The unstoppable Penrith Panthers

Here at Two Good Sports, we would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we record this podcast.

There were innerie people. This land was never seated, always was always will be.

Hello and welcome to Two Good Sports. It's sports news told differently. I'm Abby Jelmy and Laura Sperway is joining us again this week and I must admit you are the sportiest of all sports this week because I turned on my TV on the Saturday night and saw you doing Boundary for the AFLW and thought that's strange. She's got to be in Sydney tomorrow for the NRL Grand Finals, so you've had a very sporty weekend.

I love it.

I love it apart from sitting on the side of an oval in the rain, the glamorous side of it all, but it was still a good game, you know, to be a part of it. I love doing the AFLW and the NRL Grand Final. It's a different spectacle. It is a different beast. And I use the term beast because you had to go out and find super fans. Oh look, and they were in the pubs of Western Sydney with a vengeance and I was able to chat to a few of them.

Look, they're very passionate and it's good to get.

A lot of purple wigs involved there are it's good to get them before the game. That's when you strike, because after the game it can be a very different story. It can be very messy and guards are needed. But it was an incredible Grand Final and we're going to break that down in our deep dive with Penrith, going back to back to back to back, something that we may never see in the modern era because they just

But we're going to.

Start off with our good sport and bad sport and my good sport, Laura like, there's some things in sport that just hit you in the solar plexus and you go, how special is this? And to watch Jerome Hughes, just after he was announced as a Dalian winner, be serenaded by the Harka, which was led by Will Warbrick, It's one of those things in sport that just can't be replicated. It's so special.

We'll have a listen now, and that concludes our coverage of the twenty twenty four Dallian Medal.

I wan unreal, so good, unreal, and of course we know about the Harts. It's spontaneous and it's led by the Maori players in the room, and they're all from different teams, they all come together. But my favorite quote quote was from Justin Rodski, who's the CEO of Melbourne Storm. He said, I absolutely shit myself because this call came from nowhere and no one was expecting it. You can hear the presenter they're just wrapping up the night being like, look,

Dance in front of him. It's just so special. It's absolute chills.

Yeah, I've been in a room where they've done this, where we were siting.

Yep.

So I hosted a Storm function and will Warwbrick did the same thing, and poor Justin Rodsky was at the front table again.

So Justin Rodsky got another.

Shock because someone roaring next to you when you're not expecting it.

I feel like, is the place on fire? What's happening? Yeah, And it's just the intensity, the look in their eyes. It is p electric.

Yeah, it's electric, and it just gives you these goose bumps. And it's hard to get that feeling on a TV broadcast, I think, but it's.

It's how I audio. So thank you for playing along.

With Well it's powerful enough that I think you still get a sense and I love that they do that, and I think everyone gets wrapped up in those moments, so they're really special to be.

A part of. Absolutely, And what's yours? What's your good sport for the week.

I'm going to indulge you in Georgie because I'd like to say you are both my good sports for your Australian Podcast Award nominations, so well deserved to.

Both of you.

I know this is your passion project. Yeah, I know you don't do it to get the accolades. I don't even know if you knew that you could get nominated for your podcast, but you have, and I just want to say huge congrats.

To both of you. It's great to listen to.

It's nice to be able to sit here for a little while and have some fun myself.

But well done to you both. You do so much.

It's really kind and yeah, it's certainly not something that you set out to achieve. And Georgie and I thought this, this whole concept up of two good sports. It's the better part of a decade ago when we were both sports interns going there's no sort of listened to sport the way that we talk about sport, and it took us a decade and finding iHeart to get it off the ground. Yeah, but to be nominated, I think we're the best new podcast, best sports podcast, and also best hosts. Lol.

Will take that, the best, will take that. Whoever's the judges.

Your check is in the mail, I promised, but no, it's Yeah, it's just a joy. And as you well know, you get into sport because you want to talk about the moments.

That move you alat the hakka.

So it is really really nice to be acknowledged in any way or more the point that people are listening and enjoying it, so thank you so.

Much, but you actually had a bads.

I'm going to I'm gonna circle back to the sport because you had a bad sport from last night because I heard it in the broadcast and thought surely not. And it's back to Jerome Hughes and he was booed after losing in the Grand Final. So this week, or I should say now last week, he's the competition's best player.

He won the Dali m Medal. He's been rick stocked.

Six points because he was suspended, which is a whole different system from the AFL.

But he must have won by a landslide yep.

So he's been recognized as the NRL's best player.

Everybody knows this.

Leading up to the Grand Final, he's in the Melbourne Storm side that are minor premieer is for the year yep. And doing those post match interviews when you've just lost a Grand Final is crap. Oh I'm being asked to do them as a journal is crap. It's the shortest straw that you can ever pull. When they're like can you go get the losing captain, You're like, oh did you say winning?

Sorry, my headphone's breaking up. Did you say winning? But the booing?

I just thought it was unnecessary. So he's doing this interview on the field. Obviously it's still very fresh. It's on the broadcast, but it gets put on the big screen in the stadium so all the fans can see him being asked about being disappointed and losing.

And then you just hear this booing and I thought, is that what it is? Yes? Is that what they're doing? Is that what they're doing?

And I feel like in my mind that's what I heard. And I just thought, you know what, you don't need to rub it in. No, the result's not going to change. And this guy who is the stand up player of the competition, I mean, no one really deserves it, but this is the guy dislikes him.

Yeah, anyway, I thought booing.

I just think of all the good things that you can learn from sport, I think booing can get in the bin.

I just don't think it's necessary.

But my goodness, me did Panthers fans have a lot not to boo about last night because it was an unbelievable formance and we're going to break it all down next.

Well.

The Penrith Panthers, all the pink Panthers as we shall call them, with their beautiful guernsey last night in the NURL decider for twenty twenty four, have put themselves in rare air by winning four consecutive premierships. You actually have to think, Laura when you say back to back to back to back, to count them on your fingers for

Would you go being coached by your dad?

Look, if he was that good as Ivan Cleary appears to be, and I was that.

Good you went with Ivan Cleary? Well, what I was.

Saying is they're both obviously very good at what they do. Yes, And that makes it easier to put up with, don't you think if you're like, well, I accept that you know you're good at your job, and hey, I'm pretty good at my job.

So let's just meet in the middle. Show we It's pretty remarkable.

But what is remarkable is that the Storm had such a prolific season and such a strong finals campaign that they actually went into the game favorites. Yeah, and I think, I mean, I think that's warranted. They'd beaten the Panthers twice in the home and away season. The last one was a very narrow wind, but they had beaten them twice, and both sides had some sort of slight injury concerns

Yes, And I think that does make a difference. Did you notice that with the fans and the ratio heading in.

I was surprised by the amount of Melbourne Storm fans I saw. I thought it would be more skewed, but you know, I was told it was a pretty even split. I think there was probably slightly more Penrith fans, but there were more Storm fans than I thought there would be. But I also think that, you know, you can look at it from either way. There are either people in Sydney that are anti Melbourne so they just go, we're supporting the Sydney team, yes, or there are people that

We don't like it well.

Bizarrely, I think the reason why there are so many Storm fans is because Storm have done so well, yeah,

And it hasn't. It hasn't since.

But the big question after the discussion we had there is the attendance. Now, it would be remissive me as someone who on this podcast, Let's be honest, is not usually the NRL expert not to bring in a bit of AFL flavor. So Dan Gorange just had a bit to say yesterday afternoon where I went, surely, not, Laura, this can't be true.

Let's take a listen.

I'm really just struggling to wrap my head around and how the NRL Grand Final is tonight and it's not sold out. How am I supposed to get behind it when your own fans can't even get behind it. Look at all the seats. If this was the afl'd be sold out in ten minutes. We would sell that bitch out. There are seats galore. Can't even give the tickets away in the NRL. Don't compare the codes anymore because you can't even sell out a Grand Final. And I'm trying to do my best to get behind it, but you

Firstly, I love what that man is doing for AFL media, but it's a.

Really valid point.

So yesterday afternoon you could buy yourself a ticket to the NRL Grand Final and as we know, with the AFL Grand Final at a stadium with an extra twenty thousand capacity, it sells out in ten minutes.

And they are like hen's teeth.

So what is you got Peter Blandy's who's the head of the NRL saying it's the most popular sport in the nation.

Can that be true? I don't think so. I don't know.

I just I mean, obviously the Grand finalists were only decided a week out. That's not new though, interstate side going into Sydney. I mean, we just had to interstate teams play the AFL Grand Final here in Melbourne sellout. But yeah, I think there's a couple of factors. I think the interstate side was one. You mentioned Penrith fatigue, Yeah, that would be there. That would be there. Like I said, we don't like people to do too long for too well. I think we too well for too long.

Yeah, exactly.

We spoke last week about the prestige of the MCG. I think that Homebush has the opposite. Yeah, I don't want to go out to a core stadium like it's just granted, it looked spectacular on the broadcast last night. It did, and that atmosphere looked amazing. But I also think what perhaps could be a bit of a hold up for the NRL is that the Origin is actually

But I mean, it was still a very good game.

Oh it was amazing, like the quality of the foot like it was amazing to watch. And again Penrith's defense, the Storm just kept crashing against this wall and there was nothing they could do about it. And that final score of six to fourteen actually doesn't give you an indication of just how good the Storm were. They were leading early in the game, but against anyone else that Penrith's side would have embarrassed them, which wasn't the case.

So here is our resident other good sport. George on Jorn.

Not bonjour, dear listeners, I've still got my accent game going strong. Jelmy, I hope you're laughing, But greetings from Milan, Jelmy and Laura. Firstly, Laura, you have done such a brilliant job in my absence. Thank you so much for filling in for me. But of course it would not be NRL Grand Final week without my two cents. And let me tell you, I have a bank worth of thoughts about the bunker.

Oh what a system, What a flawed system.

That's a bit of a spoiler. How on earth was that try given a no try? Melbourne barging over at a key time in the game early in the second half. If that try was awarded, it could have leveled, if not put the storm in front on the scoreboard. Now, the on ground referee said that the player Howarth was held up.

I definitely saw ball on grass.

But I have also seen a new released by the NRL because they had so much pressure and criticism, being like, what the hell how could you award that a no try? And that vision that new angle does actually appear to see how hold held up over the line. But you know what, that doesn't fit my narrative, so down with the bunker. The system needs an overhaul anyway. This is just further proof of that. Once again, things need to be fixed in the third official game in the NRL.

Well done Panthers, there go, I didn't choke on it.

Well done, well done, And anyway, see you next week, two good sports.

I'll be back. I've missed you. Wow, your favorite Italian correspondent.

And just for the few that don't know Mary Power's boyfriend Nathan Cleary.

That is the only way that George refers.

But you can see the enthusiasm hasn't been dampened by the kilometers of distance, and you just knew that she was going to find a screen. But it is a really interesting question that she poses there because we have the same again with the AFL with the ARC that there are apparently forty different cameras that they get access to and they make decisions, as was the argument last night based on footage that isn't showed to the public.

Well, they're watching it in real time, but maybe they just can't roll it out, or maybe they don't want to. Maybe they just go, we just need to make our decision. We don't care about letting all of you see it. We're just going to make the call.

We sit in our call and we're happy with it, and then is it you know, the uproar, and then they go, Okay.

Here it is. You can see it and you can see that we were right.

And I think most people have acknowledged that that was the case, but at the time it confused the commentators.

The commentators were saying Andrew John's was adamant.

And when you've got Animaltol saying that's a try all of a sudden, I'm.

Like, yeah, that is a try. I agree, Joey, I agree.

But something I found really interesting was that the head of the NRL referees was really on the front foot by getting access to that footage and showing it to all the senior journalists, so before they got to the press conferences, before they went that was certainly a try. They got to see this footage and go, oh, well, actually no, it wasn't. So it was really strategic from them and clever from them because they obviously just saw the fire or the storm, if you will, coming their way.

Isn't it.

Well, I think that was a turning point in the game because had that been a try, and it wasn't, so we know now that the result is what it is, But had it been a try, then that's a big momentum shift, and momentum shifts are so crucial in these big games. Full the side that has the momentum and that can be what wins you the game or in this case, the Grand Final.

But that's the way it went.

I mean, these two teams, these were always going to be the calls that separated things, I think on the night, because they're both so good that there has to be these other things that prop up in the game, these little spitfires, these little controversies that become these moments that shift things either way.

And that wasn't the only one.

Yeah, Well, everyone expected low scoring, as you mentioned, and everyone expected a close game, and you mentioned that it wasn't the only controversy.

Do we call that a bite?

Is that a bite if someone shoves their arm in your mouth camera monster?

I don't know. I don't know.

Also the fact that we're talking about biting again. Every time we talk about NRL on this podcast, biting seems to come up. What I mean, it's if you're in a position where you've got to you know, someone's telling you you've bitten them.

You think, well, why am I in this position?

I'm playing a sport that doesn't involve my mouth being anywhere on someone, so I don't claim defamation. Well, yeah, this is the most watched game of the year and you said you bit me. It gives pre school to me stamps foot Yeah, don't you think like I didn't bite you? And ideally if you could retract that, because there are people watching tonight that never watch NRL that just believe I bit you, sir, and that stays like it does it lingers people.

Remember bitis Yeah, So I think just like you remember that kid that bit.

Your kids right kindergarten, because I'm coming after I'm coming after you. But the NRL has since said there's nothing to answer here, and it hasn't been pushed by either side, so it has dissipated. And again with all the controversy and even with the bunker call, Craig Bellamin his infinite wisdom, came out immediately after the game and said, look, the best team just won. They choked us, They suffocated us. I believe on it. When we played our best, we

Of course, we.

Also have a salary cap, but we have a draft which scatters the cards. It shuffles the deck even more, whereas with the NRL, because that isn't their system. The salary cap in some way hinders those lower clubs from being able to attract and go, you know what, We're going to pay you this whopping contract, but come play for US West Tigers because I know it's been a rough time. It's hard to attract those players when they want to be part of a winning dynasty that just keeps going.

Well.

Penrith has seen the consequence of that with one of their players leaving for the West Tigers. Yeah Leui because he was offered a huge contract there which Penrith couldn't pay him because they are the side that they are.

They've got this salary cap and they just they don't have the money. Yeah.

So, and we also see that in the AFL, where there are destination clubs ala Geelong, where people notably accept less than what they can get off it to go to the Gold Coast because of the lifestyle and also wanting to be part of that culture. But he was also saying it is this team and that's what LUA was sort of alluding to last night because everybody knew it was his final game with the Penrith Panthers before he shifts clubs.

They've embraced it.

There's a changing in the guard, isn't there. Yeah, So I actually find it interesting how they've handled it. They've all embraced it. They've gone, let's send him off in the way that he deserves.

He's been a great player for this club.

There was no animosity there, there was no one which.

Is not what you see in all des No, it's not.

But what will happen is you know, it's been this team that's been able to stick together and win these four premierships in a row. The team agers, yes, personnel move on, so it will change because you can't have this group stay together forever. And it appears to be this group that has managed this success. But it will change and I think that'll probably start to be the case. Now you've got one player moving out, but others are aging, so there will be a change. But to see four

And she said, well done, Panthers, and I salute her.

I was about to say, I was expecting her to gag or swear an Italian, of which there was neither. But we do have a fun fact that links into all of this, and that's coming up.

Laura.

It's time for our fun fact or I'm going to go fun facts, because I've got two little ones here. And something that we love about Grand Final Week, amongst any code is you start to find out little tidbits about how clubs operate.

Don't you hear these great stories in the media. Yes, you do.

And I love what you're about to tell us because I think that this explains so much about the Melbourne Storm and why they have been able to be so successful for so long.

So I found an article about Craig Bellamy.

Of course, as we mentioned, the master Coach or belly Acres is called twenty two years at the Helm, and I think this used to be a secret, but now it's in printed in the Telegraph, so you know it's not going to be a secret anymore. But basically, when he was potentially going to sign a contract with a new player to come to the Storm.

We just take the player out to a cafe, and.

The player didn't realize that their mannerisms, how they treated the staff, whether they said please or thank you you was about to define whether or not they were even offered a contract. It didn't matter if you were the Jerome Hues of that general like if you were the best player at the time. It was about your attitude, your lack of ego, and how you treated people.

And I just went that is incredible. I love that.

And then on the flip side, when you were watching the Grand Final last night, I just kept thinking and I actually said to Kane, I was like, they the Storm looked really tired. The Storm looked a lot more exhausted than the Panthers. And now it comes out in the wash that there's a rule at the Panthers it doesn't matter how tired you are. You're not allowed to put your hands on your hips, and you're not allowed to arch over like you're tired. You're not allowed to

No, I mean no, no.

I'm trying to think what the equivalent to that would be in our profession. Maybe waiting at scans, which I do have to do, waiting for someone to come out limping with that scenario currently. Also at the Giants of GWS, they were given brown rice and white rice that was mixed and they had to separate it. So this, I reckon, this is something that's come from the nf NFL and trickled down like it's probably going to be in a

It makes sense the tide sign, so, doesn't it.

Because if you're looking at the other team and you're battling and they look like they're not tied, even if they are, and both sides would have been tied with the way the game started, both sides would have been tied. Very few stoppages, people coming on and off but if they're not hands on here, head down, stuck in the big ones and.

All of you are, You're looking at them, going, how are they They're not going to stop here? Yeah, it's a mental thing. It's that mental game where you're like, how much more have they got in the tank? I'm cooked? So I can see I can see the strategy behind that one. You know, I'm going to put this on you because I just thought about it.

Now, which of those two would you either want to separate a bowl of rice at the start of.

The season and be allowed to show that you're.

Tired, or would you go, you know what, stuff the rice and I'll learn how to not because when I'm tired, it's all.

Over my face.

I was going to say the same thing there is. I am terrible, Give me the rice, give me the rice. Fly a stairs.

I'm over. I'm over. So yeah, I don't see how. I mean, clearly there's a different base level of fitness here, but I don't see how I would be able to disguise that. And you know what, like where details people here we are? I could maybe hack the rice for a bit, you know what.

Maybe we can do it as some sort of two Good Sports bonding day and we'll see how we go, but that remains to be seen. But thank you so much once again, Laura for joining us. You have had a gargantuan a couple of days of sport and you have been, as Georgie said, absolutely sensational. We've loved having you and yeah, you're just a joy. So thank you so much for joining us.

It's been fun. Thank you, you're the best.

And now we're both about to drive to work and talk about more sports, so that works. Thanks for listening to Too Good Sports and iHeart production. You can follow us on Instagram at two Good Sports Podcasts. We'll catch you next week when our favorite Italian George returns, but until then, be a good sport