Wrapping Up Las Vegas with Ben Harlum (Sirius XM Radio)

[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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[00:00:54] Hey there, welcome to SharkCast, a podcast dedicated to the greatest sporting club in the history of the world. The mighty Cronulla Sutherland Sharks, the most famous rugby league club in the world currently. And 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.

[00:01:22] I am Sam Shnazzi OG 2015 on the other end of this line. As you can see, if you're watching or if you can listen on the podcast streams, you will hear in about 20 seconds the dulcet tones of Mr. Ben Harlem. He's the star producer slash fourth microphone on the morning mashup on Sirius XM.

[00:01:46] He hosts Sirius XM Hits and he is the biggest enthusiast for Coke Zero with me sitting just behind him. But as proven in Las Vegas when we were hanging out, his choice of drink was Coke Zero and I've got to respect that. Ben, welcome back to the show. How are you?

[00:02:08] How good was it where we caught up with Gaz and we had a drink and this Cronulla go-to bar that gave the two-for-one drinks had Coke Zero, which is so rare in America when you go into a pub or a bar. Normally they're offering you Diet Coke and I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. Is that right? That was a great choice. Yeah. Oh, is Diet Coke going to be okay? No. I'd actually rather full-strength Coke.

[00:02:31] Great to be back and I'm surprised that I got invited back so quickly because I don't know for a podcast that's called Shark Cast. I don't know if we really went over 10% shark talk last time I was with you. There's a chance that that'll be even less given the heel turns of certain people around the world that we'll get to later on. No, you're always welcome. You're our buddy. You know that.

[00:02:53] And I dare say that you're going to be welcome around the Corral Sutherland Sharks Football Club even more so given some of the turn of events, which we'll get to shortly. But we do want to give a shout out to listener PK and his son Jack who set up the Tilted Kilt Las Vegas bar that you were talking about just before. They got there the week before we did and they found a place that would do two-for-one deals, dollars off your meals and just make us all feel nice and welcome.

[00:03:20] My little Sharky flag was at the front and the fans responded. Like every day that place was packed. They'd play the song. We'd all go nuts. They allowed us to have our Shark Cast party there, which was awesome. I think you missed that, Benny, but WWE superstar Grayson Waller turned up as a friend of a friend and that was unbelievable. So thanks to everyone that came along to that.

[00:03:41] But it's fair to say that Cronulla really, along with the other teams, of course, but Cronulla really turned up to Vegas, correct? Yeah. The turnout was really good. What was interesting, Sam, I don't know from your perspective in the stadium, it certainly felt like that that Cronulla, the designated Cronulla supporters area, I think it was next to Warrington's.

[00:04:05] And I feel like that once Warrington sold out, that all the Warrington fans bought into the Shark section, it very much looked like that it was two sections or at least one and a half of Warrington fans. That sort of had me worried when I got to the stadium. I was like, oh, does this mean that it was just a false illusion that we're going to get some Cronulla fans there? But then, and much like the Penrith, I don't know if there was really a stacked Penrith section, but surely by the end of the night, it felt like there were Sharks fans and certainly Penrith fans all around the stadium, which I loved even more.

[00:04:34] Because I was right in front of the Canberra section where the drums and the Viking clap and everything was going. They were very much in that one section. And then you had the Wars fans next to them. But that's the one thing that I think added to the atmosphere there, even though there were less fans than I think the NRL sort of hoped by the end of the night. But the Sharks and Penrith fans were certainly all around the stadium. And then I think as things picked up throughout the week, I think I said with you and Gaz last time that my hotel was like 98% Warriors fans.

[00:05:04] But walking down the strip and seeing the Sharks fans, giving them a bit of a nod, commenting on their jerseys. I liked how much it picked up. It certainly felt like that there was great support from all the clubs. And then obviously I'm biased. So it was really good to see all the Sharks fans there as well. Yeah, just on the seats. I mean, there are people like me who with a choice will sit anywhere but behind the posts just because I'm more comfortable viewing from a different angle.

[00:05:34] So there were definitely fans throughout that stadium. And you're right. Like by the end of the, by sort of second half of our game, there was probably, I don't know, half the crowd was there, like 20,000 maybe. It was still a great vibe. But more to the point, yeah, the Sharks fans really turned up. To me, it was most obvious at the fan day they had at Resorts World where they were doing a signing.

[00:05:59] And there must have been thousands, like not hundreds, but thousands of Sharks fans waiting in line, hanging out, trying to get a glimpse. And that was pretty overwhelming. Yeah, that's the one thing that I think everyone at the NRL told me about from last year that they were surprised at. I know the actual fan hub that they had was new, but that sort of the fan experience at the launch night at Fremont Street on the Thursday. Yes, it definitely was Thursday night. I know that.

[00:06:29] That everyone said you have to go to. I couldn't go because of something that we would talk about very soon. And then when you see all the photos, I go, oh, it's now the second year and everyone's still talking about the fan hub and they're still talking about the Fremont Street. If I get to go again, I have to go and have a look at the fan hub and to go to the Fremont Street fan event. Because when you see all these fans together, it just looked amazing in the photos and the videos.

[00:06:56] And that's the one, two things that I was like, oh, the Shark Cast meetup, the fan hub and the Fremont Street fan. They're the three things that I couldn't get to that I really wish that I could have because it just looked amazing. And yeah, people turned up. I loved it. I intentionally even earlier today looked at the tagged Instagram post for Allegiant Stadium because I knew in a couple of weeks that it would be flooded with some other sport.

[00:07:18] And I just went through and just saw everybody's different vantage from their seats in the stadium and where they went in Vegas and how they use their experience. And like my experience was so different to Josh's, who was so different to Gaz, who was so different to, you know, a bunch of different people that were there to yours. And it was just great to see how everyone sort of did their week. It was just fun to see. So I'm really glad that so many people turned up because that's the one disappointment. Sorry, I'm going to it's word vomit, Sam. No, you're good.

[00:07:48] That's what you get when you hire me. The one disappointment I was just thinking as I was logging on to chat to you was this is one and done. Like I would love if the Sharks win the comp this year and then they do the World Club Challenge and we're all back in Vegas again next year. Like that would be amazing. But it's just it's a one and done. We might not see Sharks play in Vegas or America again. So even though they didn't get the two points, it's like what a great week for everybody.

[00:08:16] If they can keep improving on those crowds, whether it's 5,000 a year or whatever going up. I'm not going to say never. Like I think there's a chance given the way that our club embraced it, the success they had. And I got a feeling Dino will be in the ear going, hey, if you need someone, we're up for it. Like I really do.

[00:08:37] Yeah, and crowds is going to be the interesting one because they really sort of by getting that New Zealand, I think the figure was like 32% of the crowd was from New Zealand or were Warriors fans. I don't know how truthful that is, but it's something that I read that's like an amazing stat if possible and totally believable for anyone that was in Vegas that week. But then you can't the genies out of the bottle for New Zealand. Now they can't have the Warriors back straight away.

[00:09:02] So now they have to rely on those core Sydney teams, the Bulldogs, the Eels, the Dragons, see who can show up. So it'll be interesting to see next year whether they can crack 50 without like obviously English fans will travel. Penrith fans obviously are very dedicated to their team. But now can those core Sydney clubs pick up the mantle and really get them to 50? Because I hope that it goes up by 10% each year. You hope that it keeps going.

[00:09:30] So this all began, is it fair to say, what, a year ago or at least six months ago, the whole planning, right? With our club. Yep. Once we got the ticket approval. And as we said, you're based in New York, very successful breakfast radio producer. And, you know, you have a lot of eyeballs on your show. And you, as our listeners know, having been on our show before, you've got everyone into the Sharks.

[00:10:00] Your whole thing is the Sharks. You know, on Monday, if you're sad, it means we lost. If you're happy, it means we won. You were straight on to the Sharks and the NRL saying, hey, I want to be involved. I want my radio show involved. And that steamrolled into a whole bunch of things. Let me ask you now, a few days later, how did your co-hosts love the experience? Tell me about their feedback. I haven't watched anything since then. Tell me how they're feeling.

[00:10:30] They're stoked. They're really happy with how the week went because it's always fun to get out of the studio and to do something different. One of the highlights of our year before COVID used to be going to Vegas for the Billboard Awards. And we'd be there for a week. And we would literally sit backstage and we'd have our own little area. And we would get everybody and anybody would come past. They'd rehearse. They'd come and chat to us, which was always great because you get really good access. So from a content perspective, it was good.

[00:11:00] The one thing that I think, look, it's always going to be a challenge. And I think anyone that works in media in Vegas or America that has been touched by the NRL in some way, or at least they've been tried to put something together, is you don't want to just do the boring, tell me about rugby. Wow, you guys are so tough. The All Blacks, woo, you can fall into that trap, right? You've got to sort of educate and you've got to think of something that's a bit more broad.

[00:11:29] In the same way that Fitzy and Whipper, Kyle and Jack, the non-Triple M breakfast shows, maybe even non-Jones and Amanda because they're so into footy themselves. You have to find a different angle. And that was the challenge for us was how do we find a different angle that, A, exposes rugby league to the masses on our audience, but also will justify why we have Ricky Stewart coming in and doing an interview.

[00:11:53] What context can we give for Dallon from the Warriors to come in when Sean Johnson came in in LA? And that's been the fun challenge for us is finding that thing to do. And I think the guys on air found a really nice medium where we all represented a team and we were there because Ben Sharks are playing. And we got to have a bit more fun than just a tell me about rugby sort of chat. And so the guys were really stoked. And then when they actually went to the game and like, don't get me wrong,

[00:12:23] we had the most VIP unbelievable experience with our seats and where we were and who we were around and that sort of stuff. Like we weren't slumming in the nosebleeds, even though that stadium, there's no bad seat. Yeah. Like the guys had an absolute blast. They couldn't believe the toughness of these players. To be honest with you, they were probably the most engaged by the women's game because they just couldn't believe that these Australian women just were destroying the English.

[00:12:50] And I know that there's conjecture about that game, but one of my hosts, Stan, was just sitting there in awe, just like they are just killing them. Like they are just cutting straight through them. And like they are tough, attractive, skillful women in the same way that Nicole couldn't believe the tough, handsome, skillful men that were playing. I mean, she's all obsessed with the thighs. That's, you know, she's very open about that. So they loved the week and they're desperate to go back.

[00:13:18] And they're so happy that everything sort of worked well. Yeah. So that was good. It was good that everyone was happy in the end. Now, just as a little thing for you, Ben, when you send me a Ben Morning Matchup jersey. Yes. I'm also going to need a Nicole one. She's got a little bit of my heart now. Wow. Okay. Well, she's very much into the Australian. She went to Thunder from Down Under two nights in a row.

[00:13:45] She didn't think she was going to last the whole time the first night. And then halfway through, she turned to the publicist that was with us because I left about half an hour into the first night. She turned to the publicist and said, I'm going to need a comeback and I'm going to need to be front row tomorrow night, to be perfectly honest. And sure enough, she did. This was her night. She went full day at the NRL, Thunder from Down Under straight after. Wow. And then we went to Steve Aoki at the MGM Grand. So that was a wild combo.

[00:14:15] That's fun. Okay. I'll see if I can get a Nicole jersey for you as well. In your role with making some magic happen, which we'll get to shortly. Yeah. As I said before, very much in the front foot with the club. You were in chats with the boss Dino. You were in chats with media boss Mel. Whole bunch of things. A lot of plans in the work. And as we got closer and closer and closer, things started heating up. And you did some, due to, I guess, scheduling, you did some online fun things with Nico.

[00:14:45] And was it Cale? Who was the other player? Okay. So Nico and Cale was the Katie thing we're going to talk about. Yeah. Sorry. We had, that's fine. Blake and Brit did taste testing with American snacks and we, and my guys tried Australian snacks. I use air quotes. And then we did, we traded slang words and colloquialisms with Ronnie and with Nico. Yeah. So basically, look, I opened the door. I said to the NRL, we want to do XYZ.

[00:15:15] And then got introduced to the Sharks, but also opened the door. So if there was an opportunity to do something with Canberra, with the Warriors, with Panthers, we would also do it because we didn't want to be too dedicated to one. But just by virtue of me already knowing some of the team at the Sharks, with them being eager because I was a fan, there's, there, it's been interesting to see the varying degrees of involvement that all the clubs have had.

[00:15:44] Um, some, uh, we didn't do anything with, well, one in particular, we didn't do anything with through no fault of, of my own. Um, Canberra were fantastic. I will say on, on socials, they sent extra jerseys. They got Ricky in who frankly, I don't think wanted to do any press, especially after the start to the week that he had, but genuinely understood the importance of coming on and also had a really great time.

[00:16:09] Um, and then we did heaps with the Warriors, with SJ when he came for his LA visit. And then again with Dallin, um, uh, lucky that he was injured so he could come in. Um, and it didn't sort of interrupt things. So like we opened the doors to everybody and whether they stepped in or not was up to them. And I was super stoked that the Sharks really sort of jumped in and were all over it. So yeah, we did extra content with them that lived on social. Um, and, uh, we did some stuff on air that worked as well.

[00:16:37] Um, so it was, it was good that everyone was good sports. So at the fan signing, I was interviewing a bunch of people and we got Dino on, which I recommend listening to. Dino had a really good, short, sharp interview with him. He was so pumped, so amped. And I think it was off air. I said to him, is the thing happening? And I was referring to the Elle McPherson photo. Cause at that point, no one really knew about that. And he goes, I think so. Yeah. I think in 24 hours. I went, ah, beautiful.

[00:17:07] That's awesome. And I should say at that point, I knew I wouldn't get into the room because I'd been hanging around the Sharks like a bad smell. And they were amazing for a lot of things. Amazing. At that point. And I was told by other people, eh, don't ask about Elle. Which of course is perfectly where my place belongs. And then Dino kind of paused and he said to me, ah, we've got something bigger happening as well. And I went, ah, great. Ah, can you, can you tell me what? And he smiled. He went, oh, I'd love to, but I can't.

[00:17:37] And in my head, I'm like, well, I'm guessing it's the Katy Perry thing, but I don't know. Is there something bigger? I don't know. I started to say, oh, is it the, and then someone grabbed him and he said, I've got to go Sam. I said, yeah, no worries. And so he walked away thinking he's having a little cheeky little win over me. And in my head, I was like, no, no, I know, I know what's happening. Ben's my buddy. I've known this for ages. Then it was still up in the air, right?

[00:18:04] It was still, we weren't sure if, if, uh, if the paths were going to cross. And then a little bit after, I don't know who it was. It was either you or Gary, which someone said it's happened. We're good. I think it might've been you. I think I may have sent the photo of, of her holding the Jersey too. Yeah. So can you run us through how you got one of the biggest pop icons in the world, Katy Perry, to become a Sharks fan? Tell, tell us all about it.

[00:18:34] Totally. Um, okay. So we landed on Tuesday in Vegas and immediately I got a call from my boss. And as fate would have it, the record label, Katie's record label called my boss and said, Katie is in town. She's staying, um, somewhere. I probably shouldn't. She's saying somewhere I was about to say, but that's okay. She's staying nearby in Vegas and she wants to do a bit of extra press for the tour, but she also wants to record some social content. So we need a quiet sort of space.

[00:19:03] We know that you have a studio at the Wynn. Could she do something there? Um, and we can record some extra content if you need. And my boss said, it's like, what are the chances? But the morning mashup are in Vegas and we could do an interview instead of just her recording some liners or whatever. Um, a complete fluke that she is there and a complete fluke that we were there at the same time. So that was how I started. I literally landed and as I was walking to baggage claim, that was my boss calling me saying, we've got Katie for Thursday.

[00:19:33] Um, and we had been trying to lock in interview times with all of the different clubs that were interested. And like that, that, that sort of ranged from when can we get Ricky in? Does PVL want to come in? Does it make sense to have PVL or Andrew Abdo come in? Um, when can, do we do something at training? There were lots of moving parts.

[00:19:58] And also we didn't want to do, as I said earlier, um, the sort of traditional, what the telly would do or what I know Jimmy and Nath from today. If I'm breakfast, they were there for KO. They had like a specific remit that they wanted to do. Like what the, the NRL roast would do. And, and those sort of accounts would do there. We had to do something a bit different, a bit more broad because we were talking to a different audience. Right. So we had locked in a lot of different things, but we couldn't, we hadn't locked in anything with the sharks and we wanted some sort of presence.

[00:20:27] And the, the timing that sort of worked. And also you've got to remember, as you know, they're coming from LA. So that sort of cuts in our time as well. Yeah. Um, and the only time that really worked was to try and do something after the fan fest at Fremont street. Um, and it just so happened that that was the night that we would have Katy Perry. So it worked. Didn't have to get my guys into studio. Um, we'd already be there that my whole team would be there to record stuff. But of course there would be a chance that there might be some sort of crossover.

[00:20:57] So I did flag to Mel and Dino and the team there. I was like, look, completely confidential, but I just need you to know that if we are going to record some content, um, with the guys in the studio, we can do it this night. But we're there because Katy Perry is going to be there and you have to be prepared that a, you might be waiting around for a long time. Cause Katie might be late or doing stuff or needs to record that social content. But B there may be a chance that there might be just a crossover that you can just get a shake of hands.

[00:21:27] Maybe you'll be able to snap a quick photo. So I can't promise anything and I can't guarantee anything, but I just need you to know that this might happen. Um, so they were very excited. And then obviously it became this sort of back and forth. Um, cause you want to make sure that that, that does happen. So you don't want the guys to be late from the fan fest at Fremont street. You don't want, um, that to, to miss out. So basically everything was up in the air and I, I, I swore all of them to secrecy.

[00:21:57] Yep. Because A, you don't want to give away Katie's location. Um, and B, it might just might not happen. Um, so, uh, so as fate would have it, they, they, they got a car from the, um, from the fan fest. Once that all wrapped up and Nico and, um, Kale, uh, came down with, with the team and we got them in and we were still waiting for Katie. And so basically it was, look, let's just see what happens.

[00:22:25] And sure enough, um, Nicole, your new friend from the morning mashup during the interview, as we've all seen on the video mentions Australia because we're talking about favorite countries. And that's, and then, then that's, that's what happened. Like that is the magic of it, that it was, she said I could run into them in the hallway and like that, that to Nicole, well, wait a second. No, we have them in the green room. Like let's make this happen.

[00:22:50] So what could have easily just been a, as she's leaving the studio, as the sharks guys are walking into our studio, hi, how are you? Can we get a quick photo? Yeah. Maybe here's a Jersey, here's a football or something turned into what you, what you see. Um, I hope that I explained that well, because there was so many different, there were different moving, um, uh, different moving pieces there. Um, and things that we had to juggle, especially with the timing. Um, but like, that was the beauty of it. It was all very spontaneous. Can I ask?

[00:23:20] You can ask whatever you like. Was all of your team aware of what your plan was? Like, did Nicole kind of go, as soon as we get to the word Australia, I'm going to get him in here? Or was it more just natural and, and kind of, it happens spontaneously. You've got to remember that as much as I can brief my guys, I can, I can only do so much when the mics are on, whether it's recording or live, you're in the, you're in their hands. So I can send them whatever notes I want.

[00:23:48] And I can give them ideas of whatever I know, um, I want, but once they start, it's their interview because it's their show. Right. So the only things that I knew was that we had to touch on Katie going to space. Cause that was just announced. And we sort of had a, um, uh, a small narrow, um, hallway to make that happen because the focus was on the tour. So we could really only ask one question and only had time to ask one question, but we needed to get that in. So that's been the majority of the press here in America is her talking about space.

[00:24:18] Cause it was the only time that she spoke about it. So that was really cool. Um, but really it was because we, cause we had enough time waiting for Katie that I'd introduced the whole team to, to ride Nicole Stan. And, and so they knew they were around and everything. They knew that they were excited that they might be able to see Katie, whether it was just on the screen and that sort of stuff, um, or through glass, whatever it was. Nicole just picked it up and just, and, and sort of flagged it.

[00:24:46] And again, it was as soon as Katie said I could bump into the hallway. Uh, it was almost like that sort of, here's the permission. Well, better than that. They're right here. So yeah, the only things that I knew that we had to touch on was we had a question recorder from Bill Murray, um, who, uh, we did an interview with the day before. And that we needed to talk about space. Anything else was up to them. And we were just lucky that we had a few minutes left in the interview and we could make it happen. How did her people respond?

[00:25:12] Were you watching her people like as she was engaging, were they at all concerned what was going on? No, no, no, no. You can, you can see in the video, you can see in the video, a, me bring them in and me almost like saying to Nicole, like, you sure you want this to happen? Like, you're sure this is okay. Okay. Um, and then B you can, like her team are sitting in the studio right there and they are totally comfortable and totally fine and totally loving that it's happening.

[00:25:32] Um, I'm, I'm sure, I'm sure that they didn't mind that there were handsome Australian, uh, really built for athletes in there as well as, um, as Katie enjoying that. No, they had no issue. They knew that there were, there were rugby players I'm using in air quotes. I knew there were rugby players there to do more interviews afterwards. So like they weren't just getting surprised by stuff. And I said, look, there's probably a chance that they're just going to cross paths or whatever, but, um, just letting you know that they're in the green room rating for the next thing in the same way that that would happen normally.

[00:26:01] So no, they had no issue with it. And they seem to have loved it because they gave the invite for Nico and the guys to go to, um, to the show in Sydney. I mean, let's not forget. And I don't, I'm not suggesting that Katie Perry needs anyone's help to sell tickets, but any artist, no matter how big he's always looking to sell two more. Let's not forget that there's now hundreds of thousands of sharks fans around the world, specifically in Australia who might go, ah, Katie Perry's coming out. I don't mind her.

[00:26:31] She's a sharks fan. I'm a sharks fan. I'm going to buy a ticket. Yep. That publicity helps a hundred percent. She's done. She's, I think she's done better in Australia selling tickets than she has anywhere else in the world, um, which helps with the AFL grand final doing that. But, but also it doesn't, it doesn't hurt that we're in March and she's coming in May and June. And it's just another sort of, Hey, just a reminder that she's here. If you missed it the first time she is coming and she's doing a bunch of different shows.

[00:26:59] So yeah, like this isn't all like, Hey, how good is this press for the sharks? Like Katie and her team would be stoked with it. I'm sure that the, I'm sure that the, the promoter in Australia who didn't have to lift a finger is very excited about all this extra press about her tour. I mean, I mean, you might fly back and you might get some more VIP, VIP treatment, Benny, when you go to the shows. Well, she, she did. She, she was trying to convince me to fly to Sydney to see the show. I said, I'm just going to go in New York. I'm more than happy to.

[00:27:27] And then I discovered that, yes, I'm actually going to be in Australia when she's there. And so, yeah. So that turned into another thing. So, um, but yes, it was very weird. She was going, you have to fly back to Sydney for the shows. And I'm like, can I just walk down the street to the garden in New York? That'd be much easier and cheaper for me. Um, I'll clear my schedule, Ben. You and I will, we'll go. No worries. Yeah. There's a, there's a lot of people on that list. Gaz, Clevo, you, there's a lot of people that have reached out. Clevo probably goes to number one as fan of Katy Perry. Coincidence.

[00:27:56] They picked the most handsome gentleman you've ever seen in your life that they just rubbed up. Your words, not mine. They're mine. They're my words. Yeah. Yeah. I'm just saying that your words that is convenient. I agree. They're both very handsome, very lovely, uh, lovely dudes. Uh, Nicole, I, I, and Katie were very enamored by them, but yes, your words that it was just a coincidence that, um, that they were the ones that came down. Someone said that Cale bumped into Rihanna in LA. Have you heard that one? I haven't heard that one. That's a good one.

[00:28:24] He's on a good, he's on a good wicket then if that's, if that's his trip. I think that was like walking down the street or something. I, I, someone told me, I'm like, well, why would you make that up? So we'll say it's gospel. Okay. Awesome. That's, that's, thank you for that insight, Benny. I mean, in all seriousness, it's a massive get for the sharks. Like it's, it's the promotion that you got them. I'm going to say we couldn't pay for it. Well, you couldn't cause she's too expensive. Like, and that, and that's the funny thing.

[00:28:50] And this isn't like, this isn't anyone in particular, but this is just generally how this sort of things works and not with the NRL. But, um, if you've got someone who doesn't really know how things work, they might go, oh, you're helping us with this thing. Hey, can you get Ed Sheeran to post? Just because you, you have them in and it's like, like Ed Sheeran, like if he had to do an ad campaign, you'd have to pay a gazillion dollars.

[00:29:17] Like Taylor Swift only posts stuff about her projects on, on there. Like you can only imagine how much menu log had to pay for Katie to do the ads in the UK and Australia. So like, yeah, you actually, you, you, this is money can't buy this sort of, um, cool exposure, which is, this is the fun part, right? So, uh, we know that the hall of fame after that event down at Cronulla, they had the 11 guys with their murals up on the wall.

[00:29:43] We've got, yes, we've got gallon and ET on the other side, the space for a Harlem in the middle, I think. Ooh, I did just post a photo of me and Katie on the Instagram. You think that could be added to the mural? That's the one right in the middle of the, all the icons, Ben and Katie. And then we're little Las Vegas 25. That's it. Um, I will say like, and obviously I'm biased and you are too, Sam.

[00:30:09] So when we look at the coverage that different clubs were getting, um, the way that the sharks who were the away team. So, which means that they had a smaller, like, um, uh, how do I say it? Like an admin and non football staff, like smaller budget, a smaller budget, smaller team to send over. Um, and also the sharks is just like in marketing, you'd call it a challenger brand, right? Like they're always sort of the, the young upstart.

[00:30:36] That's just trying to, you know, really, um, make, make what they can, um, with, with little resources. That's what my show is like as well, where, where definitely a challenger brand in terms of the, um, budget and stuff that we have at Sirius. It's very cool to see the way that they nailed the week in terms of the press that they got. Katie stuff is great. The L stuff was great. The fact that they had ET there, like the amount of, as we had the over under and how many selfies he was going to take in the week.

[00:31:05] Um, and the amount of TV shows and crosses that he was doing, um, like you compare that to how, like the Raiders had the press about who was going to blow the Viking, um, the horn. Uh, Penrith didn't really have much warriors. Um, did, I couldn't see much in that sort of realm. Uh, sharks really batted above their, um, punch above their weight, batted above their average in terms of the amount of coverage they got.

[00:31:32] Like what they were on the front page of the Sunday telly in terms of that 16 page lift that they did. Yeah. With Nico and, um, and Adam on there, they did like, they did very well. So big credit. If any of those team are listening, um, to the pod, they did very well in terms of that sort of coverage. Um, and we should be really stoked as fans that when we see, when we hear, oh, your clubs on the front page of the telegraph, we're trained to get goosebumps and go, oh no, what's happened now. Wow.

[00:32:02] That when it's actually a photo of, um, of ET and L and you go, that's actually quite cool. Like, that's a great idea. That's cool that they made that happen. Um, that's been cool. To their credit. That was a long time in the works. Whereas the Katy Perry thing was like your good fortune and just almost not a fluke, but just, it was very sure. As you said, last minute kind of thing. Whereas the L thing, they really, really tried their best to make it happen. And it did thankfully.

[00:32:31] Uh, but I can, without getting into too much of a love fest for those guys and they do listen and they do watch and I am friends with them. Um, I was around them a lot and they worked their butts off and there was only a small team. It wasn't definitely wasn't the entire sharks admin team was a small, small amount of people. And they're all doing different, different kind of tasks and little sleep and yeah, really working their butts off.

[00:32:56] And I think, you know, it's a good, one of those life lessons, Ben, you work hard and things will hopefully come to fruition. And that's a, it's a good example of the last week. Cause they really, um, as you did, as I did, we were grinding away over there for the sharky. So magnificent event overall Vegas NRL, not shark specific NRL. You're happy yet pretty successful from your point of view as a, as a native over there, so to speak. Yeah.

[00:33:23] I think you gotta be, you gotta be pretty stoked with how that, like we were given a certain amount of tickets to give away that I sort of thought was a bit of a pipe dream that we'd be able to give them all away on the radio. That week we gave them all away. There were people calling in from Vegas, Utah, California. That was sort of our main ones cause they're all within driving distance, um, or, or flying distance to, um, uh, to Vegas. And obviously lots of locals, people that were texting us afterwards saying, you know, it was our first experience.

[00:33:53] This is so great. We had Australians next to us teaching us the rules. We can't wait to go back next year. Um, again, that Fremont street, just completely taking things over park MGM 98% warriors fans. They're just everyone with jerseys. Um, yeah. And even the TV figures I've, I've read all the articles and everybody is sort of happy with that 400,000 on Fox, which, um, like it's, it's great promotion. It's a Saturday night.

[00:34:21] And not many people are watching TV on a Saturday night on free to air. Not many people are watching free to air these days anyway, but like, that's a cool result as well. So it's glad that that's been positive. I mean, you've got to be happy. Vegas tourism saying there's pumping a hundred million dollars into the economy that week. Like, like there is, I said, um, first time that I was on with you, Sam last year, I was like, we should be really proud that the sharks in the second year have been picked.

[00:34:48] Um, again, after, you know, what we've been used to with the club, um, and our reputation out there. Um, like that, this is pretty cool. It's a pretty cool week. Um, Vegas is the perfect city for it because you can come over for a few days and make it happen and, and make an impact because it is sort of a smaller market as opposed to if you tried to do New York or LA and sort of, you'd be swallowed by other stuff that's happening.

[00:35:14] Um, and also New York, it's like minus 10 degrees. So can you imagine playing in like the NFL stadium in minus 10 degrees? That's just not going to work. Yeah. I think from, I think the NRL should be really stoked with how it went, Sam. Um, there are obviously life lessons and stuff that they'll learn for next year and they'll just keep tweaking and tweaking. But I really am desperate to do it again.

[00:35:39] And I'm interested to see how I'll do next year if the sharks aren't there and like how that week will be different. Cause I think there was an added sort of pressure for me. For sure. Cause I knew that at the end, the end of the week was the sharks are playing and I still wanted them to win. So it'd be interesting when it's like, I'm just a neutral observer and how that will change my attitude towards the week.

[00:36:01] Now for all of your hard work over the past year to make the Cronulla side of things, as far as what we talked about happened, you got a perk. And that perk was a very justified, amazing spot in the stadium. Did you say stay in that one spot? What did you do? Did you move around to the spot? You had, you had like a lounge. Were you behind the post or something? Yeah. So behind the post where you don't like to sit, Sam. I could have made an exception. Just, just give me a heads up.

[00:36:30] For where I was. Okay. So if you're at the stadium, if you are listening and you're at the stadium on Saturday, so behind the end zone, traditionally of the NFL. So behind the trial line, there's an area called the Winfield club where it's, it's basically like set up like a nightclub. There are booths. There's a couple of DJ sets. You can do bottle service. It's like full on. And apparently at a Raiders game or even a concert, Raiders is in NFL, obviously it is full on those booths that we had.

[00:37:01] I think we had six people in, they can fit up to 40 for a Raiders game. We were told, which I don't even know logistically how that would work. And we, we had Todd Gurley from a formal NFL player next to us. We had Rams players behind us. We had UFC players across from us. It was very much the, the place where the people that are being looked after were there. And I was very lucky that we got one of those booths there, which was very cool.

[00:37:31] That was unbelievable because you were so close to the action and you're doing it in style. And yeah, that was, that was very cool. And so you saw a couple of our tries or it was at the other end. Yeah. The Fanua Blake, the shrug try that was right in front of us. It was you. Yeah. Our guy Gaz has a couple of photos. You can see stressful Ben in the background. Oh, okay. Yes. Looking out.

[00:37:57] And I got lots of texts of people that were spotting me in the, in the coverage because I'm in my bright blue sharks jersey. You can see me in the background. It's just, you know, standing there looking pretty intense. I stayed there for the majority of the time during the women's game. We did go up and we walked around the, um, the stadium and got different, um, vantage points because a few of us knew different people that were around. So we wanted to go say hi to them. Um, and we figured that was a good time just to have a look, um, and see how the game was going from a different perspectives as well.

[00:38:26] Um, so, but again, I've not to brag, but I've, I did the Superbowl there last year and I was up in the nosebleeds and it's the, again, there's not a bad seat in the house. It's a, it's a very good stadium. Um, it's great. Yeah. On some of the pods we did post game, we, I particularly could not stop talking about that stadium. And I, you know, if you ask me, I will not stop talking about it. It's unbelievable.

[00:38:51] And the fan experience, even for, you know, no matter what caliber of ticket you have, the fan experience is really, really good. So I think the NRL can definitely learn from that. Uh, were you in line with where a catch and pass might level the game for us at the end of the game? Were you in line with that? Yes, I was. Again, I'm sure there's a couple of photos or footage of me cursing out things. Um, and, and you know what?

[00:39:19] And that's one thing that I said to anyone that asked, whether it was from Dino who texted me after the game to you, Sam, to when I was talking to friends back home or parents, um, that were watching on TV or just looking at the message boards. Right. Couple of missed opportunities. And if we take them and we take those opportunities, we either are sending things to golden point or we're going to the 80 minutes and we're winning. Um, which, which depending on how you look at it is like a huge positive considering how we've gone against Pembroke the last couple of years.

[00:39:47] Um, and everything's, everything's the same in hindsight, right? Because if you say to Ramian, Hey, pass the ball, you'd also say to Braley, don't kick the ball out. You'd also say to kick the ball out. Like, Oh yeah. This is just what it is. Like I would say to you, I would say to you, go, I, Tonya, um, uh, Nathan Cleary and whack him as he was coming back from, from seeing Mary Fowler wherever she was. Like hindsight's beautiful thing, Sam. But yes, I was right there for those closing moments.

[00:40:17] Um, to be there in the, like right there on the second half when that comeback was on and they were starting to gain momentum. That was fun to watch. Yeah, for sure. And you know, me, Benny, I'm not going to, I'll never blame one person for a loss anytime. Uh, I just was trying to get you in line with that incident, shall we say? Yep. That's where I was. I was there in front of the ad and try and there in front of that final sort of missed opportunity. Oh, there's four, at least four very well spoken of events that could have made things a lot easier for the team.

[00:40:46] So, um, without, I think it's a positive, but I also am not so, you know, up in the clouds that I would say, no, no, we need to start icing those games. Like at some point, and it may not be round one against Penrith, but at some point you've got to take those opportunities and just win. So hopefully this is the year they start doing that. Let's talk a bit about the game before we let you go. Who is your best on ground for the Sharks?

[00:41:11] You know what I was, I'm surprised by the discourse around Kennedy that's come out. Um, I'm really surprised by that. I don't know if it was like, I have seen a bit of the game. I've seen like the condensed 20 minute version. Um, but I thought that he had a ripper game, like his efforts to just, when he put his head in and just, just nailed, what was it? Martin or, um, whoever it was, it was just barnstorming his way to the try line.

[00:41:39] And Kennedy was like, nah, um, I thought that he had a ripper game and was putting in much more effort than, um, than we've sort of given him credit for last year. So I'm surprised by the discourse about around him. Um, he's the one that really stood out in terms of, I was surprised at, um, everyone else I think sort of played a decent level. I always love to see when Blake is running the ball as opposed to just shoveling the ball out.

[00:42:05] Um, and we have really good success whenever he does that because he's got more confidence in his running. So it was good to see that even, even though, even if he was just tackled, tackled at dummy half, like it's just good to see him do that. But yeah, Kennedy, I was so surprised that that was where a lot of people were sort of, he was the online whipping boy for a bit. Him and Nico, um, Nico always is going to get that. But yeah, I thought Kennedy was, had an, like a really great game, like really put some effort there.

[00:42:33] And, and the times that he didn't, it looked like he wasn't putting effort. It was because he was caught out of place by the best player in the game. Yeah. And they were putting on set plays to, to fool him and have him on the opposite side of the field. And it's like, well, that's a credit to Nathan more than, um, uh, a red flag against, um, against Will. Yes. Having watched it live and I'm going to do like, you know, my tape study probably tonight.

[00:42:57] So I haven't just, uh, just to tell everyone, I haven't gone back and watched it play by play, but having watched it live from good seats, I thought Will was, as you said, really putting in. There was the 40, 20 save, like foot on the line or not, there was 40, 20 save. There was, there was the try save down that end. There was the one you're talking about where he sort of. I'll say, I haven't forgot about that try save where he knocked the ball out. Like that's unbelievable. Yeah.

[00:43:23] There was the momentum stopping one with Martin where, okay, he doesn't make the tackle, but he gets credit for like stopping the tackle. That's a classic James Maloney step where you get the miss tackle credit, but he stopped him in the line, just brammed him. And under the high ball, like faultless with like the entire team running at him for probably 70 of the 80 minutes. Like just like I was in line with a lot of his catches in the second half and it was relentless. Like you wouldn't want to be that guy for anything. And he knows so well.

[00:43:49] I, when I got home, I think, or somewhere on my travels yesterday, I saw a clip from my work colleagues. I'll say that to put it bluntly. And someone was talking about the two tries that Will Kennedy allegedly conceded. One was the kick and it was perfectly placed. Like Will Kennedy was not out of position. He just couldn't get there. That's a big difference.

[00:44:15] And even the, the excuse, not the excuse, the example, given that if it was Clint Gutherson, he would have got it. That's still not true. Like he wouldn't have got there. Like it was just perfect. So I've, I've got no issue with that one. And the other one they showed was where Yo went through the middle. He went past for no, like, I think past Hazleton, one of the props. And Will was kind of the last guy. And he sort of got there, I would say late, but also what's he going to do? Like it's, that's a hail Mary play. If he stops that play.

[00:44:45] So could he have been better position there? Sure. I'm not here to say he's an angel, but I, like you was very surprised. And there's a lot of things online and, you know, people have their say. That's awesome. We love people having their say, but some people do. I think just they're so invested in the fact that he's not the guy. They're looking at anything. They're not talking about the try saves or the body on the line or the faultless kick defense. They're just talking about, oh, he didn't do this. It's like, what, what, what game are you watching?

[00:45:14] Like, again, we all have different opinions, but I'm with you. I actually thought he was possibly our best player. You could probably throw in AFB as well. Yeah. Um, and not to, to brag, but I did call that Ramian was going to be having a barnstormer, um, over that try line. And I should have probably backed myself and put some money on first try scorer. Um, because as soon as he scored, I was like, I did mention this with the guys and Sam on the podcast, uh, me a couple of days earlier.

[00:45:44] Um, I think the team played well. Uh, it's hard to pick standouts. Um, Kennedy, Kennedy. I just, uh, I pick out because I was interested by all the comments after the game. Um, again, missed opportunities. That's all it was. A couple of penalties. We didn't need to give away a couple of kicks. We needed to, to nail a couple of balls that we don't drop. And we're sweet. So how are you feeling about round two with the Cowboys? So in a week and a bit, how are you feeling?

[00:46:11] This is a tough one because there's always a side that loses like three or four games in a row. And then the, the, the drums start beating and it's like, no side has made the finals, but you know, everyone trots that out. Right. Like, was it Brisbane last year? There was, there's always a, there's always a team and it just shows you how flippant it is. Cause I can't remember who it was last year, but there wasn't, there was one where all the shows all talk about it. Um, gosh, you've covered it when you did your schedule. Release, um, pod with Josh.

[00:46:39] I think it was, um, geez, it's a tough run going straight into Townsville. And then we've got Perth ahead of us. Like I, I, you don't want to whine, but I, I think we'll win. I think that it's, we're going to be really good for the experience and like, what a great bonding experience for all of the teams to have that sort of, um, week, uh, the camp away, um, from everybody.

[00:47:04] But I also don't think that if we're, if we're at round four and you're getting emails from everybody going, we're, we're nil and four. This is a disaster. Fire everybody. Bring, bring in another coach. Bring in another halfback. It's, it's, it's, it's like, there are other things. I don't want to make excuses, but I am concerned at how the travel is going to affect the guys. Hopefully they can harness that into a positive energy. And it really, if it's just us versus the Cowboys, I really have no doubt that we're

[00:47:34] probably going to win. But are you suggesting that if we were 0 and 4, A, obviously you're saying it would be because of the travel, but would that surprise you? Or what are you, what are you saying? I mean, I think, yeah, if we go 0 and 4 to start the season, it's going to be surprising. But also I, I'm just thinking logistically now it's one thing to go through the drawer and say, oh, this seems tough. But now as we're living it and I'm going, oh wait, they have to fly back to get the week off, but then we're going to go.

[00:48:01] So it's the same thing I think the Warriors, it's going to be tough for them having to do Vegas and then travel wherever they're going to travel in the next couple of weeks. Like it's a, it's a no win situation, but have a week off, chill, get regroup. And then we'll focus on the old Cowboys and we don't have to worry about Kyle felt standing over our rookies or scoring his inevitable one or two tries against us this year. What a jerk. I forgot about him.

[00:48:31] As you should. I'm sorry. I brought him up actually. It's a perfectly winnable game and perfectly winnable game. Sam and this Fitzgibbon crew don't mind hitting the road. So there are people convinced that the travel is going to affect us. The coaching staff don't think it's an issue. I get the feeling Ben, ultimately, if Fitzgibbon didn't want to go to America, I almost feel like he has enough power to go, Hey, certain person in the club, this isn't going to be good for business.

[00:49:00] Like I'm sure they addressed it before they agreed to it because the NRL can't make you go. And obviously we've talked about all the positives, but if the football club don't want it from my experience, particularly with this group of coaches, then it doesn't happen. So they're okay with it. And one of the things I was concerned about with the Katie stuff was I would hate for that to come across as, I know that our friend Ricky O, his opening line was sharks didn't

[00:49:29] get the two points, but they did pick up something else on the way, which is a great line. Right. But like, I didn't want the idea from the fan base being not the, I'll look at them. They're too busy hanging with Katy Perry to actually train. Yeah. But more a, you want the week to be seen as a success and you want the campaign to be seen as a success, which I think you know, and I know that the club do consider it a success

[00:49:54] in that aspect, but you also know that the football club and Fitzy are going in to training this week and going, look, that's all well and good, but we didn't win. And like, so if that's what we're expecting, we need to win. So let's pick it up and let's, let's just keep going and let's improve. So that was my one main worry. I didn't want it to come across as that. I obviously can't control that.

[00:50:20] Um, but I think by now we all sort of know that that's not the attitude within the team. No. Cause if that was the attitude, they would have got done by 18 points. You know, they wouldn't have, they wouldn't have been on the cusp of winning, which they were. So yeah, I think that is out the window. Uh, you won't change some fans minds on that and that's fine. That that's, you can't do that. That's cool. I don't think, well, I know for a fact that's obviously they, they, they had one night in LA where they let their hair down.

[00:50:50] Um, and the rest was just business. And as you said before running it through everyone, the Katy Perry meeting was on the back of the NRL Fremont street thing, which is contractually, like contractually have to do that. So our boys just went from there to go to your studio down the road. So there's. Yeah, that's right. They didn't give up training on a Friday morning. They didn't skip the captain's run or anything to go do this, nor would they either. Um, the one learning I think will be really interesting, Sam, when you see whoever is announced

[00:51:19] for next year, what they're going to do, because from, I know the people that you've spoken to at different clubs, they were really stir crazy. You hear now, now all the reports are coming out about how some of the, the warriors, um, like the coaching staff that, uh, someone was claiming they were out on the beers all week. You've got what ha what happened with the Raiders at the beginning of the week and, and, um, and the, the rubber baseball bat and that sort of stuff.

[00:51:48] Um, and like Penrith seemed to be pretty sort of chill, but they've got everything sort of worked out for themselves. But then you had the sharks and they, they went to LA, as you said, they had the night out, they bonded, they, um, they started the week and they got a couple of good sessions in. And then once they sort of went to Vegas, it was almost like, okay, like let's switch on and let's do this. And yes, they didn't win the game, but it'll be interesting to see those clubs next year. What their attitude towards that week setup is going to be because they could do San

[00:52:17] Diego or LA and then come to Vegas. They can do Vegas for the whole time. And really it's going to depend on the club because Manly were the only side last year, right? That did Vegas for the whole time. They said it was good to get it out of their system first. And then they ended up like winning. Right. Um, whereas this year it felt like that warriors were going stir crazy. Um, Raiders seem to be all over the shop a bit, um, at times, even though like these are

[00:52:46] all non-issues to me. They're all non-issues, but we both know spending a shit ton of time in Vegas is like, can be a disaster. I'm wrecked and I've been back for like four days. I don't know how any of you guys are feeling. I don't know how, how you and the gang are all feeling flying back and doing the long haul flight or people, poor people that their flight got canceled last night and they're having to spend another day in LA. Um, Oh, like a disaster.

[00:53:15] I think I legitimately got the only flight back by luck. Yeah. You would have because everything else was straight out of Vegas and it was the LA flight that the other, the other LA flights that got canceled. Yeah. You were very lucky. Um, but yes, that's one thing to keep an eye out on. I mean, from a non-sharks perspective is what learnings that these other clubs are going to get from what happened this year. Yeah, for sure. It's a long time to spend in Vegas, Sam. It's a long time.

[00:53:44] We both did it and, uh, yeah, I'm definitely still recovering, but you know, it wouldn't change a thing. A lot of fun. Ben, before we go, revealed on Shark Castport, in fact, that the biggest heel turn in 30 years. Yeah. Maybe ever. Uh, occurred. Thanks to our friend Lucian Melbourne for spoiling it for me. Now that's factual, but I'm only putting shade on him cause he feels bad cause I'm making it into a thing. It's not a thing. So did you find out on the pod because somewhere I got texts and people sent it to me when I

[00:54:14] was at the game on Saturday. So approximately what time do you think it happened during the game? Okay. Well, let's have a think. Um, so it was in Toronto, that same time zone as New York. So that would have happened. Like, let's say those events normally finish at like 11 now, 11, 10, nine, uh, 10, nine, eight would have been just before the sharks game started. Right. So, so everyone's just sort of messing about the sharks. They're not, they're not doing that. And I guess I went on air about maybe an hour, hour and a half after the game, had a great live stream. Go listen to it.

[00:54:42] And our friend Lucian Melbourne, like the greatest guy in the world. He's, he's the best. And he's a big wrestling guy in my comments that pop up, which I can put onto the screen. And I just, I go through every single one as much as I can. We're getting heaps. It was awesome. And he wrote something like, Oh, I can't believe we lost that. And then he goes, Oh, by the way, John Cena with, you know, the heel turn of the century or whatever. And cause I knew the event was on, I went, what? And I was, I sent it on there. I said, what John Cena.

[00:55:10] And then I inexplicably put, put the thing up on the screen. So everyone else said, well done, Sam, one of your best. But anyway, Lucian was, um, very apologetic and we're cool. And I'm just making a lot of it now to put more shade on him, but I watched it the next night. Thanks to him for sending me a link. So he made up for it very much. And I watched it knowing that's the only thing I knew John Cena and the rock together for the moment, turning on Cody Rhodes in what was an unforgettable segment. What are your thoughts?

[00:55:41] Well, I went to the Royal rumble in Indianapolis and I left there. My mates were very happy, um, that Uso, uh, won the Royal rumble. Whereas I was thinking this is as someone that had a WrestleMania ticket, I was like, this is not the main event that I had in mind. When you've got, uh, when you have a rumble that's filled with Cena, Punk, Rollins, Reigns, um, a bunch of stars in there. And I go, okay, we're going to do Gunther versus Uso.

[00:56:08] Like that is a, that's a night one opening match, 10 minute match. Like that to me does not scream WrestleMania. Um, and now what a month or two, two months later, you've got Cena turning and going to be a bad guy for the first time since 2003. Um, and taking on Cody and that's probably going to be the night two main event. And I'm like, Oh, I'm excited to go now. This is great.

[00:56:35] And, and for, for people who are still listening, but not into it, you, you do know who John Cena is. I know who, I know everyone knows who John Cena is, but to put it bluntly, he's essentially the Hulk Hogan of the two thousands. Like he was Mr. All America make a wish guy. Yeah. He holds the Guinness world record for the most, um, make a wish, uh, wishes granted. And that's the reason why he's always been a good guy since he's been a superstar, you

[00:57:01] know, the tippy top superstar, because the kids love him and he's does all that extra stuff and he's all very good guy. And also economically, they make millions of him every day in merchandise legitimately. So he announced a retirement year. So he's coming back for one year, which is now, and then he's going to retire and it was all going well. And kids are buying the merch and they're buying the tickets to go see their hero.

[00:57:27] And in absolutely genius form, which is what WWE now is, they just flick the switch and he is a bad guy for at least the short term. I'm not sure it'll go out that way, but if you haven't seen it, go watch it. It is. And I'm not, I'm not at all into that guy. It was amazing acting, man. Like that face he pulled, like what was that face? Yeah, no, it was very cool. Um, it was just a cool segment. I didn't need Travis Scott there, but, um, that was weird.

[00:57:57] That was weird. Uh, even though technically he is the most dangerous out of the three, but we won't get into, we won't get into that. I didn't, I really didn't need him. I was showing, uh, my, my, my nine-year-old kid who's just into it a little bit. And he was like, why is Travis Scott there? I said, I legitimately don't know. Yeah. It's a great question. Little Sam, uh, mini Sam. That's a great question. Um, yeah, no, what a great segment opens up so many different possibilities.

[00:58:24] Um, and if you're the type of person that really only has a casual, um, uh, love of wrestling and maybe just starts watching cause WrestleMania time, um, like Chuck on Netflix because that's, that's cool. Like there's, there's a lot of unanswered questions and a lot of different possibilities that that can go into the American summer and this final year of, of seeing how long he's going to last and how long the rock's going to last there. Um, no, it's, it's definitely gone from the end of the rumble where I was like, oh, this

[00:58:53] WrestleMania is going to be a dud to, uh, Saturday night when I was like, oh crap. Like, this is awesome. There are so many opportunities here. Yeah. You're like, bring on Vegas part two. That's right. I'm here. I am complaining about being wrecked after Vegas. Knowing full well that I'm going back, but I am only going for one night. So that'll be okay. All right, Benny. Thanks for your time, man. Really appreciate it. It was also hanging out in Las Vegas and we'll see you when you get back here.

[00:59:22] We'll talk to you no doubt before that. Yeah. Thanks for everything you did for us. Even when I was like, do I turn left or right? You were like, go right. A hundred meters. Like you were awesome. So I really appreciate it. Anyone that goes to Vegas now knows how terrible it is to try and find the place where the Ubers pick up. Because you were literally going to the parking lot of the parking lot. Yeah. Past where the staff park in some weird alleyway that has one sign saying Uber pickup.

[00:59:50] And it's like, and Vegas is bad enough to walk at the worst of times. But when you're then trying to find the Uber pickup section, it's like we, we lapped around the Flamingo trying to get somewhere because I can't pick you up off the strip. So happy to help. Other times where I'm like, I can see you, Ben. I'm just going to cross the road. And you're like, yeah, turn right. Go over those steps, up the escalator, through the lift, into the mall, down, and I'll be on the other side waiting. And I'm like, yeah, you're just there. I know.

[01:00:18] I was saying to Paul and Nicole, we're like, oh, we've got dinner plans. We're at Park MGM. Sam, MGM Grand, where you were staying, Sam, is literally across the road. Again, air quotes. But then like half an hour later, you're still trying to get over the street to get there. And she's wearing heels going, what do you mean across the road? Vegas is an experience. Anyone that went there just in general or anyone that went there last week knows exactly what we're talking about because it can be, it can be a bit of a slog. It's all very deceptive how far away everything is. I was counting my steps, which I've never done in my life.

[01:00:48] And it was- How had that go for you? It was like 35,000 or something. Yeah. Yeah. Especially like even going from the wind where we had our studio to Resorts World, where we recorded the pod with Gaz and where the fan hub was. That looks like it's across the road, but you're walking, walking, you're like, what is happening? It's just nothing is near each other. Yeah. But it was fun. It was fun. So much fun. Great. Memorable. Potentially once in a lifetime. Who knows?

[01:01:16] We're not going to say never because they could be back soon. We don't know. It was that successful for the club. World Club Challenge. Bring it on, guys. Or if we win the comp, when we win the comp, then that's it. Me, you, Katy Perry in the boots. Yes. Yes. That sounds great. And we'll squeeze Nicole in as well. Hey, thanks for having us, Ben. Thanks for being had. Love you, man. Thanks everyone for listening. More episodes coming. Sharkast pod. Not much more to say about Viva Las Vegas. I'm actually in Sydney. He's in New York. So we've already done that. Ben, talk to you soon, my man. I'm going to hit end record. Thanks for having me. I'm going to say up, up, Cronulla.

[01:01:46] I can't play the song because we didn't win, but I'm going to say up, up, Cronulla. 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 Karimbao 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.

[01:02:13] Call him on 0410 417 450. That's 0410 417 450. Jason Hawes, Crips and Crips Real Estate. Shut up, man.

[01:02:43] Turn your porch lights off because we're coming out with a trophy.