2024 Player Ratings with Sam Shinazzi and Josh Bolling

[00:00:00] SharkCast! SharkCast!

[00:00:17] Turn your port slides off because we're coming out with the trophy!

[00:00:31] Hey there, welcome to SharkCast Pod, a podcast dedicated to the greatest sporting club in the history of the entire universe.

[00:00:39] The mighty Cronulla Sutherland Sharks. This show is brought to you by Dyson Logistics, the Royal Media Yacht Club in Port Hacking and Jason Hawes at Cripps and Cripps Real Estate.

[00:00:47] I'm Sam Shinazzi, OG2015. That is Josh Bolling. He is a long-time, lifetime Sharks fan.

[00:00:54] He is our Sharks analyst. He knows everything that goes on. Back to front, on the field, off the field and in between.

[00:01:01] And it's our pleasure to have Josh on the show again this week. Hey Josh, are you up to date or have you been watching the Brendan Cowell show Plum?

[00:01:09] I haven't. I've been, it's on my list. I haven't started yet. Everyone's saying it's great.

[00:01:15] It's really Cronulla heavy. Like that's not the theme. The theme is about a footballer in retirement,

[00:01:22] struggling in a lot of ways with that and with his health. He's got a son who's an aspiring footballer,

[00:01:27] but it is legitimately based around real-time Cronulla shark things. A lot of it based from the past, but based in modern times.

[00:01:38] There's cameos from X-Star players. The credits, it's basically, imagine Gavin Miller starring in his own show,

[00:01:46] but it's Brendan Cowell's face. Like they've, they've re, redone everything. So if you're a Sharks fan of age,

[00:01:53] I think it's for probably 15, 18 year olds and above. It's wonderful. It's, it's fantastic film locally and

[00:02:01] completely recommend it. It's, it's intense. It's not a comedy and it's probably more intense than I thought.

[00:02:07] Like I read the book and the book was intense, but I thought for some reason they would be a bit more light and shade.

[00:02:12] I'm glad they're not. It's pretty just, it's an intense drama with the occasion of one liner. There's some funny parts, but

[00:02:18] recommend it thoroughly. Uh, it's on ABC iview if you want to watch it all or week to week. You can watch it on TV on Sundays.

[00:02:25] I believe we are working to get Brendan on the show. He's a very busy dude, but hopefully he'll be on the next few weeks.

[00:02:31] See how we go there. But yeah, you need to watch it, dude. It is fantastic. It's a little bit

[00:02:36] before your era of sharkdom, but a it's a great history lesson and be there's heaps of

[00:02:41] current things in there. You'll love. And the other show I was going to recommend, which I was talking to

[00:02:47] Kieran about was a Netflix show called nobody wants this. Have you watched that?

[00:02:52] I have not brilliant. Can you tell me about it?

[00:02:54] Half hour comedy. Well, it's a dramedy almost, but it's more lighter than dark. It's about a couple

[00:03:03] of the get together starring Seth from the OC and Veronica Mars. The actress,

[00:03:08] Kristen Bell, who's in Veronica Mars and a whole bunch of other stuff. Again, it's for 18,

[00:03:12] definitely 18 years and above. Probably the best show I've seen in a long time, like five years.

[00:03:17] Just, I just fell for it so bad. Speaking of good shows, I've got, I've got two for you, Sam,

[00:03:21] and the listeners out there. Um, Penguin, the spinoff of the Batman movie is fantastic. Probably the best

[00:03:27] show I've watched in years. It's imagine the Sopranos with DC characters sort of laid in around

[00:03:34] it. I mean, it's very, um, it's very intense in terms of it's quite violent and it's, there's a lot

[00:03:40] of swearing, which I found quite funny because the Batman is PG or, and with no swearing and quite

[00:03:47] light on. And this is not that at all. It's, it's very violent. The, the themes and the,

[00:03:52] the things that happen in each episode are very intense and just stellar directing. The acting is

[00:03:58] out of this world. Colin Farrell as the penguin is unreal. I can't recommend it enough. It's got

[00:04:03] two episodes left. So if you want to binge, you can do six episodes and they come out,

[00:04:07] I think Monday, 12 o'clock ish. Um, so two episodes to go. And a recent documentary that came

[00:04:13] out on Netflix is this is the Zodiac speaking, which is about all about the Zodiac, um, killing sprees,

[00:04:19] uh, in the seventies in San Francisco. Um, so it's just three parts, about 45 minutes each.

[00:04:25] The Zodiac movie is my favorite movie of all time. So this is, um, all about that. And Arthur

[00:04:32] Lee Allen, who was one of the accused. I've got to admit, I'm not all over the subject you're

[00:04:37] talking about. So I'll, I'll check it out. See if people are into, you know, true crime and all

[00:04:41] that. It's right up there. And before we hit the football and we're going to hit it hard,

[00:04:46] so just to run, relax. Uh, Josh, in case you don't know the good things festival side shows,

[00:04:52] pre-sales start tomorrow, 9am. I've got my eye on the gaslight anthem in particular. I cannot

[00:04:57] wait for the gaslight anthem and there's a whole bunch of other shows. So, uh, we've got to go

[00:05:03] to that. We should. That's the next, that's the Wednesday at Crowbar. Yeah, we could do that.

[00:05:08] Let's talk about that. So excited. It's only like a month and a half away or something. So

[00:05:11] that's pretty cool. Anyway, people are already inboxing me saying, shut the hell up.

[00:05:15] So that's not where we're going to stop. We're going to stop because we've got plenty to talk

[00:05:19] about. We're here to talk about the 2024 season that was player review. We do it every year. We've

[00:05:24] been doing it since day one and now we're into year 10 of doing this. We're going to talk about each

[00:05:31] player. We're going to give them a little bit of a rating, each of us, and we'll just talk about that.

[00:05:35] And we'll talk about some other subjects along the way, including some player movements and rumors

[00:05:39] and that kind of thing. But why don't we start Josh with, in a lot of ways, a guy that really

[00:05:45] shone brightly this year. He played 19 games for the Sharks in 2024, started 15 of those games,

[00:05:53] scored five tries. He set up six of them. He was known as Mr. Clutch, Dan Atkinson.

[00:06:00] Tell me some thoughts on Dan Atkinson, Josh.

[00:06:02] The biggest surprise of a player for me in a number of years at the Sharks, someone who

[00:06:07] a lot of us didn't really expect much from. It hadn't shown a lot, in my opinion.

[00:06:13] Just thoroughly, thoroughly surprised and impressed with his year. Was unlucky to lose his spot,

[00:06:18] really, in the end. I just did not think he had it in him. You see him in the trials,

[00:06:23] and I've seen him play for Newtown a bunch of times. And I was just like, this guy, there's no

[00:06:27] chance this guy's any good. I'll be afraid to ink him. And didn't he make me eat my words? Because I

[00:06:32] thought he was one of our best, probably top three player for us this year. And we've got to find a

[00:06:37] spot for him next year, I think.

[00:06:38] Okay. Give me a rating out of 10, please.

[00:06:42] Out of 10, I've got to give him an eight.

[00:06:45] Okay.

[00:06:45] I'm pretty strict with how an eight's really, really good for me. So there probably won't be any 10s,

[00:06:52] but a really good eight. He saved the season, realistically. We were gone. We had no

[00:06:57] Trindle for a lot of parts. We didn't have a lot of Nico. We had guys in and out, injuries.

[00:07:03] And Mr. Fixer played wing, played center, played six, played seven, sometimes at the same time,

[00:07:09] came on at lock. And just like, we needed a Connor Tracy replacement. And if not, I think we upgraded,

[00:07:17] if I'm being perfectly honest.

[00:07:18] Should say, Josh, we're also going to reveal the Sharkars Player of the Year, of which you don't

[00:07:23] even know who it is. Only I know who it is. You voted on it, but end of the episode. If I don't

[00:07:28] do it, Josh, just remind me, but we'll get to it. The Player of the Year, and we'll see if anyone is

[00:07:33] surprised by who it is or not. Dan Atkinson, fantastic year, breakout year, one that's going

[00:07:38] to set him up for a long career in the NRL, you would think. Where that is, we're not sure. And he is

[00:07:44] off contract end of next year, so he's able to talk to people pretty soon, I believe. Now,

[00:07:50] Josh has already said he wants to find a place for him, which is awesome. I also would like to

[00:07:55] find a place for him. I think if you're going to have a guy that's a Mr. Fix-It guy, or potentially

[00:08:00] a starting guy, it should be someone of his caliber, and his competitiveness, and his clutchness,

[00:08:07] and the way he runs the ball is brilliant. Good defender for not the biggest guy. And I also think

[00:08:13] he had a great year. I'd give him an 8 too. I'm just going to copy you and give him 8 out of 10.

[00:08:17] But that leads us to a little bit of player movements, Josh. You don't have to name a figure

[00:08:23] necessarily, you can if you want, but how high would you go for this guy to keep him as a

[00:08:27] shark for the next three years or so?

[00:08:29] I would wager that he's not on much now. I would say he's maybe on 150. You'd probably

[00:08:35] have to give him 250, 300, but he will get offered more than that to leave, I would say.

[00:08:41] I think the teams like the Dragons will come very hard for a player like him. There's a couple of

[00:08:46] clubs out there that need a guy that can play 1 to 13 realistically, and he could do a job in

[00:08:52] multiple positions. So it depends on the kind of man he is. If he's loyal or if he wants a starting

[00:08:58] position, which most players do, and more money, I think it will be hard to keep him and a couple

[00:09:04] other guys all at the same time. But I'd probably say we could only go to about 300, 350, I think,

[00:09:10] as a club. What about you?

[00:09:12] It's hard to put a figure on it because the cap's going up every year, guys are coming and going.

[00:09:19] We do know we're a club that's not exactly full of salary cap money at the moment. I think the

[00:09:25] figures you mentioned are pretty fair. I've got a feeling he might be on slightly more than you

[00:09:28] might have mentioned, but I think the figures you're going to are fair. I think if you go anything

[00:09:33] above, for example, 400, you probably need him to be playing 25 games next year, potentially. So

[00:09:43] depends how they're going to use him, where they're going to use him. There's a lot of cards to fall.

[00:09:48] If they lose their fullback to another club, he becomes probably pretty important as one of two

[00:09:54] choices. You do want him as your backup half, either six or seven. He's your next guy up at the

[00:10:01] moment. So maybe they put a bit of value into a two-year deal and keep him around for that and

[00:10:07] then see what happens. I'm not sure. I do think that there will be a part of him that wants to stay.

[00:10:12] He's not exactly old, so he can potentially, his contract after this could even get more money

[00:10:17] if he keeps playing lights out. We'll see what happens there. But I think he had a fantastic

[00:10:22] year. He's a great club man. Everything about him, I really like, Josh. There's not one negative

[00:10:27] with him from when you see him walking into the ground two hours before kickoff until he leaves

[00:10:33] the stadium. Everything about him, he carries a confidence that a lot of young players have,

[00:10:38] but they can't necessarily back that up with what they do on the field. We know that he's willing to

[00:10:43] play and do anything for the club. He's already said that to the coach. And we've seen him just be

[00:10:47] clutch in the most amazing moments. The game in Melbourne obviously just stands out. He's the kind

[00:10:53] of guy you want around. He's also the kind of guy, Josh, you want pushing your Trindles and Hines

[00:10:58] and keeping them honest. So we'll see what happens there. We've got a number of guys off contract.

[00:11:02] One guy who's sticking around for one more year. He played three games for us. Played a lot of cup

[00:11:07] football as well, and that is backup hooker Jaden Beryl. I mean, we didn't see a lot of him,

[00:11:13] but I thought what we saw was pretty good. It wasn't lights out, but it was competent. It got the job

[00:11:18] done, which is what you want from these guys who are coming in for one to five games per year.

[00:11:23] Perfectly happy sticking around. They did lose Sam Healy to the Warriors, so it makes sense to keep

[00:11:29] him around as well. Experienced campaigner, well liked amongst the crew. And I mean, I'm not going

[00:11:36] to give him a rating out of 10. You don't have to. You can. It's up to you, Josh. But what are your

[00:11:40] thoughts on Jaden Beryl? Yeah, I was happy for him to get his debut. I think he's been here for a

[00:11:45] couple of years now and just in a way, he's just been unlucky that Blake has not missed a game or a

[00:11:50] minute really. So I was happy for him to get a couple of games and unfortunately did get injured

[00:11:55] in one of those games, which cut his time out a little bit. It's not too much to say, I guess.

[00:12:01] We didn't see a lot of him, but serviceable, played a couple of different positions when he was on there,

[00:12:06] played hooker and I think he played a bit of lock, sort of roaming ball, like ball playing a little

[00:12:13] forward. Made his tackles in, he missed five, made 46 and missed five. I mean, not too much to

[00:12:18] complain about really. All right. I'm just going to go ahead and go against my word and I'm going

[00:12:23] to tell you who the Shark Cast Player of the Year, Josh, is and that's the next guy on our list.

[00:12:28] That is the person that Jaden Beryl backs up. Now, Josh, this isn't my choice. This was all the hosts

[00:12:34] telling votes every week and Blake Braley is your 2024 Shark Cast Player of the Year. It was a bit closer

[00:12:44] this year than last year when Will just ran away with it. We'll also give some mentions to Britain

[00:12:49] Nikera in particular, who voted highly as well and obviously a lot of other contenders around there,

[00:12:57] but it was Blake's year this year, Josh. So well done to Blake. We'll pass on a trophy to him when

[00:13:03] we see him, I imagine, early next year. Played 27 games, scored three tries, 11 tries this Josh,

[00:13:12] which I'm going to say is probably almost season high for him. I think he's best season so far.

[00:13:16] We saw a great one last year. This year, I think it was even a step above that. There was origin talk.

[00:13:21] He was running the ball. We had our friends at Finz Up even sending him some praise instead of some

[00:13:27] hate mail. So a great season from Blake. I guess I'm going to give him somewhere between eight and a

[00:13:34] half and nine. Certainly not a perfect season, but on most occasions when we needed him, he was there.

[00:13:40] And I just love the way he's evolving. It's the Blake that we always wanted. We've gotten it now

[00:13:45] for a couple of years. And obviously there is a step to go next year to continue on in that. But what

[00:13:52] were your thoughts on Blake this year, Josh? Yeah, I thought I agree with you, Sam. I thought it was his

[00:13:55] best year by a long way. 27 games, 27 starts. He would have missed maybe 20 minutes over the whole

[00:14:02] season. Even when we're flogging teams, he just stays out there and just keeps getting through his

[00:14:06] work. Similar praise for him that I gave Dan Atkinson that he really held the team together

[00:14:12] when we were falling apart injury-wise. Great point.

[00:14:17] He lifted, he defended out as a half would, controlled the game from the middle. His experience

[00:14:25] is starting to show now. He's played over 110 games or so. So he knows what it takes to be

[00:14:31] successful in first grade now. And we're starting to see those pieces, like you said, come together.

[00:14:35] The running, I mean, we know he's going to tackle his heart out every week. Like 900 meters for him

[00:14:42] over the year is a great running stat for any hooker. And he doesn't run the most by any means,

[00:14:48] but he usually makes them count when he does. We still, as always, want to see it more because

[00:14:52] it's so good. But he's picking his moments better. And now I can start to see when he's there,

[00:14:56] I can almost tell when he's going to run. Whereas before, I think he should run here and he doesn't.

[00:15:02] Now I'm starting to see that where it's like, that's when he should run and he takes it.

[00:15:06] And inevitably makes a 10 or 15 minute yard or gets a penalty or gets a six again.

[00:15:12] He's a very crafty little player. And I'm so happy that he's starting to fulfill the potential.

[00:15:17] But again, we just want to see more because we know this guy could be the best hooker in the game

[00:15:21] if you wanted to. But he's that good. And he's still what, 26, maybe 27 at worst?

[00:15:28] There is definitely still levels to go. And I think one of those, which I don't think we're going to

[00:15:33] see too much of given who our halves are, but I think he has, I know he has a kicking game.

[00:15:37] I just wonder if we'll see more of that as the next sort of thing evolves. We may, we may not.

[00:15:43] I think there are more levels to being lights out week in, week out, because it wasn't like

[00:15:49] he had 27 games of being a nine out of 10 player, but he was very consistent all year. Then there was

[00:15:55] more than a handful, probably at least 10 games where he was man of the match or approximately

[00:16:00] that. Maybe that's off the top of my head, but you know what I'm saying? He had a lot of good games

[00:16:04] this year where he was starring. I love what you said about when we're missing our halves,

[00:16:08] particularly the Melbourne game. It was him and Dan, sorry, him and, was it him and Cam

[00:16:12] or him and Dan? Either way.

[00:16:14] All three of them really.

[00:16:15] Yeah. A couple of those games where we didn't know what was going on and they didn't really

[00:16:18] either. And they made it work. So great stuff from like our player of the year. So we'll

[00:16:23] get the trophy to him. What'd you give him out of 10?

[00:16:25] Just about as high as I could go is 8.5 or 9.

[00:16:28] Okay.

[00:16:28] A few games where he wasn't, you know, lights out, but more often than not, I thought he was exceptional

[00:16:33] this year. All right. Next up, we have a gentleman who played four games for us, but they're all

[00:16:37] pretty important. That was Billy Burns playing on the left edge. Mostly he did take the Newtown

[00:16:44] Jets to a bunch of titles this year. Sorry, one title this year, which is excellent. And he

[00:16:51] did a great job at that level. But then when he stepped up, did not let the Sharks down at

[00:16:55] all. He signed on for one more year as well. And super happy about that. I think he could become

[00:17:00] a bit of a cult favorite if he's not already. And I think in a lot of ways, I hope that he

[00:17:05] gets some more game time and NRL level this year just to see this year coming to see what

[00:17:11] else he can do. Obviously, I don't want injuries. I don't want the team to be disrupted too much.

[00:17:16] But I, at the moment, don't have any qualms about Billy getting a shot. I'm not going to

[00:17:20] give him a rating out of with four games, but I thought he was a terrific backup.

[00:17:24] Yeah. Again, I was probably surprised at how little I noticed him in a positive manner.

[00:17:30] He didn't, I mean, he made one error or something in his four games, but I thought he was really

[00:17:34] solid. And again, pleasantly surprised by how little I noticed him. And I was very worried

[00:17:40] that he would be someone that would come in and would let us down, if I'm being honest.

[00:17:44] I didn't want him to play much first grade. I think I said at the start that if he played

[00:17:48] more than five or six games, we'd be in trouble. And he played four and I think we won most of

[00:17:52] those games. And the thing that stands out for me is that statistically he has been a pretty poor

[00:17:57] defender in terms of misses. I don't think he's ever really been over like the 90% mark of tackle

[00:18:02] efficiency. I think he missed four tackles in four games and made 66. That's probably the most

[00:18:09] impressive thing for me.

[00:18:10] A couple of guys coming up who really didn't play too many games, sadly due to injury,

[00:18:14] one resulting in a retirement. But before we get to that, Jesse Colquhoun played one game. It was seven

[00:18:20] or eight minutes, so we can't judge him on that. We wish him all the best for next year. I will ask you

[00:18:24] this though, Josh, when he's fully fit and ready to come back,

[00:18:28] whenever that is, maybe quarter, halfway through the year, when he's like at his

[00:18:32] peak to come back, do you think he is close to being in the 17?

[00:18:36] He'd be very close. I mean,

[00:18:38] I've made no mistakes about saying that I think he's

[00:18:41] a future champion of this side.

[00:18:44] I think he can be, the sky's the limit for him in terms, for me. I think he can be

[00:18:50] potentially like a state of origin level player. I know it's a massive statement to say of a guy

[00:18:55] we've seen about 10 games from, but I just, I think the world of him and I was shattered for

[00:19:00] him when he got injured. We were there watching and that seven minutes was an incredible seven

[00:19:05] minutes.

[00:19:06] It was.

[00:19:06] I was going to say as well, I want him in this side and I think he's, he would be the

[00:19:10] long-term McInnes replacement. And I know, I think the coaches and the team down there

[00:19:15] think very, very highly of him. So if he's fit, you know, maybe if he can get some new town and then

[00:19:22] get a couple of games off the bench and maybe the year after might be the year that he really

[00:19:27] can cement a spot in the side.

[00:19:29] Yeah. Yeah. Still young as well, which is on his side. We saw the retirement of Dale

[00:19:33] Finucane, which was quite sad at the time. Thankfully he's at the moment doing well. He's

[00:19:39] around the community, around the team. He's looking great and seen as recently at the Brass

[00:19:44] Monkey at our friend Dylan Wright's show on the weekend. So hello to Dylan who is listening.

[00:19:49] What do you think the impact was on Dale retiring?

[00:19:53] I think it solved a bit of a problem for the team if I can be truthful here. I think that

[00:19:59] he wasn't in my 17 for the year in terms of, I don't think I didn't really have a spot for him,

[00:20:06] which I know might be a little controversial, but I thought the impact and the performances were

[00:20:12] waning a little bit and were, it was less effective. He was still very strong defensively,

[00:20:16] but I wouldn't have probably had him in this. I know he would have played if he was fit. He

[00:20:20] would have been picked every week, but I think it was best for him and think long-term for the

[00:20:23] side, it might've benefited in a, you know, that's really awful, awful to say.

[00:20:28] I know what you're saying. You didn't wish your retirement on him.

[00:20:31] No, of course. He did not finish his career at his strongest. There's no shame in that. He was

[00:20:38] still giving you everything he had. Absolute warrior. It was for the best. And again, like I'm telling

[00:20:44] you to watch this show Plum, it is all about CTE and footballers. So I bet you he's super glad in a lot

[00:20:52] of ways that he was allowed to retire in his own way. And hopefully fingers crossed at the right

[00:20:57] time, because you don't want to mess around with this stuff. I think it's fair to say all that,

[00:21:02] Josh. There's no, there's no disrespect there. I think that keeping him around was a stroke of

[00:21:06] genius. He was there at every training session. He traveled with the team, his experience,

[00:21:12] you know, he was captain. He's done it all. He's done everything in the game. And that's the guy

[00:21:18] you want to keep around. I'm led to believe, I can't confirm it, but led to believe he'll be sticking

[00:21:23] around next year in some capacity. That's TBC. But it was an interesting one, Josh, because I remember

[00:21:30] at the time, a lot of people were down on his form and I understand why. And then I remember being at

[00:21:36] the press conference when he pulled up stumps and it was, it was a really weird feeling. It was like,

[00:21:43] no one was thinking about that at all at that point. It was just like, man, you're such a legend.

[00:21:47] I want the best for you. Thanks for everything you've done. There was no, ah, this is great.

[00:21:53] We're going to get cap space and Cam McInnes is going to get more, you know, there was none of that.

[00:21:57] It was more just, oh, this is pretty serious. I'm super glad he came to the club. Super glad he's

[00:22:03] one of us. Terrific human off the field. At his peak, unbelievable player on the field.

[00:22:09] Oh, his first year for us was incredible. Like, honestly, like super important signing.

[00:22:13] Like, I don't want to take anything away from him as a player or his career. Fantastic. And

[00:22:19] changed the culture. We needed Dale Finucane at the time. I just think it was the right

[00:22:23] time for him to hang up.

[00:22:25] And let's not forget, I believe he signed before Nico Hines did.

[00:22:30] I think he might've been the first of that Nico and McInnes and Dale, like that new brigade.

[00:22:37] Yeah, it was a good one to get. Okay. Gentlemen who through injury only played 12 games, probably

[00:22:43] one of the negatives of the year, if you had to pull one up. And that is the injury crisis

[00:22:49] for Braden Hamlin-Welley. He was in and out of the team and to finish the season, played

[00:22:56] a number of games for the Jets and did pretty well there actually, but they just couldn't

[00:23:00] get that injury right, Josh. Unfortunately, we didn't see him at his best this year. There were

[00:23:06] a couple of games where he had a lot of glimpses. He had some nice bumps. Overall, not a memorable

[00:23:12] year for Hamlin-Welley and I think it shapes up nicely next year. He's got all off season

[00:23:17] to get it right from now to Christmas break back into it. Vegas, if he's picked of course,

[00:23:24] but I think it's there for him to take. It's all about him. It's also his body. His attitude

[00:23:30] is, there's no, there's no attitude or anything like that. It's just the body's letting him

[00:23:34] down, but next year is the year to get it right. Otherwise, we might have a problem.

[00:23:39] I think you make some really good points there, Sam. I agree with everything you said. It could

[00:23:43] almost feel like a new signing if he can come back next year and really rip in and get fit,

[00:23:49] play multiple games in a row, which has been his problem over his whole career is playing

[00:23:53] 10, 15, 20 games a year and in a row. So if we can get that fit Hamlin-ULA with the bench

[00:24:03] we've got, with the forward pack we've got, it's going to feel like a new signing because

[00:24:07] we realistically, I mean, he had 12 games, but he might have played two hours in those

[00:24:12] 12 games or something. So I'm a big believer in Braden. I really want the best for him

[00:24:18] because he's such a great club man and he's a great player when he's fit. And I think

[00:24:23] he got, he was getting it right by the end there. It was just, there wasn't a spot for him

[00:24:27] and he ripped up a new town and we get that good Hamlin-ULA back, like watch out because

[00:24:32] he's going to have a big point to prove he's going to want to smash people.

[00:24:35] So actually didn't start a game, all 12 appearances off the bench. That's how strong the situation

[00:24:41] was with the injury. So wish him all the best for summer. A young fellow who reached double

[00:24:47] figures for the Sharks, all 10 games off the bench, some handy moments, important try against

[00:24:53] Melbourne. And that was Tuku Hatsapua. Someone who I thought might play more games this year,

[00:24:58] Josh, maybe next year is his time. Still very young. I feel like they're taking their time

[00:25:03] with him to get it right. What were your thoughts on Tuku?

[00:25:07] I think exactly what you said. I actually think he played more than I expected. I was unsure

[00:25:12] if he would have even played for us this year, being down quite down the pecking order, but

[00:25:17] due to injuries, getting 10 games, I think they were very patient with him and rightly so.

[00:25:24] And I think that, you know, just drip feeding him just like minutes here and there. And they

[00:25:28] would sometimes bring him on when the game was done. Sometimes they brewed him on when it was

[00:25:33] crucial parts of the game, just to give him a taste. And it's like, this is what you can be

[00:25:38] every week for an extra 10 or 15 minutes. I think that's the next piece is the fitness.

[00:25:43] We can get that fitness up to where he's not on his haunches after 10 minutes.

[00:25:49] It's going to be a hell of a player. They were talking about him on Bloke in a Bar actually the

[00:25:52] other day and saying like that body shape. Teams are dying for guys like this, like the

[00:25:59] Terrell Mays and like...

[00:26:01] I'm kind of convinced. I'm kind of convinced he's the biggest. I don't have the stats in

[00:26:05] front of me, but our boy's pretty big. I think he's bigger than Terrell May.

[00:26:09] There's not many... Yeah, there's not many with that shape, that height, but that slimmer figure. I'm not saying like he's skinny by any means.

[00:26:18] No, but he's fit as. He's fit as.

[00:26:20] He's so fit, yeah. But there's just the fitness. I know that sounds funny to say, but it's the fitness out of being fit. Huge potential. I've said it a few times already, but very pleasantly surprised. And I think there is a player there to work with. And I think Fitz is the guy to get it out of him.

[00:26:35] I'm impressed that out of all the people that could have come to us with Fitzgibbon, it was this young fella. Fitz, he's not a fool. He's not just going to bring anyone over to play with him. And I'm more of the thinking, Josh, that...

[00:26:48] Like, I'm sort of getting a bit frustrated that I don't play him more. You know, I just want to see him rip it up for like the opening 30 minutes. Like, it's unrealistic.

[00:26:55] You're a big fan.

[00:26:56] I'm a big fan, but I also just, as you say, you know, it's hard to find these guys. I'm overwhelmed. You know, he's like Tom Hazleton, but with a 12 pack or whatever it is you want to call it.

[00:27:09] Like, he's just huge, but he's this fit dude. And he's scary. He's not without skill.

[00:27:15] And they've got a few guys coming through the lower grades who aren't at that peak fitness, but they're...

[00:27:20] I think Fitz, he might really like a tall prop is what I'm suggesting. Like, I think he's working out. He likes these giants.

[00:27:26] So I...

[00:27:27] With different body shapes.

[00:27:28] Yeah. I think with Hazleton there and with Tuku there, if you can get them playing some big minutes...

[00:27:35] Because to be honest, I'm not a huge fan these days of the short stints, the Royce Hunts, the Tukus...

[00:27:43] Not talking about the players, talking about the fact that they only get a short amount of time.

[00:27:46] Um, I used to be a huge fan of bring them on, let them go nuts. But I don't know if the game's like that anymore, Josh.

[00:27:53] Like, everyone's just so fit.

[00:27:54] I agree.

[00:27:54] You know, it's not like the old days where guys were falling over tired and you could just run...

[00:27:59] Like, everyone's just fit. So once we can get them playing some big minutes, and Tommy is to his credit, but once we can get Tuku there...

[00:28:07] Yeah, I think there's definitely potential. I'd be hanging on to him as long as I could until I was sure that he was no good, for example.

[00:28:15] It's funny you say that, Sam, because how I feel about Tuku now is how I felt about Hazleton in his first year.

[00:28:22] I was like, I'm not sure if he's going to play. I'm not sure. Like, the fitness isn't there.

[00:28:26] Like, when Tommy's first game against the Roosters, I was there and I was like, this guy is not a first grader.

[00:28:31] Like, I was just straight up, like, this guy sucks.

[00:28:33] And... But it's like, you need to give them time. You need to feed them in and look at him now.

[00:28:37] And so I'm being a little more optimistic about him.

[00:28:41] I'm like, if we can get these two guys saying two years, if these two guys are coming off the bench to replace Faneuil Blake or, you know, and Tom and Rudolph.

[00:28:49] And you've got these man mountains who are fit and can play 20 minutes straight.

[00:28:53] Like, it can be hard to handle.

[00:28:55] I know we're putting a lot of pressure on Faneuil Blake because we say it about every player in the club from like,

[00:29:00] Blake Braley's going to prosper and Hamlin Welly's going to prosper and Tom Hastingson.

[00:29:05] Well, you know what? We haven't spoken about Tuku.

[00:29:07] Like, he could really come out of his shell.

[00:29:09] I think there is a little bit of him that maybe doesn't believe how good he can be.

[00:29:14] And that's just an observation.

[00:29:16] I could be completely wrong.

[00:29:17] But I just feel like sometimes, you know, when I've spoken to him, I've spoken to Kofusi,

[00:29:21] they're still sort of coming to grips with the fact that they're NRL players and they have these responsibilities and this opportunity.

[00:29:29] And I guess that just must take some time to get used to.

[00:29:31] But I think once it clicks for Tuku, like, he could legit be beast mode every week.

[00:29:37] Yeah, it's exciting.

[00:29:38] I'm glad we've got him, that's for sure.

[00:29:40] Let's move on to Tall Tom.

[00:29:41] He played 25 games.

[00:29:43] He started 10 of those.

[00:29:45] Played a really important role when we were down on troops.

[00:29:48] You know, a couple of games where he was a little bit tired.

[00:29:50] But I thought overall he was pretty solid for us.

[00:29:52] I found it strange.

[00:29:53] There was a little bit of criticism for him.

[00:29:55] And it's like, he's just a kid and he's just reaching as far as he can and doing a great job.

[00:30:02] And I think, again, the more he plays, the more summers he has with us, the fitter he'll get.

[00:30:09] I think that he's actually going to be a bit of a wanted man, Josh, just from the personality to the look to obviously the way he plays, the body shape.

[00:30:18] So I'm hoping that he'll stick around with us.

[00:30:21] How did you rate Tall Tom's year?

[00:30:24] Yeah.

[00:30:25] Yeah, like you said, there was some criticism for him this year.

[00:30:27] I was one of them.

[00:30:28] I'm happy to put my hand out because I thought the middle part of the year he really struggled.

[00:30:34] I think he did look really tired.

[00:30:36] And I remember in the group chat saying he needs a rest.

[00:30:40] And he got injured in a roundabout way.

[00:30:43] It helped him because he had a couple of weeks off and he came back and he was back to old Tommy and he was ripping and tearing again.

[00:30:50] And that's part of the journey of being an NRL player, right?

[00:30:52] Being a young player coming in under 20, 30 games is learning how to play week in, week out.

[00:30:58] Everyone's trying to kill you.

[00:30:59] Everyone's trying to get you.

[00:31:00] The coaches are figuring out your game, how to tackle you, how to stop momentum.

[00:31:05] Teams are figuring those things out about Tom now.

[00:31:07] A few teams kept him under wraps, but a lot of the teams couldn't.

[00:31:10] And I think that's just part of the journey.

[00:31:13] And I think he's only going to get better.

[00:31:14] I think he's 25.

[00:31:15] So he's not a baby, but he's going to be in now his peak years in the next couple of years is going to be his best in his career.

[00:31:24] So I remember there also being rumors earlier in the year that a few clubs are really looking at him.

[00:31:30] But he strikes me as a pretty loyal, down-to-earth guy that's not about the money.

[00:31:35] Obviously, that's important and he won't want to be undersold.

[00:31:38] But I think he's the kind of guy that would stick around for a little bit less to stay with his teammates and his coach who gave him a shot.

[00:31:46] And I look forward to many more years of the big, bald Tom.

[00:31:50] I don't think that's why the coach lives the way he does.

[00:31:53] But I think that's a great attribute that out of a lot of the coaches in the NRL, they probably would stick.

[00:31:57] Some of the guys, not all the guys, but a guy like Tom, country boy, would probably stick around for a little bit less, for a little bit longer to be part of what's happening.

[00:32:06] Now, if the team was stinking up, it's a different story.

[00:32:08] But they're consistently making the finals, one game away from the grand final.

[00:32:12] So it's all happy days.

[00:32:13] I like what you said about teams doing their research on him.

[00:32:16] I think out of all of our players, from a physical point of view, he's a guy that you need to study about how to tackle him.

[00:32:21] You just can't go in and hope for the best.

[00:32:23] You've got to get around the legs and someone on top.

[00:32:27] And that's how you bring him down.

[00:32:28] Quick line speed also is the worst enemy for tall Tom.

[00:32:32] And we saw that a little bit this year.

[00:32:33] So he's got a bit of learning to do how to put on a step or how to power through the quick line speed.

[00:32:40] Yeah, I thought he had a pretty good year.

[00:32:41] I'm going to give him a very strong seven and a half.

[00:32:45] Yeah.

[00:32:46] I will go with seven.

[00:32:47] I think if he could...

[00:32:49] The things for me that we'd be working on is, like you said, how to...

[00:32:53] When teams are targeting certain ways and making him a little more ineffective, how to combat that.

[00:32:58] And the things that I would love to see improve in Tom's game is getting a little pass, a little tip on, and some more offloads.

[00:33:04] He only had three.

[00:33:06] We have seen a couple of those.

[00:33:07] We have seen them.

[00:33:08] We have.

[00:33:08] We have.

[00:33:09] I want to see more.

[00:33:16] And that's when that tip on pass opens up space for other players.

[00:33:19] And yeah, like I was saying, just development, maybe a bit more of an offload would be really handy for Tom because he only had three for the year.

[00:33:25] So if we could get another seven out of him a year or another 10, I think that takes his game again to another level.

[00:33:33] Signed on for another year.

[00:33:34] You can't get rid of this guy because it is 24-7, 365, Hirati time, baby.

[00:33:40] Hirati signs on for one more year.

[00:33:42] Only played one game for us this year.

[00:33:44] You know, he had a shaky start to his Sharks career, but since then he's been pretty reliable.

[00:33:49] We talk about it most times when his name comes up.

[00:33:52] He was man in match in Perth against South.

[00:33:54] He's been solid for us, you know what I mean?

[00:33:56] So happy he's there.

[00:33:59] Happy he's there for another year.

[00:34:00] We don't expect him to play much.

[00:34:03] I have no idea what he feels like.

[00:34:05] I've never interviewed him, never met him, but maybe we'll do that next year.

[00:34:08] But he's obviously just a hell of a club man.

[00:34:11] He does well at a New South Wales Cup level.

[00:34:14] His skills there are pretty good.

[00:34:16] So he's obviously happy to stick around.

[00:34:18] He's a guy who I think could go to Super League.

[00:34:21] He's a guy that could potentially, potentially go to another club and push for the 17 somewhere.

[00:34:28] Whereas at the Sharks, at the moment, he's not there.

[00:34:32] He's there for depth.

[00:34:33] But he's totally cool with that.

[00:34:34] Yeah, I agree with everything you said.

[00:34:36] Again, I think a few years ago it was like, oh God, Haradi's playing.

[00:34:41] We're in trouble here.

[00:34:42] Now it's like if he ever gets called up, you go, you've got to back him.

[00:34:46] He's played four games, I think, in three years.

[00:34:48] And I think all four of those have been pretty good or pretty solid.

[00:34:51] I mean, two of them have been spectacular.

[00:34:52] He scored a try again in his one game this year against the Dirty Merge.

[00:34:59] And like you said, he must be a great club man because all the boys love him.

[00:35:03] You see on Instagram and online when they're streaming and playing video games, they can't get enough of him.

[00:35:09] He must be a really popular guy and they trust him.

[00:35:12] He's completely drama free.

[00:35:14] The coach has got no issues with him.

[00:35:16] He's part of every training session.

[00:35:18] He's full time.

[00:35:19] And he's not without skill.

[00:35:20] Like I think early on, you know, a couple of games there that were forgettable.

[00:35:25] But to his credit, he's gotten through that.

[00:35:27] He was a lot younger than what I thought he was, to be fair as well.

[00:35:30] 25.

[00:35:31] I had him like debuting at 28 or something.

[00:35:34] And it was like, no, he's 22, dude.

[00:35:36] So he's done really well.

[00:35:37] And who's to say the best is not ahead of him.

[00:35:40] So good depth player for us.

[00:35:42] Can kick goals too.

[00:35:43] Can kick goals too.

[00:35:44] We say goodbye to a friend of the podcast, Royce Hunt.

[00:35:48] He played 19 games for the Sharks.

[00:35:51] Started six.

[00:35:53] He had some injuries throughout the year.

[00:35:55] But he also reached career best form.

[00:35:58] Some real memorable games.

[00:36:00] The game against the Broncos just went nuts.

[00:36:02] He didn't want to leave the club.

[00:36:03] The club, I think, gave him the tap.

[00:36:06] But he's found a three-year deal.

[00:36:10] Decent money at the West Tigers.

[00:36:12] Whether he starts there, whether he doesn't, that's none of our business.

[00:36:14] We do wish him all the best.

[00:36:15] But I thought he had a pretty good year, Josh.

[00:36:18] He actually surprised me at the consistency of how lights out he was in particular the middle part of the year.

[00:36:26] However, there were some times where he still had some silly plays in him, which is not the crime of the century.

[00:36:34] But I'm going to give Royce a seven.

[00:36:38] Because I think that, yeah, career best.

[00:36:41] And when he was good, he was really good.

[00:36:43] But when he made some errors, they were kind of costly.

[00:36:46] So I would have kept him around, I think.

[00:36:48] But also, I'm happy that other guys would get another chance.

[00:36:51] What are your thoughts on Royce?

[00:36:53] First of all, when you say the club tapped him, do you think, were you suggesting that they were like, we don't have the money for you?

[00:37:00] Or was it like, I think it's time to move on sort of tap?

[00:37:03] Oh, no.

[00:37:04] I think it's more of a money.

[00:37:05] Yeah, we can't give you what you want.

[00:37:07] Yeah.

[00:37:08] My thoughts have always been a little mix on Royce.

[00:37:10] Because like you said, when he's on, he's in the top 10 props in the game.

[00:37:16] Like that Broncos game, like you said, he had a couple of games where in a row he was like, we were struggling.

[00:37:21] And he'd come on and just change the momentum.

[00:37:23] And you go, where's this guy every week?

[00:37:25] Like you'd be starting and playing 40 minutes a game.

[00:37:28] But again, I think that's the problem with Royce is he's just always struggled to find that consistency.

[00:37:33] And same with you, Ellie.

[00:37:35] It's that injury.

[00:37:36] It's not being able to play every week and get that game time.

[00:37:39] And it's just, yeah, moments like silly offload moments.

[00:37:44] And, you know, a drop ball when we don't need it or giving it like holding down too long.

[00:37:48] Those take marks off me against Royce.

[00:37:51] But it's a funny one.

[00:37:53] We haven't really lost a player that we've all liked or wanted to keep for years now.

[00:37:57] It's almost weird to be losing a player because we've been so used to having this squad almost completely together for three, four years now.

[00:38:05] So it's a big change.

[00:38:07] He's a big personality in the team.

[00:38:09] And it'll be weird to see him running out in other colors.

[00:38:13] But as you said, there's a lot of guys coming through in that position.

[00:38:16] And Fanil Black, like we keep saying, is going to eat a lot of minutes out of these guys.

[00:38:21] He is, yeah.

[00:38:22] So it's a tough one.

[00:38:23] And you've got Tommy.

[00:38:24] You've got Tapua.

[00:38:25] Then Colquhoun comes back.

[00:38:26] And McInnes plays a lot of minutes.

[00:38:28] Braden Ueli needs to come back into things.

[00:38:30] So I think overall it was probably the right thing for both parties.

[00:38:35] But it was still sad to see him go because he's been part of the furniture now for the best five years or so.

[00:38:42] Yeah, and I really loved his story.

[00:38:43] Train and trial contract.

[00:38:44] Him and Sif are coming through together.

[00:38:47] And just that to me is what I sort of romanticized a little bit.

[00:38:50] Like how exciting those two guys were.

[00:38:51] They were so raw, so green.

[00:38:52] Coming off the bench, it was – we hadn't really seen that kind of raw physicality probably since –

[00:39:00] I mean, I don't know about since, but it reminds me of like when Stewie Raper had the team in sort of 05, 06.

[00:39:07] And you had like Cliff and Manua and those sort of guys, just guys you'd never heard of.

[00:39:12] Just park dudes coming on and just destroying guys.

[00:39:15] Who was the big prop with the dreadlocks?

[00:39:18] Hatchmoeva.

[00:39:19] Hatchmoeva.

[00:39:19] Those sort of guys.

[00:39:20] Danny Nutley.

[00:39:21] From the park.

[00:39:22] Well, not Danny Nutley.

[00:39:22] But from the park with a bit of attitude.

[00:39:25] And that's what I saw in Royce and Sifar.

[00:39:28] And to their credit, they've had really great careers as the Sharks.

[00:39:32] We will miss Royce's personality.

[00:39:35] Real sweetheart.

[00:39:36] He's done a lot for people off the field that a lot of people don't know about.

[00:39:40] He's always open for charities.

[00:39:42] Individual people.

[00:39:43] He's done a lot for me helping out other people by doing videos and sending memorabilia.

[00:39:52] And he's always up to help people.

[00:39:53] So, real sweetheart.

[00:39:55] And it's a shame from that point of view he won't be in the club.

[00:39:57] But I think, as you said, it might be best for him to get a bit of fresh air out Leichhardt Way, Campbelltown Way.

[00:40:04] And for us, open up a new slot.

[00:40:07] Yeah.

[00:40:08] Yeah.

[00:40:08] I think it was payday for Royce and we couldn't quite come to the party.

[00:40:11] So, that was that.

[00:40:12] Have you got a score for Royce?

[00:40:14] I'm going to give him a six.

[00:40:16] Okay.

[00:40:16] Next up, as a spoiler for the show Plum, and I keep talking about it because I'm just so impressed by it.

[00:40:21] And I also recommend the book.

[00:40:23] The book came out a few years ago.

[00:40:24] The book was great.

[00:40:25] The character is known as the King of Cronulla.

[00:40:29] And I can't help but think someone's been listening to a podcast because we're up to...

[00:40:36] I'm kidding, everyone.

[00:40:36] Of course, I'm kidding.

[00:40:39] That's clearly a joke.

[00:40:40] Nick O'Hindes, the King of Caring Bar, started 18 games.

[00:40:44] We know that he had some injuries either side of the season.

[00:40:48] Started in great form.

[00:40:50] So much so that he was the New South Wales Blues half.

[00:40:54] Had a shocking injury down at training.

[00:40:57] Just a training mishap.

[00:40:58] And did really well to come back so soon.

[00:41:02] We thought it might be the end of the season, but he came back a bit sooner.

[00:41:05] Some up and down form.

[00:41:07] Manly game, great.

[00:41:09] Cowboys game, pretty good.

[00:41:10] Melbourne game, not so good.

[00:41:13] Penrith, hard to get a read.

[00:41:15] But we know all about Nick O.

[00:41:16] You've heard about it from every person on the street, every person with a podcast, every person with a TV contract.

[00:41:22] I'd like to hear from Josh.

[00:41:24] Josh, what would you make of Nico Hines' season?

[00:41:26] This has been the hardest one upon reflection.

[00:41:29] And I'm glad that we've taken the time away from the game and the season to really think about this without unbiased eyes.

[00:41:37] And I still think overall it's a relatively good season from Nico.

[00:41:42] And I'm not willing to throw the season under the bus to say that it was terrible and it was awful because of five bad games.

[00:41:49] You know, he's probably had 10 bad games and 60 for us in his whole career.

[00:41:55] But I think we needed a little more from him at the end.

[00:42:00] However, I think people underestimate how much of a monumental task it was for him to come back and play NRL with that injury.

[00:42:09] And I think in hindsight, you could see he didn't quite have the explosiveness out of his runs.

[00:42:19] Because I don't know about you, but every game he played post-injury, if he ran the ball, he was getting absolutely smashed every single time.

[00:42:27] I don't think he made an effective run post-injury.

[00:42:31] And I think that had a massive part in it.

[00:42:34] I just think he didn't have any confidence in it, really.

[00:42:38] And we've seen when he takes the line on, he's usually busting through it because he's a big guy.

[00:42:42] Or he's carrying someone or whatever it is.

[00:42:45] But every time he ran the ball, he just got punished.

[00:42:49] And you could see the frustration that his body wasn't allowing him to do what he wanted to do.

[00:42:54] And I think that all fed into the performances.

[00:42:57] I don't think he was horrible.

[00:42:58] Like the Manly game, he was good.

[00:43:00] I thought the Melbourne game, pretty bad.

[00:43:03] The Cowboys game, did enough.

[00:43:05] And then Pemrith was, that's a hard one.

[00:43:08] That's a hard one across the board.

[00:43:09] But I think his early season form was off the charts like we expect.

[00:43:15] And did that have something to do with the fact that Trindle was kind of in, then out, then in again in the combinations?

[00:43:21] Maybe.

[00:43:23] Maybe.

[00:43:24] But overall, I think still, we're so lucky to have this guy.

[00:43:27] And people can say what they want online.

[00:43:28] I think he's still our best player by a long way.

[00:43:31] At his best.

[00:43:32] One of the best in the NRL.

[00:43:35] So I'm looking forward to him.

[00:43:37] I think he's going to have a point to prove next year after he's been hammered from pillar to post by every single person that watches rugby league.

[00:43:44] And I think he's going to come out and have an absolutely outstanding year next year.

[00:43:49] I'm going to give him a six and a half.

[00:43:53] No, I'm going to give him a seven.

[00:43:54] I like what you said about losing his half and not having that consistency for, you would think, half a year in total.

[00:44:02] Because he was out, then he was in with Trindle, and Trindle was out.

[00:44:06] Then Atko was in.

[00:44:07] Then he was out.

[00:44:08] And then they came back together at the end.

[00:44:09] So it was a bit up and down there.

[00:44:12] And you're right.

[00:44:13] The injury definitely played a toll on the way he finished the season.

[00:44:16] I think, though, what you said is completely something that people can pin him down on.

[00:44:21] And that is that we do need more from him in key moments.

[00:44:25] It doesn't have to be the clutch moments, but just in the key moments.

[00:44:28] I think in the Penrith game, look, he wasn't helped by the fact that every shark out there was dropping the ball, like to a man.

[00:44:36] I haven't gotten over that yet.

[00:44:37] But he could have done a bit more, I think, to mix it up in attack.

[00:44:44] Because it's not like the forwards weren't having a go.

[00:44:46] Like the forwards were going okay with the Penrith forwards.

[00:44:48] So it's fair to say that he needs to step up a little bit more.

[00:44:51] But when you look at his season, amazing half to start, almost half season to start.

[00:44:57] Played origin, was in a losing team there, got dropped, and then got injured soon after.

[00:45:05] And then came back and was a little bit up and down.

[00:45:08] People always talk about the Penrith game mid-season, Josh, where he was kicking the ball out in the full and that kind of thing.

[00:45:14] He was playing on a bad hamstring, which no one really seems to remember.

[00:45:20] And you're looking at a guy who does seem to play injured for the team.

[00:45:24] Now maybe that's something they need to look into.

[00:45:26] Maybe he shouldn't be playing when he's 50-50 or whatever, unless it's absolutely vital.

[00:45:31] Can't fault him for the desire and the want to help out the team.

[00:45:35] I told you I saw him walking around shark pocket training when he couldn't run.

[00:45:41] He was just walking.

[00:45:42] That was his training, walk.

[00:45:43] And he walked for hours.

[00:45:44] That was to keep his steps up, whatever it was, his fitness, to put pressure on the leg.

[00:45:49] That was his job, and he did it tirelessly.

[00:45:52] And he's a guy who just wants the best.

[00:45:55] I have no idea why he missed the field goal against the Bulldogs.

[00:45:59] People say that Siffer went too close to the post.

[00:46:02] I think that's absolute garbage.

[00:46:05] He kicked a field goal.

[00:46:06] To his credit, I've said it eight times on the podcast now.

[00:46:08] The next morning he was down at Shark Park, and he kicked 50 from in front without anyone knowing.

[00:46:12] So I think next year would be a better year.

[00:46:15] I don't think this year was a write-off either.

[00:46:17] I think it was decent.

[00:46:18] I would give him a, I think somewhere between six and a half, seven, just based on the really good moments.

[00:46:26] And when he was on, he was our best player by far, and he was winning games for us.

[00:46:31] And the game against the Roosters comes to mind.

[00:46:34] That was just an epic performance.

[00:46:35] The whole team were great, but he was particularly good that night.

[00:46:39] So big season ahead.

[00:46:42] I do wonder how they're going to control a narrative, because the journos just are out there to get the stories and to make the stories, and they're going to follow his form.

[00:46:54] He'll be one of the top three guys most scrutinized in the game, good, bad, or indifferent.

[00:46:59] I'm a little bit worried about what happens when we get to origin, period.

[00:47:02] Now, maybe it's just the Cleary Moses show, and there's nothing to worry about.

[00:47:06] Hopefully, for our sake.

[00:47:07] Hopefully.

[00:47:08] But if there's some sort of sniff or some sort of injury to the other guys, I do worry about the effect that has on the team as a whole.

[00:47:15] I'm not going to stay up worrying about that.

[00:47:18] I can't control that narrative.

[00:47:19] But I do wonder if there's, given the deep think that Fitzgibbon is, and that his coaching staff are,

[00:47:26] I wonder if there's a thought behind how to kind of control the Nico storyline for next year,

[00:47:31] aside from just going out and playing good footy, keeping him healthy, keeping him happy.

[00:47:35] How to control it, though?

[00:47:36] Like, does he do less press?

[00:47:38] Does he do more press?

[00:47:39] Is he, you know, like, I just wonder about that in itself.

[00:47:42] So I don't think he personally buys into everything that they say about him.

[00:47:47] I don't think that he plays bad because he was in the press that week,

[00:47:51] or because someone was saying, oh, he's not origin-worthy or whatever.

[00:47:56] But there is an obvious effect it has on him externally.

[00:48:02] It might not be internal, but just we've gotten to the point where we look at him and go,

[00:48:06] like, the amount of emails I get from people saying he looks so sad or he looks depressed

[00:48:10] or he's got mental health problems.

[00:48:12] It's just like, whoa, what are you talking about?

[00:48:16] You don't know this guy and you haven't been around him.

[00:48:19] You're watching him on a TV and he's got his shoulders slumped.

[00:48:22] Oh, well, he must be depressed.

[00:48:23] That's how close we're looking at him.

[00:48:26] So that sort of worries me a little bit, Josh.

[00:48:29] But we'll move on from the King of Kering Bar, Nico Hines.

[00:48:33] And we'll move to a guy who was, well, he actually ranked in the Shark Cast Player of the Year pretty good.

[00:48:40] And he played 23 games, potentially more than we thought, given the way the season started.

[00:48:46] And that was Kale Iro.

[00:48:48] What did you think of Kale's season, Josh?

[00:48:50] Man, this was a whirlwind one for me because another one that I just didn't think had it.

[00:48:57] And I was really uneasy about losing Sifu from centers and losing the meters.

[00:49:04] And this guy, man, just made me eat my words and then some.

[00:49:07] Like, what a season.

[00:49:09] A debut season, for all intents and purposes, just lights out every single week.

[00:49:16] Like, I don't think there was one time, one game, one bad game that he had this year or one game where I thought, well, Kale was a bit down.

[00:49:22] Like, honestly, like a super, super debut season.

[00:49:25] Absolutely robbed for rookie of the year, but that's by the by.

[00:49:28] Anyway, I know, like a fan favorite very quickly.

[00:49:35] And like, just I think from that first game or two, locked that center position down and did not give it back.

[00:49:42] And it was a shame that he missed the game, right?

[00:49:45] He missed the prelim.

[00:49:46] No, that was Jesse.

[00:49:47] But he was injured as well.

[00:49:48] I was going to say he impressed the heck out of me because he was injured.

[00:49:52] He could barely walk.

[00:49:53] The team sold the story that he had a sore bicep.

[00:49:57] His hamstring was gone.

[00:49:59] So I was down at media on the Monday, it must have been the Monday, that week.

[00:50:05] And I actually was talking to the coach.

[00:50:07] Now, I'm going to just tell you right now, I don't talk to the coach every week.

[00:50:10] We communicate a little bit for different reasons.

[00:50:13] But that week, I saw him and we had a little bit of a chat, private chat.

[00:50:17] And I hit him up.

[00:50:18] I said, hey, who's fit?

[00:50:19] Who's not fit?

[00:50:20] And he mentioned that Jesse and Kale were both not great, but that they should both play.

[00:50:26] I was like, okay, cool.

[00:50:28] And then he said goodbye.

[00:50:30] And then Kale was leaving.

[00:50:32] He didn't do media.

[00:50:33] He left.

[00:50:34] And Kale walked past and he said, g'day, g'day.

[00:50:36] How you going?

[00:50:37] And he had massive strapping around his hamstring, like massive.

[00:50:41] And then I think within an hour on social media or in the press, there was like official

[00:50:46] statements saying, oh, he's got a bicep injury, but he should be okay.

[00:50:50] And I was like, what?

[00:50:51] There's nothing wrong with his bicep.

[00:50:53] In my head.

[00:50:54] And I think I might have told you guys.

[00:50:56] I don't know.

[00:50:56] I knew I had to keep it because the coach kind of trusts me on that one.

[00:51:00] And then even up until game time, they were like, yeah, he's got a sore bicep.

[00:51:05] And then he runs out and his hamstring is like jam-packed or calf, whatever it was, one

[00:51:10] of the two.

[00:51:11] But he played so good in that game.

[00:51:12] He defended.

[00:51:13] He ran around.

[00:51:14] He really plays with his heart and soul.

[00:51:17] And that long-winded story, sorry, Josh, that's what impressed me a lot about his whole

[00:51:20] season was just this can-do attitude.

[00:51:23] You get the same thing from Jesse Raymond.

[00:51:25] I mean, they're really good pairing, so to speak, because really similar attitude, slightly

[00:51:30] different shapes.

[00:51:32] One's mid-career, one's starting career.

[00:51:33] But I agree with you.

[00:51:35] I think that it's his spot to lose.

[00:51:38] There's no real weakness in his game.

[00:51:39] We saw a few misses here or there, whatever that's going to happen.

[00:51:43] I too was suitably impressed.

[00:51:44] And I think he's here for the long term and particularly defensively, really, really

[00:51:49] strong.

[00:51:50] Heaps of meters, lots of meters.

[00:51:53] I think the attack will get better.

[00:51:55] Although there's nothing wrong with it.

[00:51:57] He was setting up his winger just fine when it was on.

[00:52:01] Yeah, I think a great success story.

[00:52:02] And yeah, I'll give Cale an eight, eight and a half, to be honest.

[00:52:07] Yeah.

[00:52:08] Well, speaking of meters, I think he had the most in the team.

[00:52:10] Sure.

[00:52:11] Just going off the sheet here by maybe a hundred meters or a couple hundred meters.

[00:52:18] The defense was the most impressive part for me.

[00:52:20] Yeah.

[00:52:20] Just shut down so many plays, made the right read so many times.

[00:52:23] And that was the edge that was struggling with Ronnie.

[00:52:25] I think he helped Ronaldo become a better defender by the end of the year.

[00:52:30] I'm actually going to go really high.

[00:52:32] I'm going to give him a nine.

[00:52:32] I thought it was unbelievable.

[00:52:34] We had Liam Eisen play one game.

[00:52:37] So we can't really rate that.

[00:52:38] But where do you think he sort of sits for the future?

[00:52:42] How's he looking in the next couple of years, Liam Eisen?

[00:52:45] Very surprised he got a game this year.

[00:52:46] I know we were all kind of hoping he'd maybe get one if things went badly.

[00:52:51] And they did.

[00:52:53] And glad he got a game.

[00:52:55] Glad to see.

[00:52:56] Glad to get him to see what first grade's all about.

[00:52:59] And he got peppered.

[00:53:00] And he made a few mistakes, as any young kid's going to do.

[00:53:03] But you can see the talent there, right?

[00:53:06] Like you can see in a couple of years when he's bulked up a bit more and he's got some more experience.

[00:53:11] And that position could inevitably be his.

[00:53:15] You can see a bit of a superstar there.

[00:53:17] I don't know about you if you feel the same way.

[00:53:19] But I get superstar vibes from him.

[00:53:21] I think it's a big word.

[00:53:23] But I'm not going to disagree with you.

[00:53:25] I just probably won't agree at this point in time.

[00:53:27] But I definitely see a first grader.

[00:53:29] And I think the only thing that is not in his favor is his size.

[00:53:35] But having said that, he's a tough guy.

[00:53:38] Like he was getting whacked and he was getting up.

[00:53:41] And when I say size, I mean for a fullback to be small, it's not ideal for obvious reasons.

[00:53:48] But there's ways around that.

[00:53:49] And he's probably still got some growing to do.

[00:53:51] He's pretty young.

[00:53:52] And I like what I see.

[00:53:53] I probably am not ready to rush him in for round one next year.

[00:53:59] But it's good to know that if he was needed for round one next year, he would probably do a competent job at the very worst, if not play better.

[00:54:06] He was amazing in that Super Bowl.

[00:54:08] Was it the Super Bowl or the final?

[00:54:10] Whichever one it was.

[00:54:11] Both.

[00:54:11] Both, yeah.

[00:54:12] So, yeah, definitely a player in there.

[00:54:15] And I think it's just a matter of when is the right time to fire him off.

[00:54:20] So, I'm just not sure.

[00:54:23] If I'm wrong, it could be round one.

[00:54:25] If I'm right, I think it's late next year, early the year after.

[00:54:29] I completely see what you're saying.

[00:54:31] There's just something about him.

[00:54:32] Like whenever I watch him, I'm like, reserve grade, he's got spiders on him already.

[00:54:38] He's like, what is he, 19, 20?

[00:54:39] And like these are, you know, some seasoned NRL players in there that he is burning consistently.

[00:54:45] And one of his first touches in NRL was a try assist.

[00:54:48] Like there was just, it was immediately bang in the game.

[00:54:50] And that says a lot to me about he was willing to get in there and throw a cutout ball five or 10 minutes into his first game.

[00:54:58] I know he made mistakes and they roughed him up and they got stuck into him, but he handled it.

[00:55:04] And in hindsight, like the mistakes, yeah, maybe cost us a try or a game or whatever.

[00:55:09] That's inconsequential now.

[00:55:10] And I just, I get really excited whenever I talk about him, as you can probably tell.

[00:55:15] Like I have a really high opinion of him.

[00:55:18] I think that the thing he has that a lot of our guys don't is speed.

[00:55:22] Yes.

[00:55:23] And that is exciting whenever you see that.

[00:55:25] So, I'm glad he got that game.

[00:55:27] I love the fact that the coach is willing to throw in a guy.

[00:55:30] We've seen him throw Cade Dux in.

[00:55:32] We saw him throw Kale in early in his career.

[00:55:34] We've seen him throw Isen in.

[00:55:36] Like I like the fact that he's willing to trust these guys.

[00:55:39] They prove their end.

[00:55:41] And then he proves his by giving him a shot.

[00:55:43] So, yeah, we'll see what happens.

[00:55:45] I hope he's around for a while.

[00:55:47] He's definitely got that potential.

[00:55:49] So, wait and see on that one.

[00:55:51] He does play a position at the moment that he's taken by Will Kennedy.

[00:55:54] That's a whole other subject matter we're coming up.

[00:55:57] Two.

[00:55:58] Next up, we have one of your favorite players.

[00:56:00] And that is the fisherman, Sione Katoa.

[00:56:04] He played 24 games.

[00:56:06] He scored 17 tries, which may have been career best season high.

[00:56:10] It may have been.

[00:56:11] It is.

[00:56:11] Yeah.

[00:56:11] So, I thought a really strong year.

[00:56:15] I think Sione gets better each year.

[00:56:17] Now, I know each year he probably gets a fraction slower, as we all do.

[00:56:21] You and I do, Josh.

[00:56:22] And so does Sione.

[00:56:24] But I really think he plays above his weight, above his size.

[00:56:29] I think in a lot of ways, and I hope this isn't disrespectful, he plays a little bit above his skill set from what you can gather.

[00:56:35] No, I get it.

[00:56:36] I agree.

[00:56:36] Like, he does things and you're like, wow, look what Sione just did.

[00:56:40] But I really admire the way he's handled his career.

[00:56:44] And I'm glad he's a shark.

[00:56:45] I hope he stays a shark for the time to come.

[00:56:48] I thought he's one of our best players.

[00:56:49] I never want to see a player go through any hardship on the field.

[00:56:52] It was good to see him, in a strange way, go through the sort of experiences he had against Penrith in the final.

[00:56:59] And even just some of the other games where he kind of battled through injury, battled through just some negativity on the field.

[00:57:07] And came through and scored amazing tries and still hung in there.

[00:57:09] Didn't go off the field.

[00:57:10] So, a tough cookie.

[00:57:12] I'm going to give Sione an 8 out of 10.

[00:57:15] I agree with everything you said.

[00:57:16] I think he's very underrated by our fan base.

[00:57:19] And I think he gets a lot of sticks sometimes.

[00:57:21] And I know maybe a lot of that is people wanting Sam Stonestreet in the side.

[00:57:26] And that he's almost a victim.

[00:57:28] So, people kind of talk themselves into that a little bit.

[00:57:30] But I thought, again, like you said, I thought he was one of our best players this year.

[00:57:34] He played nearly every game.

[00:57:36] When he didn't play those few games, we missed him.

[00:57:38] I know that Sam came in and played really well.

[00:57:41] And we'll get to Sam.

[00:57:42] But Sione just offers me everything I want in a winger personally.

[00:57:47] I'm not...

[00:57:48] I'm neither here nor there about wingers being able to jump, you know, 10 feet in the air and catch bombs and score, you know.

[00:57:54] That's...

[00:57:55] How many times a year is each winger doing that?

[00:57:58] Inconsequential to me to what else he can give you.

[00:58:01] The meters, the relentlessness of his work ethic is incredible.

[00:58:07] And he's finishing probably a top three finisher in the game, in my opinion.

[00:58:12] Maybe biased.

[00:58:13] I don't care.

[00:58:13] I think he's one of the best.

[00:58:15] He's pretty good.

[00:58:16] Yeah.

[00:58:16] And I just...

[00:58:17] And again, it's the price.

[00:58:19] He's on not that much.

[00:58:21] Yeah.

[00:58:22] It's just...

[00:58:22] I think you get every piece of what he's paid and he gives you more.

[00:58:28] And I think, yeah, like undervalued.

[00:58:31] And your point, I said, sometimes I think he plays above his skill.

[00:58:34] I think that's a perfect representation of Sione.

[00:58:36] And he's probably got one or two stinkers in him every year.

[00:58:39] You've got to cop that.

[00:58:40] But who doesn't?

[00:58:41] I mean, Andrew Johns has had some stinkers.

[00:58:43] Do you know what I mean?

[00:58:44] Like...

[00:58:44] I don't know if I agree that he has some stinkers.

[00:58:47] I think that the thing you've mentioned is that he does get outjumped from time to time.

[00:58:50] At least he's attempting.

[00:58:51] He's not sort of shirking away from it.

[00:58:53] He does go up for it.

[00:58:54] He gets outjumped sometimes.

[00:58:57] And that's a price you pay for a winger who's not the tallest man in the world.

[00:59:01] It doesn't mean that a tall guy is going to necessarily jump up and catch the ball either and get a clean shot.

[00:59:05] So he can catch the high balls and defend the high balls.

[00:59:09] It's just that sometimes he does get outlet by people who are taller than him.

[00:59:12] That's just going to happen.

[00:59:14] But yeah, I'm with you.

[00:59:15] I think that...

[00:59:16] I think this year he was a really important part.

[00:59:19] And I was even surprising myself sometimes saying,

[00:59:22] You know what?

[00:59:23] I think Sione was the best out there.

[00:59:25] Like against Penrith in the prelim, he was the best player out there.

[00:59:29] 100%.

[00:59:29] And the game against Penrith earlier in the year was probably his worst game.

[00:59:32] Sure.

[00:59:33] And I think that's a really important part of his mental attitude is that they targeted the hell out of him at Shark Park.

[00:59:40] And he dropped two or three balls and they scored tries on his wing and blah, blah, blah.

[00:59:44] And then he was probably our best player a few weeks later, you know, the end of the season in a bigger game.

[00:59:50] Yeah, he's definitely a player that tries to better himself through education and through just practice.

[00:59:56] Like he trains really hard.

[00:59:57] And I admire that.

[00:59:59] You know, I think that every year he gets better.

[01:00:01] Like as I said, every year he's not getting faster, but every year he seems to be getting better.

[01:00:05] All right.

[01:00:05] A guy who had a really good year.

[01:00:08] Played 26 games.

[01:00:09] And he, by the looks of it, started all 26.

[01:00:14] And I don't know if that was actually in the cards.

[01:00:16] But Oregon Kofusi, we saw him with really good trial form and then he carried that through for most of the year.

[01:00:22] Not every single game, but I thought he had career best in what's a short career.

[01:00:26] And let's not forget he's reached the heights of grand finals at Parramatta.

[01:00:30] Improved season from Oregon.

[01:00:32] And I think that he finally felt settled at Cronulla.

[01:00:35] And he was providing some really strong starts.

[01:00:39] Really good defensive player.

[01:00:42] The yardage isn't amazing, but it got more solid as the year went on.

[01:00:46] And I was pretty happy by the end of it.

[01:00:48] And I think he's got actually a bit of a future with us.

[01:00:52] I think that we can keep him around and watch him grow because he's young for a prop.

[01:00:59] And I think he can only get better.

[01:01:01] I give Oregon a very strong 7.5.

[01:01:06] Yeah, echo everything you just said again.

[01:01:09] Really was disillusioned with Oregon at the end of last year.

[01:01:13] I wasn't really sure where we were going to go with him, where his form was going, where his career was going.

[01:01:19] But just like you said, from that first trial, I go, ooh, something different about him this year.

[01:01:25] Maybe it was the crazy long hair at the start of the trial and then cut it all off.

[01:01:29] And he would just look mean.

[01:01:30] And the biggest thing for me, the two biggest things for me from Oregon that I didn't expect at all were the offloads.

[01:01:37] He was 32 this year, which is, I think that was the second no one else got close behind Jesse.

[01:01:44] And no one else was really close.

[01:01:45] And that was so important for our yardage and our starts.

[01:01:50] And he would always just hit spin and pop like safe offloads.

[01:01:54] They were good offloads.

[01:01:57] And the other thing, missed 32 tackles all year playing 26 games in the middle.

[01:02:03] Safe as houses really in the middle.

[01:02:04] Like he just, I always felt comfortable when he was out there and teams coming out of yardage, he would just shut it down.

[01:02:11] He reads the game really well.

[01:02:13] You can see he's been studying his game and studying rugby league in general.

[01:02:18] And like you, like I think he has a future with us now and I wouldn't want to see him go.

[01:02:24] And I think he could be the guy starting with the big guy coming next year.

[01:02:30] So I'm going to give him an eight.

[01:02:31] Okay, beautiful.

[01:02:32] I agree with that last statement.

[01:02:33] I think he could be starting with the big guy.

[01:02:36] The thing that impressed me a lot about both him and Cal Iro is when I got to chat to both of them for the first time this year,

[01:02:44] was the level head they had on each other, but also, sorry, on each of their heads, very level,

[01:02:51] but also one that was always open to learning more.

[01:02:57] And you could tell they really cared about their performances.

[01:02:59] I'm not suggesting no one else does because all the players can have their performances.

[01:03:03] But to speak to Oregon for the first time and to speak to Cal for the first time,

[01:03:07] I didn't expect to walk away going, man, they really know their footy and they're really keen to learn more.

[01:03:12] And they really, I just didn't expect that.

[01:03:14] I don't know what I expected, but they were super impressive in the way they carried themselves.

[01:03:19] And the story about Kifusi, I think, is he just started to believe in what he could do.

[01:03:23] And I think he needed that time to realize he is a bit of a, he's not a giant,

[01:03:28] but he's not the smallest man I've been around either.

[01:03:31] Like he's, you wouldn't want to mess with him.

[01:03:32] And I think the offloads were coming nicely because of that.

[01:03:35] He found some confidence in his size and his ability.

[01:03:37] He's still pretty under the radar and, and I think that's where he likes to be.

[01:03:42] So an important season for him.

[01:03:44] And I think that he, he was a key ingredient to what we did this year.

[01:03:49] Next up, we have another gentleman who played 26 games and that was Will Kennedy.

[01:03:55] I thought started the year pretty good as the whole team did.

[01:03:59] I thought with Heinz gelling, I thought Kennedy was gelling really well.

[01:04:02] I thought he was on his way to winning our award two years in a row.

[01:04:05] It wasn't meant to be.

[01:04:06] I think by the end of the season, we definitely had some mail about it.

[01:04:10] Just some fans not overly happy with how Will was progressing.

[01:04:16] I thought that Will had a solid year.

[01:04:19] It wasn't lights out by any means.

[01:04:21] I didn't think it was a poor year.

[01:04:23] I just think that the club and Sharks fans need to pin down what they want from a fullback.

[01:04:30] And if it's not what Will provides you, then they might want to look elsewhere.

[01:04:37] But if you like what Will does, then I think he's the guy to take you through to the next two, three, four years.

[01:04:43] And one of the big questions that people ask me, Josh, is do you think we can win a comp with him?

[01:04:48] My answer is, I don't know.

[01:04:51] But when I watch him play, I don't think we can't.

[01:04:55] And I don't know if that makes any sense, but in my head it makes sense.

[01:04:58] But they're obviously comparing him to a Tedesco, to a Pappenhausen, to superstar fullbacks.

[01:05:03] He's not a superstar fullback.

[01:05:05] At his best, he'd be fifth, like sort of fifth best maybe.

[01:05:10] I'm going to give Will a six and a half.

[01:05:14] I thought in patches, absolutely brilliant.

[01:05:17] Other patches could have done a lot better.

[01:05:20] I think he's got some interesting years ahead of him.

[01:05:23] I'm not sure where it'll be.

[01:05:24] I don't know if he'll be a Shark in three years' time.

[01:05:27] If he is, I don't have a problem with it.

[01:05:29] I do feel like he'll need another level moving forward.

[01:05:34] I don't know what that level is.

[01:05:35] I think that last point is my main point, is for him to keep that spot, even through next year,

[01:05:42] he will need to step up or I think we need to try something else.

[01:05:47] Because we're in a window now of a chance to win a premiership for hopefully multiple years.

[01:05:53] But these next two are the big time.

[01:05:56] This is where we've probably got to try and nail it in the next two to three until that squad turnover happens again.

[01:06:03] And if I'm being super critical, he's probably the weak point of the side.

[01:06:07] He may be the difference between us finishing first and then making another prelim or a grand final.

[01:06:16] I know it's hard because there's only one fullback on the field at any one time.

[01:06:20] It's quite a specialized position.

[01:06:21] Are you saying weak part of the side or spine or both?

[01:06:25] The side.

[01:06:26] I think everywhere else in the team we have players good enough to win a premiership, if that makes sense.

[01:06:35] Whereas I think the others could carry Will.

[01:06:39] And I'm not saying he's bad and I don't want it to come across like that.

[01:06:41] But I think it is the weak link of the side.

[01:06:44] Having said that, I mentioned a few weeks ago that you cannot be strong everywhere.

[01:06:50] And as a coaching staff in a club, you've got to pick where the money goes.

[01:06:53] We've picked to put it in the hooker, the halfback and the front row.

[01:06:58] And AFB is probably on big dollars.

[01:07:00] Nico is.

[01:07:00] Blake is.

[01:07:01] If Will had a season like last year where he was close to best, he was our best player on this podcast.

[01:07:08] If he had that season this year, would you still be saying the same things because you want something different?

[01:07:14] Or do you think this year was nowhere near as good?

[01:07:17] I think the latter.

[01:07:18] I think just this year there was a big drop.

[01:07:21] And I think we've seen drops in the last two years.

[01:07:26] I think he's 20.

[01:07:27] Let me just quickly find it.

[01:07:29] It was his 20.

[01:07:31] It was his 2021.

[01:07:33] He was exceptional.

[01:07:34] We had 14 tries and 14 try assists.

[01:07:37] And since then, it's steadily kind of gone up and down.

[01:07:42] But I feel like it's going down more than it's going up.

[01:07:45] Like last year, he was very good.

[01:07:48] But the year before that and the year after, which is this year, the performances haven't been to a standard of a premiership winning fullback.

[01:07:57] But as I was saying, you can't have the money everywhere.

[01:08:00] If we were to get a Pappenhausen, we wouldn't have an AFB or we wouldn't have a Nico and we'd be weak there.

[01:08:06] So you've got to pick and choose and say, where do we front load that money?

[01:08:10] Where do we think we can win a comp with?

[01:08:12] And where can we carry?

[01:08:13] The Storm choose to put all their money in their spine.

[01:08:16] And they fill in with first graders, but no superstars realistically.

[01:08:21] The Dragons have put all their money in their winger, who's now gone, and their halfback.

[01:08:28] So you see the examples across all the league, the whole league.

[01:08:31] You see where teams have put their money on if it's working or not.

[01:08:34] Maybe we needed to put a little bit more in the fullback, upgrade Will, but then be weaker somewhere else.

[01:08:40] I don't see.

[01:08:41] This is the whole juggling act of salary caps and how to be a good team.

[01:08:44] It's hard.

[01:08:45] We're one game away from making the grand final.

[01:08:47] That's with Will Kennedy playing what I'm saying is six and a half out of ten.

[01:08:52] You're saying probably a bit less.

[01:08:54] If you take him out for round one next year and bring in an Atkinson or an Isen, because at the moment there are only two options, I think.

[01:09:03] Are we still going to be one game away from a grand final?

[01:09:06] This is my conundrum because probably not.

[01:09:09] So I'm very torn between this because I do think Will is a good player.

[01:09:13] And he has attributes that other fullbacks don't have.

[01:09:16] He's very safe under the high ball.

[01:09:18] How many?

[01:09:18] He made a drop two all year.

[01:09:20] He had 14 tri assists.

[01:09:21] His hands can work.

[01:09:23] And that's the thing.

[01:09:24] It's just like, am I in the fan base at large being overdramatic on this?

[01:09:28] No, no.

[01:09:29] I don't think you are.

[01:09:30] I just want to know what the outcome is going to be if we move him on.

[01:09:35] Because Kieran on Monday was saying kind of similar things that he's open to that happening.

[01:09:41] And I'm not here telling you that Will had a even, yeah, I gave him a six and a half out of tens.

[01:09:47] That's not that great.

[01:09:48] I'm just wondering what the team will look like.

[01:09:51] Because the windows there, as you said, were popped ahead through the window.

[01:09:56] AFB is here now.

[01:09:57] One game away from a grand final.

[01:09:59] We should have won that prelim due to circumstance.

[01:10:02] Well, no, not even due to circumstance.

[01:10:04] We should have won that prelim.

[01:10:04] That tells me we're super close.

[01:10:07] But I'm not disagreeing with a lot of what you're saying about Will.

[01:10:12] But I guess if he can get it right and he can be a bit more silky, then maybe I don't see a problem with him being there for a year or two more.

[01:10:23] And then you bring the kid up and you eventually bring him in.

[01:10:26] But he's a different player.

[01:10:27] And they're probably going to play a different style.

[01:10:30] I like the grind they're in now.

[01:10:32] I think the grind works.

[01:10:33] Like, I don't think we've found out against Penrith.

[01:10:35] I think we just dropped too much ball.

[01:10:37] It's interesting, man.

[01:10:38] I don't know what the answer is.

[01:10:40] I know a lot of people are agreeing with what you're saying.

[01:10:43] I'm not disagreeing.

[01:10:44] I just honestly don't know what the answer is.

[01:10:46] Because as soon as you shake your spine up, it just is going to be different.

[01:10:51] It doesn't mean, like, for all I know, it could be a lot better.

[01:10:54] I'm not suggesting it wouldn't be better.

[01:10:56] But it's just the unknown.

[01:10:58] Is Fitzy going to be that kind of, like, maybe when he's at Vegas, he'll get the gambling bug and he'll just start flipping everything, you know?

[01:11:05] But I don't know if that's in the cards or not.

[01:11:09] It could be because we've got some talent there.

[01:11:11] Yeah, I mean, a Dan Atkinson at fullback and then you bring in Isen, it's not the worst.

[01:11:17] Let me say, I think he should play fullback next year because I don't know if Atkinson could stand up to the task of playing a full year there with the bombs and the pressure and the ball playing.

[01:11:30] And I don't think Isen's quite ready yet.

[01:11:33] So I think Will deserves a shot.

[01:11:35] At worst, he deserves, you've got to give him 10 weeks or so, right?

[01:11:38] The thing is, like, there's always someone that comes available that you're not expecting.

[01:11:42] Ryan Pappenhausen is testing the market, right?

[01:11:44] Like, if we had the money, that could be the kind of guy that we would go for now.

[01:11:48] I know we don't, but those kind of opportunities don't come around that often where you can get these superstar guys who have won comps and, when fit, one of the best fullbacks in the game.

[01:11:59] So I don't want to be a party pooper, but the when fit, paying millions of dollars, that worries the heck out of me, dude.

[01:12:05] Sure.

[01:12:06] But we've seen Will that has struggled, I mean, not this year, but he has struggled with fitness over the course of the year too.

[01:12:11] And we're not getting the output.

[01:12:12] When Pappenhausen plays, the output is there.

[01:12:14] He scores, tries, he kicks goals, he sets them up.

[01:12:16] Yeah.

[01:12:17] So I'm just, I guess that's just an example of, like, these opportunities that come around every now and then, like, AFB coming around.

[01:12:24] We weren't expecting that.

[01:12:25] See, I've heard people say, why don't we buy the backup fella from Melbourne, the quick dude.

[01:12:31] Far along go.

[01:12:33] Now, that's nice to suggest, but he's not a one-trick pony, but he's got one thing that he does really, really good, and that's the running and the stepping thing.

[01:12:43] I don't know about the rest of it yet.

[01:12:45] I don't know if I'd be willing to go, oh, yeah, we'll bring him in for round one and we'll get rid of Kenneth.

[01:12:49] You know what I mean?

[01:12:50] No.

[01:12:51] Pappenhausen, I can obviously agree to.

[01:12:53] I'm just wondering who else is out there if we're saying Eisen and Atkinson are not ready.

[01:12:58] If.

[01:12:59] Well, that's the other thing, right, is that who do you get that's better than Will for the price of Will?

[01:13:04] Yeah.

[01:13:04] Probably nothing.

[01:13:05] So I guess that's the part.

[01:13:07] And if we got 2021 Will, for me, was his best year.

[01:13:11] We've got 2021 Will with this side, with AFB and everyone firing on all cylinders.

[01:13:17] That can win the comp.

[01:13:18] No question.

[01:13:19] See, this is what I'm sort of hinting at, Josh, is that we were a step away from the grand final.

[01:13:24] We've got the world's second or third best prop coming to us in pretty good fitness and form.

[01:13:30] Tom, I'm imagining Hines is going to have a better year.

[01:13:33] I'm imagining Trindle's going to play more games.

[01:13:36] So I think if Will's seven and a half out of ten next year, I think it's enough.

[01:13:40] Like, I don't know.

[01:13:41] I agree.

[01:13:42] I'm not saying I don't want more.

[01:13:43] I want him to be better than David Peachy.

[01:13:46] That's the honest truth.

[01:13:47] You know what I mean?

[01:13:47] I'd be happy for me to go, you know what, Josh?

[01:13:50] He's better than David Peachy.

[01:13:51] I want that for all these guys.

[01:13:53] But if he's a seven and a half out of ten, I don't know if we're having this conversation.

[01:13:57] You know what?

[01:13:58] And I probably have come across harsher than I want to be with Will because I do really like him.

[01:14:03] And I think you're right.

[01:14:05] If we got a seven and a half out of a year and he played like 2021 for me, 14 tries, 14 tries, sis,

[01:14:10] you know, that's double what he gave us this year, more there or thereabouts.

[01:14:15] That would be enough to win a comp with the side that we've got now.

[01:14:19] I'd be willing to say that.

[01:14:20] We'll see what happens.

[01:14:21] I agree with you, though.

[01:14:22] I think it's one of, if not the most contentious position over the next 12 to 24 months.

[01:14:31] All right.

[01:14:31] Next up, we have one of your favorites.

[01:14:33] Absolutely.

[01:14:35] He is just a badass.

[01:14:37] And that is Mr. Cameron McInnes, the captain of the team.

[01:14:41] And he played 26 games.

[01:14:44] He was pretty damn good for a lot of them.

[01:14:46] He plays above his weight, above his body.

[01:14:50] And I got more game time due to the Dale Finucane retirement.

[01:14:54] And I think it suited him.

[01:14:55] I think you and I were both in agreeance that he needs to be almost a full-time player for us every week.

[01:15:02] And we got closer to that.

[01:15:03] He probably averaged, I don't know, 65 minutes or so a game.

[01:15:07] And I'm still a really big fan of his.

[01:15:09] There is some mumblings around the fan base that they'd be willing to sort of offer him a short deal rather than a longer deal and see what's out there for the future.

[01:15:21] I'm not at that stage yet.

[01:15:22] I still think he's got a number of seasons left to really dig in.

[01:15:27] I thought this year was one of his best.

[01:15:28] And I know you can't keep doing that every year.

[01:15:31] Like I get that's going to pay a toll on you at some point.

[01:15:34] But I was super happy with McInnes this year.

[01:15:37] And I just respect the hell out of him.

[01:15:39] I'm going to give him an eight.

[01:15:43] I think it's no secret to you or the fan base that this guy is my dream man.

[01:15:48] Everything I've ever wanted in a club captain and a football player is this guy.

[01:15:53] Like he embodies everything that I look for and respect in a rugby league player.

[01:15:58] And we got it again this year.

[01:16:00] I think, like you said, I think he's gotten better each year that he's been here.

[01:16:06] An incredible asset all across the board in terms of leadership, what he does on the field, the media, just being a good dude.

[01:16:14] Like all those things are just everything I want.

[01:16:18] And more often than not, he delivers.

[01:16:20] He has a couple of games where his meters might be a little bit down or whatever.

[01:16:23] But he's going to make 40 tackles minimum for you every week.

[01:16:26] He's going to bleed.

[01:16:27] He's going to inspire.

[01:16:28] And what more do you want in a lock who's your captain?

[01:16:31] I mean, it's the heir apparent for Gallant.

[01:16:34] I love how he turns into a prop forward just when he needs to.

[01:16:39] Like he just, I understand they're all middles, but he literally turns into a prop.

[01:16:43] He grows arms and legs and he'll do a 15-meter run and get smashed and get up and play the ball.

[01:16:50] I'll say this also, Josh.

[01:16:52] He's a real, obviously you said stellar, but he's become a real part of the local community around where we live.

[01:16:59] And very out and about and doing a lot of charitable things, as you can imagine.

[01:17:05] And even aside from the captaincy, which I guess goes along with that kind of role.

[01:17:09] But just above and beyond what he probably needs to be doing on and off the field.

[01:17:14] That's who he is.

[01:17:15] So we both respect the hell out of him.

[01:17:17] I hope he's around for a while yet.

[01:17:19] And what did you give him out of 10?

[01:17:21] I'm going to give him an 8 as well.

[01:17:23] Nice.

[01:17:23] Next up, we have Rockin' Ronnie Mulatalo.

[01:17:27] He played 23 games.

[01:17:29] A couple of games off through injury, unfortunately.

[01:17:32] Scored 18 tries.

[01:17:35] And I thought he had a solid year.

[01:17:38] I didn't think it was his best.

[01:17:39] I thought when he was at his best, he was unbelievable.

[01:17:42] The game against Brisbane comes to mind.

[01:17:45] And in that nice little run we had, he was very important.

[01:17:49] I quite like the role that he's playing as a leader on and off the field.

[01:17:54] But I did think it was not the perfect year for him.

[01:17:57] And I'd give him a 7 out of 10.

[01:18:00] And I think that he's got some things to work on in his game.

[01:18:03] I think he's probably open to that criticism.

[01:18:07] Not from me, but in general.

[01:18:10] And I think he's a guy that I want to see re-sign Josh.

[01:18:14] But A, I wouldn't be surprised if he was offered a lot more money elsewhere and went.

[01:18:19] And B, he is replaceable.

[01:18:21] But I say that, and I also say that I think on his day, he's close to the best winger in the comp.

[01:18:28] When he's making the meters, he's great.

[01:18:29] He sets up those nice long-range tries.

[01:18:32] And he can score tries as well.

[01:18:34] So defensively, very hit and miss.

[01:18:37] When he's reading really well, he's solid.

[01:18:40] And when he's not, he's really not.

[01:18:42] That's obviously something he needs to work on.

[01:18:45] I think having Iro there will help a lot.

[01:18:47] I hope he has a monster year this year coming.

[01:18:50] Because I really like it when he plays really well.

[01:18:53] I hope we re-sign him, Josh.

[01:18:54] I just don't know if we will.

[01:18:56] And that's just my head and heart speaking.

[01:18:58] I have no mail on the situation.

[01:19:01] No, I mean, I've been kind of relentless in saying every week I've been on that I can see him leaving.

[01:19:06] I mean, just because he's kind of always talked about going home and playing in Queensland.

[01:19:10] And he's going to be in demand.

[01:19:12] I mean, almost any club in the NRL would take him.

[01:19:17] And like you said, replaceable, but not in a demeaning way.

[01:19:21] It's just mean wing is one of those positions that you can kind of get away with.

[01:19:26] And we've got a pretty good one waiting in the wings, you know.

[01:19:30] And maybe that money keeps someone else if he left.

[01:19:33] Because he'd be on decent money at the moment.

[01:19:35] Wouldn't be on wall beating money.

[01:19:37] But he'd be on decent money.

[01:19:38] And if his heart was set on going, maybe that keeps someone else that we thought we'd lose.

[01:19:43] But I absolutely don't want to lose him.

[01:19:46] I want him to stay for his whole career and break the try scoring records and all that.

[01:19:51] I'm with you.

[01:19:52] I want him to stay for a long time.

[01:19:54] And the only reason I say he's replaceable is because there's a guy we're going to talk about soon who's got the same initials as me.

[01:20:00] And he is ready to go.

[01:20:02] But you can say the same thing about Katoa.

[01:20:04] Katoa's replaceable, which is true.

[01:20:08] Ronnie, he's a hell of a club man.

[01:20:09] He does a lot off the field.

[01:20:11] We're obviously more concerned about what he does on the field.

[01:20:14] He's a larrikin.

[01:20:16] Despite being pretty lippy to opposition and to his own teammates,

[01:20:21] he's loved, he's liked, he's respected.

[01:20:24] And we've seen moments this year on camera where he has led the team in huddles.

[01:20:29] And that completely blew my mind.

[01:20:32] Still does.

[01:20:32] Just because of how I thought he kind of was.

[01:20:36] Even when you talk to him, he's confident and everything.

[01:20:39] He's got the swagger.

[01:20:40] But he's also a guy who's still learning and still trying to achieve goals.

[01:20:46] And despite all that posturing that he has, and I think it's part of what he does, I'm glad he has it.

[01:20:53] I think there's still a humble dude in there learning the game.

[01:20:56] So I can't break the bank with this guy, but I'm certainly having chats with him and trying to keep him.

[01:21:03] I do think he had a very mixed year.

[01:21:05] Maybe a little more down in hindsight on his overall year.

[01:21:09] I thought defense was a big problem for me.

[01:21:12] The amount of tries he let in that were directly his fault, not inside man, not shooting in for no reason.

[01:21:20] The Cowboys game sticks out for me like a sore thumb because I hate to blame it.

[01:21:24] Say this is the real, but he conceded I think three or four tries down that edge that directly resulted in us losing that game.

[01:21:30] Maybe one of them wasn't his fault.

[01:21:32] The other two were directly him shooting in for no reason.

[01:21:35] And you can see Iro in the footage, you go back, he berates him for like, what are you doing?

[01:21:41] Why are you here?

[01:21:42] Those things, you know, look, it happens.

[01:21:44] Wingers concede tries.

[01:21:45] That's the sport we play.

[01:21:46] You've got to live with it.

[01:21:47] We saw it improve and then sort of get like it went up and down.

[01:21:52] So it wasn't like it was a hopeless situation.

[01:21:55] I do think an off season together as well, knowing that that's the pairing this year,

[01:22:01] I think it'll tighten up a little bit.

[01:22:03] Like he needs to stop the brain snaps.

[01:22:07] I think his impact in some of his runs in certain periods of the year,

[01:22:12] and that may have been injury, felt a little more lackluster than it had in previous years.

[01:22:16] But then like you said, his big moments when he, you know,

[01:22:19] when he breaks three tackles and gets through and puts a kick back on the inside,

[01:22:22] like no one else can do that.

[01:22:24] Like he's a freak and he'll score tries that no one else can.

[01:22:27] But he just has these moments or these periods of the year that have consistently been there.

[01:22:32] I just want to see him minimize those, just little bits.

[01:22:36] But like overall, like I said, like he's still a fan.

[01:22:39] Like on his day, I'd say he's the best winger in the game when he's on.

[01:22:42] I'm going to give him a 6.5.

[01:22:45] Okay.

[01:22:45] Yeah, he can improve on that.

[01:22:46] That's for sure.

[01:22:47] Yeah.

[01:22:47] All right.

[01:22:47] A fellow who, from memory, was the runner up to the winning player, Blake Braley,

[01:22:55] in the 2024 Shark Cast Pod Player of the Year.

[01:22:58] And that is Britton Nikera, who's also sought after by a bunch of clubs.

[01:23:04] Played 25 games this year.

[01:23:06] Had a really good year again.

[01:23:07] I think he gets better each year.

[01:23:09] I can't criticize Britton too much at all.

[01:23:12] The one thing I would say is potentially I want to see it lights out week in, week out.

[01:23:19] Some weeks he's a 7.

[01:23:21] He's never really below that for me.

[01:23:24] Most weeks he's closer to an 8.

[01:23:27] A lot of weeks he's 8.5, 9, 9.5.

[01:23:29] So I just probably need a little bit more.

[01:23:32] But the position he's in sometimes, I mean, we saw in the prelim,

[01:23:35] he just couldn't really get involved.

[01:23:37] And I don't think it was a lack of trying.

[01:23:39] I think it was just how it went down.

[01:23:42] But Britton was awesome this year.

[01:23:44] I said it before, he gets better each year.

[01:23:46] I love the way he carries himself.

[01:23:48] He's not the biggest dude, but he's one of the baddest.

[01:23:51] And with the ball, without the ball, a lot of skill.

[01:23:54] A good club man.

[01:23:56] Along with Trindle, he is my key re-signing.

[01:23:59] And I'll give Britton a very strong 8 out of 10 this year.

[01:24:04] I actually thought he started the year quite slow.

[01:24:08] Not bad by any means, but just a little.

[01:24:11] I think second row is probably the one position in NRL that can lend itself

[01:24:16] to being a little lackluster at times when things aren't quite going right.

[01:24:21] It can be the position that kind of falls away a little bit if you're getting

[01:24:23] pumped or if it's raining.

[01:24:27] That position can be a little bit daunting to fulfill, I guess.

[01:24:33] But he makes it his own.

[01:24:34] And he is probably one of the more impactful second rowers.

[01:24:37] Like I said, he's not the biggest dude.

[01:24:39] He's actually quite lean for second row.

[01:24:41] He's probably more like a center build, which in a way helps us

[01:24:45] because he's got a bit more pace.

[01:24:46] He's got a bit more skill than maybe some of the other guys.

[01:24:50] But I thought his end of the year, I thought he really stood up

[01:24:53] and took ownership and when the games mattered,

[01:24:55] I think that's when he was at his best.

[01:24:58] No one runs a better line.

[01:25:00] He's the best line runner in the sport by a country mile.

[01:25:03] And he hits like a truck.

[01:25:04] And I desperately want to keep him.

[01:25:07] And I can't believe we nearly lost him to the Tigers a few years ago.

[01:25:10] Like that is mental.

[01:25:12] Yeah, I get the feeling that that was more of a,

[01:25:14] we need to get more money out of the contract situation.

[01:25:18] I think this time around it's going to be a little bit different.

[01:25:20] So I think that Fitzgibbon doesn't really play games.

[01:25:24] He just, he knows he wants him.

[01:25:26] And like any player, they want to get them as cheap as they can.

[01:25:29] But you're talking about a guy like Craig Fitzgibbon

[01:25:31] who's done it all as a player.

[01:25:34] And now he's doing it all as a coach.

[01:25:36] And he knows how it works.

[01:25:38] And we've got a smart cookie there.

[01:25:40] We've got a smart cookie in Darren Mooney.

[01:25:43] And I feel like they're not going to risk it by losing him.

[01:25:47] It's going to be, how can we get this done?

[01:25:49] Let's get it done.

[01:25:49] I think it's even,

[01:25:52] they're even pushing ahead before the Trindle contract from what I'm hearing.

[01:25:55] So he's too important.

[01:25:57] We'll see what happens.

[01:25:58] He's such an uncrucial.

[01:25:58] We could hear some news soon, hopefully.

[01:26:01] Another great year for Jesse Ramian.

[01:26:03] Oh my God.

[01:26:04] 24 games on the verge of playing Origin.

[01:26:07] We both think he should have, whatever that means to you.

[01:26:10] He was involved in a lot of things this year.

[01:26:13] He was a highly evolved player.

[01:26:15] I would say he was one of the most involved players on both sides of the field, as in attack

[01:26:20] and defense.

[01:26:21] And really minimized the errors, the penalties, and just played good, hard, tough footy.

[01:26:27] Made a thousand offloads.

[01:26:30] Defensively very strong.

[01:26:31] You could see that we were missing him against the Panthers.

[01:26:34] If he plays, I think it goes some way towards us winning.

[01:26:39] Not all the way, but some way.

[01:26:41] Huge respect for the game he had against the Cowboys.

[01:26:46] Playing on one leg.

[01:26:47] Still playing really good.

[01:26:49] And I'm a big fan of Jesse.

[01:26:51] He's always great to talk to.

[01:26:54] And I just respect him a lot for the game that he plays.

[01:26:58] The level of improvement over the years has been pretty significant.

[01:27:01] It wasn't like four years ago we were necessarily saying, oh, he's one of our best.

[01:27:05] He's one of our best now.

[01:27:07] And I'll give Jesse, I'd say between eight and eight and a half.

[01:27:13] Like, pretty strong here for Jesse.

[01:27:14] I think the best compliment I can give him and to Eros, I think they're the best center pairing in the comp.

[01:27:20] And if not, very close.

[01:27:25] He continues to amaze me.

[01:27:27] I think he just gets better every year.

[01:27:28] Like, he has the brain explosion every now and then.

[01:27:30] But like you said, he's minimized those.

[01:27:34] Offloading is off the charts.

[01:27:35] 47 offloads for a center is ridiculous.

[01:27:39] The six tries shocks me.

[01:27:40] I feel like he scored more than that.

[01:27:43] But it's just his involvements and how important he is to the team.

[01:27:45] I think you feel like he's doing match-winning plays all the time defensively and setting up tries and scoring crucial tries.

[01:27:54] He's a guy that I really trust.

[01:27:55] Like, I really trust him as a player.

[01:27:57] When he's out there, you feel safer, right?

[01:27:59] Like, I think if he was fit for that Penrith game, man, I don't know.

[01:28:04] Like, he could have honestly been a difference for that.

[01:28:06] Like, he just comes up with things, special plays and defensively gets there all the time.

[01:28:11] It's not like we were saying we trusted him in the same way four years ago.

[01:28:15] Like, we weren't going, I trust.

[01:28:16] It's like, oh, he's pretty good.

[01:28:19] He's tough.

[01:28:20] But he's almost a complete...

[01:28:22] He's elite now.

[01:28:23] He's elite and complete.

[01:28:25] Like, there's not much more you want him to do.

[01:28:27] Like, he's...

[01:28:28] Like, I don't know what else he could bring to his game.

[01:28:30] And I'd be like, oh, that was missing.

[01:28:32] Like, he's kind of got it all.

[01:28:35] And he's still young.

[01:28:36] He's still, like, 27.

[01:28:37] Like, that's four or five really good years left in him.

[01:28:40] He's not the slowest guy ever.

[01:28:42] Like, he's not the quickest.

[01:28:42] But he's certainly not someone who I think are slow.

[01:28:45] He motors.

[01:28:45] Yeah.

[01:28:46] Yeah.

[01:28:47] Yeah.

[01:28:47] And also, I hope that him and his partner are doing well with the situation that they

[01:28:51] were going through.

[01:28:52] I hope everything's going well.

[01:28:54] And we wish our best.

[01:28:55] They're back at home, which is a good start.

[01:28:57] So, yeah, absolutely.

[01:28:58] We send our best.

[01:28:59] And we do thank some of our listeners contributed to the GoFundMe.

[01:29:03] And so, I know that the club and Jesse in particular, they're...

[01:29:08] Well, we all did on behalf of the podcast.

[01:29:10] Yeah.

[01:29:10] They are very appreciative.

[01:29:13] So, yeah, we wish them all the best.

[01:29:16] Toby Rudolph played 21 games.

[01:29:19] He started 13 of those.

[01:29:21] We were down on troops in the middle from time to time.

[01:29:25] And Toby filled a very important role there.

[01:29:28] He pretty much became our number one prop.

[01:29:31] And I think from time to time, he lived up to it.

[01:29:33] I think he had some really outstanding games.

[01:29:36] I think other times, not so much.

[01:29:41] Now, doesn't get spoken about enough, but he does still have the toe situation.

[01:29:47] Sorry, he did have the toe situation.

[01:29:49] I don't know if it's still a problem, but for a long time in that season that we just had,

[01:29:53] he was playing on a really, really, really injured toe, which may not sound like much,

[01:29:58] but I know for a fact he was in a lot of discomfort in life.

[01:30:02] So, playing through, that's a brave thing to do.

[01:30:05] For me, still too many, I think, errors at crucial times.

[01:30:12] So, I want that to be a full sentence.

[01:30:15] So, not too many errors, but just too many errors at the wrong time.

[01:30:19] There are other players who we'll get to who are scrutinized for that.

[01:30:23] And I think me saying that about Toby isn't an unfair thing to say.

[01:30:28] He gives you everything he's got.

[01:30:29] He's heart and soul.

[01:30:31] I admire that about him.

[01:30:32] I think that at his best, he is a really, really good prop.

[01:30:37] And at his worst, he's probably not an RRL player.

[01:30:41] So, there's that.

[01:30:42] He's got to sort of find the better moments for me personally.

[01:30:45] A lot of people are really high on him, and I get that.

[01:30:48] I don't know if I expect more.

[01:30:51] There's just something there with Toby and myself where I think he could be a lot better.

[01:30:57] He's still got some years in him.

[01:30:59] He may get there.

[01:31:00] But for me, he's just not consistent enough.

[01:31:03] Now, that may be because maybe he's not the number one prop in the club, Josh.

[01:31:08] And that was the role he was given this year due to injury and circumstance.

[01:31:12] Maybe when he's two or prop three next year, maybe he'll be amazing for me.

[01:31:16] Maybe he'll be eight out of ten every week.

[01:31:18] For me, this year, he wasn't.

[01:31:21] When he was up, he was awesome.

[01:31:22] When he was down, he wasn't that great.

[01:31:24] So, I'm going to give Toby a very respectful...

[01:31:28] I'm going to give him a six and a half, and that's me being generous.

[01:31:31] I think what you said there near the end about if he's your number two prop or your number three prop...

[01:31:36] Absolutely.

[01:31:37] ...that's a really good spot for him.

[01:31:38] And that's not to discredit him because he has had to be the number one prop, and I don't think he is.

[01:31:44] But if he can be a bench guy or he starts and plays less minutes, I think that's a really good spot for him to be a really good first grader.

[01:31:53] His lows this year were really bad.

[01:31:56] The Bulldogs game was...

[01:31:59] And he admitted it.

[01:32:02] There's articles about it.

[01:32:03] He knew he was terrible, and he was.

[01:32:04] And to his credit, came back and was a lot better.

[01:32:08] A lot better.

[01:32:09] Yeah, and he was rightly dropped.

[01:32:11] And I think that was the right thing to do for him and for the team.

[01:32:14] And then when he came back, I thought he was incredible and finished poorly, I think, in the Panthers game.

[01:32:19] But I think before that, he had a run of eight games where I thought he was outstanding.

[01:32:22] I thought he finished the year really well.

[01:32:25] But, yeah, that's the crux of Toby Rudolph is that he has these stretches where you're like,

[01:32:31] Man, this guy's so good.

[01:32:32] We've got to re-sign him.

[01:32:33] And then there's other times when I'm like, this guy needs to go.

[01:32:35] So, for me, if you're a starting prop, whether you're the number one prop or not,

[01:32:39] if you're a starting prop, if you're on decent coin, if you've played the amount of games you've played now,

[01:32:45] if you're playing under this coaching staff and with this pretty good team,

[01:32:50] you don't have games like against the Bulldogs.

[01:32:53] Like, I understand that everyone does.

[01:32:56] I, myself, have days where it's like what Toby did against the Bulldogs more often than not.

[01:33:02] So, I'm not trying to say he needs to be perfect.

[01:33:05] But for me, if I'm picking props in my team, if they're having games like that,

[01:33:11] I'm really questioning what's going on.

[01:33:15] I get it was one game.

[01:33:17] And he didn't play any other game that bad as he did against the Bulldogs.

[01:33:20] So, we shouldn't necessarily harp on the one game.

[01:33:22] But I do think if that's in your arsenal, that's a bit of a problem.

[01:33:27] Yeah.

[01:33:27] And like you said, he didn't have a game as bad as that because, geez, if he did,

[01:33:31] we'd be in big trouble.

[01:33:32] But he had other poor games.

[01:33:34] And this was the first year when he had poor games that I saw it affect him on field where you saw him flustered.

[01:33:41] Usually, he just shakes it off.

[01:33:42] And there was a few times this year where he'd make a bad miss or he'd make an error.

[01:33:46] And he looked rattled.

[01:33:48] And I think that – I think a fitness and the toe, I think, definitely played a part in that

[01:33:53] because you saw at the back end of the year, he got the fitness back.

[01:33:56] And he was 10 times the player he was.

[01:33:58] And I think we'll see that with Braden Hamann-Neweli.

[01:34:01] He just needs to keep fit.

[01:34:03] So, again, we're going to put a lot of pressure on our new favorite player, Adam Fennell Blake,

[01:34:10] because in all seriousness, he could be the key.

[01:34:14] I'm not even – I'm like being 100% serious.

[01:34:16] He could be the key to lifting Toby Rudolph to being an improved, better, even close to elite prop.

[01:34:23] Because at the moment, for me, he's not.

[01:34:25] And as you pointed out, and I've sort of said a little bit, when you talk to Toby, when you hear him talk,

[01:34:29] he talks himself down.

[01:34:31] And that's his whole – that's his shtick.

[01:34:33] Like that's his humor almost.

[01:34:35] Like I'm not very good.

[01:34:37] Da-da-da-da.

[01:34:37] I make – yeah.

[01:34:38] And you want to say to him, well, actually, you're better than that.

[01:34:42] And you should believe in yourself.

[01:34:44] And maybe that'll improve the down moments.

[01:34:48] And I wonder if having a Fenua Blake there will lift him.

[01:34:51] Because at the moment, he is the number one prop for all intents and purposes.

[01:34:56] I think Confuci had a better year.

[01:34:58] But Toby's the number one prop.

[01:35:00] That's not going to be the case in about three days' time when Fenua Blake signs on officially

[01:35:06] or his pace starts coming through.

[01:35:08] So I want to give Toby another go next year to see what the difference is with Fenua Blake.

[01:35:15] So I believe in the guy.

[01:35:17] I want him to excel.

[01:35:18] I just haven't seen it very much.

[01:35:21] And that may be harsh.

[01:35:23] That's fair.

[01:35:23] He's a good dude.

[01:35:24] He's a larrikin.

[01:35:26] But, you know, you're paid to be an elite prop.

[01:35:29] Go be one.

[01:35:30] That's kind of my attitude.

[01:35:32] So I wish him all the best.

[01:35:34] I respect the hell out of him for the way he played throughout the season with that bung toe.

[01:35:37] Because every week at media and at training, you'd see it.

[01:35:40] And he could barely walk sometimes.

[01:35:42] So he's an impressive dude.

[01:35:44] But it comes to heart and soul.

[01:35:46] That's for sure.

[01:35:47] Sam Stonestreet played five games for us.

[01:35:49] He scored eight tries.

[01:35:52] He was pretty impressive in most attributes, I have to say.

[01:35:58] From the first fun game, the debut, where he scored the try on the corner, through to some more games later in the year, through injury to the other players and suspensions.

[01:36:07] Stonestreet really put his hand up for the jumper.

[01:36:11] He's next in line.

[01:36:12] I mean, who knows?

[01:36:13] Maybe at some point in the season, he's pushing one of the two guys out.

[01:36:17] But depending on their form and his form, like I wouldn't rule it out.

[01:36:21] He's got that skill in him.

[01:36:22] He's quick as lightning.

[01:36:23] He loves the club.

[01:36:24] I am excited by his future.

[01:36:26] I think he will get a shot at some point week to week.

[01:36:28] We'll see how that is and when that is and what the circumstances are.

[01:36:32] But yeah, kid's got a big future.

[01:36:34] Yeah, he certainly does.

[01:36:34] And that is a worrying thing because clubs are going to come sniffing for guys like him or Ronaldo.

[01:36:40] And we've got to know we have to lock up one of them before we lose the other one, if that makes sense.

[01:36:46] We can't sit around this too long because someone will snap one of them up.

[01:36:50] And if it's taken too long, the other one will get snapped up too.

[01:36:54] So taking that aside, was very skeptical on him as well.

[01:36:58] I've eaten a lot of crow this year because I didn't think Iro had it.

[01:37:02] I didn't think Atkinson had it.

[01:37:03] I wasn't sure if Stone Street had it.

[01:37:05] They all proved me wrong because I don't know anything about footy.

[01:37:08] And I'm so glad.

[01:37:10] I'm so glad because what a story.

[01:37:13] Just like local junior, Sharks fan, grew up on the hill.

[01:37:17] I love that so much.

[01:37:18] And I want it to work and I think it will.

[01:37:21] And I think if he wants it, he's got a massive, massive long career at the Sharks and in the NRL.

[01:37:26] And the only thing I would say, and I fight with this, I think he needs a little bit more weight on him.

[01:37:32] But I don't want it too much because then he loses the pace.

[01:37:35] But he's hit up.

[01:37:36] That's what you don't get with Sam that you get with the other two is he gets bashed when he makes his runs.

[01:37:42] And to his credit, he gets up and he plays the ball every time.

[01:37:44] But he gets whacked and the meters are down for him.

[01:37:49] That's the only thing.

[01:37:50] So they are per run.

[01:37:52] Like if you look at his totals, they're pretty good because he'll do long range stuff.

[01:37:55] Like you say, he doesn't shirk away from the responsibility.

[01:37:58] It is more for me, the naked eye noticeably where we're watching him particularly at the ground.

[01:38:07] And when you see him getting tackled when there's a line of defense there compared to Ronaldo or Katoa.

[01:38:14] But having said that, he's five games into an NRL career.

[01:38:18] Now, maybe Ronnie was getting bashed five games in too and I don't remember that.

[01:38:22] So he looks like he needs to put on a little bit.

[01:38:25] But I'm sort of with you where I'm thinking there's got to be a way around that.

[01:38:29] Because you don't want to lose the speed at all.

[01:38:30] Like you don't want to lose one ounce of speed because it's kind of one of his stronger things.

[01:38:35] He's young.

[01:38:36] They'll get it right.

[01:38:37] I was pretty impressed.

[01:38:39] Even from that very first hit up we saw him where he got absolutely bamboozled.

[01:38:43] And then he got up and he played on.

[01:38:45] And he played on busted.

[01:38:47] Like you go back and watch that whole game.

[01:38:49] And you and I were watching him very closely where we were sitting.

[01:38:52] But he was, I'm not going to say he was gone because he had a decent game.

[01:38:55] But he was hurting.

[01:38:57] And he played on.

[01:38:58] And that's a great thing.

[01:38:59] Like that's a great thing to know that he can do that in game one.

[01:39:03] So when he gets to game 50, you know, look out.

[01:39:06] So I'm pretty impressed by this kid.

[01:39:08] And, you know, I think if he can keep it together off the field, there's a lot of pressures on young players, local players, you know, elevated and into a new lifestyle.

[01:39:18] And just the superstardom stuff that you come across.

[01:39:22] I think if he can keep his head around that and keep it level-headed, I think he's got a pretty big future.

[01:39:27] So he does fall into a category for me of young local dude.

[01:39:31] He's out somewhere and someone wants to start.

[01:39:33] You know, I'm just thinking ahead.

[01:39:35] But out of 10, based on the five games I saw, I mean, he's got to be like an eight, eight and a half.

[01:39:42] There wasn't too much to criticize.

[01:39:44] There weren't too many bad defensive reads or anything.

[01:39:47] Like there might have been.

[01:39:48] It was the one against the Warriors that stuck out for me.

[01:39:51] But again, five games in.

[01:39:53] There was.

[01:39:54] But they were peppering that whole side.

[01:39:56] And not everything was him that whole night.

[01:39:59] But yeah, that is true.

[01:40:02] That is true.

[01:40:03] It was like he had to make the tackle and he didn't.

[01:40:06] Like it's a lot of pressure.

[01:40:08] And it's like, okay, you made that tackle.

[01:40:10] We win the game.

[01:40:11] That's sort of like, that's a lot.

[01:40:12] And I'm not, I'm absolutely not holding against him.

[01:40:14] I'm just thinking like, if I'm being fair, that was a real sticking out point to me.

[01:40:19] That game that was like, if he makes it, we win.

[01:40:21] Yeah.

[01:40:21] And at that level, like one game in 300 games in, you got to do it.

[01:40:27] But yeah, I'm not.

[01:40:30] No, I know what you're saying.

[01:40:31] I do.

[01:40:32] And you're watching it.

[01:40:33] You're like, just make a tackle, dude.

[01:40:35] Make a tackle.

[01:40:36] And he didn't.

[01:40:36] But then, you know.

[01:40:38] Ronaldo's doing it too.

[01:40:39] Why is the captain throwing the ball to the guy who doesn't want it?

[01:40:42] You know, like, and why is the guy who doesn't want it dropping it?

[01:40:44] There's a whole, you know, there's a whole lot of X's there.

[01:40:47] Not too many ticks.

[01:40:48] So, but I agree with you.

[01:40:49] Like, you got to make the tackles.

[01:40:51] Sifatelic guy.

[01:40:53] Great year from Sifatelic.

[01:40:54] 24 games.

[01:40:55] Started half of those.

[01:40:58] Played, I guess, the majority in the pack.

[01:41:02] Started at center.

[01:41:03] Good year from Sifatelic.

[01:41:05] Huge fan of this guy.

[01:41:07] He doesn't really let me down.

[01:41:09] I thought even playing center towards the end of the year in the finals.

[01:41:15] I didn't have too many complaints defensively.

[01:41:19] And that's kind of the only thing you can really say negative about his game is the fact that they can run around him.

[01:41:25] Because he's just not the quickest dude in that regard.

[01:41:29] But...

[01:41:29] Was injured too, right?

[01:41:30] He was also another one that was not fit.

[01:41:33] Yeah.

[01:41:33] I think he plays a big role in this team.

[01:41:35] I think if he was to go away, they would notice it immensely in so many different positions.

[01:41:41] I love the fact that he's willing to do whatever for the team.

[01:41:44] There's no ego there.

[01:41:45] And I'll give Sifatelic guy very close to an 8 out of 10 this year, if not an 8.

[01:41:52] I thought he was terrific.

[01:41:52] And when he's on the field, I feel a lot better about things.

[01:41:54] I really do.

[01:41:55] I think he's more of a leader than people think as well.

[01:41:58] There's been a few times in huddles where...

[01:42:00] And some stories that we've heard where he's leading the team talks and he's carrying blokes on his back.

[01:42:07] And he's playing injured and playing 400 different positions.

[01:42:11] Just a total team player in every sense of the word.

[01:42:15] And there's not many of these kind of guys around in the league.

[01:42:18] And that's why you want to kind of hold on to them when you've got them.

[01:42:21] And we've got a few of these type of guys, but he's probably the big one for me.

[01:42:26] Because for how maligned he was last year for his defense in the centers,

[01:42:32] I actually thought he wasn't too bad defensively at center this year.

[01:42:35] He's still at his moments.

[01:42:36] Who doesn't?

[01:42:37] But I thought his overall, whenever he played center, was pretty good.

[01:42:41] And I like his role off the bench and playing through the middle.

[01:42:45] I wish he would get some more minutes.

[01:42:46] I think his minutes were down, obviously.

[01:42:50] But he would sometimes only get a little 15-minute stint here and there.

[01:42:53] And I just, like you said, I feel so comfortable when he's on the field.

[01:42:56] And I want him out there for as long as possible.

[01:42:59] But I think for Sif, I'd be giving him a 7.58.

[01:43:04] So around that area, I thought he was really strong.

[01:43:06] I will say this, Josh.

[01:43:07] I do think that we need to find...

[01:43:10] And they may have done that in resigning a kid.

[01:43:12] But I don't think he's the center anymore.

[01:43:16] Like, the Penrith game, he did his best.

[01:43:18] But there were just a few times there where you're like,

[01:43:21] well, they're going to go that way.

[01:43:22] And they did.

[01:43:23] Like, I understand that he's got experience there.

[01:43:25] He's got a lot of pros.

[01:43:27] We all know what the negative is when he plays there.

[01:43:29] But I sort of think that maybe it's Chris Vailer.

[01:43:32] Maybe it's someone else.

[01:43:34] But I just think there's got to be someone else that can fill that role.

[01:43:37] Probably not a Dan Atkinson, to be honest.

[01:43:39] That's a center.

[01:43:40] We need a backup center, essentially, is what I'm saying.

[01:43:43] It may be Chris, who they've re-signed.

[01:43:45] It could be a Marwini.

[01:43:47] You're not going to get the same game you're getting from Sifar.

[01:43:50] But I just think Sifar's probably not a center anymore.

[01:43:55] I understand a game or two, plugging him in.

[01:43:57] I get it.

[01:43:58] I don't hate the idea.

[01:43:59] But I'm also open to the idea of moving him away from there

[01:44:02] and saying, you know what?

[01:44:04] You're a big bulky forward.

[01:44:06] Let's do this with you.

[01:44:07] So he's 100% a leader out there.

[01:44:10] And he's the quietest guy you'll ever meet.

[01:44:13] But when he talks, you just hang on every word.

[01:44:15] And he actually has a lot to say.

[01:44:17] I am not surprised he's a leader after hearing the things we heard,

[01:44:22] seeing some of the things we saw, and then talking to him.

[01:44:25] Man, along with McInnes, there's not too many guys you'd pick first

[01:44:27] to sort of throw down with.

[01:44:29] Not even in a physical fight way, just in a,

[01:44:32] I'm going to run over you kind of way,

[01:44:34] or I'm going to stop you from running over me.

[01:44:36] He's just badass.

[01:44:37] Like, he's just, he was born to do this job.

[01:44:42] And I'm happy he's one of us.

[01:44:43] I'm happy he's not off contract as far as I know.

[01:44:45] So we don't have to worry about that.

[01:44:47] But I'm with you.

[01:44:49] I think more minutes would be great.

[01:44:50] As an aside, just thinking,

[01:44:52] how unlucky did we really get in that pre-ling with Talakai,

[01:44:55] Iro, and Ramien all being injured,

[01:44:57] like, all playing injured?

[01:44:58] Like, that really hurt.

[01:44:59] I'm just now thinking about it again.

[01:45:02] Was it their first try, or one of their first tries,

[01:45:04] they went through Niko and through Talakai.

[01:45:06] They had some success later in the game as well.

[01:45:09] So they were always going to go there.

[01:45:11] I think they might have swapped sides a little bit as well.

[01:45:14] But yeah, unlucky.

[01:45:15] Absolutely.

[01:45:16] That's why it was pretty annoying that whole game,

[01:45:19] because we deserved to be there.

[01:45:22] And Penrith were a little bit off.

[01:45:24] It was raining.

[01:45:25] It was there to be taken.

[01:45:26] And you're just thinking,

[01:45:27] oh, they've had two weeks to freshen up.

[01:45:30] Two weeks!

[01:45:31] And we had six or seven days with injuries.

[01:45:34] And it wasn't really a fair fight.

[01:45:37] But, you know, I'm happy with how far they went in that game.

[01:45:41] Like, to be 15 minutes away from sticking in there,

[01:45:45] it's pretty good.

[01:45:47] A few more guys to go, and we can go home to bed, Josh.

[01:45:51] We got Braden Trindle.

[01:45:52] Played 20 games.

[01:45:54] Really great breakout year from Braden Trindle.

[01:45:57] I've said it before, I'll say it again.

[01:45:59] He doesn't play too many even average games for us.

[01:46:02] They're usually above average or more.

[01:46:05] We saw the breakout game against the Cowboys.

[01:46:08] It was unbelievable.

[01:46:09] Some were saying it was a 10.

[01:46:12] And, boy, we really needed him to step up there.

[01:46:14] And he did.

[01:46:15] But, overall, a really great season that we didn't see coming in a lot of ways.

[01:46:20] Because, quarter of the way through the year,

[01:46:23] you know, major incident off the field.

[01:46:25] Like, huge incident.

[01:46:26] Might have been earlier than that.

[01:46:27] And he was gone for a while, and rightly so.

[01:46:30] Unlike other players in the past,

[01:46:31] he actually went about things the right way.

[01:46:34] He admitted to things.

[01:46:36] He got help.

[01:46:37] He basically did anything he had to do to get back into that team.

[01:46:41] Training on his own.

[01:46:42] They came back to training and counseling.

[01:46:46] Apologies.

[01:46:47] Fines.

[01:46:48] Loss of license.

[01:46:49] The whole thing.

[01:46:51] And he really came back and just proved to the team that he belonged there.

[01:46:55] He's a first grader, obviously.

[01:46:57] And, in a lot of ways, the real heart of the team this year was Braden Trindle.

[01:47:02] Like, give him an eight and a half.

[01:47:04] And I'll take only half a point off for the indiscretion,

[01:47:07] even though the indiscretion was horrendous,

[01:47:09] and you shouldn't be doing that stuff,

[01:47:10] and especially the drink driving.

[01:47:12] But he'd be a nine, at least, without that blemish there.

[01:47:15] I'm really happy with this,

[01:47:16] because I've been on this Trindle train for so long,

[01:47:19] and kind of promising the world to everyone that he's going to come good,

[01:47:22] and he's going to be the guy.

[01:47:23] And to finally see it come to fruition,

[01:47:25] and for him to do it in such a way over the year,

[01:47:28] I thought was really commendable,

[01:47:30] especially with everything that went on with him.

[01:47:32] It takes a pretty strong individual to kind of go through that,

[01:47:35] and come back and play so well pretty much instantly.

[01:47:40] Recapture the form he was in beforehand.

[01:47:44] Just everything I kind of hoped for him,

[01:47:47] and to get the starting shot and be like,

[01:47:49] this is your jersey at the start of the year,

[01:47:51] and to own it, which is on field I'm talking, obviously.

[01:47:55] And to step up in such a big game in a final when we needed it,

[01:48:02] when things weren't kind of going to plan

[01:48:04] at the start of that game,

[01:48:07] and just stoked, really stoked.

[01:48:09] And I think it's something to build on,

[01:48:11] and I hope he stays.

[01:48:12] I hope we figure out a way to make it happen,

[01:48:14] and for him to be happy, and Nico to be happy,

[01:48:17] because so young, and we've had him for a long time now.

[01:48:21] He's been in the club for about five or six years,

[01:48:23] and you'd hate to put all that work in,

[01:48:25] and now to see all the fruits of his labor come through,

[01:48:28] and to just leave,

[01:48:30] I think that would be a little frustrating for me.

[01:48:34] So I hope the best is yet to come,

[01:48:36] and it's in Sharks colors.

[01:48:37] I'm going to give him an eight.

[01:48:38] There is completely no issue with him and Nico.

[01:48:42] They're really good friends,

[01:48:44] and they know each other's job and responsibility,

[01:48:47] and the people in the press can say things like,

[01:48:50] well, Nico's on the million bucks,

[01:48:52] but the other guy's doing all the work.

[01:48:53] Like, A, that's rubbish,

[01:48:54] and B, there's not an issue with anything to do

[01:48:59] with that kind of standing in the club,

[01:49:01] and also payday is coming for Trindle.

[01:49:04] It may not be the heights that some of the journos

[01:49:06] want you to believe.

[01:49:08] Payday is coming.

[01:49:09] We're hoping it's going to be at Cronulla.

[01:49:10] I'm very confident he will be a Shark.

[01:49:13] I'd be surprised if he goes elsewhere.

[01:49:15] If he goes elsewhere,

[01:49:16] it will be for a lot more money.

[01:49:18] It won't be for a little bit more.

[01:49:20] It'll be for a lot more,

[01:49:21] and then you do you.

[01:49:23] You look after yourself.

[01:49:24] It's one life.

[01:49:26] It's your life.

[01:49:26] You go do it,

[01:49:27] but I don't think that's going to happen.

[01:49:29] I think he'll stay for really good money at Cronulla.

[01:49:31] They'll make it work,

[01:49:32] and I think they're pretty happy with how he's trending,

[01:49:35] and I think they believe that it can work with Nico,

[01:49:38] and they should believe because it can work,

[01:49:40] and we've seen it work for a couple of years now,

[01:49:43] and as I said throughout the show,

[01:49:46] we're one game away from a grand final,

[01:49:48] so something is working at this club,

[01:49:51] very well,

[01:49:52] and Trindle was exceptional.

[01:49:54] Now, he needs to keep it together off the field,

[01:49:56] and he's doing a good job of it so far

[01:49:58] since the illegalities that happened,

[01:50:02] but he's got to continue that.

[01:50:04] It's a long summer, Josh,

[01:50:05] as you and I know,

[01:50:06] and while you and I are tearing it up at Frank Turner,

[01:50:09] he can't do that,

[01:50:10] so he's going to have to behave himself,

[01:50:14] and that is always a challenge

[01:50:15] for a lot of people,

[01:50:17] including him.

[01:50:18] Got no reason to think he won't do it,

[01:50:20] but that is something that is now hanging over his head

[01:50:22] for the rest of his career,

[01:50:23] so that's his fault,

[01:50:25] that that's going to be the case,

[01:50:26] so that's the only real negative thing

[01:50:30] about what you can say about him.

[01:50:31] Stay tuned,

[01:50:32] but I think that he'll be a shark.

[01:50:33] I believe he did say he was going to market,

[01:50:36] but I think he's going to stick around.

[01:50:38] He's got 12 tries, Sam.

[01:50:40] Or six.

[01:50:41] Like, that was the third most in the club,

[01:50:43] just behind Sione and Ronaldo.

[01:50:45] I know it's a different position to Jesse Ramian,

[01:50:46] but like Jesse Ramian,

[01:50:47] he's very involved in things that go on.

[01:50:50] Yeah.

[01:50:51] Defensively, obviously, offensively,

[01:50:54] he became the number one kicker in the game

[01:50:57] in general play for us,

[01:50:59] and yeah, he's always looking about,

[01:51:02] and you saw that in the Cowboys game,

[01:51:04] and you saw me dancing on the fence.

[01:51:06] Like, he was everywhere.

[01:51:07] Like, he was just jumping and driving,

[01:51:09] and he reads the game really.

[01:51:12] He's got this real great natural ability

[01:51:14] to see what's happening.

[01:51:16] Like, you see him like when the halves

[01:51:18] are about to put a grubber in.

[01:51:19] He's the guy that's like swinging around,

[01:51:21] like for no reason other than he knows

[01:51:23] it's going to happen,

[01:51:24] or defensively,

[01:51:25] he's coming across and pushing guys in the touch

[01:51:28] and support play.

[01:51:29] Like, he's just got this natural ability

[01:51:31] that you don't just get.

[01:51:32] Like, you can't just learn that,

[01:51:34] and that's what excites me the most about him,

[01:51:35] that he sees things that other people can't.

[01:51:37] No, I do think that there will be clubs

[01:51:40] talking to him.

[01:51:41] You know, I think that,

[01:51:42] I think that as I'm now calling him,

[01:51:45] and I've got exclusive rights on it,

[01:51:46] checkbook Flanagan's going to be,

[01:51:48] you know,

[01:51:48] that's what he's going to be doing.

[01:51:50] And that's not a knock on Flano.

[01:51:53] I love Flano.

[01:51:54] Everyone knows I love Flano,

[01:51:55] but he's checkbook Flano.

[01:51:56] That's what he does.

[01:51:57] The Brisbane Broncos are going to be sniffing around

[01:51:59] because they'll be needing a new halfback soon,

[01:52:02] and Manly.

[01:52:02] And there's a bunch of really great halves

[01:52:05] who are going to be retiring in the next year or two.

[01:52:07] Maybe clubs know that they have the salary cap

[01:52:11] that we don't.

[01:52:12] I don't want to get listeners thinking it's a done deal

[01:52:16] because it's not a done deal,

[01:52:17] but I am of the belief,

[01:52:18] A, that he'll stay,

[01:52:19] and B, it won't necessarily break our bank,

[01:52:22] but it will be a vast increase on what he's on.

[01:52:25] It just won't be the Andrew Johns quoted,

[01:52:28] this guy's going to get 1.2 next year or whatever,

[01:52:31] like he might get it somewhere else,

[01:52:33] but he's not going to get it with us,

[01:52:34] that's for sure,

[01:52:35] because we can't afford that.

[01:52:37] Someone who will be not getting that money

[01:52:39] from the Sharks next year

[01:52:40] because he'll be a Parramatta eel

[01:52:42] is Jack Williams,

[01:52:43] who played 25 games for us.

[01:52:45] He had a number of years at the club.

[01:52:49] He put in a lot of effort for the club

[01:52:51] and was well-respected,

[01:52:53] well-liked amongst the club.

[01:52:54] They just couldn't make the deal happen.

[01:52:56] Mixed thoughts from the fan base, of course.

[01:52:58] We know all about that.

[01:53:00] We understand that to a degree.

[01:53:02] You and I are pretty big admirers of what he does.

[01:53:06] I thought he had a solid year.

[01:53:09] I thought as the year went on,

[01:53:11] it got more negative

[01:53:14] and I wonder if the contract situation

[01:53:16] had something to do with that

[01:53:17] and I wouldn't feel less of him

[01:53:20] if that was the case

[01:53:21] because that's a very understandable thing

[01:53:22] to be on your mind.

[01:53:24] I still thought it was a solid year.

[01:53:26] A bit like what I said about Toby,

[01:53:28] he can find an error,

[01:53:30] but it's not like he has a million errors.

[01:53:32] I don't even think he'd have

[01:53:33] even close to the most in the game for us.

[01:53:35] It's more just they're at the wrong time

[01:53:37] and again, if that's in your arsenal, Josh,

[01:53:41] that's a bit of a problem.

[01:53:43] So I would have been happy to keep Jack Williams.

[01:53:47] I'm also happy for him to go elsewhere.

[01:53:49] I think he'll be great for Parra.

[01:53:51] I think he'll fit into the whole Jason Riles,

[01:53:53] tough guy thing.

[01:53:55] I think A, they'll have a much better year

[01:53:57] and B, he'll be a big part of it.

[01:53:58] I think that he's got a motor on him.

[01:54:00] I think he's also a player

[01:54:02] who probably doesn't realize how good he actually is.

[01:54:04] Pretty humble dude.

[01:54:05] Pretty chilled off the field.

[01:54:07] Which is great.

[01:54:08] Good family man, etc.

[01:54:09] But he's actually one of the stronger players in the NRL.

[01:54:13] And when you're one of the stronger players in the NRL,

[01:54:16] I kind of want you to be that week in, week out.

[01:54:18] And he wasn't like that year to year.

[01:54:22] One year he was our best player in the forwards

[01:54:24] or even in the team.

[01:54:25] Another year he was way below that.

[01:54:28] But I thought more than not,

[01:54:31] he was very solid for us in his career.

[01:54:34] And this year I'm going to give him a 6.5.

[01:54:40] Yeah, it's the same rating I was going to give him, 6.5.

[01:54:44] He had a couple of games this year where he was superhuman.

[01:54:47] There was a couple of games where you were like,

[01:54:49] oh my God, is this guy the best prop in the world?

[01:54:52] Genuinely outstanding.

[01:54:53] And then he'd have some games where you're like,

[01:54:55] he needs to be dropped.

[01:54:57] And I think that's been the problem with Jack throughout his career

[01:55:00] is that he is so good and he has so much talent,

[01:55:03] so much potential,

[01:55:05] and he just hasn't been able to find enough consistency.

[01:55:08] And I'd say the first,

[01:55:12] maybe half of the first quarter was really, really good.

[01:55:16] And we were all saying,

[01:55:18] got to resign, Jack.

[01:55:19] Got to keep it.

[01:55:20] Yeah, yeah.

[01:55:20] And that talk just kind of slowly dropped off the longer the year went on.

[01:55:24] And it got to a point where when he was announced,

[01:55:27] kind of out of the blue that he was going,

[01:55:28] we were kind of like,

[01:55:29] oh, happy for Jack.

[01:55:31] Got a pay rise.

[01:55:33] Got the big pay packet that he probably deserved.

[01:55:36] But getting a fresh start.

[01:55:37] But might have been the right time.

[01:55:41] I think Fitz has done a good job in letting probably the right people go.

[01:55:45] But it is really sad because,

[01:55:46] you know,

[01:55:46] there's another guy that we kind of gave a lifeline to

[01:55:49] when he came to Cronulla.

[01:55:51] He's been here for years.

[01:55:52] And we've watched him develop into,

[01:55:54] you know,

[01:55:54] from a young man to a really good NRL player.

[01:55:58] And then he's gone.

[01:55:59] And like I said before,

[01:56:00] we haven't lost many people we wanted to keep,

[01:56:03] if at all,

[01:56:04] the last three or four years.

[01:56:05] So it'll be sad to see him in a para jersey,

[01:56:08] but I'm happy for him personally.

[01:56:10] And I think it might have been the right time for a change

[01:56:13] by the end of the year.

[01:56:14] He's the sort of guy that I think that

[01:56:16] if he's a seven and a half to eight every week

[01:56:21] and we're winning comps,

[01:56:23] we're saying that,

[01:56:25] man,

[01:56:25] Jack Williams,

[01:56:26] he's one of the best forwards in the game,

[01:56:27] you know.

[01:56:28] And I think the fact that we're one game short of a grand final

[01:56:32] and you and I are saying he was six and a half this year,

[01:56:36] well,

[01:56:36] imagine if he was an eight out of 10.

[01:56:38] Like,

[01:56:38] I wonder if that would take us to another level

[01:56:40] because he has it in him.

[01:56:42] We've seen it as,

[01:56:43] as recent as this year,

[01:56:44] we've seen it in him,

[01:56:45] but there's just something there where,

[01:56:47] yeah,

[01:56:47] it's not week in,

[01:56:48] week out necessarily year in,

[01:56:49] year out.

[01:56:50] And okay,

[01:56:51] I get that not everyone can do that.

[01:56:52] I don't know the ins and outs of the deal

[01:56:54] and why it didn't happen aside from money.

[01:56:58] They would have offered him something

[01:56:59] and it just,

[01:57:00] you know,

[01:57:01] he got a better deal elsewhere

[01:57:02] and a fresh start

[01:57:04] and all that whole,

[01:57:04] whole thing.

[01:57:05] It's across the city.

[01:57:07] He doesn't have to move,

[01:57:08] et cetera,

[01:57:08] et cetera.

[01:57:09] It was doable for him to go to para.

[01:57:11] Yeah.

[01:57:12] I just wonder,

[01:57:13] I wonder if like you and I

[01:57:15] with,

[01:57:16] we're viewing him as like,

[01:57:17] he has to be resigned.

[01:57:18] They didn't get it done

[01:57:20] for whatever reason.

[01:57:21] And man,

[01:57:21] the form sort of started dropping

[01:57:23] a little bit each week.

[01:57:24] And it's like,

[01:57:25] well,

[01:57:26] Jason runs you.

[01:57:27] It's two or three years,

[01:57:29] decent money.

[01:57:30] You're going to be starting

[01:57:31] or close to starting.

[01:57:33] Why don't you go there?

[01:57:34] And,

[01:57:34] you know,

[01:57:35] maybe you come back

[01:57:35] a future career here,

[01:57:36] whatever.

[01:57:37] I don't know how to address it,

[01:57:37] but it's,

[01:57:39] it's a strange one

[01:57:39] because I know the coach

[01:57:41] really had high hopes for him

[01:57:43] over,

[01:57:43] over the period.

[01:57:45] So didn't work out.

[01:57:46] Wish him all the best.

[01:57:47] He's another guy

[01:57:48] that was on a decent enough money

[01:57:49] that maybe that was able to keep

[01:57:51] or is going to go

[01:57:52] towards someone else.

[01:57:53] Yeah.

[01:57:53] Yeah,

[01:57:54] absolutely.

[01:57:54] Yeah.

[01:57:54] He wasn't on chump change.

[01:57:57] So absolutely.

[01:57:58] That's,

[01:57:59] that's a very fair point.

[01:58:00] I think there's a little bit

[01:58:01] of belief in young guys

[01:58:03] coming through as well.

[01:58:04] A guy like Max Bradbury,

[01:58:06] who has had some shocking injuries

[01:58:07] and he's coming off one right now.

[01:58:09] You know,

[01:58:10] if he can get himself fit,

[01:58:11] he'll be,

[01:58:12] I think around 22-ish,

[01:58:15] 23 next year.

[01:58:16] I think that's right.

[01:58:17] Around that age.

[01:58:17] He's got it in him

[01:58:18] to sort of 18th,

[01:58:20] 19th man kind of status

[01:58:21] and then someone falls down

[01:58:22] and he jumps out

[01:58:23] and like he's a young prop.

[01:58:26] But they believe in him.

[01:58:28] He just can't sort of stay

[01:58:29] on the field himself.

[01:58:30] But,

[01:58:30] and there's other guys

[01:58:31] who are younger than him

[01:58:33] who will need more development.

[01:58:34] But I think that there's

[01:58:35] a bit of hope there

[01:58:36] that there's guys

[01:58:37] coming through eventually

[01:58:39] who will fill the roles

[01:58:41] of a hunt,

[01:58:42] of a,

[01:58:43] of a Jack Williams

[01:58:45] beyond the Tukus

[01:58:47] and those guys.

[01:58:48] There's younger guys

[01:58:48] coming through

[01:58:49] who they believe in.

[01:58:50] So,

[01:58:50] see what happens there.

[01:58:52] Last player to review.

[01:58:54] We really admire this guy.

[01:58:56] He played 23 games,

[01:58:58] two were off the bench.

[01:58:59] I believe he even

[01:59:00] captained the team one week.

[01:59:02] And that was Teague Wilton.

[01:59:04] What did you make

[01:59:05] of Teague season?

[01:59:06] I love Teague, mate.

[01:59:07] Like,

[01:59:07] I have really high hopes

[01:59:10] for him career-wise.

[01:59:11] I said it a few years ago

[01:59:13] and I stand by it.

[01:59:13] I think he has

[01:59:14] New South Wales

[01:59:15] origin potential.

[01:59:16] I think he's

[01:59:17] just that kind of player

[01:59:19] that would thrive

[01:59:19] in that environment.

[01:59:20] Hard working,

[01:59:21] you know,

[01:59:22] bleeds for you,

[01:59:23] makes 100 tackles,

[01:59:25] doesn't complain,

[01:59:26] and then will be,

[01:59:27] and he could play

[01:59:28] another 80 minutes

[01:59:29] if you needed him to.

[01:59:30] Just a gritty kind.

[01:59:31] And he suits our team

[01:59:33] well because he's

[01:59:34] a different style

[01:59:35] to Britt.

[01:59:37] Britt and him

[01:59:38] have a really nice

[01:59:39] imbalance,

[01:59:40] if that makes sense,

[01:59:41] in terms of what

[01:59:41] they offer the team.

[01:59:44] And I'm not saying

[01:59:45] that Britt's not tough,

[01:59:46] but Teague's just

[01:59:47] like old school,

[01:59:48] like,

[01:59:48] just like hits a hard line,

[01:59:50] will make 45 tackles,

[01:59:52] miss three,

[01:59:52] you know.

[01:59:54] That's what I love

[01:59:54] about him.

[01:59:55] And I think,

[01:59:56] I think he's a little

[01:59:57] underrated from

[01:59:58] the wider NRL fans

[02:00:00] and Sharks fans.

[02:00:01] I still think,

[02:00:02] look,

[02:00:02] he's not perfect

[02:00:03] and he had some

[02:00:04] down moments.

[02:00:05] His meters can sometimes

[02:00:06] waver up and down,

[02:00:08] but I think mostly

[02:00:09] overall you get a lot

[02:00:10] out of Teague

[02:00:11] for what you're probably,

[02:00:12] probably for what

[02:00:13] we're paying him,

[02:00:13] I think,

[02:00:14] is future captain

[02:00:16] 24,

[02:00:17] 25,

[02:00:18] like plenty to offer.

[02:00:19] Yeah,

[02:00:19] I agree.

[02:00:20] I agree.

[02:00:20] I think that this year

[02:00:21] wasn't spectacular

[02:00:22] for him.

[02:00:24] No,

[02:00:24] no.

[02:00:24] But,

[02:00:25] I mean,

[02:00:25] he was down on games

[02:00:26] through injury,

[02:00:27] like 23 games for him

[02:00:28] is down a little bit

[02:00:29] on what you'd expect.

[02:00:30] I'm with you,

[02:00:31] I think that he's still

[02:00:32] relatively young,

[02:00:33] both in age and his career.

[02:00:35] There's a long way to go.

[02:00:37] It's not like he's

[02:00:37] trending backwards.

[02:00:38] I think that he's improving

[02:00:39] in a lot of areas.

[02:00:41] I just don't think

[02:00:41] this is one of his

[02:00:42] better years,

[02:00:43] but I think as a player

[02:00:44] he's perfectly

[02:00:45] decent moving forward.

[02:00:46] He's got all the attributes.

[02:00:48] I've spoken about

[02:00:49] the way he shaped

[02:00:51] his body

[02:00:51] is one of,

[02:00:52] for me,

[02:00:53] it's one of those

[02:00:54] if you could create

[02:00:55] a footballer

[02:00:55] it'd be a T.

[02:00:56] Wilton sort of shape.

[02:00:57] You know,

[02:00:57] he's got that perfect shape

[02:01:00] and he cares a lot

[02:01:01] about the club.

[02:01:02] Captain worthy,

[02:01:03] as we said,

[02:01:04] he captained one week.

[02:01:06] Really cool guy

[02:01:06] to talk to.

[02:01:07] I've said to you,

[02:01:07] Josh,

[02:01:08] off air,

[02:01:08] I think,

[02:01:08] but out of all the guys

[02:01:10] you talk to at the club

[02:01:12] from a media point of view,

[02:01:14] he's the one

[02:01:14] that kind of,

[02:01:16] he doesn't open the gate

[02:01:17] too much for you.

[02:01:18] He's always polite,

[02:01:19] he's always really respectful,

[02:01:21] he'll have a laugh,

[02:01:21] but it's all business

[02:01:23] and he's not there

[02:01:24] to make friends

[02:01:25] and he's not there

[02:01:26] to tell you

[02:01:28] what you want to hear

[02:01:29] and I really admire

[02:01:30] that in him

[02:01:30] that he's just,

[02:01:32] for a sort of

[02:01:33] quiet country

[02:01:34] kind of guy,

[02:01:35] he's all business.

[02:01:37] He's there

[02:01:38] to play footy

[02:01:38] and in a lot of ways

[02:01:40] that reminds me

[02:01:40] of Brit as well.

[02:01:41] Yeah,

[02:01:41] they let the footy

[02:01:42] do the talking.

[02:01:43] Professional.

[02:01:43] Yeah,

[02:01:45] absolutely professional.

[02:01:46] You know,

[02:01:46] he's the nephew

[02:01:46] of John Morris,

[02:01:47] you can see the influence

[02:01:48] he had on him

[02:01:49] in the way that he trains

[02:01:50] and the fitness

[02:01:51] and everything else.

[02:01:52] I definitely hope

[02:01:53] we wrap him up

[02:01:54] and I don't know

[02:01:54] what that'll take

[02:01:55] and I don't know

[02:01:56] really what the market's

[02:01:57] like for him.

[02:01:58] Kieran and I

[02:01:59] sort of speculated

[02:01:59] that,

[02:02:00] you know,

[02:02:01] we could see him,

[02:02:03] you know,

[02:02:03] going to the Melbourne Storm

[02:02:04] and winning 10 premierships

[02:02:06] or...

[02:02:06] Oh,

[02:02:06] he'd be so good.

[02:02:07] Yeah,

[02:02:07] that's what I said,

[02:02:08] yeah.

[02:02:08] And his,

[02:02:09] you know,

[02:02:09] his uncle is at

[02:02:10] West Tigers,

[02:02:11] you know,

[02:02:11] they're always looking

[02:02:12] for better players.

[02:02:14] So I don't necessarily

[02:02:14] think it's a done deal

[02:02:15] that he stays with

[02:02:16] Cronella every time

[02:02:17] the contract's up.

[02:02:18] But I think that also

[02:02:19] he's a pretty loyal guy,

[02:02:20] he's been in the system

[02:02:21] for a long time

[02:02:22] and they think

[02:02:23] the world of him

[02:02:24] and I know he loves

[02:02:25] the club

[02:02:25] and I don't see him

[02:02:26] going anywhere,

[02:02:27] it's probably just,

[02:02:28] you know,

[02:02:29] hopefully we can give him

[02:02:30] what he wants

[02:02:30] but again,

[02:02:32] I think like a lot

[02:02:33] of these guys

[02:02:33] but him in particular

[02:02:35] with a few of the,

[02:02:36] I mean,

[02:02:37] who am I looking at?

[02:02:37] With like a Braley,

[02:02:39] potentially even a Trindle,

[02:02:40] they're the guys

[02:02:41] that you want to sign up

[02:02:42] long term

[02:02:43] and have them there

[02:02:44] long term.

[02:02:45] You want,

[02:02:45] you want Teague

[02:02:46] fighting for a title

[02:02:47] in seven years time.

[02:02:50] And I probably overstate,

[02:02:51] my rap of him there

[02:02:52] was more overall,

[02:02:53] not so much this year.

[02:02:55] Like I do think

[02:02:55] it wasn't his best year

[02:02:56] by any man.

[02:02:57] Last year,

[02:02:57] I thought he was

[02:02:58] unbelievable

[02:02:59] until his injury.

[02:03:00] He was really starting

[02:03:01] to find his groove

[02:03:02] in first grade.

[02:03:02] I think it was really solid.

[02:03:05] Like really solid.

[02:03:05] Like I'm going to give him

[02:03:06] like a seven.

[02:03:08] Like although he's really good

[02:03:09] but he had some moments

[02:03:11] where the meters

[02:03:11] were a bit down

[02:03:12] and maybe his impact

[02:03:13] wasn't there

[02:03:13] and they give him

[02:03:14] a lot of those

[02:03:15] short face balls

[02:03:16] where like he just

[02:03:17] gets smashed

[02:03:17] and like he drops

[02:03:18] like he gets a lot

[02:03:19] of his errors from that.

[02:03:21] But I think yeah,

[02:03:22] like he has so much

[02:03:23] more to give.

[02:03:24] Like and he will.

[02:03:25] I think that at times

[02:03:25] he can go find the ball.

[02:03:27] Like I wouldn't say

[02:03:27] that he necessarily

[02:03:28] chases the ball

[02:03:29] and I'm not saying

[02:03:30] that lazy

[02:03:30] or any other word

[02:03:31] you want to use

[02:03:32] like he's obviously not

[02:03:34] but I just think that

[02:03:35] yeah,

[02:03:36] if I was to say

[02:03:36] one thing about his game

[02:03:37] I'd probably get

[02:03:38] more involved.

[02:03:39] We mentioned it

[02:03:41] during the wrap up

[02:03:42] of the Penrith prelim

[02:03:43] that both him and Britt

[02:03:44] just couldn't get

[02:03:45] into the game

[02:03:46] and I think that was

[02:03:46] more of a tactical thing

[02:03:48] as well as a

[02:03:49] possibly weather

[02:03:50] thing as well

[02:03:51] but you know

[02:03:52] imagine if Teague

[02:03:54] had a 8 out of 10 game

[02:03:55] like we would have

[02:03:56] gone even better

[02:03:57] than what we did

[02:03:57] so that's how much

[02:03:59] we value him.

[02:04:00] That's a wrap

[02:04:01] on our year Josh

[02:04:02] and for all our listeners

[02:04:03] this is how we rate

[02:04:04] the players.

[02:04:05] Now I can already feel

[02:04:07] like people are saying

[02:04:09] oh Shaz went light

[02:04:10] and easy on everyone.

[02:04:11] Guys and girls

[02:04:12] we were a sniff away

[02:04:13] from a grand final.

[02:04:15] I don't see a lot

[02:04:16] of problems here.

[02:04:17] It doesn't mean

[02:04:18] there aren't problems.

[02:04:18] We spoke about

[02:04:20] Will Kennedy

[02:04:20] and the mystery there

[02:04:22] what will be there.

[02:04:23] We've spoken about

[02:04:24] negatives with a lot

[02:04:25] of these players

[02:04:26] but thankfully for us

[02:04:27] they were a sniff away

[02:04:29] from a grand final

[02:04:30] and they had

[02:04:31] strong years

[02:04:34] in all grades

[02:04:35] which is unbelievable

[02:04:36] and fantastic.

[02:04:37] One of the better years

[02:04:38] probably in club history

[02:04:39] I would imagine.

[02:04:40] I personally

[02:04:41] don't have a lot

[02:04:42] to complain about.

[02:04:44] We'd love to hear yours

[02:04:45] if you have them.

[02:04:45] sharkcarspot.gmail.com

[02:04:48] DM us on the socials.

[02:04:50] We do have some mail

[02:04:51] to get through

[02:04:51] which we'll get to

[02:04:52] at some point.

[02:04:53] It won't be now

[02:04:53] because Josh and I

[02:04:54] need to go to bed

[02:04:54] because it's currently

[02:04:55] 4.15am

[02:04:57] but please

[02:04:58] if you dispute anything

[02:05:00] obviously do it

[02:05:01] in a respectful way

[02:05:02] I'll crawl up

[02:05:03] into a ball and cry

[02:05:04] but let us know

[02:05:05] your thoughts.

[02:05:05] We want to hear

[02:05:06] what you think

[02:05:06] about how the players

[02:05:07] went and

[02:05:09] when we have time

[02:05:10] we'll definitely

[02:05:10] get to it

[02:05:11] so don't be

[02:05:12] a stranger

[02:05:12] when it comes to that.

[02:05:14] Thanks for everyone

[02:05:14] who's been listening

[02:05:15] to all the shows

[02:05:15] really appreciate it.

[02:05:17] Super kind

[02:05:18] Josh.

[02:05:18] Everyone was about

[02:05:19] the Alan Wilson interview

[02:05:20] a lot of great feedback there

[02:05:21] saying best episode ever

[02:05:23] etc.

[02:05:24] So if you haven't

[02:05:25] tuned in to the

[02:05:25] Alan Wilson interview

[02:05:26] go give that a listen

[02:05:27] when you have the time.

[02:05:28] Very insightful

[02:05:29] and educational

[02:05:30] for younger listeners

[02:05:31] especially

[02:05:32] but also listeners

[02:05:33] of a certain vintage

[02:05:34] who remember that time

[02:05:35] and a lot of great insight

[02:05:37] into some great moments.

[02:05:38] I was frothing Josh

[02:05:39] when he was talking

[02:05:40] about the

[02:05:40] the Broncos game at home

[02:05:42] and the Broncos playoff games

[02:05:43] is the stuff I grew up on

[02:05:44] and I was just

[02:05:45] poking him going

[02:05:46] tell me more Al

[02:05:47] tell me more

[02:05:47] and he did

[02:05:48] because he's just

[02:05:49] a friendly dude

[02:05:50] so really proud of that episode

[02:05:52] so definitely get behind

[02:05:53] that one if you haven't

[02:05:54] listened to it.

[02:05:54] We'll be back with more

[02:05:56] before you know it

[02:05:56] this has been

[02:05:57] SharkhousePod

[02:05:58] can't thank my man

[02:05:59] Josh enough

[02:05:59] for his contributions

[02:06:01] throughout the years

[02:06:02] but especially tonight

[02:06:03] on a banger of an episode

[02:06:05] and we'll be back

[02:06:06] before you know it

[02:06:07] so stay tuned

[02:06:08] stay subscribed

[02:06:09] and you'll be hearing

[02:06:10] from us shortly

[02:06:11] this is SharkhousePod

[02:06:12] we're out of here

[02:06:13] we're back soon

[02:06:14] up up

[02:06:15] Shut up guys! Shut up guys!

[02:06:32] In the Shire, turn your porch lights off because we're coming home with a trophy.