Rugby League Hour - Episode 6

Episode six of the Rugby League Hour is here, brought to you by MicroBio Solutions Limited. Every Monday during the 2024 NRL season on The Platform, It's Only Sport host Martin Devlin is joined by one of the best rugby league analysts going around - former Warriors coach and Kiwis representative Tony Kemp.

We're six rounds into the NRL season, and it's as tough as can be to pick out the competition pace setters. We have a new table topper in the form of the Cronulla Sharks who defeated the hapless South Sydney Rabbitohs 34-22 and now boast a 4-1 record. The Melbourne Storm are second on the ladder with the same number of wins and losses, and teams placed third through sixth are all tied on eight competition points. The Warriors remain inside the top eight - just - following their 22-all draw with the Manly Sea Eagles, while the likes of the Sydney Roosters, Brisbane Broncos, Parramatta Eels and Newcastle Knights - three of whom were finals teams in 2023 - are on the outside looking in when it comes to finals spots (not that the race for the finals should be talked about so early in the year). Kempy and Marty work their way through all eight games this past weekend and the results that standout.

Then, it's Up The Wahs - a segment dedicated solely to the Warriors. The lone New Zealand NRL club hosted their fourth game in six to begin the season, and despite a slow start riddled with errors, the hosts dug their way out of a 16-0 hole to draw with their opponents. Who should be happier with sharing the points - the Warriors or Sea Eagles? Was the penalty call against Manly's Josh Aloiai that sent the game to golden point the right decision? Kempy and Marty answer all the key questions.

This week on He's A Ledge, it's a big one. A man who represented Australia, New South Wales, Newcastle and Cronulla, but has become more known for his successful broadcasting career, first on Nine's The Footy Show years back and now on his self-named telecast on Fox Sports - Matty Johns. Johns shares his thoughts on how the Warriors are going, why there isn't a standout team just yet in this year's competition, golden point, the Josh Schuster situation, and more.

After that, Kempy and Marty go head-to-head debating six rugby league topics, including whether or not golden point should be changed or eradicated from the game altogether, and who the next South Sydney coach will be if Jason Demetriou is sacked. Kempy hands out the Effluex clean-up award for the player, coach or team who did their job better than anyone else on the weekend - someone who rolled up their sleeves and turned gunk into gold.

And to finish things off, Kempy lists his five best teams in the NRL right now on TK's Top 5.

The Rugby League Hour is sponsored by MicroBio Solutions Limited, solving environmental issues using green technologies. Visit https://microbio.co.nz/