Better than the legal leg Coop Tedesco.
He's played some great games for the Roosters, but he's in his two hundred and fiftieth. It was one of his very very best.
I'm saying top five. It was that good. Obviously milestone for him, the club under a bit of pressure in a must win game for them. I'll tell you what he delivered. And he didn't do anything out of the box. He just did like all the little things. Just super fast, super aggressive, fast in the opposition and that pinball mentality. Yeah, it was. It was a captain's knock when the club needed. I thought it was a very very good performance.
It's really funny, it's not Coops when you have It reminded me of one thing we've spoken before about. Sometimes you pick a team which necessarily might not have the best players, but he's going to neck tire team to how they should play. This one's the opposite. This one's like, who's our most important individual? Well, let's build a style of football that's going to bring out the best in them.
And I thought Coops the lack of big sequence football, like put it this way, tedesc out of me on Sweet Place looks about six and a half seven out of ten. Dangerous first receiver through the middle, it's about nine to nine a half out of ten.
Well, I think you'd all also put that penrith performers in terms of that first twenty minutes was the reminder that not only the russ but Toasco, they probably all got back to the basic things doing it better. And when Toasco has been the best player on the field. He's had that perfect balance between sort of yardage hard work, but then that finesse at the at the attacking end
of the field. And he did that like some of his touches for Bradley Try and some of that connection there with Kiri as well, like he put it together the good balance of that footing.
Couse, when we used to work together, we said, always start a training session where his hats out onto either side of the ruck and we work on just all the time, repainting the harbor bridge, just going over and over on that basic fundamental of how to pull an outside defender, how to get to an outside defender, or how to get bring an outside defender to you a target defender.
And I think in twenty twenty four with the.
Fast rucks, what Tedesco did for the first trip, Radley was almost picture perfect. Drove deeper than the markers were, two steps forward at the aid offender to the city on his whels and then jump out to the outside.
Matter and today's game where everything is sort of sideways and get it on the outside for the winger to score. If you want to go through a team, your first move must be straight and you have to give the threat. You're going to take that first defender off the ruck on the inside shoulder. And the fact that he bounced off Matt Lodgers thought, oh, I have to come to you. And Radley did a great job in terms of pushing. But that movement is like when we work together, it
was always hards that did that for work. It's almost now that every player on the field has to have that foot work about a fullback and a kick return. He isolates one defender, moves and goes. Even Isaiaho when he does his ballplane like he does a similar thing. Not as athletic as Tedesco, but that straightness and move left, move right, then bounce out hard. Yeah, there's one on one like if you won on one with the Senate.
You have to give the threat you're going to go in and then you could move either way.
And like Coope, it's not and it's not a necessity be fast as such at first, but you've got to be rapid.
You've got to have that first step quickness.
And if we haven't just a little glance again to get that one Scottie is that he speed spooked them so much that Nathan Brown, who was actually two defenders.
Out, actually turned in.
Yeah, Like he's speed was such they spook He spooked them so much that outside of the target defender even they turned in.
Yeah, to strip them on the right of Tedesco, he needs to run left first, if that makes sense. The ability to go in this way brings them in and they go off the back of that. But yeah, sublime ballplane, Like it doesn't matter if you're Tedesco, Isaiah. Well, let's say Shawn Johnson and benjaminsh you've got the big skip in the jump. It's sort of going through the gears, go fast, tempo, and then go fast again. And that's why Lodge turned in.
And we've spoke a lot about Okay, the two most dangerous players in the rooster's lineup. Now that seem's not on the side. Manu and Tedesco how to get operated together. The other night they managed to do it. But I'm drifting across picking up Marno on inside balls, who'd sort of wander back in and form combination with Teddy.
So just some nice stuff through the middle.
Yeah, I think whenever you get the ball in Marnho's hands. There's been a lot of talk around him playing five to eight or whatever, but this kind of stuff where they're combined and get him across the field, get him at first receiver. He's got that footwork that Tedesco does, so like anything, it's the perfect balance. But right center is his spot for the Roosters right now because defensively they need him there. But the more times he can do things like that, I think it helps for the points.
Young playmaker. I reckon keep. You'd have spent a few time working with Sandon.
Smith last week toughest job in Rugby League first Finals game, playing Penrith in Penrith, full stadium, hostile environment.
Nathan Cleary returned and.
I thought, you know, he might have one or two hours, but I thought he held his hands up pretty good in this game.
That was his reward.
Yeah, he scored that try, and that was a pretty good try. Because sometimes you talk about playing Penrith and you start looking for all the flashy stuff. How are you going to break down Penrith. Well, the break down Penrith like any other team by going north south first before you go east west. And I thought his running game was good. He really terrorized mainly his defense at different stages, but then he also had the high percentage stuff. I thought his king game was improved and his defense
was as well. So look, it doesn't get any easier. You're playing a final series at that young age, Like I remember my first few that you got into them hoping that you'd play well crossing fingers and I hope I play well. I hope we win. But hope doesn't get you anywhere. You've got to be a certain if you've got to be dominant, you've got to have an
aggressive time to go after it. And I think the one thing that all players need at this time of year is don't hesitate, because once that ball is there for the taking, you've got to be first to it.
I don't have much of a life cupis hence the reason why I go back and watch whole games. But I saw some of your games in your first final series, went back hadlog and what You've always got to have a certain I think focus when you're going in those first games. And what struck me about you Cooper when you played that first final series you didn't try to do too much. There was a lot of widthyr game. It was all mainly one meter passes.
Yeah, I played my strengths. I was Tanasius and the way they ran the football and then when I started running the football out a short pass and then my pass outside of that was basically the English or slater. So I never went fishing for the long pass. If it was game plan that there was a kick on that, I'd do that. But at this time of year, I think the simpler things are better. Yeah, And whatever you are as a player, whether your front rail, fullback or
a half, bring your strengths to that simple game. Don't all of a sudden start looking to throw long passes. If you don't do them all you long, don't do anything different. Just be aggressive. And I think the teams that lost on the weekend, in terms of the Cowboys and Manly, just didn't have that intent. They didn't like. I really loved the mindset of what the Roosters and
the Sharks particularly brought to their game. Like it was direct, it was intent and things like one of the best things you can find on intent is I know there was some carnage in the Rooster's Manly Game, but like kickchase, like that is one area that you can define your intent on. And what the Sharks did to the Cowboys, particularly trindle kicking game and the outside backs chase, although it was very good.
It's funny.
Like coops, it takes a lot of hard work to do things simple. Now what I mean I think as far as preparation and mental attitude, we can sit here and go, look, you attain the ball, you got you're attacked, simple.
You get forward, you play the ball quick, kick well, you defend with energy.
You don't do those things really well, you're going to win the football game.
And you sit there and go, well, that's really easy.
Well it is in theory, but to get out there and get yourself up for the occasion all the time, that's hard.
And I thought, yeah, there was carnage at the start of the Rooster's Manly Game, but Hargroves he returned to the game, he's first carrying. Well, he didn't mean it, and you feel for Kohla, but that was a sign that his intent right.
Well, you compare that to the week before.
Yeah, and the next one's Lindsay Collins. He's another front row. So just set the tie off two carries, and I think the top four teams playing this weekend. I'll tell you what. I think the open exchange is going to be so good.
First, he thoughts on Manly suason inconsistent. I almost think it's fitting in some ways that the Cowboys and Manly have been eliminated simultaneously because they both of those sides almost been very similar.
Hard to follow.
I agree middle of the road teams because their defense is inconsistent. Their attack, for both of them is as good as anything in the competition. Talk about Manly brooks out at a dimension to them. Turbo is obviously a frequent what he does, and they've got speed on the wings. But if Manly's defense doesn't improve in the off season, they'll do exactly what they did again this year. They'll
be good for a period of time. I'll fall back, they will score forty points, then they'll concede thirty and then they'll get to Week two of the finals again. If they want to take that next step, they need to improve defensively, and yeah, I thought the left side of the roosters cause chaos down the right side of Manli's But DC for me has been great at what thirty five thirty six in February twelve months ago he was a player of the Manly Seagulls. This year I
thought he was terrific. But I think if he wants to go and win that camp before he's done, I think, and he's the front Lady's energy and mainly in the back end of the year, maybe the rep footy thing might be something that he'll put a question.
Everybody gets they got at that point if they want to prolong their career, and mainly it's key individuals like Dali and Tom are great instinctive players, and with great instinctive players, we.
Can't it gets.
It's fast football, it's reactive football, and that sort of football does bring errors.
So it's exactly what you said.
They've got a tidy up there defense to defend absorb those errors.
They just couldn't do it this year.
Because they've got the kicking game through Cherry Evans to absorb long minutes so they can kick and kick and fight with other teams, but defensively they just don't hold their gloves up long enough. Physically, I thought they improved in the back end of the ear. I thought the forwards really stood up towards the back end, but obviously fell over the last Turtle.
Players.
I think coming out of Origin, which he would have disappointed, he just was never really given a chance at all in Origin. I think he came out of that a little bit flat, as most players do, but then he really picked up that last month Sharks could not have been more different than the week before. It must have been a great week of self reflection for the Sharkis.
And we've said the best football comes from simplicity. Hit the line, hard, play the ball, quick, create space for your playmakers, kick well, defend your ass off.
Yeah, I thought, like if you go watch the Melbourne game where they lost, they dropped the kickoff, but they got it back towards halftime, and some of their football to get that score back was actually quite direct. I didn't mind some of it. There was some really poor stuff that cost them, but there was glimpses that they were almost there. But I'll tell you what I loved out of the Sharks game was Brandon Trindle's kicking game and the outside backs chase game.
Oh wow.
They scored two or three tries from kicks purely because of Trindle's placement and the effort and the desire for their outside backs to chase. If Mullatalo Cato doesn't chase those balls and get contact to them, that's not a try. And sometimes finals is all about just one effort, effort more than the opposition, and it will come down with the foot. I thought it was very good, well, Coop.
We saw for about being one of Tedesco's greatest performances. Maltalo hasn't had a lot as long as career as teddies. I thought it was one of his greatest. He led those outside backs in every area. The outside backs, the back five had over one hundred runs.
Coops.
Yeah, and that is so crucial to take when you when you're going to play the very best teams who are going to drill your middle and really go at you.
You've got to help your forwards out.
The forwards are going to retain some petrol and tech for the fence, and the Sharks do that probably better than anyone when they're firing.
Because they're energetic in the back film and the hell of finishes near the trial line too. So I think they fight fire with five pth this week like they're back five vers Penis back five. And you know, let's give Heines a tip of the cap, right we talk about how you know, let's use a Melbourne storm spine as when Harry Grant's on Munster and huge step back.
Look at Jerome last week, Monster's on Harry's stilling through.
I'm going to take a step back here.
And with all the pressure, he became a role player for Trindle, Like Trindle dominated the kicking, he had the hot hand, he was doing it all and heinz to his credit. When you know what, there's a team first mentality here, Brad, keep doing what you're doing and I'll do a couple of pieces here and there.
I want to talk about nick O.
I was going to talk about Braden first, but let's talk about Nika and I agree with that. One of the worst things about it about professional sport Coober and I understand it's professional sport and it's a tough school, right. But what begins so often as measured criticism or critiquing suddenly accelerates out of control and becomes this massive pile and takes on a life its own. And that's been the case a little bit with Nigger. Nick is not
immune to criticism. And Nico's confidence has been down and he's been playing within himself. But sometimes, and I've said this number of times, coops, sometimes just what you don't do. Trendle went out there the other night and the ball was hitting his hands perfect. You have nights like that, and Nick goes down in conference. He could have done what equal to do one of two things slip back and deputize and compliment what he does, or.
Go out there try to prove.
Everyone wrong, demand the football, force yourself into the game, and I reckon they don't win.
Yep, one hundred percent agree with that. You can't have one without the other. This game is loved by a lot and people will critique it. I think Nico Heines needs to put it in its own box like it is what it is. Feedback from those who see the game through a different lens. That's not your coach, not your playing group, not your mentors is irrelevant to be fair, and I think it's I think it's fair that nicko Hein stands up and plays the way he plays, because
that's what will tell the criticism to go away. At the end of the day, performance is king. Winning is even better. And I've had stages through my career where you've been under pressure. That's just there. It doesn't force you to do anything greater, worse, or you can't feel like you're a victim. Just improve on the skills, go out and perform. And this might be really strange. Well, I think they've got a chance this week. I feel
like if they can put the perfect game together. They match up nicely, I love the power of their back rowers, and maybe they can get it done.
The last thing I just want to say on Nick out and I think applies to a lot of young players, is that it's never been tough to be professional sportsman. The wall of noise that comes at you all the time from social media, there's so many outlets. We're part of it. We sit here, we talk about it. We try to be measured, but there's times that people want more measured. Well, yeah, and you're vicious. I hear players sometimes say I don't care. Well, that's wrong. It doesn't
I'll say this fifty three years of age. For me, it's taken a lot of a lot of kickens and a lot of stuff to go into my life to actually get to the point that you go, I don't care what a person thinks. Now that is not the domain of someone in their twenties. Is that you have to go through a lot and the day that actually you don't care is one of the best. You move at a really great party of your life.
But in your.
Twenties, you know, going into thirties, most people are thin skinned.
I'll put it this way. Through my career, I think I could honestly respect four or five people's opinion. Cheers one, you two, God, No, that's how you put it together, right. There's a lot of people when we do it, we'll commentate on our game, find ganiche, find who those who you believe that the feedback is warranted, and trust that other than that, the rest is just noise.
What I like to about Trendle again very similar, Nicko, is that all that brilliant stuff stemmed off simplicity. And we said before you know, they better off playing North South. We've done a lot of geography in this show. The better off playing Sidney to Mount Isa than Sydney to Perth. And a playmaker is in charge of that, and I
reckon one of the things for playmakers to understand. I thought trindled it the other night, right at the moment that you would naturally call the football sometimes say it or forward. Just give me another one, Just give me, just give me another strong hit up.
Play the ball quick, going to.
Give me more momentum, going to give me more time and more space. They scored some brilliant tries the other night Sharks, but if you go back and look at it, it was just based off guys hitting the line hard, play the ball quick.
I like his temperament because there was a big game in his career and there was a lot of noise about the Sharks in general not being able to win finals, and I beg it's a team that was probably in good form. I liked that he had the confidence and the temperament to go after it like some other hars. Okay, Niko as the origin player, I hope he goes okay today.
I'm just going to sit back here and hold. But he didn't hesitate like he really dominated the kick in the early exchanges, started to find his rhythm, ran the football, set up some tries, and then he was scoring tries on the other side of the field too. That tells me that he's actually moving around and looking to be involved. So career best performance from him. It's very good.
It was really good Cowboys season. Well, I mean whatever you just said about Manly just so, I love the fact that I love it when the Cowboys come.
Out and they play fast.
But eventually, sometimes through the game, you've got to tick all the brakes. You got to slay the temper, you've got to frustrate the opposition. You've got to be able to do both.
And they just can't seem to do the second.
It's almost like just at times they lacked the concentration of the focus to do things. Defensively, Yeah, they put a lot of effort into their attack, but they don't back it up with that grunt. Defensively, they have origin players throughout their list. Should be a team that should have done better. What is it two years ago that prelim final. I firmly believe that they should have been knocking on the door for prelim prelim pre limb.
When they lost by a fraction of that prelim PARAMOUNTA knocked him over. I thought the next year, this young player I pushed off balance, similar to the Broncos, not to the extent, but similar, similar philosophies. And then so I thought, okay, this will be there. They correct have They've had a better season, but they'll still be deviled by the same problem.
And they changed leadership. They went with did and kind of which I really like, like did and was their best player even both sides of the football. Is competitive, competitiveness defensively and his arrow straight attack, I mean captain for a long time there. But I just think they should have done better last couple years. And it's not attack. They don't need to do anything better attack. They are elites.
It's manly defense like Luki. At the end there all things considered.
Their back rollers like Nana and Luki, like if you're half, if you drink water or didn't to have athleticism, toughness and skill with their footwork. It's a dream.
Next week Curbs Friday storm versus Roosters in Melbourne and Amy Park. Then on Saturday we've got the Panthers up against Kronulla at a course stadium. If I was to tell you that there is going to be an upset in one of those games is going to be a major upset, which one do you think it'd be most likely?
I give both teams a chance. This is strange because I think Storm and Penrith have been on a collision course for a long time. It's going to take both the Sharks and the Roosters their best football to do it. But sometimes in rugby league it's not straightforward. I've played in games where you probably should win and you don't. Why because the other team have that pressure in mentality, the physical or aggressive, they unsettle you a little bit.
I like the Sharks, but it's going to take their best performance under Craig Fitzgibven.
To to like about it.
It's the fact that they've had they've had this weight around their neck that was just it's just got heavier and heavier when they keep losing.
And another one that the Sharks have lost it again.
They can't do pressure on everyone from coach down to rookie. But that win, that that win the other night. It's a big mental adjustment now because they'll go into this game, they'll be buoyed. It'll be much more enjoyable week, and you know what it'll be the other thing, No one's going to really give them a chance.
I think there's two things where the Sharks need to dominating. They need to stop Penis back three from being the meta eaters and the energy gives to that pair of team. But what I mean by that is Trindle needs to kick the ball deep and high and give his opposition he's wingers outside back as an opportunity. This is here in Melbourne versus Penrith. The ball goes up and William warbrick Out jumps Edwards, the score a try. You've got Taruvera and Edwards not the tall in the competition Raiders.
Another loss from Penrith, the ball goes up Tole comes Forwardaby Savage catches it. So I think the kicking game of Trindle needs to be on and this is the type of kickchase that the Sharks need to do again right and they're outside backs are key to it. Shut down the back three of Penrith. But then also Moltalo, Jesse, Raymian Carter get through and compete on every fifth play on the flip side for them to score points, I
think they need to bring out their outside backs. We spoke about and playing north south, but when Cronulla shift the ball from coast to coast and have that let's call fullback mentality of Heinz, Trindle, Kennedy and niker At doing things like that, that's the key.
And you're right, Coop.
Sideways ball movement is fine as long as there's a corrector there, and the corrector oftentimes, particularly on that right side, is Nickrup. You need, yes, a back rower there. Straight you need to correct push the ball sideways. Every sideways ballman at least needs a short ball option.
Because I like Jesse Raymian's athleticism up against Alamoni. I just feel like there's not too many chinks in Pederis defense. But if you can nullify their back three, and then if the Sharks can have that type of intensity to back themselves and shift the ball to their outside bend and give.
Them a chance one on one the Roosters versus the storm pack. For the Roosters, you know they need a comprehensive victory and yardage and they play the ball speed. Because when you talk about the major threat coming from the Roosters against the Melbourne Storm.
That's what we said before.
It's Tedesco drilling through the middle, the major threat, the Storm's major threat. Take your pick, Monster Hughes Grant, perhaps all through the middle in combination, back to back place.
Yep. If this is a tight contest, the Roosters will be in with a chance because I think if they're going to go down there and win, it has to be their best defensive performance in a long long time. Because if you think of a play the ball, let's imagine the Rusters defending their troll on. You've got Harry Grant around the ruck. You've got months Are on one side, You've got Hues on the other, You've got Papaous and
somewhere else. Every eye, every play the ball needs to be aware of those four because once one of them gets up and going. The Melbourne Storm get a lot of energy from their gun players playing well.
And if you look at the history of upsets, coops their defense driven. You can do the things we're talking about, the short kickoff, but at the end of the day, it's driven by an underdog playing with an underdog mentality and attacking them with the defense.
I don't mind the short kickoff idea, but it's a little bit like you must get the ball back because if you don't, it's a little of course, the balloon gets popped a little bit. So I don't mind the different approach, but it's got to work. It's almost like one hundred percent.
Yes that mine.
You're chipping over the top and it doesn't reserve thanks, who can beat him