Full of NRL takes you’ll love and hate from NRL Soapbox (Soapy). This podcast isn’t just game previews and reviews but a meta-level analysis of the game for rugby league fans.
It was a SEND OFF but it's still a Newcastle Knights Fairytale - FIRST TAKE: Soapbox Sermons 022
First Take: Roosters Roll the Dolphins, Knights Knock Out Penrith
The Roosters didn't beat the Dolphins on the goal line. They beat them from 50 out. It was brutally direct footy through the middle, and by halftime the third-placed side was gassed.
Radley set the tone, DCE's jamming defence and that kick to Mark changed the game, and the Toia try was the dagger.
We also get into why the Dolphins waited until the last 10 to shift it, and how too much Hammer at first receiver made them pedestrian instead of electric.
Then it's Newcastle. Sandon Smith's tap, big nights from Graham and Talagi, and a hip drop that should've been a send off. Holbrook proved belief beats tactics, Cleary looked like he almost didn't care at the presser, and Ponga is one win away from announcing himself as a legacy player.
Plus the refereeing calls everyone's arguing about, what these results say about both clubs, and whether the Roosters and the Knights can do it again next week.
Timestamps:
0:00 I saw a fairytale
01:30 Adam Gee
05:40 Roosters vs Dolphins
22:49 Knights vs Panthers
22 Sept 2026
Can the Newcastle Knights fairytale continue? FIRST PICK - Soapbox Sermons 021
Prelim Finals Preview | First PickTimestamps:0:00 Cinderellas vs. Godzillas01:17 Referees05:35 Dolphins vs. Roosters22:04 Knights vs. PanthersTwo Cinderellas, two Godzillas, and one spot each in the Grand Final up for grabs.We break down both preliminary finals, starting with the Roosters and Dolphins. Are there too many cooks in the Roosters kitchen? The Dolphins have won both games this year, but the Roosters' form line tells a different story, and so does the difference between the first 20 and the last 30. Plus the key match-ups: Toia vs Farnworth, DCE vs Katoa, and Watson vs Donoghue.Then it's the Panthers and Knights. Penrith have won 17 of their last 20, but if this turns into a shootout, it's the Knights' game. The problem is, do they have the defence to beat the Panthers? We look at the missed tackles and why short balls at Cole and Cogger could decide it.Also: the referees (Klein and Butler), team ins and outs, head to head records and our predictions for both games.
20 Sept 2026
Were Warriors ROBBED or was it just karmic justice for the Knights + The Roosters have too many cooks in the kitchen - FIRST TAKE: Soapbox Sermons 020
The finals didn’t need to end like this.
Timestamps:
00:00 Were the Wahs robbed?01:30 Roosters vs Sharks29:14 Warriors vs Knights
Were Warriors robbed or was it just karmic justice for the Knights + The Roosters have too many cooks in the kitchen.
Two semi-finals, two very different stories.
Roosters vs Sharks: The Roosters finally get a win, and it's enough to land them in a prelim. We break down how they went after the Sharks' right edge, the Watson try that came out of nothing and swung the whole game, and DCE's night: the choices, the control, and yes, the trip. For Cronulla it's the same old story. Brutal injuries to Nicho and Hiroti, Trindall carrying the attack but bombing two tries, and another finals exit for an excellent regular-season team. Five different teams have played in a grand final in the last five years and none of them are the Sharks. Is Fitzy starting to wear the same criticism as Nicho Hynes? And is a team with one win from its last five really a premiership contender? Robbo's got a six-day turnaround and a Dolphins side that hasn't lost to them this year. The Roosters were the Dolphins' first-ever opponent, and now they're their first-ever prelim opponent. Only this time nobody's underestimating Redcliffe.
Knights vs Warriors: Kalyn Ponga tearing them up again, Crossland's desperation when it mattered most, Capewell's insane start to the second half and Leka defying physics in the corner. Plus the Warriors' kicking problem, Laban's missed tackles on the edge, and 70 minutes of calls going one way before the last three swung it back. A brave, maximum-effort performance from Newcastle.
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