"Matter Of Faith"

O there and welcome back to the Mad Monday podcast, brought to you by four and twenty Pie is a perfect at home snack for watching the rugby League. My name is Tina saw on Monday. OWI I am joined by We're going to go with to Henward HEMI HENDUCKSMI henducks in the seat opposite me. Hey you going mate?

Still recovering what was a tough a tough night in the commentary booth, the tough night as a fan. Yeah, I've been drowning myself in the sweet, delicious gravy of a four and twenty PI since then. Basically it was what I suppose the depression that it gives you as it was such a Warriors lass. If you've been a fan of the club for what the thirty odd last years, it's such a Warrior's loss all up, all to play for at halftime. Technically we won the first half.

We had the obstruction train, oh my god.

Yeah, but we just capitulated in the second half. Every time we were on there with a full set of six, we dropped the ball on the second or first tackle. Have felt like half a dozen times.

It's just like you say, it's so Warriors and it's so frustrating, and it's so good to have all of the people that jumped on the bandwagon last year. I'm actually in a roundabout way and this could be just copium. I'm quite glad that we've had the season that we have. Fourteenth. I think on the latter is our spiritual home. It's outsod on Wawei sitting in fourteenth. And for all of the people who got on up the wires last year,

Yeah, and don't worry for those who want to stick with a potty I've gotten off the back fence. That will have some tips and tricks for being a Warriors fan.

Oh, brilliant, a real Warriors.

Fan, because this the thing is, to be honest, I'm happy fourteenth. There's no more mathematical chance, there's no more over ninth. If only we'd won that game. Not we've faded out now with that obstruction call. What is pissing me off so much is just run.

Through the line, don't stop in it.

Yeah, like Cape, Well, just trotted up and slowly stopped and DC could have run round him. Yeah, but he gamesmanship played for it. The lead runners just sprint through the line. Yeah.

But even then, I've I saw maybe on the Thursday night game, I seem to remember the refs being like, oh, look, yes, there wasn't a you know, what do they call it an impeding or whatever? Earlier on in the player that player wasn't going to make the tackle. They weren't going to stop the try. So there was a little bit of like referees discretion, But then then they went straight back to litter of the law with our one. Yeah, they had that was it Nathan Cleary maybe? Who? Yeah, someone like that.

A well, no, Isaac Tunguell made a defensive reed.

Yeah, and it was like, yes, they might have been stopped there, but they were never going to stop that try. But then our one is like as if DC was going to get over there and make a tryce over it. You know.

Now I'm wearing a Warrior's top and a black Caps supporter's cap.

Right, you're steady as ship.

How close are the black Caps and the Warriors do you reckon?

Oh? So close?

Glimmers of hope and joy. Granted, I'll give the black Caps they've won a World Teess championship, right, so they had actually won a big calm.

But we feel so similar.

Right, We'll take out Ozzie in a T twenty, then we'll get beaten by Bangladesh at home.

Anistan will light us up at the Cricket World Cup.

We just we we've got no form guide. Yeah, you can't pick okay and just settle and there's gonna be a good season because we came off last year. Ideally, i'd like, is it this could be our year Now. I worry that we've got James Fisher Harris coming, but we've also lost SJ. We're a bit little bit raddle us in the Halfshokie met.

Calf, Yes, yes, it was great to have him back, and you're right, but I would also you know, there's been a lot made of the ones that we've had without Shawn Johnson this year. I wouldn't be shocked if we had a half signing in the off season or like World Card maybe teen tour pickiars a half yeah eight yeah, like a and then be I know Metcalf's

Yeah, TOMARTI feels like you're more bogs standard organizing half yea. However, no one's really lighting it up with the kicking a and I think that got shown up on the weekend with DCE. Oh my god, we had one of his best games.

This was the first note that I wrote down. We I picked our game to a good punt for Friday night and it was a forty twenty because I love getting on forty twenty whenever DC is playing.

Look for those who aren't fay with Mania's punting. Normally, he put one hundred bucks on an elephant to come on the pitch during the twenty second minute of the game at Brookwell. But no, he went like straight up forty it was paying good odds.

Yes, I think it was actually paying for dollars twenty DCE drools those pinpoint.

And shit is a momentum shifter.

I don't understand why we don't see more forty twenties in the NRL. It is such a massive play. The amount of people that actually go for it is so low. Why wouldn't you just have someone Because if the forty twenty didn't exist, and then we brought it in tomorrow, all of a sudden everyone to be trying it ever on, to be having a crack for a forty twenty. I don't understand why it doesn't happen more often. I was thinking about it yesterday.

Why don't teams set up for it like they do with a drop goal? Yeah, you know where you play to the You know you're not gonna.

Score a try or get out of your own half, so you play.

You're having one of those tough sets, so you play to the middle of the park, You set your kicker up on whatever his angle.

Is, yeah, and run the forty twenty. You're telling me that Matt Burton couldn't snap off a forty twenty.

It will Oh, Matt Burton, he could kick a twenty twenty.

Yeah, So I mean christ Welsh did like two weeks ago, even more so.

And you where it's only a fifty to twenty five.

Yeah, fifty twenty two. That's what if. It's one of the more ridiculous rules in rugby union, but that's they've generally got wingers back there, so that one's harder to do.

Well you've got and your your fullback stays a lot deeper, whereas in league you don't. That's why they're able to get them. And there's no more master than Dcen. I think he was the difference in this and sadly he has had the wood on Sean Johnson.

And to make it even worse, they.

Played the Grand Final in twenty eleven is two bright, sparkly eyed young halfbacks and it was exactly the same score as the twenty eleven.

Really yeah far up.

So what away for Shawn Johnson to go out against DCE. Yeah, the same score that we got pumped GF.

As he's walking off the field, they start booing him. What was that about? Got to say love it?

Yeah, it's that's manly for you, right, that's brook Vale either had they it's a respectful.

Boot right because you don't bullshit. And if I was j.

Actually soak it up because that's the last time he'll get booed.

I reckon. I think he did soak it up.

It looked like because he looked like he's in quite a good mood. He gave a good halftime interview. Obviously, the game didn't go the way he wanted. He took a pretty heavy shot from Olokua tu yep at one point, which I'm sure he will not be missing.

That was I reckon. That was when he was just like yet right decision.

Yeah, and soak up the booze because he's not going to get it again. No, it's respectful. He's got Bulldogs at home. Regardless of how that game goes. This is a send off game, yeah for shawnee J. Then he's got the Sharks. Granted, when he was at the Sharks, it wouldn't have been the peak of his football.

However, he's still got play of the year at the Sharks. Won't yet. He led the league in tricists while he.

Was and Britain Nakora. Yeah, they teamed up beautifully. So I think he'll get a nice rousing send off at the Sharks.

So no, I mean.

It's just very manly bowing him off, and damn manly. Got a likable.

Team this year. Awesome team a lot.

They've got two hard games they play the Sharks, then the Bulldogs. No, they've got three more games someone Sharks, Bulldogs. They've got a tough run home, but they could be playing for the top four as long as Turbat is healthy. They are a completely different team. And then, like you say, they've got players across the park, they can't even fit Tolu Cola.

I think it was I don't even think he was on the bench. Was he No?

I heard broke a roach call him to a low koala there.

The other night.

Shout to blocker, Shout out to blocker, nailing the pronunciation twenty four to seven. But it's I was looking back through Warriors' seasons. No one, no one can get on an end of season losing streak.

But the Warriors'll tell you that it's It was a tough one, particularly when you look at like so, yes, mathematically we can't make the eight, and we were just crunching the numbers out of the office. The Dragons are on twenty eight points, we're on twenty one, three games left high as we can get to his twenty seven. So we cannot make the eight. Don't let anyone tell you we can. For a guy like edin Fanua Blake,

But then if you chuck it into neutral, do you have more chance of the injury?

Well, yeah, I don't know, because there was that weird blip earlier on in the season where he didn't show up or he didn't celebrate after that Panthers game, then he got bin for the next game. It was all just a little bit weird.

He actually, I thought played the best game he's played in a long time against the Seeds. He played seventy one minutes.

I know. And but like I've been saying, he's not going to check out once he's on the field, because you still have perseca running at You still have to make that tackle. Once you get the ball, they're coming to tackle you. You have to make that play. But I just think, you know the vibe, he doesn't really seem to celebrate with the rest of the team. If you ever watched the game, if you go down to Mount Smart this weekend, you can kind of tell the body language as.

Well, how he doesn't really stand in the huddles.

Yeah, and I just feel like I don't I know, none of the players will have a problem with him. They'll be made. He made you with him, but it just that kind of thing does weigh on a team. I think I.

Actually wonder if there is anything brewing behind the scenes this year. That's that's meant the playing group have been slightly out of step with each.

Other because they're the same team that had that season last year, you know that where everyone was on the bandwagon. You know, people were screaming up the wires from the rooftops.

Yeah, except like arguably RTS came back and granted, look, we I'm not an excuses based person, but we're being hammered by injury man like the losses we've had where Rockerberry hasn't been there. Granted, Graham, Telfa and Tower have been great, but they still need a lot more time. They're not one on one tacklers like rockerberriers.

Who's out to who's out.

I just hope Mecca, who gets on the city mission, lollies over there over the summer and just gets some energy back in this game supported. Look, he looked a bit naked, So I'm hoping that this time off has been a good thing.

I think I think we bring them off the bench as a middle rotation player. Yeah, of course, and Dylan Walker can stay in that thirteen jersey. It means we're going to have to take the captain's arm band off. But I've got to be honest with you. It feels like Mitch Bonnett's our captain anyway, doesn't it.

Yeah, and then it seems like it was all smoke no fire around Deli Walks leaving.

Eh. Let's see how it plays out over the next few weeks.

Yeah, maybe that's that's something that just subtly happens in the off season.

Yeah, there's no press release or anything, or they wait until another big signing and then they release their press release as well. Yeah, because we'll need you.

We can't just release Deli Walks because he plays with great pace. Oh yeah, he's been great for our team. I'd love to just mention in the commentary. I'd love to announce Jerome Hughes coming.

I don't think we get Jerome Hughes, but like Dylan Brown. Oh yeah, how weird is it?

I was looking at the comp there's suddenly going to be a dearth of like halfbacks are going to start with DCE will Go Born SJ Chad Townsend or Chad Townsend's signed at the Roosters.

He's playing at the Roosters. Yeah, there is going to be a death, so I don't know. Hopefully we can pick up some sort of half just this weekend. I've just picked up one step that I'd like to run past you. Somebody's put together the tries scored versus tries conceded. The team that concedes the fewest tries in the National Rugby League this season is the Canterbury banks Down Bulldogs. They can see two point sixty seven tries. We only

No.

I watched their Bulldogs game.

They look like a clinical team that's getting ready for finals and so I So one of my criticisms has always been that I feel the Warriors struggle to get it up for big games. I'm looking at ANZAC games, the game against Brisbane and the prelim Grand final. However, we got up for Mannering three hundred and we had a real gutsy win against Canberra that day.

Right, so let's get up for s J.

Let's get up for SJ. And if he can just I do notice he hasn't been stepping much, dude. I think he's dealing when you're dealing with Achilles business. And he had a bit of a limp towards the game, so I mean, surely he plays right now.

What we're doing is fluctuating between being like, this is gonna be awesome short, but then he's also but it's gonna be but they don't allow many tries. But it's gonna be the last game. We don't get up for these guys, and it's just that.

The tough thing I think is this is a must win game for the Bulldogs because they want top four spot, so it's going to be between them and the Sharks, and manly, I think for the top four they're.

My second team as well. I think now that we're out, I've never been a big fan of the Bulldogs, but.

There's something about the way they play.

Only in the last month or so, I reckon. I really like Jacob Preston. Yep, like I like Sherry, I like Carres, everyone loves the Fox, everyone loves Critter. Kick out the replaced them? How was that? How was that Edoka getting run down by the Hammer? Yeah?

And did you see Fox? How they put up the speedometers on them.

Yes, really, really they thee because they then they put up a side by side and the hammer was clocked at forty points something k is an hour. And then you saying bolts top speed was forty four k's and I was like, oh, get out of here. It's right up there with the VB Hard Earned Index.

Like that's a cross because surely you've got to have two exact points. Yeah, you've got to have tracking software. Yeah, they just get But I love it how it was fluctuating that he's going thirty six, he's going five point four.

Like there's a cop down there in a bush of the radar gun, but he.

Ran him down beautifully. Yeah, and then the fox have got one back.

Ah. I don't read too far into either of those. All I read into it is that I just have a sinking feeling that the dogs are going to get us on Friday night. But anyway, I'll be commentating that one at the stage by myself, but we Live from the Ground will have a special guest commentator. I think we're going to take a quick break and come back and talk about the Stalker of the Round. But just before we do, if you want to be there at

All right.

If you can't, just joined the ACC team for a massive rugby league weekend in March of twenty twenty five. I think you know what's going on around then text Vegas to three two three six to book your spot. I think there's only a couple left. But right now at his time for the Stalker of the round, and it had to be the Knights versus the Sharks. Was it nineteen to eighteen?

Yes? In fact the game that four minutes into this I thought it was going to be a forty point blowout. Yeah, because the Shark he's got two very early tries to Atkinson. Who I'm loving this, Daniel Atkinson.

Yeah, where did he come from? He's just your young little half. He played a blinder of a game.

Then Britain Acora crossed over in the seventh and it was all Sharks.

Yeah.

Then the Knights sort of pulled right back into this game and led it almost to the end.

How are the penalties at the end? It was ridiculous. It was out of controls. That was the note I put the was this thing was a penalty fest, and particularly towards the end, I have never seen it called the blocking penalty for the drop goal of tense. They were putting blockers in the way which every team does, which.

I thought I sort of understood on the Night's one, but then on the Sharks one, it just looked like, well, where are those players meant to stand.

And what are they supposed to do? Are they not allowed to just like.

Stand because they're just standing there? Yeah, and the kickers is set so far back.

Yeah. I think it was just a case of the referees blown one against these guys. He's going to have to blow on against the other guys as well. But I've never seen that. It's ridiculous because.

That was such a bold move because I think that Night's drop goal went over. Yeah, then he called the penalty back.

On them, so then he had to give the other one, and then in the end they made it. They made a real point of not having anyone standing there and our man just stood as far back as he possibly could. Atkinson just bombed one, hit it as high as he possibly could, give it every chance to go over, and it did, and that puts the Sharks right up the ladder. Now with that balling, without Nikohines at the moment, what's going on? So I think he'll be back for he'll be back for finals.

The Roosters are on exactly the same points as Cranella on thirty four, so that puts them at Roosters at third, Cranella at fourth.

How crazy was that Roosters game and the slop feed? I turned it off because I couldn't well, I couldn't see the field, to be honest, it was raining that hard and then it just it's like the drains were blocked.

And so they spent eight hundred and twenty eight million on that stadium two years ago and they donate drainage.

They couldn't.

Just Brookvale in the game beforehand had the same rain, but that drained out fine.

Yeah they were still pretty wet, but yeah, there was one where.

Old hectic gees jumped out of dummy half ran and then somehow turtled it on his back about fifteen meters slide.

It was, it was, It was ridiculous. It was actually quite tough to watch. And then despite all of that, all of these supercoach players for the Roosters went bang. But yeah, this Stonker of the round Knights for Sharks. I don't really know what to read too far into that one, other than the fact that despite losing Neko Hinz, the Sharks are I mean, the Sharks are so.

I still don't have a hell of a lot of confidence in them because even though they went buckwhild forty four neil against the Titans last week, they have been losing.

They have been looking a little bit shabby. I couldn't put my finger on what it is it's so good about the Sharks.

I think, is it Mula Talo, Raimian Catur back five, the plus the back five of you, Chuck, Adam Van Noah Blake and there.

Don't bring it up. They look pretty good. Man breaks my heart? Yeah, I know, But then, like if you go play with a player, I don't think they're that much better than us. Yeah, I suppose what worries me?

What worries me jumping slightly back to the Warriors again, as all the teams around us seem to have stepped up, like the Dogs, the Ragons, Manly. A few weeks ago I would have said the Titans, although the Titans are back.

Into a slump.

But yeah, I can't see the Sharks winning the comp no, no can I. I think it's definitely between Penrith, Melbourne Roosters and my smoke two Smokies are Bulldogs and Manly.

Yeah, I think it's storm Urst Panthers in the final. But yeah, the Roosters could be right there or thereabouts. Yeah.

I shot the gun and bought tickets a couple of weeks ago to the Grand Final.

Yeah, I'll be.

As as always at Home Bush in Sydney on October sixth, I believe so. I'll be there in my Warriors jumper with the family. We've got the whole Farno going over for a week and Manly beautiful.

And then I have to confess I enjoy going to a non Warriors Grand Final because I've got no stress.

You're just going along to watch possibly the worst Teina Turner impersonator you've seen. You might get a glimpse of the legend Jimmy Barnes.

You know, then the.

Choir Boys played last time I was there, they went alout on the field though they played in the stand Run to Paradise, then faded out through a couple of other tunes that no one knew.

And it's a real it's a real occasion. It's a bit like a magic ground because everyone's there in their different jerseys. Yeah right, people love a Warriors fan. Yeah, well they say they do.

Yeah, I think because we're a lot of people's second teams. I mean, there won't be as much fizz as last year. No, last year was up the Wars all day mate.

Yeah, I'd love to get over to a NROL Grand Final. Hopefully we can do that next year. But yeah, it is your My one last takeaway on the stogger of the round. This is a note to the mainstream commentators. They've been doing a great job of pronouncing a lot of the harder to pronounce names. I'm just gonna need you to hit the k and ni kura a bit harder, just a little bit harder. It's coming out as a g at the moment. Oh yeah, And I was playing it out of the office and a couple of people.

There no checking the you know, like an Isaac Tangle, Blake Tangle, just putting a bit of an inn before the g Yeah, you know Tago you often go to takeout.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. If you're a Polynesian player, you've got two years before anyone actually figures out how to play, how to pronounce you know all.

You've got two years and then they've just really bettered in the wrong one.

Yeah, in your Propali for the rest of your life. But yeah, at that case, Hey, it's worth also looking up the Hall of Fame inductees inductees.

Yeah, you got your your legends like Sam Burgess and jt in there Anglis.

Look up Lez Boyd. Well, I saw a blocker going off about Liz Boyd. I was reading a little bit about it because it was before my time. Oh before my time is nineteen eighty three. I would have been five he he.

If you look up Lez Boyd broken jaw, Yeah, he can't flying in with just a straight pointed elbow to the draw of Blocker Roach and got of Darryl Bowman. I think it was oh sorry, you know big Man, and he got twelve month suspension. Then he came back three games later he I gouged a dude and got a nine month suspension.

So you're saying Jared Haynes might be in the NRL Hall of Fame yet I've just just chuck it out there. Bungees in there. They're going to announce another immortal. I think later on this week. If you had to guess, probably by the time this podcast comes out, people will know who it is.

To guess, I'd say Bunty A four or Cam Smith.

It's got to be Cam'kim Smith for sure, isn't it. He's he's getting inducted into the Hall of Fame.

It's got to be Cam Smith, the guy as much as he grinds my gears as a player.

Yeah, he was bloody Okay, So even it's between until four and Camp Smith for the inductees. One last thing before we take quick break. Latrovitch, have you seen this story? He has now been asked to front the Rabbit O's board, so obviously they put him on leave for the rest of the season after photos allegedly came out of him with some sort of white powder. We think he could have been writing down his Kenot numbers or something like that. You don't know what that white powder was. Who knows.

He could have been doing very specific baking.

That's right.

Sometimes you really need to cut the flower up.

You know, could have spelled his well. Also, I see they're changing his contract, so this is the thing. He has to now go and face the I don't know board whatever, and they're going to say, why shouldn't we because he's breached his contract presumably, why shouldn't we should a few times? Yeah, why shouldn't we downgrade you and pay you lest next year? And he's gonna have to fight for his contract there, And I dare say he'll just turn around and be like, because you guys need me. Yeah.

I I love Latrelle And he was in such awesome form before he got this. Liz frank in Yeah, list Frank, I don't know, Shout out to Liz.

Shout out to Liz.

You've really heard a lot of players over the years.

She needs to be stopped.

But he was him in a great season. He had the blinder in the Origin two game that really brought New South Wales back into it. But I think people struggle with him because if he makes a mistake, he's not one to just wear it and apologize. He goes into shutdown mode. Granted when it's around something like only he can't you don't want to dub yourself in No, maybe wait till the statute of limitations goes like fifteen years was like, remember when Pong was in the toilet with.

Kirk Man with kurk Man and they were talking about real estate.

Yeah, yeah, just because there's nowhere else to really chat about being a landlord.

Yeah, that's right. So yeah, I don't know. I don't think anything will come with that. I think they because if I was Hime, I'd be like, okay, well then in my contract and I'll go back to the Roosters for you know, bazillion dollars a year. Well we'll go to the Warriors as half which in blind eyes, all right, let's take a quick break and when we come back, guy is going to come off the back fence.

A long kicker the offload to head on and he got the back fence food time.

Here we have it.

We've got some tips for your bandwagon fans. We've got your tips for your fans who have just slid onto this Warriors bus after an amazing twenty twenty three season. If you're one of those fans that you were tuning into the Warriors back in ninety ninety five year John Kirwin's you've just been watching Fanella Barfield on three point forty five Live, then you stay up for the Warriors. These tips might not be for you, because you know

Well, it's not like that. Sometimes you're the Empire, give Gobin off g Lane. You see. Sometimes it's not exactly how you think it's gonna pan out.

It's not all superstars with a beautiful downstairs. Sometimes it's a horrendous human being that you've just bumped into.

But you're giving it a goat because you love it. I don't quite know how to start, said to the Warriors, but the point is. The point is it's not about winning.

We join the club to support the club, and if you can't handle winning, if you can't handle losing, you should just leave.

When we win, I'm a happy man. But if we lose, who cares. It's just a game.

I can't change it. I can't change how the players do it. I show up because I love the club. I show up because my kids were raised out at Mount Smart, go into the game since they were young, and they feel part of the community. The Warriors are a community. One day we'll get there. Will it be tomorrow? No?

Will it be next year? Probably not.

We might not even make the top eight next year. But I'll be watching every game. Why because our bloody love the club. All I'm saying is you gotta careless. You got to careless, and don't give Glayne a gobby.

Beautiful words, true words have never been spoken. Thank you very much, Diet, and thank you very much everyone for tuning into this week's episode of the Mad Monday Podcast. We'll be back on Thursday to breakdown the teamless Jelayne has actually been stood down this week, thankfull Lisa will SJB in the team Less well tune and on Thursday