# 2026: Can't wait!

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/roy-and-hg-bludging-on-the-blindside-663861/2026-can-t-wait
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/roy-and-hg-bludging-on-the-blindside-663861/2026-can-t-wait.md
Podcast: [Roy and HG - Bludging on the Blindside](https://stenobird.com/podcast/roy-and-hg-bludging-on-the-blindside-663861)
Published: 2025-10-25T03:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/bludging-on-the-blindside/bludging-on-the-blindside/105934258
Audio file: https://mediacore-live-production.akamaized.net/audio/02/eb/Z/le.mp3
Processing state: processed
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/roy-and-hg-bludging-on-the-blindside-663861/episodes/2026-can-t-wait
Duration seconds: 5608

## Resource

A year-end retrospective celebrating the highlights of the 2025 rugby league season and the community's impact. The hosts reflect on major sporting milestones, from State of Origin successes to the revitalization of local sporting venues.

## Highlights
- Main idea: Reflecting on a year of significant community-driven initiatives in rugby league
- Practical takeaway: The importance of active conversation to prevent the loss of historic sporting venues like Wentworth Park
- Failure mode: The risk of complacency in Australian sporting teams following major international successes
- Main idea: The potential for new, creative uses for existing urban event spaces
- Practical takeaway: Using community-focused events, like car boot sales, to maintain the relevance of local landmarks

## Topics

Rugby League, NRL, State of Origin, Sports Management, Australian Sport, Wentworth Park, Optus Stadium, Sports Venues

## Chapters
- 1:00 — 2025 Season Highlights: A look back at the year's biggest moments, including the Rolex watch initiative for Manly players and the concept of Cricket Origin.
- 15:10 — Breaking the Perth Hoodoo: Discussion on the recent success at Optus Stadium and the breaking of long-standing venue curses.
- 22:10 — The Future of Adelaide's Grounds: Reflections on course design and the evolution of major sporting venues.
- 29:20 — Reimagining Event Spaces: The need for innovation in how we utilize stands and venues for modern sporting spectacles.
- 43:10 — Preserving Local Landmarks: A warning that without regular use and public conversation, historic venues like Wentworth Park may disappear.
- 50:20 — The Premier's Ring and New Ideas: Discussing simple, elegant solutions for player recognition and the potential for new digital tools.
- 1:19:30 — The Economics of Sport: Addressing the drying up of funding for major sporting contracts and the influence of the gambling sector.

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/roy-and-hg-bludging-on-the-blindside-663861/episodes/2026-can-t-wait/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/roy-and-hg-bludging-on-the-blindside-663861/2026-can-t-wait.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.