Fire Up!

JR returns to Fire Up! and manages to offend an entire country and an entire gender as we review the second Instalment of Indigenous Round. JR's Bugbears also return with 80% all new material. To his credit, JR does dig in and defend the Sydney Roosters, arguing that they are more than just a feeder team for rugby union - they are a humanitarian organisation. And speaking of other codes, we give thanks that we are not the AFL which has more troubles than  a monkey on a rock right now.

OG Mal Meninga understands. It's an West Coast v East Coast thing.So with a 2028 Perth GF in the offing, the Bears are getting their act together (finally).We're joined by PJ Lane and Alby Talarico to inspect the Bears' jersey, mascot and salary cap/player concessions. And we even preview the new team song.Meanwhile, at SuperJesus HQ, Sarah McLeod AKA PVL is  unleashing a torrent of content ideas - 3rd v 4th Froth, Global Round, Global GF, Global NRL Cop and Global NRL Jet. We unpack it all.And what's the deal with the popcorn chicken @ Allianz!?!?!Turn on your grill and Fire Up!

We here at Fire Up! totally respect the NRL's initiative to keep the coverage positive.So Emma Domoney joined us to talk up the game with the exception of the following:blowout scorelines; angry birds (ie. Roosters); blueing Tigers; PVL; visually challenged touchies; Reece Walsh; threatened teddy bears; PVL; Global Rounds; PVL; Matt King's lack of emotion; Manly Sports Management Diplomas....on, and PVL.

The Touchline Troubador, Denis Carnahan, paints The Bye Round Studios a shade of Raiders green as we get to grip with what more  can be said about the Tigers after you’ve had 21 seconds. Answer: Nothing.Big Club Theory rears its ugly head in the NRLW. PVL may not have been on The Queen’s speed dial. Denis is doing Rugby League the Musical for a 10th consecutive year come Finals time. How can you not be FIRED UP!?!?!

We are joined by Kellis Hollis from Hear Her Roar, a Wests Tigers NRLW podcast, as we look at the latest concerns around Big Club Theory as Dragons CEO, Tim Watsford,  sees a problem that extends "beyond the football field."We also usher in the era of Sarah McLeod AKA Peter V'landys AKA The Supreme Being.And producer, Jordan Weis, comes off the bench and plays some crashball.

Matt Rule joins us to talk through the delight that is the 10th anniversary of the Beer Footy Food Festival taking place at Henson Park, Marrickville this Saturday.And PWA's Kai Drake says that he will send North Shore Wrestling's Jack Osborne back over the Sydney Harbour Bridge with no belt as the Beer Footy food Championship is put up for grabs for the very first time.

The Beer Footy Festival is looming large (18 July @ Henson Park, Marrickville) and we welcome independent brewer, Hawke's Brewing Co., to the mike via the agency of their digital marketing guru, Ben Hansen, to talk about their role in the festivities. Fire Up! favourite, Alby Talarico, adds the Newtown Jets perspective. And Fire Up! relationships correspondent, Emma Domoney, looks towards a Taylor & Travis/Vegas/Fire Up! tie up in 2027 (as opposed to a Benji Marshall tie in).

Rugby league means pain, none more right now than is the case for followers of St. George Illawarra. We bring in the Prince of Punishment and media baron, John Gregory, to help process the particular discomfort being endured by Dragons fans. And we tackle one of the greater dilemmas in footy today which has seen Lord Benji Marshall be at odds with Emeritus Professor, Roy Masters, in working out whether league is a game of momentum or a game of thrones…sorry, moments.

Rugby league pundit, Stephen Rae, joins the show and adds his voice to Fire Up! in that we collectively know nothing about rugby league. Stephen also is unmoved by the return of Captain Charger up on the Gold Coast. However, alarm bells are ringing that the Storms have remixed their clanging cowbell tape. An inquiry seems inevitable.Fire Up! Covering the real rugby league stories.

It's Origin II time and it is apparent that rugby league, racing and the punt have never been more intertwined.Helping us unpack it all is Duncan Fine, a renaissance man whose love for the Bunnies is a matter of great pride (of the league).Who is rugby league's Justin Hemmes before there was ever a Justin Hemmes?And for all those who oppose the Leichhardt refurb, we say 'shoosh'...just like Romey.

After an inevitable moratorium owing to the goings on at the weekend at CommBank Stadium, Fire Up! returns to duty to explore the existential void associated with being a league fan, nay a sports fan.We trawl through three of the most downbeat of pressers in recent memory in Fire Up!'s Medley Of Misery. Returning guests, PJ Lane and Terry Bull, find out they are connected by Don Lane's love of sport and have Don to thank for their own personal fan miseries.And we take a peek at Hoppa's shopping bag and what makes up his 'Day On A Plate'

JR returns to Fire Up! to explain his controversial statements on a previous episode. about who's game is it. To her credit, Emma Domoney gives him the time of day.We look at the meaning of statistics , Ciraldo's clear belief that the Dogs are a big club and Denis Carnahan reminds us that PVL is both Jesus and Superman.And we tackle the biggest question coming out of Origin I - does Peter FitzSimons get AI to do his homework?

PWA tag team sensations, Mana & Manoush, join us ahead of their upcoming title match against North Shore's Wrestling's Sam & Jack Osborne to talk about their passion for their footy teams, for Origin and for their greater western Sydney roots.Things don't get out of hand as they throw shade at the fine pair of gentlemen that make up the Osbornes, but it was a close struck thing. 

SEN Women's Origin commentator and Ladies Who League legend, Mary Konstantopoulos, joins us to talk all forms of Origin, Not So Magic round and the protocols surrounding fan forums.And her baby daughter, Peta Amelia, is on the show as well!Hear what happens when an Eels girl and a Sharks boy have a baby together and then have to provide counsel to the youngster as to who to barrack for.

As Benji sprays some air freshener around the Zurich Centre, we’re joined by JR who shares all his NRL bugbears (which doesn’t include opinionated fans who aren’t club members). In fact, he ventilates some important matters that will help get rid of any odour of negativity around the game in general. Not sure if it’s enough to get to rid of the current whiff of desperation lingering around the Perth Bears though.

Doesn't matter whether you're James Bracey, the Perth Bears, the 6 again rule or the broadcaster of horse racing documentaries, you are in crisis. It's up to Fire Up! to pair up with celebrity Rabbitohs fan, PJ Lane, to try and repair the fabric of OUR game.

Fire Up! is joined by Venues NSW and Sydney Roosters lawyer, Stephen Gorry, not dressed in a suit. It turns out there are better military ciphers than the landing at Gallipoli as the Dragons and the Storms suffered in manners resembling way more one sided wars.As always, Turbo's hammies and AI Gus feature.And we touch on the Jarome Luai trip to PNG and what it could mean. Well, it means that he can easily continue to afford the customised 'LUAI' number plates as it was confirmed that he's off to PNG in 2028 just after we turned off the mikes.

Sharknado Survivor, Peter Campbell, joins us to help underline why you should never accept the Chairman's invitation to breakfast. We cover off the departures of Flanno, Haran & The Menace. But our deadline meant that we missed the boning of Kyle in what's been a bad month of Kyles.Peter laments the Sharks' lack of consistency. Amens all round from all league fans.

Denis Carnahan returns to the co-host seat to provide a lot of Raiders chat you didn't know you needed.The Dragons coaching issue turns somewhat dark as talk turns to how much rope Flanno is entitled to when you are in the hot seat, now found on the sideline.And Denis gets the party started by setting the Stadium Australia car park to music on the occasions where Canterbury-Bankstown ends up ahead on the ledger.

This episode has it all. Winners (Gale's Tigers). Losers (Rose's Bulldogs). Byes (Charlie White's Roosters).We are joined by Charlie White (The Bye Round podcast and Triple M) and Andrew Rose (game day music guru and The Voice Of PWA) to bathe in a NRL Round 5 bubble bath that had everything.Foz resurrecting Manly at Easter time. Reece whistling while he pushes. Flanno understanding everything and, yet, nothing. But the highlight was the punter who suddenly realised that they broadcast the footy. "Hello microphone."

This week, we are joined by a man as lime green as Denis Carnahan in Dave Ray.We review the landscape at Shithouse Stadium as the glittering JJ Giltinan Shield run of 2025 is very much in the rear vision mirror of the Raiders bus right now. But Ricky is going up in the Maccas Universe.Anthony Seibold departs Brookie/4 Pines/Lottoland and you'd swear he and Dave are the same person when you hear the presser audio.And the Bunnies are heading to Allianz to the 'Home  Of The Sydney Roosters' as the Chooks yet again take ownership of the important conversations in rugby league.

Benji Marshall's standards have opened the profanity floodgates in 2026 as Gordie and Sticky turn the air blue.Fire Up! Founder, Stephen Ferris, returns to ask, What's In A Name?, as the mania for name changing extends beyond the Gorden Tallis Room.We explore what can you find these days in the boot of a coach's car.And we wonder why Multicultural Round didn't extend to Lapland, Czechia and Mail (to name a few).

It's Round 2, 2026 and already things are falling apart. Anthony Siebold is sleeping fitfully after Manly-Warringah disintegrated in front of the eyes of all at Lottoland. The Knights can't keep their millionaires on the field. The Sydney Roosters can't keep their fans off the field (and their players on bikes) anymore. And the refs can't keep their lips off those damn whistles. Thanks heavens for Emma Domoney and Alby Talarico who join us to talk about their Vegas immersive experiences and can report that the Glitter Strip is as stitched together as it ever has been. And please get behind Emma's tilt in the Mothers Day Classic through the below link:https://www.mothersdayclassic.com.au/fundraisers/emmadomoney135358/mothers-day-classic-sydney

Brendan joins us to reveal that Fitzy as “been building something” and, while he doesn’t make a predication, he notes that the Sharks will win the Summons Provan in’26Importantly, we take a deep dive into the match of the round @ Ocean PROTECT Stadium - Sharks v Titans.

It's not even halfway  through Round 1 in the NRL and the blaming has begun.Vegas united Ming The Merciless and Flanno in misery as they failed to get the (gulp) 'rub of the green'.Redfern Pat is on board to peel back all that went down on the Glitter Strip (including Joe Burgess?) and to bid adieu to Buzz in fine style.And we realise that PVL & Buzz are still on opposite sides of our game. In this case, it's a matter of diet.

The boys return for the 2026 season and find themselves in the thick of it as they plausibly podcast from the Glitter Strip in Las Vegas.They cover off the pre-season with its usual diet of aggressive monkeys, porn addiction and mayonnaise and look at the Nevada match ups.And Stephen has a big announcement! Fire Up! Coming at you from the MGM Grand.... or is Excalibur?!?

For the final show of the year we wrap up deluxe the NRL Grand Finals, both men's and women's, starting and finishing with a deep dive inside the enigmatic Reece Martin's head, driving by the big brawl in the NRLW Final, Teddy Swims v Snoop, the Telstra wristband, a slight digression through the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Spinal Tap 2, Madge and Bellyache, and, as always, much, much more. Including a magnificent ode to Craig Bellamy from Denis Carnahan. Thanks to all for listening this year, and a big thanks to our Producer and Editor Mash Ferris & The Personal Best Studios for helping us get this nonsense on the air every week. See yas in 2026!  

With special guest Redfern Pat out of the NRL Buinker and LIVE in the studio this week, After discussing the short lived "Freya Fires Up!" show on SKYNews and the misappropriation of the Fire Up! brand, Snoop Dogg and his doppelganger, Teddy Swims' cancellation, shenanigans  at the Caringbah Inn, and an emo Raiders lament from Denis Carnahan, our hosts finally get down to talking about some football....or do they? Thanks for listening and see you next week for the GF Wrapup X

The underdog Shark’s triumph, Canberra’s lack of soul - and humour - exposed, the astonishing hypocrisy of the Roosters’ “Zero Tolerance” policy towards leaning in to look at bags of powder, the ‘unsustainable” culture at Belmore Rd, and the breathtaking Panthers….all get discussed in this week’s episode. As usual we get a brilliant NRL parody song from Denis Carnahan and, as always, much more that we can’t discuss here. Thanks for listening. 

This week our hosts discuss the first week of the finals with special guest PJ Lane, son of legendary entertainer Don Lane, who has plenty of stories to tell! And of course the incredible exploits of Rheece get some airtime! Thanks for listening!

Having a week off sorry - we're behind closed doors celebrating our season in fancy dress with the Fire Up team this week. Back next week - but enjoy a song from Denis Carnahan!

The penultimate pre-finals round brings a cracking regular season to an end, and our hosts talk about "rock and diamonds", "mutual agreements," "The Noosa Roosters," The Brady Bunch's Florence Henderson, Bellamy's 600, streakers, Aussie Joe Bugner and much, much more! Thanks for listening as always!

SO much to talk about this week. Just tune in.

We welcome Wests Tigers fanatic and podcaster Kelly Hollis to the show this week while our hosts discuss Harry Grant's acting skills, the contaminated sand of Allianz, Brandon Smith vs the Gold Coast Airport, the forlorn figure of DCE, Flanno's knowledge of the rules and what on earth happened to Bon Jovi. Thanks for listening and thanks to Kelly :)

This week it seems the travails of several NRL venues are all over the news and we wholeheartedly embrace the discussion! From The Gateway to Hell and the hot springs under Allianz to the idea of relocating the Roosters to Mudgee we leave no stone unturned. Denis Carnahan goes back to the 80's with Big Club Theory and we discuss "Spoonbowl" and much, much more. Thanks for listening x

It's not very often that our hosts get to bask in the rarefied air of the lowly Tigers and Dragons both winning on a weekend - and beating the top 2 teams in the comp, but it seems they'd prefer to concentrate on the true bad boys of Rugby League - the journalists! Have a listen to see what they're on about....as always it's the best alternative look at League going around

This week's guest is the incredibly talented Denis Carnahan, who you all know from his weekly NRL satire songs that we a the ABC both feature. As a lifelong Raiders fan, he shares his feelings as they move into flag favouritism. We also discuss dictators, sentimental favourites, the Putin-like regime changes at the Dragons, and, as always, much, much more. Thanks for listening :)

Is every NRL team trying to find their "soul"? Have "The Big Clubs" found theirs? Is Hefron Park haunted? What of the Roosters Undead? Where will the Wollongong Dragons find theirs? Has Tim Tszuyu had his soul taken? In this Hammer Horror Edition of Fire Up!, our hosts examine the existential underpinnings of the NRL sporting landscape. Thanks for listening zombies

Still smarting from the Origin stinker last Wednesday night, our hosts complain about the game, the traffic, queue jumpers, the music - Dear God, the "music" - and furthermore aren't alleviated by their own teams losses on the weekend. They also discuss the Coaching Carousel, Ponga, Foran, Bennett, Seibold, Ming The Merciless and MUCH, MUCH MORE. Thanks for listening. It can only get better.

This week our hosts discuss the controversial new documentary Agent Of Chaos to find out who is really pulling the strings in the NRL, as well as previewing tomorrow night's deciding State Of Origin. And as always, MUCH, MUCH MORE! Tune in and let us know what you think on the socials. Go Blues!

Sorry listeners, our hosts are still in the medical room - back next week for sure!

Apologies League Lovers, but our starting backrowers Ferris & Gale have been struck low by one of the multiple viruses coursing through Sydney this week and were unable to suit up today. Hopefully they'll be back fit and firing for next week's atrocities. Stay tuned and stay healthy

This week our hosts dive deep into dreams, those that come true and those that don't, from Indiana Carroll's Dallas Cowboy's audition to the Perth Meningas, from the PVL Jet to SOO#2. Denis Carnahan sings an ode to Josh Papalii, and they address the Club in Crisis de Jour - with the Sea Eagles Under Siege and their premiership dream in tatters. And as always, Stephen dreams of the day when the Dragons' Joint Venture is dissolved and they once again play at the SCG (Precinct). Thanks for listening, and dreaming, with us.

This week our hosts discuss the Game Day Experience, Rugby League Geography, The Politics of Boo'ing, SMERSH & the United Underworld, Galvin the Mercenary, Hair Tourism & The Picasso Of Hair, Perplexing calls, Ricky Stuart's sticky tears, Pick & Stick, Un-Merging & SO much more. Thanks for listening    

While there is an awful lot for our hosts to talk about this week - and trust us they do! - from the dull State of Origin Buildup to The Enhanced Games to SBW v Gal, one topic absolutely dominates this week, what we like to call "The Life and Times of Gus Gould." It's a lot.  Tune in, and let us know what you think. See you on the Park.    

With State OF Origin (Men's) just around the corner and State OF Origin (Women's) a torrential success story this week, it somehow still feels like its' A Glittering New Year in Bat Country. Everything is topsy turvy, but somehow it all still fells the same. Is the levee gonna break? While it was a great weekend for hookers,  it appears there is a DEARTH of fullbacks for SOO. Wingers are outmarking AFL players and pulling out unbelievable, magical tries. There were brawls at Campbelltown, tears in Brisbane and Toxic Town was jumping. What a week in Rugby League.  Tune in to hear the full discussion!

Another topsy turvy week in NRL world leaves tipsters scrambling, rules akimbo, and a too many questions for most mortals to deal with. Fortunately our hosts are all over the issues, from Robot Marathonners to The Jetsons to Latrell's trick play to "wetting" the ball, so listen in and let them make sense of it all. For you. You're welcome :) With a cracking song by Denis Carnahan. Tune in, switch on and try to keep up.

On a bigly losing weekend for Queenslanders in Rugby League and Politics, one of our hosts went to Magic Round, and the other didn't....we get a full analysis from both sides of the border, discussing the Heroes and Villains of the weekend, with a song from Denis Carnahan. That sounds like a good thing to listen to.....

A dramatic Anzac Round with ever-dimishing entertainment value (Where's the Black Hawks FFS!?)  throws up plenty of controversy from the Lachie Galvin saga to new head high tackle interpretations, from the international expansion intentions of the Manchester Chooks to the local expansion aspirations of the Western Bears, or should they be called "The Western Rare Earth Minerals?" Our. hosts discuss all this and MUCH, MUCH MORE! Thanks for tuning in :)