Full Show Podcast: 04 January 2026

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks edb All.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Blacks half back Augustine Fullhu. Happy twenty second to French
basketball sensation Victor wembin Yama, and a very happy birthday
to one of New Zealand's leading rugby journalists and a
regular contributor to Weekend Sport, Liam Napier. Hope you're having
a great day mate. Hope you're having a good day too.

(00:32):
And the sun is shining where you are. On Jason
Pine the show produced by Andy McDonald. We're here talking
sport with you until three. A memorable nights in Redcliffe
for the Wellington Phoenix last night and the.

Speaker 3 (00:45):
Whistle goes Wellington Phoenix maker statements.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
They will remember this one for.

Speaker 3 (00:55):
A very very long time. No love lost between the teams.
But Wellington have matched the fights and the bites of
Brisbane and they have come away with a famous three.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
Points yeair remarkable, rarely down to ten men for more
than half the game, the Knicks emerged with a three
nierl a league win over Brisbane and the second match
of the doubleheader against the same opponent, the Phoenix women
scored a dramatic late equalizer to snatch a two to
two draw. Going to break it down for you after
one o'clock with football analyst Seamus Martin. First up today

(01:29):
though the Ashes the fifth and final Test underway very
soon in Sydney. A dead rubber in the strictest sense
of the word, with the Ashes already secured by the Australians.
But we know shortage of desire. I'm sure from both sides.
Australia want to make it four to one, England want
to square it up or narrow it up to three
to two. The game's going to be played out against

(01:50):
the backdrop of Usman Kwaja's retirement announcement. Fox Sports commentator
Mark Howard standing by the chat to us, keep for
your thoughts on the Ashes as well, still grabbing your interest,
I feel us though. It should still be quite a
good Test match. I just hope it goes to to
at least the day. That'll be nice. Other matters around today,
the Breakers back home for the first time in a

(02:11):
month this afternoon. They take on their traditional Australian National
Basketball League rivals, the Perth Wildcats from four point thirty
this afternoon Spark Arena coach but Terry Copenan is with
us ahead of that one. The Royal Wellington Golf Club,
as you may have heard on the last few editions
of Weekend Sport, are hosting the Women's Amateur Asia Pacific

(02:31):
Championship in mid February next year. The top young amateur
women's golfers from the region coming together, a bunch of Kiwis,
including Vivian lou Our, second best ranked amateur. She's going
to join us for a chat. We have our World
Darts champion, no real surprise, defending champion Luke Littler becoming
just the fourth player in history. He went back to

(02:52):
back world titles, beating rising Dutch star Gianfan Feine seven
sets to one in the final. This morning, Goodness Being
will unpack that for you. A lifelong Manchester United fan
from Auckland, Philip Callaway is his name. He's written an
ebook Heart in Manchester, a KIWI fans football romance. Going
to chat to him about his lifelong devotion to the

(03:13):
rare Devils from twelve thousand miles Away. And James mcconey
with his first appearance for the year, including some of
his sporting predictions for twenty twenty six Live Sport this
afternoon has mentioned day one of the first The fifth
Ashes Cricketest underway in less than half an hour. Going
to keep tabs on that for you. In the domestic
Super Smash Northern against the Vaults at Bay Oval. The

(03:36):
women's game starts at ten. Pass to the men to follow.
The opportunity to join the show is always there for you.
Oh eight hundred and eighty ten eighty will get you.
Throw on the phone nine two, nine to two for
your text messages, emails and to me Jason at newstalksb
dot co dot Nz coming up eleven and a half
past midday.

Speaker 1 (03:57):
The scoop from the track field and the court on
your home of sort Weekend Sport with Jason vine Us
Talks NB.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
The fifth and final Ashes Cricket Test starts shortly at
the SCG. Australia won the first three to retain the
Ashes before England ended a long long drought in the
boxing day Test fun to defense.

Speaker 4 (04:23):
After five four hundred and sixty eight long days in
eighteen five tests, England win a Test match in Australia.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
Yeah England winning the fourth Test by four wickets to
take the series score to three to one two Australia
with one game to play, and Osmond Kewaja's Test cricket
career will come full circle and ends in Sydney over
the next five days. The thirty nine year old Australian
batter confirmed in the last couple of days he will
retire or from international cricket anyway at the end of

(04:54):
the Ashes series. This will be his eighty eighth and
final Test. He's been confirmed in the starting eleven. It's
the same ground at which he debuted for Australia also
against England during the TI twenty ten twenty eleven Ashes series.
One of the faces and voices bringing us the superb
TV coverage via Fox Sports and Australia and Effect, the

(05:15):
voice you heard calling the England win. They're on the
fourth Test, is Mark Howard, who joins us now. Mark,
thanks for taking the time. Let's start with Osmond Kawaja.
What will his legacy as a Test cricketer for Australia b.

Speaker 4 (05:29):
Well, it's great to speak to you mate. I think
it'll be enormous on.

Speaker 5 (05:34):
The cricket field, off the cricket field.

Speaker 4 (05:36):
As an ambassador for the game, as a brilliant cricketer
and as someone that has opened the eyes of Australians.

Speaker 5 (05:46):
Way to a lot of cricketers in this part of
the world. So it's brilliant. He's a great fella.

Speaker 4 (05:54):
He's a great cricketer and he's a great ambassador for
so many things. So I think he's impacted me Enorymous
more so than most cricketers.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
Yeah, I want to talk about the offield stuff as
well as the onfield stuff. On the field over six thousand,
two hundred runs and has him in Australia's top fifteen
run scorers of all time in Test matches sixteen hundreds.
He's not on the Ponting border war Steve Smith Raalm
was he? But it'd be in the next layer down,
wouldn't he.

Speaker 4 (06:20):
Oh my word, he is. And I think he's been
a selfless cricketer as well. You know, we saw him
back in the middle order in his ashes series in
Adelaide after what happened, and he you know, he'll come
out and say that it's a lot easier batting at
four and five than it is.

Speaker 5 (06:34):
Up in the batting and you know, coming back into
the Test side, he was sort of pushed into the.

Speaker 4 (06:40):
Opening position, so you know, those numbers might be higher
if he wasn't open the batting, but as a cricketer
there was always a knock on him early on his
career wrongly, so he felt that he had issues against spin.
And if you have a look at his record on
the subcontinent now, whether it be Schrilanka where he made
a double ton, Pakistan where he made a pilo runs,

(07:01):
or India where he was also very successful, I think
he's made some tremendous runs over seas as well, not
just in Australia. So I think that elegant elevates him
even further and everyone's eyes.

Speaker 2 (07:12):
And he was dropped a number of times during his career,
wasn't he for tours to the subcontinent and for other
reasons eight times in his fifteen year career. Other blokes
would have given up. How much resilience will he have
needed to keep on coming back like he.

Speaker 4 (07:26):
Has well, a tremendous amount. And I think that's the
making of the man. You know, he started in New
South Wales, he was in and out of the side.
He moved to Queensland for opportunities. He's captain Queensland, but
then to find his way back into Test cricket four
years ago at this seventy Test, four years ago, and
he only came in because Travis had had COVID.

Speaker 5 (07:46):
So if Travis Head didn't have COVID, who knows.

Speaker 4 (07:49):
Usman wasn't even in the Test squad at the time
he gets pulled into the side. And for the last
four years, probably alongside Steven Smith, he's been our most
consistent prolific run scorer.

Speaker 5 (07:59):
So resilience is a word we throw around in sport
a lot.

Speaker 4 (08:02):
But I think Usman's demonstrated him any ways on the
ground off the ground. But as a cricketer four years
ago he was long shot, fatest cricket and as I said,
for the last four years he's been as good as
we've had.

Speaker 5 (08:15):
So it's a great credit to him.

Speaker 2 (08:16):
You mentioned the way he speaks his mind off the field,
never shy of that. In his press conference yesterday, he
certainly didn't leave a lot unsaid. Has he been somewhat
polarizing for that reason?

Speaker 5 (08:28):
Mark Well, some sections of the community may think so.

Speaker 4 (08:32):
I certainly I don't see that side, Maybe because I
know him and lucky enough to know him personally and
hopefully call him a mate and we'll be working with
him at Fox Cricket in the next couple of years.
But you know, polarizing in this country. You don't need
to do much to be polarizing. Basically, if you have
an opinion in Australia these days, it's seen as polarizing

(08:54):
and people.

Speaker 5 (08:55):
Go hard at you. I don't know why we.

Speaker 4 (08:57):
Live in a society where people's opinions draw so much
angst and anger and hate.

Speaker 5 (09:04):
That's something I've never really understood. I think it's probably
more a.

Speaker 4 (09:07):
Reflection on our community, to be honest, than it is
a reflection on.

Speaker 2 (09:10):
Osmond Well said. Well said the Fascist Test in Sydney.
The Ashes are gone, of course, Australia have them locked up.
And how driven is each side going to be Australia
to win the series, for one England to close it
up to three to two.

Speaker 4 (09:23):
Well I was really interested by Andrew McDonald the Australian
coaches comments where he said, well, we're not playing for
the Ashes anymore.

Speaker 5 (09:28):
The Ashes in the back pop that was our three tests.

Speaker 4 (09:31):
We're now playing two Test matches for World Championship, World
Test Championship points. So that's the view of the Australians
are taking They're like, well, the ashes are done and dusted.
So I think there's different motivations for both teams. Australia
want to continue on the path through a World Test Championship.
They're currently sitting on top of the table. It's a
home test, it's an ashes test, so motivation will be
incredibly high. And I guess England, who I must say,

(09:53):
have been absolutely a tremendous group of blokes to.

Speaker 5 (09:56):
Deal with this summer. They've been fantastic, from.

Speaker 4 (09:58):
Their media team all the way through to their players,
they've been wonderful, They've been accessible.

Speaker 5 (10:03):
It is a lovely group of blokes, so.

Speaker 4 (10:05):
Credit to them, ardless of what they're doing on pitchs
have been great to deal with for them. You know,
if you read the media, what ramifications does this have
on the leadership group? If they go home three two,
does that make any difference to where the team is
heading as opposed to going home for one, because we
don't play.

Speaker 5 (10:22):
Draws and test cook it anymore, which is fantastic. So
I think both are highly motivated.

Speaker 4 (10:27):
And a little talk of a storm tomorrow and maybe
a short storm the next day, but far less rain
than as.

Speaker 5 (10:33):
A Victorian we typically get here in New South Wales.

Speaker 2 (10:35):
I love it. What have you made of the quick
find nature of the series. We've had thirteen of the
twenty scheduled days. Two of the four tests are finished
inside two days. As you say, no draws anymore? How
are we in test cricket?

Speaker 5 (10:47):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (10:48):
Selfishly, as a man that's got a young family and
spends a lot of time away from home at this
time year, to get three extra days at home was
absolutely brilliant. But again as a Victorian, as a fellow
that grew up going to the Boxing Day Test with
his mates and loving it as his favorite sporting been
of the year.

Speaker 5 (11:05):
Yeah, you know it was.

Speaker 4 (11:08):
It was as far it was the word will be
diabolical that we only got two days of Test cricket.
You know, I had so many friends that were going
Day three in Day four and I wanted to be
there broadcasting talking about top shelf cricket. You know, the
ashes only comes around once every four years at the MCG,
so to only have that for two days was Yeah,
it was. It was devastating for cricket fans, for broadcasters,

(11:30):
cost a lot of money for cricket Australia.

Speaker 5 (11:32):
Cost a lot of money, so you know it wasn't good.

Speaker 4 (11:37):
But I got three days with the family and that
was good silver lining.

Speaker 2 (11:40):
Hey, just to finish, I just want to ask you
about Mitchell Stark twenty six wickets and four tests, still
charging in as he approaches his thirty sixth birthday. What
he's doing is superhuman, isn't it?

Speaker 5 (11:53):
It is superhuman. That's a great descriptive word.

Speaker 4 (11:57):
I run a podcast called The Howie Games where we
spent one hundred days leading up with Alex Carey and
Mitchell Stark then basically diarizing their ASHES preparation. So I
know Mitchell reasonably well. But for those ten episodes on
how he gains the Ashes dies, I got a tremendous
insight into the preparation hard work he data so he
doesn't talk about it, but one hundred days out he

(12:18):
was rehabing a crook ankle. And now all the hard
work he's put on behind the scenes, which he detailed,
which is extraordinary amount of work he puts into his
body and his physical and mental and emotional preparation. It
doesn't surprise me to see how how he has just
powered through the series. He looks as fitted as strong
as he ever has and he's you.

Speaker 5 (12:37):
Know, he's the leading Test.

Speaker 4 (12:38):
We could take it in the world this year, well
in twenty twenty five, and it's credit to him and
the way he prepares himself.

Speaker 6 (12:44):
But he's a star.

Speaker 5 (12:45):
He's an absolute star. Mitt was Stark and a great
fellow as well.

Speaker 2 (12:49):
Mark, really appreciate you taking the time to join us
across New Zealand. All the best, TM mate, love your
coverage on TV over here and look forward to the
Fifth Test in Sydney.

Speaker 5 (12:57):
Appreciate it great man. Enjoy the Test match now we certainly.

Speaker 2 (12:59):
Will you enjoy it too, Mark, get him to that
commentary position. It's about to get underway. Mark Howard out
of Fox Sports Cricket, the average of courses carried on
Sky Sport over here. Great to get his insight into,
certainly the Usmund Kowaja situation, but also how competitive this
fifth and final Test is likely to be. Look, I
get the feeling it will be as fiercely fought as

(13:22):
the other four, won't it. Yeah, the Ashes might not
be there anymore, but well, England, certainly after winning in Melbourne,
will feel as though they can win in Sydney. Then
three two I guess you know. It at least saves
some face for them, doesn't it. They were well beaten
in in the first Test, in particular to a lesser

(13:45):
extent the other two. But beaten they were three kneel
down after three. The ash is gone before Christmas even arrived.
They bounced back in Melbourne, albeit on what has been
labeled an unacceptable pitch, with a Test match that didn't
get to the third day. But here we are in Sydney,

(14:06):
and despite the fact that there was rain forecast and
Adam Peacock, our Australian correspondent, said yesterday that he had
seen a forecast which had thunderstorms forecast for today day
one in Sydney. I'm looking at the television pictures and
it's clear, blue skies and sunshine. They're going to get
a start on time. England have won the toss and
elected to bat first. We'll get some thoughts from the

(14:29):
respective captains in their pregame press conferences to play for
you shortly, but just before we move on to the
cricket itself. I'm sure you've caught up with some of
Osmond Khwaja's comments during his final media conference. He talked
of racial stereotyping in the way that he's been reported
on and the different standards he felt were applied to

(14:51):
him compared to other players, with specific examples around his recovery,
the injuries that he had suffered, the way he rehabbed himself,
things like that. And I see there's been the predictable
blowback on those comments, much of it I have to
say from people who simply do not have the lived

(15:12):
experience that Usmand Kwaja has had. I mean that would
be like me, a white male commenting on whether or
not Usman Kowaja feels he's faced racial stereotyping. I'm not
at all qualified. I'm zero percent qualified to pass comments

(15:32):
on that. And as Mark Howard said, then this isn't
the first time that Usman Kwaja has found himself off
the field polarizing cricket fans and Australians in general. It
seems as though you just have to have an opinion,
and I think that applies largely to New Zealand as
well to be a polarizing figure. Anyway, I wish Usman

(15:54):
Kwaja all the best. In Test number eighty eight, his
final one in Australian Colors. He will play. I guess
there was never really any doubt that he was going
to play. They've gone with a four prong pace attack again.
Have Australia and England, as I say, have won the
toss and will bat first. The game underway in around
seven minutes from now. Your thoughts on the ashes? Are
you still intrigued? Will you be taking in some more

(16:18):
a lot of the Sydney Test? Jim says, Piney Stokes
needs to take up roulette. I reckon he's won four
or maybe five out of five tosses. They'll need more
like to win a Test properly. I guess this one
could go both ways. With Pat Commens and Nathan Lyon
not playing for Australia, Let's hope they can send Osmond
Kawaja out on a high. They'll need Stark or Smith

(16:40):
to go back up to seventh gear again to win.
Well again, Jim, thank you for your text. Appreciate it
very much. Yeah. Look, Mitchell Stark, he has been remarkable
in this series, utterly remarkable when other bowlers and Pat
Cummins is probably the best example, have really struggled in
recent times with injury. Mitchell Stark continues as I said,

(17:02):
to Mark Howard, he continues to charge in and just
do the business for Australia. He has twenty six wickets
in this series at an average of less than seventeen
and a half. He got that ten wicket bag in
the first Test in Perth. He also picked up six

(17:22):
for in the second Test in Brisbane. And that's before
we even look at his batting. Mitchell Stark in the
series also has a couple of fifties with a batt.
He got seventy seven in the second Test in Brisbane,
backed it up with fifty four in the third Test
in Adelaide, so he's averaging thirty with the bat as
well with a couple of fifties. Talk about an all

(17:43):
purpose cricketer. Incredible rarely oh eight hundred and eighty ten eighty.
If you'd like to pass comment on the ashes walkkeep
eyes on it for you when we come back. As
well as your calls, we'll hear from the respective captains,
Ben Stokes and Steve Smith. This is Weekend Sport on
New stalksb.

Speaker 1 (17:58):
You be the TMO have your say on eight hundred
and eighty ten eighty Weekends Sport with Jason Hin and GJ.
Guvnomes New Zealand's most trusted home builder news Dogs.

Speaker 2 (18:08):
There be twelve twenty eight talking ashes Cricket Fifth Test
about to get underway at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Let's
hope it gets to at least day three. This is
the Pink Test as well, isn't it where the McGrath
Foundation always aligns itself and they raise a heck of
a lot of money for that incredible foundation which raises
money into witness for the work done against breast cancer.

(18:33):
Steve Smith, Australian captain, was asked yesterday and there's media
conference about Usmond Kawaja on the eve of his final Test.

Speaker 7 (18:40):
Watching him bart the way he pulled the ball, I
was like, this guy picks length up quicker than anyone
I've seen who's pulling balls off the top of the stumps.
And I feel like throughout his career he's been batting
his best when he's been doing that as well, and
just his progression over a long period of time has
been outstanding. I think he hates it, but you know,

(19:02):
we dropped him. I was captain of that stage and
we dropped him in the subcontinentident. We didn't think he
was playing the spinners as well as he does now,
but when he he hates us for it. But he
got that opportunity to go back and figure ways to play.
Whether he would have done that had he kept playing,
I'm not sure. But he went back and found some

(19:25):
different methods to defend spin. He was reversing, sweeping, and
you know that's a mode of defense in a way
when you put the field out. So he's arguably one
of our best players of spin now. So maybe a
blessing in disguise, but yeah, look the way he's been
able to play over his fifteen year career, eighty eight

(19:46):
test matches. Yeah, it's credit to him, and not too
many people get to go out on their own terms,
so he should be pretty pleased.

Speaker 2 (19:54):
Steve Smith also predictably asked about the comments may by
Wilsman Kawaja and his barish confidence of or racial stereo
typing and such like. What were Steve's moths thoughts on
Osmond Kahwaja's comments.

Speaker 7 (20:08):
I'm not going into the mind of Osmond Kouwaja. You know,
I think he's has had a great career in terms
of preparation. I think he's always prepared the same way.
You know, he's worked hard, and yeah, I think some
of the stuff around him getting injured when he played
golf the day before the game, that was unfair. I

(20:30):
think he's done that for fifteen years and had a
pretty good career, so you know, on an old occasion
where he prepared the same way he got injured, it's
it's pretty unfair to single that out, I suppose. But yeah,
to the rest of it, you know, I can't really
say too much on that. That's Usman's views.

Speaker 2 (20:48):
To the series as a whole. And does Steve Smith
believe or think that the pitchers have perhaps been too
heavily weighted in favor of the bowl has given the
fact that so many wickets have fallen and so many
days of Test cricket haven't been required in the first
four matches.

Speaker 7 (21:06):
It's a difficult question. I think you look back well
four or five years ago. I think I've been saying
this for quite some time that particularly top order batting
is as tricky as I've seen in the last you know,
probably four years. And I think they changed the pitchers
at the same time they change the cricket ball to
the harder extra lacker biggest seam. I still say if

(21:29):
we kept the old ball, change the pitches, or got
the new ball and kept the pitches almost that, you know,
I think that had even things out in a balanced
turn between bat and ball. But the two variables at
the same time have obviously made it tricky. You've seen
bowling averages come down, batting averages come down purely because
of the wicket and the ball combined, I would say,

(21:50):
but as players, we all we can do is play
what's in front of us and do it to the
best of our ability. And you know last week on
that surface, we weren't able to stand up and score
as many runs A lot I think I said after
last game it's probably a sixty runs over the core.
So the two innings and the result could have been different.
But they are tricky tobout on and you do need

(22:13):
some luck for sure.

Speaker 2 (22:14):
And finally from Steve Smith, he was asked about the
form of Cameron Green, who's been shuffled around the Australian
middle order throughout the series and with scores of twenty four,
forty five, not seven, seventeen and nineteen, has scored just
one hundred and twelve runs in the series in an
average of eighteen point six. So what are Steve Smith's

(22:34):
thoughts on Cameron Green and where he is currently in
the Test landscape.

Speaker 7 (22:40):
Yeah, I mean it's a tricky one. We've played on
some hard surfaces for batting. We've sent two two day games,
which it's not easy. But he's got himself in on
a few occasions and probably not gone on with it.
And that's probably the disappointing part about it is you're
starting your innings is actually your hardest thing. He's doing
that pretty well and then just finding a way to

(23:02):
get out and you know that happens with everyone. You know,
I've been through the same thing on numerous occasions too.
But what we know with Cam is he's a quality player.
He you know, not too long ago, he contributed some
really valuable runs in the series in the West End.
He's on some tricky surfaces. I think he was our
leading run score there batting at three. So yeah, he's

(23:22):
batted in different spots, which also can't be easy as
well when you're trying to sort of nail down one
sort of role I suppose. But yeah, one thing about
this team is we've sort of always been versatile and
guys are batted in different spots. He traps gone from
five to one. Because he's gone from one to five.

(23:42):
Man's batted three wherever he was going to open. At
some point I've opened, I've gone to four. You know,
we're kind of versatile in how we do things. And yeah,
I mean Greenie hasn't got the runs he's wanted so far,
but I think he's actually looked quite good at times too,
So we know he's a bright player. Every time he
goes back to shield cricket, he smashes it and yeah,

(24:05):
regardless of what happens right now, we think he's got
a really bright future.

Speaker 2 (24:10):
So those were the pre game thoughts, or some of
them of Australian skipper Steve Smith. What about Ben Stokes,
the England captain who's endured a challenging Ash's series, not
just him but his entire team and the management staff
as well. So what will England's approach to the Fifth
Test be in the mind of Ben Stokes?

Speaker 8 (24:31):
The result this week isn't going to change what happens
at the end of this game. But for us, this
is a big game, you know, purely because we're walking
out there represent in England, you know, the the ushers.
Unfortunately for us, hasn't gone the way we wanted it to.
But yeah, we've got one more game in a big series,

(24:53):
and yeah it's a real big one for us.

Speaker 6 (24:56):
So although we can't get.

Speaker 8 (24:58):
The the thing that we came here for, we've still
got a chance to got there and winning game cricket
for England.

Speaker 2 (25:04):
What will the performance of of the team tell being
Stokes about his team.

Speaker 6 (25:10):
Yeah, a lot.

Speaker 8 (25:11):
I think it's you know, coming to the end of
a you know, a long tour where the series is
done and you know you've got one game. It's one
thing that you don't want to see and I don't
think I will and I don't think it will happen.
Is just sort of coasting through this game and see
what happens. This is a huge game for us, as

(25:33):
I said at the start, because you know we're walking
out there and playing for England.

Speaker 6 (25:37):
You know it's going to take.

Speaker 8 (25:38):
All eleven of us to go out there and get
on the right side of the result like we managed
to do last week. So although we get to go
home at not an eight or nine days time, you know,
any thought of that can wait till then it's about
what we do over the next five days, that's the
most important thing, and putting absolutely everything that we can

(26:00):
into the game and giving ourselves the best chance to
winning the game.

Speaker 2 (26:04):
Given the fact that has been a challenging series England
and for many of the England players, there's a school
of thought that there might be some fresh blood introduced
into the team, in particular for the next Test series
England will play, which is against our black Caps of
course in the middle of the year. So does Ben
Stokes want young players coming in stating a case and

(26:25):
pressing their claims for a place in the Test side.

Speaker 6 (26:29):
Yeah?

Speaker 8 (26:29):
Absolutely, you know you want as many players as possible
that you know, you want to be able to choose from.
We've got this test much to worry about first, and
then you know, five to six months before we play
our next series, so yeah, there's a lot of time
to go after this game finishes and then we get
back to England and so yeah, there's a lot of
time to think about things and put our heads together

(26:51):
and come up with something that we think is going
to get this team back on the direction that we
were in two years ago. You know, results and the
way in which you know we were, you know, playing
so consistently in terms of getting on the right side

(27:12):
of results. That's sort of gone, you know downhill. So yeah,
over the next couple of months to say that, I'll
be desperate to you know, make sure that we try
and give ourselves the best chance of when we do
come and face New Zealand in the summer, that.

Speaker 6 (27:28):
You know, we've given ourselves the.

Speaker 8 (27:30):
Best chance of getting those results and you know, being
a very consistent team again.

Speaker 2 (27:35):
Bean Stokes also asked about his relationship with Brendan McCallum,
of course, the coach of the England team. The two
of them have always presented a very united front and
seemed to be on the same page on pretty much
every cricketing matter regarding the England team. Here's this series
tested the relationship between Ben Stokes and Brendan McCallum.

Speaker 8 (27:56):
No, I don't think so. We've always been very you
know fourth with each other. That's where the relationship that
we've built not only in a professional.

Speaker 6 (28:07):
You know capacity, works really well.

Speaker 8 (28:09):
Yes, we are you know, pretty good mates away from
cricket as well now, but we are always have been
two people who have always challenged each other and that
hasn't changed on this trip. And there we do discuss
quite a lot about, you know, stuff behind the scenes,

(28:29):
because without discussion, I don't feel like you sort of
get anywhere.

Speaker 6 (28:34):
So no, I wouldn't say that.

Speaker 8 (28:36):
Our relationship has been challenged really at all.

Speaker 2 (28:38):
And finally from being stokes, how tough have the betting
conditions been on this tour?

Speaker 8 (28:44):
You know, both button lineups have found it difficult to
get any type of or any kind of fluency or
rhythm out there in the middle. You know, we've been
exposed to completely different conditions to every ground that we've
gone to, which you know, generally in Australia over my
time you can sort of wherever you go, things sort

(29:04):
of have tended to be quite similar. Yes, every ground
have got their own sort of individual things that you
can you know, associate with those grounds. I think you
know Adelaide for example, that's always been like that. But yeah,
some of the grounds have been slightly different. But I

(29:26):
think the one thing you take away from the Australia
team as in particular as the amazing execution with the
ball that's put us under heaps of pressure. So yeah, look,
you can look at the way that they've gone about
about it with the ball and go, yeah, there's a

(29:48):
there's a big difference between what Australia have been able
to do with the ball compared to what we've been
able to do with the ball. And we know that
we own that we haven't been able to execute as
well as we would have liked to and as well
as we know that we can do, which is disappointing
in a bit of a shame.

Speaker 2 (30:02):
Yeah, it's been Stokes with some of his thoughts ahead
of the First Ashes Test which is underway at the SCG.
Ben Stokes has won the toss and as Jim mentioned
on text, and that's either four or perhaps all five
that he has won. Ben Duckett and Zach Crawley have
gone out there to open the bowling and have safely
negotiated the first eleven deliveries and scored ten runs in

(30:26):
those eleven deliveries. Crawley not out on five, Duckt on four.
Both have hit a boundary of Mitchell Stark and Michael
Nasa opening the bowlings, so England nine without lost, ten
without loss coming towards the end of the second over
referenced during that chat with Ben Stokes of course, was
the Test series coming up against New Zealand. Jesus this is.

(30:48):
I know it's not till June, and there's a lot
of white ball cricket to be played between now and then,
but man, I'm looking forward to that Test series. Three
Test matches, Lord's the Oval in London and then Trent
Bridge and Nottingham June fourth through eight, seventeen to twenty
one and twenty five to twenty nine, the start of
a really exciting and compelling set of Test matches for

(31:12):
New Zealand as well. There's those three Tests in June,
then India come here at the start of next summer,
and then of course off we go to Australia for
those Test matches over there, including a Boxing Day Test.
There'll be a pink ball Test, no doubt in Sydney.
The dates I don't think of quite being locked in.
We know there will be four Test matches and I

(31:33):
think the venues have been confirmed. Certainly Melbourne and Sydney
will be two of them. But yeah, those Test matches
at the back end of the year, and we can
say the year now because we're into twenty twenty six.
It said to be absolutely cracking good. I grunt hello, Grant, Yeah, Piney.

Speaker 9 (31:54):
I have one comment and that is the equal the
bad mistake that both England and New Zealand made the
last time both teams toured Australia and they paid for it,
and that is no warm up.

Speaker 2 (32:10):
Games, correct, bang on, Grants, and I think England had
the opportunity not. I think between the first and second Test,
didn't they After they've been beaten inside two days, they
decided it wasn't After the second Test whenever they went
to Noosa, they could have played some games. You're right,
they could have played some warm up games. We didn't
do it in twenty nineteen, to our peril. I'm not
sure what the plan is ahead of the trip to

(32:32):
Australia at the back end of this year, Grant, but
I certainly certainly hope that it includes some warm up matches.

Speaker 9 (32:39):
He hits, so did we all because of this they do.
If New Zealand cricket does the same thing and the
same thing happened as last time, I may be ringing
up and you may have to beat out a few words.
I have to say.

Speaker 2 (32:55):
Okay, okay, Grant, we'll take that under advisement. We wouldn't
want to have to do that, mate, wouldn't want to
have to bleep out your words. So let's hope that
you selling cricket get it right and schedules warm up games. Yeah,
I remember that in twenty nineteen. There was such high
anticipation Grant. You and I probably talked five years ago
about this on the old radio sport about the anticipation

(33:17):
around that visit to Australia. England had come here at
the start of that twenty nineteen twenty twenty summer and
we'd beaten them and we were looking good and over
we went for those three Test matches and goodness me,
what a damp squib of a series that was for us.
We lost all three tests by from memory north of
two hundred runs each. So yeah, the lack of warm

(33:39):
up games certainly was a factor. I hope it's not repeated. Grant.
Good to chat to you, mate, No doubt we'll la
yarn often during the year. Sixteen away from one when
we come back to basketball we go. But Terry Copenham,
head coach of the Breakers, head of their match against
Perth this afternoon.

Speaker 1 (33:53):
It's more than just a game weekend Sport with Jason
Pine and GJ. Gunnomes, New Zealand's most trusted home builder
News Talks AB.

Speaker 2 (34:03):
News Talks twelve forty seven, just before we get to
p terry Coe and in. Yeah, test matches in Australia
are at the back end of this year and into
twenty twenty seven. The venues are confirmed Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne
and Sydney. They're all day matches. We know Melvin will
be a boxing day test. Sidney you'll be early January.
Haven't seen confirmed dates yet for the Perth and Adelaide tests,

(34:25):
but presumably they will take place in December, in the
couple of three weeks before Christmas. The test matches against
India here in New Zealand's Sheared Jordan. Again, we don't
necessarily have the dates, in that we don't have the dates,
but we have the fact that there are three test
matches and three One day internationals five T twenties here

(34:47):
in October and November. So let's hope. Let's hope that
the back end of the Indian series is done so
that Australia New zeal can get across to Australia and
play a couple of warm up games red ball warm
up games before the Test series against the Aussies. After
playing the last four games in Australia, the Breaker is
back in Nowtional Basketball League action this afternoon at homes

(35:08):
Park Arena. They take on the Perth Worldcats from four
thirty this afternoon. He'd coach Peterie Copenan's with us, but Terry,
thanks for joining us. How good is it to be
back playing at home for the first time in about
a month or so.

Speaker 10 (35:21):
Yeah, I think it was again long stretch we didn't
we didn't play in Auckland, and I think everybody always
enjoy playing playing Spark Arena in front of our fans.

Speaker 6 (35:30):
And I really hope.

Speaker 10 (35:31):
We're going to get a lot of people because we
need all the support against Perth. We play against good teams,
so I hope it's going to be full gym and
we get a lot of noise in the gym.

Speaker 6 (35:42):
But yeah, it's nice to be back home after after
a while.

Speaker 2 (35:45):
And of course the Perth Wildcats historically one of the Breakers'
fiercest rivals. How motivated are you in games specifically against Perth?

Speaker 10 (35:56):
Yeah, I mean and Pert, you know they're the one
team that was built to compete for the championship, and
they had their own struggles.

Speaker 6 (36:05):
Throughout the year, few imports changes throughout the year.

Speaker 10 (36:08):
Now they are also missing David Junior against us. But
you know, there's a lot of quality in that team,
many good players, and we need to be, you know,
ready to compete and play our highest level to take
that win.

Speaker 6 (36:26):
But definitely we got our own own weapons.

Speaker 10 (36:29):
And but everything starts with the energy and intensity against them.

Speaker 2 (36:33):
Yeah, let's talk about that. I are a very good
team with some quality players, as are you. How do
you sit about matching them on the floor today.

Speaker 10 (36:41):
Yeah, like you said, they got many quality players, and
then everything start okay for them.

Speaker 6 (36:47):
It's j La inside.

Speaker 10 (36:49):
You know, they got really one of the best big
guys in the in the league, and he's dominant down
down low, and that's something we we sometimes miss and
and we have to do it collectively and do our
jobs early and don't give him get easy catches close
to the rim. And and obviously they got a lot
of shooters around him. And then Christian Doolittle is play

(37:12):
making for one for me, one of the best two
way players in the league. He can play inside, outside,
and and and he killed us. Actually last time we
were we played them in pert We were there thirty minutes.

Speaker 6 (37:24):
But last last.

Speaker 10 (37:26):
Quarter do little took over and I don't know if
did he score fifteen points in the last quarter. So
we have to do better job there and then. But
like I said, everything starts with the effort and intensity.
If you let them play comfortable, it's going to be
hard for us. So we need to be really and
not only one player. We need all five players to
be there and be distructive.

Speaker 2 (37:49):
Coach, the nature of basketball and this league is that
the games come thick and fast. I mean after today's game,
you play again on Friday, then again on Sunday. The
games just come along every few days or so. How
do you tweak things in season? How do you you know,
make adjustments while you're also trying to win basketball games?

Speaker 6 (38:11):
Well, yeah, that's the that's the thing. You know a
lot of you know true film. You try to.

Speaker 10 (38:17):
Show to the team what we want to do all
the time, and you know, every player is different.

Speaker 6 (38:22):
Somebody can pick it up, somebody not.

Speaker 10 (38:25):
And then obviously when you don't have time to wrap
it out that much, it's it's not easy. But you know,
that's the challenge. And now we have a few days
against on the on the floor to to wrap our
basics and our rules and offensively, defensively what we want
to do and try to use that time. But you know,
like you said, it's not easy when you are on
the on the road, and and it's always the balance

(38:47):
how much you you can rest and recover and how
much you need try to improve and use that time.
But you know, yeah, like you said, it's not it's
not easy, but you know it's part of the job.

Speaker 2 (38:57):
And they and twelve games still to go. You're only
two thirds of the way through the season, so you
must feel as though you're your playoff destiny is still
very much in your own hands.

Speaker 10 (39:07):
Yeah, and like I said, I said, we are still
in the race. We are, we are there, But like
I said, we have to take every game like it's
it's a do or die game for us, and every
game matters. There are you know, Okay, the last part
of the season now now stars and then every game
is important.

Speaker 6 (39:25):
There are no easy games in this league.

Speaker 10 (39:27):
And then you really have to be ready to compete
from from the first minute to the last, and then
the differences are small, but I think what the one
thing we show throughout the year like we can really
compete with every everybody and then we got our own
chances to win the game and I would have to
take those take those opportunities.

Speaker 2 (39:46):
They all the best of this afternoon coach thanks to
day but Terry Copenhan, head coach of the New Zealand
Breakers the Perth Wildcats their opponents at Spark Arena this
afternoon four thirty tip off on that one and to
the fifth dover at the SCAG. A good start from
England having won the toss and decided to bat first
twenty one with that loss in the fifth dive back
in a sake on Weekend Sport.

Speaker 1 (40:06):
Taking down the Hail Mary's and the epic fails Weekend
Sport with Jason nine News Talk Zenby.

Speaker 2 (40:14):
Coming up three to one after the one o'clock news
will zoom in on football. The Wellington Phoenix with a
terrific win against Brisbane raw in Brisbane yesterday. This is
the men's side down to ten men before halftime. They
won at three nil. The Wellington Phoenix women then a
late equalizer to draw two to two with the Brisbane
Rawle women Seamous Martin football commentator to break it down

(40:37):
after one. I think you'd call this an unexpected win
from the Wellington Phoenix men yesterday. I say that for
a couple of reasons. One, their last outing just five
days ago resulted in a five to one defeat at
Melbourne victory their biggest defeat of the season. They were
going to Brisbane or to Redcliffe if we want to

(40:58):
be completely accurate about it. Brisbane were in with a
chance of going top of the table with a win
last night, and instead it all just turned around. Incredible
scenes rarely with Wellington Phoenix coming up with a three
nail victory, and this in the midst of having a

(41:19):
man sent off Carlo Armiento just before halftime. They still
well first of all, defended and then broke themselves and
scored three goals three hill over Brisbane. So we're going
to break that down as well as the second leg
of that double header, with the Wellington Phoenix women scoring
a very very very late equalizer to draw two to

(41:42):
two with the Brisbane raw women and keep their place
in the top six firmly entrenched. Seamus Martin football commentator
and to join us to break down both matches shortly.
James mcconey this hour as well, with his first slot
for twenty twenty six. I asked James to come up
with some predictions, some sporting predictions for twenty twenty six, which,

(42:03):
no doubt, in his inimitable fashion, he will do. Lines
of communication open right across the afternoon. Our eight one
hundred and eighty ten eighty is our phone number nine
two nine two for your text messages emails to Jason
at NEWSTALKSDB dot co dot nz. Just before we get
to the football. This from a short time ago at
the SCG, courtesy of our friends at sky.

Speaker 5 (42:27):
Kerry gets the job done. We get twenty seven for
the series, a bit to start and.

Speaker 4 (42:33):
The big point from news top Wild will not plea tonight.

Speaker 2 (42:37):
There you go. It's Mark Howard, who was on the
show not that long ago, got up into the commons
ary box in time to call the first wicket of
the Test match, Ben Duckett caught behind by Alex Carey
off the balling Mitchell Stark for twenty seven off twenty
four balls. It's bears ball and action for you. The
first wick at falling at thirty five. It is still
thirty five for one. Zack Crawley out there on five
a relatively sedate five not out of eighteen balls for

(42:59):
Zach Crawley. Jacob Bethel has joined him and faced just
the one delivery yet to score. Mitchell Stark with the wicket,
as you heard Mark Howard say, his twenty seventh of
the series. Absolutely remarkable stuff from Mitchell Stark, who the
next time he has a birthday will be blowing out
thirty six candles. Just a remarkable feat of resilience and

(43:22):
body management from Mitchell Stark. Let's get to football. At
ten past one, the Wellington Phoenix men have stunned Brisbane
three nil in the A League, despite playing more than
half their game with ten men in Redcliffe, brook.

Speaker 3 (43:36):
Smith containing go, He's got half the pitch to himself.
This is the moment for Luke brook Smith. He squares
it to.

Speaker 11 (43:44):
Pilar Retrey Willington. Incredibly, I'm going to win one of
the great recrections. What are the great wins for the Wellington.

Speaker 2 (43:56):
Phoenix Paula Retroy scoring in stoppage time after Ephine Isa
and Kazuki Nagasawa had scored in the sixth and fifty
ninth minutes. Respectively. The Next also had to contend with
a red card to winger Carlo Armiento in the thirty
eighth minute. Meantime, the Wellington Phoenix women snatched a point late,
late late on in that clash with Brisbane laon.

Speaker 5 (44:18):
Turning, swerving away from a couple.

Speaker 2 (44:22):
And none. This is a tricky one.

Speaker 11 (44:27):
It's to save weekend and brook Nun may well have
salvaged a point to Wilmington Phoenix.

Speaker 2 (44:35):
Yeah she Diard. Brook Nun's goal in the eighth minute
of added time gave the Next a two to two
draw in the women's match to move them to fifth
on the table and extend their unbeaten run to three matches.
Let's bring an a legs commentator, longtime football observer and
analyst Seamus Martin, thanks for joining us on Weekend Sport.
Let's start with the men, shall we? How unexpected a

(44:57):
performance and a result was this just five days after
the Phoenix lost five to one at Melbourne Victory.

Speaker 12 (45:05):
Look, I started that match thinking how many I'll be honest,
I thought how many of Brisbane going to put on?
Because I expected a reaction from the raw after their
fiery clash which saw their coach Michael Volcanus dismissed from
the technical bench and I thought, maybe they're going to
bite again. There was a little bit of revenge in
the air as well. If you cast your mind back
to round two, Wellington Phoenix got the better of the

(45:27):
raw at home. But look, it was a performance. I
won't say it came from nowhere, because I feel like
it's been brewing. If you cast your mind back a
little while the win against Central Coast, it looked as
though things were starting to move. But look, as soon
as I saw Alex Rufer in the lineup, and I
was worried if he didn't start that it could be
you know, it could be catastrophic for Wellington. I'll be honest.

(45:48):
As soon as I saw the captain's arm Ben and
Rufa in the starting lineup, I thought there's a chance here.
And then when that first goal went in from Esa,
thought maybe there's an upset on the cards. And the
football gods have a funny way, don't they of evening
things out, And it just seemed to be smiling down
on Wellington yesterday. It was probably an all time performance.
I won't say it's the best ever Wellington performance, but
it certainly up there in terms of grit's determination and

(46:09):
a win against the odds.

Speaker 2 (46:10):
Eighteen year old goalkeeper Amon mccaren had a challenging night
against Melbourne victory letting five and last night he kept
the Phoenix's first clean sheet. You told me on Missinger
in twenty three matches, what did you make of Amon
mccarran's performance last night.

Speaker 12 (46:26):
Well, look, the drums were beating for Albi Kelly Hills.
Weren't they to come in after the Melbourne game. A
lot of people saying maybe too much, too soon. We
don't know what's going on behind the scenes in terms
of the Wellington Phoenix goalkeepers union. But mccaren I don't
know whether he stayed off social media. I hope he did,
because you know, there were some pretty harsh critics out there,
and what a way to fire back. What a way

(46:48):
to stamp your mark and say no, no, I deserve
to be here. I am a professional player and I'm
going to hold onto this number one shirt for as
long as I can not. Everything he did was textbook.
Let's not beat her on the bush, but keep the
ball out of the net. That's that's your main goal.

Speaker 9 (47:01):
And what a moment.

Speaker 12 (47:02):
It was when he flattened young Dimitri Valcanas was on
it inside the six yard box. You talk about the
raw putting the bite back into their performance, and I thought, hey,
good on you, eighteen year old goalkeeper coming out clearing
your lines, flattening the mouthpiece of the coach, shall we say,
in the eighteen yard box and almost standing over the
top of them. You know, a little bit of gamesmanship
towards the end of the game to manage the minutes

(47:22):
with a groin injury quote unquote. I thought it was
an excellent performance from a young shot stopper who had
would have had a lot of pressure on him. And look,
you shared the postmatch comments from Giancarlo Taliano where the
emotion just started to bubble over, and I wonder, you
know whether potentially the rest of the season was on
the line there for chief ee and that result has

(47:46):
bought him the rest of the season, and he's got
his young goalkeeper I think to thank for some of
that in a large part.

Speaker 2 (47:50):
Indeed, indeed, of course the Phoenix had to do it
for more than a half of the game with only
ten men. Carlo Armiento sent off seven or eight minutes
before the break. You often here, and I think on
New Year's Day we saw a great example when newcast
will be at Auckland FCE that ten men are some
times odd to break down. What did you make of
the Phoenix's resilience when they went down to.

Speaker 12 (48:11):
Team Well, it starts to me right at the flashpoint,
as soon as Amiento comes in and players from both
sides fire up. You saw Rufa, you saw finnro Lconchi,
who I thought was excellent yesterday getting back into the
starting lineup. But you saw the Phoenix team galvanize and
rally around and really not take a backward step against
the team that have been labeled as bullies throughout this

(48:31):
A league season. So I think that resilience started from
that moment from okay, our backs are really against the
wall here and maybe there was a little bit of
the criticism ringing in the year still from that five
to one to see against victory just a few days ago.
But yeah, quite often we've seen this, haven't we. And
the Phoenix are a great example in the derby, the
first derby of the year when they're up against Aukland

(48:51):
f C, who were down to nine just not able
to find a way. I don't know whether Chief he
was able to take some notes from that performance on
how Auckland FC were able to defend that lead and
maybe implement them on his own side. But look, a
lot of those young players really stood up yesterday. There's
a fighting team spirit amongst the group. I think there
probably always has been, but just result in little moments

(49:12):
haven't gone their way. But last night our referenced to
football gods, they were very very much on the side
of the yellow and black cauld Ask you.

Speaker 2 (49:18):
About Luke Brooksmith. He came on late in the game
and showed energy against a tiring defense, set up the
third go for a goal rather for paul O Redtray.
How tempted do you reckon? All White's coach Darren Baisley
might be to have a look at Luke brook Smith
and his World Cup squad.

Speaker 9 (49:36):
Well, he's in the.

Speaker 12 (49:36):
Conversation, isn't he. For sure he's been called into an
All White squad. He elected not to go to the
Under seventeen World Cup, wanting to pursue senior club opportunities,
which will put him in the frame for the conversation
at the very least for the trip to the USA. Look,
I don't think there's any harm in trying him. I
recall I think it's World Cup two thousand and six
where Tia Walcott gets picked out of obscurity sixteen or

(50:00):
seventeen years old for the England squad. So look, this
has happened in the past, and I think when you're
looking at a player to come off the bench, because
it's to be honest, if he was to make an
all white squad, I suggest that would be Luke brook
Smith's role. He played it to perfiction last night. You
want your players that start on the bench to come
on and make an impact and perhaps that's what's been
lacking a little bit from Wellington. It's certainly lacking from

(50:23):
Auckland FC in their match against Newcastle when Carriker emptied
the bench and none of those five substitutions really seemed
to change the game. But for a young, exciting player
like Luke brook Smith, that's what you want. You want
to really grasp every minute that you get on the
pitch to try and force yourself into the starting eleven,
or force yourself into those conversations with Darren Baizy to

(50:43):
get a seat on the plane. I think twenty six
will end up flying and representing New Zealand. Three of
those are goalkeepers, so you're talking about twenty three players.
If he can be one of those twenty three, it'll
be a fantastic achievement. But he needs to stack performances
like he did yesterday on top of one another in
the back half of this A League season, as do
the team.

Speaker 2 (51:02):
Because the Phoenix haven't won consecutive matches this season. I'll
come home today with three points. How important, Shay is
it that they start to find some consistency starting with
Adelaide at home a week from today?

Speaker 13 (51:14):
Well, well, I think the.

Speaker 12 (51:15):
Big thing for me, it'll be a rallying cry to
the Yellow Fever to get in behind their team.

Speaker 7 (51:20):
You know that.

Speaker 12 (51:21):
They're very loyal supporters, there's no doubting that. But wouldn't
it be wonderful on Sunday next week to see a
pat house support this team Because you saw how much
it meant to gian Carlo Italiano. You know how much
it means to the players that are there as well
to get a result like that. And I think that
effort and that commitment and that desire needs to be
rewarded with bums on seats, So look for me. I

(51:41):
think if they can get that twelfth man in the stand,
that'll be wonderful for them to try and really stack
these performances back to back. That went against Central Coast,
I thought maybe with a flash of the pan, a
little a little positive blip, shall we say, And then
it was back to unfortunately what we expect in terms
of the Melbourne victory result. But this league is so
tight this year.

Speaker 14 (52:02):
I had a glance.

Speaker 12 (52:03):
I think there are ninth going into a series of
matches that played today, so they probably won't drop further
down than that, but you know, they're not too far
outside of the top six.

Speaker 14 (52:13):
And I recall a.

Speaker 12 (52:14):
Couple of weeks ago postmatch it was a case the
question was put to chiefly, is it a case of
riding out and keeping in touch with the top six
until the cavalry arrives. And we're talking about alloway Any
coming back, We're talking about Tim Payne coming back. You know,
those sorts of senior players coming back into the environment
will only galvanize the tough lessons that some of these
youngsters have been learning over the first half of the

(52:35):
A League season.

Speaker 2 (52:36):
All right, let's move to the women, who were the
second leg of the double header as well against Brisbane.
Raw won the lap after fifteen minutes through Manaia earlier,
but then Brisbane scored twice before halftime and the Phoenix
left at late to snatch a point at two to
one down, though entering the eighth minute of added time,
you'd take you to too draw, wouldn't you.

Speaker 12 (52:57):
Oh, look absolutely a battling point away. Absolute speculator, it will,
shall we say from brook Nun It's one for the
highlight reels, but for all the wrong reasons for Lincoln
and goal for Brisbane Raw. Look at just Lupton and
they came away with a point. But you talk about
the men's side needing to stack results together, well that's
exactly what Bev Priestman's Wellington Phoenix are doing. Seven nil

(53:17):
win at home, three nil went away and then a
two two draw with Brisbane Raw. You know, seven points
out of three games over the festive period as an
excellent return and if they can back that up with
a home win against Melbourne City the Juggernaut next weekend.
They're right in that conversation that a lot of people
had at the beginning of the season, before a board
had been kicked that this Phoenix side is definitely one

(53:39):
to watch.

Speaker 14 (53:40):
But look the result yesterday.

Speaker 12 (53:41):
I like that about a team. I think those sorts
of results can define seasons when you know you're absolutely
throwing everything and they were throwing the kitchen sink at
Brisbane to try and come up with that equalizer and
you know when it goes in the eighth minutes of
stoppage time. Again I talk about the football gods. They
were smiling down across the whole of the Wellington Phoenix
Football Club at Readcliff yesterday.

Speaker 2 (54:01):
Absolutely did you notice the absence of CJ Bott, the
captain of this side, ruled out after an injury in
the last game. Was her absence noticeable to you?

Speaker 13 (54:12):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (54:12):
It was.

Speaker 12 (54:13):
I think that leadership element perhaps that she provides in
the center of the pitch. They've got a really able
replacement in Emma Pinenberg who's joined the squad in December.
So I think in terms of the way that the
team played, it wasn't it wasn't too far away. But
I do think that experience and that calming influence that
CJ brings to that side was a little bit absent
last night. You think about a player like Pvlock, who's,

(54:35):
for me, setting the world on fire in that a
leagues women women's competition, but for her to tack her
shoulder and see a player like CJ Bot behind her,
that would no doubt instill her with confidence to go
and be able to do the things that she can
do in the attacking third of the pitch. Like I'm
not sure how long that injury is, but I think
that combination between CJ and Grace Jarlay, who's been redeployed
as a central midfielder, has been been a real master

(54:56):
stroke from death Pritsman. Jarlee looks really revitalized in that role.
Her athleticism, her size, her aggression really really influential in
the middle of the park. And pine And is a
different sort of a player, and perhaps you know, a
really a really noticeable absence in terms of some of
that bite that CJ. Bot can bring. But look, zoom

(55:17):
out a little bit. What a squad that big priestsmen
are starting to build. You've got already made a replacement
and Pineyburg coming.

Speaker 13 (55:23):
In for Bot.

Speaker 12 (55:24):
There's talk of an import player coming in to replace
Tess or midaug who unfortunately was ruled out with a
knee injury. Whether that's a player in the front third
to support Somber, who knows. But look at Emma Main
who's really flourishing. Became Wellington's all time leading goal scorer
with that brace against Western Sydney Wanderers. So I think
one little footnote I mentioned Somber will be all watching

(55:45):
to see what that injury is like. But you know,
it's great to see the nippolice stands as and across
the ditch that are coming and supporting the Wellington Phoenix away.
It's shades of the Warriors when the Warriors go and
play away games for the priests inside, when they've got
the home support on foreign soil, that must be a
boost for the team as well.

Speaker 2 (56:01):
Absolutely right. So back home on Saturday to face Melbourne
City who are currently won place, one point ahead of
them on the Ninja A League table. Just before you go,
Auckland f C their loss on New Year's Day. Mentioned
it before to the Newcastle Jets. Look, this team does
not like losing, no team does. But I don't think
Auckland f C are particularly good losers, particular of their

(56:23):
coaching staff. How much of a reaction do you expect
from Auckland FC when they head to Campbelltown tomorrow night
to take on MacArthur.

Speaker 9 (56:30):
Yeah.

Speaker 12 (56:30):
Look, I think expect an immediate reaction. Expect them to
really snap into their business, snap into their work. I
wonder whether Steve Corriker might be tend just to rattle
a few cages and make a couple of changes, perhaps
just to freshen things up.

Speaker 13 (56:44):
You think about.

Speaker 12 (56:45):
Hiroki Sakai is probably the logical one to come in
and reclaim that position at right back and take the
captain's armband back again. I wonder whether Nando Pineker might
be a possibility to maybe just give Dan Hall arrest
and a refresh because the fixtures are coming sick and fast. Yes,
they had the enforcate situation with the Sydney FC game

(57:05):
which wasn't a to be played, but maybe an opportunity
to rotate the pack. I thought they really missed Jake
Brimmer in that match against Newcastle. I think his role
similar to Rufer really for the Wellington Phoenix, just sitting
deep and being able to play almost the role as
a quarterback to pull the strings and to link the
play was a noticeable absentee for me, so I'm not
sure that the severity of his hamstring injury, whether he

(57:28):
comes in and Gazumo may I'm not sure what's happening there.
But the very high standards that he set himself last year,
so far this year he hasn't even begun to reach
those same levels. So if they can find a way
to unlock Gagermo MAI's magic, that might be something there.
I do like Lachland Brook playing one inside, playing in
that number ten role.

Speaker 13 (57:47):
I think he was.

Speaker 12 (57:48):
Really really good in that little run of away wins
that AUCKLANDFC had, so I'd like to see him further inside.
And I thought Randall, you know, as soon as he's
got the elbow to the head and his eyebrow was
split open, I thought he just drifted out of that game.
So I wonder whether he's an opportunity for Logan Rogerson
to come in and try and reclaim that position on
the wide side of a front three. But the Bulls
are a tough team. They're doing excellently in the Asian

(58:11):
Confederation competitions as well, and look, that'll be a cracking match,
as all of these matches are in the A League
at the moment. You can't take your eyes off this competition,
can you, Whether it's the men's competition or the women's competition.
It's been an absolutely fantastic festive season of football.

Speaker 2 (58:24):
Hasn't it? Just hasn't it? Just thanks so much for
your comprehensive analysis, Shamus, look forward to catching up again soon.

Speaker 7 (58:30):
Yeah.

Speaker 13 (58:30):
Thanks, Pine, appreciate it now.

Speaker 2 (58:31):
Good on you mate. Thanks. Indeed, that's Seamus Martin, Skysport commentator,
football analyst and a long time observer. Can tell some
pretty razor sharp and size of analysis there from Shay
across both games. The guy will freely admit that I
was quite concerned about the Phoenix men's side before yesterday's
game off the back of what happened in Melbourne on

(58:53):
Monday night. Are five to one defeat. I just thought
the confidence would be rock bottom. I was really really surprised,
I must say, to see Amon McCarran, the young eighteen
year old goalkeeper given another start in goal last night.
But I will absolutely hold my hand up and say
I was wrong about him. I thought he would really

(59:17):
struggle in the spotlight of this match after conceding five
goals in his starting debut just five days previously. But
the kid, and he is just a kid eighteen, he
stood up, He really did. He's clearly got a rock
solid temperament and to be the man who's in goal

(59:40):
for the first Wellington Phoenix clean sheet in twenty three
matches is a feather in his cap. I thought he
did a really good job last night, helped out by
a team that scrambled and battled and were fully committed,
particularly when they went down to ten men and just
kept Brisbane at bay and took their own opportunities. Scored

(01:00:05):
obviously on through e Fine is a who just looks
unlike any player I've ever seen in the A League.
E Fine is the Nigerian striker for the Phoenix. He
just makes things happen. Scored a goal early, then went
on a run which set up the second for Kazuki
Nagasawa in the second half. And then when time was

(01:00:26):
almost up and the game was getting scratched, teenager Luke
Brooks Smith, as I just mentioned a Shay came off
the bench, ran away from the Brisbane defense and then
had the awareness, the wherewithal and the football iq just
to square it to a teammatee Polo Retro who was
up there with him, and he just tapped it into
an empty net for three nil. A very very impressive

(01:00:46):
performance and what could be a very important three points
for Wellington Phoenix. Hamous says, talk about those nicks pinety
how good best game from Isa I've seen. He was good,
wasn't he? But I think there were a lot of
really impressive performances out there last night from the Wellington Phoenix.
We can talk to them about that if you like
eight hundred and eighty ten eighty nine two ninety two

(01:01:08):
for your text message is going to hear from Jihn.
Calo Ataliano, the coach, shortly he after the game, was
as emotional as I've ever seen them. You won't pick
it up in the audio that I'm going to play,
but if you get the opportunity to watch the press
conference it's available online. Just the first thirty seconds and
just the emotion of gian Calo Italiano close to tears,

(01:01:32):
had to stop himself, you know, just had to stop
talking and take a breath and compose himself. It's clearly
been a very very tough period for the team. They've
been under pressure, rightfully so, because they haven't been playing well.
There've been occasions in this season where they've been really underwhelming,

(01:01:52):
but yesterday was a glimpse into what they can do now.
It's consistency that is required. But I have in his
time at the club, I've never seen gian Carlo Italiano
as emotional as he was in that In that press
conference afterwards, it was. It was kind of heartwarming in

(01:02:14):
a way. I have to say, just a reminder that
these are human beings with real emotions and often we
we forget about that in the white hot environment of
elite sport. England of forty seven for one and the
twelfth over, not that the overs matter. This is a
Test match, of course, forty seven for one batting first
against Australia in the fifth Ashes Test at the SCG

(01:02:36):
Crawley on twelve Bethel thereon four the man out was
I said it a short time ago Ben ducket of
course Ben duck at the man out for twenty seven
England forty seven for one back with more football in
just a moment. It's approaching one thirty.

Speaker 1 (01:02:54):
The tough questions off the turf Weekend Sport with Jason
Pine and GJ. Gunnerholmes, New Zealand's most trusted home builder news.

Speaker 2 (01:03:02):
Dog coming up twenty seven away from two mentioned. John
Calo Italiano quite emotional at the start of his postmatch
media conference after the game yesterday, once he had composed himself.
It wasn't luck he turned into a blubbering mess or
anything like that, but he certainly was visibly emotional. He
was asked why this one meant so much for him.

Speaker 15 (01:03:26):
Been around a long time, hit a lot of crap,
you know, especially around the team. I'm just immensely proud
for the group, you know, like we suffered today and
we spoke about it yesterday.

Speaker 6 (01:03:35):
It was like a self fulfilling prophecy, you know.

Speaker 15 (01:03:37):
We talked about in order for teams to be successful,
they need to learn to suffer, to grind, to be committed,
to have courage, you know, to be brave, so they
demonstrate everything today.

Speaker 7 (01:03:47):
I felt like the football.

Speaker 15 (01:03:49):
Gods want Carlo to get sent off so for us
to go through this lesson and then we're going to
take this in order to take the next move.

Speaker 2 (01:03:56):
What did Jian Calo Italiana make of the performance of
a teenage goalkeeper Amon McCarran.

Speaker 15 (01:04:02):
Aim one is like a experienced goalkeeper, you know, caught
in a young guy's body. Is fearless and what I
really liked about him today was the reaction from conceding
five goals against Victory. It didn't phase him. He came
in in the air, it was fantastic. The last brave
ditch saves and someone was amazing. So for me again,

(01:04:23):
you know, I trust the young players for that reason,
because they have that fearlessness. He started as number three,
you know, at the beginning of the season and now
you know he's playing like mature number one.

Speaker 2 (01:04:35):
Was chief ee Gianclo Telliano happy with his side's game management.

Speaker 15 (01:04:41):
Yeah, up until the sendoff. Yes, I felt as though
in terms of game management with ten men, we could
have been a little bit braver with the first pass
into the front line, but as it was doing so
much work that was funny, hard to recover in all
those moments. I was screaming a kazu when he broke
and he had a shot, like you know, we're five
minutes ago. We could have just relaxed in the corner,
get players around the ball, because what about strengths is

(01:05:02):
the ball and just is building that belief that we
can do it for ninety minutes.

Speaker 6 (01:05:05):
Sometimes it's hard to do that.

Speaker 15 (01:05:07):
You know, Brisbane a tough opponent defensively one of the
best teams. You know, they're very solid. But again this
is part of our you know, us evolving and then
taking that next step. But from a defensive point, fantastic.

Speaker 2 (01:05:18):
How important a when was this for Wellington?

Speaker 6 (01:05:21):
We needed this.

Speaker 15 (01:05:22):
It wasn't so much the result, It was more the
performance and building towards the foundation. Believe we shared a
lot of characters time I was probably I couldn't ask
for anything more. The desperation every tackle, you know, every cross,
you know, awareness in the second phase you know, they
had some good chances as well, and some of the
big blocks, you know, some of the big saves aim

(01:05:43):
were fantastic.

Speaker 2 (01:05:44):
Teliana then asked about a couple of specific players. The
first is important center back Canadian man Draker James.

Speaker 15 (01:05:50):
I think the big thing with most visa players that
come into the league, they find that the first year
is the hardest in terms of adjustment. They sometimes they
make instant impact, but I feel as though it takes
a bit of an adjustment and I think he's going
through that phase now, you know is a qualiff defender.
I mean he's played some really elite clubs and like
his time at Michelan there was a top talent and

(01:06:14):
I think now he's slowly getting used to the league.
And even today, you know, when he had to dig deep,
you know, he showed his experience. But not only was
I proud of him, I thought Sheridan and Hughesy were
immense today. That was you know, the amount of pressure
they absorbed.

Speaker 6 (01:06:28):
It was fantastic.

Speaker 15 (01:06:29):
Even Lucas when he came on on the left side
for Carlo, did a great job.

Speaker 6 (01:06:33):
And no mensely proud of all those defenders and Corbs
as well. Sorry Corps had a great stint.

Speaker 2 (01:06:40):
And he fine. Is the aforementioned Nigerian strike. How did
Gianclo Taliano Sis's performance?

Speaker 15 (01:06:47):
I think the most important thing is that we keep
feeding him the ball. That's as one of the crucial things.
And you see today, even we had two three players
around him, he dribbled exceptionally well. I think Arami and
As they have a really good relationship as well. So
we need to build on the relationships these players have.
And again, you know, it is a unique talent is
someone that is very unpredictable with the ball. He does

(01:07:08):
things that very uncharacteristic and because of that is a danger.
And even I thought today Bristine paid a lot of
attention to him with their back three in the initial
half and he was drawing you know, volcanos our ability
and made it very difficult for him, especially that first goal,
you know, and I think we probably scored two or
three goals similar to that with the long ball at

(01:07:29):
the beginning. So but again, you know, he just needs
to build some consistency and he'll get the goals that
we need.

Speaker 2 (01:07:35):
And finally from gian Kloer Taliana, what did he make
of the performance of Luke brook Smith has teenage at
striker coming off the bench to set up the third goal.

Speaker 6 (01:07:44):
It's probably underplayed.

Speaker 15 (01:07:45):
I don't like talking about as well. But we do
have a lot of young players and we you know,
we we build our success on those young players. You know,
for the short term and long term.

Speaker 6 (01:07:53):
They have to go through the maturity, like a victory
like this is a.

Speaker 7 (01:07:58):
Long part of it.

Speaker 15 (01:07:58):
You know, they're going to be very up and down.
Look he's no different, you know, like one week, you
know he can be great the next week. You know,
he needs to he needs to work on certain things
and get better. And our job as a coaching staff
is to build and develop and make sure that you know,
they steadily develop and then don't get overruled or you know,

(01:08:19):
have to deal with the you know, the outside noise.

Speaker 6 (01:08:21):
And I feel like that's a big, big thing, that
is a big challenge.

Speaker 15 (01:08:24):
But Luki has a lot of talent. You know, there's
a lot of young boys like we talk about like
Sheridan and Hughesy and cass Sorry Lucas and you know,
boys like Arna of fin Contry. They're still like in
their twenties, like early twenties, late you know, late teens,
and sometimes they've been planned for so long there we
feel like they're senior players, but they're still kids, you know,

(01:08:46):
and they're still coming through. Some people might not argue,
you know, the kids at nineteen twenty, but you know
they still are and they're still there's a long road
in there, you know, their development and their journey.

Speaker 2 (01:08:55):
So those are some of the postmats thoughts of Wellington
fantas head coach at John Kloertaliano A three till Winter's
side over bruce Burn. It takes them to fourteen points
on the comption table that has them in ninth position
at the moment, but just one point outside the top six.
It is a very tight table, very very tight. Wellington

(01:09:16):
Phoenix on fourteen points, Melbourne City have fourteen, Newcastle have fifteen,
Adelaide have fifteen and Adelaide a in sixth place at
the moment and they're the next opponent for the Wellington
Phoenix men at home a week today they take on
Adelaide United. Auckland FC meantime stay top. Sydney FC had
the opportunity to go pass them last night but could

(01:09:36):
only draw nil all with Melbourne City. So Aukland f
C are top after ten games on twenty points. Sydney
FC have nineteen and then it's Brisbane of course, who
were beaten by the Phoenix last night on eighteen. MacArthur
also have eighteen. Tomorrow night, Auckland FC are away at MacArthur.
That's Campbelltown just inland from Sydney. So Aukland FC. If

(01:09:58):
they would have win, that would go four points clear
at the top the Wellington Phoenix Men. As I say
Adelaide next Sunday and for the Phoenix women they are
tucked into fifth place after their two to draw against
Brisbane last night and next faced Melbourne City at home
Polydoor Park on Saturday. Let's get you back to the
Sydney cricket ground courtesy of our friends at skysport.

Speaker 5 (01:10:21):
On the big response gets him look.

Speaker 10 (01:10:28):
On fields is given out impacting lane and Wi gets
un by a scorn.

Speaker 2 (01:10:34):
We can stay with John Philith by out miss and Rasa.
His decision is vindicated, So there you go. Zach Crawley
LBW to the bowling of Michael Nasa for sixteen. They
reviewed unsuccessfully Nace's picking up the wicket of Crawley. So
England fifty seven for two now and in fact they

(01:10:55):
may just have picked up another wicket. We'll get news
of that for you shortly. Yes, fifty seven for three.
Scott Boland has picked up Jacob Bethel caught behind by
Alex Ki for ten. So England were going along okay,
thirty five without loss. They're now fifty seven for three,
fifty seven for three a wick at each for Stark

(01:11:15):
for Nasa and now for Scott Boland. Who's just he's
another one, isn't he He's an incredible bowler. Scott boland
Gee does some great things for Australia, so he's picked up.
We'll get now fifty seven for three England batting first
against Australia and the fifth Ashes Test at the SCG
nineteen to two. Let's take a bay comeback for the
first time in twenty twenty six. James mcconey in his

(01:11:38):
regular Sunday spot.

Speaker 1 (01:11:39):
The biggest things in sports are on Weekend Sports with
Jason Pain and GJ. Gunnomes, New Zealand's most trusted home
builder news talks then.

Speaker 2 (01:11:49):
Be sixteen away from two. Well, he was so good
in twenty twenty five and twenty twenty four and in
fact for years before that, that we have at great
expense to Weekend Sport re enlisted the Sunday contribution of
James mcconey.

Speaker 14 (01:12:04):
Hello mate, only Happy New Year, Happy New Years everyone
out there.

Speaker 16 (01:12:09):
Yeah.

Speaker 14 (01:12:09):
Look, the negotiations were tense between your people and my people,
but somehow we came to an agreement.

Speaker 2 (01:12:15):
It was good to get the official word that you
would be back for twenty twenty six because there's lots
to talk about. I want to get your predictions actually
for the year in a moment, but a league wise
was good to see out on the field. Actually after
the game on New Year's Day Aukland FC Newcastle. Not
the result Auckland FC.

Speaker 14 (01:12:32):
More after though, Yeah, a bit of a bummer that game, Piny.
I mean, you had to call it, but I was
there going Okay. It's the same problems but more amplified
than last year or the end of last year. I
always felt that shooting was a weakness for that team
and they've tried to remedy that with Cosgrove coming in,
but really without the crazy Columbia Moreno in the to

(01:12:54):
come in and spark something, they just don't have their
shooting boots on. And all I'll say is there's some
pretty good shooters for the Wellington Phoenix when they get
a chance. So at least the Phoenix came up with
probably one of Is that the greatest regular season victory
in their history?

Speaker 2 (01:13:13):
I think it's probably one of the best away wins
and the regular season in their history. Yes, given the circumstances,
given the fact they were well they had five put
past them just five days before, they were down to
ten before halftime, and you know, against a team that's
been very, very good this season to come away three nil.
There's no way anyone would have predicted three nil in

(01:13:34):
that game before the game started, I know.

Speaker 14 (01:13:37):
And I've got a bit of a man crash on
Ifine years the very fine striker, Nigerian striker for the
Wellington Phoenix. And look the way that he controls the ball.
He looks like a genuine star. The scouts of the
Wellington Phoenix. Look, you don't have the I guess the

(01:13:59):
money of Auckland f C and the network that they've
got with all the clubs that Bill Foley owner hands,
but someone is a really good scout at the Wellington
Phoenix because finding him. He played his last three clubs
were in Libya and Iraq, so I don't think a
hostile crowd at Brisbane is going to FaZe him, and

(01:14:20):
it certainly didn't Paint.

Speaker 2 (01:14:22):
I'll tell you what, You've got to love football to
play it in Libya and Iraq professionally, don't you. I mean,
it's very not quite the same as as Courtney Place
in Wellington, certainly not the Daylight House anyway. But you know,
I agree, I think he's something. He's unlike anyone I've
ever seen in the a league. He just seems to
have this ability to hold onto the ball when he's
dribbling with it. You think, oh he's lost that, No

(01:14:44):
he hasn't. He still got it. He's just such an
interesting proposition.

Speaker 14 (01:14:49):
And then you look at look at his old photos
and he did carry a few pounds. So obviously the
fitness trainers at the Phoenix out there at the at
their amazing sort of HQ has got him in there
and the altitude machines and in the swimming pool. Everything
they've got to get him match fit, and he looks
really good. The one thing that I annoyed me about
in the game was that red card. I won't dwell

(01:15:11):
on it too long except to say that I always
feel that there's a lot of things people that could
get carded in a league games, and I always feel
like there's a bit of unconscious bias. It goes against
the Kiwi teams. And all I'll say is like, don't
hold back if you are a critic of that. Because
I looked at Jason Paris. You remember the one New

(01:15:32):
Zealand CEO complaining about NRL refs, Yes, and Bill Harrigan
half and puffed about integrity, went off. But do you
know what happened afterwards? I felt there was a noticeable
change in the reffing door of the Warriors. So actually
you might as well complain.

Speaker 2 (01:15:48):
I'm just thinking of the front of shirt sponsor for
the Phoenix, OPO, the CEO of OPO needs to needs
to get on social media and complain about the inconsistency
of the football refereeing. But yeah, I mean we shouldn't
panic about Auckland FC. They're still top. MacArthur away on
and tomorrow night actually and then two more away games.
I'm actually I know to we're quite looking forward to

(01:16:10):
Derby number three at the back end of February. Of
the Phoenix continue, they're upward trajectory, we might get another
quite memorable game.

Speaker 14 (01:16:19):
Yeah, I think so too. It's a juicy derby. And
of course they're all watching Luke brook Smith, the former
BMX rider who out of Norfold and then Cambridge got
shunted down to Wellington to basically take a football seriously
as his full time job. And well he's seventeen years old,
just coming through and look he looked he should be

(01:16:42):
going to the World Cup. I mean we've seen you know,
Lemgna male for Spain at sixteen, So why not Luke
brook Smith, the man they call pounds.

Speaker 2 (01:16:52):
I'd have him. Yeah, the other niche here the lbs pounds.
I'm sure people can work it out. Yeah. Look, I'd
have him in the twenty six I think Darren Basley
has to have a look at him, right. I set
you a task for your first appearance on Weekend Sport
share of some predictions for the year ahead. What I
asked of you, And I don't know whether you've whether
you've you've taken my instruction or not, but I asked

(01:17:14):
you for a reasonably certain prediction, a fifty to fifty
and an absolute roughie. Have you have you got anything
of that of that kind to give us?

Speaker 14 (01:17:23):
Yes, we'll start off with the reasonably certain, and that
is Zoe Sadowski senate to win gold at the Winter
Olympics in slopestyle, probably maybe even bigger. But just remember
a lot can go wrong. It's not quite like Lisa
Carrington having her own lane and paddling away, or even
Sarah Olmer going round and around the track. There's a

(01:17:45):
lot that can go wrong in slight slopestyle. Okay, but
I'm putting it out there I think she'll win gold.

Speaker 2 (01:17:50):
I love that, all right, that's the that's the I
guess the lock and I agree. I think she'll be
She'll be there or thereabouts. What about a fifty to
fifty fifty to.

Speaker 14 (01:18:00):
Fifty is well, it's a double one. This one England
to make the FIFA World Cup Final and the All
Whites to get out of their group.

Speaker 2 (01:18:09):
Good good.

Speaker 14 (01:18:11):
I like that.

Speaker 2 (01:18:13):
I'd love if they got out of the group. How
good would have been playing knockout football at the World Cup.

Speaker 14 (01:18:18):
Well, they're playing Iran, they're playing Egypt and Belgium. I
think we can pick up points against all of them.
It's just we need Chris.

Speaker 7 (01:18:26):
Wood on the field.

Speaker 14 (01:18:28):
We've got injury problems and even problems with players actually
getting game time as well. I'm concerned about our defenders
when they're getting game time. The last time I saw
Bill to Ilona didn't have a club. So look, if
we can do that, we'll be fine. And then England,
I think they've got this generation coming through. Dude Bellingham,

(01:18:49):
Cole Palmer, Harry Kanees last stand, Marcus Rashford, the loona
in Barcelona. He is doing well. I think that we
can even see a new star merge for England. Josh
King from Fulham, nineteen year old winger. Look, I think
they're actually are poised to do quite well. I won't
say that they'll win the final because of its penalties.
You know what they do. They crack the bed, all right?

Speaker 2 (01:19:11):
And what about an absolute ruffie for twenty twenty six.

Speaker 14 (01:19:15):
Yes, my ruffie is up the Wars to win the
Grand Final. No, no, it's not a ruffy pony. The
rugby is Ryan Fox to win a major. Ryan Fox
to win a major, and I actually do think he's
got the skills to do it. He's got the confidence
of two big tournament wins last year, including the Canadian Open.
So hey, look look out for Brian Fox. But just

(01:19:38):
on the Wars. I think if Luke Metcalf stays healthy,
I can see a playoff run for the Warriors. And
also watch out for the new recruit from Leeds, morgan Gannon,
a tall try scoring second row with a kicking game.
He's a superstar in the making. Morgan Gannon, remember the name.
Please clip that off and play it back to me
when he has a blinder and a two in three

(01:19:59):
months time. Okay, please, pony.

Speaker 2 (01:20:01):
Well, have isolated the audio of all of your predictions,
including that last one. JA want to start to twenty
twenty six for you. I'm so pleased we could renegotiate
your presence.

Speaker 14 (01:20:12):
Thanks Pineer's runs on the board. I'm going back to
doom scrolling.

Speaker 2 (01:20:15):
Have fun out there, see you, mate. James mcconey a
huge part of our Sundays around this time every Sunday
afternoon here on Weekend Sports seven Away from two News talks.

Speaker 1 (01:20:25):
Edby analyzing every view from every angle in the Sporting World.
Weekend Sport with Jason pie Nicoll oh eight hundred and
eighties and eighty US.

Speaker 2 (01:20:35):
Talks eNB fort to two. England batting first at the
SCG sixty seven for three with Joe Root and Harry
Brook out there. I tell you what Joe Root could
do with some runs. He got that big one hundred
in Brisbane, hundred and thirty eight not out in the
first innings at Brisbane. Take that out of his ashes
series and he's got less than one hundred runs across
his other seven innings. So this would be a good

(01:20:56):
time for Joe Root to get some runs. He's unbeaten
on six Hawy Brooke there on three England sixty seven
for three having won the Tyson batted first in the
fifth Ashes Test at the SCG. After two o'clock, one
of our best amateur golfers, Vivian Lou is going to
join us ahead of the Women's Asia Pacific Championship coming
up at Royal Wellington in February. A lifelong Manchester United

(01:21:21):
fan on his devotion to the Rare Devils and Ben
Francis on the darts.

Speaker 1 (01:21:27):
It's the only place to discuss the biggest sports issues
on and after fields.

Speaker 14 (01:21:33):
It's all on Weegen s.

Speaker 1 (01:21:34):
Ford with Jason Fade on your Home of Sport UK.

Speaker 2 (01:21:40):
Hi There seven pass two. This is Weekend Sport on
News Talks. There be first Sunday edition for twenty twenty six.
What will this year hold? Goodness only knows, but we'll
be here for it. Whatever it might be. Another hour
of Weekend Sport. Then we'll pass the reins to Adam
Cooper for summer weekends. Before we get there, want a
chat to a lifelong Manchester United fan who's been through

(01:22:04):
some ups and downs with that football team and has
written an e book about his lifelong journey as a
Manchester United fan. It's called Heart and Manchester, a KIWI
fans football romance. Philip Callaway is the man in question.
He will join us this out. We're at the darts
where it's all over at Ali Pali and Luke Littler

(01:22:27):
is a back to back world champion. He doesn't turn
nineteen for a week or so. This is incredible. Phil Taylor,
who won fourteen world championships, didn't win his first one
until he was thirty five years old. He won his
fourteenth when he was fifty three. So what might Luke

(01:22:48):
Littler do. He's won two before his nineteenth birthday. Absolutely crazy.
Ben Francis our darts analyst. I'm going to join us.
Vivian Luke is also on the show. She is one
of our top women's amateur golfers and she'll be taking
part in the Asia Pacific Championship in the middle of
February at Royal Wellington. We'll talk a bit about that

(01:23:10):
with Vivian lou and when she may look at turning pro.
She's had a very very good couple of years, has
recently moved universities in the United States back home for
a bit. She's going to chat to us shortly too.
We'll keep an eye on what's happening in Sydney. Seventy
eight for three England batting first with Roots and Brook
out there. As you heard Elliott mention in our sports news,

(01:23:30):
the top three all back in the pavilion, Crawley, Ducket
and Bethel all out. I work it a piece for Stark,
Nissa and Boland.

Speaker 14 (01:23:40):
So a.

Speaker 2 (01:23:42):
Bit of a middle order resurrection job needed by these two,
Joe Root and Harry Brook. Closer to home domestic cricket,
Bay Oval, Mount Monganui today doublehead it the Northern brave
women up against the sparks. Now we're not allowed to
call them Otargo anymore, Otago or not Otago anymore. They
are sparks for the women and vaults for the men.

(01:24:05):
You don't say ota anymore. I didn't read why, I
can't quite remember, but anyway Northern have of because they
include Southland. Is that the reason. That's the reason, okay,
Andy is just filled in my knowledge gap. Because they
represent both Otago and Southland. They are no longer just Otago.

(01:24:29):
They are will have taken that out. The sparks and
the vaults that we go cleared up, just like that.
That's why we pay Handy the big dollars as producer
of the show. Those dollars will be along shortly, I'm sure,
as we always do. Though, to write about this time
on Weekend Sport, we haven't changed anything in twenty twenty six.
We want to keep you up to date with some
of the stuff that you may well have a missed

(01:24:51):
as you go about your business during this holiday period.
In case you missed it, even at the age of
thirty nine, David Warner still has the fireworks. It would
appear Warner God deal.

Speaker 3 (01:25:06):
He thinks about a second, a second Big Fash.

Speaker 5 (01:25:11):
One hundred and fourteen years since his first.

Speaker 3 (01:25:15):
The ball with the traditional celebration will play Davy.

Speaker 2 (01:25:19):
Warner one hundred and thirty off sixty five balls for
the Sydney Thunder and the Big Bash. But it was
all for nothing as they went down to the Hobart Hurricanes,
who chased down the two hundred and six run target
with more than two overs to spare close to the
home Canterbury cruising to a win over Central Districts and
the Men Super Smash thanks to a big knock from

(01:25:40):
Matthew Boyle. Is that going to be his fifty, Yeah,
you bet it.

Speaker 4 (01:25:46):
Use his feet beautifully. Just the twenty deliveries to pick
up another super smash fifty for Matt Boyle Waterer innings.

Speaker 2 (01:25:53):
He finished unbeaten on seventy three or thirty, leading Canterbury
to a nine wicked win over cd In. They're chase
for just one hundred and thirty nine in Neilson to
the Premier League. Arsenal continue to lead the way at
the top. I've heard it good sack and that's race again.

Speaker 17 (01:26:12):
He's got two, Arthur have got three and they are
putting themselves in position to go six points there in the.

Speaker 2 (01:26:20):
Town, which they did, holding off Bournemouth three to two.
Aston Villa have jumped to seek in the head of
Manchester City for now.

Speaker 17 (01:26:29):
Oh where's Chong pickturek on John McGinn for Aston. It's
an absolute gift from the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper and McGinn
helps himself to a second goal in the game.

Speaker 2 (01:26:43):
Here Villa three one victors over Nottingham Forest and pigs
have flown. The world is flipped on its axis. Wolverhampton
Wanderers have won a game of football. That's nice. Maney
away from the Gussa, It's.

Speaker 17 (01:26:57):
Potasta to the teenager on a moment Wolves.

Speaker 3 (01:27:05):
West won for before the Hunt and waters in wonder.

Speaker 1 (01:27:10):
Lodest breaking down the Hail Mary's and the epic fails
Weekend Sport with Jason Pine News Talk.

Speaker 2 (01:27:19):
Zenby thirteen past two. Yeah, that was Wolf's twentieth game
of the Premier League season, their first win, first win
in twenty games. It moved them to six points. They've
also had three draws and sixteen defeats, so while it
is a little glimmer of hope, they are still twelve

(01:27:40):
points off the relegation spots, or twelve points off the
team who is currently seventeenth. That's Nottingham Forest. Wolves a
dead set to go down and could well could well
be the worst ever in terms of points accumulation in
a Premier League season, but good on them and their
fans for getting a win over west Ham this morning.
The Royal Wellington Golf Club is hosting the eighth edition

(01:28:01):
of the Women's Amateur Asia Pacific Championship from February twelveth
through fifteen next year, bringing together the region's best young
amateur women's golfers and the winner earns starts in three
major championships this year. Eighty four players from twenty eight
country set to contest the tournament. Nine of those are
from New Zealand. Among them Vivian Lou who is currently

(01:28:23):
ranked ninety fourth in the World Amateur Golf rankings, the
second best Kei We. She'll be making her sixth Women's
Amateur Asia Pacific Championship appearance this year. That will equal
the most appearances by any player. Vivian lewis with us. Vivian,
thank you for taking the time. How much you're looking
forward to playing this tournament on home soil in about
six weeks from now.

Speaker 16 (01:28:45):
I am so excited to be able to play this
event at home. I've played this event, like you said,
six times all over Asia and so it'd be nice
to be back at home and have all my friends
come to New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (01:28:56):
How big and incentive is the chance to earn invitations
to three of the five women's majors for the winner
of this tournament.

Speaker 16 (01:29:05):
It's huge. Being able to go playing majors is like
just like would be incredible. You get such good experience
playing with the best and the best, so it would
be amazing.

Speaker 2 (01:29:16):
Tell us about the other tournaments, the other women's Amateur
Asia Pacific tournaments you've played in, as you say, six,
which is a record. What's the vibe like, what are
your best memories of the tournaments that you've played in
up till now.

Speaker 16 (01:29:33):
I think my favorite one so far was the one
in Thailand. I think they hosted Advice in Thailand. It
was just so cool. The golf course was amazing, and
hospitality in Thailand was amazing as well. But I think
over the past few years playing in this event, I've
just got to like make new friends from different countries
and I'm still friends with them like now, and I

(01:29:55):
see them playing over in the US and so it's
really nice to have these friendships.

Speaker 2 (01:30:00):
Awesome. Now, you've recently moved from the University of Washington
to the University of Texas. Tell us how this all
came about.

Speaker 16 (01:30:09):
Yes, I did so. My head coach at Washington was retiring,
so I decided it was time for a new change,
so I entered the portal lastter my season was over
and decided to go to Texas. And it's been It's
definitely been a bit of an adjustion for me this
fall seasons, but I'm really loving Texas and all my

(01:30:32):
teammates and my coaches over there. I'm having a great
time over there.

Speaker 2 (01:30:36):
When you say you've hit to make a few adjustments,
what have been the big ones?

Speaker 16 (01:30:40):
I think just like scheduling. I think over at Washington,
I was definitely, you know, allowed to have a bit
more of my own time. But it takes us. Everyone
is very hungry, and so we're working a lot harder
over there, and we practiced a lot over there.

Speaker 2 (01:30:56):
Did you have any trouble getting tom Off to come
down for this event.

Speaker 16 (01:31:01):
A little bit. Coach was a little hesitant to let
me go, just because there is another total that it
clashes with with my college schedule. But she did let
me go. I did some persuading. I told her I
was at home and it was really important for me.
So she let me go.

Speaker 2 (01:31:16):
Good. Well, there's no way she could stand in the
way of that. Surely you talked about that. You talk
about the transfer portal. I understand that the reaction to
you putting your name in there was almost instantaneous. Can
you tell us about that?

Speaker 16 (01:31:34):
Yeah, so I think I knew because my head coach
was retiring and I didn't know who the next coach was.
I didn't really want to be left in the dock
a little bit. And so, you know, I really respect
Mary Lucy's my head coach, and so I had a
really good relationship with her. I actually caught up with
her not long ago. But yeah, I just decided it
was time for a change and new opportunities and for

(01:31:56):
better weather.

Speaker 2 (01:31:57):
As Washington not hit nice where there was no in.

Speaker 16 (01:32:01):
The winter, it does get snowy and really really cold
and you can't quite practice in the winter time. But
Texas the weather is quite nice over there all the time.

Speaker 2 (01:32:09):
Fantastic During your time at Washington, now you have, you know,
you had some real, real success, five top eleven results
across the twenty four to twenty five collegiate season. Your
first NCAA when how significant were the you know, the
twelve to eighteen months or the time you spent in
Washington for your golf career.

Speaker 16 (01:32:29):
I loved Washington. My best friend was there, and I
just felt like Seattle was my home and my and
I made such good friends with like my roommates. They
played on the basketball team, so I had like such
great friendships and being able to play like freely over
there was really nice, Like freshman year, I didn't play
so good, and sophomore year I kind of locked in

(01:32:51):
and decided to play some better golf, and it was
just it was great playing in purple.

Speaker 2 (01:32:57):
But yeah, where do you think the big improvements have
come in your game? Let's say in the last twelve
to eighteen months or so.

Speaker 16 (01:33:06):
I think as a freshman, everything's very new, and I
was never really used to playing such a busy schedule.
Like in New Zealand, I kind of pick and chose
what I played. But in college, you don't really have
a stay and you'd play a pretty packed seat, a
pretty pack season. I think we play like at least
six each like each half, So we'll play like six

(01:33:29):
in the fall and then six in the spring, more
than six in the spring, and so it's pretty fall
on while balancing school and life and you know, trying
to figure out like how to do life by myself
not having my parents, and that's being a really good
life lesson.

Speaker 2 (01:33:45):
When did you first pick up a golf club as
a as a young girl.

Speaker 16 (01:33:50):
I started picking up a golf club when I was nine.
I'd tell the same story to everyone. My dad bribed
me with my iPad, He said, if I didn't go
practice a bucket of balls each day, I wouldn't give
an iPad. So I'd go out and have a swing,
hit my bucket of balls, and go home and go
on my iPad.

Speaker 2 (01:34:08):
What a brilliant bribe from your dad. And knew exactly.
I knew exactly obviously how to get you out there
heading balls. But when did it become something that actually
you thought, Look, I actually enjoyed this, I'm quite good
at it. When did you start taking it seriously?

Speaker 13 (01:34:22):
Well?

Speaker 16 (01:34:23):
I started falling in love with playing golf when I
was after my first tournament and I didn't play good
at all. I actually came second to last, but the
girl that I played with came second, and it was
really inspiring to see how well she played. And so
from that moment I was like, yeah, I really want
to take this seriously.

Speaker 2 (01:34:39):
So how old were you then?

Speaker 16 (01:34:41):
I think I was ken. I'm still really little.

Speaker 2 (01:34:44):
Yeah, And so tell us about the you know, your
development to the point where you know, the idea of
playing golf in the college system in the US became
a reality. Did you just your improvement over your teenage
years was just was quite significant. By the sounds of it, yeah,
So I grew up as like over.

Speaker 16 (01:35:04):
As I grew up, I played for and then I
played for New Zealand and got to travel to all
these places playing for New Zealand. So I was such
a great experience and I'm very grateful for Golf New Zealand.
And after that, I think I was like sixteen sixteen.
I think I was sixteen and then started reaching out
to schools and Washington reached out to me, and there

(01:35:25):
are there have been quite a few key we girls
who've gone to Washington, so I thought it would make
sense for me to go. I took a visit to
Washington and I was like, wow, I think I really
liked this place, so I decided to go there.

Speaker 2 (01:35:36):
Amazing And I guess as far as as role models,
I concerned those to look up to, Lydia Co has been,
as we all know, just an absolute trial blazer in
the women's game. Here has she been someone who has
influenced you?

Speaker 16 (01:35:51):
Yes, Lydia is such an inspiration to me. I think
I've watched her since I was little, and I've actually
had the opportunity to practice with her. Last month, me
and a couple other girls, we had the opportunity to
fly out to San Francisco to spend four days with her,
just playing, training, practicing with her. And she's just such
an incredible, humble person.

Speaker 2 (01:36:14):
Amazing. And you also you were in Chasing the Fox
as well. How was that?

Speaker 16 (01:36:18):
Yes, that was incredible. I've never played in front of
such a big crowd before four thousand people, I think
at least, and playing at my home club were a
welcome to my home club. So it was really fun.
I saw a lot of my friends out there. It
was It was incredible playing with Amelia and Tanya.

Speaker 2 (01:36:34):
You guys did right. I think you were tied second,
wouldn't you?

Speaker 16 (01:36:37):
We were ti second. We were so close. We were
just off by one.

Speaker 2 (01:36:40):
Shot behind Daniel Hillia and Ryan Fox. It's not too bad.

Speaker 8 (01:36:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 16 (01:36:46):
And we played off the same teeth as them.

Speaker 2 (01:36:48):
Amazing. Oh cool? Yeah, cool. So I guess the question
you will obviously get asked quite a bit. The vienna
is turning pro what's the process behind that? It's something
you want to do, presumably.

Speaker 16 (01:37:03):
Yes, definitely, Well, I definitely want to graduate. Like I'm
very close to graduating. I only have this year and
next year, so I think I'm going to graduate get
my degree and then go to Q school. Q schools
like there's three stages to Q school, and everyone plays
stage one and if you like make top whatever. I
think it's like top forty or so, I'm not actually

(01:37:25):
too sure, you make it to stage two. And then
whoever makes like the top whatever for stage two makes
it to stage three. And then if you make it
top whatever in stage three, you get your LPGA Tour card.
So that's probably what I'm going to do after I graduate.

Speaker 2 (01:37:39):
How much of a goal is the LPGA Tour for you?

Speaker 16 (01:37:43):
It's been a dream since I was a little girl.
Just being able to play with the best of the
s and when majors and lpgadvans has always just been
my dream. So yeah, that'd be so cool for me
to do that.

Speaker 2 (01:37:55):
Well, look forward to tracking your career your first point
of business. So as the Women's Amateur Asia Pacific Championship
at Royal Wellington in the middle of February, Vivian, it's
been such a delight chatting to you all the best
for this tournament and for what lies ahead. We look
forward to tracking your career with great interest.

Speaker 16 (01:38:11):
Thank you so much for having me, No, thank you for.

Speaker 2 (01:38:13):
Joining US Vivian Vivian lou There our second ranked women's
amateur golfer, one of nine taking part at the Amateur
Asia Pacific Championship at Royal Wellington between February twelve and
fifteen to twenty four. Take a break, come back and
wrap the darts. So Luke Littler is back to back
world champion. Our Darts analyst Ben Francis after.

Speaker 1 (01:38:33):
This, don't get caught off side eighty Weekend Sports with
Jason Paine and GJ. Gardnerhoves New Zealand's most trusted home
builder News Dogs MB.

Speaker 2 (01:38:44):
To twenty seven. Defending champ Luke Littler has become just
a fourth player in history to win back to back
World Darts Championship titles. BOMB four seven.

Speaker 7 (01:38:57):
So when.

Speaker 2 (01:39:02):
Goody twenty yeah Dutchman Gown van Fane won the first
set in the best of what was the best of
fifteen first to seven decider at Alexandra Palace, but Luke
the Nuke exploded by claiming the next seven sets, best

(01:39:26):
of thirteen. On the bounce, Our Darts analyst of Ben
Francis back with us. Ben, thanks for joining. As you
mentioned yesterday, Look little I hadn't been put under any
pressure in this tournament, which might be a factor in
the final, but he simply blew fun Fane away. Was
this as comprehensive a win as you've seen?

Speaker 13 (01:39:46):
Yeah, you good a piney, I think definitely in recent
memory has been. It was just absolutely mind boggling how
quickly the game turned. He touched on there. Van Veen
took the first set after both players miss starts, and
there were a lot of edgy moments between both players,
and then Van ven miss double eight to take the

(01:40:07):
second sets with three nil. He missed and he just
literally literally did not get another looking after that. Luke
Little just down the switch and just just ran away
with it. And it was you know, the whole game
took about forty minutes in terms of actual action. Bit
of blood on the dark border, the ali Pelly was
making appearance, and that was probably been one of the

(01:40:29):
most exciting things about the whole game. It was just
but that was just because of how dominant it was.
And look, look, Vanzene wasn't bad. It was just that
Luke Little was just that good and just that continuous scoring,
just putting his opponent under pressure was just enough to
make Zanzine crumble and once his body language changed and
started slouching a bit, loucallelone knew that.

Speaker 2 (01:40:50):
And he just ran away with it, and not just
in the final bend, but across the entire tournament. Three
love three, love four, love four to two, five love six, one,
seven to one. Those are his results across the seven
matches he's played. That's thirty two sets, one and just
four lost in the entire tournament in a game of

(01:41:11):
peaks and troughs. How rare is that sort of dominance?

Speaker 13 (01:41:16):
Yeah, I think you probably have to probably go back
to someone like a Phil Taylor. It's kind of has
that sort of dominance. But of course Phil Taylor didn't
play in a tat them with one hundred and twenty
eight players. Tournament te played and were much shorter or
shorter formats in terms of the amount of players taking passon.
But yeah, I think that that was just incredible how
he managed just to beat everyone quite convincingly. And some

(01:41:40):
of these top players, the longer the tournament goes on,
it's kind of like the better, I guess in terms
of that they know how to play these longer formats better,
So they're just a lot more comfortable in the situation.
It's definitely probably I mean, Phil Taylor won sixteen will
title is probably packed one, and that's probably the last
time someone was as dominant as that. But you'd definitely
be going back quite a few years to find a

(01:42:02):
performance across the whole tournament where someone was so dominant
and didn't really get under that much pressure.

Speaker 2 (01:42:11):
Just on Phil Taylor. Luck Littler's about to turn nineteen.
Phil Taylor, I think, won the first of his sixteen
world titles either in his late twenties or early thirties.
See won his last one when he was fifty three.
What might Luke Littler go on to achieve?

Speaker 13 (01:42:29):
I mean, that's a that's a hard question to answer, Piney,
because it's darts is in a very interesting place at
the moment and such stuff we've touched on before in
terms of the amount of young guys coming through the
ranks and a lot how much more competitive the game's
going to be. Look, Taylor played in an era where
there was an absolute great to the game, no doubt
about that, but lots of those guys tended to hang

(01:42:51):
around a lot more. But you find it in today's
kind of era that some of these guys might have
their five ten years at the top and then saying, no,
I've had my time, I'm done. So lots of them
really depends on how long Luke Littler really wants to
hang around for. There's no doubt that he will. You know,
as long as he's around, he's going to be competing
for the titles as long as he wants to be

(01:43:12):
as well, So lots of it's probably going to depend
on in terms of how long he wants to play
the game. You know, might he might have an age
that he's twenty five and he's saying I've done everything
I can, I'm done. You just don't know, because he's
been that good and so dominant at a young age
as well. So I think it's definitely something where time
will tell. But darts is also at the top end,

(01:43:33):
probably a lot more competitive than it has been in
recent years, despite Littler's results this year where he's pretty
much won every major trophy including New Zealand Darts Masters that.
But yeah, who knows where this is going to end up.
But as long as Lotler's around, he's going to be competing.
I find it very hard though, that someone else will
reach sixteen, which does sound crazy to say when you

(01:43:54):
can Littler's age and he's already got two under his belt,
but you know, sixteen is a pretty apressive mark to beat.

Speaker 2 (01:44:00):
Indeed, and you mentioned this usterday as well, that there
are young players now seeing what Luke Litler is doing,
and he's almost showing them what is possible. In many ways,
it could be as downfall he might he might be
showing a group of sort of fourteen fifteen year olds
what's possible. There's bound to be other Luke Lettler's coming through, surely.

Speaker 13 (01:44:20):
Oh yeah, exactly right, And there is.

Speaker 14 (01:44:23):
There's a lot of.

Speaker 13 (01:44:23):
These young young teenage players all across the world, male
and female, who are just playing excellent darts for that age.
And it's probably probably one of those things where you know,
probably when you were younger, players probably weren't playing to
that kind of standard, but now, because overall everyone's getting better,
that's now the standard of players at age. And it's

(01:44:44):
probably going to be one of these things in five
ten years time where we do have a whole top
ten of players that are probably under thirty years old,
and you know they're not going to be bigger and
Rip did anything like that. But you know they're going
to be like proper athletes where they have proper training regimes.
They have like the diets. There's probably regular exercise and
stuff and maintaining schedules and things like that, because the

(01:45:04):
schedule is going to be really big. Like Luke literally
has about ten days off and he's going to be
off the Bahrain I think it is for the Bahrain
Darts Masters and the Saudi Arabia the week after. So look,
there's no rest for these guys at the moment. So yeah, look,
there are so many young players coming through, even some
a couple of young guys that played in the tournament.
We had a young guy Charlie Mamby who reached the

(01:45:25):
last sixteen. He's only twenty years old. He's one of
these players of the bright future. But in the youth systems,
there's so many kids that are producing one hundred averages
and it's kind of scary when you think about it
when some of these guys do struggles even one hundred.
Some of these top players.

Speaker 2 (01:45:43):
Yeah, well it's scary but also exciting. Ben, thanks so
much for your analysis on Weekend Sport over the World.
Darts Championship. You'll be pleased. And I didn't put any
money on fun Faine, so I my heart earned stayed
safe in my bank account. So you'll be pleased about
that that you didn't send me wrong yesterday with a

(01:46:04):
prediction that perhaps fun Faine might might trouble little. You'll
be pleased. And I didn't lose any money on it.

Speaker 13 (01:46:09):
I'm glad Piney, but I used to feel of a
ridiculous evens. Yes, now I might have to take littler
next year. We'll step to wait and see.

Speaker 2 (01:46:20):
Good Man Ben love your analysis, mate, loved your contributions
over the period of the World Darts Champs. That's been Francis.
You can read him incidentally at NZ Herald, dot co
dot en Z twenty five two three England have gone
to lunch at one fourteen for three in the fifth
Ashes Test in Sydney. Back in my one Weekend Sport
the Voice of Sport.

Speaker 1 (01:46:39):
On your Home of Sport Weekend Sport with Jason Vine
and GJ. Gunner Homes New Zealand's most trusted home builder
News TALKSV.

Speaker 2 (01:46:48):
Two thirty eight. Phillip Callaway is a lifelong Manchester United
football fan. From Auckland. He's written an ebook, Heart in Manchester,
a key We Fans football romance. It's a heartfelt memoir
of Phillip's journey as a key We supporter, following United
from a far for well over four decades. Philip Callaway

(01:47:10):
is with us. Congrats on the book, Philip. How did
Manchester United become your team?

Speaker 18 (01:47:16):
It goes back a long way now, sort of thing
was an intermediate a couple of my mates and things
that they were Liverpool fans and I think I'd caught
a glimpse of United on TV or something back then,
and I just sort of sort you know, the way
that they're playing football and it just sort of really
appealed to me. And yeah, that's just how it's sort
of how I took an interest in it, and that
sort of developed over the years.

Speaker 2 (01:47:36):
So what are we talking here? Was that in the
seventies eighties that year and they grab whole of.

Speaker 18 (01:47:42):
You yeah about the mid seventies. Yeah, so it's when
they Cropple and Daily Peers and Gordon Hill, those players.
Tommy Dockerty was the manager. So they played the attacking
brand of football and you know that there's a sotyle
that they had and like I said, everyone else to
put in Liverpool and they used to rid me a
lot about United not winning anything and not winning the league.

(01:48:03):
But I stuck by them.

Speaker 2 (01:48:05):
So yes, it did. And because in the early seventies
they were actually relegated, weren't they from the old Division
one down to Division two. They popped straight back up again.
But you're right, it was a long time before they
tasted success and it was in what the first season
of the Premier League nineteen ninety two ninety three when
that title winning drought ended. What do you remember of that.

Speaker 18 (01:48:30):
Ninety two ninety three. Yeah, for me, it was something
really significant and special. You know, I'd supported noted all
those years, and how would I say it, Like, I
don't want to give too much away, but for a
stroke of good fortune and just lucky sort of contacts
and things. In May ninety three, you know, I went

(01:48:51):
over to England and sort of like May, all the
years of supporting United, for all the good and bad
times were awarded with a lucky break. I could go
into more detail, but if if a good one to
know more, they can they can read all about it
in the ebook.

Speaker 2 (01:49:05):
So you were there when they won the Premier League.

Speaker 18 (01:49:09):
Basically, I will tell you then, okay, yeah, so yeah.
I'd written to some pen friends back then, since before
we had social media sort of thing, and they both
got jobs working at Old Trafford. So early early early
ninety three, I was thinking to myself, I'll go to England.
I've got a good chance to win the league. And

(01:49:29):
then when I got over there, the person was staying
with unbeknown to me, she was dating the head groundsman
at Old Trafford.

Speaker 9 (01:49:39):
So I got to.

Speaker 18 (01:49:42):
Went to We went to the training ground on the
morning we got to meet the players arriving and then
the groundsman, Keith, took me up to meet Alex Ferguson
in his office and had a good chat to him
and that sort of thing, and met all the players,
got photos and autographs, and then I was able to
video them training at close proximity and that was just amazing.

(01:50:04):
And then after that we were back to Old Trafford
with Keith and my friend Julie in that and went
out onto the pitch and chatted to Keith all about
the issues with the ground and that sort of thing.
And then later on that afternoon Oldham took my friend
Julie was from Oldham. Oldham were playing aston Villa and
Oldham had to win to avoid relegation and aston Villa

(01:50:26):
had to win otherwise United would be champions. And how
it panned out, Oldham one Nils. So I got to
meet all the players and the manager on the day
that they won the Premier League. So it was just
an amazing experience. I mean, care we going all the
way from when you're seven, the getting to meet the
players and the manager on that day outstanding.

Speaker 2 (01:50:47):
What a great story. When did you first visit Old Trafford?

Speaker 18 (01:50:53):
I went first time. I was nineteen eighty four. I
was a nineteen year old eighteen nineteen, but I'm a friend,
you know. I started working by then. They was sort
of like, oh, you're so young again from England by
yourself and all the sort of thing. And I was like,
once I got over there, and I was in London
for a little while but used to the underground on
that and then it went up to see United playing.

(01:51:15):
Was April eighty four, and so I've saw them a
couple of times and they didn't win over of the game.
So I started to think I was a bit of.

Speaker 14 (01:51:22):
A drinks on them.

Speaker 2 (01:51:22):
So I know a lot of fans like that, they
think they're the reason why their team hasn't won much.
But I can assure you that it's a it's a
much higher force than that. What was it like, though,
visiting Old Trafford for the first time, walking up and
seeing that that that patch of green grass that until
then you yeah, you've only ever seen on television.

Speaker 18 (01:51:46):
You know, it's just something really special. Yes, it's hard
to describe it own words. But the thing is, when
I started Sporting United in English football in general back
in the seventies, we didn't have social media. So I'd
wake up early in the early hours of the morning
of the time difference and tune try and tune into
the BBC World Service on shortwave radio for a second.

(01:52:08):
They'd have second half commentary on some of the games.
And so that was like my sort of morning routine
on a Sunday morning. And then I get football magazine
sent out to me by ship from England, like Shoot
and Gold magazine, and read the magazines and learned all
about the players, and it was just something that I just,
you know, I became sort of just so passionate and

(01:52:30):
dedicated to football and United.

Speaker 14 (01:52:32):
It's yeah, look.

Speaker 2 (01:52:34):
You're speaking my language. I think we're of a similar
generation because you're right. Nine o'clock on a Sunday morning.
It was the British Football results, you know that you
learned of all the scores and then we had that
one hour a week, didn't we? Big League Soccer Midday
on a Sunday, mid dawn a Sunday, hosted by Brian
Moore from memory.

Speaker 18 (01:52:52):
That's right, yes, yeah, yeah. So I grew up in
West Akland, like in Calston and West Auckland, and like
a Sunday tradition was my parents and my other two
family members would drive over the north Shore to Devonport
where my grandparents live and we have like a Sunday
lunch sort of thing and they'd be sitting out and
having their lunch and I'd be in the sort of

(01:53:13):
lounge watching a big big match or big leag socker
from the TV.

Speaker 7 (01:53:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 18 (01:53:18):
It was just such a wonderful you know, we had
like an hour of highlights and it was Brian Moore
was just amazing.

Speaker 2 (01:53:23):
Yes you met Brian Robson, Yes, sir, that was actually.

Speaker 18 (01:53:28):
An that was the first visit to England. That was
just for another fortunate contact with my dad knew someone.
I traveled down to Taunton in Somerset and stayed with
a friend of my dad, Spernard, and then I was
he knew I was going up to Manchester and he said,
I when I get to the Manchester pachectons Y m
c A found him from the coin coin box and

(01:53:50):
he said, as he gave me the details of someone
to contact when I went to see them play. I
think they played west Ham and so got to the
ground early and got a pound of the person to contact.
And that's like another story, it's just the way things happened.
I got to meet Brian Robson, macro wh McCarthy, Ray

(01:54:12):
Wilkins in the player's lounge and then the weird thing
as well as like one of my heroes back there
was Steve Copple and I'd actually sent her an aerogram
to him because he had been forced to retire due
to injury. So we're in the player's lounge and there's
another little boy from South Africa and someone opened the door.
Nor One Whiteside was there like it's one of the subs,

(01:54:34):
and he had his training gear on and I I
commented to the Lord of Boys said, oh, he's not
going to come in here and his gear and boots.
We stick outside and to the left Steph Copple was
there chatting to John Mile, who was the whtown manager,
and then a few minutes later said hello and said
I followed from New Zealand. The first thing he commented,
he said, I got your aerogram recently from New Zealand.

Speaker 6 (01:54:56):
It's just.

Speaker 18 (01:54:58):
Unbelievable. So yes, I met Steve Copple as well. So
that was another massive furl as well.

Speaker 2 (01:55:04):
Want to thrill the nineteen ninety eight nineteen ninety nine
treble winning season Premier League, FA Cup and that you know,
remarkable European Capital Champions League, the crew, Where does that
season set for you?

Speaker 18 (01:55:20):
It just it was just extra special. I mean the
squad that they had, I mean that was the thing.
Felix Ferguson that the stage had developed. Squad of players
were just you know, he had like four strikers basically
like he had like Sharingham and soul Shire and then
Andy colin White York and he would rotate it and
that season like they had you know, like along the
way when I finish the FA Cup semi final, where

(01:55:42):
they beat Arsenal. They gave away a penalty in the
last minute. I think Phil Neville gave it away. Schmichel
had saved it, and then prior to that y Roy
Keen had been sent off and then gets scored under goal.
So it was the treble was just something extra special.
That was you know, they won the Premier League and
then then there was the FA Cup and then you
know that those last two goals from Soulsho in the

(01:56:03):
last minute or.

Speaker 2 (01:56:04):
Two was just crazy, absolutely crazy. You mentioned Sir Alex Ferguson,
and we know, even those who don't follow United or
even follow football, no the legacy of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Since he left his post at the end of the
twenty twelve thirteen season, you've had a succession of managers,
none of who have even come close to emulating him.

(01:56:24):
Are those shoes just simply too big to fill?

Speaker 15 (01:56:29):
Yeah?

Speaker 14 (01:56:29):
I think so.

Speaker 18 (01:56:30):
Yeah, It's just I mean, like some of the appointments.
I mean, David Moyes's appointment was you know, Okay, Scottish
is a friend of Ferguson's and they just didn't you know,
he'd been a manager at Everton and just to step
up to the bigger club that you noted was just
too much for him. And then they've had other managers
over the years, like Jose Moreno was a good selection.

(01:56:52):
But it's sort of as we moved into the you know,
the modern era, sort of the whole Startner's style of
football have changed, and then they've had all the social
media and players like Pogba and things that just it's
changed the whole dynamics of football. And even up to now,
like they had like Ben ben Gale and then then
Hag and like it's from the top. I think, you know,

(01:57:16):
they've had bad manner. There's the ownership of the club
has just been not ideal sort of thing, and then
the signing players on ridiculous contracts and transfer fees and things,
and then then they try to sell them and then
no one wants to pay their wages basically, and it's yeah,
I mean, it's impossible to replace Ferguson's legacy. And I'm

(01:57:36):
sort of thinking, ill said to my friend just the
other day, even I'm sort of like, Okay, we're not
winning anything now and I'm sort of but I'm happy
with you know, we've had all our time sort of thing.
That's how I look at it. We've had our success
with Ferguson and an extended period of success after twenty
six years of not winning the league, So yeah, that's
just how how it pans out.

Speaker 14 (01:57:55):
Sort of thing.

Speaker 2 (01:57:56):
Do you have a favorite Manchester United player of all time?

Speaker 18 (01:58:01):
I would say Brian Robson. A lot of people would
say Canton Are and came along and sort of put
with Tanton. It was like excal players learned a got
from him of how practice and that sort of extra
training sessions and dedication to it. But for me, Brian
Robson was my heroes sort of thing, such a night

(01:58:23):
dynamic player and tackling and leading the team and then
scoring goals and that sort of thing, Like, yeah, it
was special.

Speaker 2 (01:58:32):
When did the idea of writing a book about your
love affair with this tame start to formulate?

Speaker 18 (01:58:40):
It's interesting because I had draft chapters sort of done
for many years, maybe ten five years ago, and then,
like I do football referering, and a friend of mine recently,
you know, had started preparing his sort of life story
sort of thing, and then it was just sort of

(01:59:02):
motivated me more to try and put it down. You
get onto it sort of thing and get it try
and release it. So I held the draft chapters there
and I just sort of put more time aside to
get onto it. And but it was, you know, it's
a unique stir up story, being a keiw supporting United
from Afar and like a rugby med country like New Zealand.
So that was the motivation to get onto us. And yes,

(01:59:24):
so I've released part one of its up to nineteen
ninety three and then I've got draft chapters also, you know,
it's ninety three up till now that I've got sort
of sort of well underway. And I just thought it
was like a unique story that would appeal.

Speaker 2 (01:59:36):
To people, absolutely hearted Manchester a Kiwee fans, football romance, Phillip.
Way do people find it if they want to check
it out? Read it by it?

Speaker 18 (01:59:46):
So it's on Google, Google Play, Google Books. It's available
on there and there's I think there's like a free
sampler about it people can view. There's quite a number
of chapters on there. Since behalf a dozen chapters that
people can see like a sample chapters of it on
Google Books.

Speaker 2 (02:00:02):
Wonderful stuff. Thanks for joining us. Fill up all the
base with the book and with the second part of it,
which no doubt we'll hit hit the online space in
the next little while. And congratulations on your on your
forty plus year fandom of this football club. Far it's
been great to chat to you about it.

Speaker 18 (02:00:21):
Thank you very much, so much appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (02:00:22):
Thank you, Jason, No, thank you Philip Phillip Kellaway lifelong
Manchester United fan, the Ebok Heart and Manchester are Kiwi
fans football romance. It is eight away from three News
Talks EP.

Speaker 1 (02:00:34):
When it's down to the line, you made a call
on eighty Weekend Sports with Jason Pine News Talks.

Speaker 2 (02:00:41):
B five to three. That's us on Weekend Sport for today.
We've got through the first weekend of the year, just
fifty one to go. Presumably we'll get a couple of
weekends off here or there. I don't know, but it's
been great to have twenty twenty six start in such
relaxed but invigorating fashion on Weekend Sport. Huge thanks to
any McDonald's always for producing the show, Thank you for

(02:01:02):
listening in, for participating, or just for I guess having
us as as company during this festive break when we've
got lots of other things on. It's a pleasure to
have you spending time with us, Adam Cooper after three
o'clock with summer or summer weekends. Summer weekends is that
the name of it. I think it is summer weekends.
Summer weekends are the summer weekends?

Speaker 14 (02:01:23):
All right?

Speaker 2 (02:01:23):
Well, he's here anyway after three regardless of what the
show is called. Good time for me to go an
exit song today? Well, Luke Littler is a back to
back world darts champion. As you know, all these players
have their walkout songs when they're introduced to the crowd.
Here is Luke Littler's walk out song, Football green Light.
See you next weekend.

Speaker 1 (02:02:25):
For more from Weekends Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talks it B Weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio

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