IN THE STABLE with 'Daddy Devito'

You laughed at me. Wow. Welcome to the Muttly Crew Studios, and we're here for the third installment of our team previews of the Mutt. I am your host, Jake.

My name's Jake, and I'm here with Cody and Kyle. How are we doing this lovely afternoon, guys? Gentlemen. Lovely, lovely, lovely, lovely. Bubbly, jubbly. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Beautiful. That's beautiful. Sorry, what did you say your name was? My name's Jake, and I am not an adjective today, so I'm going with it. And we're here to talk. Such a random thing to say. And we are here. And we're ready. I'm not an adjective.

What pronoun is that? We're going to the stable and we're here to talk some Broncos. Get around it. That hit me. I'm not an adjective today. Just today? What about tomorrow? I could be. But we're here today. And you're beautiful, you're lovely, and I'm not an adjective.

But we're here to talk the Broncos we're in the stable and to start off their pre-season the Broncos are absolutely on fire they are the pre-season cup champions two years in a row they had some big wins they absolutely destroyed the Gold Coast Tigers up in Toowoomba and then over the weekend they beat the Bulldogs 30 to 14 with some big wins and performances so that's a good sign for the Broncos. Well, is it? Well, we'll wait and see.

For the Broncos, though, a few begins this season, and it all starts with their number seven. Number six. But the return of their number seven. But is he six? Well, I'm talking about Ben Hunt. I sort of screwed that up, but we're talking about Ben Hunt. He is back for the Roosters. Lucky you're not an adjective. They did sign Hayes Perrim also, but he just done his ACL or Achilles.

So he's gone for the season, but they also did bring back Germit Shibahusky off the off the junkyard floor, Germit but I've got here in capital letters I think it's the biggest inn and it's bigger than N Hunt, And it's the man, the myth, the New South Wales leading origin coach of last year. It is Michael Maguire. The match. Taking over the saddle and whip at Brisbane. And how's it going to go? Cody, this is your beloved team. Well, sometimes it is. I don't really know

sometimes. No, he says he goes. I support the Broncos. I'm not a Broncos supporter. Yeah, that's the one. I don't let it affect my life as much as you, Pear. Or James. It's a classic. I'm not a true believer. I'm not a true fucking supporter. Well, are you a true believer? I'm still a wanker. Yeah, I reckon I can fully get behind them this year because they don't have Corey Oates in the squad anymore. So I know that there's a couple of guaranteed losses.

Fuck, was that a bird? For those of you playing at home, a bird just flew straight into the fucking glass plane. He wants to have a chat. We'll get in here and scare the fuck out me because Cody scared me. And then Cody was like, holy shit. I'm like, he's going to stop. And then he just fucking went smack into the door. Holy shit. Oh, this is when we were shooting a video. Fucking hell. That's Jace, mate. Oh, that would have been gold.

So, yes, Cody, are we on? Are the Broncos back in finals? That's Cody. I know. He loves looking away. What does that matter? He's up moving. I don't need to talk to you. He's got blue eyes. One blue that way. One blue that way. You're like, so Cody, are we on and you're looking at me? Holy shit. No, I reckon, no, this year, no, we're back, baby, we're back. Yeah, no. Last year was a bit of a blip. Last year was a bit of a blip, mate, but we're fucking, we're good,

we're back. We're in a red hot. Well, you won the preseason last year, didn't make finals, you won the preseason this year. Oh, we got Magic Maguire. Peaking too soon, I reckon. We got Magic Maguire. And if we do the old 10-round look ahead, like you's fellas do, I feel like I've got more of a consistent sort of a start, you know, with the Roosters, into the Raiders. The Raiders could be a good one because there might be a little bit jet lag,

a little bit something-something after the Vegas. I was actually surprised. I was surprised they didn't do what they did last year where the other two teams, they swapped after Vegas. So the four teams that went to Vegas, the second round, they just versed one another. Yeah, so there's no. But I like how the Broncos went out of that. They've got to make that draw. The Broncos didn't make finals last year, so we've got to make it a little bit easier for them.

And then we go the Cowboys and the Dolphins. How many times have you traveled to New South Wales this year? And the Roosters. More than last year. It wouldn't be hard. They went twice. Not very. We play the Cowboys. So we stay in Queensland. And then we play the Dolphins. Stay in Queensland. Stay in Queensland. Stay in Queensland. We go to New Zealand. Queensland. And then Panthers. Round nine. So you first came in New South Wales. Round nine. But round nine is magic round,

is it not? It is. So Suncorp. And then Rabidos. So we don't leave until round 10. Your first two games are in New South Wales, though. Oh, yeah. Yeah. You were playing in early on round one. Yeah, and then you go to Canberra. Yeah, true. And then you just stay in Queensland. Yeah, but I wrote those games off. Easy. Easy wins. Yeah, good. Right where we want you. So bit up, bit down.

It'll be interesting to see. There's a few teams there that'll be trying to prove themselves. We'll get it on to the Madge thing. Your Madge. Magic. The Madge magic. Do you think the playing group will buy into it? Like into his plans, his philosophies? Will they actually get in behind him? His hard work, his mongrel. Yeah, his work. The standard of work. Standard of his space. Make sure you wear shirts during training. Yes, the littles and the do's. I reckon that was the...

The diddles and the who's? I reckon that was one of the biggest things in the off-season was the old having to wear shirts during training in the 40-degree heat of Brisbane. But anyway, I reckon they do. Early observations. Say that they are. It looks good so far. Everyone looks like they're buying in. Everyone's saying the right things. Everyone's talking the right things. They did look good during the trials. Just trials though. Not according to some Knights fans. No, I know. Just trials.

Everything's looking pretty good. It's if it doesn't work. That's the issue. Yeah. Everything's, when someone new comes in, everyone's happy to go along with it.

You know, you've seen it work for New Zealand with the bloody World Cup. You've seen it work with New South Wales, but they're little sample sizes. The last time we coached the NRL team was the Tigers, was it not? And we know how that turned out. So it'll be interesting to see. I reckon the boys are good. I reckon they're getting behind him. But if it starts not working, if they come out and they go 0-2, 0-3, 0-4, that's when do they still believe, do they still think that it works?

Because they'll go, you know, we got absolutely smashed. We get flogged all the time and we're losing.

Is it worth it why are we still doing this so hopefully it'll see if they can like stick with it trust the process, and you know if they keep if there's a couple of losses just keep because then eventually you'll catch the groove and then it's not it's not the early season that the fitness and all that sort of stuff gets you places, it's the back end when the season starts dragging on and you push into those finals, and you're fitter than everyone else and you're ripping in a tear and that's

that's when it'll make the difference, See, I think you're saying too with that first 10 rounds or whatever, you've got a fairly easier draw in terms of your matchups. I feel like if things go wrong, that's just going to amplify it that much more. Yeah, absolutely. It'll be... But then if you guys do click and go well, then everyone just goes, yeah, but look at who you've versed. Yeah, but look at the draw. That's why it needs to be in the manner of which we do it. Yeah.

If you come out there and there's a team we should beat, don't be doing it 28-24 because we scored a couple of late tries. You want to be putting 20, 30, 40 on them. I think the big thing this year is the defense. Because the Broncos can score points. They've got point scorers all over the field. If we can start keeping that more of a Penrith defense and keeping teams to have an average of 8, 9, 10, 11, we're going a long way because we know we can score points.

It's when we're letting in bloody 20, 30 points every four weeks because they just have an off game or they get slack. I think that was your biggest drop last season.

Your defense just went by the wayside. It was like the grand final just wrecked them and they just thought they were all that. Thought they were all that. Well, now let's hit some hard-hitting questions about how you see the Broncos. I thought you didn't like talking about them. How you see the Broncos lining up, playing, their little strategies around their positions. Firstly off, let's start with the big dog, the big Patrick Carrigan, your man, one of your favorites.

Looks like he's locking in number 10 this season. Is that correct? Excuse me? Yeah. You just absolutely pulled the rug out of fucking Kyle's fucking feet there. I thought I'm the host. Just roll with it, baby. I thought I'm allowed to do that. Just roll with it. I definitely felt like I... I even scrolled down to your question and everything. Oh, damn. I feel like I just did it from your toes, feet, like pulled it out. No, well, I scrolled down and you're like, Paddy Carrigan. I was like,

oh, shit, scroll back up. Scroll back up. It was number two on my run sheet, so I went for it. So, yes, your man, Patrick Carrigan, or how you say it. Nah, I'm a big fan. Big fan of that move. Because he's not much of a ball player. He's not an expansive player. He's got that in him if we need it, but we don't. We don't need it. He's got a lot of players around him that can score points, that can do that.

So it's perfect for what I think Paddy Carrigan does. And he just pushes through the middle. He plays lock how you would a front row anyway. He's not an Isaiah Yeo. He's not a Cam Murray, anything like that. He's just big bashing up. He's got a little bit of that in him, But I reckon with all the players around him, he doesn't need to be. And putting him up there, what a forward rotation that is. That is a massive forward rotation. What minutes do you want to see him punch?

Oh, massive. Massive? No, I think it improves the rotation. It makes us bigger. Definitely makes us bigger. It'll be like one of the biggest packs in the competition. Sorry, I've got to get close to the mic. It'll make us one of the biggest packs in the competition, especially with Paddy Carrigan and Payne Haas up front, massive motors. So then you've got the likes of Willison, who probably doesn't have his NRL legs under him yet, and Takora, who missed a lot of, like basically the whole

of last season. I think he only played one game. But he's been training the house down. If you can have those two big boppers coming off the bench. Scary. Just doing like 25-minute plays. Yeah, because you know the big boys, they're going to play, they can only play 30 minutes straight up through the guts. You bring those two big boys on at the back end of a half, just absolutely running amok.

Like, could you imagine, like, busting your ass, trying to make a tackle, and then a 200-centimetre, bloody 120-kilo fella just comes charging at you? At the back end of the first half. Holy. And then they get 10 minutes at halftime, and they recharge it. Come out and just say to them, like, don't even, I don't want you to preserve. I don't want you, nothing. You just go on there, and you just fucking cut sick. Because you know Paddy Kerrigan and Payne Haas are going to finish the game.

They can go longer, shorter, depending. And it takes all the pressure off those young boys to feel like they need to. Yeah. Push longer minutes and become fatigued, and then the defensive line starts opening up. Yeah. And then with that, then you get Kobe Hetherington and then gets to come in at lock and be that footwork, that leg speed through the middle that, you know, it's a different play style to what Paddy Carrigan has.

They're not going to play all three, though, I don't think. They're not going to have... Do you think they're going to have Dakura and Williamson both on the bench? I would. Who misses out, then? Who misses out? No one. Fletcher Baker. Fletcher Baker. Tapa'u. So you reckon those two big dogs, Corey Jensen, obviously, he was probably your best. Well, Corey Jensen would drop out as well. Corey Jensen. Corey Jensen, maybe.

Or he can, like, we just run just fucking huge boys. Or he's got four forward bench. Nah, you'd probably run another hooker, maybe, depending. Well, that's good. We'll read into my next question. Nah, don't fucking get into the next question yet, because I'm still talking about the forward pack. Get off the bench.

Yeah, Goodly. Yeah. No, but it gets that little bit of mobility, gets that bit of leg speed, and it's proven around the comp with the likes of Connor Watson and the likes of Hopgood and the likes of Murray. You know, that smaller lock that gets to play the ball, that just gets in there, makes his tackles, makes his runs. He's got footwork around the ruck, can just get us a nice quick play the ball, which they all care, but it's proven around the comp that you don't need the biggest lock,

and we don't need the ball player, especially adding Hunt, and you've got Reynolds. Come on. Our forward pack this year, I reckon, has the capabilities of just steamrolling teams this year. If everything goes well and they stick to that rotation, like take a magic, like Faze and Paddy Carrigan and Payne-Ass, who just keep going and going and going. Both love to take two runs a set. You take them off and you bring on two more 110 kilo props.

No, thank you. Holy. Holy. Just knock down the front door. Well, let's get to the sticky situation up in Brisbane. And that's the hooker situation in my opinion. The sticky situation, you reckon. Pun intended, I think. Yeah. What is the go with the hookers? I thought Billy Walter was going to be starting, and now it sounds like Corey Pakes is your number one man. Well, it was. And then there's Blake Moser around. Yeah, but Moser's- What's

the plank? It was always, well, all three names are getting thrown around from what I'd seen. I need to know, because I'm thinking one of them, a little super casual. A little smoky-smoker hooker action. A little smoky-smoker. So, give me the insight. The hooker. Who's your hooker? Yeah, I know, but you were trying to say something. You were trying to say something, mate. Why did you? And then you just fucking stopped. Well, you just kept chapping, so. Yeah, chapping.

Chapping. Chat yapping. Yeah. Holy. I'm not an adjective. Well, I want to. That was last podcast. I want to try and mix all of it in there, right? Because obviously Hunt is also an option. Because they're thinking about when Mam comes back, pushing Hunt up. See now, so my thing is, if you're going to play... If you want Hunt to play hooker eventually, play him at hooker. Ooh, that's what you would do? Is that what you're telling us?

Well, I'm saying something like that and then bring in like a Kobe Black who's been touted as this next thing. He's up and coming through the systems who we haven't given a shot to yet and give him a crack at first grade experience. Like if he's playing with the experienced hooker like Hunt, Reynolds, he can just play footy and not be expected to do too much.

He can sort of naturally grow into the role because I feel like if you're going to have Hunt play six, And then because I was like, because I was thinking that, but then you got all these great hookers that have actually stepped up. Like, because Moyzer apparently become the front runner and McGuire loved him, but now he's sort of copped a bit of an injury. So now, you know, the likes of Pakes and Billy Wilders come back into the thing.

But there's a lot of hookers there to just all miss out to play Hunt there. But I'm like, if he's going to play the back end, you want Hunt there to learn the forwards, learn how they want the ball, learn where they want to get the ball, how they run it to keep that up. because you don't want to try and change it. Because then if he's playing minute six, this is where I throw a little bit of a curveball in.

If he's playing minute six and seven and we've got, you know, the Moiser or whatever playing hooker, killing it, you don't want to mess that flow. Because what, man's going to come back round nine. Round nine or ten, yeah. Round nine or ten. If we're, you know, seven and one, eight and up, you know, something like that, looking really good.

Would you just bring man back into it I wouldn't, I'd nearly have him like as a sneaky 14 option and bring him onto the bench and he can just come in and be a game changer because you don't need a second hooking option because you've got Hunt on the field, so if you know Moiser hurts himself, he goes in, man comes on. You know what I mean? If one of the halves go down, Mam comes on.

You know, if Hetherington needs to have a break or something, he can come on and just run through the middle, play a bit of lock. You know, on the games that we, you know, we sort of run away with because that's what we want to do this year, blow teams off the park. You take, you rest a Reynolds who's injury prone. You know, you get a good lead. He comes off with 20 to go. Ezra Mam goes on. Like, I feel like the options there become endless.

And then you leave Hunt in the halves. because I just reckon that could, unless they're going a little bit ordinary and moving him into the hooker. So there's a couple of options that they can go with, but I'm like either pick one or the other because it could be, but yeah, man off the bench could be exciting. Well, that wasn't actually an option that I'd thought of for the Bronx. Man off the bench. That's exactly what I think they have to do.

If they're rushing man back in when he gets back. I just assumed it was going to be man to six, hunt to nine. That's what I thought for a while And then I was thinking about it today and I was like, you know what? Bit of a bit of X factor. And I never really thought of that option of putting Mamet on the bench. Cause I didn't think they would do that. And just as a little thing, you know what I mean?

Like with the hunt coming back, there's probably a lot of fans that have still got a bit of PTSD about the last time he made a grand final, but it's a 10 year anniversary. This year? 10 year anniversary. So hopefully there's a bit of an omen in that. And from 2015 to 2025, he can go out on a winning note. It would be nice because I can guarantee, I want to be at every game because I guarantee the first ball he drops, he's going to cop it.

He will be sprayed up with sticky spray everywhere. Be like when Tommy Jabroevich is trying to play the ball and it just sticks to his hand. Well, now you have to actually play it with your foot. He can just claw it off with his boots now and he'll be fine. But I do love Hunt coming back, giving us that experience. Another option if, like, because, you know, when Reynolds goes down, that's a lot of experience. Reynolds goes down, Hunt's there. You've still got all that experience.

I just, yeah. If man was there to start the season, Hunt to hook it for sure. Having that control around the ruck in his kicking game would just be unreal. Like you see what he does for Queensland and Australia, like great option there. And then you have one of the young fellas, you know, come off the bench and do a Harry Grant style. No, you know, not anyone else that's Harry Grant, but if you can just come on and just cut sick for a bit. Yeah.

Someone with a bit of a running game, a bit of Willison, a bit of Takura.

Cheering, brother. Cheering. The way it's all set up for the Broncos this year, I'm really hoping you guys fold again, eh? Yeah, probably. They can't though, surely, right? Oh, man. I'll tell you what if they do. It was picked up from last year, and then they just folded. It can't happen again. If they do, fucking James is going to fucking cop it. Not just James. If they struggle with Michael Maguire, the presses are going to be hectic in Brisbane.

It's going to be. And because I don't know what they, what do they do next? Yeah, because it's straight away. Gordy's going to come out and blow up. Yeah, like, of course, they don't need to win the whole comp, but they need to be back into finals. Like, this team should not be missing finals. And this sort of goes back to what I was saying when, like, with Kyle, with saying about the, if they're going to buy into what Madge is about.

You know, everyone always says, you know, that they're fucking stuck up and the Broncos, and, you know, they get fed with the bloody silver spoon and all this sort of stuff. It's true in a way, but I reckon it's just because they get away with it, they can't, like, they do it because they can. So, you know, they've got the big heads after the, you know, the grand final, the loss. They come into the next year, they're probably around peacocking.

And as much as Walters, you know, might have been a bit of a disciplinarian, I don't reckon he... I reckon Walters bought into it too. That's what I mean. Like, I don't reckon he would have cracked the whip. I reckon he would have got away with it more because, you know, he probably wants to be liked by the boys because he's one of the oldies, he's one of the whatever, whereas Madge don't care.

He's coming in, he's driven it, and now that they have to, I reckon they will, because it looks, you know, from the outside at the moment, like I said, well, everything's going well. It looks like they're all doing exactly what they need to do and the effort's there and they're going to be looking fit, looking ready, looking primed.

I reckon, nah, they're in for it. Well, that's the thing, like, if you, they're putting all this hard work in, effort, Madge is probably working them to the until they're dead, basically. And then if they're going to drop a couple of games early in the season, they're going to, it's just that bit of a, oh, we're doing more work than we did last year and we're getting the same results. I reckon they'll come together. You always got, yeah, you're definitely a contending team, in my opinion.

We all had them top four, I think, so. Yeah, I got them finished in second. Yeah, I got them very close. Yeah. But I also had them win the Premiership. Exactly. I had them win the Premiers last year. Yeah. And basically the only thing that's changed for him is the coach. They've really made no... Benny Hunt. Benny Hunt is a big in. I still think that's sus. I think you shouldn't have got him for that price.

I want to order the order. Yeah. But another thing that I love about the team that we've done, Cobbo back to the wing. That's just where I think he plays his best footy. Well, he's got to fill that in that oats hole. You can't fill that hole, brother. You cannot fill that hole. Old country boy. Holy. Nah, but that's where he played his best footy. And they've put him back there. I don't think, you know, he might be a center one day, but at the moment,

just keep playing footy. Keep playing footy, get consistent. And then if the transition comes, the transition happens. But I'm keen to see Mariner get his hands on the ball more. I really hope he makes the round one team. I really do. There's, you know, whispers that he might go with like in Shabaski or whatever the fact. I just don't know.

Defensively, I can understand it a little bit, but no. I don't know what could happen too because apparently Tony Stavs on the weekend came off with a little bit of an alchi, but I think that was just a little bit precautionary because he has had issues with his calves and hamstrings in the past. If Sebastien is as good or doing as well in the preseason as what Madge is leading on, that's a good thing for you, though. You've got some depth then.

Oh, yeah, absolutely. If he gets the nod ahead of Mariner, then… You've also got the likes of Delewis Hoyter and the other fella's name who I can't quite think of at the moment. Played a couple of games last year, come in and played centre. Yeah. I can't think of it. Yeah. Probably should have looked it up. Probably. Nah. Oh, well. Nah, we're just out here unbiased. Just throwing out a bit of bounce, mate. Basically, yeah. Just loving it. I'd love some depth, to be honest.

In multiple sets of my life. Depth would really go a long way. Well, that's it. Well, fact. In. In summary, I think the Broncos will be much better this year, which I don't like, but it makes it more enjoyable because, unfortunately, they are on TV nearly every Friday night. Also, we've got the Dallium player of the year in... Who's locking up? Fuck. I had it in my head then and went so blank as soon as I said Dallium. Where you going? That is great chat. Jesse Arthurs. All right.

He's on. He's having a big season. Is he even your starting lineup? Yeah, he's a good other man. Of course he is. He's mom for the all-star game. He come in and he's played good. He played real good on the weekend. I liked it. I liked it a lot. And I think he's just going to go leaps and bounds. I reckon he's going to fucking have a year. I feel like this is shaping up as the worst year in a long time for me because I reckon the Roosters are going

to be shit and the Broncos are going to be good. I fucking hate that. Love it, eh? As long as the Rabbitohs are a little bit shit, that would be great. That's what I can cling to for this season. That's what I can cling to. Jesus Christ. Because Melbourne are never shit, so I can't jump on that. They're gone. Fuck the Broncos. No, I reckon it should be good. I'm keen to see it. No, I'm really, I'm excited for you, mate. Holy moly. I can't wait to hear what

James has to say. Don't want to. I'm not talking to him. Got to see him tonight. Fucking netball. All right, cut the chat. I think I'm in. I think I've locked it in finally. Locked in what? My classic Supergirl stream. Cut the stream. Cut the stream. Get a dog up here. Fuck the Broncos.