Welcome to three sixty rad re League from every angle, brought to you by the Ranger plug in Hybrid.
Joining me the Great.
Gordon Tallis, Buzz Rothfield and Brent Reid. And what a night of footy it was here at Allegiance Stadium.
It was electrifying. How'd you find it?
Exhausting but amazing. Honestly, last year we didn't know what to expect, but this year it just went to another level.
I've loved every moment of becoming here and cover a great game and be involved. Three Month Street was a master's stroke to have the fans all in one spot.
I thought it was fantastic.
Our hotel was full of the Warriors fans, how respectful they were. It ticked every box on me and even the game obviously a couple were lobsided, but I really loved.
I described it McCallum as Magic Rand on steroid. It was that good. And you know, a great result from the NRL. I thought the crowd was a little bit below expectations. They got forty five two hundred something like that, but you know what that was. That was a ten percent increase on last year and Peter Orlandi's when I spoke to him, promise it's going to be bigger, better next year. They're going to spend more money in promotion. They're determined to get up to that fifty thousand crowd.
But overall, the whole week, the celebration of rugby league, it was a magnificent time to be here.
Mark a buzz. Forty five thousand lot a bad effort.
I mean we stepped up a notch this year and this is the standard now, this is the bar.
I think we can keep.
It and push forward because it's gone up a level from last.
We need to keep the momentum going sort of.
Thanks some people here.
We have to p.
Patrick Delaney, Lochlan Murdoch, Steve Rawley. They deserve so much credit. I mean this spectacle it was big last year, it's better this year. It's a success and a success story really because of.
The ben the you know, growing up in rugby league, you know we're all the humble game. But I think we've grown, like we we have outgrown that. I think to come here now and we're not the humble little game. I'm not the suburban game. We belong on the world stage. That's one thing that that I truly believe now and we've got to start thinking that.
I was sitting up that box this afternoon. I sink back to leg Comoble. I was sink back to Henson Part back in the and you know you could go there. You get a hot dog, a beer and a pie for loose change. And then you come to Las Vegas in one of the most magnificent stadiums in the world, forty five thousand people here the champions Penrith.
Playing so well to beat mate.
The game has come so far and it's the back of those guys, you said, Lochla Murdoch put it on Fox here in America, Patrick Delaney's, Steve Crawley Andrew rab They've done a sensational jow.
It just makes you proud to be involved in rugby league, doesn't it.
When you're at Freemont Street this week, you felt proud I'll be involved in this game.
Gordon, you know, really like it's well, I've never been proud to walk down and what do you might have played rugby league because it's because that's like where it is. And then people talking magic round you know what. We hit we hit target, we hit bullseye Brisbane magic round works here, Like they go, well, where's it going to go to?
It's here. Let's make this the home.
I think the Americans are buying you more too, like Vegas is actually embracing it.
Last year you getting in a Capa and herber they had no idea what it was. This year, they actually did.
They knew that the Aussies were in town, they knew the Kiwi's were in town, they knew the pummies were in town. And every year that's going to grow, right, So you know, I think every year is going to strengthen and get better.
And that's what the whole idea is.
It was never gonna happen overnight, right, but I think it's advanced more quickly than we thought it would.
Let's relieve all the best moments from Vegas.
Thanks to Ford, Rugby league is back in Las Vegas. Is the biggest show in town. This will be the biggest game day in one hundred and thirty years of rugby league.
Wigan v Warrington shuffle up and deal Rugby Vegas begby.
Vegas Great Live.
Pem French a superstar gets a four partner in Vegas. Pemant French Superstar becomes Vegas tarp. What a pupas what rugby lay try and what a great start to this huge day for rugby league it has been.
Now we get to the first of the NRL games.
The Camera Raiders and the Warriors of New Zealand.
This is our great game. This is rugby lay.
Now, said Christ said Christ said, Christ's savage.
He's away.
They're chasing good way. Can a color go all the way? It's another camera try. The Camera Raiders triumph in Vegas.
What a moment.
This is history for the women's game and bank and fatal stuff to make her ruft.
They're too classy. They're putting on a show here in Vegas. Oh, I want to move by Robertson.
It is her first half hand trick to maker Humpton's gone.
This is jewel rous perfection.
Some of the biggest names of the competition, Penriyth and Cronella in Las Vegas.
How good is this his past? This brilliant day for the Sharks.
By Hemflick the switch shitty last play had to run.
It opened the Yo searchers.
Over Cleary over the top har fall. That is sweets. What Cleary did think was masterfully and drew the run back.
Check the try is there.
This is a heavyweight battle this week, Cleari, with it honor James for cold than the past in the corner for Laurie.
Beautif executed said play under propiction.
Alphadu a blake that time seven to land for to a blake is there, He's over for Cranella. Vegas hands a grandstand finish to the final game. Cleary.
Here they come to Panthers down with the ball on downside.
Don't God, what a weird but champs are off and.
Running in twenty twenty five.
What a day in Vegas.
What a week it was here in Vegas.
But let's unpack the big one that last game, which was an absolute crack at the Penrith Panthers just getting over the top of the Kanala Sharks Penrith again or class Penrith again.
Their big guns stood up.
Cronella were fantastic and put up a great fight, but it was the Cream that rose to the top.
Yet again, It's just.
A team you rode off.
Not enough to beat up by you, is it?
No, it's not so you had brave concerns about their ability breath.
Agree with Moss of the Storm favorites.
Yeah, short memory, but Buzz you said the Sharks were going to win too.
Just to go through this list, right, Penrith have lost Fisher, Harris lew Ee, Tarruber, kick out, Burton Crichton, Corus out, Spencer Loner, Bryant I didn't play today. They've lost two assistant coaches, Cameron surround Our and Andrew Webster. They come out Dylan Edwoods hasn't played a trial, clearly hasn't played a trial. They've had injuries surgery in the off season and they've just come out and spake for they are unlive.
Arguing with Rudy the first I'm not up some great points right, and I don't disagree with a lot of them right, But that's why I was arguing the fact that it's hard not to have them as favorites.
And you see that again tonight. I know Melbourne have got you to Igamana.
I know that Kenra Monster was unfit last year and your own Jews wasn't was a bit unfit at the back end there. I see all your reasons and I don't disagree, but it's still hard to not have them as the top pick after especially after tonight again because are a good team.
And buzzden Mentionalleam Henry didn't play on it. I's hard not to have them as a top pick when they've got Nathan Cleary.
So changed, I still favorites tonight? Did it change a little bit tonight? You still have Melbourne?
Let me see Melbourne play next week?
Right? But you think about what Nathan Clearer did tonight off season sold the surgery. He was only clear two weeks so I didn't play a preseason game with twenty minutes ago he's getting treatment on his calf. I spoke to him after the game. He said, I was really worried that last twenty minutes.
That my cars might go on me. But he comes up with big plays time after time after time. Again he is a genius.
We can look at the players, we look at everything. The last.
Three minutes comes through, Tellerqua comes through, they stop him right, he's a bull, and then Raimion over there and the Black Jerseys that made that tackle. So when you're going to win five premierships, you look for the desire. I think they whether they got the players or not, whether they got you know, they can get through Origin. But was there to night in round one they could be underdone, but they put the hend on'm go go, youve got to come and get it and we're going to climb this minute.
Just spoke about the fans. I say, yeah, he's a champion. He is a champion lockforward and Liam Martin.
William Mark did have a game. You know, he's a beast.
Lindsay Smith. Lindsay Smith played I think fifty five minutes straight. I think he made thirty thirty nine tackles up to that point, ran for about one hundred and fifty meters. You know they lose Fisher Harrise. Lindsay Smith just comes through. Played for Australia last year. He's a great player.
What about life after Lewis know lew Light tonight their first big Test without him in their side. Moved to the West Tigers. Obviously, what did we think without him and the team?
Though Jack Cole was solid. I didn't think he did some really good things.
He made a couple of mistakes, but as a really promising performance by him, I thought.
Yeah, first up, you know in that shy under pressure replacing you know a really great premiership winning samo and international and I thought.
He was great Jack Carl anywhere.
Jack Cole, I think he's solid. I mean, he played his part.
He you know that they're so methodical in the way that they play and the way that they set up, and Cleary and you know just are in the team.
Right.
Cole just needs to do his job.
It's so they simplified for those guys who come in. It is that next man up mentality. And I think Jack did a really good job and they'll stick with him if they keep performing like that. And they've still got ways to long and he come back.
He had to rush the blood early in that first half and he put that kick through I think it was on the third tackle, turned the ball over, but he was really composed after after that did lose his head contri.
You know, I mentioned this on the show the other night. They got a squad back home the beat Manly thirty eight O Neil. They put thirty eight points from on the trail match. So with Cole and all these guys, it's just unbelievable.
Isaiah is the greatest chameleon that's played our game. And I'm saying that he started in the centers and he plays lock and he plays clear. He's out he plays the ball playing role. Then he plays State of Oregon and he's a front roller, stands in tackles. I don't think you put down today. He takes one off the ruck, you know, Aiden fluim I Blake comes off the line sideways.
He sees that like so his vision and he's going, that's a halfbacks vision, like that's Joey oh made the front rowers come off sideways, just straight in here the first right, But then that's you know, like to me when you look at someone in your pigeonhole and they come out and they just sort of one dimensional, like the strings.
He has to his boat to do it. Unbelievable to do it.
First up a big man, and you know big men take a little bit longer to warm into a season. He the campaign he had last year he capta in Australia, he won that series. He was late in myself season. He didn't turn up the training until January, and for.
Him to come over here, it was just turned up every next off the planet.
They're a great team and they've got a great coach. And let's hear him right now.
He would definitely looked fit enough and you know, good enough to be able to win a very tough game against a good opponent tonight. There's clearly some rust around, which is you know, always going to happen. We're just happy to, like I said, beat a good opponent and just start to be part of this extravaganza and call that is just so cool.
Obviously, when you lose.
Lose players, you can talk about that, or we can talk about the guys that we still have. And we have like probably five or six players in our current team that will be Panthers Hall of famers, I believe. So it's like, if you've got that many players of that caliber, you're still in a pretty good space.
There is the new super coach Ivan clearly can't put a foot wrong.
But ready, you still don't think that they should be famous.
I didn't right them off break. I just said that my favorites.
It's tight.
It's tight at the top, but I think Melbourne have got the edge. But based on their squad, you know what, I'll.
Move on from that. Let's see if you just move on.
Okay, let's see if from the Kanala Sharks coach Craig fitzgiven.
Great cracking game, really like a high intensity particularly the first half and then when the game is on the line. So it's a really good first hit out for us. But obviously they are four time premiers for a reason. They what to do when it gets into those situations and those stakes, and then they just got too far ahead.
So you're out of close a little bit better than us, and there are plenty of lessons and it's probably been better than the last few times we played them, so we're getting closer.
The big question for the Kanala Sharks this year was who was going to be the dominant half.
We spoke about it on ANERL three sixties throughout the week, in the pregame show tonight, Trindle or Heins, And as tonight's game, I think it's fair to.
Say Trindle was the dominant half. Hind started well but still a question mark over his performance. So I don't want to bash.
This isn't about knocking Nikko Heines, but Trindle was definitely the better on the night.
How did you guys, well, When you.
Talk about Nicko Hines, we go back to the year when he won the Dali m Medal by a record bargin and then got a million dollar seven year contract at the Canala Sharks, and when you're on that sort of brush brash there are huge expectations on you. And there's no question tonight that he was slightly on the disappointing side and he didn't.
Play up to that pay packet.
Trendall was the better of the two, is the dominant player. He took over the goal kicking from Niko. He did most of the kicking in general play. But as I said, it's one game of rugby league.
It is it's the first game. I don't even think it's a concern.
I'm not saying it's concerning, But what I'm trying to compare it to is if you look at the likes of Munster and your own Hughes and Nathan Cleary and these guys who were playing in Grand finals, it's their key playmakers that they get them there, and it's another level that you need to go to.
And that's what Carnello struggled with over the past few years.
They get to the finals quite easily, right, but they just can't take that next step, and a lot of that rides on on probably Nickel and his performance.
Well, I made a clear the other night, but they would win a camp Nico needs to be firing. I think if we sort of tonight, they pushed Penrith all away and that was with a quiet Nico. If Nico fires up, they probably win this game, right, So you know they need Niko to be his best, not in round one, but around twenty seven and in the finals that's when Nico at his best. So there's no doubt he's got another level. And then you're up a couple of levels from here.
Yeah, this is not a nickeo And you made a really good point. If you're on a million dollars, you get judged on the million dollar play. If you play in the back round, you get judged on Sonny Bill Williams or whatever. If you play halfback and you're the million dollar men, you get judged on Nathan Cleary on getting the job done.
And then tonight I thought he was.
Good in patches, but it started away eighty minutes it's over control and then you.
Know, and a million dollar players better game managers than what we saw from him today.
You know, in the big moments that you spoke about, I.
Think he took a bit as the game went on, He just took a bit of a backstep and he let Trindle be the dominant one, which is okay, And he spoke about that on three sixty to us. He said, at times we will be one will be dominant or the other one will be more dominant, and Trindle was. But Niko, just when the game was on the line, you need your big guns and standard.
Trindle is playing well though brace.
So I suppose Nick is that he's in that position where Trindle's playing well, you almost want to step back and let if he's playing he.
Can't step back, but he needs to do more. Yeah, he's going to contribute. Yeah, you're a high court.
Trindle had the hot hand. One guy's got that hand.
Fair for us to have a very serious discussion about Nick after about a month of the competition, okay.
So no, I'm not saying we don't think we'll revisit this.
I think that's fans at who are talking.
You'll be talking about it next week.
I think he.
Deserves a month before we start making.
But it doesn't mean it's going to go away, No, it does, you know what I mean?
So I agree with you, like he should be given four to six weeks, But the reality is we're going to talk about him and we're going to talk about. We talk about every key player in teams that aren't you know, probably reaching their potential.
That's that's just the life that we live in now. Adn't for Noa Blake.
He was really good for Sharks, big in the off season and come up with that big try at a huge moment that was that was impressive.
I think you missed one tackle all night. It was for Nolla Blake just powering through him and Delan Edbles is a sensational defensive fullback and he.
Was a great start, great starting.
He come off the line sideways right, which is a at a defender, and then Isaiah got behind him.
That's probably the only cross.
But to go to a new club and get there and still learn in the system and you know, and then that's a short cut like and when you defend yours got to come off straight. Other than that, you go, well, you know, as he grows and big guys like that's that's pretty harsh because big guys round one like like they take about four to six weeks to get into that.
You know that just before we move on, we know we've had our stay on the Panthers. We know they're going to be thereabouts again. If they're not the team to beat the close to it, What about the Sharks just quickly tonight.
Well, I like it.
I think Rudy made a good point Nikko not playing and they still got with them by the converted try.
I think it was encouraging sing for the Shark.
They did good point.
That's you for first, because it's very rare.
I reckon the.
Sharks take a lot away from this because they went at their best and they pushed the premiers all the way.
And as we said, nick I.
Was the suck standards such a really good A couple of decisions may may have gone against them, but I thought he.
Was impressive tonight the Canberra Raiders, what a performance it was. By then, we spoke to Ricky Stewart on The Mana John Show throughout the week and you know, we talked about their youth and they're inexperience, but what about their speed and their players that are young, how much they've grown and evolved.
Over the preseason.
You know that that right hand Timmoco and Savage on the right hand edge Stranger was outstanding.
They just the way they played it was so good.
Usually they're at defensive unit care but usually they're quite conservative.
They were far from you.
You were calling the game when you Ricky Steward come and sack. So I was on the desk, sorry, on the stills. He come and sat.
We asked some question. It was like he got really emotional, like like people have written like you know, like the Raiders. Well I don't think they're at the top eight side, but then.
They have got them third favorites to win the Wooden Spurs.
Okay, well there, but Vegas people so so so.
Ricky loves his players, wears his heart on his sleeve. But when he come over by watching his team, they were well drilled. You know, everybody thought it was going to be the battle of the big guys. But they'll fit. They're fast, they played through the middle. It was a great brand of footy. Tom's Tom Starling and I just thought, wow,
there's a footy side. The challenge are Ricky now is getting them back on I think they played the Broncos in a couple of weeks time, so now it's just getting them back from Vegas mindset.
Because it was so they got the biggest tick right they.
Come here and the way they did was amazing bake I thought as a captains and I thought he was outstanding in the middle of the football field. And he's a different captain because he's not real talker and he loves too to do a lot of that.
But maybe he was just I thought that.
All right, let's see from Ricky Stewart.
I said it on the Fox and there's more tongue in cheek because you guys all do write us off, which.
I don't mind.
I can see you for me then, But it's going to be a good competition if we come last, like he's a respected like a lot of us are expecting. Is it going to be a tough comp now? One we came here to make a statement.
I haven't seen the tackle. Yeah, to be honest, I can't really make a call on it, but yeah, I was moving that fast. That's hard to you know, just so I have a look at it.
It's a massive call, you know, it's it's I'm not saying it's the wrong core, but it's a massive care as long as it stays in every game.
Now.
It was a massive call, and the way they handled it was it was you know, resilience.
A very proud Camber Rader's coach there, Ricky Stewart, but he wasn't quite convinced that Tarpanay's hit on Barnett was a shoulder charge. He said, if that is the standard, then you know it needs to stay that way for the rest of the season.
The NL is better. The referees are better at that, aren't they breath like?
Yeah, the odd one slips through when they don't quite get place, and they don't.
Need to lose him now, right because they may lose him now as a result of that.
And it's silly by Joey. He's a great game buds.
You mentioned him.
He's so important to them right as a leader, you know, in the middle of that field. He doesn't need to do that stuff.
Now.
It was ill.
Disciplined, And Ricky makes a good point. All we want is consistency in these situation. Sound but I'm talking about the rest of the season.
But same instance happened.
Making that happens, I'm out of a banker on high definition screens.
But now it was a shoulder charge.
It was cliche.
I've got no problem with that.
So they will be consistent.
There's no clear shoulder.
Charges will always so you're declaring here and now that the referees are going to be consistent all yet.
I'm declaring right here and now, if any other player does with Joe Tarking, if jo if any player does what Joe tarp and he did tonight, the same thing will happen.
Well, I hope you're right.
That's all. That's all she wrote. That's all.
But listen, if one goes through to the keeper, don't you wreck it.
Buzz be sitting there waiting. I'll be cheering.
You get the vision.
Now.
On the other side, the Warriors, well, they were disappointing. There's no other way to put it. Felt sorry for the New Zealand fans that traveled all the way here. They had a great time.
Yeah, they were poor, poor, I really I put it down to their halves.
I thought Metcalf and Harris Devita were just out of their depth and the combination there wasn't in sync. They were unorganized. They didn't get much good possession in good field position, but when they did, they were all over the shop.
It was what started the year. You got to hold her on the football, you got to get through your sets.
They probably didn't do that as well, But then I looked on the sideline, Fisher, Harris and Varnad are there, and then they just started strolling through the middle and it was and they just looked tired.
They just looked tired.
And it's probably I don't know whether it's a hard half where it's really hard to win forwards in round one.
It's very early days, but they did struggle. Yeah, what you've said about the Hearts was one hundred percent right now. They've got a guy who was in about Jersey nineteen twenty to day tomorrow, Martin a lot more experienced, and I think Andrew Webs is going to have the seriously, consider they've got next week off and they've got two home games, two tough home games.
We spoke about a buzz this week that is their Achilles Hill halves. They would kill his hell tomorrow. Martin's not necessarily answer for them.
You can pick no one else.
Well, you can mix and match those guys, but regardless who you put in the six and seven, that's the weakness that football.
Madge John says you out to call it.
It wasn't really a genuine there's not neither of those players who are genuine seven. Often the six you know, and then Metcalf just isn't quite I don't think he's quite ready to be a seven and own a rugby league team.
Not yet. I mean again, we go on early. It's round one.
It's a funny thing. We were giving Metcalf a lot of raps and trial mattress and.
The trolls t get to the track.
It's a big Roger as well. Well, this is for two hundred.
But charlesy were clocks though. You know, I watched his game very close. This guy called it.
I think he went for about sixty meters. He dropped that ball for the try for the Raiders coming through. He just looked he didn't get into the game.
And you know, I think if you got.
Someone like Roger at the back, and I'm not saying do it straight away, but that's a an option for them that could spark their six and seven and give them a bit more confidence. Roger ran for over two hundred meters twenty carries. But they're all just down this end of the field. They're not in the not in the strike, not not when they're trying to put points on in a good field position.
So it's not going to change it.
Do you think they could roam then and swap.
I think Minicello and today someone you know like where they just go okay, so you get the good ball or the red zone and green zone or whatever they want.
To roosters many with many on the wing, they can do it. I mean there's a there's a few options there from Andrew Webster and I'll tell you what he's he's got a few things to sort out for the Warriors to turn that around, even though it is only around one