Episode nine of the Rugby League Hour is here, hosted by Martin Devlin and Tony Kemp and brought to you by MicroBio Solutions. Every Monday during the 2024 NRL season on The Platform, Devlin - host of It's Only Sport - is joined by one of the best rugby league analysts going around in Kemp, the ex-Warriors coach and Kiwis representative.

The Cronulla Sharks continue to set the pace at the top of the NRL table with seven wins from eight games, and improved their record thanks to a 20-10 victory over the Dragons at home. The Melbourne Storm also maintained their hot start to 2024 with a hard-fought 22-20 win over the Titans on the Gold Coast. The Canberra Raiders surprised many with a come-from-behind win over the Manly Sea Eagles on the road 26-24 despite injuries to key players. Injuries is a word closely associated with the Brisbane Broncos a well - if Friday night wasn't bad enough being bashed 40-18 by the Sydney Roosters, Brisbane captain and star halfback Adam Reynolds suffered a bicep injury that will keep him out of action for 14 weeks. As it stands after nine rounds, just four points separates four through nine on the table with the Bulldogs sitting in the final postseason spot. Marty and Kempy look at the key results from the weekend and how they impact the premiership after a third of the season.

Then, it's Up The Wahs - a segment dedicated solely to the Warriors, who find themselves in a seriously concerning form slump after yet another week without a win. The Mount Smart club lost their third in a row 14-8 away to the Newcastle Knights, which drops them to 14th on the ladder. It's been over a month since the Warriors won a game - should coach Andrew Webster consider making changes to the matchday side with so many players out of form? Has the Roger Tuivasa-Sheck at centre experiment failed?

Next it's He's A Ledge, and this week it's a man who won premierships with the Bulldogs and State of Origin series' with Queensland, and donned the Warriors jersey on over 90 occasions for five years - Steve Price. The 50-year-old is one of the Warriors biggest-ever signings, with the club snagging his signature ahead of the 2005 NRL season. During his time at the Warriors, he was named NRL Dally M Prop of the Year and Captain of the Year in 2007, and Warriors Player of the Year twice.  Price talks about the Warriors up-and-down start to the season and what he reckons it's down to, how the NRL can crackdown on players milking penalties, how the obstruction rule should be altered, and more.

Then, Marty and Kempy go head-to-head debating six rugby league topics, including whether or not the Melbourne Storm's premiership window has closed (despite their 7-1 start to the season), and if Wayne Bennett can genuinely save the South Sydney Rabbitohs (assuming Bennett is named the Bunnies' next head coach). Kempy hands out the Effluex clean-up award for the player, coach or team who did their job better than anyone else on the weekend - someone who rolled up their sleeves and turned gunk into gold.

And to finish things off, Kempy lists his five best teams in the NRL right now on TK's Top 5.

The Rugby League Hour is sponsored by MicroBio Solutions Limited, solving environmental issues using green technologies. Visit microbio.co.nz.