Gaz and Shinazz: Rd 16, 2026 vs Roosters

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[00:00:54] Spoiler, Mexico just scored their 1-0 against someone. I can't see that far from the screen. Welcome to the show everyone. This is the Gaz and Shinazzi show. He's back off some cruise. He's frozen like every two weeks. Gary Dover, welcome back to the show. Your show, if you will, as he cleans his screen. My name is Sam Shinazzi, the OG 2015, brought to you by Dyson Logistics, the legends of the Royal Motor Yacht Club in Port Hacking, and Jason Hawes at Crips & Crips Real Estate. Gary and I both drink at Mr. Paisley's.

[00:01:24] And when I say drink, we're talking caffeinated products mostly, and great food, etc. Gary, how are you? What's going on? I am going very good. It's good to be back. I love that little intro and the music and all the photos. It's just absolutely unreal. So every time I see it, I'm happy straight away from the jump. But I've been good. Not on any cruises as you suggest, but I was on one recently. But no, everything's going good. And it's great to see the Sharks have a gritty, nice win last round.

[00:01:50] Four in a row, baby. Going for five. A spectacular win. I mean, that was gritty as it gets. It was courageous as it gets. It was skillful. It was everything. I'm really happy with the win, Gaz. Like, you're missing half your spine. Yeah. Massive. Other players are out. And to really just defensively hold the other team to one try, and we only scored one try as well.

[00:02:18] But to defensively hold them out, the Warriors, is just remarkable. And then the two bits of courageous hero moments we saw from Will Kennedy and Braden Trindle were unthinkable. And I say that just because we haven't really seen it before. Like, we'd never seen the Will Kennedy play from anyone in the history of the game. And the Trindle one was, that's, you know, a top 10 field goal of all time. Like, that's just brilliant. He absolutely nailed it.

[00:02:46] Absolutely. Now, look, to be perfectly honest, I just had that feeling as soon as he kicked it, I was like, I think he's got it. Like, as soon as it went, left the foot. It sounded sweet off the boot. So I was like you, as soon as he hit it, I was like, that's going over. And sure enough, it did. But I think the best part for me, if I take my Sharks hat off and I just put my fan hat on, that was like an old school game in rugby league right there. It was just two really solid defensive efforts. As you mentioned, one try piece and it came down to the wire.

[00:03:14] And that's what, as fans, we like to see. And thankfully for us, we were on the right side of it. But yeah, that Kennedy piece of brilliance from him to however he caught that, I have no idea, but unbelievable. I'm glad we've got the long week in between Gary. So it was Saturday night. We're not playing until Sunday night. Yeah. Because they were all on a high, obviously as fans were on a high. To come back down from that, they need that extra 24 hours.

[00:03:40] I'm not saying that's what they're thinking or feeling, but I'm just imagining to come down from that. They already are, to be fair. Like it's three quarters of the way through the week. Like it's go time for the Roosters. But I'm glad to have that extra day. I did see Will Cannon. I got to interview him. I think it was Monday or Tuesday. I can't quite remember. It was earlier in the week. And it was just like, I'd seen a long lost relative and I hadn't, and I just wanted to, and you know, I virtually hugged him and there was nothing virtually about it.

[00:04:08] I hugged him and it was just one of those moments that sort of, I mean, I hate to say it, but it kind of justifies the extra contract, justifies all the crap that he puts up with. I'm not saying that that's what makes his career, but it was just the cherry on top. It was good out of all the guys. It was Will Kennedy. Yeah, for sure. And you know, that's, we've seen it, all the effort and hard work that goes into his prep and his game and everything like that. And it feels like it's been building for a while, but yeah, to see him get one of those moments,

[00:04:36] it's probably just a testament to the accumulation of good things that he's done over the years. And yeah, I was so stoked that it was Will. And obviously we were a bit hairy at the end there with that penalty kick, but lucky that got pushed to the right and missed. But yeah, it was just a great game of footy and yeah, really stoked for Tricky and for Will. And I feel like that kind of gets our season going. Like it's been going, but it's been up and down, but it was kind of one of those games for me where it's like, there's a lot of confidence that can come out of that game.

[00:05:06] So hopefully they roll on, get the fifth win in a row and keep going from there. Cause as we've mentioned plenty of times and plenty of guests on this show, we've got a hard run of, I think it's 12 straight to end the year. And then we play finals. So yeah, that extra day, even, even traveling back from New Zealand, like the time difference when you finish that game is super late and then you get up super early to get on the plane. It knocks you around a little bit. So to have that extra day is really good, but yeah, I hope we can take this confidence and that style of play into the back half of the season. Yeah, for sure.

[00:05:36] And we'll get to the Roosters game shortly, but a win like that against the Warriors over there in those conditions, it's going to be super helpful for experience later in the year, especially for the younger guys. For sure. That, you know, you can go back and think about your game. How did you play it? How did you approach it? I thought there was obviously a lot of mixed emotions with Sione coming back into Stone Street. Yeah.

[00:06:01] And I thought that it ended up being a bit of a genius move despite the last play because that game was suited to Sione. It was suited to him low to the ground, getting the meters, busting tackles without sort of, without doing it in any kind of way that's going to lose the ball. Like this is natural play. And I thought it was actually a pretty good coaching move, whether they timed it on purpose or not. I've got no idea.

[00:06:25] However, he almost kind of sent that storyline down the toilet with his last move. And I'm fascinated to know what would have happened if we'd lost the game. I wonder if he would have lost his spot. We'll never know. That's an interesting question. Well, I know the Sharks in particular never really pinpoint everything on one moment. Like I get that, but also for a guy who has been dropped, hasn't been signed for next year, that would be intriguing. But we don't need to worry about that for this week because he's back.

[00:06:55] And we move on to the Chooks 6-15 on Sunday. Yes. What do you make of the fellows that have come in, Gaz? The Puru brothers, Jaden Farrell, even Marwini from time to time. Like that's pretty good to bring in these guys and then still keep winning games. Yeah, absolutely. And we probably have been a bit closer to those kind of guys, you know, over the last couple of years. But we always knew that they were ready.

[00:07:22] But I feel like they've really taken their opportunity when they've gotten it. Especially Hojepa. Like he's come in and just been, like we saw it in the trial when he scored that try. He's in and around the rock. He's fast through the middle. Got a nice pass on him. Like he can do a variation of things. And he's coming to the NRL and he's really taken his opportunity and done that. And I think playing alongside his brother, there's moments even in that Warriors game where one of them makes a break. The other one's right there. Like they just naturally know how each other are going to play. And I think that's been really good for us.

[00:07:50] And it's kind of, you know, people probably thought, oh, Nefi is in. Not sure how we're going to go. Fair enough. It was unproven. But I think he's really proven himself over the last couple of weeks that, you know, he can handle his own in there. And he can get through his job and do his job properly and well. And that's exactly all we needed from him. So, yeah, it's been good to see those guys. Obviously, Bez getting a run as well. It's been nice. So, those guys that come in, they have their job to do and they've all done it really well over the last few weeks.

[00:08:16] And I've got to say from the point of view of someone like me who occasionally gets to chat to these guys in a public sense, to have them available and then to hold their own with, you know, Channel 9 Media, with Fox, with whoever. Yeah. And then when I get them one-on-one, and it's been a first for all those three guys you mentioned, they've been just so professional and so in tune with what's needed.

[00:08:43] And I do think that Nefi has kind of flown below our radar in the past three weeks or however long it's been because he's done his job like 10 out of 10. Now, he hasn't been a 10 out of 10 player, but he's done his job like perfectly. Like if he does any more, you'd say stop over playing, you know. And if he does any less, you'd be like, well, where is he?

[00:09:03] It's in that perfect zone where he's just doing everything at a really competent rate, which is what you want from a young half who's now played like three games or whatever. Like I don't want him going out there chipping and chasing and kicking 40 towards his, et cetera. It's not what I need. You know, we've got another guy who can do that. I need this guy to hold the ship and he's doing it really well. Yeah, absolutely. He's just coming. Like we've seen what he's done, winning comps with Newtown, all that sort of stuff. We know his game.

[00:09:30] And yet he's just coming and really played that and not overplayed his hand, as you mentioned. So yeah, really happy for those sorts of guys. And yeah, that interview you had with Hohefa was a really good one. So if people haven't listened to that, they should go back and just see. It really gives a good insight into what kind of guy he is and what kind of guy the Puru brothers are. And yeah, if you haven't heard it, go jump back a couple episodes and listen to that one for sure. So it's going to be our 107th game against the Chookies. They've won a bunch. We've won a bit less, but we have won four of the past seven.

[00:10:00] They've been pretty close the last bunch of games. We know in round six, we were winning by 22 to six before halftime. We lost 34-22. I know it's still stinging for the fans and especially for the coach and the players. A bit of revenge there. At Allianz, we've won three of the past four. They did win the last clash there, which is a while ago. I believe old Allianz in the semifinals of 2018.

[00:10:30] So that's a bit of history for you. If we look at the teams, Gary, we're still really not sure what's going to happen there for both teams. They've named all their origin guys to start. There's been no changes there since then. We'll know more Saturday 24 hours before. Yes. Same with the Sharks. Now, we've named Britton and AFB to start.

[00:10:58] You would think AFB is a lock to start. Britton, I think, is – I don't know. I don't even know what to suggest the percentage would be because he played a whole game. He did get through it, but he did play a whole game of origin. So it's just probably just a personal how did you back up? Are you ready to go? If not, we got back up. So I'd wait and see on Britton, but hopefully he plays because he's been in really good form lately. And we have named, quite interestingly, Blake Braley and Nico Hines on the reserves bench.

[00:11:28] And I think as we speak, they're going through a training session. And then tomorrow is Captain's Run when we record. No, it's not tomorrow, is it? Yeah, tomorrow. I'm getting my days confused. Tomorrow is Captain's Run when we record right now. Depends when you hear this, when I release it. But they're basically going through a training session as we speak. And we'll know more after that, I think, as to how they're looking. But I know they're both pretty serious in their return. That's not some sort of smokescreen there.

[00:11:57] So wait and see on those guys. What are you thinking? Like it's hard to look at a game we don't know who's going to play for both teams. Yeah, for sure. Roosters in particular. They usually back up the Roosters. Yeah, but they've got a lot of guys there who are coming off Origin performances. Like Tedesco, Toya, Noonganita, Walker. Like there's Lindsay Collins. Like there's a few guys. Victor Radley. So do they kind of rest a few of those guys? They've got plenty of depth on the benches.

[00:12:26] But yeah, it'll be interesting to see how they run out. And same for us. Like we've obviously got a bye next week. So are we rushing to get Nico and Blake back in there? Do we give them the extra week? Is it one of those things like the Ronnie recovery where he came back and then had the bye? It just gives them a bit of extra time to recover and get the body right for those following games. But yeah, it'll be interesting to see what both coaches do there. Obviously really looking forward to the game. And it should be a good one on a Sunday night out at Allianz.

[00:12:54] But the guys in our squad, they're rested and ready to go. And yeah, whoever they come up against, they're going to have a job to do. The Roosters have been pretty red hot across the year. But yeah, obviously some nice replacements in the reserves there. So if they slot into the side in Blake and Nicker, Adam's got to be fresh. And Britt will be on a high as well, getting his first win in the Origin Arena. He'd probably want to get back out there and have another crack. So I'm looking forward to it. Britt's a particularly fit guy.

[00:13:23] So I don't see it being a problem. But you just never know. Obviously these days everything is about science and it's about the medical sort of and GPS and that kind of stuff. So they're going to know whether he's ready basically no matter what he says. But it's just that back block for me of like 10, 12 games where now is probably a nice time to get these guys rested.

[00:13:46] And, you know, as close to 100% as they can possibly be for that run at the back end of the year. Because, you know, we know every team is not going to be completely at 100%. Not every player is going to be completely at 100% for the back half of the year. We've beaten and broken bodies and all sorts of things after 16 rounds of NRL football. But you want those guys as fresh as you can have them. And, yeah, I think Adam plays 100%. He only played eight minutes. But the rest of the guys, we'll see what happens. Yeah, and it's a winning team four in a row.

[00:14:16] I don't think they're rushing people in, to be perfectly honest, Gaz. I just think they're slated for this time. Blake was always slated for this time. Some people are sort of freaking out and I understand it. But he was always looking at this game as the comeback. Yeah. They're sort of basing it off Jerome Hughes from Melbourne last year. He did the same thing and it's a similar injury and he's at a similar recovery rate. And so they initially based it off that. And obviously they're doing their own research and own stuff on him now. But so it's not that surprising.

[00:14:46] And with Nico, I think it's just it's been week to week, wait and see. And with a calf, you don't want to mess around too much with that. But there's no chance they rush him back, I don't think, because the troops are there. It's not, you know, be all and end all this game. We want to win, obviously, but it's not the grand final. Yeah, of course. You always want to win. But as you said, it's not the grand final. It's a long season and you don't want to rush these guys back into a game that I'm not saying they're not ready,

[00:15:13] but that they're not needed, but the people that are in there, the players that are in there, they've proven they can do the job. Why don't we just give them at least another week? Obviously, Toby Rudolph out, I kind of want to add in there. But yeah, the rest of the guys, I'm happy to wait another week, give them that extra bye week to really hit their straps and give us a good push to hit the title at the back end of the year.

[00:15:36] In a lot of ways, if you rested Britton Nikara, Billy Burns goes straight in, then your bench becomes Kafusi, Talakai, Hazelton, and Puru. If you play Britton, one of those guys is sacrificed. I'm guessing Kafusi or Talakai, depending on their rotation of things. That's what I'm guessing. So, you know, there's pros and cons there as well. Yeah, for sure.

[00:16:04] And depending who lines up and where they line up, I think it could be, you know, the match of the round, these two teams going head to head. It's like, it gives me that New Zealand Warriors feel again. I just think it'll be a great game of rugby league. Yeah, for sure. And there's a lot of comparisons this year with how they're playing. They're both defensively at the same sort of areas. There is some contrast with the penalties because we know how we're not getting that many penalties, et cetera.

[00:16:34] But for example, you know, with things like forced dropouts and those sort of more kicking stats were very close. They're scoring a lot of tries from kicks. We're barely conceding any from kicks. It's a good little test there for the Sharks. Like, I know we stress about all that stuff. I think we've conceded the second fewest tries from kicks, which is amazing given the way we do worry about that kind of thing. And also, as far as channels go, defending, attacking, they meet up nicely for the Sharks.

[00:17:03] I'll let you do your own research on that. But there's a lot of things going for us in this game. I believe the conditions will be pretty good, unlike last week. So you'll probably see some points in this one. And that's a slight concern because if Braley and if Hines don't play, then we're missing two of our spine and we've got to create those points. However, we're missing some of those guys against the Bulldogs. We scored some points there.

[00:17:30] We scored some points in the second half of the Dragons game when they were missing, et cetera. So it's not an impossible task. I just don't want to go neck and neck with the Roosters try for try if we can avoid it. Yeah, if we can avoid it, that's definitely what we want to do. Is this the first time we've played the Roosters at Allianz Stadium? At the new one, I believe so, yeah. Yeah, right. Yeah, I believe so. But yeah, especially at their home ground. We don't want to be chasing points or in that sort of situation where the crowd comes into the game.

[00:17:59] But I think it'll be a good one. And I think if we can play to our strengths like we've done over the past four games, we'll come away with a win. Before we let you go, Gary, the Sharks released a video of the Leagues Club this morning. I don't know if you've had time to see it. It looks unbelievable and we're getting closer. Yeah, it is. It's getting closer. It's exciting. We can't wait to get in there pre-game and post-game and do what we all love to do and hang out with other Sharks fans, drink and talk footy and have some nice food and all that sort of stuff. It's looking really good.

[00:18:29] I haven't seen the video that's come out this morning, but obviously from my time there, I saw some little modeling and things like that over the years. And yeah, I'm excited to have that open so we can all get together once again and walk into those games ready to go. There's a lot more reveal in it. There's no date. There's no other things in it, but there's a lot to get out of the video when people check it out. A lot of info, a lot of detail about what's going to be where and food and drink and the whole thing. So it's pretty cool. Go check it out when you can.

[00:18:59] Yeah, that's awesome. Yes, it is awesome. You're awesome, Gary. Thanks for joining us. Really appreciate it. And we'll talk to you soon, no doubt. And do you want to give your kids Insta a plug? Oh, yeah. My boys have been hounding me to start a YouTube channel and an Instagram for them over the past year. They've been watching too much YouTube, but I told them they needed to get something worth doing and they finally decided that they're opening footy card packs together. So they're called The Card Break Brothers and they're on Instagram and YouTube.

[00:19:28] So go check them out. They'd appreciate the follow. Yeah, it's very cute. We've already posted a few things. If that'll help you get to it, if you're on SharkCast Pod Instagram, go check that out via us. Otherwise, as Gary said, go to those avenues. It's really cool. I think maybe mum and dad might have done a bit of editing for them. Yeah. They contribute to that. They contribute to that. They sit there and say, put this here, put that there. In my post, I did say this is the future of Sharkast in 10 years. So looking forward to that.

[00:19:58] And yeah, appreciate your time, Gary. We'll talk to you soon. This has been the Gaz and Shinazzi Show and let's go Sharks. Sharkast is supported by the best and most honest real estate agent in the Sutherland Shire, Jason Hawes from Crips and Crips Real Estate. He's an expert in the Caring Bar region and has his eye all across the Shire. Lifelong Sharks fan and supporter of this podcast. If you're looking to buy or sell in the region, the person you need to be talking to is Jason Hawes from Crips and Crips Real Estate.

[00:20:27] Call him on 0410 417 450. That's 0410 417 450. Jason Hawes, Crips and Crips Real Estate.