SharkCast: Crossover Episode On The Boom Rookies Podcast, Live From Vegas!

[00:00:09] This is NRL Boom Rookies.

[00:00:47] The SharkCast, one of my oldest friends in all of sports media, Sam Shnazzi. Welcome. Hey, how are you going? Not the official Sharks Podcast, they don't have one, but heavily endorsed by them. Yes. But hello, welcome to Nevada. What a great place. So Sam, I go back with you probably further than anyone in this industry. Yeah, well some of them, yeah sure. You've known me longer than Chester, my son.

[00:01:13] That's absolutely true. I mean, when I started as a young lad at Fox Sports in the stats department in 2009, when I was what, 18 or 19? You were there, and we've been friends ever since. Absolutely. Drive by on Chester. He's too small to his own son. You haven't met him. Nah, I shouldn't say that because he listens to everything I'm on. So hey Chester, hope you're doing well buddy. We're here talking about Rugby League, amazing. It only took you guys, what, 11 seasons now to get me on the show to talk about the one thing I know about in life, aside from audio. Yeah.

[00:01:44] You're not bitter about it though, which is important. Love Sarah. I was going to say, how much do you hate Sarah Keegan? Love Sarah. Okay. You should have heard what he said before we turned the mics on. I said I love her. Yeah, you did actually, you were consistent. Anyway. As a human being, love her. Yeah, okay, don't make it weird. Alright, so, we've got four games to talk about. So you're just going to sit perfectly silent until we get to the Cronulla game. Correct. Okay, great. No, no. First up, first up, like let's talk a little bit about what's been going on a bit.

[00:02:09] Because yesterday we had the big Fan Fest out at Fremont Street, which both of you guys were at, I'm assuming? Incorrect, but I was at the Fan Day. I was there. Ah, Fan Day. Talk me through it. Because I was watching my beloved Golden Knights have it out with the Chicago Blackhawks. Fan Day in the afternoon was awesome. The four NRL teams doing autographs, signing, that kind of thing. Bit of a party vibe. And it was fun. Really well managed. There were a lot of people. I don't know if everyone got through, but they did their best. The teams were really cool. DJ going nuts. Bit of media.

[00:02:38] Cody K down there. That sort of thing. But I was flat out and I didn't make it to the Fremont Street, but I heard it was off the charts. Yeah, so I was there last year as well. And I can say pretty confidently. And Josh Brennan, who was there last year as well, agreed with me that there was far more people there last year. Sorry, far more people there this year than last year. But obviously having the two English teams helps that. But I just think that a lot of people saw how fun it was last year and said they're going to go. And yeah, the atmosphere down there was excellent.

[00:03:08] They had all the team intros. Everyone was in very good spirits. The thing that caught my attention the most was that Brian Toto, who was apparently too injured to play, did a flip. And the worm. Yeah, so for some reason they made a player from every team dance when the team came out. They put on like a track, like a dance track and like yum. I think it was Sarah Togatuki did it for the women as well. And when it got to the Panthers, Biza came out, did a few moves and then just did a complete flip. Well, Biza's not human. That's true, but he's not playing.

[00:03:37] They're saying, oh, he's got a calf injury or a hamstring. He doesn't have calves and hamstrings the way normal people do. You know, this is the guy that fuels up on two breakfast burgers, 48 Coke zeros and two large fries for every game day. It's a fair point. You know what I mean? Like if he thinks that doing the splits is going to help rehab this injury, then I'm letting him do it. Yeah. Biza does whatever he wants. Yeah, so it was really good, really good, really good vibe down there. I think everyone's in great spirits. Obviously really looking forward to tomorrow.

[00:04:05] And then, Kev, we went to a USA Tomahawks reunion as well afterwards. Yes, that was absolutely awesome. So David New, who we're going to have on the show probably later this week, probably on the one that reviews the games and all that, was a really big figure in American Rugby League for a really long time, helped get the sport going here in the early 90s. And for about maybe, you know, 15, 20 years was really, really hands on and like a true believer in the sport and its potential in this country.

[00:04:33] And had a sort of big reunion for a bunch of blokes from the AMNRL days. Bunch of old Tomahawks were down there. It was really cool. There was Matty Johns and Brian Carney and both of Matty Johns boys were both down there too. So a little bit of star power and it was just great. And Mike Whitney. Was Mike Whitney there? I've never been starstruck before. He's here. I knew he was in Vegas. I didn't see him there. I didn't get there until a bit later. He left before you got there. But like, so it's funny.

[00:04:56] Like I've interviewed, you know, like Usain Bolt, like some of the act, like some of those famous actors in the world, Naomi Campbell, big names, Richard Branson, never been starstruck by anyone. I was starstruck by Mike Whitney. Did you just go up and say who dares wins? I couldn't do it. Couldn't you? I didn't want to bother him. Mike, if you pay me 50 bucks, I'll do literally, I'll do the most fucked up thing you can imagine. I don't feel like I'd earned the right to talk to Mike Whitney. I didn't go up to him. Like a bison tight emperor. You're like, I can't look him in the eye. No, there's a lot like that. But then I was going to talk to him because he left shortly before you got there.

[00:05:26] I mean, boom rookies are here. SharkCast is here. It's the elite podcast in the world. Every other man, woman and their dog is here. It is unbelievable. Yeah. On the fringe of sport entertainment from Australia. Let's go to Vegas. Yeah. Love it. Love it. Well said, Naz. Yeah. The highlight of the reunion last night had to be Bobo, one of the blokes who helped organize it all.

[00:05:52] Getting up on stage with the band and singing Purple Rain to the entire casino while wearing a Tom Hawks jersey. It was great. That's great. If he's not playing halftime tomorrow, Volandis has dropped the ball. Big time. Is Shepard playing tomorrow? No, but they did get the Stafford brothers at the Fan Fest last night. A Justice crew in town? No. They got Shepard last year. This year it was Stafford brothers. They're on rotation. Christina Anu is singing the national anthem, I think. Is she? No, of course. That would actually go so hard. Why would you put that out there and then take it away from me?

[00:06:19] Because we're just naming musical acts that have perpetually been associated with rugby league. Christina Anu rocks, man. She does. Come on. Shepard have some good songs. I'm not saying these are bad things. I wasn't sure if Shepard was a band or a person. It's three people, I think. I think they're related. Are they related? Two people at the NRL, yes. Geronimo? Yes. Ever heard of it? Great song. Good for them. Anyway, four games to talk about. Amazing. Yeah. We did kind of express concerns yesterday that it is a bit too long, but then you think

[00:06:48] about it and it's like, well, we want a women's game. It would be weird if we only had one NRL game because then half the fans wouldn't be here. And I think the influx of POMS has really given everyone a lift this weekend as well. So, is the reason we are not doing two days, is it because of like venue hire? Like why is it? We were talking about this yesterday. That's, I imagine that would, that would be why, you know? Um, there are a lot of people here. I don't know if there's enough people to split it across two days. I agree.

[00:07:16] Like part of me would love that if after we did this show today, we went out and watched the Super League and then watch the Jilleros kill England. That'd be awesome. But yeah, I just don't think that they, I, I'm not privy to this stuff, but I assume venue stuff for a stadium of that magnitude, but I assume the cost would be through the roof. You've got to remember you've got to hire staff at all the concession stands, security, all that stuff. It costs them a lot of money. And I think they'd massively cut into their own margins if they did it. And Camper, are you saying that if we rock up to night one of Raiders Warriors, we're

[00:07:45] less inclined to go to the next day? Um, I think sat through a lot of Raiders games. They can put people off the sport. Insert team. Oh mate, I, I just, um, I think the NRL wants the single big crowd figure. And I think if you went over two days that you get some sickos that would go to both. Yeah, for sure. A lot of people I think would only go to one. I agree with that. You know, cause this, this bag has just got so much else to offer as well. So I don't know, four games, four games is a lot.

[00:08:13] And there's a rumor going around that there's no pass outs, which is tough. We're both pretty sure that there's no pass outs. We're locking it in, Camper. We're locking it in. I hope we're wrong. But again, it's like, if the worst thing about this weekend for us is we have to watch too much footy. That's okay. We'll be okay. We'll make it. There's a lot of real problems in the world. This ain't one, but yeah. What's the catering situation like for punters? I've heard it's pretty vast and wild. Uh, I don't know. I was in a, I was in a, I was in a box last year. I lost the comments. Look at you, buddy.

[00:08:43] How far you've come. Yeah. So he's just, uh, the caviar is quite nice there. Yeah. I can't, I can't actually, you can't really go back to stuff. Pairs well with the local champagne. Well, it did actually. It was refreshing. I had beers on my hat with the straw. Oh, you would, you would be barred at the, you would be barred at the door. I had one of those hats once. Did it work? It was a great time of my life. Oh, okay. Um, do you reckon the nacho hat that home has? You could actually buy that anywhere. Probably not. Yeah. No, the one where you eat the whole hat. I'm sure it's a thing somewhere. Or it was.

[00:09:13] Was the cheese on the top of the hat? Yeah, it was. It was on top. So you'd have to reinforce the bottom of that. And then you wouldn't want to eat like. Lest it break through and scald your head in queso. That wouldn't be great. A glorious death maybe. Well, that's Game of Thrones scene but with cheese. Ready for a controversial nacho take? You don't like queso. Ah, that liquid cheese shit. Get it the fuck out. Yeah, I think it's so gross. Oh, okay. I think it tastes like plastic. You know what else, Campo? What about your beef with the sphere? I hate, well, I was talking about this on the show yesterday. I hate the sphere. I really don't like it. It keeps looking at you. It keeps looking at me. Don't care for it.

[00:09:43] Um, and I'm going to fight the sphere. You could tackle it. Yeah, I think the sphere's all talk and I'm going to take it down. Okay. Going to do a service to the people of Las Vegas. Jeez, that's a big call. All right. So that crack means. Get on. Oh yeah. It's time to start talking some footy. All right, we'll start from the top. Warrington, Wigan. These two teams don't like each other one bit. Bevan French, Sam Burgess, coaching. All your favorites. Yeah, just keep going.

[00:10:12] Um, we know they don't like each other because- They sing to each other in the streets how much they hate each other. Mm. Streets of Vegas. Ah, yeah, they did. They actually did that. Not the streets of Warrington. That did happen last night to be fair. Oh. Um, yeah. So like we've mentioned a few times that having the Super League team has added a real different flavor to this weekend. There are a lot of pommies around. Um, they all wear their jerseys all the time and you hear them before you see them. So they're easy to identify. Um, this is a bit of, it's a marquee, it's a marquee matchup.

[00:10:41] Wigan won literally every trophy on offer last year. Mm-hmm. And Warrington have sort of been there or thereabouts for many years now. Um, the guys I'm excited to see, like of course, Bevan French, who's sort of become an absolute legend in Wigan over the last few years. Like he's got a highlight reel on YouTube that will absolutely blow your hair back. So go check that out. But there's a couple of other blokes I'm keen to see. Wigan's got this big second row junior in Assemba. Okay. Who is like all knees and elbows.

[00:11:10] He's like a tall rangy thing. A real up and comer over there. And I think he's someone that NRL clubs are going to be having a real, real look at in the next few years and this will be the first chance I think for a lot of Aussie fans to, to see him. So check that out. And then did you guys see, we're going to have this bloke coming off the bench named Tyler Dupree. Uh huh. Right. Sounds like a wrestler. He's a front rower. Okay. His uncle, Billy Joe Dupree is a three time pro bowler and won a Super Bowl with the Cowboys in the seventies. Playing what position? Tight end. That's awesome. Wow.

[00:11:39] And his grandfather, champion Jack Dupree was orphaned at a young age because his parents were murdered by the clan. Wow. And then he grew up, then he grew up to become a boxer and a famous blues musician. How's this bloke ended up playing footy? Uh, well, uh, champion Jack moved to, uh, resettled in the north of England. Yeah. In I think the fifties or the sixties. Okay. And that's his, that's his grandfather. And now he, now he plays for Wigan. What's the man's story? I've read the story on NRL.com. It was amazing. Is the dad going to blow the Warrington horn? Is there a Warrington horn?

[00:12:07] I think, I think, I think his dad's passed, but he's, but, um, yeah, he hasn't met a lot of his American relatives, but yeah, Billy Joe Dupree. That's cool. Won a Super Bowl with the Cowboys in the seventies. I thought it was awesome. Let's hear some guys. Matt Dufty, Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Kate Ellis, Jai Field, Bevan French. Jai Field, Jai Field's sick too. Yeah. Cruz Leeming, Patrick Margo, Dan Russell, Abbas Miski. Oh no. Paul Vaughn, Luke Thompson, George Williams. Did he ever play for Canberra? George Williams? Yes, he did.

[00:12:37] Oh, he did. He's the captain of England now. Seriously? Really? Yeah. So the guys to watch on Warrington, George Williams, of course, he's one of the best players in Super League. He's a really good player in the NRL too. I wish he never left. Um, Matt Dufty is, I think we all know what he was in the NRL, but in Super League, he's extremely, extremely effective. Really? He runs fast. Yeah, he runs. So they're probably the ones to watch. I'm probably leaning Wigan just on the basis of a little bit more star power and panache, but with coach Burgess calling the shots, who knows what would be happening.

[00:13:06] If I'm betting against Sam Burgess, like give me a break. Of course I'm not doing that. And also I'm not going to endorse a team that lost one nil. That is absolute nonsense. I was watching that live. Were you? Yeah, I was. Just by chance I flicked it on. Yeah. And it was nil all in the 60th or whatever. Okay. It's a bit weird. And then once it got to sort of 75th minute, it was, yeah, the commentators were going nuts. And then yeah, golden point was just, I was like, I'm sticking around for this. Hell yeah. The old one nil win.

[00:13:31] So I, I'm a firm believer that when a game is really low scoring or scoreless, there is a point where that tips over from being boring to the most entertaining. Yeah. Absolutely. What minute of the game does that transition occur? Do you guys think? I think it's like 64 ish. Yeah. Yeah. Early 60s. I like that. Yeah. Yeah. All right. So I'm going more internships. I have no opinion. You got to pick one. I don't like Sam Burgess. So I'll go for the other team. He shouldn't have finished that.

[00:14:00] He shouldn't have played that grand final. He should have gone off after 30 seconds or whatever. You should have had your premiership stripped for cheating. Oh, so it's tit for tat. Is that what we're doing? You started it, you tit. Anyway. Bungard turning on his beloved sharks. He's bringing it out of me. He's going hard at me. I feel like everyone a sharks fan until a true sharks fan walks in the room. I'm not going to go at you. I'm going to go at Sam Burgess and the referees feel like letting him play on. Yeah. How dare he get assaulted on the field? What a jerk. Grow up, snaz. All right. We'll skip ahead. We'll do the NRL games last. I'm a sat like that.

[00:14:30] Okay. We'll do the NRL games last. So we'll do Jilleros next. The third game of the day though in between the two men's NRL games. Australia firm favorites, Nick, but you're telling me they haven't played England since the NRLW began. Yeah. We like to be positive on this show, but we also like to tell it like it is. I think the Jilleros are absolutely going to wreck this. And also we like to be positive when Australia is playing a team like Papua New Guinea or Samoa, but it's England. I want to win a thousand nil. Yeah. It's going to rule.

[00:14:59] The women's game in England is in a bit of a tough spot because the women's game in Australia and the knock on effect New Zealand has shot up massively in the like, let alone since the start of the NRLW in the last two or three seasons. Like we've all seen how, how much the standard has improved and how many more elite players have sort of come into elite setups. For sure. And England just can't, just can't compete with that. Yeah. You know, there's just not the same.

[00:15:27] And it's not because the, it's not because the England, it's not because the rugby football league doesn't believe in the women's game. There's just not the same amount of resources that can be invested, you know? Like, and the, like you look at the cultural aspects of rugby league over there where it's just not as popular as other sports. And then you add the aspect of it being women's sport to that and the player pool that they've got, they was just the talent pool is so much smaller. Yeah. And like, so there's a few players that have started to fill. Holly May Dodd. Holly May Dodd. I like Georgia Roach as well. She's just been up at the Knights.

[00:15:56] And the, the, the super league, the women's super league comp does have some really good sides. York city, York city Valkyries. Yep. Are a really, are a really good team. I think leads are quite strong as well, but I think there's get, there's a pretty clear gulf between the, between these two teams. 30 and a half. And I'd take the gillaroos at the minus. I think they're going to smash it. Well, like think about what they did to New Zealand in the, in the Pacific championships final last year. Yep. Where they absolutely belted them. And that's the second best side in the world.

[00:16:24] In the world cup final two years before they beat New Zealand 50 now. You know, like it's just, it's, it's tough to, it's tough for me to see England being competitive in this one. I mean, they are, they, they are awesome. Like in the pack champs, they played three games and scored 130 points conceded for. Yeah. And now, now Olivia Koenig's in the team as well. Yeah. Now the reigning Dallium winner has been added to the squad. Yeah. Like I remember that world cup final, absolutely slaughtered them. And I think we could see something like that here.

[00:16:52] So the last time they did play England was a 2017 world cup and they won 38 nil. So yeah, I think this cookie guggly, but again, because it's England, I don't care. Yeah. Let's run up the score. Is that fair enough? Let's show that. Yeah. I don't follow the international women's game as strongly as you guys at the moment. It surprised me a little bit that you think it's going to happen. It makes sense how the English fans going to react. They're what the first game and third game.

[00:17:20] Are they walking out after that for the main event? Maybe. Are they setting the place on fire or what are they going to do? I think it'll depend on how drunk they get. I love drunk. And judging by the way the Pommies are out here, the answer will be very. Okay. Well, I mean, do you want to see a competitive game, Matthew, or not? I mean, I would like, like, competitive games are good for the sport. Yeah. But in this one particular case, I don't care if we smash them because it's England. Fair enough. Yeah. And smash them, they probably will.

[00:17:49] I will be tipping Australia by 40. That Quincy Dodd's a hell of a player. Isn't she just? Yeah. I'll go Australia by 52. Give a margin, Shnaz. England by one. Do it. I'll go 30 plus, yeah. Okay. That's not a margin. That's a range, but thank you. Whatever. God. Exhausting. He gets under your skin so easily. Like when I do it, it's an accurate. I have to try to do it. Shnaz is just out there making it look natural. Making it look effortless. Again, he's known me longer than anyone. He knows how to push my buttons. It's hard to do.

[00:18:19] I'm usually so level headed. Okay, buddy. Okay. Four o'clock. I don't know what time it is in Australia. Or is it four o'clock in Australia? No, it'll be 11. No, it's 11-ish. How good am I going? Canberra, the Warriors. The Warriors are favourite Snicks, which shocks me a little bit. Well, you know, mate, it's Canberra. Every off season, people forget what Canberra have done the previous year and no one watches them anyway. That's why people always tip them for the wooden spoon year in, year out.

[00:18:48] People always underestimate the Raiders and that's how they get them. This is an intriguing matchup to me because I think the two teams both have really strong forward packs. I quite like their 2-5 as well. Canberra are a little bit more settled in the halves though. And I think that might end up being the difference. I really, really like that Canberra debooing Owen Paddy off the bench. I think he's going to be the long-term hooker and I'm really stoked to see him get this chance early.

[00:19:17] And I don't think it'll be easy, but I actually think the contours of the field kind of really favour Canberra. So it's a bit narrower than the standard rugby league field. It is narrower, yeah. And that was noticeable last year. And famously, Canberra are not allowed to shift the ball. Not one a week. Sorry. One shift a week. Yeah. And we're looking to build the two. But when Ricky Stewart's looking at the dimension of that field and going, geez, crash balls look like they'll be pretty effective. Mate, 100%. Well, like you look at Canberra, they've got the big main forward pack with a lot of depth and a lot of muscle there as well. You know?

[00:19:44] I also really like that Horsburgh starting at prop and Papaliti's coming off the bench. I just noticed that. What's that about? Well, I think it's more like, um, they like Papaliti as sort of like the second, as the second change. And then you've got at least one of Horsburgh, Tarpanay and Papaliti on the field at all times. And you could even finish really strong with them. They did it in the last couple of games of last season and it worked really, really well. Um, and I actually think that'll be important because while the Warriors have the two great

[00:20:11] starting props in Fisher Harris and Barnett, I think because Canberra have the stronger bench, they'll be able to sort of get stronger as the game goes on. Right. And because they've got that strong middle and they've got Fogarty's kicking game, if they just do the classic Canberra thing of, we're just going to play really physical, maybe push some boundaries. Fogarty's just going to keep kicking the ball and turning it over to the Warriors in uncomfortable positions and then just hope some weird shit happens. And like, that's a formula for success for Canberra. Like that's kind of.

[00:20:39] And the Warriors like to throw it around a bit more. So the, the narrower field may affect. Exactly. Yeah. And like, while I, I like a lot of what the Warriors are doing and I've actually quite liked the look of them in preseason. I don't know if Luke Metcalf, it can be sort of like the organizing halfback that they need him to be. I really like him as a player. I've liked him ever since he was at the Sharks, but to me, he's very much a second receiver, a creative player more than like an on field, on field general. So I just don't know if the fit's going to be quite there. It is an intriguing game.

[00:21:09] Looking at these lineups, young fellows. Really, really like the Warriors starting pack dynamic. Wade Egan's awesome. And yeah, but I do think I do look at the bench a little bit and think that might be when Canberra get on top as you just noted. And the Warriors, you know, they've got so much talent in that backline, especially I know Dallin's not playing, but they've still got RTS and Tua Peaky who we're big fans of. Yeah, Tua Peaky's a great replacement. And again, like this is just, this is a game where it does feel like the outside backs are going to be nullified a little bit just because of the way the field is and the way I think the game, the game flow is going to be.

[00:21:38] And I do think that does favour Canberra. And the other half of it is like, we haven't really seen what the Warriors are going to look like without Sean Johnson yet. And that is such a seismic change for a football club to, I mean, you know, we went through with Adam Reynolds a couple of years ago and I think South's still trying to now, three years later struggling to find an identity without their half back. And it's a big change. It's a really big change. And sometimes it takes, it will, it takes teams a while to figure out what they're going to be when someone who's that important to their team leaves.

[00:22:07] And the other half of it is James Fisher-Harris is awesome, but like Fanua Blake, I think is just a little bit better for the way that the Warriors play specifically in terms of just with ball enhanced stuff. I think he can do a little bit more creatively, whereas Fisher-Harris is sort of more. Creatively? Creatively. Okay. What did I say? There was an extra tea in there. Was that worth interrupting me for? I don't know. It was off-putting. God, you worry about the sphere, which is again staring at you. He actually is staring at him right now. I hate you, the sphere.

[00:22:35] Anyway, so Fanua Blake's ball playing, I think is undervalued a little bit when people talk about just getting Fisher-Harris in for Fanua Blake and losing nothing. So it'd be interesting to see that aspect of it too. I kind of want to interject that we talked about this a bit on the Warriors preview. I actually think Fisher-Harris is a more capable passer than Fanua Blake. Really? Yeah, Fanua Blake a more dynamic runner, especially close line. Matty's thinking about the offload though, I think. Yeah, but even, I don't know, Fisher's like pre-line passing is a real, real strength of his game. But again, I don't know if that helps him on the narrow field. And I think that's going to be a big thing for the Warriors this year, getting Barnett

[00:23:04] and Fisher-Harris and Walker and using passing to set up running and all that sort of deal. And I just don't think it can work on the narrow confines of Allegiant Stadium. There were some points scored last year though, right? Yeah, South Manly was like 36 to 24 or something like that. It was a pretty high scoring game. And then I was very drunk by the end of the second game. I don't remember what happened. The Roosters won. Know that. They sure did. But yeah, no, there are points in these games for sure. Like, but I just think it's the way they scored a little bit.

[00:23:33] Do you think there's points in this game? Well, Canberra, like Canberra aren't necessary. Like Canberra are not, they're the antithesis of the Neutrals to light, right? This is a team that actively like turns people off rugby league. The perverts reward. Like this is a team where again, like I would, if you were trying to convert Americans to the game, I would not be getting the Canberra Raiders. Americans fleeing the stadium. Hudson Young just pulled someone's eye out of their socket and they're like, oh, okay. It's a bit weird.

[00:24:01] But yeah, no, they're not the decision of the team I'd pick if I was going with the entertainers of the league stand. But, and I think this game could be a bit of a slugfest in that regard because like, yeah, I don't know exactly where the Warriors points are going to come from. I think that might be a problem for them all year, but especially in this game. And I could see Canberra doing what Canberra do so well and just grinding their way to a win or doing what they also do well, which is getting up 16 nil and then losing. Both possibilities feel very, very apparent. That's true.

[00:24:28] I see this one being pretty, a bit of a low scorer. Yeah, me too. You know what I mean? Like a 20 to 10 or something like that. Round one, finding your feet. Yeah. So I'll go, I'll go, I'll go Raiders 16, 6. I don't want to see my friend sad. So I'm going to take Canberra 20, Warriors 12. I'm always a little bit sad, man. Oh, come on, mate. Sam? I really don't know.

[00:24:55] I'm going to say a week's field goal will win it. I love that. Yeah. There you go. Has he kicked a field goal before? He has not. Okay. He's going to do anything, Kyle Weeks. That's true. We're not going to go to Ethan Strange or Jamal Fogarty. Wow. Are you going to take that? What? He's just slandering Jamal Fogarty. It's weeks' year. It's weeks' year. The year of weeks. It's confusing. Every year has weeks in it. Yeah. This one's going to have more than 52. It's going to have 53. Oh, jeez. Kyle, Kyle, week 53. Terrifying. That's what they call him.

[00:25:25] Bending the laws of time and space. Mate, that's what he does. Apparently. All right. And then the main event, Penrith, Cronulla, Sam. You've come all the way around the world to watch your team play. Yes. They're playing the greatest rugby league team in history. Yes. And yet you're feeling confident? I'm feeling all right. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, for sure. I think it'll be a close one. And I think the Sharkies are up for it.

[00:25:49] Like they're a lot more stable as in one guy is in for the change. And that's Adam Penua-Blake as we know he's going to be amazing. Good in. Good in. I'm not putting shade in the Panthers. I don't think they're going to be, you know, every year they lose someone. Oh, they're going to be fine. Yeah. They're going to be right up there if not taking it for the fifth time. But I just think week one, we're up for it. And I like the lineup that we've got.

[00:26:15] They've got a second row in the centers, which may not affect them on the shorter field. But I like that. I like our, you know, more versatile, faster guys up against their edge back row playing in the centers. Jack Cole, 5'8". Interesting they didn't throw in the new fellow from Parramatta. But yeah, I think the Sharkies, all bias aside, I think they're right in it for this game. I think it'll be a close one.

[00:26:46] I like that you say that they're really up for it. They are. I kind of, I feel like the Sharks have a lot to prove this year because with the addition of Fanua Blake, if everyone's healthy, there's no more excuses. Like this should be a team with premiership aspirations. Yeah. And that can start right here. And that can really put you on the front. Like, I know it's only round one and all that sort of thing. Yeah. But it can really galvanize you. It can really set up your season.

[00:27:13] And I think when I say Cronulla have a lot to prove, I think they, as part of it, they want to prove it to themselves, you know, because that record against the big teams in the last couple of years isn't all it could be. And there was the game at Shark Park against Panerth last year. I think that'll be very present in their minds. Yeah. And I think that gives them a real, and like, it's already a big game. It's already a really big event. Oh, it's massive. But it just sort of gives them that little bit extra. Yeah.

[00:27:41] So I am very much expecting the best of the Sharks in this one. Yeah. I think that this is a grand final preview. This was my grand final pick when we did the previews. And from talking with, I was out with Sam the other night and there was a couple of people from, of a Sharks persuasion there. And the mood among Sharks fans is basically what you guys just said. It's really, it's title or bust this year. There's no more time for excuses. There's no more time for kiddie gloves. There's no more time for any of that nonsense. It's put up or shut up. There's no excuses now. This roster is really, really good.

[00:28:10] There is no, there's no real weak spots in it now. We talked about needing a middle forward and they went out and signed arguably the best middle forward in the world. Maybe the second or third best, depending on how you rank those three guys. But a top three middle forward in the world got him in there. If everyone stays fit, there's no reason why this team shouldn't be right up there. And I think the players know that. Like I did get sort of a vibe from the Sharks last night that they were very locked in for this game. At a level that even the Penrith team that somehow managed to find motivation to be locked in every game.

[00:28:39] Yeah, Penrith always locked in. But I do think that this game means more to Cronulla. And yes, it is only around one, but they're only going to get a couple of chances in the regular season against these teams that they're going to have to, these dragons that they're going to have to slay in the postseason. They're only going to get a couple of chances for a practice hit at them in the regular season. And this is a great time to get, I know Toto's not playing. I know they've got Luke Garner in the centers, but this is a pretty strong Panthers team. It's not an origin depleted Panthers team like the Sharks so often get.

[00:29:08] This is a really strong Panthers team. And if they can go out there in round one with the world watching, 300 million Americans tuning into their television sets to watch the Tom Brady of the NFL. Sorry, to watch the Tom Brady of the NRL, go up against the other Tom Brady of the NRL and the Sharks can put on a show. Then that I think will do wonders for this group in terms of their confidence and in terms of the way that people back home talk about this team. And it just kind of shapes the narrative for this season in a good way in week one.

[00:29:34] So the only thing on my mind when you say all that is that going into that 42-0 loss last year, it was the same vibe. Yeah. We've got everything to prove. Penrith, we've got nothing to prove. And they come out and do that to us at home. So I got it. It's cool, Bunger. I'll manage that. The prelim game, I think they'll take a lot out of that. Yeah. Because they, with bias, I thought they matched them for 16. He thinks they should have won. I do.

[00:30:05] They had like 15 handling errors. Hold the ball. That's how they should have won. Hold the ball. Yeah. They were neck and neck for 60 minutes. And I think they'll take a lot out of that. Okay. Yeah. I really do. Both positive and negative. Like they'll be annoyed that they did that. Yeah. A little bit pissed off. But they went with them. Sorry, boys. Black, white, and blue. They went with them. Go watch the replay. I know that's what you hear it do in Vegas, Bunger. Study up. What do you feel? Study up.

[00:30:34] Sorry, fellas. I can't hit the tables tonight. Watching film. Watching film. Hey. This is the life we live in. I do like the idea of 300 million Americans watching this game. It's like bigger than the mood landing. 2%. They huddle around the front of department stores. We've got to bring that back. Men are throwing hats in the air. I know we've said this before, but we've got to bring back people huddling around department store windows to watch major events. Absolutely. The last episode of Seinfeld. Yeah. In Broadway. See, if we could do that on the Sphere, then maybe I'd be more amicable to it.

[00:31:02] The Sphere. For the Vegas people. For the 300 million Americans. Of course. Oh, that's the... In round one, they beat them. They're playing again in the replay. God, they beat them in the season opener. They're playing the championship game. Chenezes, love the confidence. Absolutely love it. But it's not blind.

[00:31:32] And I'm not suggesting there's blowouts. I think that we're a strong chance to win this game. Yeah. No, I love the confidence and I don't think it's unfounded. Yeah. On the other side of the coin, is there anything that worries you? Is there anything in that team that you're particularly afraid of? Well, everyone talks about Cronulla being stabilised at the same thing, but okay, they've lost some key players. They've still got a hell of a lot of literally championship players in their team. They've got the seven, who is the Tom Brady of the... Or one of the Tom Bradys.

[00:32:01] Of the NRL. And I saw last year in the prelim how he can turn it on a dime. Trindle goes to the 40-20. It misses by two centimetres. Next set. Cleary gets it. I'm going to kick a 40-20. Boom. Like, that's scary stuff. So, I'm definitely nervous, but it's a different nervous to having played them in the last few years. Yeah, okay. So, a lot of the time over the last couple of years when we've talked about Penrith, eventually we sort of throw our hands up and say, like, there's nothing new to say. But this year... Oh, wow.

[00:32:30] Penrith smashed him in the middle. And Isaiah Yeo was awesome. And Nathan Cleary kicked him to death. Yep. And Tau scored a couple of tries. And everyone went home going, how good are Penrith? I actually think Penrith are going to be a little bit different this year. I think they're going to have to be a little bit different because I know that they've covered for all the losses over the years. But Luay and Fisher-Harris are probably the two biggest ones. Yep. And the Fisher-Harris one especially because they weren't expecting that, you know? That sort of caught him on the hop a little bit.

[00:33:00] And credit to him for letting him go and go back home for family reasons. But I also... I think that with what Penrith have built, it can take a little bit of time for new players to get into it. And I talked about this on the Penrith preview show. I thought Blaise Telanghi was going to start at 5'8". But now that he's not, I'm not that surprised. I'm not that surprised that Isaiah Papali is on the bench as well. Because it can take time to acclimatize to the way they do things.

[00:33:28] And once you do, like sort of once you're in the brotherhood, then you're in forever. You know? Like Luke Garner is a good example. He said himself, I did an interview with him in Grand Final Week, and he said it took him about a year to really feel comfortable and really feel like he knew how things worked there. You know? And now he's starting in the centres. And someone that Ivan Cleary really, really trusts and relies on. I quite like our bench of the three forwards. Talakai, Hamlin Welley and Hazleton. I like that too. That to me is pretty dominant. That's cool.

[00:33:58] I don't know if I'd go for the utility or not. They've gone for Dane Laurie. We've gone for Dan Atkinson. I'm a four forwards kind of guy. If there's no injuries, that kind of thing. A renaissance man. But I'm looking forward to seeing particularly Talakai and Hamlin Welley come off the bench. They've got a size advantage on the bench, the Sharks. And they've got Hazleton, who's such a great impact player. And Talakai, who is just such a value. Anyone who can play prop and second row and centre is just absolutely invaluable.

[00:34:29] And Penrith's bench probably is a little bit small, even with Papali'i on there. I imagine he'll come on and Sorensen will go to the middle. While Sorensen's a really good player, it's more sort of leg speed. So the Sharks might be able to get some momentum through the ruck, which is hard against Penrith. But I think they do have a size and athleticism advantage there. Yeah, I completely agree. I'm just so excited to see this team with Adam Fennell-Blake. I just think that they are so talented.

[00:34:56] And just having an extra way to hurt teams, to keep teams honest a little bit, even, is just gigantic. And the Sharks have some good forwards, don't worry. Might be the biggest Tom Hazleton fan. But Fennell-Blake, he's going to make everyone better as well. It's just going to make everything better. I'm so excited. I am the president of the island of Blake Braley. I have always been so. But I've been a very proud president in the last couple of years because he's really starting to shine.

[00:35:24] And this year, I believe, is another level as well. And that's on the back of your fella, Fennell-Blake. Yeah, should be a great season for Braley as well. I think they're going to really set a platform to do whatever he wants to do. And as you said, Nick, there's a lot of pressure on this team now. But that's where you want to be, right? Yes, you want this. You don't want to be, you know, as someone who's experienced both, you don't want to be one of those teams that is winning games and getting to the finals. Yeah, you're on the fringe. But people kind of, oh, it'd be fun if they won.

[00:35:53] Or like, oh, they're only here because of the draw. You want to be one of those teams that people hate and want to see fail and think you're going to win the comp and they're not happy about it. And I don't think anyone hates the Sharks, but the first part of what I said is they're getting to that aspect now. I think that this is a serious team. This is a serious team with serious aspirations this year. And the jokes stop on Saturday. And they have to. They simply have to. If they come into, like, obviously it's one game. We do preface this stuff.

[00:36:23] But I do think that setting the tone is really important. We're big fans of setting the tone. We love setting the tone. And I think that if you go into this game and just lose like 30 to 6, like that could take months for that playing group to sort of mentally pick up the pieces from that. And maybe it doesn't. Maybe they just come out in round 2 and smoke south. Yeah, I was at round 3 we play you and smoke south. But maybe it takes them a little while to sort of figure out what they want to do after that. But I don't think that's going to happen. I don't think that's going to happen. And I hope it doesn't. As a diehard, I would be obviously vastly disappointed by a result like that.

[00:36:52] But I'm looking for the win, obviously. And if they go within 6, it's not end of world stuff. But yeah, a 30 point loss, that's an interesting one. I'd be shocked if they lost by a big score. Yeah. Like properly shocked. Yeah. Is that fair? Yeah, sure. It should be fair. Like, you know, it's get or do in time. It is. Penrith, I'm keen to see how Jack Cole goes. He's someone the club's been really high on for a couple of years. Only seen the little bits that he's played in first grade.

[00:37:21] I actually thought that big win against the Sharks was maybe one of the best games that he's played in his limited time. Getting the run over to Lungi, who was a sort of high profile recruit. I think it shows the confidence that Ivan Cleary has in him. So what's the deal there? Are they competing throughout the year? I think Cole's won the job to start with, you know? Okay.

[00:37:42] But I also think it seems that the Panthers see Talanghi as an out-and-out half because otherwise he'd probably be out in the centers with To'o and Al-Omadi on the wing. I think a lot of Penrith's points are going to have to come directly from Nathan Cleary. I think with Luai leaving, he is the major creative outlet for this side. But he's more than up to that. Yeah. You know? So I'm going Penrith because they're Penrith. Because they're Penrith. And it's out of respect.

[00:38:11] But if Cronulla won, I wouldn't be shocked. No. I wouldn't be shocked at all. And you'd both be happy because you guys are like really into the Sharks. I listen every week. You guys talk about the Sharks so nicely. And from Shark Nation, we appreciate it. Are Sharks fans saying something nice about me? What's going on? What? Mate, the Sharks, they're good people out at Shark Nation. No, mate, they all think I hate them. No. They're not listening properly. I'm listening properly. You've got to listen to the words he's not saying. That's right. I'm tipping Cronulla, of course. I'm not schnaz. I can't invite you into my home. It's a beautiful home you have.

[00:38:41] And I can't fly halfway across the world to go to a Sharks bar and be a Sharks fan so I can get free drinks. And sing up Bob Cronulla and then not pick the boys. Let's be real. And it's going to be a very long season for Souths. So I think the old second team Bungard over here is going to be really leaning into the bit this year. Even more so. It's a bit. I don't know if it's a bit. I think he's living the gimmick. A bit too much, maybe. But no, in all seriousness, all by the side, I think that Toto not playing is gigantic.

[00:39:11] He's an amazing player. We've never seen anyone like him in his position. He's brilliant. Who doesn't love Brian Toto? 100% approval rating? Yeah. If someone said they didn't like Brian Toto, I would be suspicious. What's their angle? What are they up to? Nothing I want to know about. But I think him being out is massive. I think Cronulla, full steam ahead. They're locked in for this game. It means more to them than it does for Penrith. It just does. So I'll take it to win by seven. The old field goal. Who's kicking it? Nico has got to kick one at the end. He's got to have a big play in this game. And I think he's got it in him.

[00:39:40] We didn't really talk about him at all, Schneider. The other Tom Brady of the NFL. Yeah, sorry. Apart from what I flippantly said. Tom Brady Jr. TVJ. What do you want from him? Not just in this game, but this season. Because he's one of the most polarizing players in the entire league. Which is ridiculous. Of course it's ridiculous. I want him to, yeah, I want like peak Nico. Like 2022 Nico. He hasn't had too many bad games for us. Last year, the game against Canterbury, we missed the field goal. Like horrendous.

[00:40:10] There's no excuses there. The next morning, I know for a fact, he was down at Shark Park kicking 100 field goals from the front. Like he's a learner. He wants to make things right. But I need him just to block out all the noise, which I'm told that he is. Good. And just be Nico and play like you play. Run a bit. Kick a bit. Have some fun. Defensively, he's pretty good. Keep that focus. And he's a leader down there.

[00:40:34] So for all the don't pick on him kind of angles, he definitely needs to be at his best. Because he's our highest paid player. He's our role model. He's our guy for like the next, I don't know, six years. So let's get it done. Yeah, absolutely agree. So what's your score? Close one. I'll say Sharks by four to six. Okay. Five exactly then. We'll average it out. Yeah.

[00:41:00] I think it'll be like maybe, yeah, 22-18 or something. 25-20. There you go. Got it. One more thing we have to address before we get out of here. The team of the podcast has been confirmed. It happened last night. Did it last night. At El Cortez. You know, I don't know what the result is. I'm going to guess it's the Sharks. It's not. I'm going to guess there's a fin involved and it's the Sharks. You're very close. There is a fin involved. But it is the Dolphins. You just got to hand it to the Dolphins. They just wanted it more. So we spun up the wheel.

[00:41:31] Number one landed. That was one of the numbers that Brian picked when he came on to the Dolphins preview. We are fins up in 2025. And I've got to say, we're both pretty delighted about that. And I will say, and Eddie Smith, block your ears. When we first got to the roulette wheel, they said, oh, there's too many people playing right now. You have to wait. So we said, all right, this one doesn't count because we're not betting on it. And it spun up Para. Oh. Para team of the show would have been tough. I would have hated it. Like considering the long history that this show has of Parramatta. Yeah. Para fans, you talk about Sharks fans thinking you're not like them.

[00:42:00] They don't think, Para fans think we're the worst. What way is this? Oh, it goes back a while. It's like, I don't know. Mitch used to post the show on like Reddit and other socials and stuff. And it was like, when Para got their point strip for the salary cap stuff, we were like, yeah, that's probably fair. And Para fans acted like we were. I used to have a Mitch on my show, a Mitch type person. And now I don't. Mitch Healy? No, just a Mitch type person. Was it Mitch Brown? His name wasn't Mitch. His name's not important.

[00:42:31] But yes. Okay. Yeah. But no, I love all our Para listeners. I love all our listeners. We've got a fair few Para fans back in the fold now, which is good. But I'm Para. Yeah. I just, I don't know if I would have liked them as team of the pod. I don't know if I would have liked that. But the wheel decided. Dolphins are hard to dislike. They are. That's it. And they got the Hammer who we all like. Like, he's another guy with 100% approval rating. Yeah. You know? Absolutely. And they need a little bit of love. Yeah. Maybe they need the Boom Rookies rub. They are. It got mainly to the second week of the finals last year.

[00:43:01] Brian was very excited when I told him. Very good stuff. He was very happy. Out of all the Queensland teams, they're probably the most enjoyable team to watch for me. Yeah. We call them the neutral's delight. Mm. I think, I quite like watching all the Queensland teams, actually. All four of them. They're all pretty entertaining. You know what I don't like? And it's a weird thing I have. It's like a Queensland derby. It does nothing for me. This show is over. How did you invite him on the show? Sorry, I didn't vet. I didn't vet. Did you understand that we are the biggest 4X derby fans in the world? When I say that, I love Rugby League. Okay.

[00:43:30] I'll go watch anyone play anyone. And I'll watch anyone play anyone for a living. You know this. Okay. But, I don't know. The Friday night second game, Cowboys V, it just doesn't do it for me. Mate, when the Titans won the 4X derby last year, Chris Chard said it was the best day of his life. And I believed him. I'm happy for him. I believed him. You know? And look, if you don't want to be there this year when Bernard Fanning and Pat Rafter present the trophy to whoever is fortunate enough to win the 4X derby, that's your prerogative.

[00:43:59] What do we think of the... But we'll be there. Pat Rafter is shedding a single tear right now, Shanann. You are not welcome to Mount Isa. You have upset him so. I like Pat Rafter. You're barred from Mount Isa. What do we think of the Fanning-Dempsey combination? What? Talking rock and roll. Oh, the dude from Something for Kate. And the dude from Powderfinger, yeah. Well, yeah, I meant... Jesus. Have they done something together? They've got an album out, yeah. Is it any good? Oh, wow. Yeah, I really like... It's okay. I really like Bernard Fanning in Powderfinger.

[00:44:27] Bernard Fanning outside of Powderfinger, not as much for me. It's a little dull. Yeah. A great unit. A great unit, you know? Yeah, no, I think that's fair. A champion team. And I like Something for Kate, but yeah, I don't know if I need a Fanning-Dempsey co-collaboration. Fanning's hanging out for that reunion. If it was up to him, I think he'd be on. I was thinking in my head before, Laughing Campo, because I saw the social media you did. I'm presuming it was you. You were at Luke Combs and people gave you a bit of feedback. Was that you? What on earth are you talking about?

[00:44:56] There were a lot of people at the Luke Combs show who pointed out and said, Hey, Combsy! Yeah, and you posted that. Yeah. And it made me laugh. Because I'm looking in... Well, it's like, bro, it's like when I'm in my country gear, I get Luke Combs. When I'm in my streetwear stuff, I get Action Bronson. Oh. By the way, after that photo post, a lot of people have never seen that shirt that you wore, which I've seen a million times, obviously. Yeah. 100% approval rating. It's hectic. I get a lot of compliments when I'm wearing it. Berto said he's going to steal it off your back at Magic Round. Oh, don't do that, Berto. He said he's...

[00:45:24] If you saw the shirt and you like it, it's a guy named Adam Ballinger. It's a sick shirt. Adam Ballinger. He was an American guy who came out to Australia in the 90s to play in the NBL. And now he does a bunch of really cool caricaturist stuff. So if you're into that, there's some great stuff on his website. Go check it out. Hell yeah. All right. Shnaz, Shark Cast. Talk to them. Yeah. So the number one Sharks podcast in the world. You know, Hotfield. Hotfield.

[00:45:53] Been going since 2015. Still rocking. 10 years strong. Rocking better than ever. 11th season, Campo. And yeah, we do multiple episodes a week. Previews, reviews, flagships, the whole thing. Opposition shows sometimes with Matty. Been on several times. Yeah. Yeah. A lot of listener feedback, that kind of thing. We go... I'm just going to say we go pretty hard. I don't know what's going to do. There's a lot of content. Let's keep it clean.

[00:46:22] No, I'm not mucking around here. No, no, you're not. I'm rolling the dice. 100%, bro. So if you're a Sharks fan, I'm sure that there's a lot of people out there who haven't heard Shark Cast. Give us a listen and you will never look back. Surely. For all your black, white and blue needs. Yes. Absolutely. All right. Thank you, Sam, very much for coming on. I hope I've done all right, Bung. You've seen me. You've done great, mate. You're doing terrific. Okay. I've had fun. Thank you. Yeah. It's great to be on one of my favorite podcasts. Thank you.

[00:46:52] It's great to have one of my favorite people on my podcast. Sorry about the audio thing before. That's okay. We'll move past it. I've already moved past it. I thought Brooksy was great today. Fantastic. Yeah. Shout out Brooksy, who apparently was up 10 Gs on the tables last night and texted 10 minutes before the show was meant to start. I can't make it. I'm jet lagged. I'm no, I can't make it. I'm jet lagged. I was like, is there a casino called jet lagged? Is there a casino? Say goodbye, Brooksy. Oh, guys, I don't want to do that. All right.

[00:47:21] What about if we played a game on the sphere that really actually played on the sphere? Oh, come on, Bungard. Come on, Bungard. Dream big. What if we got the sphere out there running and hitting it up off the back? What if Rod Wishart was on the sphere? All right, now I'm in. Guys, can we get the Steelers here? I know they're not in the comp, but come on. He's going to kill me. Love you, Brooksy. Love you, Brooksy. All right, say goodbye, Sam. Goodbye. Say goodbye, Cambo. Goodbye, Bungard. And it's goodbye from me.