Origin 3 Preview w/ Cameron Smith

Cameron Smith and I preview Origin 3.

now Smithy before I throw you mate I just want to let you know the ratings are in and they’re a record an absolute record here we go senn acrosser board have broken their ratings record again for the second time this year let’s go with the captain’s run also breaking records and doing extremely well on scn as well mate a well done congratulations mate you’re the an you’re anchoring this whole setup along with Alex a big thank you to our listeners though they’re the ones that we need to thank the most for tuning in every week and especially well we had the week off last week we did we did the mid-season break how are you feeling are you fresh well I I actually finally enough Smithy I actually did a podcast in in memory I uh I just felt wrong I had to do it so I went to the blog Studios and I said look if Smitty’s not going to do it I’ll go and do it so I just did a little preview of the round mate how was your break well done oh it was good mate it was good spent some time with the family of course um the kids were on school holidays we went um we went out Bush we did a little bit of camping and little bit of farm work so great fun just just getting back down to the basics you know yeah yep so good back to the way F like you’re a world away yeah I uh heading back into origin though the you know the origin pressure cooker that is it’s a it’s a big uh big difference to being out there living life free and the way we’re supposed to but mate tell me origin game through squads have been announced how are you feeling with both squads oh I’m feeling good um I’m feeling good now it took me a couple of days to get over that game to um walloping um well particularly the first half right so that was just a complete Annihilation um greatest first half in origin history wow for the blues 34 to a donut holy um wasn’t great um it wasn’t overly enjoyable to to sit back and and watch that unfold but you do have to just stand up and applaud um the efforts of that new s side that were just so clinical so clinical they they outplayed Maron in in all facets of the game um we clung a few points back we we we we we clawed our way back a little bit in the second half but I just I think it may have been a bit of a a case of um the blues took the foot off the pedal a little bit they knew they had the game swn up um and you know it makes for an exciting um decide of next Wednesday mate have you ever been in this position before where game two you’ve just been absolutely thumped and you’ve got a suncorp toider well well well we’ve been beaten game two I I wouldn’t say we were ever thumped um very similar situation to 2015 this one is where so we we we beat um New South Wales in Sydney game one and then um went down to Melbourne played at the MCG and we’re outplayed that game we weren’t beaten as heavily as the Maron were this year um but we were beaten um and and that year that was the talk around the so like a Dad’s Army like they’re gone they’re too old um you know they got to give it away so like to be fair like there was a lot of pressure you know from from the media in particular um and a little bit of pressure on ourselves to go out there and perform and so we went out there and and we created a a bit of history for ourself as well like we went out and 156 to6 so that was um that was the result in that third game so you know not going to I’m not saying that that’s going to be replicated this time around but that’s the Maron are got to have that same mentality is that hey they they’ve got a few people you know to prove a point to but most importantly they got to prove a point TOS yeah that they’re good enough to go out there and play against this this new Wales side that was so dominant in game two now the biggest talking point all one of the biggest talking points is the big fell Fafa left out again katew gets promoted from bench to starting uh with sewer dropping out what are your thoughts on the selection decision yeah well there that’s been the big talking point for the Queensland Squad hasn’t it over the first three games is that there’s been no um day for feter and you know look his Club form’s been pretty good um but you know Billy’s come out on multiple occasions well it’s been after every um you know naming of his squad for all three games and had to explain why he’s not there and and I think he’s he’s explained it quite well he just said look Dave’s um gave himself some standards or made some standards about his game last year that he hasn’t quite um got to this year and there’ll be there’ll be parts of his game that Billy believes that that could could make him vulnerable at this level and and that’s okay there’s there’s nothing wrong with that um you know I felt it was a little bit unfair that Kurt capwell got asked about it in his presser on um I think it was Monday like it’s got nothing to do with him like he’s he’s been selected on on what Billy believes he can bring to the football side and that’s what he needs to concentrate on but um look you know for me it’s it’s not a big one you know I think there’s certainly parts of da F’s game that that could really give some issues to New South Wales but that’s also parts of his game and and most most of that is off the football that could that could possibly play into the blues hands as well so I think that’s where Billy’s coming from is that you know he’s gone for a guy like Kurt capwell that’s um you know that that works hard on and off the football and that he can rely on so um that’s that’s really where I see it and that’s what he’s gone for um a little bit different looking Squad he’s gone back to Kalin ponga on the bench so he’s got a genuine outside back on the bench really interested to see how how he’s going to use him and whether there’ll be an opportunity for well there’s going to be an opportunity isn’t there for for Walsh and ponga to be on the field at the same time um we all know what what Kalin ponga can do he had a long layoff 12 weeks in fact and then come out on the weekend and had some brilliant Touches for the nights against the Raiders um so whether he comes on and plays in the middle um or he gets a bit of a a roving role to just to jump into the backline and play sort of wherever he wants to we we’ll just have to wait and see yeah I think that you know the FID one obviously you look at the attack that fa can do and it’s very easy to get caught up in those highlights and don’t get me wrong I would have I probably would have selected FAA myself if I was the coach y but I do think that people are not um really taking into consideration that a I don’t think points are queenan’s concerns right now no I think it’s defensively their biggest concern is stopping the Rolling Rock of New South Wales and Kurt katwell is notoriously a really good Defender now you could go and look at Stats and go okay well hang on a sec this player has better tackle efficiency than this player but first of all tackle efficiency is very it can be a bit misleading because line speed is almost like 80% of the battle in regards to good defensive lines like so for ex Kurt katwell line speed he’s one of the best in the competition when it comes to Edge back rollers and he might have three or four more Miss tackles but that’s because he’s got up really quickly and he’s made the man go back inside um and so there’s all these like little things that you probably have to watch the game really really closely as Billy Slater does to to pick up on them um and it’s not as clearcut as looking at a bloke’s stats and going well this guy’s stats say this and this guy set say that so that’s coming from a guy that would have picked for f but it’s just you know kind of explaining to the audience that there’s so many things Billy would be looking at well well that like everything they gets spoken about say in in the media and all all of these magazine rugby league shows is that it’s all the Highlight stuff right and and so as you mentioned Billy looks at stuff much much deeper than that that that that the everyday fan doesn’t look at right we look at we look at the big runs we look at the tackle breaks we look at the Barnstorm in cares where you know you’re sort of running over the top of two on three players and scoring tries from close range and all that sort of stuff that’s that’s all great that looks fantastic but as you said B like when you look at it at a deeper level and I’m telling you I’ll guarantee you there’s not another single person involved in this origin series that has watched more footage of individuals than Billy Slater I’m telling you right now so when he makes a decision I for me I’m not going to sit there and question why he has someone in or out of this football side mate it’s uh I cannot wait oh my God game three it’s the best it is the best now we’ve actually got some audio from Billy Slater here in regards to the selection of kin pong unfortunately for kayn you know the last couple of years he he hasn’t been available um you know it was game three you know 2022 the last time he was available playing here at suncorp so um it was great to see him back on the field uh yesterday and um he hadn’t really skipped a beat obviously done a lot of work you know at training and a lot of physical work to get himself in the condition that he’s in um and we feel that you know that’s the best thing for the footy team to have him in the side what do you reckon Smitty now the questions are first of all how will he be used and then the negative side of this all is do you feel there is a concern that the bench for new for Queensland is a bit small and may struggle yeah well it could be right it could be if um if they don’t aim up defensively I think there could be some real issues there because you’ve got um you know sort of Ben Hunt Harry Grant and Kum ponga all in the same footy side and and I’m assume I’m assuming that Billy would at some stage during the game those three players may be on the park all together which and then you sort of thinking okay well how does that all fit in into one where do where do they all play um you know so it’s a it’s a really difficult one and and trying to think about you know either Harry Grant or or Ben Hunt being on the bench at the same time as Ken ponga when when you want to try and get those guys on the field like if you have those three guys on the field they’re three of the most dangerous um ball players in in the game so when you look at it from that way like that’s a huge positive for Queensland but at the same time you got to have fair share of the football and you got to have good field position it’s something that they didn’t have in game two and Billy Slater he’s already spoken about that you know one thing that he he took away from that second game is that you know it’s it’s a good lesson for everyone well he already knew it but it’s a nice reminder to say hey listen yeah you can’t win football games if you don’t have the ball yeah so whether that be through your discipline um while you’re defending you know they gave away a few re uh set restarts they gave away the first four penalties of the match and they and they’ll just Camp down their own end and then also when you do get the opportunity to get the ball um you know you can’t be making errors with the football you got to make the most of your opportunity so I think that that will be the buildup of the or or the makeup of their preparation and the and the mindset that they need to take into this game how how those three players fit into um their game plan you know it’s it’s it’s anyone’s guess but but I’m sure you know Billy will have an idea of of how that rotation will work and how he wants to get Kalen pong into the game because we seen the other night right as I mentioned he had a few touches against CRA where they were just coming out of his back field that it’s like he had spiders on him yeah but they couldn’t get a hand on him crazy so so imagine you know if if they’re able to work their way into the game and have you know half share of the football half share of the field position and all of a sudden you’ve got to a a fatiguing new South wal side imagine having Walsh and aonga on the field at the same time yeah that’s nightmares for defense nightmares yeah it’s uh and then also you’re probably going to have Harry Grant with them so around the rock you’ve got the most devastating attacking half in the game with KP and Walsh as well it’ll just be yeah nightmare fuel for defenses if you had gun to your head when do you reckon he gets on um oh geez I I reckon well depending on the game right if if it’s all going smoothly I think I think he holds him back okay I think he holds him back maybe until the second half all everything everything going well we’ve got some audio from Michel Maguire on Bradman best selection bradman’s been on fire the last sort of month so it’s nice to to bring him in and uh replace the big fell what do you like about Brad mm uh one he’s actually been there before uh he was probably one of the best players in the last game last year and he’s shown that he can definitely um play that level but also too just the way he plays um you know I obviously had a um you know a lot of thoughts about him before we all started the series um just where things were at but uh he was out injured so it’s nice to see him back running around and and playing really well there you go Michael Maguire discussing why he selected Bradman best obviously I think suiki would have been available then you’ve got Maddie Burton that has been 18th man a thousand times over the last couple of years what do you reckon Smithy right wrong call not sure well no I don’t mind it he’s um he’s a powerful Center I think they’ve they’ve tried to go as close as they can to Latrell Mitchell right like he’s he’s one of a kind Latrell so you’re never going to get a like for like but it’s closest thing to it is is best like big powerful Runner um pretty good defensively as well so he’s going to be it’s going to be another handful for the Queensland right Edge you to try and handle um you know the the the strength of of Bradman best um he’s been in pretty good touch too for um Newcastle he’s got an issue though with with the hamstring um which we’ve learned about so um but he’s he’s been given the all clear I think hasn’t he yeah like even he said like he’s he’s good to go he just might miss the first couple of sessions and then he’ll be back into it but um yeah I I don’t I don’t mind the selection I I think they could have gone with Matt Burton as well um I think he would have been a pretty good option he’s been in great form for the B dogs um and but I know he’s playing six but um you know just you know that that that that weapon of his with with the with the kick with the big spiral bomb Kick um could really put Queensland Under Pressure but they’ve gone for for Bradman and I think it’s a pretty good selection um I don’t I don’t mind it at all I think you know it’s still another very strong outfit very strong outfit when you look at you know when you look at game two and and what Latrell did like he didn’t have to do a whole heap um but when he got the opportunities to do things he really he made Queensland pay um he had a nice flick pass to um to Brian tole to set him up like he scored a try of his own and he was pretty sound defensively as well I think just his presence was the biggest positive for New South Wales for game two not just you know during the 80 minutes but the whole buildup um you know Latrell being in Camp so little bit different with with Bradman there and you know doesn’t have the same sort of I guess Aura a about him but um you know that’s his regular position that he plays he’s in pretty good form for Newcastle and you know as Michael Maguire spoke about his debut match last year in game three he was he was in the top three plays on the field so you know I’m sure he’ll go into this one pretty confident although it’s going to be a very different atmosphere for him um this one sunor deci going in one all last year was just there was no pressure you know the series was gone and he was playing in front of his home crowd a little bit different for him this year but um he’s in good form and I’m sure that’s all he’s thinking about going into this match yeah I like it I like it I think it’s the right decision not because I don’t think maty Burton is an incredible player and he offers his own unique set of attacking weapons he absolutely does what I like about it is that Marc Maguire has made it extremely clear what kind of team he wants to be and that is a big extremely physical side and that’s what Brad M best is he’s an extremely physical big Center uh very explosive and I think that it just it just reinforces the messaging that Michael Maguire is sending is is that if you’re on this team you’re extremely physical and you’re there to bully the opposition uh well it’s exactly the way they played didn’t they mate in Melbourne that’s how they played yep and so you know in in um Melbourne they they they tread the line perfectly you know they were really really smart there was they did quite a lot of things that at cluband you get pinged for oh yep but they but they really played it well they said this is origin so what we’re going to do is we’re going to push that line and we’re going to DARE Ashley Klein to do something about it he didn’t which is fine that’s origin we love that that’s what we want we want to see but it was smart because it’s going if if Klein does pull us up quickly and look I don’t I don’t think kle was ever going to go too harsh in game two because of what happened in game one it’s just a natural human reaction to the The Fallout exactly you see it in Grand finals you go back to that penth Broncos Grand finals and and you can speak about it better than anyone that first 20 minutes is a real good way to test can we take things a bit further than we usually do if we can we’re going to do it all game yep well you set a standard don’t you you set the standard for the night so you test the referee out early and see see what he’s going to blow penalties for or what he’s going to let go and then that’s that’s it for the night so yeah you’re right like what what new Wales did was you know like they they they pushed the line a couple of times and and they got away with it and fair game you know that queen and the thing the thing that they did better than Queensland was Queensland didn’t do that they didn’t test the referee at all now I know they they may have been a little bit Gass from the amount of work that they did early on but you know they didn’t ask any questions where you know they actually they pushed the boundary of the of the officials they they didn’t do that you know whereas you look at um was it leam Martin he tipped Cotter on his head penalty you know that’s one of the things you know mention cluband cluband probably both of those tackles they go to the S bin for 10 minutes for sure for sure you know but you know I don’t mind it like it’s we we’re all aware of the officiating is is very different in state of origin and particularly off the back of the s sendoff in game one you know that wasn’t going to happen again no unless there was an absolute um similar shot similar shot where someone got their head absolutely taken off yeah there wasn’t going to be people spending time on the sideline you they just want to let the the players decide and I and I’ll tell you what game three it’s going to be even more that way like I reckon the referee will almost put his whistle in his pocket yeah and just go look I don’t want to have any any bearing on the result here I just want these two teams to settle it out themselves and if I can help it I’m just going to leave my whistle out of my mouth well what Adam Adam G did in the Grand Final he just went boys you know going to and and I think that I do think if you if I have to be critical of one thing that Queensland did is not cluing on to that quick enough um you go back to that Grand Final when I at the at the game you could see the Broncos realize oh hang on a sec like we need to start pushing the the envelope ourselves and they did and they went on this crazy 20-minute run where they scored all those points and I think that Queensland you know they’ll be going into game three being more clued on to going okay if we get tipped on our head and there’s a penalty M just a penalty no 10 in the bin we need to return serve like as in not specifically tip on someone’s head but we need to be aggressive like that you know what mate like there’s you look over the time of of rugby league right the last 100 years there hasn’t been there hasn’t been one successful footy side that hasn’t push the boundaries yeah hasn’t been one if you don’t if you don’t want to push the boundaries as far as the rules are concerned and test the referees out then then you won’t succeed it’s it’s just the way it is it’s the way all Elite Sport is if you’re if you’re not willing to test the referees out with all the you know the rules and the officiating and all that sort of stuff and and you know some people view it these type of things and say oh it’s grubby they were bullies and this sort of stuff well maybe they are maybe they’re not all they’re doing is they’re pushing the boundaries of what you are allowed to do on the field you know what I mean and that’s there’s been no team that has been successful or won big matches like origin deciders all Grand finals any of the big matches without pushing the boundaries yeah you know it’s just a almost a constant reminder this is an extremely physical game it’s as close to like physical boxing or MMA as you can get like so to suggest that that physicality won’t cross the line at times if you aren’t willing to go to that place y you will be dominated it is I’ll tell you one man that wouldn’t mind going there I know there’s there’s a couple of Madmen in that new so well so but Mitch Barnett oh thoughts on his inclusion hly I love it and look I think U did nothing wrong to be dropped no but I think fast track sunor Mitch Barnett’s leg speed is perfect perfect well it’s it’s it’s it’s great it’s a great selection I feel for them um Barnett being on the bench because like he he’s playing regularly now um in the Rock so he starts front row I think he play he got through 80 minutes on the weekend M his stats on the weekend his stats on the weekend were like actually insane 50 plus tackles 200 plus meters y so he’s got a great motor but also like he can play back row as well so so you’ve got you know Connor Watson who’s going to play a similar role I think look if if if both teams have 50/50 share of the footy I think he might get on in the first half this time around um and might play a little bit of nine give Robson um a rest if he’s not playing there he’ll be playing at that as that extra forward Maybe sort of a link man for the halves in the middle then you’ve got Yo who will play you know go on and play in the rck Spencer lenu will play that similar role that impact role where he just gets on and just tries to Skittle Defenders with the football and and be ultra aggressive defensively but then you’ve got Barnett who covers as I said like he can go on as an extra front row forward or you know if Angus Kon um or Liam Martin need to spell he’s perfect he can just slot straight over there also too you’ve got the option of moving camp muray to the to the back row yeah some I guess I wouldn’t say alarming but definitely concerning as a queenslander Harry Grant he sternum there’s been questions around he actually hasn’t played any rugby league since the last game yeah if he doesn’t uh pass fitness test yes what do you think happens there um well well there’s there’s conflicting reports can’t be right so about his Fitness so some are saying oh no he’s good to go um he’s fit he’s had a rest he’s he’s right To Go’s he’s had a sternum issue right so that’s why he’s missed a couple of games over the last month um but then there’s other reports saying he’s going to face a rigorous fitness test um coming up I’d assume I’d assume that’s either you know today sometime or possibly tomorrow afternoon I think they’ve got a a session tomorrow afternoon planned um so it’s possibly then so mate if he fails that um if he fails that that physical test then I just think that um Reed Marty comes straight in I think he comes straight in and I think he’ll start him to be honest I don’t think they’ll hold him back on the bench like he doesn’t he doesn’t come off the bench I don’t think he’s has he ever played Off the Bench I’m not too sure I don’t think so don’t so I I think he would he’ just put him straight in to start and I think he’d I think Billy would just say to Reedman hey mate like get out there and you give us all you got if that’s if that’s 30 minutes great if that’s 50 minutes if it’s 60 Minutes whatever it is you just go hard we got we got Ben Hunt on the bench who’s ready to go um but you know like he he’s he’s a guy that plays every week 80 minutes gets through a mountain of work this this will be a step up for him that he you know in in speed and intensity of the match what he’s experienced ever before in his career but I think he’ll handle it so we’ll just have to wait and see I think in the next 24 hours it’ll become more clear of of what direction they go in um if if they pass the test if Harry grah passes the test he’ll he’ll be playing um and then the question is whether um you know they they start with Harry or they start with Ben Hunt like they’ve done the first two but I but I think you know having Reed man there he’s a he’s a pretty Handy Backup now we’ve got some audio from Mark Maguire towards Gordon Talis uh he’s actually he’s taking a few shots uh Mike Maguire he had a little shot at Queensland because on day one Queensland a lot of players were arriving late so they weren’t available to Media uh Michael M basically said well you know if that’s the way they want to do things we the people’s team essentially uh but he’s also had a little crack at Gordon Talis after Gordon Talis after game two said he didn’t like the way ree Walsh and DC were treated IED to thank God he actually thought i’ played against him so but uh yeah look at the end of day they got their own opinions but I guess um you when you living glass houses uh you know we had a Play Walk off the field and certain things were said so people were willing to say things and I guess uh you know we all and I love my players so I’m going to look after him there you go he’s G the glass houses again mate Double Glass hous is absolutely love it this is rugby league so Gordon Talis has responded and part of the response was on NRL 360 and he said he wouldn’t know he never played origin I saw m at the airport at Melbourne it’s so good it’s refreshing you know as a Tigers coach he had no personality Jesus now to be now for the listeners that sounds extremely harsh but go and watch gy say it he’s literally say he he literally says do you want me to keep it going so it’s a bit of banter I’m pretty sure Michael McGuire and Gordon Talis um are mates but I do love it I absolutely love it what do you record wow oh like it’s it’s great it’s it’s good to sit back and just listen to those two boys go at it um he doubled down M on the glass houses thing and then gardy gord’s never gonna back down ever no man you know like you you know gardy I know gardy he’s never gonna back down from a a bit of a uh a brewhaha um a war of words we all know he doesn’t mind throwing them too so um not that he’s going to get in a fight with Mel Maguire that’s a silly talk from myself but um but uh yeah look it it it it makes for you know a nice buildup it it it builds up the I guess you know the whole feeling between the two states and um I think m is smart in in what he’s doing really he’s doing a we may have mentioned this before but he’s doing a little bit of a Wayne bennon isn’t he he’s just Tak taking all the focus away from his footy side most of the talk around this this buildup has been around you know this glass houses and gard’s fired back and this and that is Billy under pressure and there’s no talk about the teams there’s none yeah it’s you know it’s it’s a master Stroke by m in his in his first series as coach but hey the end of the day that the only thing that matters like no matter what happens in the next seven days in the media all the talk and the headlines and all that sort of stuff the only thing that really matters is is what both team both teams produce next Wednesday night in the 80 minutes of football that’s played Nothing Else Matters yeah yeah it’s uh I love it I think it’s really good I do there was a few years where it was you know everyone tried to not say much because they didn’t want to draw headlines but I I really I enjoy it um you know it does at the end of the day the blues players and also the Queensland players they have to back those that chat up you know like AB because you you come out looking pretty silly if you’re you know talking up before game and you get absolutely you know obliterated on the field so it’s going to be spiteful it’s going to be I think the comments in in the media about Queensland being bullied I do think that that’s going to sting a few Prides in the Queensland Camp surely few few OS have to oh they’d have to imagine playing in that forward pack and and being told you got bullied and pushed around and now you’re back on your home turf like it’s you know they they have to stand up don’t they they just have to but there’s no other option for them in game two right there was there was two teams out there one team needed to win one team wanted to win yeah right the team that needed to win they went out with a different mentality to the team that wanted to win the game and it showed it showed particularly in the first half and that was the difference now different story it’s it’s it’s now and ever for both sides Jason RS has been handed a 4-year contract at the Paramount Hills head coach from the start of next season Trent Barrett to continue as interim coach until the end of this season the Neals will now go on a retention Drive the list of players off contract at the end of 2025 can start talking to the other clubs on November the 1st cartright gson hopg good Lane Madison offen go Russell civo duner whu Greg bla Tangi is still weighing up his options but he has not signing a three extension offered in May the knights and dragons are reported to be interested in him mate wow speak to me speak to me SMI you’ve had some experience with r haven’t you yeah well it’s a big it’s a big signing I have I I played alongside Rousy um at the end of his career at the Melbourne storm and then also he he rejoined the club a couple years later as an assistant coach so spent a fair few years a fair few seasons working alongside um Jason rolls and I think it’s a great appointment for for the Paramount eels there’s there’s no doubt that they’ve done their due diligence in in appointing the head coach um you know they interviewed several um um you know butting coaches I think Trent Barrett was one a guy that’s that’s assistant and now caretaker coach at the club right now Josh hen of course an upand Comer assistant coach at crello assistant coach with the Queensland Maron and is held in high regard um in in both football sides by by many many people but I think Jason riyals um was given the nod just because of the experience um that he has in the game both as a player and as an assistant and he’s worked under um you know a couple of very very good coaches in Craig Bellamy and Trent Robinson and then on top of that he spent some time with English rugby as well and with Eddie Jones and and knowing you know that that’s an elite uh system that they have um you know known globally um in in in rugby but um look I think it’s fantastic it’s it’s a big job kmy it’s a huge job um coaching the Paramount eels because they’re one of the biggest clubs um in the country and you know along with that be comes expectation and um and standards around you know results and and and where he’s going to take this football side going to the Future it’s good to see that they’ve backed him with a four-year deal though you know because instead of going look mate we’ll give you a 2-year deal see how it goes they’ve said no mate look we’re going to back you in here’s a four-year deal um you know let’s let’s see what you can bring to the footy Club yeah I um you know might s a bit too simplistic but you know almost looking at it from a purely you know as simple as you can get I’d be looking at like the Melbourne storm wanted him that’s almost enough for me if if the Melbourne storm after Craig Bellamy I know it wasn’t a locked in or a certain thing but you know reports around the Trap would say that rils was kind of brought in to potentially take over from bam if he did um you know move on well that I think that was the plan yeah I think that was the plan when when he left so he left the the the roosters halfway through last year to take up that offer to go to Melbourne um and so when Craig Bellamy decided that he was going to go going to go around again as head coach for 2025 I think that’s when Jason sort of said well you know I I was I come down here on the assumption that he was going to finish up this year now that he’s going on um and and the Paramount job became available I think he just through his hat in the ring and he’s he’s com out trumps and I really like it I guess the question is is with RS um does he completely blow the place up he’s got a four-year deal so he’s got time if he wanted to rebuild or does he go somewhere in the middle now I I look towards the Warriors and I look towards the Bulldogs what was so interesting about that is you had two assistant coaches both from the penth Panthers that took two completely opposite directions when it came to taking over the club uh Webster went to the Warriors and said I look at this roster and I said you know what I’m going to get the best out of this R roster so raldo went and said no this this this roster does not suit what I believe I need to do and he completely cleaned the whole roster out what do you reckon needs to happen at the yels or what do you think he will do well I think there there’s got to be some changes to their list doesn’t there it’s it’s been it’s been a list that’s been put together and it’s been operating now for the last few seasons and and hasn’t really done much outside of their their game their grand final against penth a few seasons ago like they haven’t really fought a shot I believe they should be operating much much more efficiently than what they are like they’re a better side than what they’re showing us this year again you know sitting 16th when you when you look at that list do you agree with me they C be like when you look at their lineup they’re a better foot football side than sitting 16th oh mate in this comp like you know I know a lot of people like to point to key players being injured there are plenty of clubs with key players injured that aren’t at the bottom of the table where talking about a side that still has origin level front rowers still has one of the best number Sixers in the competition in Dylan Brown yep uh they forward pack with the Madison your lanes like this is a bloody good side on Play Still well well you look at you look at Melbourne look at penrith like they’ve had they’ve had injuries to key position play like Nathan clear’s hardly played a game this year cam moner’s hardly played a game this year they’ve got a lot of young players in there filling the void and playing really well look at look at the Dolphins and you know the challenges they’ve faced this year with with injuries and suspensions and whatnot they’re still sitting in the top eight um and and doing a fantastic job so when you look at the caliber of player that they have they really should be doing better than than what they are um I know they’ve had the issues with you know some dramas with the coaches and Brad Arthur was was released from his contract mid midseason um you know which is not ideal for a footy club and not ideal as a as a player you know to lose your coach and then have someone come in and and and sort of you know possibly have different ideas on the way you want to play your football so you got to change all that stuff up so it’s a matter of you know and I’m sure Jason is is starting some planning right now for for you know particularly next year but but future years as well is that what does he believe he can do can he turn this squad around this current Squad around and say look yeah Ro let’s I I I want to try and let’s try and retain most of those players that are coming off contract or does he say look no we need some mass changes um and start looking elsewhere where there’s some guys coming off contract particularly in those key positions to say look I think we I think this place needs a freshen up and I think these players here are the ones to get the job done for us yeah I I outside looking in I think you look at that spine and you go look this spine is’s a there’s a a great spine to work with now granted let’s assume they’re all on a pretty good Wicket in regards to it’s um they’re not overpaid like there’s not a single player that’s on like 1.5 or whatever to my understanding it’s a pretty well balanced spine monetarily um and so you’re not it’s not like it’s completely breaking their salary cap uh I’d be looking at that and going okay we’ve got a great spine I’d be putting all my eggs in that basket then I’d be looking towards basically Squad depth so when Mitchell Moses get injured we should absolutely not be expecting Dylan Brown to just jump in and play seven we should have a veteran journeyman 7 in Queensland on new Wales cup ready to go yep and I think that they either need to Fast Track the young Arthur in this next preseason that comes back in if he’s ready now you don’t want to rush it and ruin him yep Matt Ur Matt Arthur I I do think if they’ve got too much money in specific players in their four pack they may need to make the tough decision of of allowing one to explore his options elsewhere um not because you know one of them is is playing poly or all the other more just because it just unbalances the salary cap to have two you know forwards on big coin y well surely surely blaz Tong’s got to be high on their priority list oh you have to assume so I mean the only way that I think that he may not be is the fact that they go okay we’ve got uh LX coming to the club BL Tangi he’s can he be a center Winger maybe he can but his best position is probably fullback so I guess the question will be a are you going to move gutho I still think guth’s easily the best fullback at the club but let’s say you’re going to move him yeah you move goth to centers but then you have to ask the question okay well goth is on a big Wicket do we want to be paying our Center um fullback money uh I think that’s probably going to be the hardest decision for him how how old’s how old is GTH be I think he be like about 30 now 29 have to be so he’s probably you know like I’m not put I don’t want to put a limit on someone’s you know sort of career but um he’s getting towards the back end right so do you try the conversation you got to have with with Tangi is to say look mate look long term you you’re our number one you’re our number one but if you can commit to the footy club for us and just buy your time play on the wing um you know give us a couple of years on the wing and and you might find yourself with the number one Jersey in a couple of years I think that’s the conversation you got to have but it is a juggling act like you said to retain him you’re going to have to play pay some big dollars because I’m sure there’s clubs out there that would offer him the opportunity you know to play number one and and offer him big dollars yeah it’s a it’s a really really tough call for E they’ve got a this is where you know your your roster list managers come into play of that really you when a young player comes through it’s so important that roster you know list managers have a strong relationship with the player but also their family to so build the trust to be able to look them in the eye and say if you give me a year or two where you have to play on the wing you will be the fullback the concern that blaz salangi would be sitting there going how many times have we heard clubs make promises to players and then something happens and all of a sudden I’m stuck on the wing for the rest of my the rest of my contract yep and so it’s it’s going to be a really hard balance to make sure that there’s enough trust for them because as I said unless guth’s body is breaking down which we’ve heard mixed reports like he looks fine to me I think I still think he’s a bloody good fullback but unless he’s breaking down I still do think bla Tangi is one or two seasons away from being well-rounded enough to take his spot purely on form yep um well well like how many games in is he oh mate he’d be like Max yeah 10 or 12 games in you know so um like he’s he’s he’s a rookie still like’s he’s just he’s still fresh to the game like there’s so much you can learn I think sometimes sometimes you can get a little bit sort of carried away and and over excited you know when you’re a young guy and thinking you like there’s green of grass somewhere else you know when you when you look at this footy club like it’s and you meent you mentioned that spine kmy um you know with with Gus and guus and Moses and and Dylan Brown like that that’s a that’s a Premiership quality spine yeah absolutely that’s a Premiership quality spine so you know if you if you can just get some some soldiers around them that are consistent and and work hard and they want to get out there and make a difference every game that they play well these other three they can they can put you in a position to win a lot of matches and you know so for Blaze Tangi like he he’s just got to as a young guy I know it’s really difficult because you see a lot of young guys coming to the game now they just they want it all right now yeah like I want it I want the big contract I want I I want to play this position I want to do that that’s that’s all good but you got to think long long term long like the big picture and how do I make the most out of you know getting a a long successful career where did the Sharks sit after their loss on the weekend to the Titans in KS harbor not only did they go down to the Titans uh but they also have lost niiko Hines uh they’re still inside the top four but having lost three straight versus Dolphins Bulldogs Titans host the Tigers before clashes with the Cowboys rabitos first of all before we get into the hindes what do you reckon with the shakies mate what’s what’s going on here well they’re struggling aren’t they they’re just you know I just I can’t put my finger on it because the first half of this year they were unbelievable like they haven’t looked like dropping out of the top four but you know they just they’ve really really struggled to to find a way to win footy games at the moment um you their last victory coming in round 14 against the Bronx which was a it was a solid win they they were they were a little bit off the pace in the first half but they had they they come home like a wet sail in in the second 40 minutes and um were very good then they went down in that that really strange remember that high-scoring game against the Dolphins yeah at Shark Park the the first time that the Dolphins had ever won a game of footy in Sydney um where they let out a I think it was 22-point lead to the Dolphins fought their way back Nick ohin had the kick from the sideline after the Bell to to send it to Golden point and missed they went down by two and then they just they’ve struggled since they have struggled since and I’ll tell you what mate like niiko hin out he’s been a huge part of their success over the last you know couple of years and and a main is’s a focal point of their attack I I just I don’t I don’t know where their points come from now I just don’t know where their points come from yeah that’s that’s I I I’ve got real concerns for them yeah with the Niko High situation I think actually personally it going to sound a bit crazy here but purely selfishly from Niko’s perspective I actually think this time away might actually be good for him you know he’s had a huge few years like so much pressure and people trying to bring him down and he’s been in of a form slump over the last now when I say form slump he hasn’t been playing terribly he just hasn’t been at the heights that we know he can and I just think just to move away from the headlines for a little bit is going to be really good for him to reset but there the sharks are almost they’re in a better position than the Broncos for sure but they’re in a similarish position where it’s like all right boys our job is to stay in touch with the top eight until Nik gets back like we need to make sure that when he does come back we still actually have some foot ahead of us to play um now they have proven it they have gone down to the storm Melbourne and beaten um the storm without niiko so they’ve shown they can get it done I just I’m just getting a little bit concerned about their confidence being rattled over the last month of footy and on top of all that the teams that they’ve lost to you know out of out of all them I know the Dolphins and the Bulldogs are up at the top of the table but you know heading into those games the Sharks were pretty pretty strong favorites and so I just wonder when they get up at against you know your your roosters your stormm again um your penis again how will they go when you know I’m sure they’re hoping to push for a Premiership this year or at least go deep into the finals um it’s just all about getting out of this this kind of form slump that they’re in yeah most definitely in a form slump um and they’re they’re a good enough side to to make finals this year I just don’t know where they’re going to finish they C be you know particularly without particularly without um with being there for the next8 weeks like I don’t know if they maintain that top four spot you know and particularly if they go down this week to West tigers that really puts their top four um credentials in Jeopardy it really does because after that they then have to travel well they have a buy then they got to travel to North Queensland to take on the Cowboys and then they’ve got a resurgent Rabbid o as well so if they lose the they could potentially lose the next three then they’re in all sorts of drama yeah all sorts of drama