Sharks vs Rabbitohs Preview with Matt Bungard (ESPN Boom Rookies/Rabbitohs)

[00:00:01] The Royal Motor Yacht Club Port Hacking is a hidden gem of the Shire, situated on the banks of the beautiful Port Hacking. It's a great place to catch up with friends, celebrate your birthday or any special occasion, and they always show the NRL live on the big screens. The RMYC Port Hacking, proud sponsors of this podcast and big supporters of the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks. Check out their website rmycph.com.au

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[00:01:05] Hey there, welcome to SharkCast Pod, a podcast dedicated to the greatest sporting club in the history of the world, the mighty Cronulla Sutherland Sharks. This show is brought to you by Dyson Logistics, the Royal Motor Yacht Club in Port Hacking and Jason Hawes at Cripps & Cripps Real Estate. My name is Sam Shinazzi, OG, 2015, supporting the team a lot longer than that. We're podcasting into our 11th season and I am blessed, blessed to be joined by the opposition this week in many ways, but we are blood brothers. We are long time friends.

[00:01:34] We are, we are good. We're Vegas buddies, but this week we, this week we go head to head. Matthew Bungard from ESPN, the, the boom rookies and a whole bunch of other places, but we're going to focus on ESPN and boom rookies. Matthew, welcome back to SharkCast. Hi Sam, thank you. Great to be back again. It's always a one or two times a year, sometimes three where your heart is just split in two because your two favorite teams face each other and you don't know which way to go.

[00:02:02] It's true. It is difficult as a diehard, you know, fan of both, both teams, as, as everyone knows, it is difficult for me in these, in these Bungard derbies as they've colloquially come to be known. But yeah, no, like obviously, you know, all jokes aside, look very much looking forward to Saturday. It's always a fun day when I go to Shark Park to watch the Rabbitohs. Last year went there with no sort of expectations of any kind, kind of just thought we'd get flogged, scored the first try.

[00:02:30] And then I don't think anything remotely good happened for the remaining 75 minutes after that. A real waste of time for, for everyone involved. And, um, but you know, uh, there is some sort of renewed hope around Redfern at the moment. Um, two and O they probably don't deserve to be, but you'll take it. And they'll come into this game as gigantic outsiders. I would say disrespectfully wide outsiders, $6 on sports bet. I come into this game feeling far better about this team than I thought I would have felt about them three weeks ago.

[00:02:59] Which is excellent. I have to admit, I just saw the odds about half an hour ago and I couldn't believe how disrespectful that was. Disrespectful Sam. For the bunnies and also a little bit too adventurous for my sharkies as well at this point of the year. I think I saw $1.14 to $5.80 or something. Yeah, it was $6.05 yesterday. So the smart money is already coming in on South. Better minted $5.80. So. Yeah. There's no way it's going to be that divided.

[00:03:26] Uh, you guys have shown already under the super coach what you can do. You don't mind a tight contest. And you got some new guys in there doing some really good things. Some young guys. Uh, Jai Gray is now in the rotation, at least for the time being. I personally, I'd love to get your opinion on it. Think he should be a fullback here on out. But also, Jemi Humphries as well had a great game last week. He's had a good couple of games. Big bodied half and not afraid of the big time with that great field goal.

[00:03:55] Let me start with Jai Gray. When Latrell is back, which will be soon, what are you doing? I have had dozens of people ask me this question. It's, uh, it is the biggest, it is the biggest story revolving Seattle's right now. Cause Gray has been so impressive in two weeks. I do feel like for all Gray's energy and effort that had South's had Latrell in those two games, particularly that Dolphins game where they had a lot of good ball and struggled to score points, that they might've got a couple more tries out of it.

[00:04:21] But I equally think that Gray's played so well that he's proven that he's a first grader and that it's kind of hard to keep him out of the team. If he's going to keep playing at this level, I would still lean towards having Latrell at fullback and having Jai Gray as the 14, but I don't know what they will do. It's, it is really interesting to see how this is going to shake out when Latrell comes back in, I don't know, four or five, six weeks time. The other aspect of it is that you go, oh, Latrell can play in the centers,

[00:04:48] but that means you've got to then move Campbell Graham to the wing who I think is probably the best defensive center in the competition. So that means you're, you might be getting, you're getting Latrell strike at center, but he's still, he can, he can strike at fullback in the same exact same way. And you'll, you'll get defensively worse in terms of having to, having to move parts around, but then you could argue that Gray's fullback play in terms of defensive efforts and effort in general is better than Latrell. So I think it'd be hard to argue against that actually. So it is a really interesting conversation. I don't know if there is a right or wrong answer.

[00:05:17] I'm still on team Latrell should be the fullback when he gets back. But if Gray keeps piling up the Dallian points and putting together good performances in the NRL, then it becomes harder with each passing week to keep arguing that side of the fence. I know you have a couple of young locks in position. Is there a chance you could put Whiten to lock maybe? And have control the centers? So again, the problem with that is they've still got you and Aitken to come back as well. Who's another edge. Ah, yeah.

[00:05:46] So you look at, they've got Keon who slimmed down massively in the off season and is now back playing on the back row. I would, I think permanently this time. Jai Arrow's playing at the moment. He will, I think, shift to the middle when you and Aitken returns. But then you've got Talos Duncan as well. And it just, it's just a bit difficult to fit all these pieces together when everyone's fit. And I think that the only way it all kind of does fit together is the Trellick fullback and Gray takes the Bud Sullivan spot on the bench.

[00:06:16] But it's a good problem to have. I mean, this is a world away from where we were last year where we had so many injuries that you're literally pulling up blokes off the street to play for South. So, you know, it's a blessing and a curse, but I'm never going to complain about having too many good players at my football club. I mean, Jai Gray could do a number off the bench. So there's no real issue there. It's more just what are you going to get out of either guy? And we know at his best what Latrell can do. It's just a matter of getting that out of him. Maybe Wayne Bennett does. That's not a problem for this week.

[00:06:46] Jai Gray is going up against the other informed fullback in the competition. Thank you very much. Will Kennedy. Now, I want to get your thoughts on Will Kennedy, Matty, because in Sharkland, it is so divided. We get so much correspondence and majority percentage lean towards we can't win a comp with him, which I disagree with. But as an outsider, as your second favorite team, as your second favorite fullback, tell me about Will Kennedy. You've watched him closely this year over two games at least.

[00:07:13] He's with, I think, Gray in equal second of Dallien points. What are your thoughts on Will Kennedy? Why do people say that? Why do people say that you can't win a grand final? Because they think that you need a Pappenhausen, someone flash. You look at a lot of the clubs and their best player, like, you know, maybe Manly, for example, is fullback. Like there are a bunch of, like, Calum Ponga, Reece Walsh. Like he's obviously not that, but he's very solid at what he does.

[00:07:43] And I guess our team stacks the money elsewhere. So for the money he's on, we couldn't get anyone near as good. But it is just a subject that we come across a lot. Most of us on the pod don't really agree with it. Could we find someone better than him? Yeah, you could find a Pappenhausen. You could find a fit Travojevic, et cetera, et cetera. But not for $400,000. No. I don't know. Cowboys want to cop with Lachlan Coote. I think Will Kennedy's a similar tier of player. Will Kennedy's good. Does all the hard work. Defensively very solid.

[00:08:14] And if, you know, you've got Nico Hines playing pretty good. You've got Trindle, who I think really went to another level with this game in 2024 and should hopefully continue that this year. I'm not sure why he can't. I'm a big fan of Will Kennedy. I want to wrap it. He made a cover tackle right before halftime in your game last week against the Cowboys. Which, at the time, I know you ended up winning the game pretty comfortably, but at the time it was still kind of relatively in the balance. If the Cowboys get a try there, their tails are up going into halftime and who knows what can happen. He made a really important try saver on, I think it was Tua Lange just before halftime.

[00:08:44] And, you know, those are the kind of plays that you want your fullback to make. I've never watched Will Kennedy and thought this guy's a detriment to the Sharks. And I'm saying that as an outsider. So, I think the other part of it is that fullback at the moment is such a deep position. There's so many good fullbacks that people might go, well, Will Kennedy's the 14th best fullback in the NRL or something. I'm not saying that. I'm just saying hypothetically. But you look at all the dudes playing fullback right now and they're all awesome, including Will Kennedy. There aren't any bad fullbacks at the moment.

[00:09:11] Like, every guy playing fullback right now is great. There are, like, fullback is the deepest position in the NRL by some distance. It's, you know, just off the top of your head, you've got Ponga, Tedesco, Gray, Dylan Edwards, Hammer. Yeah. Yeah, Drinkwater, Kennedy, Tedesco. Like, there's Pappenhausen. There's so many great players playing with the number one on their back right now that I think that if Kennedy is towards the bottom of that list, then that's okay. As long as the rest of your team is playing well.

[00:09:37] Yeah, it's good to get an outsider's perspective because it's become a little bit of a, the listeners think this and a bunch of us on the show think this and sometimes we meet halfway, sometimes we don't. But it's good to get an outsider's perspective on that. So thank you very much. Tell me, as obvious as it may be, but tell me through your unique eyes what Fenua Blake has brought to the Sharks so far. Yeah, it's hard to quantify after two weeks, but he's been excellent. Even in that Penrith game when a few other forwards I don't think covered themselves in glory. He was leading from the front in that game.

[00:10:07] It was obvious to me in 2022 to 24, so this current iteration of the Sharks being contenders but not being able to quite get over the line. It was obvious to me that the weakest part of the field was their middle and they rectified that by going out and signing the second best prop in the world. Maybe the third, depending on how you rate him and James Fisher-Harris. Not really important either way. Top three prop in the game. And so far he's had two really, really good performances.

[00:10:34] I know that Hazleton didn't play last week, so I'm interested to see how those guys sort of mesh together when they're back. Because I think that Fenua Blake being able to sort of be as damaging and line-beating as he is will open up more doors for the other props as well to come off the back of him. And I think Hazleton is probably your best impact middle aside from Fenua Blake. So I want to see more of those two working in tandem. We've not really got it yet. Yep, we've only got a few minutes in Vegas. But yeah, I mean, this was a no-brainer signing. As soon as the...

[00:11:04] When he became available, I mean, it was a perfect fit for Canola. And they are... They're going to reap massive benefits from that signing over the course of this season. Tell me about... And we mentioned him earlier in the show. Tell me about Jamie Humphries. Again, it's only early days, but he has got form from his last club at different levels of the game. But so far, so good. He's a big unit. He might end up being, I don't know, a back row or something at some point. But... Don't be silly. He...

[00:11:33] I mean, I was saying to our good friend Gary before that I would like to see them go back-to-back. Him and Nico as far as height and weight kind of goes. Because they're just big, big halfbacks. Hang on. I love Nico. But Jamie, have you seen his arms? Let's not be silly. Jamie Humphries lives in the gym. What are you talking about? Not muscles, but height at least. I've been impressed with Jamie Humphries. What are your initial thoughts? Yeah, he's been amazing. And going back to Jai Gray really quick. In the preseason, I wanted... Assuming Latrell was fit, I wanted Gray to get first crack in the halves with Cody.

[00:12:03] But that was before Humphries came into the picture. Because I thought Humphries might be playing a bit of hooker. He's been fantastic at halfback. He's freed up Cody Walker to play his best role, which Cody's not been able to do since Adam Reynolds left, really. And his kicking game has been assured. He knows when to run the ball. And he just seems like he belongs at this level, which I think is not really something you can teach. Either have that or you don't. And so far through two games for South, he's looked like he belongs in the NRL. And he's had some great moments already in his young career. And yeah, that field goal was fantastic, wasn't it?

[00:12:33] It was one of the strangest setups I've ever seen. Just like they drew it up perfectly. No, it works. So there's no complaints. It was, yeah, a little awkward. So for him to nail that, I thought was pretty impressive at this young stage of his career. What about the English fella Dodd? What can you tell us as an insider at the club? I am not an insider. No, but what's going on? Like what's going on? Jamie Humphries is better, so he's starting. I don't know what's going to happen. That guy's on a lot of money.

[00:13:03] He'll get a chance at some point, I imagine. But it's not going to be this week. It's probably not going to be next week. I wasn't a fan of that signing when it happened, just purely because I don't know anything about the Super League. He played well against Penrith in the World Cup Challenge a couple years ago. But at the moment, there's nothing they can do. They gave this guy a big contract to come over here and play for Souths. But Humphries is playing really well at the moment. And he's made that position his own for the time being. And I don't know what's going to happen. Again, I'll be lying to you if I said I knew a whole lot about Lewis. I don't watch the Super League at all.

[00:13:31] But this is a really interesting situation they're in now where they've spent all this money to get this guy over here. And now there's a world where he doesn't ever properly get a run in the first grade team. I watched him at the lower level New South Wales Cup last week, as many people might have on the KO and the Foxtel. And he actually had a pretty decent game. Now, it was cup level, so it's hard to judge how he would go at NRL level. But it wasn't without hope. But in the back of your head, it's just like, well, hang on.

[00:14:00] You're on like $600,000 at least. This isn't going to work out if this is all you're going to do. So it'll be interesting to see what happens. You can confirm that was not a Wayne Bennett signing. Is that right? I can't remember the time. I don't believe so. Okay. Okay. Interesting times for the halves. Now, do you think Ravalawa's going to pop in this week to play top level? Or are you not sure? He's naming number 18. I like it. I think Fletcher Myers is a good dude. I think Michaelia Ravalawa's a better winger.

[00:14:30] So I wouldn't be against it. I think that he fell out of favor at the Dragons for a variety of reasons. But Siass needs someone in the back line with a bit of power, especially. And he fits that bill nicely. I think it's a good smart signing for a team that is often struggling for back line depth with injuries and suspensions to key guys. I know they get Alex Johnston back soon, I think. But with Tyrone Munro shelved again for another eight, ten weeks or whatever it is

[00:14:57] with another collarbone issue, which sucks, he just can't stay healthy. Yeah, it was a very smart signing to make. I'd like to see him this week. I think I'd like to see him there in the place of Fletcher Myers. But we'll see what happens. What do you like about the Sharkies this week as far as, as a Souths fan, what are you kind of worried about? What do you like about them? What am I worried about? Everything. What are you talking about? Well, give us some specifics. Yeah. Well, I think Cronulla's back five in terms of yardage are the best in the game.

[00:15:26] Maybe along with Penrith, the best in the game in terms of being able to flip the game on its head in terms of field position at the start of sets, working their way out of trouble and taking pressure off their forwards. I think that Cronulla's back five do a better job of that than just about anybody. And the problem that Souths had last week was that basically every time the Dragons swung the ball out to their edges, they had joy, whether it was a try or a line break or just a big carry.

[00:15:52] Jack Whiten returning is big in terms of defense because he brings a lot of effort and energy and he can hit people. But I still do worry a little bit about the wingers, especially, and the decision-making and the communication between the centers and the back rowers at the moment. And I do feel like if Cronulla just swing the ball out wide early enough, then they'll find a lot of success. That's what worries me. I'm weirdly not that worried about the forward battle because whilst Nicaro and Teague Wilton are both awesome, Souths have two pretty good back rowers in this game in their own right

[00:16:22] and Keon Kalamitangi and Jai Arrow. And whilst Fenella Blake, who we just talked about, is also great, the middle so far this year has been able to hold its own pretty well. Wayne Bennett's already sort of sprinkled some magic dust on Sean Keppie, who looks like a completely different footballer so far through two weeks than he did in 2024. And yeah, I feel like this game is going to be one in the back line. I feel like Cronulla's advantage two through five is big. And if Souths had AJ and Tyron Munro and Latrell playing in this game, I'd feel a lot better about it. But they don't and I don't.

[00:16:52] So yeah, the big advantage for me, I think Cronulla's back line, their ability to just rumble their way up the field at ease. I think that's going to create some big problems for Souths. Are you a Mazma Zealous kind of guy? He's fine. He's all right. He was good last week. He tackles hard. He tries his best. I'm like, obviously, they're going to bring Brandon Smith in next year and he'll play nine at some point. I don't want Brandon Smith being a 80 minute hooker at my club.

[00:17:21] I hated that at every club he's been at. I think I personally think he's a better middle forward than a hooker. But absolutely. If they've got him in, if they've got sort of a situation where Pete can play 55, 60 minutes of hooker next year and cheese plays 20 minutes of hooker and plays middle for another 30, then I'm loving that. But for this year, yeah, look, Pete's ripped in. He's been solid so far through two games. And that's all you can ask of him, really. I'm not expecting the world from him, but he's played 80 minutes one week and 70 something

[00:17:50] the other week. And it's been okay. Just holding it down in the middle of the field. Just on Brandon Smith, are you a fan of the signing overall? Or are you just going to make the best of it? It's more money than I would have liked. I thought it was going to be more like a Schuster type situation where they're not paying it much. And it's kind of just like, if it works, it works. If it doesn't, who cares? He's on a little bit of coin. So that part fills me with a bit of apprehension. But this guy is a really good player when he's fit.

[00:18:18] And again, like the Roosters basically tried to make him a full-time hooker, which I didn't like. And I think he is better playing another role, which is, I feel like how he will play a South. And I also think that he'll be hungry and motivated by the fact that this is probably his last chance in terms of if he has another bad fallout at a club like he's had with the Roosters, then I don't know if another club will come in for him after that. So he probably knows. He'll probably be very motivated to succeed at South.

[00:18:42] So overall, I'm a fan of the signing because I think that he needs to prove to everyone that he's still the guy. And I'm excited to see him do that next year. I wish we had him this year, to be honest with you. I mean, maybe the door's not closed on that. Maybe they still can get him in early release at some point. But yeah, I'm okay with it. I'm happy with it. I think if he's going to work under any coach, it's got to be the super coach because whatever

[00:19:09] one may think of Wayne Bennett, and I'm quite a big fan of his, if you can't get along with him at that level and get something out of it, then it's probably not for you this sport, in my opinion. Yeah. So you're happy with Wayne, how it's all going? You're a Bennett guy? Who's not a Bennett guy? Why would I not be? I don't know why you wouldn't be, but... Yeah. No, of course. Yeah. I don't think they win either of the games that they've played this year, last year. And I don't know if that's down to Wayne himself, but it's just the club, it's just something's different.

[00:19:39] Wayne's got a special touch about him that nobody else has. And I was happy to have him back. Who knows how long it'll be for, but yeah. Look, I think that he's already got a bunch of guys that were pretty poor last year playing a lot better. So instant effects have been felt. So we're off to Sharks Stadium this week, three o'clock. It's going to be awesome. It's actually a three game event, Matthew, if you were not aware. There is flag, then there is cup, and then there is NRL. What? So starting at like 10 AM or something?

[00:20:07] I think we've got a 10.50 start. Yeah. Yeah. I'll probably won't make that one, mate. Well, I mean, it's shades of Vegas again, isn't it? We'll put on 12 games of football for you. Now, I actually encourage this. This is awesome. Suburban footy, three grades. It's how I grew up with the game. I think if you can get there, then it's a lot of fun. Obviously, not ever. I can get there. And that goes without saying. But there will be definitely people there for all three grades. Saturday afternoon, three o'clock kickoff. Very classic.

[00:20:36] I actually think we're in for a tight one here, Matty. I think that it's going to be very evenly fought. I think those betting figures are just ridiculous. And it would not surprise me to see this one go down the wire either way. I'm hoping it goes one way. But from what I've seen from South, they're a very committed team this year. It's been two games that they easily could have lost and haven't. And I think that that is a testament to their effort levels and the way they're playing for each other in a way that I don't think they were last year.

[00:21:05] This is obviously a much bigger test. I picked the Dolphins to come last in my preseason preview on our show. And I don't think the Dragons are very good either. So it's not like they've played the highest quality opposition. Next two weeks of Cronulla and Penrith. So that takes a substantial step up. And yeah, this is going to be a massive test. We will get a real good look at where South Sydney are at in this game. Because it's not even about winning. It's just about putting in a performance that you can be proud of. And can they do that? Yes. Will they do that?

[00:21:34] I don't know. But I'm very excited for this game just to see how we look against a team that if we were to make the finals, we would be seeing in the finals. Now, you and I were hanging out in Las Vegas, which was a lot of fun. You did a lot of podcasts there, as I did. Tell us about your Vegas experience. And especially as a neutral, although your beloved Charks were there. But tell us what it was like as a neutral over there. I had a lot of fun. It was a great week. Seeing you, seeing everybody else was fantastic. The exchange rate, though, that was brutal.

[00:22:03] I think we won't be going back to America for a little while. Everything was so expensive. Just because you're paying American prices plus 75% of it, basically. Plus tips. Disaster shenanigans. Yeah, too expensive. Won't be going back to America for a while. But the week itself was fantastic. The stadium, I've obviously went last year as well. The stadium is awesome. The crowd, I thought, was bigger and louder than it was last year. The sort of noise that was being made by the English fans, the Warriors fans, everyone really was great.

[00:22:30] Just going out every night, seeing a bunch of people from back home over here. Listeners, friends, colleagues, all that stuff. All great. Great week. Really enjoyed it. But yeah, I probably will swear that next year, I think. Yeah, right. Right. Yeah, I've been telling everyone that if your team is there, you should definitely, if you can, obviously. It's a big if you can. Like, you should do it. Because I was pleasantly surprised that everything, the atmosphere, the vibe, the bigness of everything.

[00:22:59] Like, it really, it matched, it matched the reputation Las Vegas has. I thought the NRL did an incredible job. Like, everywhere you went, there was promo, there were jerseys, from the meet and greets to just the whole thing. The whole day on game day was really, like, just smooth and seamless. So, yeah, a lot of fun. A lot of fun. Yeah, had a great time. And yes, if your team's playing next year, you should go. All right, Matthew. We might leave it there.

[00:23:27] Any last words for our listeners and viewers leading into this derby week for you? Yeah, look, just get down to the footy if you can. There's nothing like it. Saturday Arvo at a suburban ground is fantastic. It's a great day out. Hopefully they don't run out of hard solos this year, Sam. That was two years ago at South Scanoa. They ran out of hard solos. We drank them dry. So, fantastic. But, yeah, no, it's a great day out. I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully we don't disgrace ourselves.

[00:23:55] I am tipping Cronulla to win by about 10 or so, but we'll see how we go. What are you tipping? I'm tipping Sharks by, I think, 1 to 10 is realistic. We'll both say 10. Anything more as a bonus. But, yeah, I don't think it'll be a walkover for Sharks fans. So, definitely strap yourself in, I think, for a close one. Boom Rookies, amazing podcast. Been going for a long time. One of the original rugby league podcasts out there. You and your mate Campo. Campo had a great time in Vegas, I can confirm.

[00:24:24] And a great podcast. I had a great time on there recently. It was my joy to be on there. And what else can we plug, Matty? You work for ESPN as well. Do some writing there. They sponsor the podcast. So, yes. They own the podcast. Well, I mean, kind of. I don't know. I don't really know how it works. But, yes. The podcast is published by ESPN. Excellent. And it was your lifelong dream to get a job at ESPN. You did it. That's not true. My lifelong dream was to work with you at Fox Sports. And I did that. There is an in there and you didn't take it. All right.

[00:24:54] Matthew, thanks for your time. Appreciate it. I know you're going to be doing it tough down at Shark Park. You two loves coming together. No, no. You know, it would be good to see from you a bit of a heel turn on Saturday. How can I turn heel? Turn heel on the Sharks. Everyone thinks you love the Sharks. Turn heel. You're asking if I can like RKO you after we win? You know what? If you want to put a margin on that, I'll let you do it. All right. Thanks, Sam. Thank you, Matthew, for your time. And thanks, everyone, for listening, tuning in.

[00:25:23] As usual, we'll have more episodes coming to you before you know it. Up, up, Cronella. Good luck, Matty, on Saturday afternoon. Thanks, mate. Up, up. SharkCast is supported by the best and most honest real estate agent in the Sutherland Shire, Jason Hawes from Crips & 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,

[00:25:51] the person you need to be talking to is Jason Hawes from Crips & Crips Real Estate. Call him on 0410 417 450. That's 0410 417 450. Jason Hawes, Crips & Crips Real Estate. Sharkies! Sharkies!

[00:26:23] Back in the Shire. Turn your porch lights off because we're coming over the...