Carlin Davison: Wellington Saints and Tall Blacks forward previews the Saints v Tauranga game

The Wellington Saints have three games left to improve on their current fourth placing ahead of the start of the NBL season.

The final stretch starts with a home game against Tauranga in the capital on Saturday night.

Saints and Tall Blacks forward Carlin Davison joined Adam Cooper to preview the game.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's the perfect start to your Saturday. The All Sport
Breakfast with Auto Mark b wad your premier vehicle destination
News Talk, Send me news Talk said be on the
All Sport Breakfast seventeen away from nine well the Wellington
Saints three games left of the National Basketball League's regular season,
starting at home tonight at tesp Arena against the Totong

(00:20):
of FI. They're in fourth at the moment, so well
in the playoff mix. But of course any extra seeding
you can get in the placings is important for the
NBL playoffs. So let's head into the camp now. Star
forward Carlin Davison with us ahead of tonight's match against
the Fight at tesp Arena. Carlin, morning to you mate.
On the back of I guess the disappointments against Canterbury

(00:41):
at home last weekend, how do you sort of just
assess though we you sit in that fourth spot approaching
the weekend.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Yeah, we want to win as many games as we can. Obviously,
you know these last three games, we're not taking them lightly.
We want to win, so then we have a bit
of time to potentially maybe get an even second or
third if we can, and then boosts us to get
a home semi if we can get to second place,
but if not, we still have a home quarter final.
But it also makes it easier on us. So yeah,

(01:10):
all these games matter, man, So we want to keep
winning and hopefully we can lock in a higher spot
than what we were at the moment.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
Absolutely, all right, how's the tame reflected on that Canterbury game? Obviously,
I guess you look at the final score line and margin,
that probably doesn't seem too bad. But I guess you
didn't really have to come back in that last part,
which he almost did. How have you kind of looked
back on that one with a night to looking up
to this fire game this week?

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Yeah, that game last Sunday wasn't wasn't us, wasn't our
team and what we're about. Canterbury pretty much came out
and just painted us in the face early, and then
you know, we let them get up about twenty five
points and it's always hard to come back and win
from being twenty five points down. I think halfway through
the game or that second half, we look up at

(01:56):
the school board, you know, we're tired. We've used all
our energy to get it back to ten, and then
you know, it's it's it's still ten points and we're
and we're kind of naked. But we've reflected on it,
We've looked at it, watched film on it, and it's just,
you know, we can't we can't get off to a
slow start like that because otherwise teams are just going
to do that to us and then it's going to
make it hard on ourselves. So hopefully this week we

(02:20):
will have a better start to the game and you know,
hit first instead of being hit first.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
How do you, I guess, address the how do you
sort of rally the team together to say, right, we're
going to start strongly. What conversations go on during the
week to get set up for that.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
I mean it's just you know, we get around each other,
and you know, we have a mindset as like, you know,
this team is not going to go out there and
do what they want. We have to be disruptives on
the defensive end. We've talked about coming into the fight game.
They have two or three really good tour Blacks heads
and Jordan Nasai, Rum Tonguey and Tan Murray. You know,

(02:58):
they're the head of snakes, so we want to stop them,
make their life difficult and you know, make someone else
make a play. So it's just like you know, sticking
to our scout and our game plan and not not
going away from that and not letting the other team
hit us first. So it's kind of just conversations like that,
and I would just say, you know, sticking together through

(03:19):
through the diversity or the you know, the good and
the bad. So, you know, we've done a lot of
reflecting this week. It feels like we've we've overdid it,
but you know we've got a job to do them
We've got to work hards.

Speaker 1 (03:33):
So yeah, how do you find just keeping that energy
for the whole kind of year round? You know, breaking duties,
tall black studies, site studies. Now, you know it's a
year round commitment, isn't it. Do you do you get
fatigued or do you thrive on just the constant basketball?

Speaker 2 (03:50):
Yeah, obviously your body gets fatigued. I feel like my
mind never gets fatigued, like because I have to do
it every day. It's my job, you know, like if
I don't do it, then I don't get paid. So no,
I never get tired of it. There's days where my
body is so sore and I'm just like, oh, man,
I don't want to go in today. But really it's
like you know, once you warm up and get going,
you're like, nah, we're getting after it today. So no,

(04:15):
I love it. Man. It's my job and that's what
I love doing. So yeah, I don't really get tired
of it.

Speaker 1 (04:20):
Yeah, great, all right, I'm fine. Not too long since
you last played them a couple of games back, and
you mentioned a couple of the couple of their their
names that are familiar to Saints fans, your Uruben to
Ragnis and Nazis. Is it a benefit having just played
them knowing you know that you've got a good win
over them a couple of games ago, or does that
add a bit of extra dimension to it?

Speaker 2 (04:39):
I mean, yes, another the first half we were terrible
against the Fire, I would say, but that second half
we turned it on, just like as we did with
the Rams. We were just lucky that we weren't down
twenty five against the Fire. But yeah, obviously they just
watched us get bit down bad against Canterbury, so they'll

(05:02):
be like, they'll have a game plan and then also
we just got beaten up, so we should have the
energy to go out there and you know, not want
to put a performance out like we did last week
in front of our home crowd. So I mean, yeah,
we're ready for it. And I think the boys have
done a really good job of recapping on our last
game against them as well. But yeah, it's just it's

(05:25):
the way the drawer goes. Sometimes you play teams really
close together and sometimes you don't. So yeah, we're looking
forward to it and hopefully we can get it done.

Speaker 1 (05:34):
And what to find a wake of the regular season
for you guys a trip up to Hawk's Bay. But
then the big one repeated last year's final South and
Sharks and Wellington next week. He it doesn't get much
bigger than a final round than that, does it? Nah?

Speaker 2 (05:48):
For sure? And then again like we we went down
to south And earlier in the year and we got
beaten up down there too, so it's like, you know,
we kind of owe the one, and I know the
boys are really pumped about that game. We may be
done on bodies, but it doesn't matter, like we're going
to go out there and fight. But yeah, it's it's
awesome into the season. You know, if you get to

(06:09):
play two games on your last week of the season.
That's you know, I feel like that's a bonus. But
also we've got to go get the job done against
hawkspay first. It's never easy going there. But yeah, we
can't wait for the Grand Final rematch.

Speaker 1 (06:22):
Yeah, great, looking forward to it. Hey we Carlo. It's
great to have you Wellington this year and a lot
of people have enjoyed you being a part of this team.
So all the best this weekend and for the next
you know, seven eight days as the round robin draws
to a close and hopefully we're chatting deep into the playoffs.
So thanks for your sign.

Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah, for sure, thank you man, I appreciate you.

Speaker 1 (06:39):
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