The Grapple

With milestones in the rear view for the time being, our hero duo have been cleaved asunder again. The rock upon which the Grapple was built, Mr Spreadborough, has earned some R&R before a balls to wall tilt towards the Grand Final.

In his stead, Mr Manning required a man for all seasons, an experienced sports head, a calm head, a bald head .. so the choice was simple- Mr Worldwide. Cowboys and Eels former great Shane Muspratt takes reins on Joley’s side of the desk to carry Johnny through week 1 of the finals.

And carry the weight he did! 

Our charges cover all things from the upcoming finals games, to the NFL, Socceroos, the Lions 2 quarter cricket score against Carlton and a couple of cheeky multi’s the fellas have their fingers crossed for.

Tribute is paid as our Paralympians return to Oz, and chats of beers of bygone eras…(Saturday)

The obstruction rule is called into question, as is the hunky Bunkers interpretation of said rule. 

Uncle Wayne departs the Peninsula in search of greener (and redder) pastures at Redfern.

And the guys go deep on the 4 NRL games facing us fans in Finals weeks 1.

Tips, bets, predictions, permutations, sensations, home comings and short comings.

All that and much much more….and remember – Life’s not about the amount of breaths you take, it’s about the amount of times you Grapple.  

Our heroes launch into the milestone 30th episode of the Grapple with a eulogy of sorts, lamenting ongoing mutations and bastardisation of a game once known as Rugby League. Former NRL hard man Jamie McDonald calls in to weigh in on the plight of a game that’s gone too far down the path of change to retract, and ponders what it might mean for the future.

Then we shake off the sads and rip into another epic round of confusion and point scoring. We all love attacking footy but 434 is just a bit much for one weekend. Frightening conclusions are reached. Is Covid time war hero PVL now the problem? Are we actually finding a small degree of sympathy for the hard running Graham A?

The capitulation of the Dragons is bested only by that of the Broncos, and we analyse the decline of the Brisbane powerhouse- headlined by an exclusive reveal of player manager interference around one of the biggest stars of the game, who apparently doesn’t enjoy feedback from his coach. 

And has the NRL descended into diving? A series of incidents from round 26 are explored, with the games coaches yet again doing what they can to make the most of the interpretations of the day. 

Don’t worry though- it ain’t all bleak. The Grapplers toast the wonderful things; the Shaun Johnson’s and Wayne Bennett’s of the world again helping to keep faith that all is most definitely not lost.

Life’s a grapple. Dig it. 

As the saying goes, two heads are better than one,  this week our heroic duo is made whole again as Joel returns from the  deep, dark abyss of a Brisso winter flu. 

With a full deck in our hands and systems operating at full capacity our two soldiers take aim at the Hard Running Graeme again and the fascist language contained in the NRL email out for his weekly briefings....not so brief these days.

The bunker is under siege and the reffing in the cross hairs, but just like Wyatt at the OK Corral, Gun-Slinging Graeme doesn't blink when it comes to backing his refs.

Turbo tries to play Robin Hood but the NRL does their best Sheriff of NOttingham to thwart his gestures.

Wayne under the pump, the Broncos get a sniff and Hoppa's hand gets him in the sh$t again... not literally this time:-) 

Get busy Grappling or get busy dying...

As our Heroes battle the Dreaded Brisbane Exhibition one falls a foul of the infamous Ekka Flu. And so The Grapple Lite is born.As Joel battles Dante’s 7th circle of hell Johnny fumbles his way through the announcement of the 14th Immortal - You little Ronny Coote!!

A stack of the boys responsible for 8 straight getting  a start in the HOF, plus the Pearl and Lionel Graeme  Graeme-splaining as only Graeme can, age old arguments against 6 agains and challenges, and what needs to happen for your team to make the 8. And remember life is not about the number of breathes you take…… it’s about the number of times you Grapple. 

As the games of the 33rd Olympiad draw to a close (enough about old Frenchie's mort already) our heroes look for inspiration from some of the great performances, memorable moments and influential figures -

From Turkish-Jason Bourne to Noah “Weekend-at-Bernie’s” Lyles to Cam” Mark Watney” McEvoy.... (Never a shortage of Matt Damon references) .... -  Enter Aragorn Meares, cleaving quipping journo's asunder and prompting one little black duck to delete a slightly derogatory social media comment. That defence of Raygun was Rodman-Like.

They tackle Flanno Junior getting a rest for letting loose that tremendous rack of chompers on Critter’s proboscis (unlike dad, he's yet to win a comp), They theorise that the bat wing doors at the last chance saloon swing both ways as Val follows is stableford partner to the Harbour City, they call Townsville a wash? 

Graeme, as always, does Graeme, a couple of Wallabies make the switch  and the News Media are at their listing best. So much to get through, so few podcasts……

And always remember- When life gives you lemons... just say f%ck the lemons and Grapple.

This episode sees our two heroes on a quest to find out what in god's name has gone wrong with the Broncos.

Switching gears there's always grappling in the Olympics and home town favourite, poor old Anthony Ammirati is grappling with an early exit from the pole vault...but let's be honest the 21 year old may have lost the battle, but he's definitely won the war. Not one to sit around and console himself with a baguette or two, his Instagram followers have grown faster than a honeymooners horn. 

They celebrate the good, the bad and the ugly of the Olympic coverage and pay homage to our athletes.

One fella they continually celebrate is the hard running Graeme Annersley, who again has wowed the sporting faithful with another term Rugby League didn't know it needed.The 'Sleeper'. Most likely not a reference to our country's escalating terror threat, but something the HRGA felt needed to be part of the repertoire in his weekly Monday rules explanation extravaganza.

Player movements at the moment are like an Ornythorincus - they exist but are rarely seen. Oils might be oils according to Lawsy, but according Ash Klein a Head High certainly ain't a Head High. The NRL's top 50 most influential people have been announced .... ...Fortunately for their egos , our two knuckleheads are destined to operate in the shadows. Board a boat, sans latrine, and sail down the crusty waters of Rugby League's La Seine with two absolute half wits as the Grapple through life's merde.

Our heroes are dissecting the truth behind the NRL's head honcho undertaking a 'recruitment mission' to Paris, and dreaming about rugby league's inevitable and eventual foray into the Olympic games.

They are a little confused by some of the commentary around Broncos skipper Adam Reynolds' suitability for the (c) in Brisbane, and are calling a big steaming pile of BS on Brian To'o having the s**ts at Penrith.

They get the medical hats on to try and understand why confusing neurological terminology needs to be deployed to explain poor rulings by NRL referees.

More than anything, they're a pair of douche bags who don't really know asses from elbows, and you know what, neither does anyone else.

It's the Grapple and it's 25 episodes old. Get in on the ground floor, as we raise the collective bats for a glorious quarter century.

Well done to the NSW blues on an epic victory in the 2024 state of origin series. And commiserations to those enjoying the victory, who had to deal with some of the BS in the aftermath. Our heroes lift the lid on some poor form detracting from the grace of a well deserved victory, and unpack the words of an anonymous letter sent by someone in the maroon hierarchy.

The broncos are back, the cowboys are initialising a changing of the guard, and the Knights are ready to rumble with their own coach. It’s another week of grapple fever, and it’s infecting us all.

An Origin decider.... at the

This week our Heroes Grapple with a game 3 that seems

We draw on the spirit of Arthur,

This week we need all the greats,

 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 a broken leg a blessing for Nicho Hynes? And are the NRL's touted record participation numbers actually papering over a disturbing truth in grassroots rugby league?

All that, and much much mor.. well, SOME more stuff.. on the 22nd installment of The Grapple Podcast.