Talking Sport Report

Scotty and Eggo this week chat "Rugby League World Cup" about to kick off, NRL silly season gone wild, Australia’s cricket fightback in South Africa, and a Bathurst blunder for the ages. Plus the Christmas party cricket match is really taking shape.

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Key talking points & chapters

0:00 Intro and surviving the no-footy void
3:34 The World Cup opener: Australia v New Zealand
3:52 Kalyn Ponga to the Kiwis and the Moses Leota sledge saga
7:18 Turbo on the wing and Kevvie’s selection lottery
8:25 Is New Zealand the real danger with Kevvie in charge?
10:33 The signing frenzy: how the World Cup is stalling deals
11:24 Harry Grant and Munster headline the free agents
13:59 Wishart off to Perth
14:20 Perth Bears in chaos: CEO out and Meninga already under pressure
17:48 Munster’s $750k deal and rating him out of ten
19:21 The Melbourne Storm’s strange new vibe
21:52 The Christmas party cricket match takes shape
31:01 A call for more players and Mario’s beamer threat
33:13 Cricket Corner: Australia’s Test in South Africa
34:14 Matt Renshaw’s ton and the stat barrage
35:02 The record Renshaw-Lyon ninth-wicket stand
35:54 Nick Maddinson’s duck off 33 and why we felt bad
37:29 The match state and Steve Smith’s catching record
40:04 Bathurst 1000: the fuel blunder that cost the lead
47:04 Comment Club begins
1:05:08 Wrap-up and sign-off

Keywords
rugby league, NRL, Rugby League World Cup, Australia v New Zealand, Kalyn Ponga, Harry Grant, Cameron Munster, NRL signings, Perth Bears, Mal Meninga, cricket, Australia v South Africa, Matt Renshaw, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Bathurst 1000, footy podcast, Australian sport, Comment Club, Talking Sport Report

The NRL season is done, and Scotty and Eggo wrap a grand final for the ages, the Roosters crowned champions, the 50-point hoodoo finally broken, and a Knights side that went down swinging. Then it's straight into what's next: the Rugby League World Cup days away and a big summer of cricket heating up.

The boys relive the decider, Mark Nawaqanitawase as a Greek god, the wild field-dominance stats, Trent Robinson's three-from-three masterclass, and James Tedesco's Clive Churchill. Then the Kangaroos squad drops with some questionable calls, Kevvie's mind games on the Tongan selections, and the World Cup opener against a frighteningly deep New Zealand side. Plus the things they won't miss about NRL 2026 and Cricket Corner, with the South Africa tour, Marnus Labuschagne's long-awaited hundred and whether you can trust it.

Comment Club
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Chapters

0:00 Intro: a very hungover, very crook Scotty
1:49 At the grand final: the atmosphere up close
2:21 The 50-point hoodoo is broken: congrats to the Roosters
3:35 Mark Nawaqanitawase, the Greek god who ripped our hearts out
8:48 Proud to be a Knight: the wild grand final stats
10:38 Trent Robinson's masterclass and the Knights' missing front row
13:41 The World Cup looms: DCE and Marky ride off
14:48 The Kangaroos squad and some questionable calls
17:17 Tonga's side and Kevvie's selection mind games
19:23 Australia v New Zealand opener and the Kiwis' huge squad
22:42 Headline: the NRL ends and families reunite
24:30 The World Cup on Channel 7 and the commentary team
26:15 The things we won't miss about NRL 2026
28:52 Adam Gee's refereeing masterclass
30:22 The 2025 footy card pack reveal
35:38 Cricket Corner: the South Africa tour and Marnus' hundred
37:08 The caveats: slips runs and a retirement on 111
39:49 How confident are you in Marnus, one to ten?
41:27 The Baggy Green and merch tangent
44:00 Comment Club begins
1:04:14 Wrap-up and sign-off

Keywords
NRL, NRL grand final, NRL grand final 2026, Sydney Roosters, Newcastle Knights, James Tedesco, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Kalyn Ponga, Rugby League World Cup, Kangaroos squad, Australia v New Zealand, cricket, South Africa tour, Marnus Labuschagne, Trent Robinson, rugby league, footy podcast, Australian sport, Comment Club, Talking Sport Report

The grand final is here and Lachlan Fitzgibbon returns for a big grand-final-week special to get Scotty and Eggo ready for Knights v Roosters on Sunday.

Lachy paints the picture of a town gone mad, houses painted red and blue, 12,000 turning up to a training run, and makes the case that all the pressure sits with the Roosters against a fearless Knights side playing with belief. The boys dig into the Phoenix Crossland send-off and the ugly online abuse, the eggshell-theory debate on whether the injury should decide the penalty, and the Joey Johns "tongue in cheek" beat-up. Then it's the good stuff: the Dally M favouritism, how the Knights actually beat the Roosters, a head-to-head best-of-both-teams line-up, Clive Churchill Medal picks, and why Kalyn Ponga's emotion has won everyone over. Plus listener questions on Mad Monday legends and the Curry graveyard, a debate on whether a Knights win would be one of the greatest stories in Australian sport, and everyone's score predictions.

Chapters

0:00 A special grand-final-week edition and the lucky charm returns
1:19 1997 vibes: is Newcastle about to party like it's back?
3:02 A town gone mad: houses painted red and blue
4:42 Where's the pressure, the Knights or the Roosters?
7:20 12,000 at a training run and the 25-year wait
7:50 The Phoenix Crossland situation and the online abuse
11:24 The send-off debate and the eggshell theory
14:54 The Joey Johns "tongue in cheek" beat-up
16:27 Dally M night: Cleary the favourite and the votes
18:32 The game plan: how the Knights beat the Roosters
21:45 Best of both teams: picking a combined top five
25:12 Clive Churchill Medal picks
26:41 Why Kalyn Ponga's emotion has won everyone over
28:32 Listener questions: Ego or Reese, Mad Monday legends and Curry
33:46 Would a Knights win be the greatest story in Australian sport?
39:11 Closest to the pin: everyone's score predictions
41:41 Wrap-up, the after-party and a Monday grand final show

Keywords
Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Lachlan Fitzgibbon interview, Newcastle Knights, NRL grand final, NRL grand final 2026, Knights v Roosters, Sydney Roosters, Kalyn Ponga, Phoenix Crossland, Fletcher Sharp, Daly Cherry-Evans, Nathan Cleary, Clive Churchill Medal, NRL, rugby league, grand final preview, footy podcast, Australian sport, Talking Sport Report, Scotty and Eggo

Scotty and Eggo react to The Newcastle Knights pulling off a prelim final upset for the ages!

The boys unpack Phoenix Crossland's send-off and the ugly online abuse that followed, whether it was really a send-off offence in a game that big, and then the stats that had socials in a spin: the 50-point hoodoo, why no side outside the top six has ever won it, and the one team in history to go from wooden spoon to a title. Plus a plea for every neutral to jump on the bandwagon (and a diehard Manly fan forced to pick a side), Mark Nawaqanitawase being from another planet, a swag of off-season signing rumours, and a lap around the grounds taking in Brisbane's AFL three-peat and Manchester City's 115 charges.

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Chapters

0:00 Still hoarse: reacting to the Knights' prelim upset
2:28 Phoenix Crossland's send-off and the online abuse
3:20 Was it really a send-off in a game that big?
6:00 The grand final stats that break the internet
7:55 Headline: Australia's relief at the halftime act
10:06 A plea to every neutral: jump on the bandwagon
13:54 The stat barrage: wooden spoon to a grand final and more
16:29 Dane Gagai, the ageless finals machine
18:19 The 25-year drought and the big-stage Knights
19:26 Crossland, the send-off hoodoo and the Roosters stats
22:53 The 50-point curse and Cherry-Evans' bookend
27:33 Kalyn Ponga's hit and the HIA that wasn't
29:19 What Caught My Eye: Nawaqanitawase is not human
31:14 Off-season signing rumours: Latrell, Bradman Best, Harry Grant
36:41 Around the grounds: AFL Warfy time and Brisbane's three-peat
39:52 Manchester City's 115 charges explained
44:55 Comment Club begins
1:00:50 Wrap-up: grand final preview Thursday, and sign-off

Keywords
rugby league, NRL, NRL finals, NRL preliminary final, Newcastle Knights, Knights v Panthers, Penrith Panthers, NRL grand final, NRL grand final 2026, Kalyn Ponga, Phoenix Crossland, Dane Gagai, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Sydney Roosters, Daly Cherry-Evans, NRL stats, wooden spoon, footy podcast, Australian sport, Comment Club, Talking Sport Report

A special midweek drop before the big one. Scotty and Eggo welcome back the pod's best mate, former Newcastle Knights star and fresh Newcastle Rugby League premiership winner Lachlan Fitzgibbon, to talk about why the Knights are a genuine shot at upsetting the Panthers in this weekend's preliminary final.

Lachlan breaks down the real reason Newcastle can trouble Penrith, the ball-movement style that doesn't play into the Panthers' grinding game, and why sticking to their DNA all season has them one win from a grand final just a year after the wooden spoon. Plus what Nathan Cleary is actually like to play against, the rise of Phoenix Crossland, Kalyn Ponga's emotional commitment to the town, and the young back-rowers turning heads. Then he calls the score and the man of the match, before a rapid-fire round built from your listener questions and the full story of his own mad Monday premiership celebrations.

Chapters

0:00 Intro: a midweek drop before the prelim
1:36 Welcoming back the pod's best mate, Lachlan Fitzgibbon
2:28 Wooden spoon to a prelim: how the Knights turned it around
5:08 Why Penrith are so hard to beat
6:45 The Knights' style that can trouble the Panthers
7:40 What Nathan Cleary is really like on the field
9:00 Phoenix Crossland, the unsung Iceman
10:50 Kalyn Ponga's emotional post-game and his commitment to Newcastle
14:01 The young back-rowers and Holbrook's attack
15:46 How many times out of ten do the Knights win this?
17:25 The Newcastle Rugby League grand final win with South
18:02 Inside the mad Monday celebrations
21:32 Re-signing and going back-to-back
24:43 Rapid Fire: your listener questions
31:29 His favourite moment as a Knight
35:06 The prediction: the score and man of the match
36:20 Wrap-up and a grand-final-week promise

Keywords
Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Lachlan Fitzgibbon interview, Newcastle Knights, NRL, rugby league, NRL preliminary final, Knights v Panthers, Penrith Panthers, Nathan Cleary, Kalyn Ponga, Phoenix Crossland, Fletcher Sharp, NRL finals, Newcastle Rugby League, footy podcast, Australian sport, Talking Sport Report, Scotty and Eggo

Scotty and Eggo are back for episode 78, and the NRL is down to the final four, the Knights, Panthers, Roosters and Dolphins. A big cricket bombshell, a monster Comment Club and a merch alert to get through too.

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On the show this week:

Scotty's back-page headline evicts the pretenders after a big weekend of finals footy. Then the main event: we pick a best 1 to 13 from the final four to call who lifts the trophy, and the result might just be the grand final we all want. Plus the moments that caught our eye, a ladder stat that spells trouble for one side, and Cricket Corner, where Steve Smith drops a bombshell you'll have to hear to believe.

Chapters

0:00 Intro and the final four
1:30 Midweek teaser: jockey legend Alan Robinson
2:53 Headline: the pretenders pack their bags
4:15 Nico Hynes and the Sharks' season in one image
7:15 The Grand Final Predictor: picking the best 1-13
15:01 The tough calls: hookers, front row and second row
23:12 The verdict: a Panthers v Roosters grand final
23:22 What Caught My Eye: Fletcher Sharp's first-try heartbreak
27:10 The Knights' nail-biter and shaking at the barbecue
30:53 Warriors fans throwing cans: stay classy
32:12 Ladder stats: has 7th ever won the comp?
34:20 Prelim final timings and the extra-days debate
35:53 Cricket Corner: Steve Smith's Ashes bombshell
38:35 Smith's mountain of milestone stats
42:34 Comment Club begins
59:33 Wrap-up and sign-off

Keywords
rugby league, NRL, NRL finals, NRL preliminary finals, NRL final four, Newcastle Knights, Penrith Panthers, Sydney Roosters, Dolphins, New Zealand Warriors, Cronulla Sharks, grand final prediction, Nathan Cleary, Fletcher Sharp, cricket, Steve Smith, the Ashes, South Africa tour, sports comedy, footy podcast, Australian sport, Comment Club, Talking Sport Report

Scotty and Eggo are back for episode 77 after a big opening week of the NRL finals, and the whole thing just got blown wide open. A heated Comment Club, a bit of cricket and a merch alert to get through too.

Comment Club
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On the show this week:

The big one, Nathan Cleary's suspension, and how a week without him drags the Panthers back to the pack and cracks the finals wide open. Who's the smoky now, and are we in for a week of upsets? The Knights rolling on after knocking out a woeful Souths, and the Rabbitohs fans blaming the ref, the bunker and a bloke in row G for everything but their own performance. The all-time Manly fan running his mouth at a finals game his team didn't even make, Dylan Lucas and an ankle that pointed the wrong way somehow lining up to return, another NRL star allegedly busted for cocaine and where he ends up next, and the Dolphins and Warriors flying to New Zealand to make up the numbers. Then Cricket Corner, where the Test squad is picked for South Africa, Marnus Labuschagne's numbers keep sliding, and we reckon we've found his replacement in the most unlikely place.

Chapters

0:00 Intro: a few drinks deep after a big finals week
2:14 Scotty's front page and the state of the finals
4:54 Eggo's back page: Souths blame everyone but themselves
6:52 The Manly fan running his mouth at a game Manly didn't make
9:30 Dylan Lucas and the ankle that pointed the wrong way
13:03 Another NRL star allegedly busted for drugs
17:37 The Dolphins and Warriors making up the numbers in NZ
20:32 Cleary Leg Gate: the suspension that blows the finals open
25:20 The Dolphins' jersey names and the marijuana sponsor backstory
29:04 A dream Roosters v Panthers grand final
33:54 Cricket Corner: the Test squad for South Africa
37:37 The ODIs, the batting order and the summer ahead
38:31 We've found Marnus's replacement
41:35 Comment Club: six messages, all audio
~55:00 The rest of Comment Club and the merch alert
~1:00:00 Wrap-up and sign-off

Keywords
rugby league, NRL, NRL finals, NRL finals week 1, Nathan Cleary, Penrith Panthers, Cleary suspension, Newcastle Knights, South Sydney Rabbitohs, NRL upsets, Dolphins, New Zealand Warriors, Dylan Lucas, cricket, Australia cricket, Test squad, South Africa tour, Marnus Labuschagne, sports comedy, footy podcast, Australian sport, Comment Club, Talking Sport Report

A special midweek episode. With the Knights back in the NRL finals, Scotty and Eggo sit down with a genuine Newcastle icon, the king of Newcastle radio, Triple M Breakfast's Steve G. If you grew up in Newcastle, you know Steve G, and Scotty admits he was a little star-struck for this one.

Steve takes us right back to the glory years: being on air through the Knights' fairytale run, MCing the wild Civic Park celebration that Kim Bauer threw together in twelve hours with the Johns brothers crowd-surfing, and the three-day bender at the Great Northern that you simply could not get away with today. He shares why 2001 is his "most boring grand final story," what really changed behind the scenes to take the Knights from the wooden spoon to the finals this year, and some brilliant off-the-cuff Andrew Johns and Matty Johns moments from decades in breakfast radio.

This is a bonus midweek drop, but our main show lands every Sunday night, so hit subscribe so you never miss one.

Chapters

0:00 Intro: meeting the king of Newcastle radio
2:53 From New FM to breakfast: Steve's Newcastle beginnings
5:52 MCing the Civic Park party and the Johns brothers crowd-surfing
10:09 The "most boring" 2001 grand final story
13:34 Wooden spoon to finals: what really changed at the Knights
17:25 Off-the-cuff Andrew Johns and Matty Johns stories
22:56 Back to '97: the connection with Robbie O'Davis
25:33 The ugly drugs rumours and who started them
26:26 Life in the public eye and the business of radio
34:14 The one rule: make people feel good
35:04 From the fishing boats to a life on air
38:01 The lucky break that launched his radio career
43:29 The Knights as his second team
45:16 Running out with the '97 heroes and getting yelled at by Kirk Gidley
49:57 The reality of a breakfast announcer's social life
51:21 Comment Club: Tess closes the show, and the wrap-up

#NewcastleKnights #NRL #TripleM #Newcastle

Finals bound, baby. Scotty and Eggo are back for episode 75 with the finals locked in, a full preview of all four games, some cricket news.

Comment Club
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Headlines of the Week turn the final round into the NRL's annual Bring Your Under-20s to Work Day, and Scotty reveals the sneaky loophole he reckons lands a certain veteran mastermind in the Queensland hot seat by 2027. Scotty also pitches a wild new rule book to Peter V'landys. Then the main event: we preview all four finals and disagree about most of them, run through what caught our eye in a farcical last round, drop into Cricket Corner for a big Mr Cricket call, and get to a monster Comment Club.

Chapters

0:00 Intro: Finals bound baby and Happy Father's Day
2:06 Headlines: the last round is Bring Your Under-20s to Work Day
3:35 Wayne Bennett's loophole to coach Queensland by 2027
5:16 Scotty pitches his wild new NRL rule book
10:06 Finals Preview: the run to the grand final begins
10:34 Knights v Rabbitohs: does it ruin Eggo's weekend?
12:40 Warriors v Dolphins: the Dolphins' first-ever finals
17:37 Sharks v Cowboys: does anyone give a shit?
23:23 What Caught My Eye in the final round
29:36 The Roosters just making up the numbers
35:02 The Jack Bostock winning streak stat
37:04 The Tigers v Panthers spear tackle
42:43 Around the ground: odds and ends
43:52 Maitland can't make it five straight either
45:00 Cricket Corner: Mike Hussey re-signs with Australia
49:13 Comment Club begins
~1:00:00 Wrap-up and sign-off

A genuine Newcastle favourite. Scotty and Eggo sit down with former Newcastle Knights back-rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon, live from an airport as he races to get home for a Newcastle Rugby League grand final with his junior club, South Newcastle, against the four-time reigning champion Maitland Pickers.

Comment Club
We close the show with your messages, Want your voice on the podcast? Send a voice memo or an email. Get involved at [email protected] or @talkingsportreport on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Our main show lands every Sunday night, so hit subscribe and the bell so you never miss one.

Chapters

0:00 Intro: a special midweek edition and the grand final
2:10 The cousin-in-law connection and bringing Lachlan in
4:52 Back to McDonald Jones Stadium for the big dance
5:43 Coming home to play in the Newcastle Rugby League
7:57 One and done? Retirement, the missus and a baby on the way
9:19 The biggest influences of his Knights career
10:47 The Andrew Johns story: meticulous to a fault
12:38 His NRL debut, the phone call and lungs on fire
14:47 The best sledge: the time he laughed in Gallen's face
16:47 Rapid fire: Millie vs Adam Elliott, Ponga's hidden talents and more
20:42 Racing to catch a flight and a promise to return
21:04 Wrap: the VIP airport dash and a scoop locked in
23:27 Comment Club: Nev takes Stig's advice and never cashes out
26:22 Sign-off

#NRL #RugbyLeague #Newcastle #LachlanFitzgibbon