46
Speaker 2: My favorite bit of television on you. Yes, was not three sixty. It was Sunday Footy Show Channel nine.
00:48:53
Speaker 1: I just want to sweat. No.
00:48:55
Speaker 2: Someone made a decision to bring Mark Levy and off the bench. That was and you've got similar body shapes, and he was he was a bit where he tore him a new one.
00:49:08
Speaker 1: I told him specifically not to bring something up beforehand. He said, I'm going to tell me. I said, don't do that, mate, it'll be I'll tell you what it was. It was about. It was about because it was things were frosty with me and Freddy because because they lost the first origin and I was critical of Pangye Junior's selection, and Freddie was very very frosty because Brad doesn't like criticism, even though he is in a role in which he criticizes people. But that's another story for another time. And I said to Mark Levy, out of respect to Freddy, don't bring it up, mate. Freddy's there. I don't want to upset anyone. Let's just be so what as Levy comes on and starts bringing up.
00:49:43
Speaker 2: And I was like, he defied you.
00:49:45
Speaker 1: And I said, right, if you're going to bring a knife to a gunfight, that's your decision. And I just went whack, whack, whack, whack, whack never to tour again. And I told we came off and I said, I told you, and yeah it with a knock out victory. He seems to think he went all right, did he?
00:50:05
Speaker 2: But he hasn't been back on television. Mate, Can I just say this isn't a He's doing a nice job on radio. I love, but maybe he should never ever again go on television now.
00:50:17
Speaker 1: Don't go on a journal segment and say, you know, we're supposed to be here to be supporters, not journalists.
00:50:24
Speaker 2: I ran the picture of him has been a blues wig once and cheer. He's not a bad fellow.
00:50:33
Speaker 1: He's a good guy. He's not a good guy, and he's just a bit on radio he is.
00:50:39
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's don't look he's following a tough geek, you know, following Hadley in one every survey exactly what else we got?
00:50:47
Speaker 3: Weabe?
00:50:48
Speaker 1: I do so reckon when we do our feelings?
00:50:49
Speaker 2: How long we've been going? This is a long podcast, two hours, two hours fifty one minutes. He Mason does two hour podcasts. I don't think I can hold nor.
00:50:58
Speaker 1: He's an NFL one that I've been steered into by our great major branch as a rafa that goes for three hours. That's great. I love it. It's like it's an incredible podcast. Not as good as this one, but it's very, very entertaining.
00:51:10
Speaker 2: But but you know what you've come. You're hosting, you're hosting. Today's been up there with your best doing No, I'll tell you what you've done. You've done a grand accors. You've let the game flow. You have, mate, you've let it flow. You've taken a lot of structure out of the podcast you have. You know what, You've told me to go out and enjoy myself.
00:51:40
Speaker 1: What else your camera? You ship yourself at the stage.
00:51:46
Speaker 2: You're playing playing eyes up hosts.
00:51:52
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm a game manager. I'm a I'm a I'm a podcast manager. I'm going to hate that term game manager.
00:51:58
Speaker 3: It's a half.
00:52:00
Speaker 2: Yeah. I don't mind game management.
00:52:03
Speaker 1: I don't like eyes up footing. You know who? You mentioned that to? Joey? His eyes rolled back into his head like a great white shark. He just hates the term. But he was, eyes up, that's what football. You're not run there looking at the ground.
00:52:18
Speaker 2: He did.
00:52:19
Speaker 1: Yeah, but that's like that's such a nothing. Turn. Oh, here's someone calling me it might be my my, my dog's getting in her scans today.
00:52:29
Speaker 2: Have you exchanged on the house?
00:52:31
Speaker 1: I settled, manager, I settled say that yesterday. I'll tell you what. It's terrible when you've got that big money, all that money sitting in that offset account, just going hurry up and hurry up and settle, so I don't have it there just crying to be used. Phelis forecast. Let's get this, let's put a button on this show to beat Melbourne. Well, here's my mom. Jesus, mum, I'm trying to do a pod cast. I like the Sharks at the Price. Yeah, how's that that's on each way back? Yeah it is Brisbane Penrith.
00:53:11
Speaker 2: I think Penrith will get the money, get the chocolates because they were so impressive last week and they play anywhere near as well as that. They'll be too good for Brisbane side. That I have to admit, despite bagging them all year, if had a sensational year, go you good thing, Madge too good?
00:53:28
Speaker 1: All right, Thanks everyone for following us this week. You can get involved with our socials YouTube and we'll see you next week. Buzz Grand Final Off the Record, Rand Final Edition, Grand Fole edition of Off the Record.
00:53:42
Speaker 2: See then
