Coops. Billie's gone for the Hammer over ros Are you're surprised.
Yeah, I am, Like, on face value, I thought Rece would be fullback and Hamber would stay on the wing. And then you start thinking about, oh, why would have happened? Like initially, like Bryce Walsh is the most dangerous player in our competition. When he gets front football space, he can beat any player. So I thought, like in a big game, he could win it with one play, one run. And then you think about it, Well, you think, well Lomax was isolating Ponger. There was a couple of errors
from Ponger on the high ball. That's a tactic in New South Wales. Who's say from the high probably Hammer over Reese. And then you think about the Harves running the ball. You think about did and Harry Grant and Munster. Who would turn up on the inside and score a try? HAMI would I think Hammer would just see something pre empty and know that Months is going to step off his left foot maker line, breaking his back under the post. He did it for his four tries on the weekend.
So there's a few things on. When you start going below the surface, you oh yeah, yeah, I can see that. But Look, I personally would have gone with Reese, but I can see why Hammer would be the solution.
There's so much respect the way Billy goes about pick any sides coops because he will make really tough calls and unpopular, unpopular calls if they don't work, only.
Trusts his gun like that's a It's a huge thing for a coach to do with all the noise that is surrounding Origin and our game good and bad. Right, but he must sit down and sive through all the noise and really work through. Okay, what what the why is the queens and oragor coach want to do? And it worked in game two, Let's say if it works for game three.
Well, the chers of coops. He doesn't necessarily have favorites. He just picks the ball he believes or informed we can do the job.
Because you could say that maybe he's had favoritism towards.
Right because everyone was going fan and what would you have done? Look, I'm not I'm not surprised by it. Why the reason I thought, excuse me, he'd go for Roos was because, okay, if you're going to move Hammer ound of Sander, who you're going to put there, which brings us to the mount. When I talk about Shibasaki and just world under him, it's just a perfect example for young players to understand that. And actually balliac you know, he talks about it in his documentary with balliaate that
something that balli Ak's dad told him growing up. And he said, son, if you work hard, okay, and thing's possible and you're going to get success. But he said it might take time, but you work hard and it's going to happen. And Shubar say, he's a perfect example since twenty eighteen, Broncos, Knights, Cowboys, Japanese Rugby, South's back to the Broncos. You know, that's all those clubs in six or seven years. And having looked through the list, he only played one or two, four or five games
here and there. He's really been spread over the place.
Great story. The other reason why I would say that Shibasaki was on the list is if you look at New South Wales in Game two, that second half they were coming and every time Latrell or Stephen Crichton touched the ball it looked like something was going to happen, right, and I feel like Billy's gone. Well if this is their plan to get the ball of the centers, which it will be. I need a big body. Toya has got Latrell and then you know, is it Valentine Holmes?
Is it the hammer? Well, Shubasaki is a big body. He's going to be under pressure in an origin decider in New South Wales. But he's a big body and when Stephen Crichton comes at him, he's going to physically have to get the job done.
One of the biggest storylines going in and I just love this. And I'm talking about this from a neutual, from a lover of the game, Josh Papale going that is I think, I think. I think it's a master stroke from me. We said this about Kirk Cable in the second game, Take an old Dog for a hard right decide away from home in Sydney, picked the big boys in great form.
I suggest there'll be another change to the starting team because of the influence of Papa. I like it, I really do. I think him and Tina up front. I would if I was Billy, I'd make a late change and start Karragan. Reason Bean, you look at the starting pack for middle rotation for New South Wales, it'll be king Haus and Isaiao Haus is hard to handle. But Caragan, Tino and Papa I think could physically out muscle King when he runs a footing and Yo when they runs
a footing. So I would say that the presence of Papa is going to ignite something in the Queensland forward pack and I would run all out to start the game Carrigan in the front row and go take him on. That's what I do.
And if you look at the side the billy's picked and you said about Shubasaki, those blokes are emblematic are going to play a really tough physical game.
Yeah. And if if you're going to lay the line with Payne Haas or Max King to shift the border Latrell or Stephen Crichton, geez, you want to make that as slow as you possibly can and it needs to be backwards more than forward. So I just think that Baba's a good move. Tino is going to be inspired by playing alongside of him, and I just think you start the game with Patrick Carrigan, I think could be a good thing.
New South Wales there was talk the key on m Coman for Stefano. Stefano's kept his Jersey and I like that. I like that. I like the loyalty there. Corras eighteenth man Berdo thank god not our eighth man again almost got one hundred games, so it's better. It's good for the dogs.
What do you think about New South Wales team and how they play?
Yeah, I like the team. I think there's certain aspects of our game that need tied in up. Of course the discipline. The discipline is a clear one. I think that coops we're going to get. We're going to get a lot of early ball. We just spoke about this to Crichton and Trail. We didn't get it there quick enough.
And thinking about it is when you get blokes like and we saw it the other night with mainly Bewe Travoyvich, when you've got blow Clott Latrell and Stephen Crichton, you don't have to run really special shapes to create a numerical advantage with those plagues. Sometimes you just got to get it to him quick, you know, give them that one on one opportunity.
I think this is where the game is one lost. If Stephen Crichton, Latrell, Mitchell, you have an impact with say twenty thirty touches. They'll set something up and score tries off the back of it. But if Queensland can shut them down, I threw Subasaki entire or the middle forgers stopping the momentum. I think that's where it's one last. Crichton and latrell play well, Queensland lose. If they don't Queensland win.
It's interesting with you know, just mindset with with Nathan Nathan Cleary, in the fact that I love the way he players really gun barrel straight, gets up all the way to the line. I'd like to see him just very a little bit because I actually think my feeling will be the billy will say to the Senate of Shibasaki and toyur get up quick, rush, you know a little bit. Sometimes pre empt outside in. If he starts advancing the ball of the line, don't sit back, get up in their face.
You think, what was that Panish spine? And like Lui back in they played a little oaten fish.
I think sometimes I just thought I saw it, particularly Robert Toyer, sometimes pre empty outside in, and I think given that you don't sometimes you don't need to take the ball all away in the line. I think Nathan should vary how far he comes in. Sometimes you go one step and then just get rid of it. It might catch him in no man's land. So just a bit of variation.
And I think the key defensively for Queensland for New South Wales would be they've just got to stop the spine running the ball. Stop months to running like he had fifteen carries or something. You just can't let him do that.
And Coops in Sydney in the conditions says, you know the course stadium at this time of the year, night football is a wet weather game almost and that suits run first past second.
And if they do, if they put all their eggs on trying to stop monster, which they will, someone like Harry Grant needs to take advantage of them. He would. He was dangerous early on, but it needs to be dangerous for eighty minutes.
Okay, back to club Land, the round just that we've just witnessed. I think probably it's all about defensive integrity. You see where two thirds of the way through the years you've got the finals in sight and the best team best teams are starting to get their defensive heads on that that game Thursday night Penrith versus it's just evidence you don't need high scoring, high scoring games, having exciting contests. It was fantastic some of the desperation.
You can change any rule to speed up the play the ball or make more attacking opportunities, but when you've got two teams redlining defensively and the intensity which they played with cracking contests like ball on the deck, it was me versus you, who's going to get it first.
Some of the efforts they kind of trace you one. I'll have a look at a couple them here, Like honestly, you know, the effort and the desperation, like he's scoring fur money their plays and just fantastic effort. And that was a tailer tape the whole night. You know, he had quality attack against just remarkable defense.
It's almost like a defense NFL, you know how, like there's yardage in NFL, and if you make that yardage, it gets to go again. Connor Tracy knew the goal line was right. There is just tracking across and if you didn't hit him with everything, then there's momentum probably comes over every inch counts.
He come the Panthers first half of the season mentally, flat can understand, you know, they're looking to win five competitions in a row. You're waiting for the tap to be turned on. What it's turned on, and you see you can measure focus, desire through defense, and it's obvious they win eight six their back.
Raiders, Dogs Storm getting a lot of raps for what they're doing, and rightly so. But this team was angered at the bottom of ladder, was one one of their first five or six or something like that, and they've turned it around and taken on the Dogs who have been at the top of the ladder for the majority of the season. The signs of how they played that game was Penrith of old Yeah, good completion rate, great defense, kicking game and when there was a moment to be won,
they won it. The problem with We've said this before, the problem with Penrith had their gun players like chewed up everything they got to get their team back to where they are. I think it's delicate how Iven Cleary handles their origin players at the back end of the year. But they need to be rested and they need to be fined because it doesn't matter where they finished. For me, they could finish five to weight. They would be dangerous.
To play producer Scott to said them a year, five weeks ago, they'll last. So this is the thing with the competition. Moment you have a good month for football, you just yeah.
A lot of teams could put three or four wins together. But the way that Penrith have put three or four teams to get wins together, that's that's they're dangerous. They can they can beat those top four teams.
And we're going to talk about Casey McLean is second. But this is the other thing about the Panthers. Suddenly Blaze start look like a Penrith player. Suddenly McLain is suddenly like he's had you've just seen in the last few weeks. He's come of age as a player. That game the other night, we'll talk about it.
I will say that I've been that situation where you're struggling for your best footy. You know you should be better than what you are get through an Origin series and you're still grinding a way to work hard. They need to be careful that they don't burn the field because you get the finals and you think I've got to go again here because every other team lifts a level so they get there. They are dangerous but there's a delicate thing in terms of ivan how he handles
those five origin players around. Can they play past week two?
A different style of defense physicality? Now last week with Tom going into the center's I wrote an article and I said the move to center would be good for Tom because he won't have as much high speed impact. Well, did not look like a dickhead early on.
You don't need to write an art if it will look like a look at that and I'll watch.
Yeah, good one mate, Now now high speed impact. Honestly, he's never been hit so hard.
They were talking about him getting early balls and freedom and roaming around. That's good contact.
And then I tear who's up on his toes at the moment Tony stags laid in the game and the Warriors we just don't come for the Broncos. And just he did a few things. This one here, that's just that's a great shot.
And I like it is Harrigan stand over the top and it's a bit showmanship, but I like the intensity, which he doesn't like. It's me versus you. I'm going to win this contest and he hits him with everything he has. It's probably not my playbook to stand out of the top of someone. But I don't mind it. Like he's he's doing everything he can for his team, and he's pumped up like he is. He is a machine when he's playing, well.
Mate, well in the coops and that standing over the top of it, that's a lot of that is the Broncos identity, the way Rice sort of is on film, that's the Broncos. When the Broncos winning comps. And I've said this to people before, when you went to play Brisbane in the nineties or you know, they came, they came to town, they just they it just gave you the shit so much because not only do all the players think they were better than you, even the blokes
are carrying the water. What is crucial for the Broncos or Egan cooeps is how they stabilized their how they stabilize their game and stabilized the contests when they're not enjoying superiority. When they haven't superiority, man, they just can just roll through teams and rattle up points. But when the other side gets a bit of momentum and the tables are turned, I reckon. Sometimes scoreboard pressure in particular brings out the worst in the Broncos. It was a
positive in the weekend. That second half was a real test to nerve because suddenly the Warriors are coming for them and I'm watching, going, okay, how they can handle this? But they got through it.
Now the Broncos are a dangerous team this year. From now on, I think they'll finish fourth. I think they'll finish the top four. The reason why I say that, I think they're slow burn because they've always had this high octane score off any play we can, you know, score fifty points, and Malcolm McGuire is trying to bring this consistency of toughness and long game mentality to it.
Adam Reynolds is exposed to it. But if they just meet in the middle and have that game style where they can play for long minutes and defend well, then also have the firepower to come into school points, that is recipe for success right there. I want to see where Ben Hunt comes back. I think he's going to come back in the nine Jersey, probably start off fourteen
and then move in. But even that adds more sparkan dimension to it, because you know he can control the contest from nine as in no we're not shifting there. We're going to play short or we're going to kick early. And him and Adam Reynolds on the field together at the same time. I think is a good thing for the Broncos because it helps with decision making. But it's just Adam. There's you know, Catony Stags, Ares Rees Walsh going off as Ramm's going off too, and he struggles
to reel them back in. But Ben h on the field at the same time. I think there's a bit more control of what Michael McGuire wants in that long game mentality.
Heartbreaking for the Wires. Luke Metcalfe and heart you know, he came on the Sunday Show a few weeks back. Coops mate, what a fantastic un bloke. You love it. He's such a footy head. He just he loved it. All he wanted to talk about was was you know, the football and different terms and his players and what they're doing. And see him do the acl' that's a heartbreaker for him and also the Warriors Chanelle and tomorrow
they'll take the reins without loot. They certainly they're going to miss a bit of thrust, running, thrust through the middle of the field. Huge responsibility on Wade Egan now massive responsibility.
I don't really want to say this, but I think the Warriors, Yeah, it suffers the season. Like I think he came in after back of Shawn Johnson, bought a new sort of aura, excitement and footy like skills, and the Warriors really loved it, like they thrived on it. And yes they've got some depth there to cover, but I feel like this is going to hurt them towards they'll let up finishing the eighth, but I don't think they finished in the top four. They've got a good
culture there. But you take Barnett also out of that and Metcal two of their key players. We said this about the Warriors season. They can't have too many injuries.
They've got to resist the temptation and try to go outside the box to solve this. They're just going to play simple football. Simple football. You build the game, in my opinion, around Wade, and you play a really strong power game. Less Chanelle and Tamari, you know, find their football off that. But Wade is the man, you know, just center field power. You know, he's very good at variation. I'd like to I'd really like to see them have
a lot more life still in their season. I'd love to see him really be able to go on with this challenge.
Do you think they do coops?
I think they will play above expect I don't see him has gone. Yeah, I've just got I just see there's something, there's something within this playing group. I think they'll find a way to continue h a trainspot of time keeping a little bit of something about scrums.
Yeah, so there's delay of scrums, right, there's teams intentionally slowing down attacking possession to the opposition just because they can, and then they'll give away a penalty or something like that. So like if there's a line break in the game and you slow it down deliberately, people go to the sinbin. Here, the dragons not moving para matter here, the cowboys, back and forth, back and forth, time and delay.
That's intentional, that's intentional.
Just put in a rule right now that if you delay the game intentionally, you get captain goes to sin Because if someone makes a line break and stops some tent out from the trial and lays down intentionally to slow down to play the ball in its scoring position, Yeah, that's professional foul in the.
Bin and it keeps. People say, oh, send the captain off, that's harsh. Well, guess what, just don't do it. Don't do it as simple as that, because we're making all these rule changes to improve the game and keeps this This is this is the cat and mouse game that always goes on. Coaches are looking for the loophole, right and we always have to change the rule to cover the loopholes and keep the speed of the game going,
make it as good as spect as possible. But even those little real changes, coaches will look and go, Okay, where's where's the opportunity for us to exploit the rule?
But it's attacking scrum, it's six v six, it's one of the best opportunities to attack. And if a defending team is going to slow down the game intentionally, just send one.
Of the binyah love with you. I'm with it, mark it down, mark the minutes now. Individual performance is Casey McClain. Every player of no young player has has a game that I think is a coming of age game. And I thought his was the other night, up against Stephen Crichton, who's the best, one of the best defensive centers of all time and in brilliant form would have probably been one of Casey's heroes. I'd imagine all that not a long way.
He's been coming through the system, idolizing and.
At full time. The other night you see Nathan go up and he just grabs Casey mcclaim and that's that's a slight mate. You've come of age.
So the first running that Stephen Crichton and McLean had was a sure kick and he knocked it out and they had a little bit of a toss. Yeah, And then when the game was on the line and they won it, Nathan flew up to him again in big, huge I reckon that was set up in the coach's video room in the preview for that performance. Because Stephen Crichton is the captain of the Dogs, here is a physical presence and a beast young McLain nineteen years of age.
I think that was his twentieth game. He had the job of stopping the most influential player for the Dogs, and he went after him. He didn't sit back and say, oh, yes, mister Crichton, Yes, mister Crichton. He just went straight for the juggular and fought him. For eighty minutes. He stopped it in the first minute and ultimately when it was the last minute, he was there to play a part and jot that down coming of age of the young man, like that is a hell of the performance.
It's a little bit like Ivan would have said to him, dangled the carrocter in front of him and treat him with respect, but not too much respect.
Yeah, we've all had that where the coach dangles something in front says listen, I need you to do a job on someone today. And that was McLean's job and he did it.
I'll tell you what he early in the game, he got the ball, he put a bit of a bit of a bit of footwork on critter. Here. If it's anyone but Stephen Crichton, he scores here like Crichton is scrambling to getting that's that's you know, that's clear evidence the quality of this you blake footwork and he's like that. He scores on anyone.
He is a threat to go on the outside twice back on the inside ones and then goes to the outside again. Point Stevin Crichton is the best center in the world on both sides of the footy. And anyone but him, he probably sets up a trial scores on himself.
Xavier Willison another young player. I really like this kid. He's really impressive. The good thing about him he's got He's got great size and power. But crucially coop you can work with playmakers.
Yeah. I think when these young front rowers coming in the game, middle forwards and they're just big physical things and then they start understanding their strength. But Nelson went through a period he was just big and just ran and catapulted into players. Once he started moving using your arms and your shoulders and your footwork to separate. Willison is starting to run into the line and use his
power upstairs to run over and through defenders. And as a half that is rock speed that you want and Reese Walsh Reynolds would love to have pain House Carrigan Willison every play the ball a threat to have momentum.
And for Xavier the great thing at this point in his career he's playing alongside a halfback in Adam Reynolds that's done it all before and can educate him on the foot on watching him. No doubt they're doing extras together because you know he's getting the ball and he's drifting across an interest in the fence around I'm making the defense pause, then dropping off Xavier and the inside and he's hitting, you know, getting one on one tackles and just pushing through the line.
But even paint Us is a mental pain. How do you get between defenders and separate so you come into line and they see the spin. It's something that paint Use would probably would have taught him this one here where he just isolates one, puts a bumpers through and gets through. Like paint House is playing a role in mentoring this young man.
Sure, he's a very very good player. Okay, Coops, And we could be guilty of this podcast being named the Isaiah Catto Podcast. John's yeah, Coops, we could be Maddie Kronk and Isaiah.
By the if it's going to be Cronker Mady, I tell.
You, Scotty, we've got to get him here once. We'll sit him here and just show him all the nice things we were saying a bit, but it was like this week, I thought, right, we'll give the kid a break. We won't talk about but the performance he put in against the bunnies and he continues to do things that you just go, mate, So against the bunnies on that left side, he's attacking against Campbell Graham. Campbell is a fantastic defensive center. He's really intelligent. The founder picks off
you know, picks off shapes very very well. But mate, Honestly, by the end of the game, Campbell would have been goaling, mabe, God, this kid's coming at me again. And he did the one that this is like. He can do certain things in the game which are just brilliant. But there's a situation once where stretch Campbell Grahams has come up and he's gone past the football right and Cady Nikarim is there.
So what he does is instead of like he says to Cadid nick reb he just lobs the ball up and says, there's the space, beat him off the ball.
There it is through the double pump and kemil Graham lent and as he rid of it back and he just loft it in the air. And it's brilliant ballplayer. But it's even better combination work with halves right, And I think this will be the next sort of phase and challenge for Isaiah is this is so good. He moves on the pass and runs through Nikoima has been
complementing Isaiah's ballplayer through the roof. Yeah, now he's going to be out for an extended period of time, and we know that halves combinations are all about repetition and combination work. He realized that that double pump and he beat Gammel Graham on the move and ran inside. But Ken donnah here do this, Ken Avarrillo or someone else. So the Dolphins attack has been on fire because of
this Halves combo Nickorema out. I think he's going to be the next challenge for Isaia Catala to still do those things.
Without your player, without your deputy and adding to his game. We know about his finesse and his ability to disguise, but you see his running game starting to come up. Did a good, great line break for Hammer, and of course was telling the line with the football and bang.
It's just it's just awareness that you can only get through doing multiple sets, multiple changes strong through the hips and he just knows that Hammer's there and he looks the left and throws it over his right hand shoulder without even looking. So that's maybe part of the reason why Hammer is fullback because of things like this. If this is Origin three in a decider that's Cameron Monster or Tom Dierden. Hammer won't be sitting back out a
couple of passes wider admiring. He's going to shift straight.
Through doing a great job with him, Christian Wolf doing really, really well. And you're not going to tell the Dolphins how to suck eggs. But what they've got him for, and the extension is i'd be I'd be bringing him in and going At the moment, Isaiah is on a good contract, it's on a good track, but it's but it's Wynders And if I'm the Dolphins, I'm saying, come in, mate, we're gonna extend this at the further fixes.
You should be his agent.
You are Moses. That'll do mm hmmmmmmmm mm hmm