GENIUS DEFYING HIS CRITICS, ANTHONY GRIFFIN IS ALL SMILES AFTER TAKING PENRITH TO THE FINALS IN HIS FIRST YEAR
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PANTHERS SOAR
WATCH IT LIVE ON FOX SPORTS FROM 6.30PM HEAR IT LIVE ON TRIPLE M FROM 6.30PM PANTHERS 1
Matt Moylan
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Josh Mansour Waqa Blake Tyrone Peachey Dallin Watene-Zelezniak Bryce Cartwright Nathan Cleary Leilani Latu Peter Wallace Suaia Matagi Isaah Yeo James Fisher-Harris Trent Merrin Sitaleki Akauola Jeremy Latimore Chris Grevsmuhl Zak Hardaker
the western weekender • extra time » Friday, September 2, 2016
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MATCH PREVIEW
SEA EAGLES
Chris Grevsmuhl in action
TROY DODDS @troydodds
I
t’s not often Penrith fans can feel this comfortable. Going into Sunday night’s game against Manly at Pepper Stadium, the result matters little when it comes to the competition ladder – whatever happens, the Panthers will be facing an elimination final next weekend. But momentum is critical at this time of year and having won their past four matches, the Panthers would want nothing more than to go into the Finals with another victory under their belt. The side provided fans with another heart-stopper last weekend, getting home 15-14 over the Gold Coast on the back of a Matt Moylan field goal late in the game. Penrith dominated the Titans in the first half and set up a commanding 14-0 lead but as has happened so much this season,
handling and completion rates let the side down for a big chunk of the contest and allowed the Titans back into the game. Like most of the year, however, the Panthers refused to panic and despite being away from home with a big crowd against them, managed to keep their composure and grab the two points. Nobody could blame Manly for having one eye on Mad Monday heading into this Sunday night’s game. It’s been a rough introduction to the club for new coach Trent Barrett, who went from the relaxation of ‘gardening leave’ at Penrith to the fire of Manly, a club going through a significant generational shift with household names like Jamie Lyon and Brett Stewart at the tail end of their careers and the next generation – highlighted by Tom and Jake Trbojevic – starting to find their feet. The game plan for Penrith this weekend is relatively simple – hold the ball and you win the game. There’s enough points in Penrith, especially against a team like
Manly, to put the flair and offloads in the back pocket and just get back to good old fashioned hard work through the middle of the park. I’d expect a slightly different interchange rotation from coach Griffin this week, especially if the Panthers get out to a handy lead. Don’t be surprised if Matt Moylan earns a break on the sideline with Zak Hardaker to get a decent stint at fullback. Griffin is also dealing with the loss of Reagan Campbell-Gillard for the remainder of the season, with Jeremy Latimore named to replace him this weekend. Griffin has done a remarkable job to get Penrith this far, especially considering the mid-season overhaul he undertook, and to be able to go into the final game of the season with the Finals already secured is quite simply footy heaven. He’ll be able to test a few things before next weekend’s do-or-die game, and get a feel for what he needs to work on during the week. It’d be disappointing for the Panthers
1
Tom Trbojevic
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Jorge Taufua Dylan Walker Matthew Wright Brayden Williame Apisai Koroisau Daly Cherry-Evans Addin Fonua-Blake Matt Parcell Nate Myles Martin Taupau Jamie Buhrer Jake Trbojevic Blake Leary Josh Starling Lewis Brown Siosaia Vave
to let this game slip, and there’s no solid reason to suggest the winning streak will come to an end this weekend. I’m expecting the Panthers to come out of the blocks hard, put Manly away and then ease off in the second half as the reality of Finals football starts to set in. This game deserves a big home crowd, even if it’s to acknowledge the mighty effort of making the Finals this season. Tip: Panthers by 14.
Panthers v Sea Eagles Sun, September 4, 6.30pm Pepper Stadium Referees: Grant Atkins and Chris Sutton Tickets: At the gate
37
Friday, September 2, 2016 « the western weekender • extra time
PANTHER RUMBLINGS with The Masked Panther
HOOK’S FUMING » Panthers coach Anthony Griffin was
fuming over the Ryan James tackle that has ended Reagan Campbell-Gillard’s (pictured) season. The 23-year-old suffered a serious back injury after a tough hit from James, who escaped any charge from the NRL’s Match Review Committee. Griffin told Sky Sports Radio on Tuesday morning that he was now “over” the incident after initially blowing up post-game on Saturday, but said he would address the issue of the ‘prowler tackle’ with the NRL in the off-season. CampbellGillard was forced to stay in hospital on the Gold Coast following Saturday night’s game, and faces a three month recovery.
» Penrith fans may be disappointed to
hear that there will be no Finals t-shirt released this year. A shirt was released for the 2014 Finals but this time around, the club couldn’t agree with their supplier on an appropriate price and delivery time frame.
» South Sydney legend Craig Coleman
may need to switch his allegiances after his son Liam signed a deal with the Panthers for next season. Liam has played in the Souths junior system but has been snapped up by the Panthers. The halfback/hooker has some amazing sporting pedigree with not only his dad being a Souths legend, but sister Tara being a champion Ironwoman. Expect Coleman to play in the lower grades at Penrith next season.
» Some fans still haven’t got the mes-
sage but let me assure you that no matter what, the Panthers won’t be playing at Pepper Stadium in week one of the Finals. With the most likely scenario being a Finals showdown with the Bull-
dogs, the obvious location for the match next weekend is ANZ Stadium, but the Sydney Swans have the venue booked on the Saturday. That means the western Sydney showdown would most likely be moved into the city and played at Allianz Stadium. The NRL will release details of the week one schedule on Sunday, with a number of possibilities on the table including the Panthers being involved in a double header if Sydney does end up hosting two Finals games. Penrith may yet have to travel to Queensland with a match against Brisbane or North Queensland both also possible. There’s also an outside chance Penrith could finish fifth, and take on the eighth placed Titans or Tigers.
» The Panthers v Titans game on Satur-
aside, expect Bob Fulton to go with him, potentially leaving Darryl Brohman as the longest-standing member of the team. While 2GB still rates strongly on weekends, fans keen for their footy fix have long left the Continuous Call and moved on to either Triple M or the ABC, where Andrew Moore does a tremendous job.
day night rated through the roof on Fox Sports, with 294,000 people tuning in. It almost out-rated the 7.30pm game between Cronulla and the Roosters, which was the top rating pay television program of the night with 306,000 viewers. The NRL is in great shape when it comes to TV ratings with Saturday’s 5.30pm and 7.30pm games easily beating the AFL, rugby union and Supercars.
» Former Panther Jamie Soward is back
» I’m hearing that radio legend Ray
» The Panthers welcomed a very special
Hadley is set to announce his retirement from the long-standing Continuous Call Team. Once a powerhouse of Australian radio, the Continuous Call is far from what it used to be with Triple M grabbing much of the younger audience and Hadley taking more and more time off. These days Hadley, who also presents a highly successful weekday program on 2GB, rarely calls games on the radio and the Continuous Call can go hours without talking about football. If Hadley does step
on Twitter. As I reported last week, Soward was the victim of a hacker, who he has since described as a “wanker”. You can follow Sowie at @sowwowofficial6.
guest into the sheds after last week’s win over the Gold Coast, with champion surfer and long-time fan Mick Fanning dropping in. We hear that Trent Merrin was seen in the dressing room teaching Fanning some of his trademark dance moves.
» It’s a shame that Penrith’s Intrust Super
Premiership finals match against the Warriors on Sunday morning won’t be shown in Australia. With five sports channels,
you would think Fox Sports could find a way to show the game especially given the 11.45am timeslot. A live feed is also available from Sky Sports New Zealand, so it wouldn’t be that difficult for Fox Sports to show the game.
» Talking of Fox Sports, a whole range of
new shows will start next week as channel 501 becomes dedicated to the NRL Finals. Among them is the ‘NRL Round Table’, scheduled to run on Tuesday at 7.30pm. Classic matches will also get a run while ‘NRL Today’ switches from Fox Sports News to Fox Sports 1 for the Finals. ‘Monday Night with Matty Johns’ moves to 7.30pm on Mondays, which is also likely to be its timeslot next year with Monday Night Football now dead and buried.
» After some tense contract negotiations, I can assure you I’ll be back next week for at least one more edition (let’s hope it’s more!). Remember, if you have any Panthers news or gossip you’d like to share, you can email me at maskedpanther@ westernweekender.com.au.
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olden V8 Supercar driver and self-confessed diehard Penrith Panthers fan James Courtney said he was “blown away” by the club’s $22 million Rugby League Academy. In town for last weekend’s Sydney Super Sprint event at Eastern Creek, Courtney received a personal guided tour of the Academy from none other than 1991 Panthers Grand Final hero Royce Simmons. Speaking with Extra Time, who joined Courtney on the exclusive tour, the 36-year-old Holden Racing Team driver said he was amazed at everything the Academy had to offer.
“I suppose it’s like mad race fans coming down to see the pits – I was blown away,” Courtney said. “I particularly liked the gym, including the motivational posters on each wall plus the theatre where the players and coaches watch post and pre-game stuff, that was excellent. “The best part, however, was the locker room which had each player’s name on their own locker door. You can really picture them in there getting ready for a game.” Born at Nepean Hospital in 1980, Courtney has been a fanatical Panthers fan since birth, so much so that he often gets in trouble from team bosses for watching Penrith games during important race meetings. “I’m always watching it,” he admitted to Extra Time. “I get in trouble a lot, especially during
the western weekender • extra time » Friday, September 2, 2016
FEATURE
Royce Simmons and James Courtney at the Panthers Rugby League Academy
“I suppose it’s like mad race fans coming down to see the pits – I was blown away”
a race debrief, because I’ve got my phone under the desk watching the game on Foxtel Go. “I’m a diehard fan, a ‘westie’ at heart – I’m massively passionate.” Courtney returned to the Eastern Creek track for the first time last weekend following a freak accident involving him and a Navy helicopter last year.
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Friday, September 2, 2016 « the western weekender • extra time
IN PICTURES Photos: Megan Dunn
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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, September 2, 2016
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Friday, September 2, 2016 « the western weekender • extra time
THE DREW REVIEW
LOWER GRADES
with Brad Drew
TIGHTEST COMP IN YEARS It is hard to believe that this weekend sees the end of the regular NRL season, meaning an early Mad Monday for some teams and for others, the start of what will surely be one of the best Finals series we have seen for quite some time. Most experts of the game are of the belief that at this incredibly late part of the season, it is wide open and the Grand Final make-up is pretty hard to predict. For all the Panthers supporters out there, what is cause for a tiny celebration is that on the back of the gutsy win against the Titans last weekend, their place in the final eight is assured, irrespective of the result this Sunday night against the Manly Sea Eagles at Pepper Stadium. This will certainly not be the week for the Panthers to take the foot off the pedal however, as a good win on Sunday will set them up for a far more confident appearance for the first semi the following week. Trent Barrett returns to Penrith for
the first time as an opposing coach and, despite the fact that a final eight spot is now out of reach, Barrett will be hoping for a win on his old coaching turf and to give a winning send off to a great former teammate of mine, Jamie Lyon. Penrith will be hoping to spoil Lyon’s party however, and once again I am expecting another strong performance from Matt Moylan and his troops. Nathan Cleary continues to go from strength to strength each week and I am sure he will be wanting to take his good form into his very first Finals series. Pretty good for a young man who this time last year was finishing his HSC and opting to play for his country rather than in Penrith U20’s Grand Final squad. I’m hoping for a great crowd early Sunday evening at Pepper Stadium to cheer on the Panthers for the final home game of the 2016 season. What a way to spend Father’s Day. Good luck to the boys!
» Intrust Super Premiership NSW: The
Penrith Panthers will head back across the ditch this weekend after they qualified for the 2016 Intrust Super Premiership Finals in eighth position. The Panthers will take on the New Zealand Warriors for the second straight week after defeating them 36-24 last Sunday to scrape into the top eight by the skin of their teeth. Penrith raced out of the blocks and enjoyed an early 12-0 lead with tries to Ray Lesoa and George Jennings. However the Warriors, who were playing for a spot in the all-important top four, hit back with four consecutive tries before half-time to take a 24-12 lead into the break. Just when it appeared the Warriors would be too strong, Penrith were able to return fire in the second half through prop Viliame Kikau, who barged his way over the line, while Zac Mackay claimed a double to seal victory. Panthers coach Steve Georgallis has named a strong side to battle the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium this Sunday with Malakai Watene-Zelezniak at fullback, and Te Maire Martin and captain Zach Dockar-Clay in the halves. If Penrith defeat New Zealand they’ll advance to the second week. If they lose, they’ll be eliminated.
» Holden Cup: After a lean month of
results, the Penrith Panthers are back in business after securing a nail-biting 28-26 win over the Gold Coast Titans last Saturday afternoon in Robina.
The lead changed multiple times during the match but a penalty goal by Dylan Edwards with five to go proved the winning play. Penrith led 10-0 early before the Titans clawed their way back with 14 unanswered points to lead by four at the break. The Panthers hit back in the second half to edge in front 20-14 before the Titans levelled proceedings in the 55th minute. Gold Coast took the lead back in the 64th minute to go back up 26-20, but Penrith managed to score their own try five minutes later to level the score again. With five to go, Penrith broke the line through Caleb Aekins and earned themselves a penalty in front of the sticks. Edwards calmly slotted it over to give the Panthers victory. This Sunday the Panthers take on the Manly Sea Eagles at Pepper Stadium.
» Ron Massey Cup: St Marys have
recorded seven straight wins after they defeated the Western Suburbs Magpies 38-24 in the final round of the Ron Massey Cup competition. Try scorers for St Marys included: Jamie Hill (2), Tom Eisenhuth, Geoff Daniela, Peter Scanlan, Sam Jones and Alan Eisenhuth. Adrian Davies kicked five goals. St Marys finished the regular season in fourth position and will take on Mounties in this Sunday afternoon’s quarter final at Campbelltown Stadium. If St Marys win, they’ll advance to the preliminary final. If they lose, they’ll live to fight another day next weekend.
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the western weekender • extra time » Friday, September 2, 2016
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0 years ago at 7.30pm on August 24 1966, 13 people gathered in the board room of the old Penrith Leagues Club in order to form the Penrith District Rugby League Referees Association. On Wednesday, August 24, exactly 50 years since that evening, the Penrith Referees celebrated the incredible milestone with a Gala Dinner.
Last Wednesday night friends, family, sponsors and members of the local community joined past and present members at Rooty Hill RSL to celebrate and reflect on 50 years of developing and providing match officials to the Penrith District. Presentations were made to each former A Grade Division 1 Grand Final referee in attendance, as well as to a number of the inaugural members who sat in that meeting a half century ago.
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t was a cold Friday night at Belmore Sports Ground in mid-May when Anthony Griffin became convinced that Nathan Cleary was the man to lead the Panthers around the park for the rest of the season. It was the teenager’s first game in the Intrust Super Premiership after being promoted from the Holden Cup. “He looked classes above on that night,” Griffin told Sky Sports Radio. “That was probably the night that convinced me that he was worth giving a go.” A few weeks later Cleary made his NRL debut against the Melbourne Storm and hasn’t been out of the top team since.
Griffin said despite Cleary’s standout performance on that wet night at Belmore, he was still taking a gamble by promoting the 18-year-old into top flight football at such a young age. “That’s the beautiful thing about sport,” he said. “When you see someone that young and be able to go to that level, you never know whether that’s going to happen or not.” Griffin also praised Panthers captain Matt Moylan. “Matt’s been great the last month – he’s really lead from the front in everything he has done,” he said. “His defence has been tremendous... and he’s got that class in attack which he’s used with a lot of control.”
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Friday, September 2, 2016 « the western weekender • extra time
NRL LADDER AND FIXTURES CLUB
W
D
L
B
F
A
Storm
23 18
0
5
2
537
296
2 Sharks
23 17
1
5
2
574
378 +196 39
3 Raiders
23 16
1
6
2
636
446 +190 37
4 Cowboys
23 14
0
9
2
552
339
+213 32
5 Broncos
23 14
0
9
2
530
420
+110 32
6 Bulldogs
23 14
0
9
2
496
420
+76
7 Panthers
23 13
0
10
2
527
457
+70 30
8 TItans
23
11
1
11
2
492
465
+27
27
9 W. Tigers
23
11
0
12
2
489
555
-66
26
10 Warriors
23 10
0
13
2
495
561
-66
24
11 Dragons
23
9
0
14
2
313
512
-199 22
12 Sea Eagles
23
8
0
15
2
448
527
-79
20
13 Rabbitohs
23
8
0
15
2
445
539
-94
20
14 Eels
23 12
0
11
2
258
306
-48
16
15 Roosters
23
6
0
17
2
429
552
-123 16
16 Knights
23
1
1
21
2
279
772 -493
1
PD
Extra Time Issue Number 2016-26 PRODUCED BY The Western Weekender EDITOR Troy Dodds / 4722 2998 / troy.dodds@westernweekender.com.au CONTRIBUTORS Nathan Taylor / Brad Drew / Masked Panther SALES 4722 2998 sales@westernweekender.com.au
44
+/-
PTS
+241 40
32
7
Round 26
FACE IN THE CROWD
Broncos v Roosters Thursday, September 1, 7.50pm Suncorp Stadium Bulldogs v Rabbitohs Friday, September 2, 7.50pm ANZ Stadium Dragons v Knights Saturday, September 3, 3pm UOW Jubilee Oval Cowboys v Titans Saturday, September 3, 5.30pm 1300 Smiles Stadium Storm v Sharks Saturday, September 3, 7.30pm AAMI Park Tigers v Raiders Sunday, September 4, 2pm Leichhardt Oval Warriors v Eels Sunday, September 4, 4pm Mt Smart Stadium Panthers v Sea Eagles Sunday, September 4, 6.30pm Pepper Stadium
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BLAKE’S FINDING HIS BEST NATHAN TAYLOR @natetaylor87
P
enrith Panthers centre Waqa Blake has praised senior teammates Peter Wallace and Trent Merrin for helping him become a better, more professional player. After debuting in first grade to mediocre reviews last season, the 21-year-old is certainly having a season to remember, and is set to play a major role in Penrith’s Finals campaign beginning next week. Early season injuries to regular centres Dean Whare and Peta Hiku paved the way for the rangy Fijian to return to the NRL this year and, so far, he’s proving the nasty Twitter trolls wrong. Speaking with Extra Time on Tuesday, Blake said he’s a much more confident player this year compared to in his rookie season. “I’ve blown away all those first year cobwebs and this year I’ve been lucky enough to be back in first grade,” he said. “With the senior group we have now in Peter Wallace and Trent Merrin, they’ve been helping
“Off the field now I’m trying my best to give back to the club because I know they give a lot to me... I’m making better decisions”
me better my game. I know there’s still a lot to work on but I’m loving the improvement so far.” After coming through the grades being compared to none other than Greg Inglis, Blake is finally starting to reach his potential – crossing the line six times this year including a try in each of his last four games. Blake said the biggest
improvement he’s made this year is to his professionalism. “Last year I wasn’t being professional in what I did, not only on the field but off it,” he admitted. “Off the field now I’m trying my best to give back to the club because I know they
give a lot to me. I’m making better decisions.” Since making his NRL debut in 2015, Blake has been largely criticised by Panthers fans for making mistakes at crucial times in games.
While B l a k e ’ s unfortunate errors are still part of his game, he is certainly making up for his mistakes by scoring some scintillating tries. “Last year I made heaps of errors and wasn’t able to bounce back, but after speaking to a lot of the boys and coaching staff this year, I’ve learned that I can’t let an error get to me anymore,” Blake said. “I think that advice has really helped me
a lot this season – I just have to move past it and owe it back to the team.” Blake has been named in Penrith’s team to take on the Manly Sea Eagles this Sunday night at Pepper Stadium. Assuming he gets through the final round unscathed, Blake will line-up the following week in his first NRL Finals match. And he may even put pressure on Whare and Hiku to regain their spots in Penrith’s starting side for the 2017 season. Blake said he’s confident the Panthers can shock some teams in the Finals despite their low position. “The plan is to go all the way,” he said. “We just need to keep our heads down and worry about what’s in front of us. “I think we’ll be a tough team to play.”
the western weekender • extra time » Friday, September 2, 2016
NEWS
Waqa Blake
LEAGUE IN GREAT SHAPE
Fans at Pepper Stadium
The NRL Competition Committee met this week to be given an update on the impact of changes to the 2016 competition, including the addition of the NRL Bunker, ahead of the Finals Series. The group was shown data which showed more than 10 hours of play will be saved as a result of the scrum clock and drop-out clock in 2016. An analysis of the first 25 rounds has also shown that 41 per cent of try attempts have been referred to the review officials – compared to 44 per cent in 2015. That equates to 29 fewer video referrals in 2016 compared to this time last year.
Video referral decision times are also down an average of 12 seconds compared to 2015 (an average of 65 seconds in 2016, compared to 77 seconds in 2015). 18 per cent of live decisions have also been overturned by the review official in 2016, compared to 13 per cent in 2015. “This is an incredibly important group and today’s meeting was a great opportunity to put some early results from some of the major changes in the game to them,” NRL Head of Football Brian Canavan said. Other key figures revealed this week included: • 34 per cent of games so far this year
have resulted in a margin of between zero and six points, while the average game margin in 2016 is 13.9 points; • 15 matches this season have resulted in Golden Point, while 40 per cent of those matches have been decided by a try; • There have been 1256 tries scored so far in 2015 (21 more than the same time in 2015, and an average of 7.1 tries per game); • Television audiences are up 16 per cent compared to 2015 (84.5 million compared to 72.7 million), while average attendances are up one per cent.
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Friday, September 2, 2016 « the western weekender • extra time
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Country Brewer
222
224
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Stanton & Taylor Commercial
254
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Ian Garton
170
254
Dickies Transport
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KNIGHTS
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218
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250
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242
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Lower Moutains Air
218
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BRONCOS
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Nathan Taylor
238
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Kaiden, Brody SHARKS & Nikki
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258
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The Western Weekender
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246
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242
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260
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194
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224
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242
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Vic’s Maxi Transport
238
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220
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more than just homebrew
46
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