What do you think's going on with the Australian team?

Well, when we did the report on Steve Smith on day two, it was, day two in South Africa, there was no denials.

So there was no doubt that there was some disharmony within the camp and Barat, who is as close to the players as any journalist I've ever seen in any sport, he used the word divide.

He said there's a divide between the bowlers and the batters, which I thought was quite telling.

So I think, broadly speaking, you can make up your own mind, but there were players and staff who thought Steve Smith should have played.

Smith clearly felt like he was unable to play, and I'm not sure that's been resolved yet.

And I think it's frustrated Steve Smith that some of that information has leaked out.

going to be out, right?

What do you think's going on with the Australian

team? Well, when we did the report on Steve Smith on day two, it was, day two in South Africa, there was no denials.

So there was no doubt that there was some disharmony within the camp and Barat, who is as close to the players as any journalist I've ever seen in any sport, he used the word divide.

He said there's a divide between the bowlers and the batters, which I thought was quite telling.

So I think, broadly speaking, you can make up your own mind, but there were players and staff who thought Steve Smith should have played.

Smith clearly felt like he was unable to play, and I'm not sure that's been resolved yet.

And I think it's frustrated Steve Smith that some of that information has leaked out.

It was so disappointing.

And then Nathan Lyon at the end going through Bavuma again, trying to swipe him to the road.

Yeah, I mean, should we ask him? Did you watch the cricket today, sir? No, he didn't.

Okay, we'll ask him.

He didn't watch the cricket.

That's okay.

Soft.

Soft is the word.

I saw Bharat Sundaresan say he was approached by Smith, who provided some clarity on his problems yesterday.

There is.

There is.

There was frustrations and in some case anger from people within the Australian touring party that Steve Smith decided not to play, that he ruled himself out.

They selected him to play.

They wanted him to play.

They believed he should play.

And it was the player and player alone who ruled himself out.

Because I asked Andrew McDonald and George Bailey on record a couple of days ago about How do you prepare for someone like him when you know it's a huge hole that you'll have to fill and you have such ambiguity about how long he's got left? And they spoke about, oh, well, we're focusing more on when he does say he's done, we'll celebrate his career, which was an interesting takeaway from that.

There's a peculiar dynamic around this Australian team that still dates back to this time yesterday when Steve Smith ruled himself out.

There is, there is.

There was frustrations and in some case anger from people within the Australian touring party that Steve Smith decided not to play, that he ruled himself out.

They selected him to play.

They wanted him to play.

They believed he should play.

And it was the player and player alone who ruled himself out.

And they spoke about, oh well, we're focusing more on when he does say he's done, we'll celebrate his career, which was an interesting takeaway from that.

Nathan Lyon was on early, and he didn't look like he was going to do any damage early, but you took a couple of big wickets.

Yeah, this was the earliest he'd come on to bowl in the first innings of a test since the 2013-14 Ashes.

So he was on in the 11th over, which again spoke to the fact that the ball just wasn't swinging.

But he did a reasonable job, Nathan Lyon.

He dropped a tough chance of his own bowling, but I actually thought he bowled as well as he's bowled in quite some time.

Now, there are bigger challenges ahead for him.

How he bowls in the third innings, particularly if Australia has made some runs and he's got some runs to play with and a lead to play with, will go a long way towards the Australian public and the broader cricket community thinking believing in him and trusting him ahead of this summer against New Zealand or feeling that he is expendable and that a four-pronged pace attack is a genuine option for not just one or two tests, but maybe three or four tests.

nice for him.

Luckily, Mitchell Stark changed his test match because his six for 72 was the difference maker between it being a great day for South Africa or being just an even day at the end of day

one.

Mitchell Stark is a phenomenon, Dwayne.

We've seen it so many times now.

His 20th five-wicket haul today was...

I think he took four wickets in six balls.

He certainly took the last six South African wickets.

Nathan Lyon was on early, and he didn't look like he was going to do any damage early, but you took a couple of big wickets.

Can you explain this, please?

Yeah, look, Marnus is never the first one that goes out.

So there's always a batter ahead of him that is in more danger.

So against Bangladesh in Darwin in August, it was Jake Weatherald who was out and Marnus kept his spot.

The fact that Marnus keeps getting 30s is terribly frustrating, but it probably means that everyone knows he's not necessarily, you know, he's not not good enough.

He's just finding a way to get out at a time when he should be kicking on.

Six of his last eight scores are between 30 and 50.

You'd hope this one packs out.

What's the feeling like around the place?

Oh, it's exciting.

I mean, they've left the best to last.

There was no crowd in Durban, as we saw.

There was... just an okay crowd at St. George's Park, really.

I mean, they were noisy and there was a brass band.

It was disappointing and the weather wasn't great, to be fair, even though the cricket was interesting, particularly later in the test match.

Is it going to be a pretty hostile environment for the Australians and in particular Steve Smith to walk into?

Is there going to be a selection

scandal coming up? Who's in, who's out for the third test? Oh, take your pick, Dwayne.

Throw them all in the air and see what happens.

What we can be certain of is that Trout Head will open.

Matt Renshaw will bat somewhere, either five or at the top.

Stephen Smith will probably bat at four.

And Alex Carey will be in the team as a keeper.

And Alex Carey, that's about it.

Is there going to be a selection scandal coming up? Who's in, who's out for the third test?

Oh, take your pick, Dwayne.

Throw them all in the air and see what happens.

What we can be certain of is that Travis Head will open.

Matt Renshaw will bat somewhere, either five or at the top.

Stephen Smith will probably bat at four.

And Alex Carey will be in the team as a keeper.

They only had about once, and the 99 was disastrous, and the 295 kind of saved face a little bit, but it was really Travis Head that saved face, and Alex Carey, that's about it.

So what – how's he taking it this time?

I think he's okay.

I mean, the morning signs were there yesterday.

We watched the warm-up like a hawk pickers and cam, like, you know, before the toss.

I've got my eyes on – I've got my eyes on Scott Boland, and as soon as he's stretching, you think, well, he's in, and then you're looking at who else is around, and Nathan Lyon has the rugby ball in his hand, so you imagine he's out.

But this is the first red ball test he's been dropped for since...

Well, it might be 2013.

The

How did Nathan take last night?

Well, the writing was on the wall because in cricket, before the toss, you just watch the warm-up and you see who's doing what.

And the moment that Scott Boland got on his back and started stretching his glutes, we were like, oh, well, Boland's in.

And then the next question is, well, who's going to go out? So at that moment, Cummins is bowling to warm up, Hazelwood is measuring his run-up, and Stark is also stretching.

So we're going, well, it sort of has to be Nathan Lyon.

So our eyes panned to Nathan Lyon, and he's got an an NRL ball, a football in his hand, and he's bouncing it back and forth.

And we're like, well, he has to be out there.

Just tell us about how they protect the wicket over there in that part of the world.

How did Nathan take last night?

Well, the writing was on the wall because in cricket, before the toss, you just watch the warm-up and you see who's doing what.

And the moment that Scott Boland got on his back and started stretching his glutes, we were like, oh, well, Boland's in.

And then the next question is, well, who's going to go out? So at that moment, Cummins is bowling to warm up, Hazelwood is measuring his run-up, and Stark is also stretching.

So we're going, well, it sort of has to be Nathan Lyon.

So our eyes panned to Nathan Lyon, and he's got an... an NRL ball, a football in his hand, and he's bouncing it back and forth.

And we're like, well, he has to be out there.

Just tell us about how they protect the wicket over there in that part of the world.

hunt.

They'll be around the market.

They're going to win a lot of games at home.

Hawthorne, Merritt, King, they're in a good spot.

Hawthorne are in a better spot.

I love what they do.

I mean, that Brisbane game is the best game I've ever seen, that prelim final.

Is this a rebuild phase? what are they calling it, a reset? Yeah.

Uh, Viney to the Eagles and Trent Rivers, are they both i- in the Eagles' sights?

They are.

Not a lot of movement on this over the last few days.

So Viney and Rivers are both managed by the same company, which increases the chance that they could be part of the same trade to West Coast.

I'm sure Melbourne's got its eyes on pick 23, or whatever it is, from West Coast for this.

They won't be paying a cent of Viney's contract, even if the Eagles ask.

Uh, but it's been moving at a glacier pace.

Lucky Whitfield?

The inability to, uh, to go from a white-ball cricket to a test game and say, "I, I need to graft."

I think one-day cricket has hurt Marnus Labuschagne.

I think his commitment to be a better one-day player, and he's, and he's done okay at that level, has hurt his test cricket.

Um, I think it's hurting the next generation of cricketers.

This is not to say it doesn't have a place, but we, we haven't quite figured out as a country where T20 cricket should sit in our ecosystem.

Whereas in other countries, their T20 franchise leagues, that sits away from test cricket.

So all the test players play that, then they go and play test cricket.

Do, do they make him go back and re-apprenticeship himself?

Um, what, what's been the... what, what the feel, the fallout, the reaction, and how they've managed to get him out there tomorrow?

I think the t- the temperature check I've got, yeah, over the last sort of 12 hours, is that it's... people expected it, didn't they? People expected him to get off eventually.

It's just how it happened, whether it was at the tribunal, whether it was the appeals board.

And it all came down to one thing.

It came down to the fact that the AFL believed that, um, his exemplary record was relevant to the, the careless versus the intentional charge.

And then they argued it last night and he gets off.

It's un- it's actually unbelievable the way it's played out.

Take us through the Lachie Neale vision and why this wasn't allowed to be used at the tribunal.

Um, what, what's been the... what, what the feel, the fallout, the reaction, and how they've managed to get him out there tomorrow?

I think the t- the temperature check I've got, uh, over the last sort of 12 hours, is that it's... people expected it, didn't they? People expected him to get off eventually.

It's just how it happened, whether it was at the tribunal, whether it was the appeals board.

And it all came down to one thing.

It came down to the fact that the AFL believed that, um, his exemplary record was relevant to the, the careless versus the intentional charge.

And then they argued it last night and he gets off.

It's un- it's actually unbelievable the way it's played out.

Um, all right, take us through the Lachie Neale vision and why this wasn't allowed to be used at the tribunal.

all right we're all just dissecting the lucky new news we gave it to you straight away now we have some reasons as to why they downgraded it to a fine what can you tell us yeah so

uh what happened at the tribunal the other night is that the AFL argued that it was not intentional it was careless and therefore it shouldn't sorry it was intentional not careless and therefore it shouldn't apply in the same way that Scott Pendlebury used his exceptional circumstances earlier in the year Scott Pendlebury's was careless Lockie Neal's was intentional and the tribunal said that means there should be no exceptional circumstances but the appeals board disagreed they said We accept the position of Neil in his written submissions that the intentional aspect was an element of the charge which had already been established.

Which it had, the MRO said that it was intentional, there was no debate around that.

And the Tribunal, or the Appeals Board said the relevant inquiry was whether despite the charge having been established there was exceptional circumstances and compelling circumstances.

In this case, that was Neil's record.

We find that Neil's record is exemplary, that he should be afforded the benefit of the provision.

So he's gone off on a technicality.

Who's going

There'll be a few Brisbane players sitting there checking their Twitter and seeing if he's playing or not as well.

Yeah, they're still deliberating now that the...

Oh my God, Lachie Neal is free to play in the Grand Final.

Lachie Neal is free to play in the Grand Final.

Conspiracy.

That is unbelievable.

I told you, I told you.

Yeah,

All I know is

speaking to people close to Fagan and around the Brisbane Lions, They wouldn't be surprised if he decided to finish up this year if they won the flag.

I don't think they're necessarily speaking from any knowledge either.

I just think that people who know Chris Fagan understand that the last thing he wants to do is overstay his welcome.

Now, you might scoff at that and go, how could that be if they win a flag? But I think given his age and the fact he's been doing it for a while and he has a desire to move back to Victoria in the next few years to be closer to his family, it'll be this year or next year.

I mean, that's the way it looks.

and it would be a great way to go out if you win three in a row.

Sydney Swans players remain at the club?

Now, we know we've had it before, but what's it like, the Freo Dockers and the Brisbane Lions in town for the big dance, and the Victorian club's got nothing on.

Nothing on, you're right.

It's been a bit like that in recent years, hasn't it, with Brisbane, uh, versus Sydney a couple of years ago as well.

Um, oh, it's a different build-up.

I mean, uh, uh, it's been...

I'm trying to think of the last time we had two big, two big Victorian clubs in a grand final.

It was probably 2010, I reckon.

Hmm

Yeah.

Yes.

So he was never in, but Sonia Hood spoke to him twice, the North Melbourne president.

And then Jen Watt sent through a job description of sorts, the North Melbourne CEO.

And then there was no contact for about 10 days.

And then on Monday, John Longmire called the club and said, I don't know if you're even considering me, but if you were, just to let you know, I'm not interested in pursuing it any further.

Okay.

his manager?

$3 million is actually no good.

What I do think about him is that he is now officially untaggable.

Maybe he's the first player...

In history.

Gaz was untaggable.

No, Gaz was taggable.

You could get Gaz.

It's just not enough of an advantage to win in