Full Transcript for ‘KNIGHTS ARE FAVOURITES!’: We asked Readie for his 2027 predictions at Hawke's Brewery

say yes. 00:02:32 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, I probably can't argue with that. The influence he's had, he was enormous. Clive Churchill, medal winner, as you said. Where I would take that discussion is the halves. And I just wonder, I honestly don't think they were influential at all. I really don't. I really don't think the Roosters halves... As far as a grand final to remember for your halves pairing, I don't think it was that at all. 00:03:02 Speaker 2: Well, no, I think they just did their job, Dave. It felt a little bit like the Roosters were so dominant. Their forwards were so dominant. It just felt like they rolled down the field, five tackles, put a kick up to the corners. Because you've got Daniel Tupou and Marky Mark on the wings, right? So I don't think they had to be extravagant or they didn't have to create anything out of the norm. And I think... When you look at it right, I don't know on NRL 360 on Monday night, I think Brace said this, you know, Sammy actually, Sammy Walker's renowned for his unpredictability and getting out of structure right, but he didn't need to do it. It was a really mature performance from Sam in many ways. 00:03:41 Speaker 3: Because he didn't chance his arm. That's the way we spoke around it. 00:03:43 Speaker 2: Maybe it was you who said it. 00:03:45 Speaker 3: It was post-game we spoke around. It was the fact that, like, it was a different performance from their halves. It wasn't a bad performance. There was no headline moments. There was no headline moments. I agree with that. They were... they adjusted to the way the game was. They were so dominant that they didn't need to chance their hand. They didn't chase that killer blow. It was a slow burn in terms of the victory. So I left impressed in a way that Sam, and I interviewed him post-game on the field, and I sort of meant it was, as I said, it was a different performance from him. And, you know, it wasn't that erratic style of play that we can see sometimes. I actually didn't mind the performance. 00:04:22 Speaker 1: Mick, was he over the... Like, was he... Would you say he was elated, ecstatic, over the moon? Because I just saw a quite. 00:04:29 Speaker 2: He's always flat, though. 00:04:30 Speaker 1: Yep. 00:04:31 Speaker 3: Post-game, after the game. Felt like he was disappointed. Sorry, in his own game. I spoke to him after the game, and he was fine. Yeah, he wasn't like... DCE had tears in his. 00:04:41 Speaker 1: Eyes when I spoke to him. Lindsay Collins, tears in his eyes. 00:04:44 Speaker 3: But Teddy was just like... He probably wasn't at that level, but... Teddy, tears in his eyes. He was very happy. He was pleased with the performance. Maybe I'm overthinking it. The thing I found the most strange thing was there was no lap of honour. It's just sat with me for the last few days. 00:04:57 Speaker 1: It was weird. 00:04:57 Speaker 3: What was going on there, man? 00:04:58 Speaker 2: You've been banging on about that? 00:04:59 Speaker 3: No, he's right, mate. I just felt sorry. It doesn't bother me, but I just felt it was weird for the fans. 00:05:05 Speaker 2: I think some of them went brown, didn't they? 00:05:07 Speaker 3: Yeah, no, no. Some players definitely did, but... There was players sort of scattered here, players sort of scattered there. 00:05:12 Speaker 2: I think you did a lap of honour at one point, didn't you? 00:05:14 Speaker 3: That was pre-game chasing the retirees. 00:05:16 Speaker 1: Oh, what happened there, Mick? What happened there? Because I didn't say that. 00:05:20 Speaker 3: ABC. So every year I do the retired players presentation and you try and grab a few blokes. But this year, sometimes they used to walk around. It used to be much easier. Or they'd drive for a stretch and then walk for a stretch. So we don't actually know what's going to happen with it. 00:05:34 Speaker 1: Yeah. 00:05:35 Speaker 3: They got presented on stage and then they looked like they were about to leave. So I got Josh Papali for like three questions and then got Daniel Safidi as he was like trying. 00:05:44 Speaker 1: Are they on the back of a ute? 00:05:45 Speaker 3: He's on the back of the ute and he's trying to crouch down and I'm like not the tallest bloke and he's a really tall guy. And then we're like, all right, we're going to get someone else. Then they just took off, right? So we ran to the other side of the field because in times they've stopped there and then walked. There was no stopping. It was just a waste of my time. So I did. 00:06:04 Speaker 1: More than one of them. 00:06:05 Speaker 2: There you go. 00:06:05 Speaker 3: Some of the Roosters boys, yeah. 00:06:07 Speaker 2: Are you with me, boys? Before the game, I think it was last week, I said Nafai White gone past Payne Hart. Mate, he was awesome in the grand final. 00:06:14 Speaker 1: He was terrific. 00:06:15 Speaker 2: Are you with me? 00:06:16 Speaker 3: I'm not with you. 00:06:16 Speaker 1: No, no. 00:06:17 Speaker 3: I'm not with you. No, but I'm not against you. But I've still got Payne one. Like if you said, okay. 00:06:23 Speaker 2: Come on the journey with me after that performance. 00:06:26 Speaker 3: No, I'm not downplaying or degrading what you're saying, really. But if you're saying... You get to sign one right now. 00:06:32 Speaker 1: Yeah. 00:06:33 Speaker 3: I'm still going for Payne, but Nafahu's probably second. 00:06:36 Speaker 2: I'm almost going for Nafahu now. I'm almost tipped over the edge. 00:06:41 Speaker 3: I'm not going to sit here. 00:06:42 Speaker 2: You're going to sign one. 00:06:44 Speaker 3: I would still sign Payne, but I'm not sitting here going, Brady, of all the mad things that you've said this year, that is not in the top 400 of three. No, that's a fair point. 00:06:53 Speaker 1: That's a fair point. 00:06:54 Speaker 2: Yeah. 00:06:54 Speaker 1: Yeah. 00:06:56 Speaker 3: I'm fine with that. 00:06:57 Speaker 1: The fact that he's remembered who was in the grand final is a great

start. That's a really good start. 00:07:02 Speaker 3: What about Reedy's take after the grand final that Newcastle should start premiership favourites next year? 00:07:08 Speaker 2: Mate, I'm with that still. I'm dead set with that still. How is that mad? They're like eighth on the line at betting. I've put money on them. I've got them at $ 14. $ 14 for the comp. Give me a break. 00:07:20 Speaker 1: We're here at the Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre. We're on tour. Yeah. 00:07:25 Speaker 2: I appreciate that. 00:07:25 Speaker 1: It's post-season. Yep. You need to chill out on the ridiculous hot takes. 00:07:30 Speaker 2: How is that a hot take? They made the grand final. They get Safidi, Ray Mooney, Dylan Brown, Dylan Lucas back. How is that a hot take? 00:07:38 Speaker 3: Phoenix didn't play in the grand final. 00:07:39 Speaker 1: Phoenix didn't play. Yeah. 00:07:41 Speaker 2: I lost by one point in the Grand Final. 00:07:44 Speaker 1: Set the market. 00:07:45 Speaker 3: Here we go. 00:07:45 Speaker 2: The entire front row. 00:07:46 Speaker 1: Righto. What price is the Newcastle Knights to win the 2027 Premiership? 00:07:50 Speaker 2: See, this is why I don't gamble, because I'm really poor at this sort of stuff. It's setting odds. 00:07:54 Speaker 1: Okay. 00:07:55 Speaker 2: But I would say I would have the Knights at $ 4. 00:07:57 Speaker 3: Just say $ 4 is a good start, okay? 00:07:59 Speaker 2: Knights at $ 4. Probably Roosters at $ 5. 00:08:03 Speaker 1: Right. You've got your Broncos. You've got your Panthers. Have you heard of Panthers? 00:08:09 Speaker 2: Panthers at $ 5. Probably $ 5. 50. I might have Melbourne at $ 7. 00. Broncos at $ 8. 00. 00:08:16 Speaker 1: Yeah. 00:08:17 Speaker 2: You can take the rest. 00:08:18 Speaker 3: Dolphins. 00:08:19 Speaker 2: Dolphins here. 00:08:22 Speaker 1: $ 9. 00:08:22 Speaker 2: 00. 00:08:22 Speaker 1: Warriors. $ 7. 00:08:24 Speaker 2: 00. 00:08:25 Speaker 1: You're not with me. 00:08:27 Speaker 2: Thank you for your money. Do you not see where I'm coming from with that? 00:08:31 Speaker 3: I do not have the Newcastle Knights. 00:08:33 Speaker 2: Where would you have them? Fourth. 00:08:35 Speaker 1: Fourth. 00:08:36 Speaker 2: Who you got ahead of them? Roosters? 00:08:38 Speaker 1: Yep. 00:08:38 Speaker 2: Penrith? 00:08:39 Speaker 1: Yep. 00:08:40 Speaker 3: Dolphins, I'd have ahead of him. Warriors, I'd have ahead of him. Fourth, fifth, yeah. Just on the Panthers. 00:08:47 Speaker 2: Not the Warriors, not what I saw in the finals. 00:08:49 Speaker 3: Can we talk around the Panthers for a bit, Dave? I've got a little bit of concern for him to start next year, right? So you've got Nathan uncertain of when he's going to go back. Edwards needed knee surgery and shoulder reconstruction. What's wrong? 00:09:01 Speaker 2: You just said you got Penrith as second favourite. Now you've said. 00:09:04 Speaker 3: Start the year, I said. 00:09:05 Speaker 2: Start the year. 00:09:06 Speaker 3: You don't

want to comp in March. 00:09:08 Speaker 1: You want to be. 00:09:08 Speaker 3: Frent. 00:09:09 Speaker 1: Honestly. 00:09:10 Speaker 3: And then as IO, got Peck's surgery. 00:09:12 Speaker 1: He'll play the World Cup. Then get the surgery. 00:09:15 Speaker 3: That's going to delay his stuff. 00:09:16 Speaker 1: Can you just backtrack? I miss this. Is Dylan Edwards getting shoulder reconstruction surgery? 00:09:21 Speaker 3: Shoulder echo? And then he needs a knee clean-up as well. Wouldn't have played in the Grand Final because of his knees. Obviously, he carried that shoulder issue. But wouldn't have played in the Grand Final because of his knees. 00:09:30 Speaker 2: So. 00:09:31 Speaker 3: That's a little bit, that's a concern. 00:09:33 Speaker 1: When the draw comes out, you are circling. You aren't tipping whoever's playing the Panthers. 00:09:37 Speaker 3: Haven't Penrith, Parramatta played them a lot to start the year? 00:09:40 Speaker 1: Yes, they have. They would love them. 00:09:41 Speaker 3: They'd be desperate to play. Well, they're going to Vegas though. 00:09:43 Speaker 1: True. 00:09:44 Speaker 3: But they'd be, although they usually play the Storm, Parramatta, don't they? They usually play the Storm. That's an interesting take. You'd be desperate to play Penrith in the first few games of the season. Ivan's last year. So, it's a real interesting... No. 00:09:56 Speaker 1: Gagai, no Frizzell for the Knights next year. In comes Murata Niokore. 00:10:02 Speaker 2: Can play. 00:10:03 Speaker 1: He can play. 00:10:03 Speaker 2: He's had a bit of a mixed time with the Warriors. 00:10:05 Speaker 1: He has. 00:10:06 Speaker 2: And they've got Fletcher Hunt and Toby Winter to play in the centres. That doesn't worry me. In fact, they're losing those two blokes. I'm not worried at all. 00:10:12 Speaker 1: Where does Dylan Lucas play, Mick? 00:10:14 Speaker 2: He starts in the back row. He starts on the edge, yeah. Definitely. 00:10:17 Speaker 1: And have Francis... Or Jermaine coming off the bench. 00:10:21 Speaker 2: One of them comes off the bench. Mate, what about the depth? 00:10:24 Speaker 1: Yeah, depth is key. 00:10:24 Speaker 2: You know, Cody Hopwood goes back to the bench. They're loaded, man. 00:10:27 Speaker 3: Morata's a good replacement for Tyson. 00:10:29 Speaker 1: They're all given where they're at. 00:10:31 Speaker 3: You know, I think that's probably a... Given where Tyson's at and the minutes that he played. I know Morata found himself out of first grade at the Warriors at the back end of the year. That's because they had a stacked forward pack. But I'm going to say that's a little bit of an upgrade. Just a slight upgrade of where Tyson's at. 00:10:44 Speaker 2: Tina Smith probably goes back to 14. 00:10:46 Speaker 3: Yeah, and they cover there. So, yeah, no, they're... They're a good team. 00:10:49 Speaker 2: Mate, very good team. You with me? 00:10:51 Speaker 3: Yes, they're a good team, yeah. 00:10:52 Speaker 1: So really, when you do your top four, they're in your top four. 00:10:56 Speaker 3: Are you going to have them win a Premier League? 00:10:58 Speaker 2: Probably, yes. 00:10:59 Speaker 1: Probably. I love it. Yeah. 00:11:01 Speaker 2: You know, it's funny. I wish I'd stuck more solid because I remember doing the show. This show, it might have been on 360 last year at the end of the season when everyone was bagging the Knights. And I said, I reckon they might make the top eight next year. And then I ran away from it in the preseason. 00:11:16 Speaker 3: If only you loved the Knights like you love the Tigers, you would have got it right. There you go. 00:11:20 Speaker 2: Knights and Tigers top four. Wow. 00:11:23 Speaker 3: No, not really. 00:11:24 Speaker 1: No, no. 00:11:25 Speaker 3: Are you going to tip the Tigers to make the top eight next year? 00:11:27 Speaker 1: Maybe. I might do. 00:11:29 Speaker 2: Mate, did you see Averillo in the state championship? He killed it at six. Jake Everillo. 00:11:34 Speaker 3: Outstanding. I'm not sure that's a barometer going forward. 00:11:37 Speaker 1: The state championships. 00:11:38 Speaker 2: Listen, I've got to go through it, okay? It's a bit early, but I am tipping. The Knights will be in my top four, definitely. 00:11:45 Speaker 3: Can I have another little deviation? Can we get rid of the state championships, please? 00:11:50 Speaker 1: 100%. 00:11:50 Speaker 3: A waste of time. 100%. Waste of time. This is not, okay, I'm not the grade in reserve grade. I missed the old New South Wales Cup grand final on grand final. The crowd's flat as a tack. 00:12:01 Speaker 1: No one cares. 00:12:02 Speaker 3: You know, when your side played in a reserve-grade grand final, your fans would actually come. 00:12:07 Speaker 1: Yeah. 00:12:07 Speaker 3: Come early and cheer and, you know, but there's none of that. It's a waste of time. I miss the old meaningful New South Wales Cup or Queensland Cup. I'm happy for a Queensland Cup grand final to be played. 00:12:21 Speaker 2: On that day. You can't play the Queensland Cup grand final in Sydney. 00:12:24 Speaker 3: Well, just play the New South Wales Cup. 00:12:25 Speaker 2: Yeah. 00:12:26 Speaker 1: I'm more than happy for that. 00:12:28 Speaker 3: Because that game is just a waste of time. 00:12:29 Speaker 2: I don't mind the game. 00:12:29 Speaker 1: You know what else? 00:12:30 Speaker 3: The game's going to be a waste of time for mine. Let's just resolve all these games. 00:12:33 Speaker 2: Oh, my God. 00:12:33 Speaker 3: The PM's game now. That we've got a. 00:12:35 Speaker 1: What is it doing now? 00:12:36 Speaker 3: Well, no, no. It's served a really good purpose, right? And for years, it's been really good. But now that the PNG... I reckon Bob Hall could get rid of that. Now that PNG have its own side... One more year of it. 00:12:49 Speaker 1: One more year. 00:12:50 Speaker 3: One more year. I think that game probably has run its course in PNG. Maybe it takes

a different form, Mick. Or we take it to somewhere else in the Pacific now. 00:12:58 Speaker 2: Or maybe it's like an under-21 game or something. 00:13:00 Speaker 1: Under-21. 00:13:01 Speaker 3: Or we take it to somewhere else in the Pacific. 00:13:02 Speaker 2: Okay. Right? 00:13:03 Speaker 3: Just not in PNG. I just don't see the need for it to be in PNG anymore because they're going to get top flight for rugby league. So let's go to Fiji or Somalia or Somalia, right? Another area. 00:13:13 Speaker 1: Cook Islands. 00:13:14 Speaker 3: Another area. Was there this year? 00:13:16 Speaker 1: Beautiful. 00:13:16 Speaker 3: Another area that... Are you guys with me on that one too? 00:13:20 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm with you. 00:13:20 Speaker 2: What other games do you want to wrestle? 00:13:25 Speaker 1: I think the All-Stars need to be moved. Yeah. 00:13:27 Speaker 3: Yeah, the All-Stars at the end of the season. 00:13:29 Speaker 2: Yeah. 00:13:31 Speaker 1: Yeah. 00:13:31 Speaker 3: So we're just rejigging the whole calendar. Yeah, that's right. Are you guys with me on the state championships? 00:13:37 Speaker 2: No, I'm not necessarily with you on that. 00:13:39 Speaker 3: Did you watch it? Were you there? 00:13:40 Speaker 2: I watched it, yeah. I watched it, yeah. Jacob Rillo, unbelievable as I said. 00:13:43 Speaker 3: Oh, yeah. 00:13:43 Speaker 1: So good. 00:13:45 Speaker 3: And a shift in the PM's game. 00:13:46 Speaker 2: Yeah, I can copy that. 00:13:49 Speaker 1: Moving on, Cameron Munster in a bit of a contract tug of war with the Melbourne Storm. It looks like Cam's going to go to the open market on November 1. It comes down to effectively what he believes he's worth and his management company. Brady, bring us up to speed on this one. 00:14:08 Speaker 2: So Melbourne have offered him, he's got one year left on his deal. So November 1, he can talk to rival clubs. Melbourne have tabled a two-year deal to Cam Munster if it's worth about $ 750 a year, two-year extension. At the moment, I think Cam thinks he can get more than that in the open market, and he's going to have a look around. So obviously there was a bit of talk about P & G at one point. That got put on hold. I'd imagine maybe he flies to P & G in November, has a look around, but I'm sure the Perth Bears might have a look at Cam. I mean, he'll get interest. But the asking price about, I think he's currently on 1-1, 1-2, right? 00:14:43 Speaker 1: What do you think? 00:14:44 Speaker 2: It's a pretty hefty price. Well, I mean, how old's Cam, 32 or something? Yeah. 00:14:48 Speaker 1: Yeah. 00:14:48 Speaker 2: I mean, he'll get that number from a club. I don't think he's going to get inundated with offers around that mark. 00:14:55 Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't see a lot of clubs. I'm not convinced. 00:14:57 Speaker 2: Perth, you don't think Perth might come to the party? 00:14:59 Speaker 3: I think the unfortunate thing for Cam is sort of, it's a bit like Moses Liotta when you sit down and

you look at their ages, that they needed to be off contract now. So for club, so if you got Munster for next year, you're probably giving him one, two, three, 1-1-1 or something along those lines. But because you're getting him the year after, it's a little bit of a gamble. We know how loyal he is to Craig Bellamy. So that's the reason why he hasn't decided to press the escape button early. So full respect to him. But I think that probably is going to hurt him a little bit given his age. I can't see a club, I can't see many clubs going seven figures. 00:15:39 Speaker 2: You only need one though, right? 00:15:40 Speaker 3: You do. 00:15:41 Speaker 2: You only need one. 00:15:41 Speaker 3: Yes, it does. 00:15:44 Speaker 1: If the one club that Cam has absolutely zero interest in going to, it doesn't really mean much. 00:15:52 Speaker 3: It's going to be interesting because his form wasn't great this year. Had that knee injury. He had that knee injury. So does he, he's got a World Cup. So if he comes out and kills it in the World Cup, that's going to help. But is he a guy that gets done pre-Christmas or does he, do you want him to play some footy just to check to see was it, An age thing? Was it a knee thing? Was it a Melbourne situation thing? Because there are, for the first time, some doubts around Cam Munster. Probably just that, not doubts around him as a player, but doubts as him as a $ 1. 2 million half. Because if it was 12 months ago, we're all saying yes. He'd find that. He'd find that, right? But it wasn't his greatest season. 00:16:32 Speaker 1: Not just seeing him turn up at the Titans. He would be a terrific influence on someone like Zane Harrison. 00:16:40 Speaker 3: Because then what do you do with Jaden Campbell and Keanu Kinney? And they've still got A.J. Brimson on their books. 00:16:45 Speaker 1: Yeah, well, Brimson's. 00:16:46 Speaker 3: I know, but I'm saying, like, they've already played this. 00:16:49 Speaker 1: I think he's got a role to play at a football club of experience. 00:16:52 Speaker 2: I think a more obvious target for the Gold Coast is Harry Grant. 00:16:56 Speaker 3: I agree. 00:16:57 Speaker 2: Because here's the other guy who hasn't done a new deal in Melbourne, looks like he might go to November 1. If you're the Gold Coast and you can move Brimson, free up some cash, I know you won't get Harry for next year, but it helps you the year after you free up that cash for AJ Brimstone. I'd be throwing the earth at Harry Grant. 00:17:15 Speaker 1: Josh Hanna knows him well from Queensland Origin Camp. 00:17:18 Speaker 2: He loves the beach, loves surfing. Apparently he wants to be near the surf. It's a logical one for me. 00:17:24 Speaker 1: Genuine connection there. 00:17:25 Speaker 3: Yeah, I like that shout, Randy. Obviously Munsters would compliment Zane Harrison, but you're not moving Zane and Campbell. You're not moving Keanu and Kenny, so that won't work. So Harry Grant, you slot Harry Grant and you've got Kenny, Harrison, Campbell, Grant. 00:17:39 Speaker 2: I must say, I don't see Harry leaving Melbourne. I think Cam's more likely to leave than Harry. I reckon they'll get a deal done with Harry, but it's interesting that it looks like he will go to November 1 because he will get a lot of money thrown at Harry. 00:17:51 Speaker 3: Yeah, you speak around who's going to give him the middle. 00:17:53 Speaker 1: Why is he going to November 1 if you're so confident he stays? 00:17:55 Speaker 2: I think he's like a lot of blokes who just want to see what's out there, Dave. There's a lot of guys who are going to November 1 just to see what's out there. It doesn't mean they go. 00:18:02 Speaker 1: No, true. 00:18:03 Speaker 2: And Harry has traditionally in the past, when he's had an option like this, I think he had one in his last deal. He waited until the very last minute to take up the deal and extend. So it might be just that Harry's been on holidays in Bali. He hasn't sat down with the Storm yet to thrash things out. He's about to go into Aussie camp. We'll probably be able to speak to him on Thursday, tomorrow. So we'll find out a bit more about it. 00:18:23 Speaker 3: And I wonder, Dave, as well, is the loyalty to Craig as well? There's a factor in that where these guys have all– like you look at all the senior players that have been there, majority of them obviously finished their year– under Craig Gregg English left for salary cap reasons, Kepa Cronk left for family reasons, right? But otherwise, you know, they've all been fiercely loyal to Craig. Now that Craig, we assume, really, that next year's going to be his last year in charge. Maybe that just opens the door a little bit for him. But if they get Billix later to coach him, probably closes that door pretty quickly. 00:18:54 Speaker 2: I've got to say, though, Melbourne have been very smart. They've tied up a young kid named Hayden Watson, a young hooker named Jai Bowden, They've done them until the end of 2030. So they've got a succession plan in place. 00:19:05 Speaker 1: Fellas, it just seems like they can't escape it. More drama over in Perth with the Bears, this time related to their CEO. And just whether he's going to get to kick off, it seems unlikely. 00:19:16 Speaker 2: Yeah, look, I mean, there's been some tension between Anthony DeSegli, the CEO, and the board. It took Peter Valendi's intervention, actually, to buy Anthony DeSegli more time. I'm basically boarding three months to resolve the differences between him and the board at that footy club. But, you know, it seems hard to believe you can turn around the entire board in the space of three months, given the rumblings that have been coming out of Perth. They've been coming out for a while now, Dave, that Anthony's not everyone's cup of tea over there. So he's got some work to do to keep that job. 00:19:49 Speaker 3: The reason. Dave, it works like that is that the NRL who have ownership of the club, uh, have control over the

key appointments. That is the coach, the head of football and the chief executive. That's why the board can't simply go, okay, you're moving on. So that's why they've gone to Peter Volandis to try and move the Segley on. But, um, In the end, it's going to be left to the commission to make that call and hence why Peter Volandis has intervened and gone, well, you've got a three-month day of execution in a way. 00:20:17 Speaker 2: But clearly if the board and Anthony can't get on, you've got to make a call between the two of them. Yeah. 00:20:21 Speaker 1: Well, they've just got to get on top of this straight away. They can't let this fester. If I'm being honest, I've found, and I've written about it, I've found the Perth Bears arrival underwhelming as far as banging the drum on who they are, what they are and what they stand for. I feel like probably in the last two months they've probably picked up the pace in that regard. But early doors, they just simply didn't do enough. And I think ultimately that's a reflection of leadership. They needed to be banging the drum a lot earlier. When we were quite critical of their recruitment, we weren't too sure on what they were selling. The jersey only got released six to seven weeks ago. I just feel like they've just played second fiddle or catch up behind the Chiefs on many accounts. And if I'm being critical of the administration, that's where I sit with it. 00:21:21 Speaker 3: Yeah, they definitely have played second fiddle to the Chiefs in terms of exposure and hype and those sorts of things. But they've got a couple of key appointments wrong. The first one was their initial head of footy, David Sharp, and that left the organisation in a mess, really. And Apparently now Gareth Holmes has got in there from North Sydney, who's done the role before, and he's playing catch-up a little bit, Gareth, but he's going to do a good job there. But I think that was, when you sit there and you break it all down in terms of appointments, if they're going to move on the CEO and the original head of footy, it's a disaster. 00:21:54 Speaker 2: I would say, I mean, David Sharp copped a lot of flack, right? But the fact that he's gone and there's still issues... suggests to me that David wasn't necessarily the major issue. I think that was just. 00:22:05 Speaker 3: I'm talking from a recruitment point of view, because that's what he led, really. 00:22:08 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, there was definitely issues in that front, but, I mean, you've always got Dane Campbell there as a recruitment officer as well to help him out. And, you know, we've been critical of their recruitment. There's no doubt we've been critical of it. And that's why, you know, that club is now apparently or seemingly going to have a red-hot go at Luttrell and Cody Walker because they lack marquee names. Luttrell's a big name, a big transformation, I reckon, for that footy club. You can debate about whether Luttrell plays enough footy, but, mate, he's a huge

name in rugby league. So I don't think it'll happen, sadly. But, you know, there's no doubt on the recruitment front they've been left behind. 00:22:43 Speaker 3: But that's the issue in that club. Depending on who you speak to, we'll give you a different answer if they're in for Luttrell or. 00:22:49 Speaker 2: Not. Yeah, well, they've been. 00:22:50 Speaker 3: There's been mixed messages out of the organisation from the beginning. 00:22:53 Speaker 2: They haven't been on the same page at all, have they, the whole time? And that's the biggest issue. That's the thing they've got to resolve. And obviously, at the moment, the CEO and the board aren't on the same page. And that can't work. You can't function as an organisation if that's the case. 00:23:08 Speaker 1: Coach Mal Meninga, we're confident he gets to the start line? 00:23:11 Speaker 3: He'll be there. He will be there. 00:23:15 Speaker 1: Fellas, here at the Bob Hawke Beer and Legend Centre, we're on tour. And we are available to go on tour throughout this entire summer, really. 00:23:25 Speaker 2: Yeah, always available. 00:23:27 Speaker 1: You just might need to leave the... What was interesting about your crack about the inner west was that you were having a crack about why people don't leave the northern beaches, yet you seem to have a massive problem with people from the shire as well. 00:23:41 Speaker 2: Dave, I've had a very tough 24 hours. Can I take you inside it? Yesterday afternoon, I'm on the phone. I don't know who I was talking to. Anyway, I walked in the bedroom, kicked the bed. I reckon I broke my toe. So I'm in pain. Couldn't find a park. Had to walk five minutes to get it. 00:23:56 Speaker 3: Had to walk five minutes. I couldn't find a park. I had to walk five minutes. 00:24:00 Speaker 2: Broken toe. 00:24:01 Speaker 1: It's very brave to get here. Very brave to get it. It's courageous. One of the most resilient displays, certainly in the post-match period final. 00:24:08 Speaker 3: Can I say. 00:24:09 Speaker 2: Sitting here, I'm having flashbacks of all these Bob Hawke memories. I remember getting hit in the head by the cricket. 00:24:15 Speaker 1: Cricket ball? Yeah. 00:24:16 Speaker 2: Smash his glasses. 00:24:16 Speaker 1: His glasses are over here in the cabinet. 00:24:18 Speaker 2: And hanging out with Big Mel. 00:24:19 Speaker 1: I reckon this is one of the best sports bars. This is like my dream man cave. 00:24:25 Speaker 2: This is what your man cave looks like. 00:24:26 Speaker 1: Yeah, I've attempted this, but nowhere near as good. I was going to say, Rudy, I was thinking about your injuries. That's right, your injuries. Just really quickly. We haven't got a lot of time here at the Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre, but How many injuries have you had this year? 00:24:43 Speaker 2: Tore my calf, tore my hammy, re-tore my calf, playing football, and now I've got, I believe, a broken toe. 00:24:51 Speaker 1: It's self-diagnosed from kicking the bed. 00:24:53 Speaker 2: It's not my pinky toe, though, because that's the important one. It's the middle toe, so it's okay. 00:24:59 Speaker 1: That's right. 00:25:00 Speaker 2: It really hurt. 00:25:01 Speaker 1: They've got a cracking midweek lunch special. It's pretty new here at the Lucky Prawn. You know what the lunch special is, Reid, man? 00:25:10 Speaker 2: Don't tell me it's short soup. 00:25:11 Speaker 1: It's short soup, baby. 00:25:12 Speaker 2: Oh, hello. 00:25:14 Speaker 3: We're on. 00:25:15 Speaker 1: One ton soup. 00:25:15 Speaker 2: I can't wait to try it. I'm so excited about this. 100%. And you know what I've heard is magnificent? Hear the prawn toast. Apparently did. 00:25:22 Speaker 1: Prawn toast, outstanding. And then I've got one for you. It's a take on fried ice cream. It's the deep fried viennetta. 00:25:31 Speaker 2: I love viennetta. 00:25:31 Speaker 1: Have you had viennetta? 00:25:32 Speaker 3: I've had viennetta, yeah. 00:25:34 Speaker 1: How good. What's going on at the Raiders, Reedy? 00:25:37 Speaker 2: Look, I mean, obviously the Hudson Young saga is rolling on. Dave, they've talked about, Canberra's spoken to his management. They've offered him a tabular three-year deal, $ 1. 1 million a year, right? Canberra have talked to his management. 00:25:50 Speaker 1: Talk to Neil Hudson. 00:25:52 Speaker 2: Well, Canberra have talked to his management about extending it to a four-year deal, Dave, at $ 1. 1 million a year. 00:25:58 Speaker 1: How old's Hudson now? 00:25:59 Speaker 2: He's 29, 28, 29. But I don't think– the sense I get, Dave, is that he's going to go to November 1 regardless and see what's out there. 00:26:08 Speaker 1: Hudson, take the deal, mate. Yeah. 00:26:10 Speaker 2: It's a pretty hefty figure to potentially turn your back on. 00:26:13 Speaker 1: He is 1.1 for Hudson. 00:26:15 Speaker 2: Well, four years. As I said, verbally spoken about a four-year deal. Great. 00:26:19 Speaker 1: Is it complicit with all they're happy to do it? 00:26:21 Speaker 2: No, Kimber with the party that raised the four– they went to his management and said we might go to four years. 00:26:28 Speaker 1: That deal will get done. You reckon? 00:26:30 Speaker 3: It's a good deal. Where's he going to go? P & G. 00:26:32 Speaker 2: I've got a. 00:26:34 Speaker 3: P & G. 00:26:35 Speaker 1: P & G. 00:26:35 Speaker 3: P & G, no? 00:26:36 Speaker 1: Well, you've got, you think P & G are your favourite? I don't know. 00:26:39 Speaker 3: Well, if he's not taking it up before November 1, it shows that he wants it. 00:26:41 Speaker 2: He's not taking it up. 00:26:42 Speaker 3: Because it is an unbelievable offer that the Raiders have put forward to him. Unbelievable offer and four years. 00:26:49 Speaker 1: Ridiculous. 00:26:50 Speaker 3: Ordinarily, you're like running to sign that, but this is the complication of P & G now in the competition. 00:26:59 Speaker 1: Yep. 00:27:00 Speaker 3: I feel like, you know, as I said, ordinarily, you probably wouldn't even have to go four years. You would have got three years. Probably wouldn't have to go to 1.1. But the Raiders have done it. So, yeah, it'd be a huge offer to turn down. 00:27:13 Speaker 2: Dave, they've also extended Ethan Sanders for another year. So he's out to the end of 28 now, which aligns with Kobe Black, which is really intriguing, right? Because one of those guys is going to be the halfback. And it'll be interesting to see how that plays out in the next couple of years. I don't think they'll both be there in 28. I know they're contractually under 28, but I don't think they'll both be there. Because they're both first graders. 00:27:36 Speaker 1: Oh, that's nice. 00:27:41 Speaker 2: Very good. Short suit, baby.