Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
G'day, welcome to Kentie Blitz, your daily hit of NRL news. And Kentie, we are on Origin Eve, only a few hours till kick-off.
Chapter 2: Why is the State of Origin losing its edge?
Are you excited? I am actually.
I always get excited for Origin. Are you going out tonight? No, I'm not going out. I was invited out, but I don't know if I've quite got the batteries to last the distance these days.
It's a bit of a late start.
Well, yeah. Look, I spoke to Dave Trodden this morning. He invited me out in the New South Wales Rugby League box, which they have to now share with the Queensland Rugby League. No. Really? Yeah, yeah. They used to have a box each, obviously.
Chapter 3: What are the concerns surrounding rookie halves in the upcoming Origin?
Yeah. And now, though, the NRL basically has bid for it to get more money. Mate, that's cheap.
Chapter 4: What is Billy's strategy for the Origin match?
It's told them that they've got to share a box. That's cheap. It is cheap. Yeah, it's pretty high. They're lucky. They get on now. Like Dave's tried and bossed the New South Wales Rugby League.
Chapter 5: What are the fears regarding refereeing in the Origin game?
Ben Eichen obviously bossed the Queensland. They actually get on quite well, have great respect for each other. And the boards that they bring into the box, they all get on. In the old days, mate, they would have had New South Wales over this side and Queensland over that side. And you would run the risk of being a brawl halfway through the game over something.
Chapter 6: How does the Cleary vs. Walker matchup impact the game?
Wow.
Who were some of the old heads of New South Wales and Queensland?
Oh, the old Tossa Turner days. Look, Queensland, and I say this respectfully, is slightly mad. They're a little bit more passionate, I would say. And certainly, as soon as a decision goes the wrong way, they let it be known fairly quickly. And the problem you would have is, is they'd get in slinging matches. That wasn't a penalty bullshit, it wasn't. He'd been doing it all day sort of stuff.
Well, between the boxes. Well, no, they wouldn't do that, but they'd argue about it later, and they'd argue publicly about it later. These days, they're all quite as church mice.
And a couple of years ago, I was in the box that they shared when it was played in New South Wales, and once again, it was all very quiet and respectful, and everybody just took their place and sat down and watched the game. Two conversations. I remember it was Queensland won the game, actually. It was at New South Wales. Queensland won the game, so it would have been two years ago.
And a bit of a hollow feeling in the room after it, because the Queenslanders couldn't really celebrate because they were in New South Wales, and the New South Wales guys were just devastated. But interesting tonight, see how it goes. Good feed in the box? Would it be good feed? Oh, yeah, it goes all right. It goes all right. It's all finger food stuff. A couple of party pies, halftime?
A little bit better than that, but... Yeah, I'm a man of simple taste.
You are these days, particularly. You're very svelte.
Well, I don't know about that. But look, anyway, the whole thing is you don't go there for the feed.
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Chapter 7: How do the conditions affect the gameplay in the Origin?
They should be getting Sydney City Council, and part of the problem is the game's played out at Homebush, but they also should be just getting the city involved in it. You'd expect some banners up or something, and even pubs start to decorate.
Coming in here today, there was no advertising on any of the pubs that I drove past to say that they had any functions on tonight or come and watch the game here on the big screen. Yeah. They will be at the Native Roads watching it on the big screen. I can guarantee you that. Okay, very good.
And the Charing Cross.
Drink responsibly. Or irresponsibly. Please, please. Do you want to go through the list of all your pubs? Just drink a lot.
I'll be down the road at the Hyde Park House.
Okay, there we go.
Free beer if you come and see me. Where are we? Talk to me about how that's changed. Like, you know, when you first started reporting. Yes. You know, could you approach players back then?
Yeah, look, that's the other thing. Look, I remember back in the day, you'd go up, and this is the part of the indulgence and bullshit that you've got to carry on with now. I remember I'd sit there and you'd go to a game, not an origin game, like a club game, and you'd see a player before the game.
He'd come in, sit down in the grandstand, and you'd be watching reserve grade play or 21s, whoever's on at the time. And you think, shit, I need to speak to him. So you go down and you say, mate, you know, I remember Craig Salvatore. Mate, can I have a quick yak? Yeah, mate, sit down.
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Chapter 8: What historical context influences the rivalry in State of Origin?
Yeah, wow.
He said, and the player had no idea to even check his passport because the clubs go and check it for him. Yep. Okay, and the clubs check it for him and the clubs make sure they're all up to date. The player had been retired three years.
Yeah, wow.
Like he's still ringing his club three years after retirement to help him through just a basic – active life. It was fascinating. I just sat down and thought, and I feel sorry for them in some respects because they're not actively encouraged or talked about or talked to about going out and trying to expand that and grow that and take care of themselves.
You just be here, make bus leaves at 10 o'clock, be here, make sure you're wearing your number ones or your training gear or whatever it is. Make sure you've got this packed and off we go.
Yeah.
Kenny, I used to have a bit to do with the tennis, as you know, and the way those top, you know, 50 tennis players get treated, they do not do a single thing.
Yeah. Nothing. Well, that's one of the great things was about the book Legacy. Have you ever read that? No. The book Legacy, it's called Legacy, and it's about the All Blacks, and it's a famous story. So I'm not going to, you know, a lot of people will know this, but for those that don't, basically the All Blacks, and I spoke to a bloke who was part of the All Blacks.
This is, I think, a really good story. And when they got the... Legacy was all about the All Blacks, how they had continual failures at the World Cup. Couldn't figure out why. They were dominating one year, two years, three years. Come the fourth year, which is the World Cup year, they'd get an early exit.
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