Extra Time May 6 2022 (Round 9) by Western Sydney Publishing Group

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Nathan Cleary and Clint Gutherson.

MITCHY KENNER POST E IN SID

the west will be won EPIC SHOWDOWN BETWEEN TWO NRL HEAVYWEIGHTS MATCH PREVIEW PAGE 31

SUPER SPENCER LENIU’S KEY ROLE IN PENRITH’S START TO THE YEAR, AND WHY LEOTA IS A MENTOR PAGE 33

LANG ON LEAGUE

LOWER GRADES REPORT

IT’S ALMOST ORIGIN TIME. HOW MANY PANTHERS WILL BE WEARING A BLUE JUMPER IN 2022? PAGE 35

WE’VE GOT ALL THE LATEST FROM THE NSW CUP AND JERSEY FLEGG COMPETITIONS PAGE 41

Friday, May 6, 2022 « the western weekender

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the final word

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, May 6, 2022

match preview

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Jarome Luai celebrates a try against the Titans. Photo: NRL Images.

TROY DODDS

enrith and Parramatta both probably played their worst games of the season last weekend. The difference is the Panthers still got the job done, conceding just one try in an 18-4 win over the Titans. The Eels were totally outclassed, thrashed 35-4 by a Cowboys side that had no right to win by that margin. This is the tale of two football teams from the same part of Sydney on very different trajectories at present. One has finally figured out the recipe for success. It has become an elite football side, winning on even its worst day and countering the reality all defending Premiers face in the opposition being ‘up’ when it comes to playing them. The other is still claiming to have it all worked out yet constantly proves it doesn’t. Coach Brad Arthur was almost lost for

FRIDAY, MAY 6 | 7.55PM | BLUEBET STADIUM | REFEREE: GERARD SUTTON answers last weekend, apart from all but admitting his side was unprepared. Arthur has also fallen into an old trap – trying to strengthen one position by weakening another. There is no doubt Dylan Brown, one of the best five-eighths of the opening months of the competition, shouldn’t be playing centre regardless of the injury problems at the club. Arthur has seen the light and named Brown back in his customary number six jumper for the clash against the Panthers. Penrith go into Friday night’s game against Parramatta on the back of eight straight wins and an undefeated run at BlueBet Stadium that stretches all the way back to the middle of 2019. Home ground advantages can be blown out of proportion a lot of the time but it’s no fluke that Penrith has made BlueBet a fortress and it is a major factor in this battle of the west.

Another major factor is the increased rivalry this game now attracts following last year’s Finals match, won by the Panthers in the most thrilling of circumstances. It was a low-scoring, brutal encounter that will be remembered as one of the great Finals games of all-time. No doubt the Eels are still seething over the defeat, and will see this game as a little bit of an opportunity to get one back over their neighbours. The mission doesn’t get any easier for the Eels with the Panthers likely to welcome back Moses Leota and Brian To’o from injury, making them full strength for this one – a position every coach in the NRL dreams to be in. Leota will likely play reduced minutes from the bench while To’o, also named on the extended bench, will come in for either Taylan May or Charlie Staines – coach Cleary keeping that one close to his chest.

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As much as the scoreline looked terrible for the Eels against the Cowboys, there were still plenty of positives. In fact Arthur’s side was unlucky not to have been in the contest more, particularly with an 84 per cent completion rate and 51 per cent of possession. Things just didn’t stick when they needed to. Penrith cannot take the Eels lightly – let’s not forget they beat the Storm only a few weeks ago – and I suspect they won’t. I’ve got little doubt Cleary’s men had one eye on this battle of the west when they went into last Friday’s match against the Titans and produced a lacklustre performance with way too many errors and missed tackles. I can’t see this being a blow-out. There’s plenty on the line and both sides will turn up to play. Penrith’s home record and clean injury sheet gets them the win. Tip: Panthers by 12.

EELS

1 Dylan Edwards

10 James Fisher-Harris

1 Clint Gutherson (c)

2 Charlie Staines

11 Viliame Kikau

2 Hayze Perham

10 Junior Paulo 11 Shaun Lane

3 Izack Tago

12 Liam Martin

3 Will Penisini

12 Isaiah Papali’i

4 Stephen Crichton

13 Isaah Yeo (c)

4 Tom Opacic

13 Nathan Brown

5 Taylan May

14 Soni Luke

5 Bailey Simonsson

14 Makahesi Makatoa

6 Jarome Luai

15 Scott Sorensen

6 Dylan Brown

15 Ryan Matterson

7 Nathan Cleary (c)

16 Spencer Leniu

7 Mitchell Moses

16 Oregon Kaufusi

8 Matthew EIsenhuth

17 Jaeman Salmon

8 Reagan Campbell-Gillard

17 Bryce Cartwright

9 Apisai Koroisau

22 Moses Leota 24 Brian To’o

9 Reed Mahoney

18 Wiremu Greig 19 Jake Arthur

Friday, May 6, 2022 « the western weekender • extra time

panther rumblings

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WITH THE MASKED PANTHER

CLEARY CHASES DOWN BRANDY ! Record in sight: Nathan Cleary could own a new slice of Penrith history as early as Friday night against the Eels. Cleary has scored 1092 points for the Panthers, sitting just eight shy of club legend Greg Alexander. The 24-year-old could jump ‘Brandy’ into second spot on the all-time Panthers point scoring table if things go to plan against Parramatta. It’d put Cleary behind Ryan Girdler, who still sits way out in front with 1690 career points. Girdler, Alexander and Cleary are the only three players to have scored more than 1000 points for Penrith.

Greg Alexander and Nathan Cleary.

! Eight’s great: Talking of records, the Panthers have become the first team in history to win eight games to start back-toback seasons. It’s even more remarkable given this season is off the back of a Premiership year – defending champs often start slow or show signs of a Premiership hangover in the first part of the season. ! Stadium rumours: New rumours are doing the rounds about the future of BlueBet Stadium and the possibility of it being granted a stay of execution for two years while the new stadium is built on an alternate site. There’s no doubt this is a possibility – but it’s far from locked in. The situation has plenty of moving pieces and nothing is a certainty. At this stage the club is still preparing for the reality of moving away from Penrith for two years while a stadium is built on the current site. !

Spotted: Sports Minister and Penrith MP Stuart Ayres and ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys chatting away just 24 hours after a media stoush over stadium funding and the Grand Final. In an ironic piece of perfect timing, Ayres and V’landys had a long-standing commitment to appear at a Panthers corporate breakfast last Friday. There was no tension – in fact you got the feeling both of them are enjoying the banter.

! Welcome Matt: Matt Eisenhuth (pictured) is enjoying his footy at the foot of the Mountains but as each week goes on, he’s considering his future more and more. Eisenhuth is off-contract at the end of the year and is uncertain about where things

will land. “I would love to stick around but I’ve got a young family and I’ll make a decision for what’s best for them,” he said. “I’d love to be here, I love playing here at the moment. I still have a few good years left in me, but it’s up to the club and I’ll just let my footy do the talking and my management will look after the rest.”

sponsors with this absolute pearler of a line: “It’s great to be here in Penrith, the home of the Viking Clap”.

Panthers in terms of ground announcing duties.

! Classy Cleary: By now everyone has seen the touching footage of Nathan Cleary climbing through the stands at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast to get a photo with a fan in a wheelchair. It was a great moment but didn’t surprise anyone close to the halfback – Cleary is showing maturity beyond his years at present, fully aware of what his responsibilities are as one of the game’s best known players. He’s very much bought in to the community spirit the club is trying to live by. !

Abdo knows his audience: NRL CEO Andrew Abdo was in Penrith last Friday, and he kicked off his address to Panthers

Bailey dumps Eels: Panthers ground announcer Zac Bailey (pictured) has copped plenty of criticism about his dual roles at both Penrith and Parramatta. I can confirm that Bailey is no longer employed by the Eels and is working solely with the

! Heard a rumour? I don’t keep secrets but I do protect my sources. Email anything you’ve heard to maskedpanther@ westernweekender.com.au.

47786

ALWAYS STRIVING TO GET BETTER LLEYTON AGIUS

pencer Leniu may only be getting a limited amount of minutes each game but it doesn’t matter to him. Whether it is with his swift foot speed or the aggression that he brings to each game, the young prop has been leaving an impact in Penrith’s undefeated run to start the season. “I feel like I’ve been doing my job,” Leniu told the media on Monday. “Whatever Ivan Cleary wants me to do in the team I’ll do it to the best of my ability, no matter if I play five, 10 minutes however, I’ll take those minutes with both hands and go full steam.” The 21-year-old has taken this year to perfect and work on his craft, and has looked to teammates Moses Leota and James Fisher-Harris for his biggest source of advice. “He has been my biggest mentor,” Leniu said of Leota. “I try to be a sponge and absorb all the information I can get from those two. “The biggest advice they’ve given me is not being complacent and always work on your craft, we’ve got quality young players coming through the system and if you get

complacent someone will take your spot.” The Panthers are coming off a poor performance – by their standards – against the Gold Coast Titans, which saw the side unable to score a try in the opening half for the first time this year. Despite the uncharacteristic dropped balls and missed tackles in the first 40, Leniu said that coach Cleary was calm when he addressed the team during half-time. “He didn’t need to say much, he was really calm and just told us this is an NRL game,” he said. “Ivan prepares our team to go down to the 80th minute every single week no matter what team we play against.” To the delight of Penrith fans, the defending Premiers were able to find their stride in the second half scoring 18 unanswered points and sealing the win. “There is no game that’s going to be handed to us, we’ve got to work for it and that’s what we did,” Leniu said. The team’s focus now shifts towards Friday night’s much anticipated battle of the west blockbuster against Parramatta. It will be the first time since 2019 that the Panthers will get to play the battle of the west at home in front of a sold-out crowd. Last year’s rendition of the rivalry was played in Queensland and in 2020 the NRL limited the attendance of spectators.

“It doesn’t matter if there are 1,000 people or 20,000 people it’s always a big game,” Leniu said. “We’re just going to go into this game preparing for a big battle and focusing on things we need to improve upon from the previous week.”

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, May 6, 2022

feature

Spencer Leniu on Monday afternoon. Photo: Melinda Jane.

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Friday, May 6, 2022 « the western weekender • extra time

feature

CLEARY WINS HEARTS OF FOOTY FANS

Panthers co-captain Nathan Cleary was all smiles on Monday afternoon. Photo: Melinda Jane.

NATHAN TAYLOR

anthers co-captain Nathan Cleary touched the entire rugby league world last Friday night when he scaled a fence, several seats, and a railing to meet a young fan in a wheelchair. The short clip went viral moments after it was posted to social media, with people from all over praising the 24-year-old halfback for his kind and classy act. Speaking with Extra Time, Cleary revealed how the moment – which has more than 100,000 views on Twitter – came to be. “I was just signing a few things on the side of the fence and his carer came up to me, pointed him out and asked if I could go up to meet him,” Cleary explained. Without a moment of hesitation, the Clive Churchill Medallist – sans footy boots – scaled the Cbus Super Stadium grandstand to greet the young boy and grab a picture. “I think anyone in my position would do that,” Cleary said. “That’s probably my favourite thing about the position we’re in as footballers, is that we have the opportunity to make someone’s day with such a small gesture. “I’m very grateful to be in that sort of position.” Of course, this isn’t the first time the NRL Premiership winner has given up his time for fans – no matter if they support the Panthers or not. Cleary said he remembers just how he felt when he too had brushes with rugby league players growing up. “I know what I was like when I was a little kid, I was amazed by NRL players and, if they ever gave me the time of day, I would be pumped for the rest of the week,” he said. “As I said, it’s a small gesture for us. Most

of the time we just have to say ‘hello’ or sign an autograph, and to see the smiles on their faces is definitely one of my favourite things about the job.” With his father coaching the New Zealand Warriors at the time and Cleary growing up across the ditch, he revealed current Warriors half Shaun Johnson was the

player he was mesmerised by the most. “Shaun Johnson, yeah, I was pretty starstruck by him growing up,” Cleary admitted. “He was hot on the scene, and I used to watch his highlights all the time. “Every time I got to see him at training, he’d high-five me or say ‘hello’… it was pretty cool.”

Nathan Cleary goes out of his way to meet a young fan last Friday night.

Before Cleary’s incredible gesture postgame, he and his teammates were on their way to winning an incredible eighth straight match to start the year. However, unlike previous games this season, the defending Premiers were playing like the Panthers of old with several uncharacteristic errors. Cleary said despite it being one of their worst performances in a long while, he was ultimately pleased with how they fought back to prevail 18-4 over the Titans. “It was hard being out there at times… it was one of the worst games we’ve played but to still get the win is pleasing in that aspect,” he said. “I was speaking to Yeoy about it earlier… we’ve played in plenty of games together where it’s been that sort of similar feeling and we’ve ended up losing. I think, sometimes, these young guys just know how to win because that’s all they’ve done. “It was good in the aspect that we didn’t get too frazzled, we didn’t panic, we knew we needed to stick in the game and things would eventually turn.” Despite being on top of the table undefeated, Penrith will need to be a lot better this Friday night when they take on the Parramatta Eels at BlueBet Stadium. With a sold-out crowd on hand and Brad Arthur’s men suffering their worst loss of the year last week, Penrith will be looking to put on a show as they go for nine wins in a row. “It’s awesome that the game is already sold-out, I can’t wait,” Cleary said. “It will be rocking over there on Friday night. It’s always a big battle too. Every game we play against Parra it’s usually pretty tight – it’s one of the tougher games of the year. “The Battle of the West is a game everyone looks forward to and, although it’s a big challenge, it’s a great opportunity as well.”

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, May 6, 2022

PANTHERS SET TO SHINE IN BLUE AGAIN AS ORIGIN NEARS Y

with Peter Lang

Expect plenty of Panthers to be picked for NSW again this year. Photo: NRL Images.

mates Luai and Cleary will see him picked at lock. Now while Liam Martin has not made any headlines recently, his form for Penrith has been strong enough to help him retain his bench spot for the Blues. The other Panther unlucky to miss out will be Apisai Koroisau, unless of course Cook somehow misses the match through injury. All the other players in the team deserve their selection, even captain James Tedesco who has been disappointing this season for the Roosters but there is no way coach Brad Fittler will drop him and nor should he. ‘Turbo Tom’ only has to remain fit once

SCAN HERE

he returns and he will be a certain centre starter, while on the other wing will be Josh Addo-Carr, who has finally turned the corner for his new club. The front row is also devastating with the biggest human being in the world Payne Hass taking one starting prop spot and Junior Paulo taking the other. Meanwhile the backrow of Cameron Murray and Jake Trbojevic is the perfect combination of great tackling and power running. There’s no way you can leave out Ryan Papenhuyzen as the back on the bench while Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Dale Finucane are the interchange props.

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lang on league

es it’s that time of the year again where we start talking about State of Origin selections. Like last year, the Panthers are expected to contribute at least four and possibly up to six players to the New South Wales Origin squad. Since everyone is revealing their line-ups for the biggest rivalry in our game, I thought I might as well show my hand and unveil my NSW squad, sprinkled with six Panthers players in the 17-man team. 1. James Tedesco 2. Brian To’o 3. Stephen Crichton 4. Tom Trbojevic 5. Josh AddoCarr 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Payne Haas 9. Damien Cook 10. Junior Paulo 11. Cameron Murray 12. Jake Trbojevic 13. Isaah Yeo. Interchange: 14. Ryan Papenhuyzen 15. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 16. Liam Martin 17. Dale Finucane. With loyalty playing a big factor for Blues teams in recent years, To’o only has to return to his blockbusting form of last year to be selected on the wing while Stephen Crichton will be picked due to his great start to the season plus the fact that Latrell Mitchell is expected to miss game one with a hamstring injury. The halves pick themselves and unless there is an injury the winning combo of Luai and Cleary will once again turn out as the number one sky-blue halves pairing. Isaah Yeo is having the best season of his career and his club combination with team

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Friday, May 6, 2022 « the western weekender • extra time

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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, May 6, 2022

Friday, May 6, 2022 « the western weekender • extra time

FORWARDS BECOME CENTRES OF ATTENTION IN MODERN NRL

warren N smith

Siosifa Talakai in action for Cronulla. Photo: NRL Images.

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o matter the era, or how many times the rules get tweaked, the evolution of the game has no brake pedal. At times it’s changing gears like a Formula 1 Ferrari, sometimes it’s a little more tortoise-like. I think it’s fair to say that at the moment the foot is flat to the floor. Take the centre position, for example. Whether by design or necessity, there’s an avalanche of backrowers moving wider on the field to bolster defensive lines and bring their hard-charging hole-runs to the edges of the field.

Izack Tago never could have imagined that he’d become a regular starter in the centres at the Panthers, but the former edge-forward has made the loss of Matt Burton to the Bulldogs a much easier pill to swallow for Penrith fans. He has tremendous line speed when the Panthers don’t have the ball, can really whack ballcarriers when they take him on, and playing outside Jarome Luai he’s scored six tries in eight games in 2022. For both Tago and his team, the move from the second row to the centres has been a resounding success.

Likewise for Siosifa Talakai at the Sharks. The Beast. The Tank. The Terminator. Whatever you want to call him, it’s been incredible watching the way he’s made the transition from bench forward to barnstorming centre. Sure, his career began as a winger coming through the lower grades for Souths but having progressed into the NRL as a forward with the Rabbitohs and then the Sharks – with a brief stint in NSW Cup in 2018 with the Panthers – his chances of moving into the outside backs on a full-time basis would have seemed minuscule at best. Well, you know the rest. He’s been one of the great stories in the NRL through the first eight rounds of the season. Have all the rule changes in recent seasons been the catalyst? Is it the defencefirst mindset of coaches that has dictated that better, more rugged defenders are more able to shutdown opposition attacking structures? The fact that second-rowers are able to play in a position that has evolved fairly quickly is probably more of an indicator of just how athletic you now need to be to play as an edge-forward in the first place. Kurt Capewell moved seamlessly between both roles for the Panthers and then Queensland in State of Origin, and he’s a tremendous defender, so perhaps it’s stopping points, rather than scoring points is the major motivation for the coaches.

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CLUB

+/-

PTS

Panthers

238

+150 16

Storm

293

104

+189 14

Cowboys

179

+82

Sharks

180

128

+52

Eels

213

162

+51

Rabbitohs

180

141

+39

Roosters

146

128

+18

Sea Eagles

156

170

-14

Broncos

127

157

-30

10 Dragons

129

178

-49

140

202

-62

12 Titans

124

180

-56

13 W. Tigers

160

-68

14 Raiders 15 Bulldogs 16 Knights

8 8 8

2 2 2

0 0 0

6 6 6

0 0 0

114 86 92

197 191 206

-83 -105 -114

ROUND 9 V

Thursday, May 5 7.50pm Accor Stadium

Friday, May 6 6.00pm GIO Stadium

Friday, May 6 7.55pm BlueBet Stadium

Saturday, May 7 3.00pm 4 Pines Park

Saturday, May 7 5.30pm BB Print Stadium

Saturday, May 7 7.35pm QLD Country Bank Stadium

Sunday, May 8 2.00pm AAMI Park

IS THIS YOU? ? Is this you at a recent Penrith Panthers game? If it is, you’ve won a Hoyts Family Movie Pass to use at any Hoyts Cinema in Australia! To collect your prize, visit the Weekender office at 2/42-44 Abel Street, Jamisontown and ask for Nathan Taylor.

Extra Time Issue Number 2022-009

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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, May 6, 2022

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Friday, May 6, 2022 « the western weekender

Lower Mountains

the western weekender • extra time » Friday, May 6, 2022

KENNY PLAYS KEY ROLE IN ANOTHER BIG PANTHERS WIN T

lower grades report with Lachlan Jeffery @LachlanJeffery

he Penrith Panthers have claimed a 26-12 victory over the Newtown Jets in a top-of-the-table Knock-On Effect NSW Cup clash at St Marys. Penrith started strong, with Sunia Turuva charging over the tryline after supporting a good inside pass from Sean O’Sullivan. J’Maine Hopgood powered over off a Mitch Kenny short ball close to the line to give Penrith a 12-0 lead after only 15 minutes. Newtown had a chance off the back of a Luke Metcalf 40/20, however the Panthers defence held strong. Another short ball close to the line, this time from O’Sullivan to Preston Riki, saw the Panthers extend their lead to 18, before Metcalf scored for Newtown right on halftime to cut the scoreline to 18-6. The second half began with a grind, with Kenny and Newtown five-eighth Lachie Miller sin binned due to a melee. Kurt Falls opted kick a penalty goal to extend their lead. Shortly after returning, Kenny set up another try, this time to Lindsay Smith who crashed over from close range. Newtown added a late consolation try after Robert Jennings was also sin binned, with the final margin of 14 points a fair indication of the contest. The Jersey Flegg Panthers have recorded their third straight win after defeating Cronulla 36-16 earlier in the day.

Mitch Kenny in action for Penrith. Photo: Jake Hunter.

The Panthers got off to an ideal start, with Daeon Amituanai scoring after only four minutes from a quick shift left. They scored again shortly after when Hohepa Puru pounced on a loose grubber. The Panthers built plenty of pressure on the Cronulla line, eventually rewarded when Zac Lipowicz scored in near identical fashion to Puru. Cronulla got one back, but William Faka-

toumafi pushed the scorline to 22-6 at halftime when he also pounced on a grubber. The second half started in similar fashion to the first, with Amituanai scoring in the corner just after the resumption. When Connor Mason darted over from dummy-half, it looked like a big score was in the works, however a pair of late Cronulla tries, sandwiched around one to Isaiah Iongi left the final scoreline 36-16.

my panther memories

NAME: LISA BOOTH | SUBURB: EASTLAKES What is your greatest Penrith Panthers memory? In 2004 my son’s school were given free tickets to the Panthers v Storm game. I was a single mum with a six-year-old who loved league. It seemed such a big thing to be a mum taking him to the footy, but I have happy memories of my dad taking me, so off we trotted. Boyo had already found love with the Bulldogs (my childhood team) but I had been away from league for a good 10 years or so and had no allegiances. It was packed, the game I loved was even better than I remembered and Penrith won. Boyo walked away asking when we could see a Bulldogs game. I walked away deeply in love with the Panthers, and while that relationship has had some ups and downs and some serious trust issues – it remains strong and

constant, for better or for worse. Why was this memory so important to you? This was the beginning of so many mum and son trips to Penrith Park and beyond. His love of league echoed mine and we spent many weekends watching our teams – often having ‘double header’ weekends where we went to both games. When his dad died, footy became our safe place and he will happily attend Panthers games with me, wearing his beanie and cheering on the boys against everyone except the Bulldogs (we sit at opposite ends of the ground for that one). That game was the start of so many of the memories he will always have of me. It is part of the glue of our relationship and I am forever grateful for that free ticket.

SUBMIT YOUR MEMORY – EMAIL INFO@WESTERNWEEKENDER.COM.AU

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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, May 6, 2022

corey phillips

Friday, May 6, 2022 « the western weekender

MY88 PENRITHS GIFT TO GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY With our roots still firmly grounded in Penrith, we are delighted to announce that My88 is evolving and expanding its reach to the Greater West of Sydney. In keeping with worldwide trends, My88 now only broadcasts online only. The best way to listen to My88 is via iHeartRadio, the My88 website and the My88 App. So, what does that mean to you, our listeners? Apart from hearing My88 in crisp clear stereo on iHeartRadio, nothing at all. In fact, the benefits are enormous. Don’t forget to make the switch today. And thanks for listening to Sydney’s greatest radio station, From the team at My88

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