SUBJECTS: NRL Grand Final; South Sydney Rabbitohs; Scott Morrison’s lockdown

MARCUS PAUL, HOST: Hello, welcome to October and welcome to Grand Final weekend, just about. Who are you on? Are you on the Penrith Panthers out there in the western suburbs of Sydney? I think we spoke to one of their top ticketholders, Prue Car this morning from New South Wales Labor. I don't know whether her and Albo speak often, they might not speak after this weekend. Anthony Albanese is no doubt one of the biggest South Sydney fans you'll ever come across. To him South Sydney marches on, as always. [‘Glory, Glory to South Sydney’ plays]. C'mon Anthony, I know you're singing along, mate? Good morning, how are you?

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY: G'day, Marcus, how are you?

PAUL: I'm well, thank you. Are you excited for Sunday?

ALBANESE: I am indeed, mate. Two more sleeps to go. And it's only our second Grand Final in 50 years. I was there of course in 2014. I took my son to see us win. But I was also there in 1971 as a little boy, when my mum took me to the SCG Hill to see Souths beat St George so it's been, it's been a long time. But football is important. It is about community and it's about your sense of identity and who you are. And that sense of belonging that support for a club brings. And I think these two great clubs, Penrith, very important for Western Sydney at the foot of the mountains there. And South Sydney, of course, have a heritage which goes back to the very beginning of Rugby League back in 1908.

PAUL: You made a really good point before that you took your son to the last Grand Final. Some of the best memories that I've had in my life with my son, Jackson, Albo. Jackson and I support the Canberra Raiders and I will always remember the joy on his face when I presented him with sideline tickets to the Grand Final, which unfortunately we lost, you know, we won't go into that. But just to see the joy on his face, and to see how happy he was on the day, you know. And we shared that, we shared the roller coaster ride of the game. You know, we were jumping up and down when we made the Grand Final and all the rest of it. And then when we were there on the day, we were biting, you know, there biting nails and going through the emotions of watching your team, be up then be behind, then nearly, ah. And then you've got all, at the end of it the shattering realisation that there's always next year. But you're right, it's about community. It's about sharing experiences with your loved ones and, and nothing does that better than sport.

ALBANESE: Absolutely. And I was on the Board of South Sydney when we got kicked out of the comp and when we organised marches of over 100,000 people were people, including Panthers supporters and others, all marched with us for our right to play in the Rugby League competition. That really motivated a whole bunch of people who probably had never marched before in their life and have never marched since. But it was, it was important for them. And at that time, we promised ourselves, the people involved in that campaign, which was 20 years ago now, since we won the court case, that we'd all go to the Grand Final together. So, there was Ray Martin and Nick Pappas, our lawyer, Nick Hatzistergos, Andrew Denton, and our kids, most of whom were grown by then, were all, were all at the Grand Final in 2014. Something that seemed a long way off when we were out of the comp and we had no money and no players. All we had was the faithful. The true believers in Souths who had the slogan, of course, 'We all stand together so that Souths can stand alone'. With the slogan at the time we used to sing, some great songs came out of that campaign. And getting to see the momentum that was there in 2014 was quite extraordinary. You just had that absolute sense that we were going to win, we were unstoppable. And this year, of course, is very different. We'll be watching it in our lounge rooms. Even Nick Pappas, who was our lawyer, who led the case of course and is now the Chairman of Souths. I spoke with him this week. He's unable to get to Queensland. I saw Johnny Sutton, who was our Captain in 2014, who lifted the trophy, he's unable to get there as well because the numbers were very restricted for the clubs that could get up there. But it will be a great, a great game on Sunday night. We'll have a different experience watching it in their, in our lounge rooms.

PAUL: Well that's right. And not only did you catch up with Johnny Sutton. I saw you, you saw Bob McCarthy, you were at Redfern Oval just the other day and they spoke about the thrill of winning Premierships for the Club in 1971 and 2014. And you talked about what a great family the South Sydney community is and that everybody, despite the fact that it's a little different, cannot wait for Sunday. I guess we will just have to keep our fingers crossed, Albo, that it goes ahead.

ALBANESE: I'm sure it will go ahead. Bob McCarthy of course won in '67, '68, '70 and '71. We had the loss to Balmain '69 but in '67 versus Canterbury he scored a famous, famous try. People can look it up on YouTube, I'm sure it's there, an intercept try. He changed the game, Bob McCarthy. He was a second rower who played out wide, a bit like now all the second rowers play. But at the time he was a running, skillful, fast second rower. And I played against his son, Darren, who also played First Grade for Souths and Canterbury. He was a lot better and a lot bigger than I was, let me tell you. He ran over the top of me on more than one occasion.

PAUL: That's alright, don't worry about it, nothing to be ashamed of there. When I played Rugby League I was nothing more than a speed hump as well. Can I, can I get you to venture a score for us, just you know, obviously you're on the Rabbitohs on Sunday, Albo. You want to have a crack at a score?

ALBANESE: Ah, look, one point will do. But I'll say 20 to 12 to Souths.

PAUL: Okay, alright, we'll see how you go with that. 20 to 12. Alright. Wonderful, good to have you on, I didn't want to chat politics or anything about that today. Just your love for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and have a wonderful day on Sunday no matter how it goes. It will be a wonderful restrict, distraction rather, restrictions are on my head. A great distraction for all of us during what's been a pretty hard few months.

ALBANESE: It will. And can I say this? The Rugby League deserve enormous credit for keeping going over the last couple of years. It really has been something to lift people's spirits and I've watched, no matter who was playing, I've never seen so much rugby league on TV. I'm normally at functions, of course, every Friday and Saturday night, but they haven't been going ahead in in recent times. But also Queensland, Annastacia Palaszczuk I spoke to yesterday. The Premier and Queenslanders have done a great job. And it is unfortunate that we can't get to Queensland but frankly, if it wasn't for Queensland being so successful in protecting Queenslanders, then there wouldn't have been a Rugby League competition. So, it's a good thing.

PAUL: Well, you said before that you think it'll go ahead. Have you got some inside information there from Annastacia, you spoke to her yesterday, did she say it'll go ahead, Albo?

ALBANESE: Well, she's following the health advice. The health advice as of yesterday was certainly that it can go ahead with a slightly restricted crowd.

PAUL: Sure, 75 per cent I think.

ALBANESE: But yeah, which is unfortunate for those who will miss out. But you've got to put the health of the public first. We know that we've seen the consequences in New South Wales that have led to the lockdowns everywhere, because we didn't lock down quick enough in New South Wales.

PAUL: Oh, the little flashing light is going off, we weren't going to venture into politics.

ALBANESE: If it wasn't for Scott Morrison's lockdown, we would have been watching the Grand Final at Homebush.

PAUL: Alright, fair enough. Yes. And if we didn't, if it wasn't for, you know, securing enough supply of vaccines perhaps. Let's not go, let's keep it politics free on a Friday, but I'll allow you that little bit. Thank you, mate. 

ALBANESE: See you, Marcus.

PAUL: Federal Opposition Leader, Anthony Albanese, a massive South Sydney fan. Who are you supporting this weekend? Give me a call.

ENDS