Karl Stefanovic does not normally do a rugby league podcast, and Freddy & the Eighth does not normally have anyone other than Brad Fittler on the lead chair. This week both of those things changed at once. With Fittler away, the Today Show host took over the show alongside Andrew Johns under the name 'Carlos and the Eighth', and used the airtime to make a surprisingly substantial case for the PNG Chiefs project, the Perth Bears, and a Queensland State of Origin side built around the Maroons' usual suspects.
The most serious section of the show came after a clip of Triple M's panel — featuring Paul Gallen and Phil 'Brace' Bracewell — turned hostile over how little the Perth Bears had done publicly compared to the PNG Chiefs.
Stefanovic, who has been to PNG several times and frequently covers the country on Today, was prepared to be honest about both the opportunity and the risk.
"I've been to PNG a bunch of times. There's no sugar coating it. That is a tough place to live," he said. "My worry is that the families going to go over there and it doesn't matter if you've got a 16-star hotel there. You whack all the families in one place and they can't move. They're not going to be able to go outside. It's an incredibly dangerous place. That is a fact."
In the same breath he laid out the geopolitics that have driven both governments to push the franchise so hard.
"Part of it is to drive social change, where through education, where young people, if they want to play rugby league, they've got to be at school 90 per cent of the time or whatever," he said. "But also the government's part — let's look at it — it's to stop the influence of China coming down. Especially with all the ports and everything, and I think that's delicate and dangerous territory and you've got to get it right."
The Today host argued that the recent signing of Souths firebrand Jeremiah Nanai and the previously announced Alex Johnston deal were both meaningful endorsements, but he was also not interested in pretending the contracts were simply about goodwill.
"The big endorsement was Jeremiah Nanai signing on the dotted line," Stefanovic said. "People are going to go, 'Oh, it's for the money,' and it is tax-free money, which is great, but also this is a chance for him to make change in a country which adores rugby league. And it shows that he thinks his family will be safe. It's a huge commitment by everyone involved, and it's tax-free for a bloody good reason because it's going to be hard."
He also acknowledged the demographic reality the league has been quiet about — that not every NRL family with school-aged kids will choose Port Moresby.
"PNG can't deny this. A lot of their officials have kids going to school in Queensland," he said. "They have houses in Far North Queensland and in Brisbane. So just accept it that some of the families are going to have to do that. And that's why I think when they do the tax-free money, I think that they need to do that."
The show then turned to State of Origin, where Stefanovic — born and raised on the outskirts of Brisbane — had been asked to pick a Maroons side. He was unequivocal that Cameron Munster, despite a torrid run with the Storm, would be fine in camp.
"I think Munster will be fine," he said. "They've had such a tough run in Melbourne, and I think a big game he'll appreciate being out probably of the Melbourne camp. He'll come into camp here and he and Harry [Grant] will be fine."
Johns agreed and went further, saying he was ready to back Munster against the entire NSW press.
"All the New South Wales media has been bashing Munster," Johns said. "And I'm just thinking, because I know his personality, if someone says you can't do this or you won't do this, he'll be like, 'Yeah, you watch.'"
In the centres, Stefanovic and Johns aligned on selection. Latrell Mitchell, who had broken an 18-month media silence the same day, was the obvious left centre. Robert Toia (Stefanovic's preferred 'Toia from Manly' aside, he meant the in-form Roosters centre Robert Toia) had been in front a month ago, before Latrell flicked the switch. On the right, Stefanovic backed Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow over Stephen Crichton in part because of the speed-of-play implications of the 2026 rule changes.
"Six-to-go is quicker, you've got to score over 24 points to win at Origin this year," he said. "So I'd go [Tabuai-Fidow]. The other one's Teddy fullback. I think Teddy's incredible — I just think he's got more of a pass option than Dylan Edwards."
The wider point Stefanovic kept circling back to was that the new rules would force a cleaner attacking Origin, and that whoever lost game one was in serious trouble.
"How scary are the new rules? The speed of them at Origin level — yeah, we are in for a feast. It's just going to be attacking footy," he said. "It's really important for the Blues to get away with the first win. Otherwise, it's going to be a long haul for them. It's only been done three times in 47 years."
For a guest spot, it was a notably substantive one. Stefanovic offered cover for the PNG Chiefs project on the geopolitics, applied the same realism to the safety question, and on Origin gave the Maroons a passionate Queenslander's blueprint built around Munster, Latrell, Tabuai-Fidow and Tedesco. Whether or not Fittler is grateful when he gets back from leave, his chair has rarely been louder.
