Kenty - Paul Kent NRL Podcast
Origin Explodes: Cleary Delivers, Ponga Controversy + Round 13 Preview
28 May 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
G'day and welcome to Kenti Blitch, your daily hit of NRL news.
Chapter 2: What were the coaches' reactions to the Origin game?
And Kenti, what a night last night. It was massive, wasn't it? Extraordinary.
Chapter 3: What happened during Kalyn Ponga's send-off?
Yeah. One of the great games.
It'll be remembered as one of the great games. It'll be remembered and it's got a ready-made highlight, hasn't it, with that Tedesco catch and score. I don't think it was... particularly great game in some respects.
Chapter 4: How did Nathan Cleary perform in the Origin match?
New South Wales were quite poor for a good part of the game. But as Origin always does, it's just nothing beats it for drama and for that tension. And if ever then I'll need an example of how important tension is to a game and to a fan's enjoyment of a game, I think that brought it because... Once Ponga got sent off, all cars were on the table.
Chapter 5: Who were the standout rookies in the game?
It was just like, okay, let's just see what happens. It was just one of those. The improbable endings are always the great endings. I was there the night Coyne scored the try. It was actually funny.
Chapter 6: What were Laurie Daly's reactions and insights?
I was in the press box at the time. Before the game, door opens up, big bug comes in, sits down next to me. It was Arthur Beetson. Oh, wow.
Chapter 7: What team changes are expected for Game II?
He sat next to me during the game. I remember talking to him. He's just... He's talking through the game as he sees it.
Chapter 8: What are the implications of Gus Gould's comments?
Wow. But, yeah, I was there that night and just remember thinking, what can I just go and, yeah. What about rugby league's capacity to do this? And Queensland, mate, they now know how Queensland fans know how New South Wales fans feel a lot of the time when the Blues have pretty much got the game won and Queensland snatch it from them at the death because Queensland should have won that game.
The best team lost and the worst team won last night.
Well, it's interesting. Nathan Cleary was obviously asked after and he said it's pretty crazy. It defines rugby league, I think.
Yeah, and that's it. And that's perfect, right? It was. It is. That just sums it up in one, doesn't it? It was really interesting actually watching a lot of the press conferences today. Laurie Daly, Billy Slater, Nathan Cleary, just how they saw the game. Laurie is under no illusion that they dodged a bullet, which is good because New South Wales need to go in a game too.
basically behaving like they lost the game, I think, and approaching it like they lost the game. And Billy just basically just said, look, I couldn't be more proud. They did everything they could. They just got beaten at the end.
And Laurie obviously identified, said we've got a lot of room for improvement. Massive room, yeah. And I think that was spot on. I mean, the first 60 minutes of that game last night was hard to watch as a New South Welshman.
When New South Wales were getting our score, well, allowing Queensland to score a point a minute for the first... It was 20-0 after 20 minutes. And... The really concerning one was the Flegler try, the ease of the Flegler try, and how under the goalposts, New South Wales were just wide open. It's like Sydney Heads. And that was a real concern. They got out-muscled.
Queensland, when they walked out on the field, I looked at New South Wales and I thought, gee, they look on. They look ready to go. They just had that look in their face. But After probably about the second or third set, Queensland just took dominance and just rolled forward very easily.
Was that early drop ball in the first or second set? And from then on, they were just on the back foot the whole time.
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