The Grapple

 Billy's under pressure, QLD are underdogs, and the bunker cocks another one up. It's a big week for rugba legg, and our heroes are up to their necks in a tireless search for answers to questions you didn't realise you needed to know. Are media bans actually media bans? What would Reece Walsh talk about anyway? Who's been the most under pressure State of Origin coach in history? Is...

This week our heroes Grapple with the listener question- Has QLD and Billy begun to believe their own hype? Digging into Origin and discussing any needed changes. The Rah Rah boys have been given the green light to jump ship….. invoking memories of H.H. Messenger in 1908. Are the Broncos flogging a dead horse and The Annersley Effect- should it really be Charlton Heston delivering the weekly media...

 Our heroes call in some backup as they notch the big 2-0. Former Warrior, Cowboy and Italian international Grant Rovelli chimes into the backline to discuss the increasing influence of the bunker (do we actually have some sympathy for infield referees?), the demise of defence, how the NFL might help the NRL manage dodgy hammies, and some of the fairytale stories of the iconic Confraternity Shield...

As the world of NRL is enveloped by Origin fever, our heroes break down the two teams heading for Melbourne - a QLD 3peat or NSW saving face? Was Nicho the Scape Goat? Will Mosses part the Maroon sea? Does Billy Slater live in a glass house, and can Madge ever look relaxed? The Euros rock, Rory in De shambles as Bryson wins the open….. and some really crappy tipping. Lets Grapple

joins the boys for a completely balanced and impartial discussion on the Raiders v Cowboys game and prop bets are made. At the mid point of the season our hero’s deal with breaking news on multiple levels. The Roosters are storming the beaches of Orange County in search of the next Tom Brady, oblivious to the fact he’s filling in at 7 for the Broncos. A wallaby wants to be a Titan and a cheese is...

This week our heroes Grapple with the Clear and Present Danger….. Origin. Both teams dissected, line up changes speculated pressure points dissected, selections pondered and results predicted. Joel Grapples with his best NSW 17 but all are conspicuous by their absence in Madge’s team. Annersley cops it again but what’s new? The new digs just got newer and the production room is fuller. Hypocrisy,...

Three quarters of a score deep it’s time for our heroes to take a completely unbiased and leveled view of State of Origin….. no really….. they looks at the Blues team as, if not more, closely as the QLD team. Is Dylan Edwards the right call? Is Jurbo a captain? How many times with they mispronounce Olakau’atu? Plus a wrap of the weekends key moments, a look ahead at the split round and a general m...

Our heroes are having a cool glass of water, some vegemite toast and a calm Look at the horizon after a dizzying three days of magic round action in Brisbane. Much is to be dissected as they conduct mathematical equations as to the miserly margins and weigh up its on field successes and failures, offer exclusive inside goss on some of the real conversations happening about officialdom in the bowel...

This week our hero’s hit the ground running with an early week episode fresh from a round of footy that saw more casualties than Omaha Beach. Now along with idiocy and hypocrisy we add “broken record” to list of descriptors as both liege’s lament the speed of the modern game and lack of care from the administration. Expansion talk expands and Uncle Wayne is head hunters for the Head Hunters. Rules...

Queensland looks as though its losing a wrecking ball backrower and a SuperCoach. Our hero’s grapples with the concept of Fifita leaving the Titans and Uncle Wayne’s seemingly inevitable move back to Redfern. Referees are in the spotlight again this time in a negative light (said dripping with sarcasm) and we bemoan yet another crappy week of tipping. Hypocrisy abounds as usual. Like Share Subscri...

Our heroes are enthralled by a chat with Cowboys legend and Sharks assistant coach Josh Hannay; who reflects on the footy adage ‘if you’re good enough, you’re old enough,’ and his journey since being named to debut as a 16 year old schoolboy at Townsville Granmar, and subsequently banned for being too young. His journey obviously extended to the glory of state of origin, and evolving into one of t...

Our heroes are besotted with the idea that the NRL is now featuring more unchecked forward passes than international rugby. Perhaps they’ve been getting stuck into the Dolphins private stash, but it’s difficult puzzling out how exactly an illegal sponsorship made it onto the jersey, only to be covered and then peeled off in the Darwin heat. Tributes are paid to sharks, storm and bulldogs great Dal...

It is a time of transition right across the Rugby League Galaxy. Our heroes are thrust once again into the bitter conflict around rules, the interpretation of them, and the need for weekly apologies from those who enforce them. Some big name players are moving between clubs, codes and countries; offering plenty of opportunities for critics to ignite their lightsabers and swing wildly at the game i...

Our heroes are doing their best impressions of Ancient Greek mathematicians this week, as they crunch the numbers on some leaked NRL claims of on field prosperity and superior product, amid a crippling injury toll. A stirring debate over the beauty or ugliness of tries off kicks ensues, as does a discussion of the best or worst ever half time sprays. A new prop is introduced to the set, with the h...

This week our heroes are joined by the guy legendary commentator Ray ‘Rabbits’ Warren dubbed “faster than a gazelle”. NRL superstar, origin hero, and all round good guy Chris Walker has some incredible stories to tell, and he shares them candidly; traversing life, footy, his ridiculous footballing bloodline, and the perils of drinking the night before a Wayne Bennett led army boot camp.  It’s a ch...

Luck is the operative word this week, as our heroes are joined by NRL legend and current Cowboys GM Michael Luck. The 226 gamer helps navigate the literal minefield  that is the NRL casualty ward, and the hosts tops are very nearly blown on the Rant-O-Metre. We find out just how eager teams are to line up for Las Vegas next year, and you might surprised by the answer. Hypocrisy abounds as usual wi...

It is a time of confusion in the rugby league world, and our heroes boldly go forth to decipher meaning in the meaningless. Expletive laden on field interviews and unapologetic hypocrisy from our hosts, sideline interviewers who don’t watch the games they’re interviewing about, broadcast agreements that have been in place for years described as being abrupt changes, rule interpretations being desc...

This week, our heroes do their best to understand why a simple conversation between coach and player must be media-mutated into an ‘internal blow up/ club in peril’ narrative. They assess the care factor around ‘entertaining slug fests,’ aka ‘footy players having an early season boxing match,’ and dive into the difficulties a coach faces when wanting to recall a player dropped for discipline,  but...

As the NRL continues to challenge the Klingons for interstellar domination, our heroes conduct a stringent post mortem on the happenings of the "Vegas Experiment.” It’s a tumble down the rabbit hole of on field magic, carnivale-like surrounds, key learnings, what  should have "stayed in vegas" and what really should not have ever made the trip over in the first place. Amongst the pl...

'Las Vegas' is the location on everyone's lips this week, and the Grappler's debut sees our heroes connect with one of the beating hearts of Rugby League in the USA - PCRl El Presidente and Coach of the LA Mongrel Ady Cooney. Turns out there's more than just two games of footy happening in Sin City this week. Back home we pay tribute to a great rugby league man Daryl Van de vel...

From the bowels of a mysterious high performance bunker in Brisbane, comes the first preseason trial run of the Grapple Podcast. It's all about the money as our heroes recap 2023, speculate wildly about the NRL's billion dollar future, and ponder how far that billion would get someone under the bright lights and oxygen pumps of a Las Vegas Casino floor. So strap yourself in as this all new...