Campbell Graham, The Tigers and is The NRL is Destroying the Immortals Concept

Today, Kenty is joined by South Sydney Rabbitohs star Campbell "Stretch" Graham and Johnny Elias. The panel tackles the upcoming Easter weekend blockbusters and the burgeoning "shit fight" at Wests Tigers, before Kent launches into a blistering critique of the NRL's management of its most sacred honour.

Destroying the Immortals Concept

The most passionate segment of the show sees Kent take aim at the NRL administration for what he perceives as a lack of historical discipline. He argues that the "Immortals" status is being watered down by a "Johnny-come-lately" administration seeking revenue.

"I think they’re all absolutely shitting on the Immortal concept, the way they’re treating it. The strength of the Immortals is judged by the quality of people who can’t be made an Immortal. What they’re doing is they’re turning the Immortals into a sort of pretend Hall of Fame. There’s too many guys being made Immortals," Kent said.

Kent specifically criticised the move away from strict waiting periods and the tendency to induct multiple players from a single generation.

"The Immortals should be kept sacred and they’re not, by bringing in more and more Immortals. It’s a revenue stream for them. It’s a marketing concept. It’s a way to get Rugby League in the papers all the time. Nobody loves a sugar hit more than the NRL. We’ve got Vegas, we’ve got the Easter weekend, we’ve got Magic Round, but by doing this with the Immortal concept, they end up going to—they’re going to ruin it," Kent said.

The Wests Tigers "Shit Fight"

The panel turned their attention to the unfolding drama at Concord involving Lachlan Galvin. Campbell Graham expressed his disbelief at how public the dispute has become, while Kent laid the blame squarely at the club's door for a perceived "ego-saving" strategy.

"I think Tigers put out a statement to basically cover their own ass because if they’ve been told now he’s definitely not staying, they tried to get ahead of all that and put it out now and really lump it on him. I think they’ve covered their own backsides, the Tigers, by doing it that way. I think they’re throwing that kid right into it," Kent said.

Kent argued that the club’s decision to drop the 19-year-old to reserve grade has effectively sabotaged their own promising season.

"As a way to stuff up your season, Tigers have just hit the new benchmark. The club could have copped the brunt themselves, had the kick of the guts to the ego and they didn’t have to put the statement out. Most of the blame sits on the club," Kent said.

Coaching Philosophies: Bennett vs. The Rest

Campbell Graham provided a rare insight into the different coaching styles he has experienced, contrasting the technical approach of Anthony Seibold with the legendary "care factor" of Wayne Bennett.

"With Sieves, he was a lot more technical and big on stats. We did a lot of our conditioning in the preseason with game-specific drills. But then Wayne came in and the thing that’s been covered by nearly everyone who’s played with him is the care factor that he has for the group and how good he is at building a relationship with the individual," Graham said.

He described Bennett’s directness as a key to his success in building trust.

"If you have a poor game, he will not beat around the bush and he’ll tell you what you’ve done wrong, what he expects from you, and why it wasn’t good enough. He’s big on building trust and he doesn’t like being bullshitted to," Graham added.

The 70,000-Strong Easter Showdown

Ahead of the Good Friday clash between the Rabbitohs and the Bulldogs, Campbell Graham spoke about the unique atmosphere of the marquee fixture, noting it feels like an Origin-scale event.

"It definitely feels like a bigger game for us as players. They’re predicting one of the biggest crowds they’ve had, 70,000. As a player, they’re the games you want to get up for with a big atmosphere and big occasion," Graham said.

Watch the full episode on Fanatics TV.