Not Like This

The boys are back and are immediately confused about round zero- what is this?! why did they do this?! Is the new Commish trying to stamp his vision on the league? We then discuss whether at 0-3, is the dream over? Can the Pies find their Apollo Creed and bounce back? Are the Saints legit? Who is legit?! Finnaly we bounce around the league a bit and get to some main talking points from the first few rounds, which teams/players have started well, give Travis boak some love for his 350th, Richie vs the field is back and we finish with a big announcement from Muzz

The boys are back for the annual Happiness Ladder ratings and continue on their philosophical search for the true meaning of fan enjoyment- is it delusion? bitterness? belief in flat earths?!  And a bonus spontaneous question- how happy is it living under a fascist regime?!

In their annual retirement episode, Richie, Muzz and T-Bone assess the careers of the class of 2023, using their strict rubric of onfield performances, retirement speeches and tattoo allocations to grade the likes of Lance Franklin, Trent Cotchin, Shannon Hurn and Isaac Smith out of 100. Will Buddy get 100 out of 100? Does Ruck Jesus have four-club love? Who is Nic Nat's legendary uncle? All of the AFL's burning questions will (probably not) be answered in this hour of power!

Muzz is joined by childhood friends and Collingwood fanatics, T-Bone and Richie Buckets, for the deepest of Grand Final deep dives, as the boys describe their vastly different experiences of making it through the Gates of Valhalla. Richie delivers a biased Bam Bam Watch, Bone wonders whether Scott Pendlebury is now the greatest Pie of the AFL era and the boys finally put the dreaded Collywobbles to bed. The most euphoric/delirious/delusional episode in the history of podcasts!   

The Bone and Richie Buckets are in the studio to break down all things finals including a heart stopping Pies GWS thriller (01:00) and a huge Bam Bam watch, then they jumnp into the Lions Blues (16:45) and the fightback from Brisbane after being punked in the first qtr, and give some love to Captain Courageous Cripps who can now take that mattress off his torso and get some rest. Also we celebrate Adem Yze finally getting a shot in the big chair and the joys of Grand Final week.

The Bone and Richie Buckets kick off the pod by honoring a couple of legends of our game who sadly passed away this weekend- Ronald Dale Barassi and Kevin "Cowboy" Neale. Then they jump into all the week 2 finals action, the ramifications of a team going out in straight sets, some huge performances by a couple of young guns Sam Walsh and Tom Greene, and we kinda wade into prelim-preview territory, mainly discussing the trauma for pies fans with every remaining team.  

After a bumper opening week of finals action, Bone and Buckets disagree about the flavour of Collingwood's victory over Melbourne and on the actions of one line-stepping Magpie (0:50). Was Carlton's victory over the 'ghost team' Swans really one of the great elimination finals (14:12)? Muzz's beloved Saints succumb to Adam Kingsley's cringeworthy, but successful finals mantra (26:00). And, after the 'terrifying' (and sexy) Lions struck fear into Richie, will King Kenny's critics ever forgive him if the Power go out in straight sets (37:19)?

With no football this weekend the full NLT squad take some victory laps on their hits and lawyer away their misses on the annual Nightmares on Wax episode! Then later on the lads pick their Liam Picken All-Stars for 2023, with plenty of rules and even more breaking of said rules (32:15).

The AFL regular season is finally done as the gang returns to the studio to discuss the final round, starting with Blues v GWS and give some nuffie love to Tom Greene and is Weitering in trouble for eye gouging the grub? (01:00), Cats v Dogs is it time to scorch earth down at Kardinia Park? (06:45), Pies v Bombers has the fast few weeks destroyed any progress for Essendon this year? (11:45), North v Suns Larkey dominating, Norths young guys showing a bit and some Dimma to Gold Coast chat (17:45) Lions v Saints Joseph JoJo ready to meet the moment (25:00), and a get well King Melk message (29:15). We also reveal our All-Australian teams (36:00), all the tedious rules, dubious ommisions and disgraceful additions as we lavish praise on the best players from the 2023 season.

Muzz and Richie Buckets join forces to breakdown a controversial, season-ending, crazy round of footy starting with the Pies Lions clash (01:00), the screwjob in Adeaide as Richie closes business on the goal umpire and the Swans creeping up to the magical 7 straight wins (09:20), give some love to a few all time club champs in Jack Riewoldt, Jack Ziebell and Trent Cotchin (13:55), the ferocious contest between the Blues and Suns as Charlie goes full Buddy (20:50), Hulk Hogans big game against the free-falling Bombers (26:50), Saints fans excitement over making finals under the true chosen one Ross the Boss (33:00), the Dogs inexplicable loss with so much on the line against the Eagles (43:00), then finishing with a few thoughts from the Dees Hawks game (49:20)

Sorry again for the delay everyone! Even the NLT crew are limping to the finish of this long regular season. Muzz finally allowed The Bone to re-enter the studio to review a superb round of football. Judgement is given in all the rounds major cases : TRAC V ARC, Brad Close V  Carpark and the tragic case of Tim English the Fullback.

After copping vile abuse from listeners for failing to publish a weekly episode, host Muzz embarks on a solo mission, trying to incorporate as many Richie Buckets and T-Bone catch phrases as possible as he unpacks the week in football; Little Nicky's tragic knee injury, Geelong's narrow escape, Luke Shuey's inevitable trip to the Eagle Farm, Harry Himmelberg's Giant contract, Dimma's Italian job and, if nothing else, tune in for a guest appearance from Richie Buckets, as he does the one thing he hoped he'd never have to do!

LET'S BE CLEAR: Collingwood losing to Carlton is not why the episode is late! The boys discuss a bizarre round 20; The Blues' sixth straight win, the Crows' Showdown triumph, crucial wins for the Dees, Swans, Grub-led Giants and (disrespected) Saints, and Richie Buckets returns from his Adelaide road trip to reopen business for one franchise and quietly close the door on another.

T-Bone flies in from the City of Churches to recount him and Richie's experience watching the Pies-Power top-of-the-table clash at the Adelaide Oval, before him and Muzz chat about Jake Stringer's stop-start career, Bevo's broken hand, Luke Shuey's imminent trip to the Eagle farm, the Tigers' comeback from the clouds against the Hawks, 'Tex' versus Modra, and Muzz's dad joins the podcast fresh from the Saints-Kangaroos graveyard shift to give his thoughts on the game and the Nick Riewoldt-Brett Ratten 'free physio' beef.

Richie, Muzz and T-Bone kick off the pod with the resurgent Blues finally waking up for season 2023, give Baby SOS some love while Richie and Bone make it all about them and discuss how angry they are at Port for resting guys ahead of their clash next week (00:30),then get into the GOTY between Brisbane and Melbourne and how this podcasts' favorite King, King Melk took control over this game in the final frantic last qtr (07:30), we remain mystified by the Doggies to the point of a spontaneous closing and give some love to Horse for 300 games as coach (16:45), the Pies dominant third qtr against Freo as Richie and Bone try desperately to keep a lid on things (26:00), Muzz knew this was coming for the Saints against Gold Coast and was the Dew sacking warranted? Does Dimma take the gig? (35:45), and we finish with the Cat flex as they pounced on any and every Bomber turnover in a beatdown at Kardinia Park (44:30)

Muzz, JT and Richie Buckets kick off the pod by reveling in the goalfest at Docklands between Essendon and Adelaide ( 00:30), discuss the win or go home Richmond Swans arm wrestle in the wet and break into an extended game of Who Better? Legends Edition of Dusty v Buddy before realising we should just do an entire pod on this at some point (07:50), give Pendles all the love and a JUH debate, while Richie Buckets breaks out and adds a Corporate Takeover Watch for  Pies v Dogs (18:00), Forward Trac living it up in King Melks Forward Kingdom (31:15), and some Cogs love in the GWS Hawks game (38:30)

Muzz recounts his psychological meltdown during the Saints-Eagles game (0:52), before Richie and T-Bone salvage the podcast by cautioning the Tigers against the caretaker coach trap (6:55), debating whether the Swans left excrement on the sheets during their draw against Geelong (15:43), lamenting Bevo's politeness with the media this season (24:21), contemplating whether the Suns are professional losers after their loss to the Flag-Pies (29:38), re-living Dan Houston's after the siren match-winner (36:54) and annointing the Giants as the 'party crashers' of the competition (44:53).

Richie, Muzz and T-Bone recap a narrow escape for the Pies against the Hot Tex Time Machine (1:22), before getting stuck into the rest of the bye round: the Demons' missed chance to bury the Cats in 'Wild Man' Scott's 300th game (8:55), a Harry Andrews masterclass against the sloppy Saints (17:11), Richie delivers some home truths to the Eagles after their blood(s)bath in Sydney (29:10) and 'Wacko Jacko' finally shines for the Dockers over the Bombers (38:50).

Richie, Muzz and T-Bone trawl the Port Adelaide fan forums to give credit to the man who's really responsible for the Power's winning streak, before chatting about an inevitable Lions victory at the Gabba, Trent Cotchin's courageous 300-game career, a Docker shocker against the Giants, a respite/goal orgy for Blues supporters at the MCG and the demise of Dermott Brereton's commentary career during the Bulldogs-Kangaroos game, before clearing up a host of absurd player nicknames to give listeners a clue as to what they've been talking about for the past three seasons.

Richie, Muzz and T-Bone hit the studio straight after the King's Birthday clash as the Dees shed their 'quasi' contender tag (1:10), before covering the baked-beans-on-toast encounter between the Swans and Saints (7:51), Bone froths over the Horn Dog's goal of the millennium against the actual Dogs (17:03) and does his best to praise the Hawks' freewheeling victory over the Lions (25:40), Richie presents a throwback Shai Watch out west (32:40), the Blues serve up another bloodbath against the Baby Bombers (40:06) and the boys play the A+ game with North Melbourne after their loss to the Golden Grub-led Giants (47:08).