Tigers CEO, Shaun Mielekamp

As Fire Up! meanders through the off season (we are back next week to wrap the RLWC), we are happy to launch our occasional series, Fire Up! Stories.Leading off, we catch up with Derek & Anne (kinda) Symonds. Based in Queensland, they are always repping Fire Up! on the radio so we dropped in to say thank you. And you’ll be amazed about how much footy they actually watch.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What a joy to welcome Dave Faulkner and Steve Mascord back to Fire Up! Dave's Hoodoo Gurus are about to head out on the Rewind tour, playing somewhere near you,  and release an album with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Silk Purse. Steve is not releasing an album but he's certainly on tour with the Rugby League World Cup (in italics)This is a really wide-ranging episode including reflections on falling out of love (with league) and the Doomsday Clock (of league). And, in homage to the Gurus, we see the return of the Axegrinder segment (about league).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dave Carnovale has designed the Perth Bears logo. Fact. And he talks about the return of the Bears to the big rugby league show. Bronson Xerri's cosmetic journey also features. There is a Rugby League "World Cup" and there is no off-season.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite being anything but in the game, the Newcastle Knights still almost had the fairytale finish everyone was wishing for (even Roosters fans). But our game is one of no quarter asked for or given and dreams often come crashing down. To reflect on the biggest week in league, we are joined by Yvonne Sampson from Fox League and PJ Lane of no fixed address. Their combined wisdom gives us the only answer to dashed hopes and bleak results: Fire Up!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fire Up! adds to the great father/son combinations if rugby league by welcoming Dave & Josh Ray to the mike. As Kurt Cobain once put it so well, we say to PVL, "Here we are now. Entertain us." And after the disappointments of Deans and Tones, he is now promising us 11 minutes of joy this Sunday. We review how we got to the  Chooks v Knights/Broncos in the GF cheeseburger. And, oh Bullfrog Ritchie, you've done it again!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are joined by Shaun "Tiger" Mielekamp, Wests Tigers CEO, to discuss the NRLW (and the NRL) Finals, the secret life of plastic plants and what's been a packed first year in the job. And we learn that he likes to get his grunge on. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fire Up! icon, Redfern Pat, returns to the mike to talk all things footy bunker and footy punter. The NRL Finals got into full swing last weekend but the hip pocket continued to take a hit and they stayed away in droves...or did they?The NRLW  instigates its own Deflategate, the Fox falls foul (fowl?) of the Inner West hipsters [allegedly] and we cast an eye over another tale from music history from Matty Johns.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Broncos whisperer, James Campbell, joins us in time to imagine what the proposed rugby league theme park will involve. Gale reflected on Sydney's previous best theme park but forgot the correct name was Bullen's African Lion Safari Beyond the NRL Finals, we break two huge stories - Robbie Farah & Jason Taylor are on the next season of Australian Survivor and Harry Grant is a Communist.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NSWRL supremo, Dave Trodden, joins us, along with Fire Up! regular, Stephen Gorry, to celebrate the dual triumphs of the NSW Blues in the State Of Origins this season. We could have talked forever.But we also had time to look at the Tale Of Two Farewells for Jai and Reyno, the rise of rugby league robots (not the Storms!) and the encroaching censorship of our game that meant that the PNG PM had no idea what Benji Marshall was so ticked off about.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PJ Lane joins us to discuss what happens when the likes of Toby Rudolph and Jason Ryles turn their eyes skyward and get hit with that big pizza pie, the moon.We explore all corners of the rugby league globe as refs get together to share offside-coloured jokes, coaches tell the truth (as they see it), players continue their learnings and mascots determine the future of our game.Fire Up! It's Out There!!!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.