Women’s Origin, AFL Rivalries & Pappenhausen Bets | Ahead of the Game Ep. 26

Ryan Tucker

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Last updated: 02 May 2025

Ryan Tucker 02 May 2025

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NSW's Women's State of Origin team impressed with skill and physicality.
Call for more exposure and prime-time slots for Women's Origin games.
AFL's exciting match lineup takes the spotlight from NRL's Magic Round.
Ryan predicts Papenhuzen to score two; Jez opts for Dylan Brown vs Sharks.
Discussion on Penrith's potential dynasty issues with line breaks.

The boys finish the week off with a good chat about Women's Origin, and blockbuster schedules

Women’s Origin made a statement, AFL delivered the rivalry chaos, and Ryan is banking on Pappy to bag a double.

In Ep. 26 of Ahead of the Game – Sports Chat, Ryan and Jez open with a genuine appreciation for Game 1 of the Women’s State of Origin. NSW’s new-look side showed off real class, scoring slick tries and playing with serious physicality, despite a short prep window and months without NRLW action.

The boys agree the game deserves more exposure—bigger commentary energy, better broadcast support, and maybe even a Saturday prime-time spot. 26,000 fans at Suncorp can’t be wrong.

Then it’s Whatya Watchin, where it becomes clear that while the NRL is doing Magic Round, the AFL may have stolen the spotlight. The round features Swans vs Giants, the biggest QClash in years, Carlton vs Adelaide, and a potential final preview in Collingwood vs Geelong. The AFL didn’t mean to schedule a blockbuster round—but somehow, they did.

The show wraps with the return of Bang Bang, where Ryan goes for the bold pick of Papenhuzen to score two tries, and Jez balances it with a sharper stat-driven pick—Dylan Brown to sneak across against the Sharks, a team that’s allowed plenty of halves to score recently.

They also dive into Panthers vs Broncos, praise the work of Rugby League Eye Test, and debate whether Penrith's dynasty is collapsing from long-range line breaks.

Whether you're here for origin energy, underdog bets or code vs code footy banter, this episode brings it all.