"Two-On-One With Marcelo Montoya, Jazz Tevaga & Luke Metcalf"

Welcome back to the Mad Monday Podcast, brought to you, as always by four and twenty piles, the perfect at home snack for watching rugby league. But Die, we're not at home, are we right now? We're out at Mount Smart Stadium, all thanks to Helen Stein's I've got the hoodie on.

I've just stolen it off the rack.

Yeah, you took the one with no logo on it.

Well, you were sitting right there.

You could have said something and sitting right in front of it as well, still sitting there as Marcellum on tour.

Good afternoon, Marcela. How are you mate?

Hey, team, I'm good. I'm good.

Hey Die, good to see you mate.

I was good to see you guys.

I know you're worried about dye in particular, really holding your feet to the fire on what So I'd like to start with the first question if I could. Yes, I was talking to your wife this morning. Yes, you guys have got a pretty big announcement debate. Yes, about something coming up very very soon. We're very excited. So you've got a podcast cover it out. Yeah, yeah, I'm excited to hear it as well. At the moment you were out an injury. What's the injury?

Yeah, just a groin, a grade grade one kind of strained though, but I've got a scan on it.

It wasn't.

It was like they thought it was a strain.

It was grade one low and then kind of I've been a bit more jointy, so that's why I kind of pulled me back a few more weeks. Yeah, but hopefully on track to return next week or week after. But at the moment it's feel a lot better. So yeah, positive news.

What can you even do for a groin? Just a lot of message.

Literally, yeah, I mean even like you can't get in there with much pressure, just I guess heaps of glute work getting those hips strong and yeah, just keeping a low key at home.

Hey, how does scan work? Like I take it you don't just get a left down to Auckland Hospital and sit in the sit in the emergency room with everyone, I'm waiting for a scan. Do you have a little backdoor access or something? Yeah?

Question though.

We so we actually get scanned out at Saint John's and that's literally am I eye. But they book us in there as fast as they can. However, if there's someone's booked in, then we obviously have to wait a few days, but they get us in there quite fast and it's in and out pretty much, so we're pretty lucky we get that that front or service in and out straight away, and it's it's pretty it's pretty seamless way we get it done.

So it's pretty cool.

And yeah, because I always get interested when the commentator is halfway through a game, they go sport, We've spoken to someone that's a it's a pateler. Yeah, yeah, there, I'm going, how do they know you know, you're just looking at you hobbling off?

Yeah, nah, for sure.

I think on the sidelines, the physios do some testing and stuff straight away, so it's pretty much just their kind of take on. Okay, they test and it's a it's a low grade growing train or if they're testing the knee, they and and they're pretty good to be honest, like, they know straight away obviously the expertise, so they're good at what they do.

And with the hi as, how does that work? Do you do you have a different set of questions to everyone.

Yeah, as questions. I feel like, yeah, it's questions. But then sometimes however, then I all can just say, hang on, it's like it's a CAT one straight away, which is yeah, which is unusual sometimes because the boys might feel okay and they get up, but then they say, no cat one.

You can't even do the testing.

And that's just what they've taken off the vision of.

Yeah, yeah.

I think it looks like if Herb Dean from the UFC would to stop the fight, then that's probably a CAT one. I think the other one is when the hands go and then they start throwing up the gang signs, then that's sort of a qestions that they ask you that.

So they asked you to read the months backwards.

I struggle with it.

That's pretty like that's the easy one for me. The hard one for me is they give you the numbers as well. So but like they give you numbers, so they'll go up to like three numbers, so one, two, three, Then then you got to repeat that backwards. But they go all the way up to like six numbers, so it might be like four, five, six, seven, eight nine, and then you got to repeat it backwards and they do that about five six times.

That's the hardest one. I find hard And then I.

Can do that without a hidden it's so do they make it easy maybe for some of the team that was struggling a bit on the best of days.

No, it's all the same. Yeah, so's it's tough. And then what else they do? You get ten words to remember as well when you have to so like they say ten words, you got to remember those words. And then they actually like after all the testing actually for those ten words again.

I could again that this could be a good fishing scam. Okay, so if you can you give me your credit card and the three c CV number.

Yeah, literally the number your birthday. So they asked the same questions for a prop that they'd ask for like a half back.

Yeah. Oh that's brutal. That is that is tough.

Actually, it's just been announced that you guys are heading off the Vegas for the opening round next year. We're working on getting ourselves over there as well. How excited are you to go over to Vegas?

Yeah, no, it's cool.

It's it's obviously something that's pretty pretty awesome for the club to be able to experience that. At the same time, it's like we don't look too far ahead. I know she's been tough, but at the same time, it's something that we don't want to look too far ahead, but it's it's also exciting for our fans, for for our team as well, and obviously to be able to go over there and play. I guess it's that's where that's where everyone wants to be playing over in America. So it's exciting times ahead.

I saw that the status and Marius fans over there this year and we weren't even playing. So wait, do we imagine?

Yeah, it's going to be Yeah, it's going to be crazy.

Who's the most concerning player to take over to Las Vegas?

There?

You're flying into Vegas. Yeah, you're getting off the plane. Who's the one that the coach is like, hey, watch yourself over the next week.

Yeah.

No, it's a good question. Our crew is our is pretty tame, to be honest. Even even the single boys are quite quite chill. But I'll be looking forward to see rocoberry experiences of time over there. I think you will enjoy it, so for sure, for sure, So it'll be exciting to see him over there and just you're enjoying it.

Just before the game against the Raiders, they you know, they blow their big traditional horn. Just behind the horn, there was a guy rapping a can cone. What's the wildest thing you've seen at Mount Smart Stadium?

I've seen that. I was.

I heard you guys talking about on the ACC commentary and I said, are these boys just wasted or what's going on? So like I didn't realize what was going on. Then one of the boys showed me our training on Saturday. They said, no, no, showed me a photo just ripping a big one, and I said, lee, but yeah, no, I haven't seen I mean, yeah, yeah, but like our fans are real passionate, so there's not that kind of stuff at our games, but just how passionate our fans are and how loud they are, I guess.

Yeah, people like we We went along to the All Blacks England game, right, and I was amazed how quiet I'm used to going to coming to Mount Smart. And I was amazed how quiet I was. And there still would have been almost double the amount of people fitt into Mount Smart. But it just made me appreciate how awesome the Mount Smart faithful are win, lose or draw, they're here party and they're here supporting the boys.

Yeah for sure, And even like on the back of last year, like this year's been a tough year for us, but they're still getting out, Like the stadiums are sold out and they're showing their support and love for us, So it means a lot to us. And then when you're running out to a packed out mount Smart, it's kind of daunting for our position, like coming here first of wall to travel in New Zealand, and then to play against us with the packed out stadium.

It's a hard job to get done. And I've been on the back end of it as well.

Before I came to the Worries, so I've experienced it on both fans, and I much preferred to be on this end.

Yeah.

How is it with the pressure though, Like, because obviously the year is not panning out exactly how you would have thought at the beginning, it must you must feel an odd pressure though, like going the fans are all here, We've got to go hard out But then sometimes the harder you try, the worst city ends up going for it.

No, for sure, I think for us it's more frustrating. I think it's more than in pressure that we expect so much from ourselves and we work so hard and we expect the best from ourselves, especially what we did last year. And you know that, and we know what we're capable of when we put our best team out there and when we're playing our best. However, at times this year just hasn't clicked, and it's it's frustrating for us,

He talks about not looking too far ahead before.

Are you guys already starting to talk about the Tigers game this weekend or you just focusing on what you guys are going to do?

Yeah, for sure.

Are you know we are?

The boys came in today and then we did some review from the game against other Raiders, had to look at that and then went out and trained and today was more so about us to fix what we did on the weekend, and then I think when we're coming on Wednesday, that'll be more so prep against Tigers and and then get some get some some defensive movements down pat as well against them, because you know, seeing their game on the weekend, they can score some points, but

But we're it's looking like the way that Tigers are shaping up, and then where we are with injury. Yeah, it's going to be some exciting young boys out on the park, oh.

For sure, Dian. That's that's what's important for us.

I mean, it puts a smile on the face knowing that some of these young boys want to come in and get a crack.

Because they all deserve it. They all work really hard.

Yeah, so I'm excited to see those boys come out and play. It's always awesome to see them get a get a crack at that, putting that jump r. So yeah, I'm excited to see those boys.

Does it boost the you know, boys like yourself who have played a lot of games, does it boost you up when you see someone like Liqua Halaesima coming out and just blowing the doors off? Does it really camp every one up?

For sure?

And like when you see Lequa, he's real chilled at training, Like he just goes through the gears and through the motions at training and you're like, oh, like is he even trying? And then you're like, man, And then he gets on the field, bro, and he just he gets that ball in his hands. It's like a different beast. He just you know what I mean, he just knows when it's game day. He's so ready for it. And

Roco that's played a lot of footy as well in the last couple of years.

So it's exciting times for the club in terms of our young boys coming through. And then for me to be able to be there and watch those boys do it. It's it's it's so cool.

I do like the way that everyone gets cheat up for someone's debut. I guess because you can remember it. I look because you don't have Instagram, but I saw that there was a post one of the Morris brothers posted for your debut.

Yeah, so they were obviously playing when new debut there for the dogs. Yeah, yea love the Morris Yeah.

If they walked in here right now, Derek, and you can tell them apart, yes you could.

Yeah, what's the tell? How do you know?

Josh is a bit more Josh is taller, I think, okay, and Bemo's kind of walks like with a bit more of a hunch.

Right, but he's trying to say Josh has got a neck and bre.

Yeah, Josh's more outgoing, yeah right, and then was kind of just chilled. Yeah, very like legends of the game, to be honest, I was pried to play with them.

Yeah, definitely.

Olympics starting and jeez, I think like later on this week, yeah, not too far away. Is there a sport that you like watching when the Olympics fire up?

Obviously the one hundred meters sprint. Yeah, yeah, I've been watching that that sprint show at the minute, so I'm just seeing it's on Netflix. So watching that Marcel Jacob's run, a few of the Americans coming up too, so looking forward to it.

To be honest, if you had to have a crack at making the middle and one of the sports, it would be just go one hundred meters spread.

Nah, I wouldn't.

Maybe if I was a bit younger, I would have, but at the minute probably not. Maybe something long distance, maybe the four hundred eight hundred.

Maybe I'll give it a crack.

You know.

I reckon Jazz Stavanger would be really good at the rhythmic gymnastics, you know, like doing the flips across the thing in a little you reckon a little swimsuit and running and stuff. It just strikes me as a go because I can.

More have like a shot putter say that. You know what I mean is a bit as the ball.

A bit stocky, you know, a bit stocky jazzy. So I reckon, Yeah, I reckon.

Valerie Adams could probably shot put jest. To be honest, we've lost that.

Thank you very much for your time. Good it. Thank you.

All right, welcome back into the podcast. It's a real honor and a privilege to have Jazz Tavanga join us in the Secret our Jazz are getting on that.

Good mate, good story. Has the rehab gun.

I'm not on reheab great.

Researches.

Here's a couple of beers before he sat.

Yeah, I mean yeah, Look, the commentary on Friday Night was a different thing this time Stone cult.

So but no, just so, the Hammy's feeling all good.

Yeah, broke Hammi's feeling good. Yeah, body's feeling all good.

Actually, I've always wanted to ask you when you come on to the park. It's always exciting for me because you come on one hundred and ten percent, right, Is there ever a point where you've got to sort of mitigate it so you don't go too hard out?

Because no, I think in my earlier years, I'm just talking a couple of years ago, I was guilty of, you know, going too hard, and then I'd get caught up in the emotional side of it, and I'll get angry, and then then I'll be seen red and that's when I'd if up and probably cost me ten minutes and the ben a fit too many times, but I had to turn it down a bit, so yeah, finding a good balance at the moment.

Yeah, Like do you listen to music to g yourself up or to calm yourself down before the game?

But both At the start, I'm trying to trying to gem myself up, and then like just before I run out, try and listen to Uncle Bob, Yeah calming down?

What do you go to to gen yourself up? At Lincoln Park fifty.

Gang? But I'm not do you get given like a specific game plan just before you're going to go out or is it you vibing the game and what needs to happen.

My role is pretty simple. It's just run hard, tagle hard. I feel like the bench has got to offer a lot of energy. So when I come on on my smaller body in the middle, there off a bit more leg speed, and yeah, just go hard for as long as I can and then when I'm to put my hand up and bring Adam back on. Is it different when you start, Yeah, one hundred percent. When you start, you've got to sort of like pace yourself. You obviously want to get a good start, but that first twenty minutes,

And your combination with Walker coming off the bench there, do you like getting fired up with him coming out together?

Yeah, we had a good thing going the board brods. Yeah, but he's he's grown his air back, so that's gone down the drain and he's starting he's taking over toy, So yeah, no more board broads this thinkfall.

What's it like when you get into a rhythm of playing then due to injuries in that thing shuffle round and you're playing a different role, he's playing a different role. Does it take a mental toll or is it just switching places around?

I wouldn't say it takes a mental toll. Sometimes it does, especially when your key players are out. It's a bit deflating. But we're like a next man, not mentality. We have full confidence with whoever comes in. But it does suck when when of your goes down. But yeah, just everyone's got a job to do, so try and get it.

But then it must be so awesome when you're down on troops and I think back to like that Penrith game, major ground. Then when the young boys like contained steps up.

And yeah, one hundred, when the young followers come come through and shine, it's a good feeling. I'm so happy for them. And the club's in a good spot, Like we've got a lot of good young fellows coming through, and I think in a couple of years, like you'll start to see the fruits of all these young fellows.

What do you reckon? The biggest step up is for those boys going from New South Wales Cup to playing first grade is the game day preparation must be different and it's just a whole other scale.

Yeah, when they step up, like we try and not make them feel like it's a big jump because we want them to be confident and even though it is a big jump with the intensity and you've got to be on twenty four to seven otherwise there's too many guys that are too smart these days that will if you're not on, they'll they'll exploit you and pull your

Get a bit competitive at training when there's because like there's so much talent on the roster at the moment and dudes competing for you know, just one or two jerseys here and there.

Does it get a bit competitive?

Sometimes everything is competitive every every training. When we do our G two, which is like a big day, our coupleoys replicate who are in vescing. So this week we've got the Tigers, they will look at all the Tigers shapes and run it against us. And those battles, man, they're like full on, full on. And then even in pre season when everyone's fighting, you don't know who's seminted their spots apart from you know, the stuff was like

So yeah, gets a bit like that. At the a SEC.

I feel like people are often coming from my spot, you know, and asking how the rehab was going. Is probably not helped my cast week. In my defense, I was blind drunk. We did the commentary on the weekend, so I don't remember.

That sounds fun, It must be.

It must be awesome though, being like part of the club, especially now when you're looking at it's not just New South Wales Cup. We've actually got a whole guys coming through from the right of the younger grades, all under the Warriors banner, and they're really turning up and performing.

Yeah, well keepie, can we be Robbo? They've all put in our pathways and it's only about time. It's like about time they've done that. Not saying it's their fault that we hadn't had, but you know, if you look at teams like pen and you know, they they all their junior grades and that like all their stars and they come through their junior grades.

They got photos of them when they're like seven years old.

And one year, one year they won like it was like the NRL the Cup, the juniors, they won't all of it. And now our club we've got all that in place and our talent can stay here in New Zealand instead of other clubs coming over and poaching us, approaching our boys, because the amount of times you see like a Warriors junior or someone going to another team and how successful they become. Now we've got pathways in place where we can keep all our talent here.

It was as much as we can have those photos, like I think that that that onees Cam Murray and yeah, yeah six years old playing at the South CU was it like what was it.

Like for you coming up from chrish Urly.

I'm born and Crush Church, raised in Populkada right played popcor right through and I played junior Worries, so I'll come through right through the system. But there's not many of us they have like me and Bunty you are probably the only ones. And Sean, even though Sean didst Overseas, there's not many of us of us left.

So yeah, and our age grade teams always do so well, like twenties and all that, like.

We always made the finals. So if we keep that twenties, I won my year. Yeah, so if we keep that team, maybe do.

You have a favorite Aussie ground to.

Play it, uncle, Yeah, uncle, just.

What is it? Is it the atmosphere or.

The the thing?

I don't know.

The thing about that ground It always gets packed and the majority of is qs in Queensland and yeah, just the history at that ground. Yeah, for some reason it's always pecked and it's a.

Great place to watch New South Wales but Queensland. What was it like when you've got match playing for New South Wales and you've got playing for Queensland. Was there any ribbon between them?

No, there wasn't.

Actually did they not talk?

Well, see, they played, we played on a Saturday here we play. We played the Broncos and then we won and then they got caught on the It was either Saturday night or Sunday morning that they met then the squad and so we didn't see them before they left. I don't think Bunnie was going to go to the camp unless he was in the team. So since he was in the team, we knew that he was playing, which was you know, Bunnie's been our best player all year.

Yeah, tough week.

Hey, just before we were talking to Marcello and we were talking to him about what like if you.

Had to go to the Olympics, what sport do you reckon you be good at? I reckon you'd be quite good at rhythm.

Yeah, I reckon you'd be good at the flips and sort of stuff. I'm not flexible doing some bat cartwheels on the beam, you know, like give me sort of Simone Biles type.

What are you asking? Why would be good at? Or what I want to play?

What would you want to do if you had to go to the Olympics. What sport would you pack?

Box?

Yeah, be a boxer.

But the weight divisions are funny in the Olympics. They're like lighter, so you'd probably have to fight thirds that Yeah, because David Nukan, now that he's pro, he's had to go oh down and wait up the weight division. You probably have to fight thirds who are like six foot three.

Yeah, well I'm looking at the middleweight like as he is my weight yeah, and he looks yeah, Oh I might have to cut some weight on the sauna.

Yeah wait, bully brilliant. I thank you very much for your time so far today Jazz, and go well on the weekend, Bro, Thanks brother, well, welcome back into the Mad Monday Podcast. Huge honor and privilege to have Luke Metcalfe on the couch opposite us. Look obviously played on the week in three tries. How did you find that experience?

Yeah, it was good.

Obviously I didn't get the win, but the three tries obviously helps.

Yeah, helps because you go.

I genuinely had questions written down for you in front of me. Jesse sits down And how's rehab? You heard it from all that?

Yes, yes I did heard it through the wall. But I went to the question if you just asked me that will forget it.

How was the rehab going?

Oh, yes, good question. Now it's it's going good. It's been seventeen weeks now it's been it's gone. It's actually gone pretty quick for me anyway. But yeah, it's obviously frustrating to hurt itself four rounds into the season. You do the whole preseason just waiting to play and then yeah, but it's going good. I'm hopefully only a few more weeks away.

Where I reckon, I'll freak out with the rehabbers getting to the point we're almost better and then pushing it too hard.

Yeah, it's sort of it. You can be like that, but you're taking care of so good, like by the physios and stuff like that, so you trust them and you know that like when you're that close, which I'm probably in that stage right now that I'm so close. I'm back training with the team, but i just can't play just yet. So I'm at that stage now. But you just you just got to trust the physios and the doctors and all that that they've got the right plan in place, and you just follow that and just you know.

So do you do like no contact like train but yeah, yeah, yeah yeah smash yeah.

No.

So today was my first day of just like shackles off you just trained the whole do the whole session.

Yeah.

So the first couple of times it was like that, it was like always doing, but today was my first day of proper Nuh, that's all right. You can tackle, you can get tackled. Everything's fine.

Yeah, I know, all fans have just loved having it at the club. You enjoying being a warrior?

Yeah, it's awesome. I've was. I actually spoke to someone the other day and was saying it's the best decision I've made in my young career so far. I'm only twenty five and other Yeah, it's been awesome, just even away from football as well. It's been awesome to live in a new country. I've got my fiance over here and where loving going next one, going to wahikol and going to Queens Sound. Just things like that. It's me

Has Freddy Lass given you any tips on mon wave.

If there's one person not taking tips from it? No, he actually doesn't. He was loving himself after that though, he was yeah, yeah he needs to take some lessons from the Broncos. That Xavier will listen was awesome.

He is mad. But you've got two ends of the spectrum. Is Zabier Willison and we're very different people.

Yeah, they've got similar games. Yeah, they're big, they're strong, powerful runners of the ball.

Well, Freddy Well didn't they play in the middle of a couple of weeks.

Powerful stuff you're heating over the Las Vegas. I was talking to Marcelo before about who as you're getting off the plane, who's the one player that the coaches are going to pull the sidnes?

But just you keep a little on it this weekend. It didn't say you you'll be relieved today? Yeah, yeah, not me.

I'm good like that.

Or do you think he did say?

I think he would say, did you say Mitch Barnett? Yeah, yeah, no missus the father and now two kids, two boys, so he's all right. Yeah, I think rock o'berry because he's I don't want to comment on his status, but yeah, but yeah, he was young, he's got no responsibilities young. Yeah, I feel like he could have a good time.

Yeah, it'll be.

Quite hard because I imagine you'll have pretty big train tracks because it's the beginning of a season. You want to hit the ground running, so it'll be hard not to get distracted, ain't.

Yeah Yeah, obviously, Yeah, it's going to be awesome, like everyone's going to go, we want to have a look around and do everything like that. But yeah, I feel like at the end of the day we know that we're there to play Round one's, but it's probably just a lot more hype and a lot more It's almost like you playing a finals game or something like that. That's the only way I can sort of think about it.

Yeah, is that what you guys done? We don't know yet.

I have no idea. Yeah, we haven't even really spoke about it too much. I think they want to speak about it just too yet.

I think Sam George said the view that one of the keys is just to be based in Vegas the whole time, so you're not in other teams. Did San Diego for a bit desensitized?

Yeah, straight away, get there, do whatever you want.

I think because we're going over all, the a SEC is sending people over, We're having massive scraps internally to see who gets to go.

Imagine you're nailing it with a question.

So I've just scratched myself in the last fifteen minutes but I think the plan for us is to land on the day the game is because we're horrific for first night fever. So if we can just land when the when the game is on, then that saves us from blowing out on the first night. Yeah, just having an absolute.

Mother four games.

Here's an issue I've.

Got actually that I wouldn't mind help from both of you two. I've got a mate whose winning is on the same weekend as the Warriors playing in Las Vegas.

How good of a mate is he?

I'm in the bridal party. Oh but I'm not best man, but I am in the bridle party.

I'm just saying if that was me and my mate went to just a normal games, it's a regular season game, I'd be a bit off it.

But what if the regular season game was in Las Vegas?

Though? Have you tried to get them to move their wedding to Las Vegas?

Was that was the first thing I did, come over selfish of him. Get help us to do the wedding and I would have a shockgun wedding in the chapel.

There. Have you thought about a stand in? Getting a stand in for it?

Oh? Fake me?

Just standing at the at the wedding Gee Lane with a sort of darker.

Yeah, you can pay someone to what's that that movie on on Prime with John Cena and and they pay him to act like the their friend for years. Have you seen that.

John Cena just standing?

I was just going to say, yeah, I think I think that might work. Just chuck a beard on John Cena a bit away.

Yeah, yeah, Hey, Well.

The whole nations fall in love with web right as a coach's I love his press conferences because he's a cool head, he's calm, he never loses it, sort of the opposite of what you think of your Craig Bellamy's, your Ricky Stewart's and there does he ever give a spray in the shit?

No, I feel like with what he sees, what you get like in the press cond like he's literally just himself. So how he his demeanor and how he talks and says what went wrong in the game is literally exactly what he's just spoke to us about in the changing rooms. But he's just talking to the media. So it's and yeah, it's literally the same years, not too like animated or spraying too much, but he gets his message across in a way. That makes sure you understand it and you've

He also seems like that is really good at bringing people together, like getting a real sort of family vibe amongst the team.

Yeah, and I feel like as well him probably being from Australia probably creates that too, because he probably because I think he was assistant coach a few years ago, so he probably knows what the club needs and what players need because I don't think too not even half the squad would probably be from Auckland, Like I'd say, there's boys who are from down South or from Australia whatever, So I think he understands to create that sort of environment what it does for boys away from football too

Is it almost worse that he doesn't come in and give you a spray sometimes, like when you're expecting it and then he's just like it more like the I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed it could.

Be like that.

But yeah, No, I've had a couple of coaches in the past. You love to give a spray. But yeah, I like where he's version. He's not nice and calm comes across good and like I said, he he says in a way that you make sure you get the point and it's like he tells you what it is and you and you understand and you know what you've got to do.

So I like it.

And I suppose a lot of times if something has gone really wrong on the field, you know that. Yeah, you don't need someone to again, I'm well aware I dropped the ball on the try line.

Bro.

Yeah, yeah exactly.

Yeah.

Well, so when we walk out of here and you beerate me for asking Jas how the reheabs go. Yeah, he's going to rub me right into the door. But how are the preparations going for the next few weeks? You said you might be like a couple of weeks away. I suppose you can't tell too much, but like, what what does that look like as you start to approach playing again?

Yeah, so it's yeah, like I said before, today, it was my first day of actually fully in everything. So I've probably got another three weeks of that, I would say, of like actually being in every drill, doing every every single thing, doing all the tackling. There's probably a three week block of that, and just like some little things in the gym that I've probably got to tick off to just around some like just minute like musical things that you'd think probably wouldn't be as big as a deal,

Yeah, and how are the boys sort of looking at was I suppose you've just got to take it week by a week, But how are they looking at the rest of the season now?

Yeah, I feel like everyone's real positive. Obviously the result last two weeks didn't go away, and such close games that it's easy to sort of think off, we only just one of those two games. You can look at the ladder and all our stuff. But I feel everyone's real confident and knows that where it's not like we're playing horrendous and we're losing the game and getting beat

There's also such an even season. I think, like when you look at the ladder, we're only like a couple of points away from sort of nine and then yeah, under the top top eight.

I reckon could even be on points differentially. Yeah, yeah, I was looking at it like this year compared to last year, it feels like it's the fifty to fifties. Last year went the Warriors way. This year they didn't, and they could be the difference. Fifty to fifties go our way. In three games we're seventh.

Yeah, and we look at like the Melbourne game at sart of the year, like you can go through you can go through the year and sort of just pick out a couple of games if you win those, but it's always behind. It's always like funny go back and pick a game. Yeah, you just got to go we've got six games. Let's try and win every single take a week by week, but you're thinking we can win every game, like to give ourselves the best shot.

Yeah.

We were saying before to Marcella over there in Canberra when they were blowing the horn, blowing the background, ripping a can cone, and I asked him, what's one of the weirdest things that he's seen in the stands. Is there anything you've seen in the in the stands?

Nothing, nothing like that. Yeah, I feel like that just takes a cake. Like I haven't seen anything too. I haven't seen anything too, but I've heard some mad sprays on the some good sprays.

Yeah. Obviously you can't repeat what I can't repeat.

Yeah, I can't repeat that.

Do they get up here for? Is it when you're coming off like subbed off or you can.

I remember I ran on last year versus of the Titans, and I ran like ran on for second half and we're waiting for them to run out, So you were there. We're there for probably like a minute and a half waiting for them to come out, and so we're kicking our way and I was just standing on the wing because I like halves. They stand on the wing just for the kickoff and some like was just sprayingy gone, get off the wing, number six. That was a friendly version.

Get in there and come off the back fence off the kickoff here.

I don't know what he wants in those big stadiums. So does it just become white noise?

Yeah, you don't really. Yeah, you can't really hear too much like special games. I remember last year Combank when we played Paramatter and that was there was like a whole but there's a warrior's chant, like you could hear that. But yeah, it's not too you don't really hear that's this is probably that one of the only time I've heard something directly like to me like that. That was

Yeah.

It's different than the new South Wales cap games though, where it's a bit more of a sparse crowd and you got a couple of dudes who.

Just able to hear then yeah, yeah, we've been asking each of the boys have come through today. Olympics starting up, if you had to get over to the Olympics have a crack at something, what would you pick?

Like that I think I'm good at, or just that I wish I could do, or something that I actually think.

Me let's go with the first one.

What you think, like if you if I sent you over and like you have to win a middle here, what sport would you pick? Not saying that you would, but like if you had to pick one, you think you'd be all right out.

Like it would have to be running, but I'm not going to beat them because they're so fast. I definitely wouldn't meddle.

What does it would be good at?

Javelin? Like upper body? I'm too small?

Ye?

Maybe like long jump? Oh you must get a good run. Obviously that would beat me.

But yeah that do you reckon? The Warriors ared go as a team and synchronized swimming.

Oh are you guys swim? So that would be good.

Yeah we should come and do some water safety with them.

Yeah, yeah, come come. Not only hung A pools in the pre sat.

Some boys that sink like a stone. Well, thanks very much for your time so far. Luke, go well over the next few weeks, and good luck with the rehab mate you are doing rehab mat.

Yeah yeah, Also tell Jaz Hope that's hearing comes right and.

Yeah thanks all good, well, thank you very much for tuning into this episode of Med Monday Live from Mount Smart Stadium. All thanks to our dear friends at Hellenstein's Die. I imagine I won't be back on the podcast anytime soon, so.

Enjoy the now.

We're going to have to put you in preserve bro.

I'll be dropped down to q CAUP. I.

Thank thanks very much for coming along, and make sure that you turned in on Thursday for another episode of the Med Monday Podcast