Talking Sport Report

Scotty and Eggo are back with round 26 done, the NRL finals locked in, and one of the wildest stats of the season to unpack. First though, a big thank you to last week's guest Greg Bird, and a heads-up that the show is going twice a week, with ex-Newcastle Knight Lachlan Fitzgibbon joining for a bonus Thursday episode ahead of the local grand final.

Comment Club
This is the part of the show we love most, where we play your audio messages and read out your emails to wrap up every episode. Email us or send a voice memo from your phone. Get involved at [email protected]

On the show this week:

Headlines of the Week bring the NRL's baffling new rule that lets a team choose the kickoff after conceding a try, and Scotty's shock revelation that he's not the biggest fan of the Cronulla Sharks. Then the big one: for the first time since 1992, all four of last year's top-four sides have missed the finals, and the Broncos' season from hell rolls on with the Adam Reynolds retirement game shambles and Michael Maguire somehow keeping his job. Plus the Brent Tate and Tom Dearden interview that got a little too close, the finals now locked with only seeding to play for, Jimmy's 3-2-1s, and a huge Comment Club.

Chapters

0:00 Intro and a big thank you to Greg Bird
1:33 Going twice a week: Lachlan Fitzgibbon joins Thursday
2:53 Headlines of the Week: concede a try, pick the kickoff?
4:30 Scotty's shock Sharks confession
6:20 What Caught My Eye: the new kickoff rule in action
10:36 The Broncos shambles and the Reynolds retirement game
13:22 The Petey story: the time Scotty met Adam Reynolds
14:33 Brent Tate and Tom Dearden get a little too close
16:32 Last year's top four all miss the finals: a first since 1992
18:15 The finals locked in and home-ground advantage
28:04 The try-scoring guessing game with Jimmy
30:19 Jimmy's 3-2-1s
41:01 Comment Club begins
57:10 Wrap-up and sign-off

SPECIAL GUEST - GREG BIRD

Scotty and Eggo sit down with former NRL, State of Origin and Kangaroos star Greg Bird for a relaxed, natural and completely unfiltered chat. Two Maitland boys interviewing a Maitland legend, and it plays out like a Saturday afternoon on the punt, minus the beers.

Greg goes deep on the stories most players won't touch: the behind-the-scenes truth of the infamous Paul Gallen punch on Nate Myles and how it was planned, going to war with that great Queensland side, his genuine feud with the Newcastle Knights, and the brutal revenge game against Andrew Johns and Steve Simpson. He opens up on the Brian Fletcher moment , the jersey that means the most to him, and answers questions. Plus an all-time sledge at the end that was so good we had to promise never to air it.

Chapters

0:00 Intro: what to expect from the Greg Bird chat
1:48 Greg joins the show: two Maitland boys and a legend
2:42 Maitland roots and the old Newcastle nightclubs
3:35 The infamous Rutherford High streaking story
6:53 The Knights: love, hate and being snubbed as a junior
9:16 Coming back to play the Knights: it got vicious
9:25 The Joey Johns and Steve Simpson revenge game
10:49 Rivals, enforcers and who he set out to target
12:09 Nate Myles, Paul Gallen and playing both sides
13:29 Inside the Origin camp: do you really want to kill Queensland?
14:02 The Gallen punch on Myles and how it was planned
20:10 The jersey that means the most to him
23:56 The players every side is built around
27:44 The Brian Fletcher story: "everyone hated me"
28:47 Matt Hilder, the menace
29:50 Luke Gilchrist's question: the best sledge
32:41 The all-time sledge we had to cut
33:52 Wrap-up and one last word for Nate Myles

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Scotty and Eggo are back for episode 71, with two rounds to go, the finals picture taking shape, the Queensland coaching job somehow going begging, and a Test match that was over before they could even talk about it.

Comment Club
This is where we play your audio messages and read out your emails, and this week we had a record number come through. Fancy getting your voice on the podcast? Send a voice memo and you'll make next week's show. Get involved at [email protected] or @talkingsportreport on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. And the merch is here, so if you've ever gotten amongst it on the show, reach out and it's yours.

On the show this week:

Headlines of the Week bring the Broncos crashing Papa's farewell in Canberra to dodge the wooden spoon, and the Roosters snapping an eight-game winning streak against a Tigers side that just snapped an eight-game losing one. Then the big one: nobody wants the Queensland Origin job, from Cameron Smith to Darius Boyd, and whether it's all a sneaky way to get Wayne Bennett pulling the strings. Phil Gould's commentary one-liners, Ricky Stewart looking like he's been hit by six semis, the finals race with two rounds to go, and Jimmy's 3-2-1s. Plus the cricket, with Australia smashing Bangladesh inside two days, Mitchell Starc's record-breaking first ball, and the numbers that suggest we're watching the end of Marnus Labuschagne. Then a massive Comment Club with Matt Stonham, Gilly, Nark, Sluggy, Gards on the grill and a Stig send-off.

Chapters

0:00 Intro: episode 71 and a record week of comments
2:47 Headlines of the Week: the Broncos crash Papa's farewell
4:12 Feed them to the Tigers: the Roosters' streak snapped
6:21 What Caught My Eye: Phil Gould's commentary one-liners
10:05 Nobody wants the Queensland Origin job
12:07 Cameron Smith, Darius Boyd and the Wayne Bennett theory
15:35 Papa Lehi's farewell and Ricky Stewart's rough year
21:57 The finals race with two rounds to go
32:33 A midweek bonus: Greg Bird joins the show
33:14 Jimmy's 3-2-1s and the "deep throat goat"
39:03 Cricket: Australia demolish Bangladesh in two days
39:54 Starc's record-breaking first ball
41:23 Is this the end of Marnus?
47:46 Comment Club begins
~1:00:00 Wrap-up and sign-off

Keywords
rugby league, NRL, NRL finals, NRL round 25, State of Origin, Queensland coach, Wayne Bennett, Cameron Smith, Darius Boyd, Brisbane Broncos, wooden spoon, Wests Tigers, Sydney Roosters, Ricky Stewart, cricket, Australia vs Bangladesh, Mitchell Starc, Marnus Labuschagne, sports comedy, footy podcast, Australian sport, Comment Club, Talking Sport Report

Scotty and Eggo are back for episode 70, celebrating 27 years of friendship, with round 24 done, the finals picture taking shape and a big summer of cricket on the horizon. First though, the boys pay tribute to an old mate, with RIP Jake Pridue.

Comment Club
This is where we play your audio messages and read out your emails, and it's the best part of the show. Fancy yourself on a podcast? Reckon you can talk more horseshit than us? Send a voice memo and you'll make next week's episode. Get involved at [email protected] or @talkingsportreport on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Anyone who sends one in gets a merch pack.

On the show this week:

Headlines of the Week, with a Thursday night loss ruining the entire weekend, Stephen Crichton's badly timed cuddle of referee Ashley Klein, and NRL 2026 confirmed as the year the hamstring became the most feared opponent in the competition. The pork rope epidemic and the medical strappers cashing in, the disruptor rule mysteriously returning after 21 rounds, and why the Warriors are the most protected team in the game. The 2026 rule strikes again as the Sharks join the list of teams that cannot win the comp, plus Scotty's promise to host a whole show in a Sharks jersey if they prove him wrong. Broncos wooden spoon watch, Jimmy's 3-2-1s, and the pivot to a massive summer of cricket with the Aussies heading to South Africa and poor Jake Weatherald under the pump. Then a big Comment Club with Sluggy, Gilly and a Stig send-off.

Chapters

0:00 Intro: 27 years of friendship and RIP Jake Pridjew
3:12 Headlines of the Week: a Thursday loss ruins the weekend
5:17 Crichton's badly timed cuddle of Ashley Klein
6:49 NRL 2026: where hamstrings go to die
10:17 What Caught My Eye: the disruptor rule returns after 21 rounds
11:57 The Warriors, penalty counts and who's most protected
13:38 Reece Walsh, the hip drop and a two-week ban
19:30 Short and sweet: aren't the Sharks cooked?
19:46 The 2026 rule and the teams that can't win the comp
22:21 Scotty's Sharks jersey promise
23:11 Broncos wooden spoon watch
36:12 Coaching carousel: Seibold, Cameron Smith and the Fatty theory
38:22 Jimmy's 3-2-1s
39:18 Cricket's back: the Aussies head to South Africa
45:51 Jake Weatherald under the pump
47:40 Comment Club begins
48:24 Sluggy's weekly wrap
52:10 Gilly's message
55:54 Stig's send-off
59:58 Wrap-up and sign-off

Keywords
rugby league, NRL, NRL round 24, NRL finals, NRL injuries, hamstring injuries, Brisbane Broncos, wooden spoon, Cronulla Sharks, Warriors, Reece Walsh, Stephen Crichton, Ashley Klein, cricket, Australia cricket, South Africa tour, Jake Weatherald, sports comedy, footy podcast, Australian sport, Comment Club, Talking Sport Report

Scotty and Eggo are back for episode 69 (yes, they had to), with round 23 done and the run to the NRL finals well and truly on. Records are tumbling, the Broncos are in freefall, and two top-eight teams are getting ruled out of the 2026 premiership on the spot.

Comment Club
Send a voice memo and you'll make the podcast. Get involved at [email protected] or @talkingsportreport on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

On the show this week:

Headlines of the Week, with the Cowboys and Titans playing each other's brand of terrible, the NRL going NFL to allow forward passes, and Manly's revolutionary new game plan of doing nothing and hoping the opposition gets bored. Canberra go from minor premiers to missing the eight, and we dig into how rare that really is. The records that tumbled in a wild round, the Broncos' historic collapse in the Battle of Brisbane, and Parramatta almost pulling off the greatest comeback in NRL history. Plus the two players we reckon mean their team simply cannot win the comp, Nico Hynes' rough run.

Chapters

0:00 Intro: episode 69 and what's on the show
1:07 Headlines of the Week: the Cowboys and Titans swap
2:44 Eggo's headline: the NRL goes NFL for forward passes
4:09 Manly's new game plan: do nothing and wait
6:08 What Caught My Eye: Canberra's 300-metre line honour
8:22 Minor premiers to missing the eight: how rare is it?
10:27 Corey Horsburgh's brain snap that cost a season
11:29 Ruben Garrick and the players who can't win a comp
13:32 The records that tumbled this round
13:54 The Broncos' collapse in the Battle of Brisbane
14:57 Parramatta's near-record comeback against Souths
19:38 The finals race and who's still in it
24:54 The two top-eight teams we're ruling out
27:14 More that caught our eye
29:45 Nico Hynes' rough run of luck
41:56 Jimmy's 3-2-1s
50:38 Comment Club begins
52:01 Sluggy's weekly wrap
57:59 A brand-new Comment Club debut
1:00:00 Wrap-up and sign-off

Keywords
rugby league, NRL, NRL round 23, NRL finals, NRL premiership, Brisbane Broncos, Manly Sea Eagles, Canberra Raiders, Parramatta Eels, Ruben Garrick, Nico Hynes, Corey Horsburgh, NRL records, NRL ladder, sports comedy, footy podcast, Australian sport, Comment Club, Talking Sport Report

Scotty and Eggo are back for episode 68, fighting off man flu with the NRL finals on the horizon. The Broncos are officially cooked, we hand out our end-of-season awards, and there's a cricket cheating scandal you have to hear to believe.

Comment Club
Send a voice memo or an email and you'll make the show, we genuinely do not care if you call us dribblers. Get involved at [email protected] or @talkingsportreport on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Everyone who sends one in this week gets a merch pack.

On the show this week:

The Broncos buried at home by last year's wooden spooners, and why they should get the spoon by default. Our 2026 NRL awards: who annoyed us most, the most frustrating team to watch, the cult hero and the non-player villain. A ten-minute sin bin for a hair pull, Nico Hynes' 30-from-30 goal-kicking streak, and Wayne Bennett roulette. Jimmy's 3-2-1s and an alarming Max King theory. Plus ClickGate, the Saltburn slip fielder accused of clicking his fingers to con umpires into wickets, a scandal reckoned to be bigger than Sandpapergate, and Scotty's own suspicious junior cricket past.

Chapters

0:00 Intro: episode 68 and the man flu
2:30 Headlines of the Week: the Cronulla halfback's annual masterclass
5:05 The Broncos are officially cooked
7:55 The Roosters treat the Cowboys as tackling bags
10:33 The 2026 NRL awards begin
11:03 Who annoyed us most this year
13:56 The most frustrating team to watch
15:52 The 2026 cult hero
18:19 The non-player villain
19:44 What Caught My Eye begins
21:47 Reece Walsh's ten-minute hair-pull sin bin
23:36 Nico Hynes' 30-from-30 goal streak
26:21 Wayne Bennett roulette
29:25 "No duty of care" and the reverse-over-the-line try
32:28 The Warriors' inflamed jersey
38:19 Jimmy's 3-2-1s and the Max King theory
43:57 ClickGate: cricket's wildest cheating scandal
46:45 Scotty's own junior cricket ClickGate past
49:30 Comment Club begins
49:40 Sluggy's weekly wrap
53:18 Stig's (heavily edited) send-off
55:23 Wrap-up and sign-off

Keywords
rugby league, NRL, NRL finals, Brisbane Broncos, Michael Maguire, Reece Walsh, Nico Hynes, Wayne Bennett, NRL awards, NRL bunker, cricket, ClickGate, Sandpapergate, sports comedy, footy podcast, Australian sport, Comment Club, Talking Sport Report

Scotty and Eggo are back for episode 67, and it's a big NRL night with a resignation, an obituary and a merch crisis.

Comment Club
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Headlines of the Week are back to kick us off.

Adam Doueihi effectively telling his boss to get stuffed, the Tigers' season playing out like a Netflix documentary, and whether you're Team Benji or Team Doueihi. Then it's onto the NRL's injury epidemic and who's really to blame, two outrageous $101 premiership bets on the Broncos and Raiders, Mitch Barnett's Alan Langer moment, and the great merch stocktake as the show runs at a net loss.

Plus Jimmy's 3-2-1s, and a lap around the world with the Commonwealth Games and the football.

Chapters

0:00 Intro: episode 67 and the sleep-podcast theory
2:02 Comment Club and merch teased
3:05 Headlines of the Week begin
3:10 Still firing the bow instead of the arrow
6:04 Obituary: RIP the Broncos and Storm's 2026
7:55 The Tigers' number 13 crisis
9:14 Doueihi tells his boss to get stuffed
11:01 Team Benji or Team Doueihi?
13:00 The Tigers' season as a Netflix disaster
15:22 The NRL injury epidemic and who's to blame
20:11 The Momentum Tracker and the Harry Grant tracker
23:10 Two outrageous $101 premiership bets
27:10 The Warriors' slide and Mitch Barnett's magic
31:15 Jimmy's 3-2-1s
34:57 Backyard cricket rules and childhood memories
37:43 The great merch stocktake
43:04 Scotty's weight loss and the sound effect hunt
44:26 Comment Club begins
45:26 Sluggy's weekly wrap from the police car
48:20 Gilly on the Commonwealth Games and Gina Rinehart
52:51 Stig leads the tipping comp
55:23 On the Grill with Gardzi returns
58:17 A live podcast pitch and the sign-off

Keywords
rugby league, NRL, NRL round 21, Wests Tigers, Adam Doueihi, Benji Marshall, NRL injuries, Brisbane Broncos, Melbourne Storm, Canberra Raiders, NRL premiership odds, Peter V'landys, Mitch Barnett, New Zealand Warriors, Newcastle Knights, NRL news, Commonwealth Games, rugby league comedy, footy podcast, Australian sport, Comment Club, Talking Sport Report

Scotty and Eggo are back for episode 66, and with Origin done and the season hitting the pointy end!

Comment Club
This is the part of the show where we play back your audio messages and read out your emails, and it's fast becoming the best part of the podcast. Whatever you send, we play it or read it, and you get your say on the show. Get involved in the show, send through your emails and voice messages to appear on the podcast! [email protected]

Headlines of the Week - kicks the show off with a brutal Manly target this week!

Then it's into the hard-hitting questions. Who makes the grand final, which two sides do we rule out of the eight right now, who limps into the finals and flames out in a ball of glory, and which coaches are gone by season's end. With the ladder gridlocked from fifth to twelfth, it's all live.

"What Caught My Eye" brings the Knights' Miami Heat jersey, a ranking of the greatest jerseys of all time, a bunker referee who clearly doesn't know what an escort is, Manly Milestone Watch as they stall on 999 wins, a Jerome Luai conspiracy theory, a sin bin for tackling someone too low, Alex Twal's love tap, and heartbreak for Ricky Stewart with Hudson Young's Achilles.

Plus Jimmy's 3-2-1s is back!

Chapters

0:00 Intro: episode 66 and what's coming up
1:37 Headlines of the Week: true or false?
1:48 Fogarty's boot enters witness protection
3:18 Seibold at the pub and Foran's post-game speech
5:27 Manly's medical staff speak out on Turbo
6:23 Turbo's games by season: the hard question
7:32 Round 20 results run-through
10:34 Big question: who's in the grand final?
13:19 Ladder gridlock and who we rule out of the eight
16:34 Who makes the finals then flames out
18:23 Which coaches are gone by season's end
21:02 What Caught My Eye: the Knights' Miami Heat jersey
22:34 The greatest jerseys of all time
24:19 The bunker, Val Holmes and the escort call
26:13 Manly Milestone Watch: stuck on 999
27:51 Conspiracy theories and the Jerome Luai one
29:56 A sin bin for tackling too low
33:06 Referees as press whores and Ashley Klein
33:54 Alex Twal's love tap
34:28 Ricky Stewart and Hudson Young's Achilles
36:13 Teddy on Fox Sports and a Hunters Hill story
38:22 Jimmy's 3-2-1s
41:30 Around the world: LeBron watch and Bronny
43:24 World Cup final, England and the ten-goal playoff
46:26 Comment Club begins
47:41 Mitch Gardner steps up
48:50 Sluggy's weekly wrap
51:04 Stig part one
53:27 Stig part two
54:02 Jimmy's Comment Club submission
55:27 The Davis Cup mystery
57:19 Demon's wedding vs the Wimbledon final
58:57 The Antarctica Polar Bears team list
1:00:02 Wrap-up and sign-off

Keywords
rugby league, NRL, NRL round 20, NRL finals race, NRL ladder, NRL grand final predictions, NRL coaches sacked, Manly Sea Eagles, Kieran Foran, Tom Trbojevic, Newcastle Knights, Penrith Panthers, Sydney Roosters, Canberra Raiders, Hudson Young, Jerome Luai, NRL bunker, NRL referees, World Cup final, England World Cup, sports comedy, footy podcast, Australian sport, Comment Club, Talking Sport Report

Scotty and Eggo are back for episode 65, and after Scotty legged it down the highway from Manly to make it to the mic, there is a shed load to get through.

Headlines of the Week kicks us off

Then it is into the split round, with a 66-0 slaughtering of the Dolphins, the Raiders putting 40 on the Bulldogs, a Rabbitohs thriller, golden point at Brookvale, and a ladder so tight there is barely a point between first and ninth. "What Caught My Eye" brings Brooksy Watch and a signed card mission, the momentum tracker rant (and the long-awaited return of the scrotometer), the Knights "actually winning 54-6" if you count everything Dom Young butchered, and another groundsman having a shocker with the 30 metre line.

We look back at the State of Origin decider and the tip we gave you that we did not back ourselves, before Jimmy's 3-2-1s, an all-time Jimmy Instagram moment, and a lap around the world: the World Cup quarters heating up with England, Argentina, France and Spain, the dark reality of a Colombian forward in hiding, Conor McGregor's $15 million 65 seconds, and Wembanyama walking away from $50 million.

Comment Club
This is the part of the show where we play back your audio messages and read out your emails, and the listeners went to another level this week. Sluggy's weekly wrap, Gilly's Italian tribute and cricket club offer, Nev, and the long-awaited Talking Sport Report debut of Stig, who comes out swinging.

Get involved in the show, send through your emails and voice messages to appear on the podcast! [email protected]

KEYWORDSrugby league, NRL, NRL round 19, State of Origin, Origin decider, Peter V'landys, NRL expansion, Sharks Dolphins, Luke Brooks, Newcastle Knights, Dom Young, NRL ladder, World Cup, England Argentina, Conor McGregor, Victor Wembanyama, sports comedy, footy podcast, Australian sport, Comment Club, Talking Sport Report

Scotty and Eggo are back for episode 64 and it is all about the decider. With the State of Origin series locked up, the boys break down Game 3 at Suncorp, Laurie Daly's last stand, the home-ground hoodoo, and why they reckon you should be unloading the kitty on New South Wales.

Headlines of the Week deliver Matt Burton recalled as the greatest 20th man in history, the Tigers booking an early trip to Bali as the Dragons end their premiership hopes, and three cracking headlines for Cody Walker's now-infamous kick on Jack Cogger. Then it is into the Origin decider proper, the Suncorp stats, and a debate over who steps up versus who wilts.

Round 18 gets the once-over with the Broncos in freefall and Madge under the pump, before Jimmy's 3-2-1, a ranking of the most frustrating things in sport, and a lap around the world with the World Cup, Australia bowing out and England (sorry, Onglande) somehow flying.

Comment Club
This is the part of the show where we play back your audio messages and read out your emails, and this week the listeners are on fire. Get involved in the show, send through your emails and voice messages to appear on the podcast! [email protected]

Chapters

0:00 Intro and the decider setup
1:49 Headlines of the Week begin
2:40 Scotty's headline: Tigers off to Bali as the Dragons end their season
4:08 Eggo's headline: Burton recalled, the greatest 20th man in history
5:22 Cody Walker's kick: the NFL, UFC and FIFA headlines
8:00 State of Origin decider: Burton rushed into camp
12:41 Home-ground advantage and the Suncorp stats
15:12 Who steps up and who wilts in the decider
18:45 Round 18 recap
20:12 What Caught My Eye: Broncos, Madge and Sam Thaiday
24:17 The Manly v Parra game and the home-team hoodoo
25:38 Try celebrations: hold the bow, drop the arrow
27:19 Mascots vs the real world: sharks, bird flu and brumbies
30:43 Fox Sports camera angles and the bunker
33:30 Piped-in crowd chants rant
37:06 Jimmy's 3-2-1
39:11 Ranking the most frustrating things in sport
45:03 Around the world: the World Cup, Australia out and England flying
47:34 The LeBron "tough times" bit
49:32 Comment Club begins
50:35 Huddy's message
56:14 Tess chat
57:49 Gilly's rant and the tongue twister
1:00:17 On the Grill with Guardzi
1:04:11 Wrap-up and sign-off

KEYWORDS

rugby league, NRL, State of Origin, Origin decider, Game 3, Suncorp, NRL round 18, Broncos, Matt Burton, Cody Walker, Newcastle Knights, Manly, Parramatta, World Cup, sports comedy, footy podcast, Australian sport, NRL news, Comment Club, Talking Sport Report