October 22, 2025 • 5 mins
It's been an up and down season for the Breakers so far, sitting at 2-6 with a quarter of the season gone.
They will be looking to return to winning ways as they return to Eventfinda Stadium to take on the Brisbane Bullets tomorrow night.
Sam Mennenga from the Breakers reflected on the season ahead of tomorrow night's clash.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Waldegrave
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Well, an up and down season for the Breakers so far.
They're sitting at two and six with a quarter of
the season down. They'll be looking to return to winning
ways as they return to their old home event find
a stadium, it's the old insec on the North Shore,
to take on the bris and Bullets tomorrow night, Sam,
and then get a power forward for the Breakers. He
joins the program now and to look at the season
so far look ahead tomorrow night, Sam. Thanks for joining
(00:35):
us on news Talk ZB tonight.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
No, thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Well, look, it's an up and down season to this
point with the Breakers. How are you feeling, I think
quarter down of the season, thirty three games you've played eight.
How are you feeling with that two and six record?
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Yeah, I mean obviously not overly happy with the record,
but I understand there's, you know, plenty of games to
be played and plenty of opportunities to climb the ladder
and get back to where we want to be.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
What do you think is the key to I guess
turning the start around.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
I mean there's mold things and I think you can't
pinpoint one, but I think just being more cohesive as
a unit, you know, both defensively and offensively, and clicking
together and creating that speed and pace that we want
to play with would probably be a start.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
It feels like there's been moments in games you can
point back to it to Sunday and you went on
that run and got really close to the top of
the table team in Melbourne. Do you feel like there
are moments and games where you're pretty close to stringing
it together.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
One hundred percent and that's you know, in a way,
the silver lining understanding their moments and now it's time
to you know, piece those moments altogether throughout a forty
minute game and you know, start winning and climbing the ladder.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
What are the keys to I guess turning that into
you know, a full performance across the across the game.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Yeah, I think it's just it's it's all effort and
attention for forty minutes. I don't think we've played a
full forty minute game where we've done that, And I
think we need to concentrate and focus on doing that
and the result will come from it.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
In terms of your own game so far, the season,
you're happy with the way that you've been performing.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
I don't think happy. Is I think optimistic with how
I'm performing. I think there's a lot more I can do,
and I'm excited to see, you know, where I can
take my game and how I can help this club
and team win basketball games.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Obviously, in every year, there's you know, imports that come
in and out of the team, There's new faces, new players, etc.
Is this just the way I guess in the NBL
that you've got to adapt because it's not going to
be the same season to season.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
I mean, every season is going to be a new
year with new faces and new staff and roster, and
so you've got to understand that you have a limited
time together and you have to make as much of
that time as possible to connect and to win basketball games.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
The games so far being pretty close together, it's rapid fire.
You don't obviously have too much for time between games
to focus on too many things. But what have been
the messages I guess from the coaching staff as you
prepare it to heat back out on court tomorrow night.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Yeah, I think just just focusing on what we can
control and playing a fast paced game, using our versatility,
you know, similar to how we we did that again
to Melbourne. And then on the defensive end, just stay
more connected and stay more cohesive on that end and
getting stops.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
You played the Brisbane Bullets tomorrow night, you played them
the first game of the competitive season. What did you
learn from that game that you can take into tomorrow night.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
I think we realize that that's a game we should
have won and could have won. And I think, like
I said before, the versatility that they're making them uncomfortable
with what we're able to do with our pace and
with our shooting ability from the bigs. It's something that
will utilize as well as on the defensive end. Just
being a little bit more connected, a little bit more
aggressive would be the goal.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Did you so much out of that first game of
the season giving you have played this team already, or
is that you've changed? They're probably changed a little bit,
so it's a new game. You don't take too much
out of what you were a month or so back.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Yeah, not really. I think the one thing we are
taking out of that game is understanding that we have
the ability and we are well within ourselves to get
that job done within that basketball game, and I think
we stand there and we know that tomorrow night we
need to go on with the goal of you know,
taking care of business and living with a.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
W how much of it. Yeah, a momentum rider is
this NBR because we've seen it, you know, timing again
from different teams and including the breakers, that you can
get very hot, very quickly, and you have to ride
those momentum waves throughout the season.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Yeah. Like I think people like to say that basketball
is a game of runs, and I think the season
is a game of runs in a sense. You know,
teams get going, teams get hot, teams go through slumps,
and so it's trying to manage that and try to
stay consistent. And the team that can do that are
the best is usually the team that ends up winning
the championship.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
And playing at event fight a stadium tomorrow night as
the break is, you know, probably the spiritual home of
the club. What does that mean to it to you
and the team to be trapesing those boards again.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Yeah, it's cool just to be back there. For a
few of us it was our home stadium and so
it'll be nice to reconnect with this part of Auckland,
you know, the North Shore where we're based out of
and show up for that community and be back in
a historic place.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
He would have. I'm sure as a youngster watched plenty
of the Breakers, even maybe before they moved to Spark Arena,
played at a fair bit of hopes there. Does it
still bring back those sort of memories as a team
when you do go on to that court.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Yeah, no doubt. I think I can vividly remember, you know,
watching a game at event find a stadium when I
was going again. So it's cool to go back out
there and now put on the break as Jersey myself
and perform.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
For more from Sports Talk, listen live to news Talks.
It'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Waldegrave
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Well, an up and down season for the Breakers so far.
They're sitting at two and six with a quarter of
the season down. They'll be looking to return to winning
ways as they return to their old home event find
a stadium, it's the old insec on the North Shore,
to take on the bris and Bullets tomorrow night, Sam,
and then get a power forward for the Breakers. He
joins the program now and to look at the season
so far look ahead tomorrow night, Sam. Thanks for joining
(00:35):
us on news Talk ZB tonight.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
No, thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Well, look, it's an up and down season to this
point with the Breakers. How are you feeling, I think
quarter down of the season, thirty three games you've played eight.
How are you feeling with that two and six record?
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Yeah, I mean obviously not overly happy with the record,
but I understand there's, you know, plenty of games to
be played and plenty of opportunities to climb the ladder
and get back to where we want to be.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
What do you think is the key to I guess
turning the start around.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
I mean there's mold things and I think you can't
pinpoint one, but I think just being more cohesive as
a unit, you know, both defensively and offensively, and clicking
together and creating that speed and pace that we want
to play with would probably be a start.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
It feels like there's been moments in games you can
point back to it to Sunday and you went on
that run and got really close to the top of
the table team in Melbourne. Do you feel like there
are moments and games where you're pretty close to stringing
it together.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
One hundred percent and that's you know, in a way,
the silver lining understanding their moments and now it's time
to you know, piece those moments altogether throughout a forty
minute game and you know, start winning and climbing the ladder.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
What are the keys to I guess turning that into
you know, a full performance across the across the game.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Yeah, I think it's just it's it's all effort and
attention for forty minutes. I don't think we've played a
full forty minute game where we've done that, And I
think we need to concentrate and focus on doing that
and the result will come from it.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
In terms of your own game so far, the season,
you're happy with the way that you've been performing.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
I don't think happy. Is I think optimistic with how
I'm performing. I think there's a lot more I can do,
and I'm excited to see, you know, where I can
take my game and how I can help this club
and team win basketball games.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Obviously, in every year, there's you know, imports that come
in and out of the team, There's new faces, new players, etc.
Is this just the way I guess in the NBL
that you've got to adapt because it's not going to
be the same season to season.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
I mean, every season is going to be a new
year with new faces and new staff and roster, and
so you've got to understand that you have a limited
time together and you have to make as much of
that time as possible to connect and to win basketball games.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
The games so far being pretty close together, it's rapid fire.
You don't obviously have too much for time between games
to focus on too many things. But what have been
the messages I guess from the coaching staff as you
prepare it to heat back out on court tomorrow night.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Yeah, I think just just focusing on what we can
control and playing a fast paced game, using our versatility,
you know, similar to how we we did that again
to Melbourne. And then on the defensive end, just stay
more connected and stay more cohesive on that end and
getting stops.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
You played the Brisbane Bullets tomorrow night, you played them
the first game of the competitive season. What did you
learn from that game that you can take into tomorrow night.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
I think we realize that that's a game we should
have won and could have won. And I think, like
I said before, the versatility that they're making them uncomfortable
with what we're able to do with our pace and
with our shooting ability from the bigs. It's something that
will utilize as well as on the defensive end. Just
being a little bit more connected, a little bit more
aggressive would be the goal.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Did you so much out of that first game of
the season giving you have played this team already, or
is that you've changed? They're probably changed a little bit,
so it's a new game. You don't take too much
out of what you were a month or so back.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Yeah, not really. I think the one thing we are
taking out of that game is understanding that we have
the ability and we are well within ourselves to get
that job done within that basketball game, and I think
we stand there and we know that tomorrow night we
need to go on with the goal of you know,
taking care of business and living with a.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
W how much of it. Yeah, a momentum rider is
this NBR because we've seen it, you know, timing again
from different teams and including the breakers, that you can
get very hot, very quickly, and you have to ride
those momentum waves throughout the season.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Yeah. Like I think people like to say that basketball
is a game of runs, and I think the season
is a game of runs in a sense. You know,
teams get going, teams get hot, teams go through slumps,
and so it's trying to manage that and try to
stay consistent. And the team that can do that are
the best is usually the team that ends up winning
the championship.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
And playing at event fight a stadium tomorrow night as
the break is, you know, probably the spiritual home of
the club. What does that mean to it to you
and the team to be trapesing those boards again.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Yeah, it's cool just to be back there. For a
few of us it was our home stadium and so
it'll be nice to reconnect with this part of Auckland,
you know, the North Shore where we're based out of
and show up for that community and be back in
a historic place.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
He would have. I'm sure as a youngster watched plenty
of the Breakers, even maybe before they moved to Spark Arena,
played at a fair bit of hopes there. Does it
still bring back those sort of memories as a team
when you do go on to that court.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Yeah, no doubt. I think I can vividly remember, you know,
watching a game at event find a stadium when I
was going again. So it's cool to go back out
there and now put on the break as Jersey myself
and perform.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
For more from Sports Talk, listen live to news Talks.
It'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio
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