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January 18, 2025 • 10 mins

Ahead of the second day of SailGP, James McOnie from The Crowd Goes Wild joined Piney to recap day one - and discuss what Kiwi sailing fans can expect this afternoon.

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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks ed B.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Sunday afternoons mean a lot of things. For me, it
means sitting at sale gp HQ. For James mcconi, it
means talking to me from wherever he is. Where are you, mate?

Speaker 3 (00:22):
Do you?

Speaker 4 (00:23):
Where do we find you?

Speaker 3 (00:25):
I'm back in a great white chart country. I'm back
in carf here and in the garage. A lot of
lovely day down here. So people who don't know where
carf here if you think of Raglan and then there's
another harbor south of that, Altea Harbor, and then south
of that is Kafier Harbor. So I'm here multitasking, trying
to tidy up a property, but also on the lookout

(00:46):
for the Maracopa Dad. So you know, doing a bit of.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
Everything, bit of amateurs sleuthing.

Speaker 4 (00:53):
Yeah, yeah, it's good.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
Well let's talk some sport and some sport tainments. As
it's been called the Black Clash, another success last night
in christ Church.

Speaker 3 (01:03):
I think. So, I mean, look you just see it
was a good wasn't it, And a great contest. So look,
it's like everything, it's got its floors. But I think
there's so much to like about having good old fashioned entertainment.
When I was young, I remember watching I think it
was kind of like a clash of the Code, so
they called it Superstars with Peter Snell in the Velodrome

(01:25):
and things like that, and yeah, he wasn't perfect riding
a bike, but very watchable TV. So it's almost like
we've gone back to the future. And with you know,
Chris Gale, the Universe Boss playing, that's instant, you know,
star power, a huge amount of entertainment seeing him out there,
and you know, plenty of cricketers rugby players looking like

(01:46):
they're not too bad at cricket. I must give a
shout out to my Sky Sport buddy Joe Wheeler with
the ball, not too bad bowling, and then Andy Ellis
with the bats as well. I can't remember there's someone else,
Lea McDonald as well getting it after.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yeah, it's interesting how many rugby players and I think
it's probably common not just at the elite level, but
the number of top rugby players who also played a
bit of cricket growing up, and we're pretty good at it.
Karen Reid was a very uneven Black Clasher's passed. He's
got pots of runs. I know, you know, well, Jordan's
a handy cricketer. They love it as he dad was
one hundred and fifty k bowler.

Speaker 3 (02:24):
Yeah, he was part of the Brendan Brace or bowling camps,
the fast bowling camps back in the day.

Speaker 4 (02:29):
That's right.

Speaker 3 (02:29):
And so the cricket so intertwined in our DNA and look,
I mean it's kind of this will be for not
just New Zealand cricket but also New Zealand rugby and
all major sports or minor sports going to back to
the drawing board and thinking how do we get this
kind of buzz, even for example athletics. I remember, you
know there was the Molenberg Miles series and the pan

(02:52):
Am Games and all these things that happened where people
were talking about it, and you get famous athletes. Don
Quiry from Jamaica came over and even in recent years
I think Donovan Bailey came and ran grand here and
Carl lewis an exhibition event. So this is this is
what if you want to get crowds and if you
want to have have a good time and of course
having the acc involved, which is the alternative commentary collective.

(03:17):
And I'm biased because I'm part of that, but I
think they make it a great occasion.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
Absolutely right. I remember that clash of the Codes. I
remember they they got obviously sports people from a bunch
of different sports together and they you know, they had
to try other sports. I remember Bruce Kendall, the board sailor.
They had the Queen Street mile and you probably don't
remember this, but he sprinted out from the top and
he and he was leading by miles and then he
just ran out of gas. He got over taken by everybody.

Speaker 3 (03:46):
Do you find that? I really think that because that
was the modern version of classes the Codes conveniently organized
by Ian Ferguson and Paul McDonald, and somehow the kayakers
and the canoeis and rowers team a lot of the
events seemed to suit there their skill sets, so somehow
they end up in the final. And then Bruce Kendall

(04:06):
was I remember one time they did cover a Kenworth
truck on a runway and I think that, you know, again,
little brucend just regularly.

Speaker 4 (04:14):
It's talk other sport a league.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
Auckland f C back to winning ways a surprise loss
against Perth Glory last weekend a three nerl win over
the previously top of the table Melbourne City yesterday, all
the goals coming at the end of the first half.

Speaker 4 (04:27):
But good to see Auckland FC showing some bounce backability.

Speaker 3 (04:31):
Yeah, I know. And the way they actually set up
the formations seemed to me like they've actually taken a
leaf out of Nottingham Forest book within a pure number
nine in Chris Woods. So Max Matter was up the
front of a yellow car throwing himself around, scored a goal,
kind of had a hand in another. I think that
really they needed to be more direct and it's all

(04:54):
about shots on target for me, Piney and I think
in the first half they had seven That must be
a club record since I've only been going a few months,
so I'm putting it out there it's a club record.
But that's what I needed to see from Auckland. They
see if they're really going to be contenders, they just
need to shoot more and shoot accurately.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
Yep. Indeed, Wellington Phoenix, on the other hand going through
some struggles, although they did pick up a point against
Sydney FC in their last game, off to face MacArthur
tomorrow night.

Speaker 4 (05:23):
Does this feel like a top six side.

Speaker 3 (05:26):
To you, I'm just well, currently no, but they're missing
so much talent. I think there are Mico Rojas has
been there. I think Alex Ruth has been in and out.
Barbarusis has been pretty consistently on the field. But then
when you look at how many sort of newbies and teenagers,

(05:47):
and that is really the key to the A League
is having young junior players ready to step up. But
I do feel sorry for them. I think maybe getting
rid of David Ball isn't a bad idea. You need
to get some fresh legs in there, and he's been
a great servant for the club, but I don't think
I can't remember him scoring a goal, and I think
he was extremely unlucky of Eden Park and I just

(06:08):
looked at him and just thought that just sums up
for old David Ball. It's not going to be you know,
he's in the twilight of his career and the ball
just doesn't seem to be bouncing his way. So they
need something piny. And for you, as a commentator, I
feel like you are like one of those actors that
goes from the happy scene to the sad scene, Like
the Path of the House and lame is too, you know,
I dreamed a dream sort of thing.

Speaker 2 (06:30):
Yes, look, I never thought of it in those terms,
but I will from now on, That's what I'm Yeah,
I was gonna say, I'll give up my Jean Valjean,
but I don't think he was involved in either of
either of those two songs, So maybe we should move
on the AUSSI Open.

Speaker 4 (06:44):
You watch you in the AUSSI Open.

Speaker 3 (06:47):
Yeah, I have been, and I still maintain that it's
really Chockovich. Who can you know, add to his titles,
the only three players that really can beat him A Center,
Our Carez and old Oh Min. It'ould just be those two,
really I think about it is you know, some who
are looking okay, but it's not really the same talent

(07:09):
pool as who have known in the past. And on
the women's side, at least Koko gov seems to be
hitting the ball really nicely, although she plays at three o'clock,
so it could it might date very poorly because you
don't know with the Aussie Open and who's looking good,
because by the time you're in the fourth round, you're
actually in good form, aren't you.

Speaker 4 (07:29):
Yeah, absolutely right.

Speaker 2 (07:30):
Yeah, Look, I was astounded to see that Novak Djokovic
was only the seventh seed. I know it's based on
a lot more than just who you think is going
to win the thing, but he I think he's still
got the chance to win it. Center feels like the
man El Karez as well as Verev.

Speaker 4 (07:47):
I don't know. I don't think I've ever seen him.

Speaker 2 (07:49):
I don't think we've had a seeded player like Zverev
who just gets so little press. I don't think they've
been putting him on the main courts until the second
week and he's the second seed.

Speaker 3 (07:59):
Yeah, and I mean he is a threat. I mean
Alex Demano is a threat. There's all these other players.
He'd say, yeah, talent wise, have got something. But I
think isolating. I mean center of the drugs cheat, supposed
alleged drugs cheat, ol Karez twenty one years old, just
a freak, and then old man Jokovic in his mid thirties.
I think it's between those three.

Speaker 2 (08:21):
Indeed, and just to finish, we're now able to vote
for the sporting moments of twenty twenty four. And given
the fact that there was an Olympic Games last year
with a lot of success for New Zealand, and a
Paralympics as well. There are a number of moments that
are Olympic ones. Have you had a look at the
lineup and have you got an early contender for which

(08:41):
one you think we might all choose?

Speaker 3 (08:44):
This is harder to pick than a broken nose, as
they say in the Twelfth Man, It's just impossible. And
you know what, Dame Lisa Carrington didn't even make the list. No,
so this is I don't know how the list was compiled.
I'm not a judge anymore, but I do look at
the sporting moments and twenty twenty four was amazing and
even just looking at the top one, Anna Grimaldi when

(09:04):
she won that two hundred meters in the parent Olympics,
that was an incredible moment. So you know, you kick
off with that, and of course there's Dame Lydia Cove,
there's Hamish cur really really tough, and in terms of
pure moments of emotion, you know, the White Fans winning
their T twenty World Cup, and then the Black Caps
are in there as well. So I think you can

(09:25):
go and have a look on Halbert dot org dot NZ.
I think for the for the full list, and it's
going to be it's worth voting because you know, I
think that you want to be a pure in New
Zealand vote rather than just block votings voting of sports
where but I mean, you know there's two cricket events
in there, so that is a big popular sports. So

(09:47):
if you if you love your athletics or your golf
or whatever, you're going to go in there and vote.

Speaker 4 (09:52):
Absolutely right.

Speaker 2 (09:53):
Well it's good to chat, James le Let's do it
again next Sunday if you've if you've got time and
amongst all of your other amateur sleuthing and such.

Speaker 3 (10:00):
Like, yeah, yeah, I'll let you know. Actually there's some
people thought that you might look a bit like the Marrackope, Dad,
but I didn't form You've just got a slightly smaller
head by the Joseh.

Speaker 2 (10:08):
Mulet and probably slightly bigger around the waist as well,
given the fact he's been eating berries for two years.
But we probably died. We probably die, thanks James. James mccony,
big part of our Sundays. Joins us about this time
every Sunday.

Speaker 1 (10:25):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to news Talk said be weekends from midday or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio,
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