... easy adjustment to guys who haven't been playing there in club footy to go and do that at rep level?

Um, I wouldn't say it's an easy adjustment.

No, wing's, wing's quite a specific role, I mean, in terms of your defense.

Defensively playing center and wing's completely different.

I think, you know, as a center you're usually the one making the reads and off the wing you're sort of the one following your center in.

Um, to those wings they're just completely different sort of movements and feels.

But I think those two names you just touched on, obviously Tommy Trbojevic's played a lot of wing before, um, in his younger years at, at Origin and Kangaroo level before, so I think he'll adjust back to that position, um, pretty swiftly.

Yep.

... easy adjustment to guys who haven't been playing there in a club footy to go and do that at rep level?

Um, I wouldn't say it's an easy adjustment.

No, wing's, wing's quite a specific role.

I mean, in terms of your defense, it's basically playing center and wing's completely different.

I think, you know, as a center you're usually the one making the reads and of- off the wing you're sort of the one following your center in.

Um, to those wings there's just completely different sort of movements and feels, but I think those two names you just touched on, obviously Tommy Turbo's played a lot of wing before, um, in his younger years at, at origin and Kangaroo level before, so I think he'll adjust back to that position, um, pretty swiftly.

And then Jack Bostock's obviously played, you know, he's, he's probably more of a winger than center.

Yep.

... easy adjustment to guys who haven't been playing there in club footy to go and do that at rep level?

Um, I wouldn't say it's an easy adjustment.

No, wing's, wing's quite a specific role, I mean, in terms of your defense.

It's basically playing center and wing's completely different, I think.

You know, as a center, you're usually the one making the reads, and off the wing you're sort of the one following your center in.

Um, to those wings, it's just completely different sort of movements and feels.

But I think those two names you just touched on, obviously Tommy Turbo's played a lot of wing before, um, in his younger years at, at Origin and Kangaroo level before.

Yep.

... easy adjustment to guys who haven't been playing there in club footy to go and do that at rep level?

Um, I wouldn't say it's an easy adjustment.

No, wing's, wing's quite a specific role, I mean, in terms of your defense.

It's basically playing center and wing's completely different, I think.

You know, as a center, you're usually the one making the reads and off, off the wing you're sort of the one following your center in.

Um, to those wings, it's just completely different sort of movements and feels.

But I think those two names you just touched on, obviously Tommy Turbo's played a lot of wing before, um, in his younger years at, at Origin and Kangaroo level before, so I think he'll adjust back to that position, um, pretty swiftly.

Yep.

No.

And he's, he's their best player.

He, he steers the ship in the middle.

He's the glue to their team.

He's the link man in the middle of the field.

I just think they've got more big game experience.

They've got a-- you know, they've got a bit more strike, I think.

Yeah

Yeah.

He's been in absolutely fine form.

I think they've got all the class there.

I think they just need to make sure they've got the right person in that seven jersey steering them around.

Obviously, that's Bud Sullivan playing in the half-back position.

He's got, look, a lot of natural ability and talent.

Obviously, he hasn't had a lot of big game experience, so that'll be a big test for him.

No.

I think, as

opposed to Accords, it's a bit small.

I think Allianz is about...

What's it hold? I think it's...

Oh, it'd be 40,000 at least, I think.

40s, maybe? Yeah.

I dare say it'd get a good crowd, I think.

So I feel like, I know they're buckled, but you've still got Bradman Best, you've still got Caelan Pongy, you've still got, Phoenix Crossland's a good player.

Yep

... just around the, the grapevine of the Rugby League social media, that Spencer Leniu's gonna be joining us from the Roosters next year, and I'm gotta say I'd be pretty pumped and happy with that signing.

I think, uh, I think he really brings a lot to a footy side, just that aggression he plays with, the, uh, the leg speed he brings off the bench, the way he's able to sort of turn the momentum of a game, both with and without the ball, is pretty exciting, and I think he's a player who's quite young for a middle forward, and he's probably got a lot of good footy ahead of him.

So I think it'd be a really smart and astute signing from us as a club, and I think he'd be, you know, be awesome for us.

He's won premierships.

He'd bring that experience and, um, yeah, he's someone that you definitely want to have in your team as opposed to someone you, you play against.

So I think it'd be awesome for us.

Do you know much about him?

Imagine having, and imagine where he's going to be come 2028, Xavier Willison, alongside Payne

Haas at the Bunnies.

It's pretty scary stuff.

The Bunnies can manage to sign both those players.

Obviously, they've already signed Payne, but if they can manage to get Xavier Willison there too, One, it'd be a big loss to both the Broncos, losing both their big middle forwards.

And then for the Bunnies, it could be the missing piece they need.

I still think they're probably a halfback away from sort of challenging for a premiership.

Do you know much about him? I've seen him play a bit at New

It was a tricky year for yourself with injury and injuries battling that so you'll be glad to see the back of 2026 and launching to 2027 you finished the season in 13th but it felt like to me that the team certainly the white flag didn't go up the boys were trying the whole way through yeah for

sure I think look I obviously had a season ending injury virtually although I got back for one game towards the end it was pretty much season ending Along with that, we had Jermaine Hopcord, Matthew Doorey, both did ACLs early doors, two starting sort of middles for us and key players.

So I think it was a season of just, you know, a lot of teams go through, but it really was a season we battled through those sort of long-term injuries.

There's a lot of young boys that sort of got thrust in and had to play a lot more minutes and a lot more first grade, maybe a little bit before their time and maybe a bit before they were ready.

But you can take a positive out of that, too.

You know, they've had that experience now.

So going into next year now, I've got a full squad where there's a lot of NRL experience right throughout the squad, which is exciting for us as a team.

Look, it's, just quickly, I'll touch on that

Yeah

... and key players.

So think it was a season of just, you know, a lot of teams go through, but it really was a season we battled through those sort of long-term injuries.

Um, there's a lot of young boys that sort of got thrust in and, and had to play a lot more minutes and a lot more first grade.

Maybe a little bit before their time, and maybe a bit before they were ready.

Uh, but you can take a positive out of that too.

You know, they've, they've had that experience now, so going into next year now I've got a full squad where there's a lot of NRL experience right throughout the squad, uh, which is exciting for us as a team.

Wow

You're, you're defined by, in terms of your, your working life, you're an athlete.

Yeah.

It's, um, it's a pretty tough road, to be honest.

Mentally, it's, um, obviously it's, uh, very isolating when you're in, in rehab and you've got an injury.

You're away from the main group, um, working on your own.

And on top of that, you sort of touched on it, it was a pretty confronting injury, so, you know, it's never nice seeing your foot facing the other way.

But like I said, I feel like I'm at a place where I've had enough injuries now, and I'm at an age where I've dealt with it all, you know, before and I think it's just about, you get confidence through the work you put in, through that rehab process.

Uh, what about Jerome Luai? What do you think you're getting with Jerome joining the club next year?

What about the four walls this week after the win against the West Tigers, which everyone wanted to hop on in terms of the standard of the game, but did it feel like that inside your joint, given you mentioned there the injury worries this year? Win's a win and everyone was pretty happy?

Yeah, I think for our side, we've been prepping.

It's a cliche, but every week the boys have been preparing really well and I've seen that firsthand and There's been quite a few results we've seen, you know, only the week before that against Penrith, who were at the top of the ladder.

The boys pushed them the 80 minutes and just fell short.

And, you know, another handful of results similar to that where we've gone the distance of size and just been unable to get the result, which ultimately, at the end of the day, that's what you're judged on.

So that's been frustrating.

But I think a really pleasing thing that we can see as a club is just the persistence that the boys are having with the...

What about Jerome Luai? What do you think you're getting with Jerome joining the club next year?

You, you're defined by, in terms of your, your working life, you're an athlete.

Yeah.

It's, um, it's a pretty tough road, to be honest, mentally.

It's, um, obviously it's, uh, very isolating when you're in, in rehab and you've got an injury.

You're away from the main group, um, working on your own.

And on top of that, you sort of touched on, it was a pretty confronting injury, so, you know, it's never nice seeing your foot facing the other way.

But like I said, I feel like I'm at a place where I've had enough injuries now and I'm at an age where I've dealt with it all, you know, before.

Uh, what about Jerome Luai? What do you think you're getting with Jerome joining the club next year?

Actual mileage and range may vary.

This location.

Which is, when you're younger, I think you deal with injuries a bit differently.

I think at the time, I just thought I've got a long time ahead of me.

Yep.

Sort of brushed it off pretty quickly and I was able to get through that relatively easily.

Had another shoulder dislocation.

What experiences?

your video before you play them, what kind of style would you describe them as having?

Yeah, they're an off-the-cuff footy team.

And the Tigers, I don't think that's changed their identity for as long as I can remember, at least.

I remember watching them when I was a kid.

They've always had that off-the-cuff, sort of flary, high-risk football.

You saw it when Benji was playing, and I think we see it now with his coaching and how he's sort of instilled that trait in them to go out there and just play what they see.

Obviously, the likes of Jerome Luai in the halves there, he's a very instinctive player.

Is that around the mark?

What's the Tigers DNA? Like when you're doing your video before you play them, what kind of style would you describe them as having?

Yeah, they're an off-the-cuff footy team.

And the Tigers, I don't think that's changed their identity for as long as I can remember at least.

I remember watching them when I was a kid.

They've always had that off-the-cuff sort of flary, high-risk football.

You saw it when Benji was playing and I think we see it now with his coaching and how he's sort of instilled that trait in them to go out there and just play what they see.

Obviously, the likes of Jerome Luai in the halves there.

Is that around the mark?

What's the Tigers DNA like when you're doing your video before you play them what kind of style would you describe them as having?

Yeah they're an off the cuff footy team and that the Tigers I don't think that's changed their identity for as long as I can remember at least I remember watching them when I was a kid they've always had that off the cuff sort of flary high risk football you saw it when Benji was playing and I think we see it now with his coaching and how he's sort of instilled that trait in them to go out there and just play what they see.

Obviously, the likes of Jerome Luai in the halves there, he's a very instinctive player.

Doreen Buller at the back, instinctive player.

So people in those key positions, obviously, Api Corris, so instinctive player.

So honestly, you talk about luck when you ask what's it like preparing for them, you're preparing for the unknown because you really don't know what they're going to do.

And that can be their biggest strength.

Is that around the mark?