League Of Our Own

The rugby league season has come to an end, and therefore, League Of Our Own wraps with a better-late-than-never Season Finale! The Kiwis absolutely destroyed Samoa in the second half of the Pacific Championships Final and it’s got Blairy & Goran excited for the Rugby League World Cup next year.  However, there are a few positions where depth is questionable, especially since Kieran Foran is n...

Three big topics this week:  Kiwis vs Samoa PREVIEW.  Kiwis vs Tonga REVIEW.  And how did everything conspire so badly against former NZ Warrior ELIESA KATOA at Eden Park? Blairy had front row seats as Eli was taken away on a medicab, and the Kiwis assistant coach was shocked that the game had let down the star Tongan backrower to that extent.  The boys talk about how the Tongan officials and the...

Fun and games this week as Blairy & Goran scrape egg off their faces following last week’s Luke Metcalf prediction, and Adam leaves an important piece of his technical set-up back in Newcastle!  But in all seriousness, it’s wonderful news that Metcalf has signed an extension to 2028 with the NZ Warriors, and the boys wonder if it can not only get the Wahs a Premiership, but help the pathways t...

Not the best news for NZ Warriors fans:  Luke Metcalf is about to test his value on the open market.  And for those in the know, the halfback’s value could be as great as ONE MILLION DOLLARS per season.  Can the Wahs produce a paycheck like that, or does the Aussie return home…  to the Dragons, the Perth Bears, or somewhere else?   Blairy & Goran talk through the factors a player in Metcalf’s...

League Of Our Own with Blairy & Goran is all about three big things:  NZ v Samoa in the Pacific Championships, Bunty Afoa signing for the Wests Tigers, and Alofiana Khan-Pereira joining the NZ Warriors on a 3-year deal. Let’s start with the former Gold Coast Titans flyer…  Blairy mentioned a few weeks ago that the Wahs needed a strike centre or a winger with speed, and they’ve secured the latt...

After a NIGHTMARE last week when it comes to technology, time difference and sleep deprivation, the boys finally return with a look at the upcoming Pacific Championships! But before Blairy & Goran delve into that, a hypothetical:  What if Reece Walsh never left? We just witnessed ‘The Plumber’ deliver a Clive Churchill Medal-winning performance as the Broncos beat the Storm for the 2025 Premie...

We are down to the final four in the NRL for 2025 and we have Kiwi representation across the board.  Blairy & Goran discuss the Storm’s selection of Jahrome Hughes - back from a forearm fracture - and how he can weaponize former Warriors backrower Eliesa Katoa when Melbourne meets the Sharks. Blairy recognizes that the career of Isaiah Papali’i has serious similarities to his own; they both we...

Turns out 2025 wasn’t “Our Year” after all.  Following defeat to Penrith, the 2025 season comes to an end for the NZ Warriors in Week 1 of the NRL Finals.  Let the review begin!  Best place to start?  Looking at Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s 4th Simon Mannering Medal win, edging out ‘buy of the season’ Erin Clark.  What was it that gave RTS the edge, and what more could Clark have done? The campaign is ea...

It’s NRL Finals time and the Warriors meet the Penrith Panthers at Go Media Stadium Mt Smart on Saturday!  As daunting as Ivan Cleary’s side appears - 5-straight Grand Final appearances, 4-straight NRL Premierships - Coach Blair lays out the blueprint for a Wahs victory.  Yes, it IS possible. Blairy & Goran also believe that the team Andrew Webster named on Tuesday will look a lot different at...

We’re into the final round of the regular season and the NZ Warriors face a daunting trip to Brookvale Oval to keep faint hopes of a top 4 finish alive.  With so much at stake, Blairy & Goran go back to the well once again:  in order to give themselves the best possible chance, Te Maire Martin MUST start.  However, coach Andrew Webster has again picked Tanah Boyd alongside Chanel Harris-Tavita...

After a much-needed week off due to sickness in the Paladin household, the boys are back!  And what a story to come back to regarding Brandon Smith…  he’s alleged to have supplied a drug dealer with inside knowledge of Bunnies’ team selection to place a bet, as well as hooking up some former Roosters teammates with ‘nose candy’.  Allegedly!  Blairy & Goran talk about the sensational headlines...

Following a disastrous loss to the Bulldogs, the NZ Warriors now sit outside the NRL’s top 4.  The record of late has not been pretty; 3 straight defeats, and only 2 wins from their last 7 appearances.  Outside of the obvious (injuries to Luke Metcalf and Mitch Barnett) Blairy & Goran discuss the deeper reasons for the worrying slide, and then attempt to plot a path back into the 4 by regular...

The NZ Warriors go into Round 23 knowing they could slide down the NRL ladder as far as SEVENTH if results go against them, but thankfully some of the cavalry returns for an all-important match against the Bulldogs.  Jacob Laban however may have played his final minutes of the season, fracturing his leg last week against the Dolphins.  Blairy & Goran talk about the role Felise Kaufusi played i...

Can you believe it… if the loss to the Titans wasn’t bad enough, the Warriors have received MORE injury news.  They’re heading into the Dolphins clash this Friday without James Fisher-Harris, Wayde Egan and Chanel Harris-Tavita, joining Mitch Barnett, Luke Metcalf, Rocco Berry and Ali Leiataua in the casualty ward.  Half of their first-choice starting side - GONE!  Blairy & Goran pose the ques...

Wahs fans have seen enough and they are letting their feelings be known: Dallin Watene-Zelezniak must be dropped from the NZ Warriors.  On Tuesday night, the team to face the Gold Coast Titans was revealed featuring a returning Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and immediately there was a strong online reaction from the fans… how has DWZ retained his place in the side over Taine Tuaupiki? Blairy and Goran d...

Kalyn Ponga…  is he a Kiwi, an Aussie, an All Black-in-waiting in a rugby league superstar’s body?  Who better to ask about all of the recent column inches and viral pundit videos dedicated to KP than Blairy, who has a reasonably close association with the Knights skipper.  Blairy’s hunch for ‘what happens next’ with Kalyn might surprise you! An interested spectator for all of this might be Kiwi’s...

Warriors coach Andrew Webster has put us all out of our misery and selected Tanah Boyd to play halfback in the injury absence of Luke Metcalf.  Is this the right or wrong call?  Te Maire Martin had heavyweight support, including the rugby league god himself Phil Gould, but it’s the former Titans playmaker that gets the nod. Benji Marshall brings his Tigers to NZ to face Tanah and the Wahs, happy t...

It's the news no Warriors fan wanted to hear:  Luke Metcalf’s season is OVER.  Has his ruptured ACL also dashed the NZ Warriors’ hopes of a Grand Final appearance?  And who takes the #7 jersey in his absence?  These are the two HUGE questions Blairy & Goran hope to provide answers to! The halfback battle looks to be a straight shootout between Te Maire Martin and Tanah Boyd.  But what are...

Plenty of burning topics on the pod this week after the Warriors lost to an understrength Panthers outfit at home.  Blairy & Goran discuss the hip drop that has ruled Dallin Watene-Zelezniak out of action for 4-6 weeks with injury, and given fellow kiwi Scott Sorensen a 2-game holiday.  Was it as bad as the ban suggests? And in the wake of DWZ’s early exit against Penrith, did coach Andrew Web...

Thanks to Origin 2 being in Perth and the Wahs hosting the Panthers so soon afterwards in Auckland, the match is missing not only Kurt Capewell but FIVE Penrith players!  Now, it sounds like a guaranteed win for the Wahs, but as a league fan are you happy to miss out on some of the best names in the game…  thanks to what seems to be a rogue scheduling error?  Blairy & Goran discuss this, and d...

Even in a BYE week for the NZ Warriors, there’s still SO MUCH to talk about!  Starting off with Kurt Capewell’s selection to the Queensland Origin team for Game 2.  While some would say that his form warrants the call up, others would point to his unwanted league-leading stat - 75 missed tackles - and wonder how that translates to good defending.  So Blairy explains it!  All the best to Cape-Wah i...

Since the NZ Warriors confirmed the extent of co-captain Mitch Barnett’s season-ending ACL injury, we can’t help but wonder how it’s going to hinder the side for the rest of the campaign.  So, with that in mind, we ask the BIG question: Has the Premiership window closed on the Wahs for 2025? Without Mitch however, it provides an opportunity for not only Jackson Ford to start against the Sharks, bu...

Blairy returns home this week, which means he and Goran are reunited - in person - for the first time this year!  Blairy talks about the significance of his journey back to Aotearoa, leading a team of young men from Australia with Maori heritage to not only play rugby league, but to develop an understanding of their identity and culture.  Wish him well in the comments!! On the menu for discussion...

Following four matches on the road, the NZ Warriors are finally back at Mt Smart Stadium to face the Canberra Raiders in a 2 v 3 battle!  But there’s no James Fisher-Harris through suspension, and his co-captain Mitch Barnett has been rightly selected for New South Wales in Origin One. We can’t say the same though for Wayde Egan who has missed the Blues squad entirely.  Blairy has a theory as to w...

Blairy & Goran begin by thanking the many viewers who provided feedback and ideas around the first-choice NZ Warriors’ backline. But then, the discussion morphs into the makeup of the back row.  The question this week:  Has LEKA HALASIMA - after 13 first grade games - become a definite starter if everyone is fully fit?  Have your say in the comments! With State of Origin One just around the co...