¶ Welcome
Nine Podcasts.
Welcome everyone to another edition of the Billy Slater Podcast. We've just had Round thirteen of the NRL and well a couple of teams really starting to put their hand up as premiership contenders after impressive performances on the weekend, especially the Warriors and at the canber Raiders. So much to talk about, and as we're doing it all thanks to tab Hello, Billy.
Good morning Salty. Heading into round fourteen, we're pretty much halfway through the year and twenty seven rounds, so we're nearly exactly halfway through the year and the ladders starting to take shape, and there's some some surprises that we probably didn't think that we're going to be jumping out of the ground at this time of the year. And there's certainly some teams outside the eight that we probably
thought were going to be inside the eight. So halfway through the year and the season and start to take shape.
¶ Panthers Eels
Billy, just on the ladder, there's three wins between fifth and last.
Have you seen a ladder like it?
I mean, actually, if you really want to go a bit further, between second and last on the table, seventeenth on the table, there's only the five wins it's so congested.
Yeah, and to think yesterday's game Paramatta and Penrith. Penrith went into that in the last position. Now they've won four games this season. There are teams inside the eight. There's two teams inside the eight that have won five games. So they went into last weekend's round in last position and now there are only one win behind a couple of teams that are sitting inside the top eight. So
it is so close. You put a good month of football together and all of a sudden you're thinking that you're a chance of winning the competition.
That was such a high quality game yesterday that we saw on nine between the Panthers and the Eels could have gone either way. We've seen in recent times the improvement the Eels are making under Jason Ryles. But you know that was a big two points for Penrith yesterday.
But Billy, what a high quality game of football it was.
Yeah, absolutely, I agree with that, SALTI. If that was game one of the semi finals in September, you'd be pretty pretty excited about how the final series is going to shape up. And I certainly agree with the improvement of Paramatta. Actually, Paramatta were one team at the start of the year that I thought was going to take leaps forward. They were my pick to climb the ladder and be a bit of a surprise. They had some injuries to some key players throughout the opening ten rounds
and that certainly helped. And then on top of that, they've they've taken a little bit to understand what Jason Roles is trying to implement and all the things that that he wants to bring into the football team. So they looked really dangerous. They were desperate without the football, and then with the football they all looked like they were on the same page. And it took a really committed Penrith team who probably had the best forward pack
that they've fielded this year. It was certainly a premiership winning forward pack and it took every bit of their quality to get over the paramount. Ears thought it was a wonderful game and both teams should hold their head up high.
Just one game and what was a terrific Sunday of rugby league. The two other winners either side of that game made mention of them right at the top.
The Warriors.
Let's talk about their performance against sous who also an improving team. But the Warriors just keep getting it done and importantly Billy on this side of the Tasman Yeah.
Yeah, the Warriors are just lining under the radar at
¶ Warriors Rabbitohs
the moment. They haven't got the superstar key position players like some of the other teams do, but they all work really well as a football team. Andrew Webster's done a great job over there. The other storyline to come out of this game is Alex Johnston scored a hat trick and he notched up a double century and tries in the NRL, only the second player to ever do that. He's on his way to be in the all time try scorer in our game's history, which is an incredible achievement.
He's only got twelve to go, I believe, or eleven to go or something to go. Yeah, yeah, that's certainly a storyline to come out of that game as well.
Yeah, you're not wrong there.
And if you have a look at the Rabbit o's and who they've got between now and the rest of the season, if he keeps going and scores a try or two each week, we could get to a round twenty seven and he could break the record against the Roosters.
Yeah, wouldn't that be.
Something that's incredible And he's done it with a great strike rate as well. To think that Cody Walker is not on the left hand side of the field at the moment and he's still scoring hat tricks. Imagine when when Cody Walker gets back and you know he's certainly going to put him over for a few as well.
Be quicker service from your dummy half. For most of your career, you might have had over two hundred.
I know, if you give me the ball a bit more often. That's what you got to deal with when you play with Cameras.
The cards dealt with, cards dealt with.
He's responsible for plenty of more.
I was like complain, of course, not hello Cam.
No doubt he'll be He'll be watching Keen viewer of the podcast Billy No Jamal Fogardi for Canbra, no problem. This was a high quality game last night as well. The Roosters, well they're on the precipice of the eight. But Canbra they're playing some terrific football, aren't they.
Yeah, a little bit like Paramounta. The Roosters have really got their game on now and they're they're one of the teams of the competition. You know, some of their
¶ Roosters Raiders
star players are playing the best I've seen them play, and Victor Radley's doing a great job, and also James Tedesco and the young players are really stepping up. But the Raiders, the Raiders are they're the team of the competition at the moment. And I'll tell you why. They've won more games than any other team in the competition. I know they're not sitting first, but they've won ten games. The Bulldogs have only won nine. Now, the Raiders are the only team in the competition that haven't had to
buy yet. Everyone else has had to buy. And the Bulldogs in the Storm, who sit inside the top four, they've had two buys. So the Raiders are sitting really pretty at the moment. They're playing tough, brave football. And then on top of that you think about their key position players. The four key position players are really in
experience that played on the weekend. You've got young Paddy at number nine, who's doing an exceptional job when he comes on the field, Strange and Sanders who are very young in their careers, and then Kylee Wicks who Ricky stew has done a fantastic job and put a lot of faith in him when he's come up with a few errors in his development stage of his career and he's really stuck by him and you can see the confidence that he's playing with at the moment Because of it,
they're a team that are probably the team of the competition at the moment, but you can actually see where they're going to get to in years to come. It's exciting for the Raiders.
I love the camaraderie that they have there. They're all not only playing for the coach, but playing for each other. There's a lot of pride in that green jersey in the nation's capital.
Yeah, there's a real connection there, isn't there And that's really important in a footy team. So there's a lot going well for the Canberra Raiders. And I know it's only halfway through the season and Ricky Stewart would be keeping a lid on it. There's a massive game down in Canberra this weekend with Josh Popole he breaking that the all time Raiders record in games played. That's that's huge for Big Poppa and knowing how Canberra do it, that'll be a celebration and a half down there.
Sure will tell us about him, Billy, he was an Origin teammate of yours.
You had to come up against him at club level.
But tell us about Josh and what he brought to a team, particularly when you're playing together in Origin for Queensland.
Well, firstly, he's a real gentleman. He's a real respectful person and a great guy off the field, and when
¶ Josh Papali'i
he's in your footy team, you just walk that little bit taller. He's one of those guys that he's a leader. He doesn't say a whole heap, but he leads with his actions and he makes you feel that little bit safer when he's next to you in the same color jersey. And he's had a wonderful career in all jerseys, Camber Raiders, Queensland, Australia, he's played for Samoa. He's been a wonderful player for
our game and he's still got plenty to offer. So congratulations to Big Poppa and hopefully he can enjoy the occasion and you know, I'm sure the campber Raiders and the footy team around him will will make it a memorable one for him.
Just a quick little story on that to highlight something he said there about him being a gentleman. I know that when a devoted Canberra fan was going to Cambra to watch the game. A few years ago, when when Josh was still playing Origin, Ricky went to the players it was the game after an Origin match and he said, look, there's this fan coming down and I'm going to go to the airport.
And to meet him. Anyone want to come along?
And Josh put his hand up and said, yep, I'm going to come and they went to the airport to meet this fan.
That says a lot.
Actually, I think about the whole club there with Ricky finding out about this particular supporter who wants to go on and watch the Raiders play, and they're just such a wonderful group and I think that that highlights as you've been talking about the culture within the club and Josh as a person.
Yeah, that's a wonderful story and that doesn't surprise me. You know, they see they see everyone as important and you know that it means a lot to him. You hear rick you Stewart talk about the support of the Canberra people and you know our game is a passionate game and to have that passion for your footy team and the people who support the footy team. It's all rolled into one and yeah, that doesn't surprise me.
It's a nice story, Billy, just on the Raiders and I think you'll know where I'm going from here when I bring up Corey Hawes bro Will you impressed with his performance on Sunday Night.
Yeah, he's been doing a really good job. I think he's had a really good year. He's obviously had a big off season and with that, you know, you give yourself a chance to play really consistent football throughout the year. I remember when he played State of Origin a couple of years ago that that was a real a real fabric of his game and a foundation of his game
¶ Corey Horsburgh
was his fitness and doing all the little things well. And he certainly got himself back to that point and that standard of football. So yeah, he's another guy that's that's really playing well. He's actually keeping Josh Populi on the on the bench who's coming on and doing a great job just before halftime. So that's Bigs Volumes.
When we talk about Origin and looking back to last Wednesday. But now I suppose you're at the stage where you're certainly looking forward to to Perth and obviously people start coming up with all different theories and want to change this and and and change that. And I know that you there might be a couple of minor changes to the team. I don't know you're you're you're the coach,
¶ State of Origin
but you're very good at blocking out a lot of that outside noise, and the players are as well.
So when you.
Look when you're moving forward to to Perth, what's in your thinking at the moment?
Yeah, it's it's really important, you know the noise. Once you hear something, you can't unhear it. So it's important to try not to hear it in the first place, that's the first thing, and not let it influence you know how you go about things, and you talk about change, and you know when you don't, when you don't perform well or you don't you don't get the best out of yourself and your footy team, you certainly need to change.
Change is really important because if you if you expect to do the same thing and expect the same a different result, well you're probably silly. So but change doesn't always necessarily mean change personnel. But you can change actions, you can change attitudes, and you can change a view of how you approach things. So I'm a believer that
something needs to change. And probably right now it's it's Monday, we played last Wednesday, and we go into camp in a week's time, So right now I'm probably in that transition stage of undergoing reviewing the game, you know, talking to the coaches, talking to the selectors, talking to people whose opinion I see is important, and then and then collating all that information and building a plan for seven
days time. That's where I'm at now. Change is certainly a part of that because we didn't play our best football. We were nowhere near discipline enough, and if we don't change that, we can't expect a different result.
When you look at and using that word change and people often think that, as you said, it just means
players in, players out. But you can you can shuffle things around, because is it a case of when if you do make wholesale changes now And I'm not saying you would, but I'm talking more in general terms that it can upset your serious preparation, particularly when a lot of people start talking about your number seven, and you know, when the forwards are being dominated, there's not much DCE can it can do when he tried really hard last week. But if you were to make a change there, it
upsets your your serious preparation as well. I suppose there's that's one of many factors that you'd have to consider when you do sit down over the next week or so.
Yeah, you just got to You're gonna look look at what's important and what's gonna what's going to help the footy team play their best. That that's essentially my My role is is the guide these guys and help them perform their best together. That's that's what a coach does. So individually you want to help the guys get the best out of themselves, but collectively as a footy team, you want them to connect and and play their best
football together. And that'll be that'll be the focus going into the next seven days and then once we get into camp, we'll be full steam ahead to try and get that happen.
And is the response from the players too.
Something you looked at from over the weekend and I speak of daily Tom Tom did and just to name a couple, and in fact, there was quite a few members of the Queensland team that I thought really put in impressive performances over the weekend.
The way they responded is that something you look at.
Also, I think it shows a bit of character when I love seeing players back up. You know, I've been one of those players, and it's not easy. It's it's probably easier physically than it is mentally, because Origin is such an emotional game. It's it's a it's a big build up, and it takes so much to get up to that level emotionally and mentally, and then and then you come down, and then you've got to try and get yourself back up there in a short period of time.
So the mental and emotional roller coaster of Origin can really hit you. So to see not just the Queensland players I thought, I thought Nathan Cleary and Mitchell Moses really went after the game yesterday, you know, to see Origin players back up these days and play the way that they did, you know, those three players did in Cherry Evans Cleary, that was that was a real professional
performance by those three guys. And it's a pleasure to watch that sort of stuff because it shows a whole heap of character.
When we talk about players backing up, missing me to leave out Tino, who was enormous in a beaten side on Saturday afternoon.
I think you played about seventy seventy five minutes or something like that. And I don't think I've ever seen Tino go onto the footy field and leave anything in the tank. And he did the same thing for the Titans up against the Melbourne Storm, which was a real miserable afternoon on the gold Coase. It was torrential rain and really hampered both sides with the football. But yeah, he's one guy that can really hold his head up high most definitely.
You're always one that thinks a little bit outside the box in with the players.
That you've got in your team.
Do you start say, I'll throw I'll throw a scenario up at you and you give me the sort of answer you want, Like a Ruben Kado could play. We've seen him play dummy half before. Would you say, look at something like that. Bring Harry off the bench where he's been really effective in origin in the past. So while people are looking at changes and saying this play has got to come in and out, do you start looking at, okay, that these are the piece of the puzzle that I've got already and and look at.
Different ways to use those within your team.
Yeah, absolutely, I look at all different options. But the one thing you've got to be careful with Salty is is plugging a hole over there and then letting two holes leak over the other side. So so when you like like people talk about changes, Oh this blake should be in the team, you've got to You've got to get rid of someone too, you know. So you can't have everything. And I understand, you know in the media.
I work in the media, and it's easy to sit there and go, oh, this should happen, that should happen, But you've got to think about the repercussions of those decisions. So there's a there's a fair thought process to go through when when you're thinking about this. But at the end of the day, I don't think it's it's a personnel thing, you know. I think if if we played with more discipline and we played more together in the way that we prepared, I think we would have given
ourselves a better chance. And the other thing is we played against a really good team. New South Wales are playing really good football at the moment and they're not giving their opposition much and when you're not at your best, it magnifies things. So they were too good for us in game one and it's up to us to rise to the standard.
Just one more on Origin, Billy, looking forward to next week and we will catch up next week ahead of the game in Perth.
Does it change anything?
This game in Perth has often played different conditions because a lot drier part of the world, because we're kicking off at six pm rather than the eight pm here where there's the heavy dew that comes in and if there's no rain around. It's a little bit different style of origin, isn't it.
Yeah, look, you always look at the weather and adjust to that style of football, but it won't affect our preparation. We just need to work out, you know, where we went wrong, how we get our best football on and be together and go after it. That that's essentially what we need to do. And you know, whether it's a six o'clock kickoff, eight o'clock kickoff, it's raining or it's dry like at the end of the day, they're little adjustments,
you know, towards the game. But yeah, that's not the foundation of our footy.
Okay, all right, let's get back onto the NRL.
And oh there's some soul searching at Redhill in Brisbane at the moment. One win in the last seven weeks for the Broncos. Ironically it was against one of the top teams of the competition in the in the Bulldogs. But can you put your put your finger on what's going on at Brisbane at the moment.
No, not really. Look, there's there's a few things obviously that they've got a few injuries.
You know.
Ezra MEM's just come back into the team, so there's some continuity there. Rhys Walsh, he's a real spark for
¶ Broncos
the Broncos, which in Selwyn Cobbo played a bit of fullback. Jessee Arthur's played fullback on the weekend, so there's been a bit of shuffling around within the footy team. But at the same time I'm sure there's a bit of disconnect as well. They don't look as fluent as they have done when they played their best football at the start of the year. So yeah, without being inside Redhill, you're not really sure on what is going on. It's more about just watching their performances and manly they look
really enthusiastic. They looked like they went after their attack and they were just too much for the Broncos I thought mainly were exceptional actually.
Talking about Manly in just a moment. It's a point that you make there about the personnel at Brisbane. I think off the top of the head, it's six games in the last twelve months that or last season and this season that Brisbane have had Reynolds, ma'am and whilst on the field at the same.
Time, Yeah, and kind of knew it is really important. But they've still got some quality players there. I think Ben Hunt's out at the moment, but you've just got to look at what you're what you're working with, and you know, probably a little bit like the Queensland team, you know, the Broncos are probably just looking looking for what's happening at the moment and how to get the best out of their players, because they've got a fair bit of quality in their squad and the teams that
they're they're feeling at the moment are certainly they're certainly not playing to the standard of those players individually. So you know, that's up to up to the senior players and the coaching staff to work that out, and I'm sure they'll do that. It's only halfway through the season and they are one of those teams on five wins, so you know, a good month of football puts you in a really good position.
You mentioned mainly and how good they were that they're forwards terrific, Dce and Luke Brook's outstanding in the halves, but Billy psychologically that that performance to do it without tom Treboyevich, particularly for the younger players and the team, that's got to give them a real boost.
Absolutely, and I said it on the Sunday Footy Show yesterday, that's that's the first time I've seen them players dominant and as as positive and with so much confidence without Tommy Turbo at fullback. That that was a really good performance. And LeHo Holpawadi, he really stood up. He's a wonderful player. I thought the young winger fa Lala, he just everything that they threw it him, he handled and then he threw a bit back and scored some tries like he was.
He was outstanding. Some of the acrobatic sort of skills. He was about to go into touch and he throws the ball in the air and gets back in the field to play like that sort of stuff is a real highlight. But he did all the simple stuff as well. So yeah, Manly were certainly on broncos weren't at their best, but that was Yeah, like you said, that's a real confidence booster for them because they know their staff fallback as well.
We touched on this one Billy.
In talking about Tino's performance on Saturday afternoon. But Storm given a real fright against the Gold Coast Titans, and there was a real turning point in this game. Sam Verels dived over the line the bunker in controversial circumstances said no try, Melbourne go down the other end and score. It was a twelve point turnaround. So now they fought hard, the Titans, but Melbourne just getting the job done in those horrendous conditions.
Try or no try, you're the expert, but I'm going
¶ Storm Titans
to try.
What's your what's your opinion?
Now I'm going to try. I thought it was a try.
I thought it was a try to hm hm. So I thought they're a bit unlucky there with that one. Yeah, I thought there was There's plenty of Melbourne players in the rock and I actually don't think that Tino obstructed anyone. He just played the ball and stood there. So yeah, I thought it was a try. But you know, sometimes they go four years, sometimes they go against you, and you know it wasn't It wasn't a great game given the conditions, but Melbourne just did enough to get over
the line. I thought grand Anderson was great. He's he's having a really good season. It doesn't matter where he plays on the wing, in the centers, he's played fullback,
five eight. He's having a really good season. And the one thing that Melbourne are doing at the moment is they're getting reps into some of their development players, the grand Anderson's, the Sewer far Alongos, and then when they get the will Warbricks and some of their more established first graders back, they've got this depth and this competition
for spots. And also at the back end of the year, you know that now there's going to be injuries here and there, and a guy like gran Anderson can play multiple positions and you know he's going to do a great job for you.
Yeah, he was absolutely terrific. He's uh, he's sneaky quick too, isn't he. He maintains that speed. He was in the open a couple of times, and a couple of the speedy Titans outside backs couldn't get him.
Yeah, he's he's deceptive in everything really, like his his speed, his agility, and his skill. His football i Q is really high and that's why he can play those key positions like fullback and five eight and even in the centers and on the wing. You've got to be really you got to You've gotta be really football savvy. You've got to understand the game and your split second decisions
to make defensive decisions are key. So yeah, he's he's decept in a lot of areas, which makes him really dangerous and puts him in good positions to take intocepts and run the length and that sort of stuff. So he's a wonderful player. I think he's leaving the Melbourne Storm at the end of the year, so you know he'll be a loss, but they're certainly getting they're certainly getting their value out of him at the moment.
Well as talk he's heading to the Broncos, but nothing official has been announce yet in regard to Green Anderson Cowboys win. But what looked like it was going to
¶ Cowboys Tigers
be a comfortable victory shows a bit of where the Tigers are at, doesn't it. That they just kept they kept turning up on Saturday night and competing.
Yeah, six tries to one in the first sixty minutes of the game. The Cowboys just went wooshker out of the blocks and played some great football. Obviously, Tom Didon was front and center in pretty much everything that they did. Scott drinkwater and did and really took the leadership role with the football, and that just took the pressure off Perdue in the number six jersey, who comes up with some really good moments. We can see the class and the future that Jackson Pershuy is going to have in
the NRL. But I thought those two guys really stood up as leaders of the footy team, especially with the football. And then after the sixtieth minute the Tigers scored four tries in thirteen minutes. But this is the game at the moment you switch off for an instant and it's game back on. And it was game on. It was game on for the last five minutes and Happy Corrosow Actually he put a ball down off a line break I think it was, was it Mason?
Yeah, Mason, yeah, young half and yeah, so.
Yeah it was. It was a wonderful game to watch, but I do think the Cowboys were the better team. Tigers also had to do it without a couple of couple of players at certain times, two Sinnbins, so it was a courageous effort for them to fight back. But Cowboys deserve.
The win, all right.
And the other team that won over the weekend and you talk about Billy those teams that are in the mix, like your Eels, Roosters, but the Dragons do you put them in the same category as those sides and they just keep ticking over some regular victory Shane Fan against Men, Yeah.
Yeah, no, I do. They're getting great value out of
¶ Dragons Knights
their experienced signings. I think Cook and Gutherson are doing a wonderful job. You know what you're going to get from those two, especially Clint Gutherson. He is always in the game and he's responsible for a lot of the good stuff that happens. Cook made over fifty tackles. He's well into his thirties and still doing that. That just shows you the commitment he has to the footy team. And then some of the younger guys Pacific Pacific Tonga.
He's a young front roller who's making some noise. He's good to try and young King Tonga the half. He's doing a great job. So they're developing these young guys at the same time as the experience and guys giving value to the footy team. So it's starting to come together. I think they're probably a little bit of a step behind some of the other teams, by they're competing and that's the most important thing.
All right.
So they've got a big game coming up this Friday when we start talking about Round fourteen a little bit later on when they head to Brisbane to take on the Dolphins at sun Corpse Stadium in Friday night football. This is the Billy Slater Podcast, thanks to Tab the Billy Slater Podcast. Time now for Billy m metal our best player and team of the week.
We do it thanks the Tab or Billy.
Now, you could probably bracket these into your Sunday winners as some of the best, because how do you split them? Which was the most impressive team this week in your Billy MS?
Yeah?
¶ Billy M Awards
Yeah, Well I've got a clear team winner and I've got a three way tie for the player winner. Okay, I'll start with a team winner and hands down for me, it's the canber Raiders. The canber Raiders. Like I said off the top, they're the only team that's won ten games this season. They're just flying under the raidar. They're the only team in the competition that haven't had to buy and the Roosters are flying at the moment. The Roosters are a really good football team and they had
to come from behind. They had to do it the tough way, and that's their style. I think the canber Raiders are certainly the team of the.
Week, Okay, and your triple dead Heats or player of the week in the BILLYMS.
Three half back Salty and I've mentioned them before, Cleary did and Cherry Evans. I just thought they really stood up in the key moments, really went after the game,
and they're the three players of the week. There was a ten minute period at the end of the game when the Panthers were under pressure, leading by two points and Paramatta were really coming at them, and Cleary he kicks a forty twenty and then pretty much has the most influential hand in a play that to scores in the corner just to give them that eight point buffet. It was, Yeah, it was a real key performance at a crucial time and didn't and Cherry Evans did similar
things in their performances. So you know, those three halfbacks really stood up and off the back of playing origin. You know, only five days before I couldn't split them.
Just on that forty twenty.
I'm glad you brought it up and they were all great, that the three halves that you mentioned there.
But he didn't do too much wrong fall back.
You've been in that position before where a half is going for a forty twenty. But the way Cleary kicked that, the banana kick, and the shape that he had on.
The ball, mate, you would have been flat out getting to it. I would have got this I think I'm talking about now. I'm sorry about now. I'm not seen years ago, and.
I wouldn't got there now. Motibile. Positionally, he was pretty good. Reaction wasn't too bad. The one thing, the one thing that you get when you have experience is you think like them. And if he was thinking like Nathan Clearing, thinking games on the line, ten minutes to go, my team's under pressure, I'm going after it. And if he was thinking like that, he might have just been thinking where's Nathan a little bit more. That's the only thing
and that comes with experience. He's doing He's doing a lot, right Isaiah Youngie. He's a wonderful player and he's I think he's going to be a representative player in the future. But that's what you get with experience, and that's what you get going through these little experiences. Is like in that moment, he'll look at that game and he'll go, oh,
there's Nathan there, Okay. And it was interesting after the game, we spoke on the panel to Nathan Cleary and I asked him, I said, at what stage did you think forty twenty? And his answer was really interesting. He said, I was thinking that the whole game. So he's looking for those opportunities the whole game, and it just so happened to be in the moment that they needed it the most. It was there and he took it. So the kick was perfect. The kick was amazing. But you can always stop it.
Yeah, all right, Well there's a lesson for young Isaiah Eyongi.
But what a kick from Cleary.
That was the Billy m Metal Thanks to Tad the nrlc's and is here for the best time in sport tab has the best app in sport tab.
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All right, so I look down to the laptop. A couple of listener questions that has come through. This one from Jack he says, Hi Billy.
Interesting question here from.
Jack, he says, high Billy, Beyond the physical battles, how much of state of Origin is a mental game? And what strategies do you employ as a coach to prepare your players for that unique psychological challenge?
¶ Listener Questions
Yeah, I think it's it's hugely important, and not just state of origin, like the game in general, and we see teams, We see teams putting poor performances and then bounce back and and that just shows you that it's not all physical. It's a majority mental. And that's that's something the players you know, certainly work on, is actually focusing on mental aspect and and seeing their game and
what sort of attitude they're going to take into their game. So, yeah, it's actually a really really interesting point that you know, how much is it physical? Because it is physical, it's a physical game, But how much is is the mental side of things driving the physical as well and driving what actions you put out there, so yeah, certainly a balance.
All right, good question Jack.
This one also in an origin theme from McKenzie Austin who says, Hi, Billy, after the game on Wednesday night, what was the first thing you said to the team?
How do you address the players?
Probably probably what I've been saying, you know, throughout the media, just you know, the discipline side of things, you know, the disappointment of of of some of the penalties that we gave away. So yeah, look, you can't say too much after the game. At the end of the day, the game's done, but you can only give what you feel. And that was probably the first thing that I felt. There's no need to be over the top either. You know, you've got a bit of time to do your review
and let things settle down. So yeah, it's probably just important just to talk about how you feel at the time, and that was the first thing that I said.
All right, good question again there from McKenzie. Now, if you want to send through a question, the email address is Billy Slater podcast.
At nine dot com. Do AU.
That's all one word. Billy Slater Podcast at nine dot com.
Do A You.
Round fourteen is upon us Thursday night, footy. Big game for the nights they host the Sea Eagles. Boy haven't there been some good classes between Newcastle and Manly over the years, particularly in the Hunter, those great clashes between Spud Carroll and Chief Harrigan.
But yeah, big game for boat clubs.
¶ Round 14 preview
Yeah absolutely. You know we talk about the Broncos being under pressure. I think the Knights you know, are probably in that category as well, and you know there they're starting to slip away their season, so they need to get back on track. Manly coming off a brilliant win, so their focus will be to back it up. So yeah, that'll be a beauty. And the Friday night game Dolphins and Dragons up at sun Corpse Stadium. Cowboys play the Storm as well on that Friday down in Melbourne, so
you know that'll be a really interesting one. And we've got a blockbuster on sundayas and the Panthers. There's plenty of Panthers playing for the Tigers at the moment and that'll be really interesting.
It will be lou I v.
Cleary and yeah, that will be something else. We'll be there on Sunday afternoon at Combank Stadium.
That will be a beauty. The other one too.
There's a Monday game this week, Bulldogs.
I'm going to throw one at you.
Question without notice as they say, Billy, what number jersey will lock on Galvin have on this week for the Bulldogs?
Good question? Good question. Well, you could either do one of two things. You could start him off the bench and let him filter into the footy team, or you can just cut the cord and you give him the number seven jersey. I think that that's the two options. What do I think they will do. I think they'll
give him the seven jersey. M that's yeah. I don't know what the right thing to do is because I think I really feel for Toby Sex and I think he's been he's been a wonderful player this season for the Bulldogs and they're sitting on top of the ladder and it's a big call to drop your half back while you're sitting on top of the ladder and performing well. So it is a big call. But you don't buy Lachland Galvin to keep your powder dry. So it's I'm not sure what's going to happen.
All right, Well we'll wait and see teamless Tuesday four o'clock when the team's announces when we'll we'll find out danger There isn't there that it could destabilize things at Canterbury.
I don't think so. I don't think so. I don't think it could disabilize adding someone like Lockland Galvin to your squad. Yeah, they've got too much going for them, the Bulldog and they've got too much team first actions for this to unset them. I think he's a wonderful addition. He's a great player and you know where he's going. Where he's footy. It's done. He going north. So I don't think it can. I don't think it'll derail them. But it's a big call. It's a big decision.
Absolutely, it is all right.
Well, there's so much territory we covered today on the Billy Slate podcast. Don't forget. A new episode is out each and every Monday. Billy, we will chat to you next week when you're in camp with the Queensland team preparing for Origin two up on the Sunny Coast. So we'll chat there and enjoy the week and we'll see it at the footy for Round fourteen.
Look forward to it.
SULTI thanks Billy.
That's Billy Slatter and Peter but Soldiers has been another edition of the Billy Slater podcast or thanks to tab have a great week.